text:
You talked over Oprah. You are now that much cooler.
I'm Busy Today, So To Keep You Amused, Here's a Clip of Me on Oprah in 1996
Yes, it really happened. I was on the show to rebut the women who wrote that odious book The Rules. No, I was not actually AOL's Relationship Columnist; Oprah's people made that up. Yes, that is a very Cosby sweater I'm wearing. Yes, that's my real hair. It was the 90s, man. Enjoy. See you later.
105 Comments on "I'm Busy Today, So To Keep You Amused, Here's a Clip of Me on Oprah in 1996"
Oh man.. my wife had a copy of 'The Rules' when we were first dating – I think it was tossed out within a couple of days of our first date; it's now been 12 years later, including nearly 7 years of being married – we still occasionally joke about what a ridiculously stupid book it was. Her point was that the book's whole purpose was getting the 'achievement unlocked of getting marriage' and not at all related to a good relationship.
Hell yes John! There was nothing not awesome about that. I hate crap like The Rules. Such BS. Being yourself (most importantly being happy and comfortable with yourself, that shines through when you are not trying, that is what really gets peoples attention) gets you a whole lot more then trying to enact some advice from some book that trys to tell you how you HAVE to act if you want to find someone. I has ring to prove this point as well=)
You had mentioned this a while back and I tried to find it but failed. Thanks for posting.
So funny!!!
I love it. You tell 'em, John!
This is just to say that, since my sound card is dead, I tried the "translate audio" option for closed captioning.
Is very funny, but I don't think it's very close to what John and Oprah were actually saying.
That was fantastic.
I feel like a member of your family; I've heard the story of how you and Chrissy met so many times, I may as well be sitting at your Thanksgiving table. (Not complaining, mind you.)
I was working in a book store when that horrific book was selling big. It was around the same time Dr. Laura's "Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives," was on the bestseller lists.
There was also a book out called "Now That I'm Married, Why Isn't Everything Perfect?"
I *hated* the self-help section with the flaming heat of a billion suns.
Love it John. I think you got the last word, and that's nearly impossible on the Oprah Show!
@Joe That would rock!
The Rules was a great idea! Deceive a man into liking a false version of you so in a couple of years when you know each other better you can have a messy divorce.
I've never read The Rules, but what the authors say on this show strikes me as absurd, and what you said strikes me as very reasonable. Women shouldn't ask men out, call them, or propose? That's dumb.
Hair? Glasses? Cosby sweater?
Who knew that you were the coolest dork in the universe?
Raising your hand rather than just shouting over the other people. A more elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
@Joe, Christopher Turkel:
So long as we have the version where Scalzi shot first!
First rule of Don't-Fight-Club : Don't talk about Don't-Fight-Club.
Syd, go on, post it!
That was awesome. Between a late-night run to grab a forgotten bag, waking up in a tent, having to deal with a customer's server-down issue from a KOA campground, my morning was getting off to a lousy start. Then I fixed the problem, had a wonderful camp-cooked plate of eggs, sausage, and hash browns, and saw this lovely clip. LOL at the wedding ring bit. My day is looking up!
I was going to watch the clip but then I realized it would give the authors of The Rules more credit than they deserved. I'll just salute the Scalzi hair that sacrificed itself to keep us safe.
I don't always watch Oprah, but when I do I only watch it with Scalzi. Stay witty my friends.
I forgot you used to have hair.
Robert, I urge you to reconsider. They come off as grim and cranky and defensive; John comes off as both suave and nerdy, somehow.
It's also an excellent example of how to make assholes look like assholes without namecalling or being rude.
Of course, I also really enjoyed seeing a young John do a very queeny "Stop! In the Name of Love" hand gesture at 0:49. :-D
The 1990s had "The Rules". This decade has "The Rules of The Game". A mating strategy that worked in 1990 is completely useless these days. And once you are married, there is "Married Man Sex Life" with tips on how to stay married by becoming the husband your wife will desire forever.
Hahaha! I actually remember this episode. I remember agreeing with you. I made a move very similar to your wife and landed my own John. Happily married for nearly 20 year now. Not bad. Rules were meant to be broken.
John, that was simply beautiful. Thank you for unearthing this clip!
Would it be inappropriate for you to hand out stickers / badges inscribed "AOL Relationship Consultant" to anyone wearing a red shirt at your next con appearance? 'Cause I'd totally spring for those….
John, you totes should write a relationship column.
Dood! You talked over Opreh. Cool!
I have no idea what The Rules are (90's had 7 of my 14 years of college; kinda blurry) but am guessing it's women trying to turn back the social clock to pre-1964?
I agree with you on confident women being cool. Met my wife at a party where she washing on about the Chinese mummies of 4000bc. I was the only guy who started talking with her as I had some knowledge of Philology (thank you Prof. T!) and how it helped confirm the movement of proto-Celtic people east as well as west. 14 years later, can still say "I married the smart one."
Anyone else's monitor begin to smell like ham the moment that started playing?
If by 'ham' you mean "Teh Awsommmmme!" then yeah.
I think I saw that episode when it originally aired. I thought that book was at least as stupid as, Real Women Don't Pump Gas. I got all my relationship advice from Seventeen Magazine. Without fail it all pretty much boiled down to, "Be yourself!"
[does the math in his head] Dude … that couldn't have been you! What were you, like 14 in that clip?
Will George Lucas and ILM be remastering that show any time soon to correct your hair to match his original vision? Or perhaps to add more droids and aliens in the background?
John shot first!
You talked over Oprah!!! Also, that book sounds completely retarded. I would give you kudos for crushing her ridiculous argument, but that's not really an accomplishment. Her rules are just that stupid. (Has anyone followed up on her marital status, BTW?)
