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The boy who committed suicide in Andheri East area of Mumbai was playing a 50 day dare game known as the Blue Whale Challenge.
Samyak Sheth
A 14 year old student jumped off his building's terrace in Andheri, where he resided.
Cyber police are scanning the student, Manpreet Singh Sahani's gadgets. The police learned about the suicide pact from Manpreet's friends WhatsApp group. The friends said that Manpreet had told them about his plan to commit suicide and that he would not come to school from Monday but they thought that it was a joke.
Manpreet, according to those who knew him, was addicted to playing games.
The Meghwadi police who is investigating this case said that this game is based on a 50 day dare, player has to pick up new challenge everyday and post his selfies on the private group and they have not found any representation of a whale engraved into his skin. The last stage of the game is suicide.
On Saturday Manpreet climbed up the sixth floor terrace of the building in Sher-e-Punjab society in Andheri (E) around 5:30 pm and killed himself. Manpreet's parents on Monday left for their native place for his final rites.
Manpreet's father is an aviation engineer and the boy was the youngest in the family.
More details have emerged post investigation about this deadly Blue Whale challenge that targets vulnerable teens and children online. The list of the tasks that are given to the people who take up the challenge are as follows:
Carve a specific phrase on the person's own hand or arm.
Wake up at 4:20 a.m. and watch a scary video (sent by the curator.)
Make lengthwise cuts on the person's own arm.
Draw a whale on a piece of paper
Write "yes" on the person's own leg if ready to be a whale. Otherwise, they should cut themselves multiple times.
Secret task (written in code.)
Scratch (a message) on the person's own arm.
Write a status online about being a whale.
Overcome a fear.
Get up at 4:20 and go to the roof.
Carve a whale on the person's own hand.
Watch scary videos all day.
Listen to music the "curator" sends.
Cut your lip.
Poke the person's own arm/hand with a needle.
Make yourself hurt or sick.
Go to a roof and stand on the edge.
Stand on a bridge.
Climb a crane.
At this step, the "curator" somehow checks to see if the participant is trustworthy.
Talk with a "whale" on Skype.
Sit down on a roof with legs dangling over the edge.
Another job that is in code.
A secret mission
Meet with a "whale."
The "curator" assigns a date that the person will die.
Visit a railroad.
Do not talk with anyone all day.
Give an oath/vow about being a whale.
The last one being killing yourself.
The challenge that has claimed over 130 deaths already first began in Russia four years ago. A name Philip Budeikin is known to have started the challenge.


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CHATAN, Okinawa Pref. — It's an early Tuesday evening at Morgan's, a popular bar along Gate Two Road, and the mood is festive.
Tonight is Irish sing-along night and, for U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Foster and U.S. Air Force personnel from the adjacent Kadena Air Base, it's a chance to relax after missions in Saudi Arabia to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
Two dozen officers and enlisted men are at the bar, one of several in the area. Unlike some establishments, Morgan's is open to Japanese and foreigners and a few younger Japanese venture inside.
For two hours, the Americans bellow out traditional Irish pub favorites as the Japanese customers watch with detached amusement.
"This area is picking up again. A curfew for the Gate Two Road area in Chatan went into effect in the fall of 1995 but was lifted last year," a Camp Foster marine said.
The marines and air force have worked hard to regain the public's trust in the wake of the rape of a local schoolgirl by three servicemen in September 1995.
The lifting of the curfew was to be short-lived, however. On Monday, the U.S. military reimposed it after a 19-year-old marine was arrested on charges of indecency and unlawful entry after he allegedly entered a house and fondled a 14-year-old girl.
The incident, coming on the eve of the Group of Eight summit, shocked and outraged Japan and renewed calls for the U.S. military to leave Okinawa.
Ten years after the end of the Cold War in Europe, the U.S. military presence in Asia, especially Okinawa, remains strong. The U.S. maintains 38 military facilities here, nearly 75 percent of its total presence in Japan.
As of this year, over 26,000 U.S. soldiers and sailors are in Okinawa, along with 23,000 dependents. Just over 8,000 civilians work on the bases, officials said.
The major military contingent is marines, with about 12,000 troops, followed by the air force with 7,000. The two forces have similar missions in some ways, but that of the marines is broader.
"Okinawa is home to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, one of three such forces and the only one to be located outside of the U.S.," Col. David Rann said.
Over the years, the marines' mission has expanded. In addition to rapid response readiness to Asia-Pacific crises, particularly on the Korean Peninsula, the marines in Okinawa are also responsible for peacekeeping operations, peace enforcement, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, Rann said.
The 3rd MEF operates from 16 facilities and dispatches troops to locations as far away as the Persian Gulf.
Last year, it provided operational assistance to Australian troops who went into East Timor. Past humanitarian efforts included evacuation of refugees in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, the Philippines and Kuwait City during the Gulf War.
"By being located in Okinawa, we are within easy helicopter range to potential trouble spots on the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan. In addition, we are well-placed to patrol the sealanes of Southeast Asia," Rann said.
The mission of the air force, mainly through the Kadena base, is to support troops on the Korean Peninsula, as well as fly patrols in the region.
"Kadena will probably be the last of the military facilities on Okinawa to be returned to Japan because of its size and importance," said Lt. Col. Brian Hoey, an air force spokesman.
Both Japan and the U.S. recognize that, as since 1995, public opposition has become much more vocal. The rape that September lit the fires of smoldering resentment toward the bases.
But according to the Suntory Foundation's Robert Eldridge, a U.S. expert on Okinawa, the protests were also due to a U.S. policy proposal seven months earlier.
"In February 1995, Joseph Nye, then an assistant defense secretary, recommended that 100,000 troops in Asia, and about 45,000 troops in Japan, remain. To many Okinawans, the Nye report just reaffirmed the status quo, while the rape reaffirmed the problems of following that report," Eldridge said.
Afterward, the Japanese and U.S. governments formed the Special Action Committee on Okinawa. In December 1996, SACO released its final report, which recommended that 11 facilities be returned to Japan.
At the same time, the U.S. military stepped up its efforts to work with the local communities. The marines established an office for a community liaison and instituted new, stricter rules for servicemen and women when they are off base.
From April, they also began serving as volunteer English teachers in local schools.
These efforts, plus the 1998 election of Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine, who has closer ties with the Liberal Democratic Party-led central government than his predecessor Masahide Ota, also led to the re-establishment of official contacts between Okinawan and U.S. military officials through the Tripartite Liaison Committee.
Originally formed in 1979, the committee included senior military, prefectural and Foreign Ministry representatives and met to discuss mutual problems. In 1995, during Ota's second term as governor, the committee was suspended because of his opposition to the bases.
It was reactivated in February 1999.
Unofficially, contacts between the U.S. military and local officials have been increasing as well. Brig. Gen. James Smith, commander of the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, has been an active proponent of a "bases without fences" policy.
This includes regular, informal meetings with elected officials of three townships that surround Kadena.
What are the results of these efforts in curbing crimes by military personnel? According to prefectural police statistics, as of the end of 1998, the U.S. military accounted for 4 percent of the population and about 1 percent of all offenses committed in the prefecture, from traffic violations to murder.
In 1988, police investigated 177 crimes involving U.S. military personnel, including four robberies and two rapes.
In 1995, when new rules related to dress and behavior went into effect, the total number dropped to 70, including one murder and rape.
In 1998, the total number of cases investigated had declined to 38, with three robberies but no incidents of rape or murder. While U.S. and Okinawan officials admit that many crimes go unreported, there is no mistaking a downward trend.
Public relations efforts appear to be alleviating some of the tension over the bases. But for Okinawan politicians and bureaucrats, the more basic question of further reductions remains paramount.
While some favor complete U.S. withdrawal, the majority emphasize continued reductions plus economic incentives from the central government.
"Further efforts by the U.S. and the central government must be made to ease the burden, especially with regard to the Futenma Air Station relocation issue," said Noriaki Kakazu, a local LDP official.
For their part, U.S. military officials say further reductions beyond the SACO agreement are not possible without affecting operational readiness. "We're down to bare bones here," Rann said.
However, defense experts are divided on the issue. Some, like Mike Mochizuki from the Brookings Institution, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., and Richard Armitage, a possible secretary of defense should George W. Bush be elected president in November, believe further reductions are possible.
They note that, before the Nye report came out, there had been talk that troop levels in Asia could be reduced to about 95,000, about 5,000 fewer than current levels.
Others, including former U.S. Ambassador Mike Mansfield, have suggested some marine units could be redeployed to Anderson Field in Guam or possibly Hawaii or Singapore.
Those favoring an Okinawan presence, however, say such moves would make a rapid, coordinated response to any regional crisis impossible.
In the meantime, the Futenma issue and the controversy over the 15-year time limit sought by both the city of Nago, where the air station is to be relocated, and the prefectural government illustrate that communication between the U.S., the central government and the local communities remains contentious.
One solution, advocated by Eldridge, would be for Okinawan officials to participate as observers in any discussion between the U.S. and Japan on Okinawan issues.
That idea is endorsed by Kakazu, as well as a number of U.S. defense experts.
Okinawan and U.S. military officials privately say, however, that it will be a while before that is likely to happen, because the Foreign Ministry is cool toward the idea.
"The Foreign Ministry has a history of ignoring the concerns of the Okinawan people. As a result, we often have to bring up their complaints with the central government," said a U.S. military official speaking anonymously.
"We would, of course, welcome any invitation by the central government to participate more in discussions about the base issue. But it would be very difficult for the local government to participate on an equal footing with Washington and Tokyo," said Seiichi Oyakawa, a senior prefectural official.
For the servicemen who hang out in Morgan's, though, the answer to the Okinawa problem is clear.
They are there to protect Japan from North Korea, China and smaller threats, such as pirates or terrorists.
While the U.S. should do everything it can, including reducing forces further if necessary, understanding on the part of the local community and the local media is needed.
"At the end of the day, this is still a dangerous region and our being here prevents more problems than our not being here would. We don't get a lot of credit for that," a U.S. airman said.
In his justification for continuing to maintain forces in Japan and Okinawa, former Defense Secretary Nye said security is like oxygen: you don't notice it until you don't have it when you need it.
The U.S. military says that its presence allows all of Asia to breathe easier. It recognizes some Okinawans are suffocating, though, and, within the guidelines of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, is making efforts to reduce tensions.
And Okinawans, after 55 years of a continued U.S. military presence, are holding their breath, hoping for more U.S. base reductions but also concerned about how what will happen economically, and politically, when the last U.S. soldier finally departs.