Okay, I copied the CC myself. The transcription doesn't identify the speakers, it just prattles along in all lowercase. All the stuff in caps below is my additions:
OPRAH: clients cognizant relationship column is for america online says it may be the rules will lend you a husband but he'll probably be dumber than a sack of rocks christmas annual had no idea of who you really are
JS: i'm just a guess i don't know much but i do know i do know this much that when uninterested in a moment i want someone who is my equal and i know that she's mabel from the get go we're talking it with the rules are talking about parents is your peer cool you peer conficent but i want a woman who is cool and who is confident and how to i know that because she has enough confidence to come up to me kenapa accomplices say one against she has enough confidence to meet me halfway for for date let me give you an example i had the swinging immune it's a lovely waving as a learning that i have because i'm a rich maybe a full life christine vows his colleague we met because she asked me to get she saw me [BREAK IN TRANSCRIPTION PRESUMABLY BECAUSE APPLAUSE RENDERED HIS SPEECH TOO UNCLEAR] does that mean that funky chicken thank you and she said i headed here is that [OPRAH SAY SOMETHING NOT TRANSCRIBED] well before the record
SHRILL BRUNETTE WOMAN ON STAGE: but here's a bit using people can walk across another admitted that the metadata i wanna hang out
JS: but here's the thing financier unless she was there menopause and synergen connect up to comes up to me says u_n_ week we have to that now is good dot that we dance at the end of it we had a really good time many of you know what i did i did my business card and i said i really like you i want you to give me a call sweden dot on another day it by giving her my business card in saint please call me i really want to call me what sunday i gave her control of that situation ok but the thing is is that i don't think that i'm that unusual in the sense that i think that meant today know enough about women that they are confident not that they can say business it is good for me cannot mean say g one death and mike ago ally catches a well to start for me and i would say i would say i would say yes i sent and if there was a dance it's good to see if it goes from there it was
OPRAH: one of these days that the rules concentrate on the process of meeting in dating a man rather than the relationship but i think one of the things they said was that this is for the beginning most women and just decided that that most women are just trying to meet diluted how many celebrities and in these people just want to meet some not
JS: hearing dates are married you still need to rules thats a rolex role
BLONDE WOMAN ON STAGE: you need a reluctant to do them at that point from
JS: but but that's not my point is is that as it is a much better they have a man who knows who you are from the beginning
OPRAH: yesterday until daily so I don't really have a play at a point watching it they both be right like you to be right with right baby right now that i need you look at the rules with a sense of humor antisense abt bank balance incorporate what works for you and what doesn't work do you think
SHRILL BRUNETTE WOMAN ON STAGE: well are smart beautiful man in the event constantly talk with them and area because ob you can take and then you can call then you can propose
OPRAH: kids we know this is how do on the oprah show some of the smartest women in the world may complete fools of
SHRILL BRUNETTE: candidly it's like balcony barakat part of the however
NONSHRILL BRUNETTE ON STAGE: having one parent is a psycho
SHRILL BRUNETTE: alright still enjoys it hostility
JS: what is what i think i think that every relationship should indeed have rules and those rules should be made between a man and woman
OPRAH: doctors say you should never by a man if you want him to marry you also the men get to speak some more when we come back into town
OMGoddess, I watched that ep. I vaguely remember it and remember thinking that whoever thought up "The Rules" found a quick way to make some money at stupid women's expense. (Expenses?) You were dorky, but so were most of us in those days. Weird seeing it again.
I am reminded of the Star Trek Next episode where Worf is asked to explain the physical difference of the Klingons of times past and his present state. I believe he said we don't like to talk about it? Not that you are not now an eminently handsome man…but I do notice a change…
Oh, and that woman scared me.
"Suave and nerdy" is exactly the impression I got too.
JS: In the '90s I would have wanted to be you, sir.
This was amazing. Tell it to Oprah!
Bullshit, scorpius. But you know that. You never stop, do you? Even something light like this you just can't resist coming in and trying to light a fire.
Scorpius Infraponticus.
I once read an article about The Rules but I was unable to turn it up via search..
The gist was:
1. apply tests to determine if a woman is using "The Rules"
2. If she is, use the rules to be as difficult as possible. For example, one of the rules is "don't accept dates after Wednesday night". The response was to get tickets for her favorite band and then ask her to the concert on Thursday.
The article wasn't actually advocating such behavior; it was a criticism of The Rules.
I suppose there are men out there who want a woman who follows The Rules. Perhaps there are even women who want to follow them. They get what they deserve. I would make such a man as miserable as he would make me. My adorkable husband likes having someone who is his equal, and not into game playing. So do I.
@Xopher, you have to treat it like that annoying guy at the party who has to make every conversation All About The Injustice Of His Life and try to shit on everybody else's good mood. You know: Bob is excited about his new job, and while everybody's congratualting him, That Guy says (just loudly enough to be heard) "Wow, I wish people got that excited about *me* holding down a job like an adult." Or, when Yukio is excitedly telling everyone she's pregnant, That Guy has to stage-whisper about how there just aren't enough people already using up all the resources on the planet. Then he's as pleased as a toddler in a Cheerios pit when people react with shock and irritation (i.e., pay attention to him as if he matters).
So, yeah, you can pretty much assume that no matter the subject, scorpius is probably going to come sulking in with "blah blah LEFTIES blah HELL IN A HANDBASKET blah blah I RAIN ON YOU ALL WITH MY DARK GRUMPY CLOUD OF GRUMPINESS, HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, LIBERALS?!" Best to just treat it the way you'd treat That Guy.
@vian: As Pat Califia has pointed out in a really brilliant essay I can't remember the name of, there are people who not only prefer traditional, rigid gender-role behavior, but eroticise it. They may complain about game-playing and "the war of the sexes" but the only thing they like less is doing without it. It is for those people that The Rules is a good fit. Sadly, it was not marketed as Dating for Performative-Femininity Fetishists and The Men Who Love Them, but as general advice to all, which just made it sad.
I love how Oprah tries to smooth things by saying "why can't you all be right?" That might be valid if the book didn't have such a provocatively authoritative title. If it were called Some Options, then sure, but no, not exactly, no.
Anyway, glad my wife, who approached me first almost ten years ago, didn't buy into that nonsense. I imagine our kids would agree. Is it excessively snarky of me to wonder how the authors are doing these days, relationship-wise?
I remember reading someplace that Mulder & Scully were the perfect "Rules" couple. Look how well that worked for them.
I worked at a book store when "Rules" came out. I remember thinking following the rules would probably keep anyone dumb enough to buy
the book from contributong to the gene pool and that was a real good thing for humanity in the long run.