subset: commoncrawl


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In case you're getting some a reimbursement on your tax returns, one great way to spend that money is likely to be to have some simple home repairs finished. Do you know your relaxing hot tub could be a breeding floor for bacteria, mildew, and fungal infestation and varied airborne illnesses? Nonetheless, if you keep up with the care of your scorching tub or spa, you may reap the healthy benefits for a very long time. Customers of sizzling tubs must acknowledge the importance of staying on prime of maintenance procedures. If you're having bother maintaining your water chemistry and clarity, the issue could also be a worn out filter. It ought to go with out saying that hot tub house owners must change spa filters a minimum of every 12 months, typically more often, and undertake some fundamental upkeep suggestions. By bettering the standard of your sizzling tubs, hot tub filters can enhance your flexibility and vary of movement required in highly-paced atmosphere.
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I recommend that people with chronic illness meditate. I even did a podcast with Dr Tiffany Taft, a behavioral psychologist, that focused heavily on getting started with meditation as a tool for stress relief.
But me? Yeah, I don't meditate. Or, I didn't.
I have my time when I'm running or walking, either outside or on my treadmill, that I consider my meditation time. It's a moving meditation. That's what I tell people. I get quite cranky if I get interrupted or if I don't get that time. But it's not really traditional meditation, and I know that.
The time came when my friend and colleague, Dr Barbara Bolen, had an offer for a free trial of a meditation app. So I asked her if I could have it, she graciously gave it to me, and I downloaded the app. This is my journey through the first week, having never done any formal meditation in the past.
This is not a typical meditation blog post, but read through to the end to fully understand the challenges that are specific to me. I'm still going to recommend that everyone try meditation.
Day 1
I meditate for 3 minutes. I wanted to do it laying down, because I'm that tired and lazy, but the app I'm using tells me to sit up. Fine. I don't like being told what to do and when to do it, but I sit up anyway. The British man (OK I don't know if he's actually British, but his accent is) in my phone talks about focusing on my body and my breathing. I, of course, immediately start to think about all the times my body has betrayed me, but then I remember what Dr Taft told me to do about those errant thoughts during meditation when I interviewed her for About IBD Podcast: "Not right now." And I sent those thoughts into the background. Other thoughts creep in. My synapses fire louder and longer first thing in the morning so it's difficult to banish that "to do" list and the thoughts about getting up and putting on my running shoes. Not to mention going downstairs and getting my coffee.
Maybe morning isn't the best time for me to meditate?
I'll meditate on it.
Day 2
I cry through most of the 3 minute meditation today. I wish I could say it was a result of British accent man's voice. It is not. It is because of all the reasons what we cry: emotional and physical pain, loneliness, fear, and uncertainty. Many of these are my constant companions, others are seasonal frenemies, and they can't always be put away to the side like thoughts can, because they're not thoughts, they're feelings. I do manage to pull it together near the end.
British accent man would be proud, I'm sure.
Day 3
Today the app asks me to watch a video and I groan. I don't know if my aversion to videos is generational or is an affect of my own brain. I love TV. I love movies. I am not interested in watching animations while someone talks over it. Give me a document and I'll read it, thanks. But, I am committed so I watch the video. I could have gotten the concept from a paragraph, but this is what the app developers have chosen to do.
It tells me to not to try too hard to control my thoughts. I don't fully understand that. I have control to a certain extent but there are also thought patterns that are habits and considering I've spent 44 years creating them, a one minute video probably isn't going to help me reverse them. I'm also reminded of how Dr Taft warned that mindfulness and meditation techniques are perhaps giving people an inflated idea of how much they can actually achieve through these methods. Can meditation really help with all the emotional gunk that has been building up in my brain for decades?
Day 4
There's no video today, thankfully. I do the meditation exercise, more or less successfully. I am trying to do the meditation in the morning. It's only a few minutes, it's really not a big deal to work it into the day unless I oversleep or something. I let the app send me notifications now. Sometimes it makes me roll my eyes at the messages it sends. I'm Gen-X: I was steeped in sarcasm and my persona is mostly snarky comments and coffee loosely wrapped up in black leggings and boots. I like to think that I'm kind and empathetic but I'm not the type to read motivational messages and take anything away from it.
I don't use the app outside of my morning meditation time, even though it prompts me to do so.
Day 5
Today I get up and need to get going quickly so I am going about my day before I realize I haven't done my meditation. I wind up doing it much later in the day, which is fine, but I do feel as though I've sort of failed for the day. Even though I did it. I have no idea why if I don't get something done before noon, even if I do get it done later, I still feel as though I should have done it sooner. It's a mystery. Again, it's those ingrained thought patterns from which it is difficult to break free. But Day 5 is on the books, even if it was quite late.
Day 6
I have deadlines and I'm distracted. I'm unable to control my thought process and I'm thinking a lot about love and its discussion in one of my favorite movies, Interstellar. The contrasting ideas are that love could be something we evolved to think we feel in order to survive and that love could be more transcendental: something that spurs us to action but that we can't currently fully understand.
All I know is that in the morning I sometimes think of people I love who are gone from my life (either forever or for right now) and how the pain of these losses compounds with growing older. The pain never leaves and we must instead find a way to cope with it on a daily basis. The worst part is knowing with certainly that there's more pain to come and maybe even that the most difficult pain is still ahead. Sometimes I'm effective at leaving these ideas behind and sometimes I'm not. Today I'm not, and I am unable to banish thoughts of those I wish I could see and talk with from my mind.
British accent man is somewhere feeling profoundly disappointed and he doesn't know why.
Day 7
I manage to meditate early in the morning, soon after waking up. I am not able to control my thoughts at all. Or, what I should say is that my thoughts go to their familiar patterns, of thinking of the things that make my brain uses to feel better. I'm still not sure exactly what I'm supposed to be thinking or not thinking. The app wants me to try and be an outside observer of my own thoughts. I get the idea but it's not really working out that way. I know it takes time and patience but the app seems to think I should be able to handle this already. The app is like, ok, do the thing, and I still don't know what the "thing" is.
After a week of meditation I don't feel any different. I'm not sleeping better or finding myself coping with stress more effectively. At least, it doesn't seem that this is the case, but there's no true objective measurement for these potential end points. I know there's only so much change that meditation can help bring about and we shouldn't pin all our hopes on it.
I'm old enough to have come to some realizations on my own, particularly over the last 5 years, and especially in the last 10, after becoming a mother. I already make a conscious decision to stop and "let go" of minor upsets on a regular basis (though some still vex me) and try to focus on the big picture rather than the little annoyances. I'm certainly no zen master but it does beg the question: how far can meditation truly take me? My free trial isn't over yet, so there's more meditation to come, and who knows, maybe a breakthrough.
And yes, I'm still going to recommend that people with IBD meditate regularly.


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PixelRuler is a free only for private use software for measuring horizontal and vertical distances on the entire screen, and is ideal for web designers and graphic artists.
For a commercial use the price for one license (1 workstation) is only 5.00€*.
You will get a volume discount if you purchase multiple licenses.
- Resizable Zoom window.
- Color Picker: color value determination (for HTML, RGB, Long, TColor, VB, Websafe).
- Distance measurement manual and automatic.
- Multi-monitor support incl. 4K/UHD monitor support.
- Monitor calibration for different units of length in mm, cm, inches, etc.
- Conversion scaling <> 100% / DPI <> 96.
- Adjustable ruler length and width.
- Horizontal and vertical alignment on the whole screen and virtual desktop (Multi-monitor).
- Settings: docking function, docking range, ruler- and font color, font size, transparency, zoom, etc.
- Ruler can be used as a reading help, by adjusting background and font color and deactivating the coordinate display.
- Operation systems: Windows 2000, 2003, 2008, XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.x, Windows 10.
- Setup-Routine for installation/deinstallation.
- Bilingual menu (german, english).
- Help file.


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3 Career Hacks For China Job Seekers
April 03, 2013
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past ten years, you are well aware that China is the economic growth story of our generation. For this reason, hundreds of thousands of expatriates and students have flocked to China to learn Mandarin, find internships and jobs, and launch businesses in this dynamic market and ancient civilization. If you are seeking an extraordinary career abroad in a high-growth juggernaut economy, you should definitely be considering China. However, once you begin conducting your China job hunt from outside of China, you'll realize that you face some serious difficulties in your search.

Career Hacks For China Job Seekers
 Here are three major problems job seekers will face in their China career launch and solutions to counter these obstacles:
1. Language
 The first, and most obvious issue, is that you likely do not speak Mandarin. However, how are you supposed to compete in the job market without speaking a word of Chinese? How are you supposed to become fluent in Chinese without having lived and spent time there? If you are serious about launching a career in China, it is worth investing in a semester/year abroad or doing an independent language study program at an institution like Tsinghua in Beijing or Jiaotong in Shanghai. If you are immersed in Chinese language and culture then you will progress rapidly. Even if you do not reach total fluency, reaching intermediate proficiency will make a significant difference in your local job hunt. This will also make you, overall, a more formidable internationalist. An added benefit of doing a language exchange in China is that it will give you a long-term student visa. You will then be able to spend more time building a network in your chosen city, practicing Mandarin in a range of situations, and sourcing interview opportunities.
2. Work Visa And Experience
 Another major issue that China job hunters face is how to secure a work visa. The only way to get a work visa is to get a job offer and have the company sort this out for you. How can you deal with this quandary? As an expatriate hire, you will be more expensive to hire than a Chinese national because sponsorship of foreigners requires registering with the government. In addition to this, it's inevitable that you will demand a higher salary than a Chinese national in the same position. How will you convince the hiring manager that you are worth your stated salary price and the work required for the visa? We suggest that you take on a part time or full time internship position while you are conducting your language exchange and education period in China. The benefit of this is that you will gain practical China-specific work experience in a setting that is low risk for both yourself and the company for who you are interning. If you perform well over a period of 3 months, then you might source a full time offer. Alternatively, if you do not want to accept an offer at that company and want to explore other options, you can source a linkedin recommendation from your manager. This will give you instant credibility as someone who has China-specific work experience and a solid foundation upon which to source new interviews. This is a potent cocktail for launching an extraordinary career in China.
3. Connections
 You probably don't have a network in China to rely on - at least not yet. International careers will frequently depend on your ability to work through your network to land interviews at your target companies. How do you build a network from scratch in China? How are you going to convince a hiring manager in Beijing that you are worth his time and energy? Building a social network from scratch in a new country is more of an art than a science. The first place you can start is by searching your university's alumni association chapter in that city. Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are the cities that are most likely to have alumni based there. Invite them out for a bubble tea and catch up on your university days. In addition, you can search Linkedin and Facebook for university alumni who are based in your new city. This is a great place to begin in terms of both building a social circle and also potentially sourcing job opportunities down the road. Finally, you should explore web communities like Meetup, Internations, and Toastmasters. Experiment by showing up at the weekly or monthly events that these organizations hold and build relationships with people with whom you have mutual interests. The amazing opportunities available internationally in places like China will never cease to amaze, surprise, and excite you.
Related Posts:
 When To Turn Down A Job Offer Risks And Rewards Of Taking A Job You Don't Want Why No One Is Calling You After You've Applied To Over 100 Jobs Online Photo Credit: Shutterstock

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Looking for a spare part? let us know the make and model of your appliance and we will find the part you need.
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text:
Clint Sebastian
Primary tabs
Clint Sebastian is a Ph.D. candidate at VCA group at the Eindhoven University of Technology. His research is in collaboration with Cyclomedia, a company that specializes in large-scale professional street-view imagery. Clint received his B.Tech (SRM University, India) and M.Sc (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) in Electrical Engineering. After graduation, he worked at Cyclomedia as research scientist focusing on building machine learning algorithms for object detection, segmentation, and unsupervised generative modeling.
Clint's research interests include deep learning, unsupervised learning and semantic interpretation of unstructured data (eg. point cloud). Clint is proficient in programming in C++11 and python. He is also experienced with libraries such as TensorFlow, Caffe, OpenCV, Boost, and PCL (point cloud library). His other interests include organizing long-distance bike trips, playing squash and solving combination puzzles.


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Nigerians are beginning to realize the "Change" promised by the All Progressives Congress may NOT be far from a "pocket change" meaning the old game of personal interests. This accounts for why national party leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu after gaining full political control over Lagos state for the past 16 years is ready to replicate the same feat at the national level. The kind of ''Change" which entails Senate President Bukola Saraki liaising for the support of the opposition party, People's Democratic Party to win the senate presidency race. And also, the kind of ''pocket change'' that entails chartering a private aircraft for a whooping sum of N66 million or even N3.9 million by the House of Representatives Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara just for a trip to Delta state in a country where about 110 million people are living below a dollar in a day.
Now, to the subject matter of this article, President Muhammadu Buhari vehemently criticised the past administration led by ex President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan during the presidential election campaign for failing in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Nigerians were cajoled by his former status as a military General which created the mental image of a King leading his village to victory in a war as we had in the olden days.
The best proactive steps ex President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took was the usual condemnation of Boko Haram attacks via press statements and in over 30 days, President Muhammadu Buhari isn't far from that line. The President at the age of 72 right now must be realizing we only stop learning when we die; it's easier to be a spectator or commentator than being the game player. Now that Nigerians have mandated him to operationalize his visions on curbing the Boko Haram sect, he has realized the heat the Cook endures at the kitchen while the master impatiently awaits his meals in the comfort of the living room.
Below are the 8 top worst decisions of President Muhammadu Buhari on the state of insecurity in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria:
(1) Nationwide dismantling of all military checkpoints:
On the 22th of June, 2015, Buhari ordered all military checkpoints in Nigeria to be dismantled. We all thought it was a viable strategy with a backup plan as the check points reduced the proliferation of light and heavy arms. This increased the attacks instantly that the Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong had to defile the order of the President as he installed all the military checkpoints after the twin bomb blasts that hit the city of Jos on the 6th of July, 2015.
(2) Starting a probe of the Nigerian military on extra-judicial killings on the request of Amnesty International:
The decision by Buhari to launch a probe into the case of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Nigerian army as tabled by the Amnesty International was a wrong call. Soldiers were dying at the war front to save lives, families were losing their breadwinners and the greatest incentive a president could use to boost their morale was awaiting trial. Buhari is too experienced to be cowed by the antics of the international community. Wasn't this the same Buhari that stood his ground against the International Monetary Fund, IMF when they wanted to coerce him into obnoxious loan terms during his tenure as the Head of State from 1983 to 1985?
(3) Relocating the Nigerian Military Headquarters to Maiduguri:
The question I wish to ask anybody frowning at this view is that what has been the impact of the relocation of the military headquarters to Maiduguri which is the stronghold of the Boko Haram sect? The attacks have increased with the sect sticking to their old ways of massive suicide attacks since the relocation. This may be coming too early but Boko Haram's dynamism in strategies keeps beating the intelligence of our highly trained and overpaid security operatives. This is an anomaly.
(4) Retaining the Service Chiefs that failed ex President Goodluck Jonathan for over 30 days:
Going by the pattern of the ''blame game'', as Buhari faulted ex president Goodluck Jonathan over his poor handling of the Boko Haram sect, it is safe for Jonathan to blame the service chiefs namely Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh; the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Minimah; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Adesola Amosu which he appointed, as they were directly in charge of the operations against the sect. Buhari did the unthinkable by retaining the same set of failing service chiefs in his administration for over a month and was mapping security strategies with the same set of people. The same sets of methods are bound to yield the same results. This questions the president's military credentials.
(5) Romance with the United State of America that is bent on compelling him to legalize same-sex marriage.
As a political scientist, I belong to the realist school of thought that believes the international system is a game of interests. It is not a community built around love and freebies. Buhari's intimate romance with the United States of America on security issues will lure him into taking decisions that conform to the interests of America and this mayn't cope with local realities. The United States Assistant Secretary of state for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield's recent statement of the U.S 'compelling' Nigeria to accept same-sex marriage is another case at hand. Who knows what America will ask for in return? Our sovereignty is on the line. Remember America spied of several French Presidents, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy
and Hollande, even listening to their phone calls despite the fact that U.S and France are allies.
(6) Exclusion of Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on issues of national security:
On two occasions, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was locked out of meeting with security chiefs on the order of President Muhammadu Buhari as reported by the media. This gives us a feel of the dictatorial past. Osinbajo is a great intellectual asset in Nigeria that Buhari is yet to exploit. Osinbajo's economic views are stellar and I believe he can cover up for the excesses of Buhari on security issues.
(7) Negotiation/Amnesty for the Boko Haram sect:
An ardent follower of President Muhammadu Buhari will tell you he has virtually gone back on all his campaign promises which the leadership of the All Progressives Congress have termed as propaganda. APC national party leader and former governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the presidential election campaign suggested an amnesty programme for the faceless Boko Haram members which Buhari fiercely opposed to. I was impressed by Buhari's stand despite dead allegations that he is linked to the sect. Of recent, I was shocked to the marrow of my bones when Buhari told the press that he is open to a negotiation with the Boko Haram insurgents. We should recall the insincerity of the Boko Haram sect in negotiations which mocked the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan. Even if we want to negotiate, what will be Boko Haram's terms? Do they have a cause? Releasing their top leaders which they suggested in the past is like sharing your weaknesses with an opponent.
(8) Relocation of Boko Haram prisoners to the Ekwulobia prison in Anambra:
I am not against the Federal Government's directive or relocation of the 47 Boko Haram prisoners to any part of the country but why would Buhari sanction the relocation of high-level prisoners of the Boko Haram class to the Ekwulobia prison in Anambra state that is not even a 'maximum prison'? This poses a huge security risk due to the sect's records of successful jailbreaks in the past. The response of the Igbos was predictable to avoid undue attention of insurgents who have the financial power and military capability to orchestrate a collateral attack on any security facility.
In conclusion, my highlighted list is borne out of a desire for change in the poor security approach to Boko Haram in Nigeria and not hatred for President Muhammadu Buhari whose campaign train I joined from the first day he signified interest in the presidential seat.
I am only doing my job as the Village Town Crier.