I'm surprised no one has commented on this yet, but I love the looks the women in the audience were giving John. I'm sure that if he hadn't been wearing that wedding ring and basically stated he was more than happily married he would have been approached by a few women at the end of that show. I saw a few that looked attracted to John with an expression on their faces that said "I want that man, now".
And as others have stated that clip's a perfect of example of making someone look like an ass without trying. The Rules ladies were so eager to defend their book they did themselves in.
scorpius's next comment: "Men are oppressed."
"The Rules"? Wow, I'd totally forgotten about that.
It was a good set of rules for women who had little or no self esteem and got way too serious in a relationship way too early. Out of the first 24 rules, many address behaviour one might observe in women with low self esteem.
Don't Stare at Men or Talk Too Much
Don't Meet Him Halfway or Go Dutch on a Date
Don't Call Him and Rarely Return His Calls
Don't Accept a Saturday Night Date after Wednesday
Fill Up Your Time before the Date
Always End the Date First
Stop Dating Him if He Doesn't Buy You a Romantic Gift for Your Birthday or Valentine's Day
Don't See Him More than Once or Twice a Week
No More than Casual Kissing on the First Date
Don't Rush into Sex and Other Rules for Intimacy
But as general advice for all women? No, not so much.
Don't Live with a Man (or Leave Your Things in His Apartment)
Don't Date a Married Man
Slowly Involve Him in Your Family and Other Rules for Women with Children
My favorite: Don't Discuss The Rules with Your Therapist
Also, don't discuss any drugs you're taking with your doctor or pharmicist.
So, it might have value for some women who have low self esteem and either attach themselves way too quickly to a man or have sex way too early for the relationship because they don't value themselves. But as general advice for all women, it's pretty clunky.
Also, John, love the sweater.
Who exactly are the three women on stage?
I've always respected John Scalzi. Ever since I bought OMW out of the blue and read it the same night. I've been following his blog since then, every morning reading through Whatever. I've been a hanger-on for years. I balance him out with Charles Stross's blog. But this Oprah clip changes everything. Why? Because John used to be a cool geek, like Wil Wheaton et al. Now he's COOL (end stop)
mythago, yeah, you're right. As usual. I even kind of know that. Guess he got through my guard that time.
I've never understood why some people think being hated is just as good as being loved. Some even seem to prefer it. I am truly mystified by this; it's completely alien to my mind.
K.W., I noticed that too. The woman sitting next to him, in particular, would definitely have asked him to dance! Several others were definitely thinking "wow, all the good ones are taken."
Greg, "Don't Discuss The Rules with Your Therapist" proves that the authors were not just misguided, but were actually scumbags who didn't have their readers' best interests at heart. It proves they didn't believe in their own rules.
It always seemed to me that one of the big problems with The Rules is that it's all about "how to make a man marry you by playing hard to get;" in which case it probably only works on men who want what they can't have, and will get bored and cheat on you almost immediately after the wedding; which would be fine, I guess, if you were only after their money, and lived in an era when it was much harder for them to divorce you.
Similarly, the "player" books all seem to be about advising men on how to attract clingy insecure women – you know, the sort that might start stalking them – for one-night stands.
It's easier to be disliked than loved (or even just respected), emotionally safer in the short run, and for some people it's preferable to not being noticed at all.
"Don't Discuss The Rules with Your Therapist" should have been a big red flag in a high wind, like saying "Don't Discuss This Business Proposition With Your Accountant".
Xopher: were not just misguided, but were actually scumbags who didn't have their readers' best interests at heart. It proves they didn't believe in their own rules.
I don't know. Misguided maybe. Scumbags, not so sure. Like I said, I think the rules might be useful for a woman with low self esteem, to give her a "how to" list that she can follow until she gets high self esteem. So, maybe the women who wrote the Rules were women who used to have low self esteem, and the rules helped them. And maybe they had a lousy therapist, so the rules helped them more than the therapist did.
Then again, maybe they were just looking for a way to cash in.
I don't think it actually matters to me what their intentions were. I think the advice could be helpful for some women with low self esteem.
Looking back, having dated women with low self esteem and women with high self esteem, I would say a woman with high self esteem is a whole lot more fun to be in a relationship with. I think it also increases the chances of a marriage lasting if both partners have high self esteem going into the marriage. Which, I think, was one of the things Scalzi was pointing at on Oprah.
If a woman is following the rules because she has low self esteem and she would normally break the rules, for example, if she is a woman who usually sleeps with a man on the first date because she doesn't think she has anything of value to offer the relationship, then ultimately, the Rules will help her in the short term from doing things that might make her self esteem worse (sleeping with a man trying to get him to love her), but in the long run, she needs to deal with her low self esteem. And any man with high self esteem is going to fairly quickly pick up that the woman is following the rules because she has low self esteem, and he'll want to get as far away from her as possible. Not because she's following the rules, but because she has low self esteem. And a relationshp based on low self esteem has the odds stacked against it. A relationship based on low self esteem is far more likely to end in really spectacularly bad ways.
I think John points at this on Oprah. A man with high self esteem wants a woman who has enough self worth to walk up to a man and ask him to dance because she feels confident about herself. A relationship where both partners have high self esteem, a grounded sense of self worth, has far better chance of achieving happily ever after.
Like I said, I haven't read the book, but going by Greg's description at 3:14 am, it looks like some of The Rules are a good way to screen out any guy who isn't a stalker.
Don't Call Him and Rarely Return His Calls
Many men are reasonably going to interpret this as a sign that someone is not interested. In fact, I would say it's creepy for a guy to keep calling a woman if she doesn't return his calls.
Always End the Date First
Again, I think many men would interpret this as a sign of low interest. It would make me think she was too timid to decline my invitation but really wants to get the hell out of there ASAP.
And I agree with Xopher and Bearpaw: "Don't Discuss The Rules with Your Therapist" is a big huge red flag!
I TOTALLY had that sweater!
As to The Rules, it was a disturbingly good seller at the bookstore I worked in right around 1996… In Salt Lake City. In that area, there was a HUGE pressure on women to get married and have kids (eg. if you were over 22 and didn't have someone, you were an old maid.) So glad I moved.
The sentence that struck me was, "..I think that every relationship should indeed have rules and those rules should be made between a man and woman." That is much more gender specific than you are today.
I may have seen that (I was still watching Oprah in those days) because I remember one of "The Rules" the women at the front yelling at a nice guy who was giving a sensible comment. All couples are different, whether they have one date or are still dating 35 years later… ;-> And one reason why couples stay together is when they decide what's right for them, and if other people disagree, well, fuck them.
Chris Sears, to be fair, The Rules was only about interactions between men and women. And with same-sex pairings you'd quickly discover that if both parties are following the same rules (of this kind, where you don't call until he calls you etc.), nothing happens…or disaster occurs.
I'm still trying to figure out how John got away with referring to Krissy as merely his "equal".
@Xopher: Lesbian sheep!
@Kat: part of the reason these books do so well is that there IS good advice in them; have self-esteem, there is no need to be desperate, don't act as though he is doing you a favor by allowing you to be in his life, set appropriate boundaries. The problem is that it's buried in a toxic stew of creepy manipulation and stereotypes.
Which isn't to say that some rules don't hold any wisdom:
Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939
Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. ~Peter Ustinov
The hardest-learned lesson: that people have only their kind of love to give, not our kind. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960
And he did it all wearing a button-down collar!
Love comes in many flavors. Give it to others, and you'll get much more in return. It's not a zero-sum game.
nb. If you're keeping score — you're losing.
Hilarious and perfectly timed for me. Recently broke up with a woman who insisted that the fake ph.d. John Gray knew everything important about "relationships". ugh, live and not learn…
"Their audience are upper middle class women who are trying to snare "alpha" business males by presenting themselves as highly desired sex objects who need to be pursued but who are pliable and won't challenge the man's "alphaness."
Probably more just highly desired objects; the sex seems like it would be likely to be less interesting than in a healthy relationship.
@Xopher Halftongue I was trying to be fair. John's wording was surprising to me because since 2004 "between a man and a woman" is most commonly preceded by "marriage is defined to be". Hearing John say "between a man and a woman" triggered a connection in my mind. I'm certain that John's support for gay marriage has not changed, and I didn't mean to imply that is has.
The connection I made is that this is the only time that I can remember that John talks about relationships in general when he is specifically discussing a different-sex relationship. It commendable that he has been able to be inclusive in all of his other writings. I was commenting to give John that commendation. I guess I needed one more sentence.
Please keep in mind that I am only responding to explain, and not pick a fight. I also don't believe that you want to pick a fight either. I just hate to have that hanging out there when my real name is attached. We really are in agreement.
Future Ace in the Hole conversation:
Wife: I'm so tired of you feeding your inner geek with my hard earned cash.
Me: But it's Scalzi's 50th First Edition, and has the 3d interactive holofoil diecut cover.
Wife: So what? Why do you like him again?
Me: I really like his books. He called you once, at home, on a Saturday, to make sure that you wanted nothing specific signed to me on the two books that you bought for me as a Christmas gift. I tried to run him off thinking him a solicitor, but he felt he needed to ask you personally and would not hang up.
Wife: Oh, him… He had such a nice phone voice. What was I supposed to have him write? "From your loving wife, Kim. She always tells me how great you are!" Would you have liked that?? But seriously. $200? For a book?
Me: He's a good guy. That's worth the $200 alone, BUT… he's been on Oprah. He raised his hand when he wanted to speak. He made her guests look foolish, as they proved to be. Best of all, he was met with applause for what he said. Not many men can say that. Here, watch this…
Man, that rules lady is shrill.
A very reasonable and robust rebut, John. On behalf of dude-kind, I thank you.
Gulliver: Paying to be psychoanalyzed by someone you don't trust would be pretty counterproductive
Hiring a diet consultant and never losing any weight? Hiring a workout coach and never exercising? Welcome to the human condition.
Which is why these sorts of advice books are only useful if you want to play cat and mouse games and not build a real human relationship.
Not sure what you mean by "these sorts of books". But one can read the Bible and get something of personal value out of it, even though it's full of endorsements of slavery, rape, stonings, war crimes, fratricide, and more. No book will ever give *you* the advice and answers that is exactly right for *you*. No therapist will. No spiritual leader will. No one will. Not even you can give that to yourself.
All we can do is try and pick through the rubbish and find the bits of treasure that will help us on our way.
Greg, I agree with the second part of your post but not the first. I agree that many people don't get much out of therapy, often because they don't put in the work, as with the nutritionist and exercise coach. But that has little to do with trust, IMO. It has to do with the client's willingness and ability to put in the effort, even with a trusted therapist, nutritionist, or exercise coach. Seems pretty pointless to even attempt to work with them if you don't trust them. It's hard enough when you do.
The Rules struck me as a useful way to artificially remove the whiff of desperation from women who are, in fact, desperate. Not at all a great guide to a genuine relationship.
So, 1996. That'd be around the time the woman who is now my wife asked me out…
I love the look of panic on the authors' faces when they realize you're reasoning them out of book sales!
BW: Seems pretty pointless to even attempt to work with them if you don't trust them.
Trust, or a lack thereof, is tertiary symptom, not the problem. The problem is low self esteem. The cause can be anything, but an example might be the woman was molested when she was a child. The woman might think that being molested is somehow a reflection on *her*, that she deserved it, that she had it coming, that that's all she's good for. And THAT, ultimately, is what low self esteem is all about. "I'm only good for sex." or some "Truth" to that effect, rather than having a sense of self worth.
Kat: If you have low self-esteem,
Well, that's great, except most people with low self esteem don't realize they have low self esteem. They think "I'm only good for sex" or they think "no one likes me" or they think "I'm ugly" and they think that's the TRUTH. Trying to get someone with low self esteem to give up their version of the "TRUTH" and to see its just low self esteem can be quite difficult, and almost entirely unlike Hollywood tends to portray it.
Often, the place to start is in *behavior*. And Rules 14 and 15 improve behavior regardless of whether it immediately improves self esteem or not.