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Data Engineer
Palo Alto, California /
Engineering /
Nyansa is a fast-growing innovator of advanced IT infrastructure analytics software based in Palo Alto, California. Founded in September 2013 by technology professionals from MIT, Meraki, Aruba Networks and Google, Nyansa is credited with developing the first cloud sourced, vendor-agnostic network analytics and IoT security platform, called Voyance.
We embrace simplicity and take following to heart on everything we do:
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." - Einstein
Nyansa is looking for a data engineer to join the team that is building a new, vendor-agnostic IT network analytics service purpose built for CIOs, network operations and helpdesk personnel managing heterogeneous enterprise environments. Our product is focused on the end user experience by helping IT staff gain new insights into client access conditions, network service behavior and enterprise applications issues that impact user performance.
Our current big data analytics system analyzes billions of streaming events per day using advanced algorithms. Going forward, we aim to scale the system extensively and are looking for radical ideas to achieve this.
The company is well funded and provides competitive compensation package, stock options, benefits, catered lunch, and a fun work environment.
We're located within a 1 min walk from the Palo Alto Caltrain station.
• Design and develop highly scalable and available real time analytics platform using Spark, Kafka, Cassandra, and Elasticsearch for large data input streams
• Work closely with data science and UI teams to define and implement various analytics features related to product
• Configure, monitor, and optimize Spark and related infrastructure
• Strong desire to work for an early stage startup and be a part of its success
• Strong in Map-Reduce, parallelizing computations, and identifying bottleneck computations
• Strong in Scala and Python
• Experience in configuring and tuning Spark and Kafka systems
• Good understanding on Spark UI to extract useful information on application stages, and identify bottlenecks
• B.S. or higher degree in Computer Science or equivalent
• Experience with Cassandra, Elasticsearch, Mongo
• Experience with Ganglia and able to correlate information from various UIs to diagnose efficiency issues
• Experience working with AWS
• Experience with Spray to build REST endpoints


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Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 027 comprised 0.2% of a collection of Swedish isolates in 1997-2001 (3 of 1,325 isolates). These isolates had lower moxifloxacin MICs than the epidemic type 027 isolates, but they had the same tcdC sequence and toxin yield. Type 027 produced 3- to 13-fold more toxin than did major Swedish types. One epidemic strain (027/NAP1a) sporulated more than did other type 027 isolates, a feature that should contribute to its survival and spread.
A strain of Clostridium difficile (PCR ribotype 027 and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type NAP1 [027-NAP1]) producing high levels of toxin has in recent years been associated with increased infection rates, outbreaks, and severe disease (10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 31, 34). Its high toxin yield may, in part, be caused by a frameshift mutation in tcdC (5), encoding a negative regulator of TcdR and part of the C. difficile pathogenicity locus (20, 21). Type 027 has been associated with the use of fluoroquinolones, especially moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin (3, 4, 8, 27, 32), that promote C. difficile growth and toxin production in an animal model (1). The role of these factors for the worldwide expansion of type 027/NAP1 is obscure. We compared historical and epidemic isolates of PCR ribotype 027 with respect to antibiotic susceptibility, tcdC sequence, toxin yield, S-layer, and sporulation.
C. difficile isolates were obtained from the following: a collection of 1,325 strains isolated in 1997-2001 in central and south Sweden (23, 29, 30, 35, 36, 37); the recent U.S.-Canadian epidemic (US1067 and US1165, representing PCR ribotype 027/pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types NAP1a and NAP1b, respectively); and the Culture Collection, University of Göteborg (CCUG), Göteborg, Sweden (CCUG 19125 [VPI 10463], CCUG 37783, and CCUG 20309 [8864]). For PCR ribotyping, see reference 30. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by Etest (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) using IsoSensitest agar (Oxoid Ltd, Basingstoke, United Kingdom) supplemented with 5% defibrinated horse blood and 20 μg/ml of β-NAD (Swedish Reference Group for Antibiotics [www.srga.org ]). The isolation of bacterial DNA, PCR, and sequencing were performed as described previously (24) by using primers for tcdC (28). For growth experiments, overnight cultures were diluted 106-fold into triplicate tubes containing peptone-yeast without cysteine or glucose that were further grown for 48 h (13, 14). Sampling, separation of intra- and extracellular fractions, sonication, and toxin measurements (by enzyme immunoassay) were performed as described previously (13, 14). Vegetative and sporulated cells were scored by microscopy by using a Bürker chamber; 10 squares containing 5 to 15 cells were counted per isolate, and the values were averaged. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was performed as described in reference 13; duplicate 24-h intracellular protein samples of US1067, US1165, and T-378 and a single sample of Ö99-1670 were focused on 180-mm linear immobilized pH gradient strips (pH 4 to 7; Amersham Biosciences, Uppsala, Sweden). For identification, protein spots were excised from Coomassie-stained gels and processed using the Montage in-gel digestion kit (Millipore, Billerica, MA), together with a vacuum manifold unit. Two microliters of eluted peptides was loaded on an anchor chip plate (Bruker Daltonics, Inc., Bremen, Germany) and covered by 1 μl of α-cyano-4-hydoxycinnamic acid. Peptide mass mapping of tryptic peptides was performed by a Bruker Daltonics Reflex IV matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight apparatus equipped with a nitrogen laser (337.1 nm) and operated in a reflective positive mode. Spectrum calibration was performed by internal use of trypsin fragments of 842.510, 1,045.564, and 2,211.105 Da and the external use of a 1,000- to 4,000-Da peptide calibration standard (Bruker Daltonics, Inc.). Identified peptide masses were analyzed in the Mascot search engine at www.matrixscience.com .
By using two C. difficile PCR ribotype 027 reference strains, three type 027 isolates were identified in the Swedish national database; these isolates represented 0.2% of strains collected in 1997-2001. (PCR ribotype 027 corresponded to type SE10 according to the Swedish nomenclature.) The type 027-infected patients had developed moderate to severe Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) (Table 1), and like other historical 027 isolates (22), the Swedish ones had lower MICs for moxifloxacin compared to the MICs for the recent epidemic type 027/NAP1 (Table 2). In addition, the MICs for metronidazole were about threefold lower in the Swedish isolates. The tcdC sequence was identical in the type 027 isolates Ö99-1670, US1067, and US1165, including the characteristic 18-bp deletion and the frameshift mutation at position 117, while isolates representing the major Swedish types SE20 and SE30 had a wild-type tcdC allele (see Fig. S1 in the supplemental material). The toxin yield was similar in historical and epidemic type 027 isolates but 3- to 13-fold higher than the yield in isolates representing the common types SE20, SE30, and SE21 (Fig. 1).
Three of the type 027 isolates had sporulation frequencies of about 25% at 48 h (Fig. 2). T-378 was morphologically different from the other 027 isolates, showing elongated doublet cells usually containing a single spore (not shown). Thus, the actual sporulation frequency per unit cell was about twofold lower than the scored one, i.e., closer to 25% than to 45% (Fig. 2). Strain US1067 (NAP1a) sporulated more (60%; P < 0.001) (Fig. 2) and had a smaller cell and colony size compared to the case for the other type 027 isolates. Excluding the low-sporulating strains VPI 10463 and 8864, US1067 also had a 20% higher optical density at 24 h than those of all other isolates (P < 0.001) (data not shown), i.e., consistent with characteristics of the epidemic 027 type (34). Despite the differences in sporulation frequency and morphology, the expressed protein patterns of US1067, US1165, and Ö99-1670 were similar (see Fig S2 in the supplemental material). However, T-378 expressed an additional S-layer (see Fig. S2 and Table S1 in the supplemental material), possibly causing its unique morphology.
The "hypervirulence" of C. difficile 027/NAP1 (16, 25, 26) has been ascribed to its higher (about 20-fold) toxin yield in vitro compared to those of toxinotype 0 strains (34), caused by loss of TcdC function (5, 21). However, the moderate threefold-higher toxin yield of type 027 (defective tcdC) compared to those of types SE30/SE20 (wild-type tcdC) indicates that other factors may also affect toxin production. For example, the nutritional sensor CodY may further affect the range of toxin levels (6). The fact that strains VPI 10463 and 8864 yielded few spores but superior amounts of toxin during stationary phase was in accord with the inverse relation between spore and toxin yield generally found among C. difficile isolates (2). No clinical isolate of the same PCR ribotype as that of strain 8864 and only two isolates sharing type and characteristics with VPI 10463 were found in our national database, suggesting that high-level toxin producers with low sporulation capacities have poor transmission rates. Although antibiotics that promote growth and toxin production by resistant C. difficile in vivo are major risk factors for developing CDAD (1, 7, 9, 11, 33), our data showed that certain PCR ribotype 027 strains have different morphologies and growth characteristics as well as high capacities for both toxin and spore production, features that may contribute to disease severity, therapy failure, relapse, and spread.
We thank Michel Warny for providing strains US1067 and US1165 and Mats Andersson for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight analyses.
- Received 4 October 2007.
- Returned for modification 15 November 2007.
- Accepted 8 February 2008.
- Copyright © 2008 American Society for Microbiology


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InterBase (29)
mysql (163)
Oracle (327)
How can I simulate a deadlock for testing purposes?
5 comments. Current rating: (1 votes). Leave comments and/ or rate it.
Question:How can I simulate a deadlock for testing purposes?
Answer:Below is a quick recipe for a dead lock. Two transactions, one first updating table 1, then 2 and the other one doing it in reverse order.
Both transactions wait in the middle for 20 seconds to give you some time to execute them 'simulaneously'.
When you run the two in transactions in two windows 'at the same time', you'll only have to wait ~20 seconds, and one of the windows will experience a dead lock.
Content-type: text/html


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A new study says young American adults are spending far more time watching eSports online than traditional sports, while the new National Football League season's TV ratings are tanking (again).
Limelight Networks has released a white paper on the State of Online Video 2017, which showed US adults watch online sports coverage for an average of 1.37 hours per week compared to 1.15 hours for online video gaming and events (aka eSports). The global averages were 1.35 hours per week of traditional sports and 1.03 hours of eSports.
However, male viewers aged 18-25 years consumed 1.95 hours per week of eSports content compared to 1.67 hours of traditional sports. Females of the same age watched 0.82 hours of eSports compared to 0.74 hours for traditional sports.
For those younger male viewers, eSports ranked second only to movies (2.02 hours) as the most popular online video content. For young females, eSports ranked second from the bottom, behind TV shows, movies, user generated content and news, with traditional sports coming dead last.
As one might expect, the script gets flipped as one goes higher up on the age chart. Even males in the next oldest demo (26-35 years) consume more traditional sports (2.03 hours per week) than eSports (1.75 hours) with the lowest eSports tally coming (naturally) in the over-60 bracket.
The fact that younger viewers are increasingly turning away from traditional sports is bad news for leagues like the NFL, which is watching its terrestrial viewing audience shrink faster than George Costanza in a swimming pool. The league reported a 12% year-on-year decline in TV viewership for its season opener last Thursday night, the fourth straight year the opening night numbers have fallen.
The numbers were no more encouraging for Sunday's afternoon games, which saw CBS's regional games' ratings falling 17%, Fox's regional games down 28%, and the Fox national game down 17%. The opening game of Monday Night Football's doubleheader was down 12.5% while the Chargers v. Broncos encore managed to slip only 7%.
Last year's ratings declines were blamed on Americans being (a) distracted by the presidential election race, and (b) turned off by Colin Kaepernick's anthem protests. This year's opening week slide is being blamed on viewers switching to news networks to follow Hurricane Irma coverage. Tune in next year, when the NFL blames its latest double-digit declines on Donald Trump's impeachment trial.
Amazingly, the NFL's saving grace could come from what it has always demonized: sports betting. Nielsen surveys have suggested that legal sports betting would give NFL ratings a serious shot in the arm, so fingers crossed that the US Supreme Court does New Jersey a solid following the oral arguments expected later this year.