@Chris Sears: Absolutely in agreement. "To be fair" is a locution meaning "here's a mitigating factor to the perfectly valid point you raise." I didn't think you were being UNfair, and I certainly had absolutely no intention of picking a fight, or thought that you were doing so. In fact I didn't think anything bad of you at all. I wasn't even slightly irritated. I'm sorry if the way I wrote my reply made it sound like I was taking you to task; that was not my intention.
I thought you were making a point about how long it's been since the 90s, actually. Marriage Equality wasn't really on the table then, IIRC.
I'd be more concerned about those glasses than by the sweater and hair combined. Not that I, who rocked the mullet in my senior portraits, has any room to criticize anyone else's '90s-tastic style.
Kat: I think my favorite is one of the ones for marriage, though, which involves you giving him fifteen minutes alone time when he comes home from work.
Clearly, there are subtexts going on far more sinister than appear on the surface of those words. Because on the surface, not such a bad rule of thumb. But then, I don't watch Mad Men, I hate martinis, and don't expect my wife to cook anything.
My wife and I came up with a rule of thumb that we greet the other when they get home and at least let the other get their coat off and sit a minute before one drops a litany of troubles in the other's lap.
If tragedy occurs, obviously, no need to wait. But the laundry, the dishes, bills, car trouble, and unmown lawns are no tragedy.
Well played, sir.
My mum bought me that book when I was 12.[1] It was absolute rubbish, and most of it didn't apply to me because I wasn't allowed to go on dates yet, and was not yet very interested in kissing. And anyone I would've been seeing, I wouldn't have had any choice but to see them five times a week: every day at middle school.
@Kat – but that's why those books sell so well. Otherwise publishers would just be reprinting The Sensual Woman. They've got just enough 'think well of yourself' advice to make their retrograde advice seem something other than the repackaged war-of-the-sexes nonsense it really is.
Well, I've googled around a couple times for "fifteen minutes of alone time". I was thinking it was some kind of euphamism like "hiking the apalachian trail". The only hits I've come up with are like this one:
Unless the first fifteen minutes after a man comes home is statistically the most common time for him to call his mistress or something, I'm not sure wherin lies the evil for this rule of thumb.
nicoleandmaggie: "I am nobody's servant." … "I greet my husband with a, "You're home…"
I knew a woman who said she'd never get married because she didn't want to be obliged to anyone about anything. She would probably consider your "You're home" greeting to be its own form of servitude to your husband.
I never saw the movie, but there's a clip from "The Break Up" staring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn that perfectly surmises the problem.
23 seconds into the clip:
VV: Fine, I'll help you do the dishes
JA: No that's not what I want
VV: you just said you wanted me to help do the dishes
JA: I want you to want to do the dishes.
VV: Why would I want to do dishes?
I highly doubt that you *wanted* to say "You're home, you're home, you're home!" each and every time your husband came in the door. I am willing to bet that if you've been married for even the slightest bit of time that you said and done things that you didn't *want* to do, but that you did anyway because of what it did or meant for your husband, and because of what it did and meant for your marriage. But at the same time, it's not out of servitude that you said or did those things.
It's out of your commitment to your husband and your marriage.
A commitment to lose weight can be bigger than that moment where you *want* to eat a bowl of ice cream. But some people will look at diets as a form of servitude. Why? Because they have no commitment to lose weight.
Out of commitment, we migth do things in the moment that we don't want, but we do them because of our commitment to something larger and more important than our immediate want in that moment. We don't WANT to wash the dishes, but we're committed to the relationship so we wash the dishes. Or we greet the person when they come home. Or we give them some alone time. Or a beer.
There is nothing in that article I linked to that I read as mandatory servitude. I read about some things I might not want to do, but that I might do anyway because I'm committed to my marriage.
If your only measure is whether you "want" to do something or not, and if doing anything you don't want to do is "servitude", and if you have no space for doing something you don't want to do but do it anyway out of a larger commitment, then, well, I think that will make things rather interesting for you and your husband.
@greg/nicoleadmaggie you're both making interesting points, but i think you're also both missing out on something, too:
universal rules for these things don't exist because people aren't identical.
what many people need to do is to learn to communicate their needs to their partner. i'm certain there are some guys out there who need time to defuse when they get home. i'm equally certain that there are some guys who'd love nothing more than their partner to jump on them the moment they're through the door. neither one of these is an issue – provided that those needs are communicated clearly to their partner, and their partner is able to understand and accomodate that need.
usally, a successful relationship comes down to communication, boundaries, and compromises that everyone can live with. what makes those things far easier is when both people have enough self-esteem to put that into action.


text:
The collected work of this pilgrim with a paintbrush was remarkably intact when her descendants gave it to Puget Sound. Now many of her canvases have been restored and are on display for the first time in decades.
By Ronald Fields
In July 1895, aspiring painter Abby Hill joined a 26-day camping expedition to Mt. Rainier. She was new to the wilderness, and her inexperience quickly showed. On the first night her tent collapsed twice. Her knee-length skirt and leggings required some "getting used to," she said. More knowledgable hikers in the group had to fit her shoes with cork for comfort and hobnails for grip. But Hill was not put off, writing in her daybook after a particularly bitter night: "All were ready to go home in the morning but me. I felt I could endure much for a few days of such grandeur." And stay she did. Abby Hill had in the vast and varied landscape of the American West at last found the place where she thought she belonged.
Abby Rhoda Williams Hill was the second daughter of a cabinetmaker who had, in 1855, joined Josiah Grinnell's pioneer community in Iowa. She was reared in an austere Christian atmosphere, which may have contributed to her uncommon confidence, her extraordinary independence and her admiration for the natural world (its rugged and dramatic aspects in particular) as the benign handiwork, even presence, of God.
As a young woman, Hill acquired as good an education in art as was available to any woman of her era in America. Her earliest training, conventional for young women, was in botanical watercolors. At age 19 she left her home in Grinnell to study in Chicago at the school that was to become the Chicago Art Institute. Dissatisfied with the living arrangements made by her parents, she took residence with a Lutheran minister's family, where she gained fluency in German. Four years later, she taught painting at Bertier-en-Haut, a small finishing school for girls in Quebec, where she learned French. In the late 1880s, she enrolled in the Art Student's League in New York, where she studied with William Merritt Chase, a celebrated painter and former director of the league, and the most distinguished teacher of the period. She was later to study at the Corcoran (records indicate she made a marvelous copy of Bierstadt's Mt. Corcoran, hanging in the Corcoran gallery) and a year in Hamburg with the illustrator Hermann Hasse. Hill was entirely self-supported in all these efforts to gain the education and skills needed to pursue her career as an artist.
As she was finishing her work at the League, she married Dr. Frank Hill and in 1889 they moved to Tacoma, the same year that Washington Territory became the 42nd state in the Union. In Eastern newspapers the region and the city had been extravagantly advertised: "Famed throughout the world for beauty of situation and environment, unsurpassed mountain scenery, greatest timber belt in the world." Hill had longed to see snow-capped mountains; as a child on the prairie, she had often imagined the cloud formations as mountain peaks.
But she was not to enjoy the scenic grandeur of the Northwest immediately. In November, her only child, Romayne, was born with partial paralysis. For six years, all her attention was directed to his care. Only when she felt she could safely leave him in the care of others did she indulge her personal interest in Northwest scenery and take the 1895 trip to Rainier. She stayed at the mountain for nearly a month, setting the pattern for the rest of her life. As soon as she returned to Tacoma, she joined another group headed for a camping excursion on Hood Canal. Hiking into the area of what is now the Olympic National Forest, she reported, "It is thought no woman has ventured as far as I did today."
Europe was next on the Hills' agenda. Leaving their son in Iowa with relatives, Dr. Hill did medical research for a year in Hamburg, followed by another year meandering through central Europe on a tandem bicycle.
When they returned to Tacoma, Hill decided that her son would not succeed in public school and, acknowledging that he needed the company of other children, she determined to solve both issues by adopting three little girls as companions and educating the lot by herself. (Later, when they applied for college admission, the only subject lacking in their preparation was mathematics.) Her first classroom was a campsite she established in 1899 near the southern tip of Vashon Island; later she bought a small house and had it moved to the beach. Hill came to town only on important social occasions and Dr. Hill joined the family on weekends when he was not on call; he did not share the family's enthusiasm for camp life.
It was an ideal situation for Hill and her children, although she came in for a good deal of criticism from her social peers in Tacoma for the negligence of her own attire and, in particular, the clothing of her girls. Hill was emphatic when it came to matters of dress:
I am not at home in the world of fashion, and I cannot reconcile myself to spending on the stylish at the expense of the practical and good. I should like to wear cloth like men do, made simply and of styles that change but little. I should like to wear it until it is worn out and that is considered mannish. I am utterly spoiled by my ideas about dress. People are ashamed of my looks when I have on a gown of the best material, fitting well, well made but dating two or three years back.
"I was cut out," she proclaimed, "for the wilds," and in the summer of 1902, she took her trio of pre-teens to the untamed wilderness of King's River Canyon in California, followed by a lengthy stay on the Columbia River, ending with a camping excursion at Trout Lake in southwestern Washington. Bears, cougars, rattlesnakes, range-free cattle herds, swarms of yellow jackets, forest fires, all were taken in stride. Importantly, the paintings produced at these locations were the impetus for her contracts with the railway companies.
In 1903 Hill heard that railway companies were hiring artists to advertise landscape scenery for the purpose of attracting tourists, so she took a number of the works from the previous summer to the Great Northern agent in Seattle and secured a commission. Money, however, didn't change hands. The contract permitted the Great Northern use of the canvases to advertise, at the St. Louis World's Fair, the beauty of the Northwest scenery along its lines. In return, she received four 1,000-mile tickets and repossession of the canvases after the exhibition.
Hill was given general directives as to subject but was apparently allowed to use her discretion for specific views. Some destinations proved fruitless because of the smoke from forest fires—the Monte Cristo Mountains in Washington and the Coeur d'Alene and Pend Orielle lakes in Idaho. But she was able to work in the Cascades at Leavenworth, on Lake Chelan and in the mountains above Lake Chelan. She completed 20 canvases in 18 weeks.
Exhibited in the Masonic Lodge and the city library in Tacoma before they were shipped to St. Louis, the extravagant praise in the local papers brought the works to the attention of agents of the Northern Pacific Railway Company. With a similarly negotiated contract, Hill secured her second commission, in 1904, for landscapes in Idaho and Montana, but chiefly the scenery around Mt. Rainier. These were to be exhibited at the Lewis and Clark Exposition the following year. Again, camping with her children, she completed these works in time to take them to the St. Louis fair.
The success of this commission resulted in two additional years of contracts with the Northern Pacific with a focus on Yellowstone Park. Altogether, Hill produced 55 landscapes during the summers of 1905-06.
Yellowstone was an immense delight to Hill. She was fascinated by the scenery, particularly the geysers and grotto pools, but it was the animals that charmed her most. Bears entered her camp, eagles soared overhead and deer nuzzled her as she worked. Too, her contract with the railway company gave her license to move about at liberty in the park, to camp, to tramp or bathe wherever she wished. When the summer work was completed, Hill left the park and went to the Flathead Indian Reservation, where she worked on her collection of Indian portraits.
Throughout this period (1903-06), Hill maintained an active role in the Congress of Mothers, forerunner to the Parent, Teachers and Students Organization. She was active in its programs, speaking at both regional and national meetings, and was elected to the International Conference as U.S. delegate in 1910. Her efforts to organize local chapters in Washington state earned her election as first president of the Washington state chapter, a post she held from 1906 to 1911. The railway mileage passes made it possible for Hill and her children to attend the national meetings held in winter or spring and it also permitted her to visit urban centers—New York, Boston, Washington, D.C.—for gallery visits, concerts and other sites of educational interest.
Hill was approached by the Union Pacific Company to produce paintings of Zion and Bryce national parks, and by the Canadian Pacific Company for scenes in the Canadian Rockies, but she declined these opportunities in order to take her children (now in their late teens) to Europe as a capstone to the education she had been providing. They toured western Europe on bicycles in 1908-09.
The European tour came to an end when Hill was notified that her husband was too ill to continue his practice. He suffered from a melancholia that at times left him completely helpless. His physicians recommended a sunnier climate, and from 1913 to 1921 Hill lived in an isolated beach house at Laguna Beach, Calif., while her husband underwent periodic confinement in a mental hospital nearby.