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The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Possibly a paraphrasing of John Stuart Mill, (but turns out it was not Edmund Burke)
This card has not come up since 2015, when we were all laughing at the ridiculous notion that a sleazy millionaire reality show host could possibly be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. Well, we all know how that turned out, don't we?
After a long hiatus, it appears that The Devil has come calling for us once again. And, as it is one of the Major Arcana cards, it would seem that this week we can expect something big to be going on.
One of the most misunderstood cards in the Tarot, Arthur Waite wrote, "Hereof is the chain and fatality of the material life."
As one contributor to the Aeclectic Tarot forums mused some years ago, "One of Wiktionary's definitions for fatality is: 'Invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.' And from the Oxford American Dictionary: 'Helplessness in the face of fate.' This seems to be the sense in which Waite uses it here."
Thus, the R-W-S Tarot places The Devil directly in contrast with The Lovers card, "as if," says Waite, "Adam and Eve after the Fall."
The Devil is the number fifteen in the Major Arcana. This reduces to six, which is the Lovers card.
Look at both together and you'll see that the couple is the same. The triangular composition of the two cards is also identical – the two nude figures, with the woman on the left, the male on the right.
But in The Lovers, they are in a sun-filled field, framed by two trees. Above the couple is the archangel Michael (some believe he is Raphael), whom the woman is turned towards, while the man looks towards her.
In the Devil card, perched on the slab above them is the Horned One, also sometimes considered to be the angel Uriel. Both human figures look neither at him, nor at one another, only blankly downward.
In both cards, the magical being overseeing the couple is offering acknowledgement or blessing. The angel in the Lovers gazes down upon the couple; the Devil looks straight out at us.
Like the Lovers, the Devil suggests there are choices to be made. Whereas the couple in their garden would indicate faith, awareness, and benevolence, the Devil is surrounded by black emptiness. He shows us our deepest fears and how we hide from them, sublimate and deny them, project them onto others, or else face them.
His lesson is what happens when we have no awareness, and the consequences that come when we fail to recognize our own power to act. For notice – if you look closely at this card, you'll see that the chains the man and woman wear are loose. They seem fatalistically resigned to their prison. Yet, if they would only awaken from their trance, they could escape.
The Shadow Period
We have entered the "shadow period" of the upcoming Mercury retrograde which arrives July 7.
Jamie Partridge of Astrology King writes:
This particular Mercury retrograde 2019 is very intense and combative because it is conjunct Mars. It is also impulsive and provocative because it is square Uranus. Nervous and rushed thinking brings the potential for losing your temper and getting in arguments.
Mercury retrograde July 2019 requires self-awareness, concentration, patience and impulse control. Choose your battles carefully and avoid making spontaneous decisions. A tendency to act rashly without regard for the consequences could lead to great disruption or conflict…
…Mercury conjunct Mars gives focused and acute thinking which is good for arguing your case and defending others against harassment or provocation. But it also gives aggressive or defensive thinking which can lead to arguments, temper tantrums and being unnecessarily rude or abusive.
Without using up this intense energy in mental work, a good debate or solving puzzles, you may encounter hostility in others. This could come in the form of threats, abuse or intimidation. Choose your battles carefully because of a tendency toward acting before thinking…
The energy of Mars can be extremely valuable in such areas as war and business and politics. [The additional influence of] Pollux greatly increases the Mercury-Mars risk of arguments, losing your temper, and of verbal and physical abuse.
Mercury opposite Pluto creates subjective and narrow thinking and an even more competitive environment battle of ideas, either within your own mind or between competitors. Such mental intensity brings a risk of threats, intimidation and other forms of psychological abuse.
Propaganda, secrecy, mind control, superiority complexes and obsessions are possible. This aspect also increases the Mercury-Mars and Pollux aptitude for getting into quarrels.
Sounds like devilish times could lie ahead.
Certainly, there are plenty of alarm bells clanging all around us even now. Will we react in time?
The Banality of Evil
The Devil of the Tarot has been called the dark side of the collective unconscious.
And there is no doubt that we are seeing a lot of that repressed, distorted shadow energy acting out in the public – from the unwillingness or inability to curb a "textbook case," possibly mentally ill resident of the American White House; to the ongoing slaughter of worshippers, schoolchildren, and office workers because no one dares interfere with the National Rifle Association; to the massive, ever-ballooning injustice between the super-wealthy and the struggling middle- and lower-classes where it's business as usual on Wall Street.
How do you define evil?
Agatha Christie declared through a character who was speaking with her Detective Hercule Poirot, "Nowadays, no one believes in evil. It is considered, at most, a mere negation of good. Evil, people say, is done by those who know no better – who are undeveloped – who are to be pitied rather than blamed. But, M. Poirot, evil is real! It is a fact! I believe in Evil as I believe in Good. It exists! It is powerful! It walks the earth!'"
Is this so? Or is it just a matter of degree?
If the latter, where on the spectrum of evil would you rate the exile and subsequent deaths of uncounted thousands of Native American men, women, and children by the US government, when they were forced into temporary camps and "reservations" where poverty and misery still flourish to this day?
Or the enslavement of an estimated 12.5 million Africans between 1525 and 1866? What about the internment of innocent Japanese-Americans during WWII? And of course, there is the Holocaust, for which I really have no words.
During the past week, everyone has been discussing the seemingly inevitable national roundup of "illegal aliens" and the ongoing brutality in the American concentration camps (Yes, I said it. "Concentration camps." Look it up.). These are the semi-secret internment camps where immigrants and asylum seekers are being held indefinitely and without due process along our borders in the U.S.
If these are not the acts of evil, then what is?
And if evil is grinning in your face, what will you do about it?
The problem that many people have with the term "evil" is that it has Puritanical, biblical, and fictitious underpinnings that point to Big Drama and some supernatural, diabolical mastermind at work. Like the scary mythical creature in the card.
But the story of evil in human history is, in truth, more similar to what Hannah Arendt describes. She was the Jewish journalist who narrowly escaped Nazi Germany and after the war, when he was finally captured, she reported on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust.
She wrote a sobering reflection, on "the lesson that this long course in human wickedness had taught us — the lesson of the fearsome, word-and-thought-defying banality of evil."
Real wickedness begins with something that appears boring, ordinary, and easy to ignore.
Portending Rectification
Look at the faces of this couple. They are passive, detached, and desensitized to what is happening. They seem obedient to their captivity, oblivious to their danger, and at ease in their bondage.
The goat-headed beast himself seems unconcerned with the couple.
What will it take, for each of us to remove our own bindings? How do we, you and I, personally address the problems, habits, and fears in our lives? Because if we don't, the next card of the Tarot is The Tower, which is how Divine rectification rains down on us, whether we like it or not.
The entrenched status quo counts on our inability or unwillingness to challenge it. Our habits, doubts, and intertia keep us stuck.
Beware of being tricked into despair. Whether you are trying to get rid of 25 pounds, or a crummy, depressing job, or a pompous, dangerous bureaucrat, you are not helpless.
And the world is not hopeless. Do not give your sovereignty away.
In our communities, and in our personal lives, do we ignore addictions, self-sabotage, and behaviors that cause harm? How are we complacent? In what ways do we shun creative risks, preferring instead "the devil we know?"
Do we feed the fears and projections of our own Shadows? What bargains with the Devil have we made, in order that we not see or act upon the uncomfortable, inconvenient truths around us?
Like the apathetic couple in our card, the constant barrage of fear, cynicism, neglect, and denial becomes a habit that eventually numbs us; we become conditioned to expect the worse. Our shackles become so all-pervasive, we can barely discern them.
The Opposite of Love
When The Devil comes to visit, he is a messenger directing that, whatever is enslaving us, we must come to terms with it.
What will it take to motivate us? What is the straitjacket we have assumed is normal, or that some would have us believe we deserve?
This week, the Tarot urges you to resist being a passive bystander. Get angry; get sad; get real; get moving. Whatever it takes. Just wake up. We cannot afford the indulgence of anyone's self-pity, denial, or inertia.
We all have our distortions, fears, and blind spots. But there is great hope in knowing that once we are willing to look The Devil in the eye, we can take back our lives.
Remember that the opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference. The most malevolent acts of mankind always come, not from passion, but from apathy.
If we cower at the bullies, and turn away from those in need, we empower evil in the world.
As it has been each time it's turned up in the past, may this card be an urgent call that catalyzes our positive actions. It is time to make sober, compassionate choices on behalf of the greater good for all.


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Christmas holiday is coming and travelling season begins. But how to protect the empty home? An empty home is the biggest aim of theft, burglary.
There are many tips of holiday home security such as stopping newspapers, putting lights, TVs on intermittent timers, activating security system, noticing police or neighbors etc.
All the holiday home security tips are right but not enough. If you live in apartment, community security is the essential part of Christmas home security and all time home security protection. There is exterior security equipment such as CCTV, access control device, intruder detection system beams and surveillance on duty security guard. So, community security can mainly guarantee the home security on Christmas holiday. Adding interior security system, the home security is ensured.
But if you live in house, your home is exposed to theft and burglary. On Christmas holiday, your home may be the aim of theft and burglary. So, how to ensure the house security on holiday when you are away?
Alike community security, exterior security is essential part of house security. CCTV security camera is limited for using outdoor in many countries such as UK. The best security equipment for exterior security is solar-powered wireless photoelectric beams sensor. The break beams detector is installed on walls or on driveway, yard, balcony. It consists as a barrier of the house. It makes loud sound and bright light when someone breaks-in the barrier. It alerts the burglary and notices patrol police and neighbors at first time. Then, with alarm communication central connected, it dials home owner phone number and security service centers contact id or police center phone to report the break-in event.
With first time detection and fast response, the crime can be stopped at first time. If it is not convenient to install break-in system of photoelectric beams on wall or yard, driveway, there is another type called infrared grating. The infrared grating is installed on windows with 10 m detection distance. Of course it is installed outdoor as well to protect the entrance windows, garage gate or other pass-way.
So, it is time to reinforce the home security before Christmas holiday. If you need to know the details and know-how, we have all the information including video of installation guideline. For example, FAQ of break beams, program beam system, test infrared beams, video guide installing beam security


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Taking the reins as queen
SHE was riding around at rodeos when she was as toddler, and now as a 21-year-old, she will ride with the Australian flag at the world's biggest rodeos.
Rebekah McMahon's Rodeo Queen of Australia crown still has it's winning shine after she won the title just last month.
Rodeo runs through her blood, and the university student cannot wait too represent her country at the sport's biggest competitions.
While Rebekah looks the part wearing bedazzled long-sleeved shirts and rhinestone belts, she isn't your average beauty queen.
"Entering was completely new to me," she said.
"I saw the girls, like Latoya (Ward) and Bessie (Smits) going around the last few years and it really interested me, so I thought I would give it a go."
After being judged on her public speaking, personal presentation, riding abilities and general knowledge she picked up People's Choice, Miss Horsemanship, and of course, Rodeo Queen of Australia at the Gold Coast finals in September.
She had to beat ladies from across the country to win her title.
"I honestly don't know why they picked me, I was just genuinely being myself," she said.
Growing up in Moree, a small town in north-west New South Wales, Rebekah grew up riding horses.
Her dad, Darren McMahon, is a former bull riding competitor so Rebekah was introduced to the sport early on.
"There are photos of me riding around at rodeos when I was about 18months to two years old," she said.
Aboard her best horse Blaze she is a keen steer undecorater and barrel racer.
Next year, her riding abilities will be showcased on the world stage as she is scheduled to ride with the Australian flag during the grand parade at several big-ticket competitons.
"So there is a trip overseas in July next year, where we got to Canada and America," she said. "So it's the Calgary Stampede, Cheyenne Frontier, and Fort Worth Texas.
"I haven't seen anything on that type of scale before.
"It's exciting and nerve-wracking."
Rebekah admitted the next few months would be a juggle, fitting in her duties as queen, a competitor and student.
"I have worked it out and I will be overseas when the semester finals are on next year. So I have decided to take that semester off," she said.
Delaying her graduation date was an easy choice to make - Rebekah is humbled to represent her country.
"It's an indescribable feeling. It makes me speechless every time I try to put it into words. It's quite amazing," she said.
Her first duty will be attending Australia's rodeo finals in Dalby, which will be held in November.
The bulk of her role is to work with rodeo's national committee as an ambassador.
"I mostly work promoting the sport and explaining what it's all about," she said.
Search "Rodeo Queen of Australia" to keep up to date with Rebekah's journey.


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Oxymetholone Androlic is a synthetic anabolic steroid developed by the Syntex Pharmaceuticals company in the 1960s. Initially, Androlic was developed as a drug to treat osteoporosis and anemia (anemia), as well as to stimulate muscle growth in poorly nourished and weakened patients. Oxymetholone has been approved by the FDA for use in humans. Later, nonsteroidal drugs were created that effectively cured anemia and osteoporosis, and therefore the popularity of Anadrol decreased, and by 1993, Syntex decided to stop the production of the drug in the same way as many other manufacturers. However, oxymetholone still remained in medicine, as new research has shown that Anadrol is effective in treating HIV-infected patients.
Androlic is available in tablets of 50 mg each and is one of the strongest steroids available; at the same time, the drug can cause some side effects common to all anabolic steroids. Since 2013, the oxymetholone oil solution (50 mg / ml) has become common.
As I said before, preparations with oxymetalone with an active substance have a strong both anabolic and androgenic effect, such as, for example, Androlik 50.
Androlic 50 is guaranteed to provide a serious increase in strength and muscle mass, in part, due to the water retention in the body of an athlete.
during the intake, it increases the volume of circulating blood in the body, thus the target muscles get much more nutrients, the feeling of pumping also increases incredibly (sometimes up to the pain in the target muscles).
The preparation on the basis of oxymetalon increases several times the strength indicators, but at the same time reduces the speed of recovery after hard training.
Purchase Androlic 50 mg is dangerous with its side effects: it reduces or completely stops production of its own gonadotropic hormone, which means that at the end of the course you will have to drink gonadotropic drugs such as gonadotropin or dineric.
Another side effect of Androlic 50 is that it is extremely toxic to the liver, creating an iron deficiency in the blood. Therefore, I recommend taking Androlic 50 mg or any other drug in parallel while doing biochemical control of blood composition.
There are precedents when large doses of the drug had a damaging effect on the liver. It is also suspected that with long-term use of this type of steroid drugs, liver cancer, leukemia, and muscularization in women may develop.
With dosages of Androlic 50mg, everything is generally difficult and this is why ... On the pharmaceutical insert of the Thai Androlic it is written to take the drug at the rate of 1-5mg / kg of weight of the athlete, that is, a person, say 90 kg, should eat 9 tablets per day. We caution that 9 tablets per day is a very high dosage and the consequences will be the most sad. Practice shows that the optimal dose for Androlix can be considered 1-2 mg / kg of body weight, which is about 4 tablets for the same 90 kg.
In general, for the sake of truth, it is worth saying that oxymetal-based preparations, in this case Androlic 50, are anabolic steroids not for beginners. This is such a powerful drug that it is used by desperate athletes, on whom nothing has any effect. The course of taking the drug is not more than 6 weeks, because the body gets used to it and the effectiveness drops.
Women generally do not recommend taking this type of anabolic steroids, as this may adversely affect health.
After taking Androlic 50mg, be sure to complete the course with a fixative preparation, for example, Methandienone or Testiks, otherwise you will lose most of the gained muscle mass very quickly.
|50mg (100 pills)
|Oxymetholone (Anadrol)


text:
US firm ViZn Energy Systems has headed a 'top 10 league table' of alternative lithium-ion battery systems for grid storage drawn up by industry analysts Navigant Research.
Navigant ranked ViZn's zinc-redox flow battery system as first in its list of "technology alternatives in the best position to capitalise on the numerous weaknesses of Li-ion technology— and capture a piece of the rapidly growing stationary storage industry".
The full story is only available in our FREE weekly industry newsletter, so sign-up to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday.


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Designer Spotlight | Kitchen Studio of Monterey Peninsula
Do you see that shine? Maybe it's from our Dreamy Marfil countertops, or the All Satin Nickle hardware and scratch resistant Silver Metallic edge banding? Either way, this kitchen shines from every angle!
Bring your kitchen to life with interior design firm Kitchen Studio of Monterey Peninsula, known for breaking the mold when designing and letting your style come through. Kitchen Studio has been on the Central Coast since 1985 with over 4,000 square feet of displays and a dynamic staff ready to help create the kitchen on your dreams. They believe the kitchen is not just a place to prepare food, it's a family gathering spot, entertainment hub, homework area, the list can go on! Let's take a look at some of their unique designs.
Kitchen Studio took "dreamy" to a whole new level with their wavy, satin nickel pulls. They added a splash of color with a beautiful glass mosaic backsplash and graffite wall tile. The space is tied together with Dreamy Marfil countertops.
It's all in the details. Throughout the cabinets, you can find decorative set-ins- this one matching the pulls!
What do you do when you have limited space? Build up! Kitchen Studio installed a hidden spice rack (and double wall ovens!) to maximize counter space.
To ensure a clutter-free kitchen, they added a docking drawer accessory. Now you can hide your electronics while also charging them. Genius!
Designer: Jillian Clark
Let's make our way to this open, light and airy kitchen in beautiful Carmel Valley, California. Where do we look first- the gorgeous water-inspired backlit glass island or our Haze countertops perimeter?
Haze it is! We love the little side window letting natural light in. Did you notice the extra counter space behind the sink too? The perfect place for herbs to grow.
Kitchen Studio wastes no space. They turned a corner of the kitchen into a home office. We wouldn't mind working from home if it meant easy access to the fridge! It gets better- the shelves light up to match the island.
Nothing old, everything new, and something definitely blue! Kitchen Studio created this all-white kitchen with Pure White countertops with a hint of a blue backsplash.
This kitchen can be found in a new, luxurious 12-unit project in Walnut Creek, California. Our favorite part is the little island, ideal for helping you unpack groceries or a meal for two.
With Kitchen Studio of Monterey Peninsula, the beauty is definitely in the details.
All images by City View Photography
For more designer spotlights: Wood-Mode Fine Cabinetry | Ryan Young Interiors
Interested in being featured in our next Designer Spotlight? Submit your photos here!