Dr. Hill was released from treatment in 1924. Still longing for the wilds, Hill, now 63, embarked on her last sustained camping venture. She purchased a Hudson touring car and for the next seven years she and her husband spent the winters camping in Tucson, Ariz., and summers in various Western national parks. She continued to paint, hoping to produce a series of canvases from each of the parks that would be exhibited by the National Park Service. Although she completed a large number of paintings, their exhibition was never realized. The Hills retired in San Diego in the early 1930s. Dr. Hill died in 1938; Abby Hill in 1943.
Among frontier artists, Abby Williams Hill was exceptional. She was commissioned to paint landscapes of some of the most rugged terrain in the country; perhaps the only woman to be so employed. Working on the last Western frontier, she realized her own aspirations to live in the wilds and gained prestige through the wide exposure of her paintings. Her early canvases are of significant historical value, for they stand as testimony to the promise of economic prosperity and scenic riches that cities and railway companies alike touted to entice numberless pioneers to the Northwest.
Still, she never achieved the recognition afforded other period frontier artists such as E.S. Paxton or C.M. Russell, both of whom she knew. There were several reasons for this. Apart from the fairs, Hill did not participate in commercial or competitive exhibitions. She also did not wish to sell her work, claiming she painted for her family. (In fact, though, she was the victim of the era's peculiar value system, which considered it degrading for women of position to earn money.) After 1909 she became more and more involved with the Congress of Mothers. And, finally, family responsibilities brought rather lengthy but temporary halts to her painting.
It is tempting to try to read Abby Williams Hill as being unique among women of her era, but her qualities of strong will, determination, ambition and concern for the social ills of her day were consistent with the character of many of her contemporaries. Her disdain for fashion must have been shared by similarly sensible women, and surely there were legions of women whose ambitions were curbed by family responsibilities. However, few left such a rich legacy of art, and an even richer legacy of letters and diaries providing one of the most thorough self-portraits of any woman artist of the era.
Ronald Fields has been a member of the art department faculty for 34 years and has been working with the Hill Collection for 20 years.
Professor Fields' beautifully detailed book on Abby Hill, produced by the Washington State Historical Society for the first large-scale exhibition of Hill paintings in 1989, is out of print, but the Puget Sound Bookstore still has copies available. Get them while they last by calling 253.879.3270.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Somebody has to say it with a voice that's loud and clear. Somewhere along the line, we've lost our souls. Heck, we've driven our Souls away from the lot and traded them for a Prius.
It's no secret. The American soul lived in American iron, sent across the great American lakes to the home of soul in Detroit. There, to be crafted into trucks by the hundreds, and thousands, and tens of thousands. And all those for cowboys and cowgirls by the millions.
Americans have always lived for freedom. It's bred into every fiber of our being and lovingly infused into every half-ton of truck on the line for a century. It's been lost with every mile of pavement, and every mile per gallon saved.
We all just want to be cowboys, and we don't ask for much. A beat up old 150, with a box in the bed and a rack in the back. Something to take our best gal honky tonkin' on friday night, to mend a fence in a place not on Google's map, and to pull a neighbor from a ditch.
There's something environmentally healthy and emotionally healing about seeing a retired old friend sitting out front of the double-wide each day, quietly welcoming critters and visitors alike, while slowly returning to earth from whence it came, and freely giving a part to those in need.
Yes, we all want to be cowboys. But first, we need our trucks.
Bruce John | Kansas Flinthills


text:
Chatbot Development Tutorial: Introduction of Intent, Stories, Actions in Rasa X
In our first part " Rasa Introduction " we have seen the basic concept of Rasa. If you have not read the "Rasa Introduction" Blog then go through it before we start with Rasa X.
Rasa X has been launched to further help developers working with Rasa open source framework. Rasa X is used to review the conversations between users and the assistant and using that to improve the assistant.
In this tutorial, we will see how to create intent, responses, stories and how can you train the model using Rasa X UI.
You can install Rasa X using the below command:
pip3 install rasa-x --extra-index-url https://pypi.rasa.com/simple
Before creating Rasa Project make sure you are in the directory "rasaDemo".
To create a rasa project run the following command:
rasa init --no-prompt
Train your model using the below command.
rasa train
Once the model is trained successfully, you can test it using the below command.
rasa X
When you execute the above command a new tab will be opened in your browser automatically as shown in the below image, select the "Load Your assistant into Rasa X".
Now click on the Menu from the left-hand side and select the "Talk to your bot" option.
Now test the bot, you can say "hello" or "hi" to start the conversation as shown below.
Let's see how can we create New Intent and add training phrases through Rasa X. From the left side, select NLU training from the Training Menu as shown in the figure.
Now select Training Data as shown below.
After selecting training data you can see "sentences" i.e the training phrases and their corresponding Intent.
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You can create new intent by clicking on the "+" button on the right side, then from the intent dropdown select the "create intent" option as shown below.
Now provide your training phrase and the intent name which you want to create after that click on the save button as shown below.
You can even add multiple training phrases, for that click again on the "+" button, provide the training phrase and select the intent from the dropdown for which you want to add the training phrase.
You can add the bot responses from responses menu. Select the response menu as shown below.
To create a new response click on the "+" button from the right side as shown below.
Now from the dropdown select the "create new" option to create the template i.e the response.
Provide the response name and the response message which you want to provide to the end-users, then save the response. Once you save it, you can find this newly created response in the response.
Stories are example of end-to-end conversations. Story has the structure where we have the user message and how our assistant will respond to those messages. We can also say that stories contain the flow of conversation. To create a story first select the stories from the menu as shown below.
Now click on the "+" button and select the "create new story" option to create a new story.
Now write your story, with double hashtag '##' provide the story name, provide the intent name with '*', and then the bot response with '-'. Create the conversation flow according to your preference. Then click on the "save" button to save the story.
Once you have saved the story you can see the Flow of the story on your screen as shown below.
Now let's again train the model. To Train the model select "Train" button from the menu as shown below.
Once the training completes, you can check the newly added details from the "Talk to your bot" option from the menu, select that as shown below.