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The following quotes are taken from the book by Richard Bennet, Far from Rome, Near to God: Testimonies of 50 Converted Roman Catholic Priests, Carlisle, PN: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1997. They are quite interesting and valuable since they give an insight to Catholicism from those who were priests in the Catholic Church and then left it to find salvation in Jesus.
Following are excerpts from only a few of the fifty testimonies in the book:
- Henry Gregory Adams. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada. He entered the Basilian Order of monks and adopted the monastic name of "Saint Hilarion the Great." He was ordained as a priest and served five parishes in the Lemont, Alberta area.
- Sacraments. "The monastic life and the sacraments prescribed by the Roman Catholic Church did not help me to come to know Christ personally and find salvation . . . I realized that the man-made sacraments of my church and my good works were in vain for salvation. They lead to a false security." (p. 3)
- Joseph Tremblay. Born in Quebec, Canada, 1924. He was ordained a priest in Rome, Italy and was sent to Bolivia, Chile where he served for 13 years "as a missionary in the congregation of the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate."
- Salvation by works. "My theology has taught me that salvation is by works and sacrifices . . . my theology gives me no assurance of salvation; the Bible offers me that assurance . . . I had been trying to save myself on my works . . . I was stifled in a setting in which I was pushed to do good works to merit my salvation." (pp. 9, 11-12)
- Bartholomew F. Brewer. He applied to the Discalced Carmelites, a strict monastic order. He received training of "four years of high school seminary, two years in the novitiate, three years of philosophy, and four years of theology (the last after ordination)." He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in Washington, D.C. He eventually served as a diocesan priest in San Diego, California and entered the Navy as a Roman Catholic chaplain.
- Upon questioning Rome's Beliefs, "At first I did not understand, but gradually I observed a wonderful change in mother. Her influence helped me realize the importance of the Bible in determining what we believe. We often discussed subjects such as the primacy of Peter, papal infallibility, the priesthood, infant baptism, confession, the mass, purgatory, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. In time I realized that not only are these beliefs not in the Bible, they are actually contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture." (pp. 21-22)
- Relying on works. He left the Roman Catholic Church, got married and through conversations with his wife and other Christians, "I finally understood that I had been relying on my own righteousness and religious efforts and not upon the completed and sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic religion had never taught me that our own righteousness is fleshly and not acceptable to God, nor that we need to trust in his righteousness alone . . . during all those years of monastic life I had relied on the sacraments of Rome to give me grace, to save me." (p. 25)
- Hugh Farrell. Born in Denver, Colorado. Entered the Order of our Lady of Mount Carmel, commonly called the Discalced Carmelite Fathers. Ordained as a priest.
- Priestly power to change elements: "The priest, according to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, has the power to take ordinary bread and wine, and, by pronouncing the words of the consecration prayer in the sacrifice of the Mass, to change it into the actual body and blood and soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Hence, since one cannot separate the human nature of Christ from his divinity, the bread and wine, after being changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, are entitled to the worship of adoration." (pp. 28)
- Temporal punishment due to sins. "I knew from the teachings of the priests and nuns that I could not hope to go directly to heaven after my death. My Roman Catholic catechism taught me that after death I had to pay for the temporal punishment due to my sins. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that 'the souls of the just which, in a moment of death, are burdened with venial sins or temporal punishment due to sin, enter purgatory.'" (p. 29)
- Penance. Regarding life in the monastery and doing penance. "These penances consist of standing with the arms outstretched to form a cross, kissing the sandaled feet of the monks, receiving a blow upon the face from the monks, and, at the end of the meal, lying prostrate before the entrance to the refectory so that the departing monks must step over one's body. These, and other penances, are supposed to gain one merit in heaven and increase one's 'spiritual bank account.'" (p. 36)
- The Mass and sorcery. "According to the teaching of the Roman Church the priest, no matter how unworthy he may personally be, even if he has just made a pact with the devil for his soul, has the power to change the elements of bread and wine into the actual body and blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus Christ. Provided he pronounces the words of consecration properly and has the intention of consecrating, God must come down on the altar and enter and take over the elements." (p. 39)
- Alexander Carson. Baptized into the Roman Catholic Church as an infant. His priesthood studies were at St. John's Seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts. He was ordained by Bishop Lawrence Shehan of Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1955 and was a priest in Alexandria, Louisiana. Also, he was pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Rayville, Louisiana.
- Bible or Tradition. " . . . the Holy Spirit led me to judge Roman Catholic theology by the standard of the Bible. Previously, I had always judged the Bible by Roman Catholic doctrine and theology." (p. 53)
- Mass contrary to scripture. "In my letter of resignation from the Roman Catholic Church and Ministry, I stated to the bishop that I was leaving the priesthood because I could no longer offer the Mass, as it was contrary to the Word of God and to my conscience." (pp. 54-55)
- Charles Berry. He entered the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine and became a priest after 17 years. He was given orders to continue studying until he achieved a Ph.D. in chemistry and was then "transferred to the headquarters of the Augustinian order in the United States."
- Superstition. "In the United States the Roman Catholic Church is on its best behavior, putting its best foot forward because of its critics and opponents. In a Roman Catholic country, where it has few opponents or critics, it is a very different matter. Ignorance and superstition and idolatry are everywhere, and little effort, if any, is made to change the situation. Instead of following the Christianity taught in the Bible the people concentrate on the worship of statues and their local patron saints." (p. 59)
- Idols and Statues. "When I met in Cuba a genuine pagan who worshiped idols (a religion transplanted from Africa by his ancestors), I asked how he could believe that a plaster idol could help him. He replied that the idol was not expected to help him; it only represented the power in heaven which could. What horrified me about his reply was that it was almost word for word the explanation Roman Catholics give for rendering honor to the statues of the saints." (p. 59)
- Bob Bush. He went to a Jesuit Seminary and studied for 13 years before being ordained in 1966. He entered a post-graduate program in Rome.
- Works: "When I entered the order, the first thing that happened was that I was told I had to keep all the rules and regulations, that to do so would be pleasing to God, and that this was what he wanted for me. We were taught the motto, 'Keep the rule and the rule will keep you.'" (p. 66).
- Salvation is by faith: "It took me many years to realize that I was compromising by staying in the Roman Catholic Church. Throughout all those years I continued to stress that salvation is only in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and not in the infant baptism; that there is only one source of authority which is the Bible, the word of God; and that there is no purgatory but rather that when we die to either go to heaven or hell." (p. 69)
- Salvation by works: "The Roman Catholic Church then goes on to say that in order to be saved you must keep its laws, rules and regulations. And in these laws are violated (for example, laws concerning birth control or fasting or attendance at Mass every Sunday), then you have committed a sin . . . 'individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the only ordinary way by which the faithful person who was aware of serious sin can be reconciled with God, and with the church' (Canon 9609)." (p. 75)
- Works: "The Roman Catholic Church adds works, and that you have to do these specific things [keeping its laws, rule and regulations] ]in order to be saved, whereas the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it is by grace that we are saved, not by works." (pp. 75-76)
As you can see, even Roman Catholic Priests can discover the truth found in God's word and escape the error of the Roman Catholic system of works righteousness. To God be the glory.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (Eph. 2:8-9).


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Women's Football News
In the Isle of Man league, considering that Peel and Michael Utd didn't field full starting elevens in this western battle, both team did show enough determination, grit and enthusiasm to keep women's football alive in the west of the island.
Michael Utd continue to improve, yet again much credit has got to go to the defensive back four of captain Jennie Davies, Jo Callister, Liz Moore and Haley Jones with goalkeeper Kate Connell performing wonders between the posts. But their hard work was undone by strikes from Helen Bates and the excellent Emma Faulkner who secured the points for the Douglas Road outfit and maintain a 100% record in the second phase of the league campaign.
Peel forced the issue from the kick off with Donna Harrison firing a tame shot at Connell and Emma Faulkner and Claudia Konig, who linked well up front throughout, worked a short corner, Faulkner blazing an effort over the crossbar. Then the home side created the best opportunity on the quarter hour mark. Slipping a through ball, Konig was in the clear, and with only Connell to beat placed her effort past the Michael Utd keeper only to hit the post.
Michael mustered a few attacks of their own, utilising the pace of Bekki Simpson on the left and the forceful runs from Jenny Davies in midfield, the latter nearly scored when she made her way into the penalty area and, rather than shoot when the opportunity arose, took an extra touch and the danger was cleared. Mike Davies' side came close again as a throw in was cleared as far as Jennie Davies who played the ball back into the area, where a flick on put Sarah Bell in the clear only to be denied by the legs of goalkeeper Lisa Watson.
Then disaster struck for Michael Utd on the half hour mark. Another ball over the top saw Helen Bates give chase, a mix-up involving Kate Connell and Liz Moore saw her clearance come off Bates and the ball rolled into an empty net to make it 1-0.
Barely two minutes had played in the second half and Peel struck again. An inswinging chip from the right eluded the head of Callister before Faulkner collected and charged into the penalty area and smashed home her effort at the near post.
Peel continued to pressurise through Faulkner, who came close to scoring when her left footed thunderous strike hit the bar and later on, made a superb run from the halfway line on the right, cut inside and unleashed an effort that flashed past the upright. However the remainder of this match meandered through the motions with Peel collecting another three valuable points at the final whistle.
On equal points with Peel sre Castletown who recorded their first win of the season at home by defeating Laxey 7-3. Leading 3-1 at half-time, Kim Watson (3), Sarah Denny (2), Kylie Whitehouse and Sharon Whitehouse were on target for the Stadium side, the Miners replying through Kelly Barlow (2) and Dawn Winn.
Arguably the result from of the day was Gymnasium's 3-2 victory away to Rushen Utd. Gymns had never beaten the southern outfit and were thoroughly deserving of their win, despite trailing 2-0 at half-time. Rushen took the lead when Donna Harrison cut in from left, squaring it to Tricia Fleming who drove the ball into the net for a superb strike. The southerners then made it 2-0 after Donna Harrison was fouled in the penalty area, Harrison herself converting from the spot. What Gymnasium's manager Mark Reid said at half time seemed to galvanise his side and they started to assume control of the match, reducing the arrears through Erin Carpenter playing the ball down the middle for Dawn Quinn to slot home. With Kim Carney dominant in midfield, she was involved in setting up the equaliser, her pass found Suzie Maiden to score and bring the match on level terms. The winner came with another ball through the middle, Carpenter's pass for Quinn to latch onto and drive home the winner and record their first ever win over the southern outfit.
Corinthians' championship ambitions are very much alive, clinching top spot after defeating Colby
18-1. Colby's thrashing also saw them drop from fifth to seventh place in the league standings. Jade Burden opened the floodgates with a powerful low shot from 12 yards and she added her second a minute later when being played in bySarah Morley. Steph Hall scored their third from 20 yards with Leonie Roberts getting the fourth with a good composed finish. Ali Breen slotted home from close range for their fifth with an Anna Quayle shot finding the roof of the net to make it 6-0. Breen was unmarked to notch her second of the game with Burden blasting home their eighth following a Gale parry from Thomas's shot.
The second half started with an own goal following a Thomas cross before Roberts made it double figures. A second own goal from Colby made it 11-0 with Thomas eventually getting on the scoresheet herself with a well struck effort and she scored again a minute later from close range. Roberts completed her hat-trick, Jade Burden then got her final goal with Thomas to completing her own treble to make 17-0.Colby's Nicola Cooil scored a consolation with a looping floated shot from the left corner of the penalty area with Sarah O'Reilly having the final say, scoring at the other end.
The match involving Douglas Royal and Ramsey was postponed as Ramsey were unable to field a team. (Paul Hatton)
Photo - Peel's Claudia Konig (left) tussles with Michael Utd's Jo Callister.
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text: Thanks to everyone who delivered the interesting talks yesterday. the testing 'framework' I couldn't remember was Test::LectroTest ( as mentioned in #61 Test with Specifications in Perl Hacks). Thanks again. Cheers. Rod On Sun, 1 Apr 2007, Tom Hukins wrote: > So, there's a technical meeting tomorrow at the OU. You probably want > to know what the talks will cover and how to get there. And I've told > you neither so far, errr, to keep you in suspense. It's not that I'm > disorganised or anything. > > So we have the following: > * Desperately Seeking a Lightweight Perl web Framework (Peter Edwards) > * Testing When You Don't Have Time (Tom Hukins) > ...and whatever Barbie chooses to present. > > This time we're meeting in the Systems Seminar Room at the Open > University. Ian has done a much more organised job of arranging things > than I have and has booked a room and a projector and provided > directions: > > See links to campus, local and regional maps at the bottom of this web > page: > http://www3.open.ac.uk/contact/ > > Enter The OU campus (signposted Open University, not Open University > East), via Brickhill Street (V10). > > Take the middle lane past Security (on the left), through the > barriers, and then turn right on to Ring road East. > > Ahead you will see the road narrows to single lane on your side of the > road, where there are no entry signs. Just prior to this is the > entrance to a car park on the left (marked East parking extension on > the campus map). Take this left turn and head to the top right (North > West on the campus map) of the car park. > > The meeting is in Venables Building, specifically the section marked > South East on the campus map. > > Take the path (marked in yellow on the campus map) East from the car > park toward the centre of campus. > > Take a right under an archway in to the courtyard area bound by > Venables South, East, and South East, keeping right (heading North > East on the campus map), behind the building section marked South > East. > > You will find a double door on your right, which is the entrance to > the South East section of Venables Building. > > I'll see you there, as these are usually access controlled doors, so > you will probably need to be let in. > > We'll start the talks at 8pm but please aim to arrive between 7.30 and > 7.45, particularly if you're not familiar with the OU. > > See you tomorrow, > Tom > _______________________________________________ > MiltonKeynes-pm mailing list > MiltonKeynes-pm at pm.org > http://mail.pm.org/mailman/listinfo/miltonkeynes-pm >


text:
Hilton Chicago Hotel
720 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605
Hotel Information
January 28-30, 2020
Hilton Chicago Hotel
Discounted Room Rate: $149 per night
Room Block Expires Jan. 6, 2020
Top Producer Summit is held at the historic Hilton Chicago Hotel located in the heart of Chicago. A discounted nightly room rate of $149 plus tax is available at the Hilton Chicago Downtown for all Top Producer Summit attendees. This room rate includes:
- Complimentary in-room internet.
- Complimentary access to the hotel's fitness center.
- Discounted hotel parking.
If you wish to extend your stay at the Hilton, the discounted room rate will also apply 3 days before and 3 days after the Summit (based on room availability).
To reserve your hotel room, please call the Hilton 1-800-HILTONS and reference Farm Journal – Top Producer Summit.
To reserve your hotel room online, please click here.
Please book BEFORE Monday, Jan. 6, 2020
Lodging arrangements are the sole responsibility of the individual registrant


text:
BBC retires its iPlayer diagnostic speed test tool
The BBC iPlayer speed checker was a useful tool for those chasing to see how their connection might perform for video streaming, but alas the tool appears to have been retired and looks set to be replaced by a table showing what speeds different types of iPlayer content will require.
Of course other speed test tools exist, but the majority are designed to show the highest possible number so that people are happy, our flash based speed check is possibly the only one that conducts a single thread download test (tbbx1) and a multiple thread test (httpx6). The single thread test should show how contention or congestion is impacting on a broadband connection and is closer to what you would expect for a video stream rather than when using multiple downloads at the same time. On a good connection the two download tests should be near identical, but when issues like congestion, bad RWIN/MTU values are affecting speeds you will see the two results diverge.
Of course not everyone can run flash and to that end we have another speed test that does not need flash or java and thus will run on the majority of tablets and phones as well as computers. The tester is marked as beta because we are still adding various enhancements, with this weeks change being that we are detecting the hardware you are using automatically. The web based test does not perform a single thread test currently.
Well I discovered its removal immediately because I was using it regularly along with SamKnows/Thinkbroadband/VuDu Streaming Test and I will miss it greatly. Pity! It's certainly interesting if you want to stream as high a rate as necessary for Super HD with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound on Netflix,7 Mbps plus required. I get about 7.8 Mbps at 1.1 miles from the fibre cabinet. If I was at the cabinet I would get 38 Mbps. Ah well......
The results between the new speedtester and the Flash one seem to be wildly different.
The former returns a HTTPx6 result of 11.38Mbps, whilst the Flash one returns 30.75Mbps
the tool was useless, I would pretty much all the time get massive speeds on it, but still it buffers. So the result of the tool it seems bears little relation to actual streaming performance.
@MrTAToad2 which PC/browser combination, since we know it is more than capable of testing Virgin Media cable and even see people with iPads getting over 90 Meg.
'alternate' means to flip from one to the other state. 'Alternative' means the other one. Better to use 'another'.
Nice to see a test I can run on iPad. Results seem about right, but can it be enhanced to save results as with the flash test, very useful to have a record.
@stanmor once we move from the beta labs area to the main site we will integrate the linking to your logged in account.


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People Willing to Believe Every Negative Thing Said About Chris Brown
Not satisfied to win a Grammy, perform on the blockbuster awards show, and have millions of fans and a best-selling album, Chris Brown took to Twitter this week to respond to critics with lots of F bombs.
Some music fans, still disgusted by his assault on Rihanna before the 2009 Grammys, took issue with Brown's inclusion and eventual win during this year's ceremony. According to Mashable, a trending phrase during the broadcast was "wife beater."
Brown lashed out with a series of tweets. However, only one was captured before they were deleted: "HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now! That's the ultimate F–K OFF."
Today, Us Weekly claims that Brown approached a woman in a Grammy gift suite prior to the show and used the line, "Can I get your number? I promise I won't beat you!" We know the tabloid mag isn't always the most reliable news source, but the story is getting picked up because Brown's reputation makes it seem totally feasible. And, Us Weekly goes on to report that his rep responded to inquiries about the truth of this with, "I'd be surprised if Chris said something that stupid." No one else would be surprised. Not in the least.
His tweets and allegations of previous offensive remarks make these claims of douchebag behavior stick like glue. He's shown that he's prone to public tantrums. Moreover, he or his team's decision to delete the latest tweets is in line with his previous actions and comments showing that being transparent and truthful are not high on his to-do list.
We're not fans, but the fact is, Chris Brown has staged a comeback that was capped off by the Grammy win. Some people like him and think we should all just let the the past go. (Ugh. No.) All that aside, the big problem Brown has now is himself and his arrogance.
His Twitter page is filled with self-promotion and posts referencing his bad behavior. ("Oh… And my delete button is broke!" he tweeted this morning.) It's as though Brown thinks everyone should be cool with him because that's what he would prefer.
Clutch asks whether the haters should "Fuck off," saying, "And yes, while it may be unfair to be constantly asked about 'the incident,' as a public figure, Brown has to know that this will come up. He can either deal with it maturely, or continue to spaz out–each one either hurting or helping his public image."
The article continues to say that our feelings on the issue "speak to a larger message we send our youngsters about relationships, domestic violence, and where we place the blame." Indeed.
It's as though Brown and/or his handlers don't understand the largeness of the issue that "the incident" touches on. And his continued brash, childish, and ugly behavior indicates that he's going to keep having these run-ins with detractors for the foreseeable future.
[image: Brown performing at the Grammys]