Once you select the "talk to your bot" option, you may find the below like screen, that there is no active model. If this happens then click on the "View models" button.
When you click on "view models" button you will find the below like screen. It is the model menu, where all your models will be saved, you need to make the model active to use it. To make the model activate click on the "…" three dots button, then select "Make active" option, doing this your recently created model will be activated.
Now again click on the "talk to your bot" option from the menu. Say "hi" or "hello" to start the conversation and test your bot.
Hope this tutorial was helpful to you get started with Rasa X. Do let us know your feedback or queries in comment.
You can connect with us on firstname.lastname@example.com for your chatbot development or NLP solutions requirements. We would be happy to help you.
Source: https://chatbotslife.com/chatbot-development-tutorial-introduction-of-intent-stories-actions-in-rasa-x-1d850e2bba6a?source=rss—-a49517e4c30b—4
Are Chatbots Vulnerable? Best Practices to Ensure Chatbots Security
A simple answer is a Yes! Chatbots are vulnerable. Some specific threats and vulnerabilities risk chatbots security and prove them a wrong choice for usage. With the advancement in technology, hackers can now easily target the hidden infrastructure of a chatbot.
The chatbot's framework has an opportunity for the attackers ready to inject the malicious codes or commands that might unlock the secured data of the customers and your business. However, the extent of the attack's complexity and success might depend on the messaging platform's security.
Are you thinking about how chatbots are being exposed to attacks? Well! Hackers are now highly advanced. They attack the chatbots in two ways, i.e., either by social engineering attack or by technical attacks.
- An evil bot can impersonate a legal user by using backup data of the possibly targeted victims by social engineering attack. All such data is collected from various sources like the dark web and social media platforms. Sometimes they use both sources to gain access to some other user's data by a bot providing such services.
- The second attack is technical. Here also attackers can turn themself into evil bots who exchange messages with the other bots. The purpose is to look for some vulnerabilities in the target's profile that can be later exploited. It can eventually lead to the compromise of the entire framework that protects the data and can ultimately lead to data theft.
To ensure chatbots security, the bot creators must ensure that all the security processes are in place and are responsible for restoring the architecture. The data flow via the chatbot system should also be encrypted both in transit and rest.
To further aid you in chatbot security, this article discusses five best practices to ensure chatbots security. So, let's read on.
The following mentioned below are some of the best practices to ensure the security of chatbots.
It's always feared that data in transit can be spoofed or tampered with the sophistication of cybercriminals' technology and smartness. It's essential to implement end-to-end encryption to ensure that your entire conversation remains secured. It means that by encryption, you can prevent any third person other than the sender and the receiver from peeping into your messages.
Encryption importance can't be neglected in the cyber world, and undoubtedly the chatbot designers are adapting this method to make sure that their chatbot security is right on the point. For more robust encryption, consider using business VPNs that encrypt your internet traffic and messages. With a VPN, you can also prevent the threats and vulnerabilities associated with chatbots.
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Moreover, it's a crucial feature of other chat services like WhatsApp and other giant tech developers. They are anxious to guarantee security via encryption even when there's strict surveillance by the government. Such encryption is to fulfill the legal principles of the GDPR that says that companies should adopt measures to encrypt the users' data.
User identity authentication is a process that verifies if the user is having secure and valid credentials like the username and password. The login credentials are exchanged for having a secure authentication token used during the complete user session. If you haven't, then you should try out this method for boosting user security.
Authentication timeouts are another way to ensure your chatbots security. This method is more common in banks as the token can be used for the predetermined time.
Moreover, two-factor authentication is yet another method to prove user identity. Users are asked to verify identity either by a text message or email, depending on the way they've chosen. It also helps in the authorization process as it permits access to the right person and ensures that information isn't mishandled or breached.
The self-destructive message features open another way for enhancing chatbot security. This option comes in handy when the user provides their personally identifiable information. Such information can pose a serious threat to user privacy and should be destroyed or deleted within a set period. This method is handier when you're associated with backing or any other financial chatbots.
By using secure protocols, you can also ensure chatbots security. Every security system, by default, has the HTTPS protocol installed in it. If you aren't an IT specialist, you can also identify it when you view the search bar's URL. As long as your data is being transferred via HTTPS protocol and encrypted connections, TLS and SSL, your data is secured from vulnerabilities and different types of cyber-attacks.
Thus, make sure to use secure protocols for enhanced security. Remember that when Chatbots are new, the coding and system used to protect it is the same as the existing HIMs. They interconnect with their security systems and have more than one encryption layer to protect their users' security.
Do you know what the most significant security vulnerability that's challenging to combat is? Wondering? Well! It's none other than human error. User behavior must be resolved using commercial applications because they might continue to believe that the systems are flawed.
No doubt that an unprecedented number of users label the significance of digital security, but still, humans are the most vulnerable in the system. Chatbot security continues to be a real big problem until the problem of user errors comes to an end. And this needs education on various forms of digital technology, including chatbots.
Here the customers aren't the ones who are to be blamed. Like customers, employees can make a mistake, and they do make most of the time. To prevent this, the chatbot developers should form a defined strategy, including the IT experts, and train them on the system's safe use. Doing so enhances the team's skillset and allows them to engage with the chatbot system confidently.
However, clients can't be educated like the employees. But at least you can provide them a detailed road map of securely interacting with the system. It might involve other professionals who can successfully engage customers and educate them on the right way to interact with the chatbots.
Several emerging technologies are keen to play a vital role in protecting the chatbots against threats and vulnerabilities in the upcoming time, among all the most potent method behavior analytics and Artificial Intelligence developments.
- User Behavioral Analytics: It's a process that uses applications to study the patterns of user behavior. It enables them to implement complex algorithms and statistical analysis to detect any abnormal behavior that possibly represents a security threat. Analytical tools are quite common and powerful; thus, this methodology can become a fundamental component of the chatbot system.
- Developments in AI: Artificial technology is a two-end sword that offers benefits and threats simultaneously. But, as AI is predicted to fulfill its potential, it will provide an extra security level to the systems. It is mainly because of its ability to wipe a large amount of data for abnormalities that recognizes security breaches and threats.
The Bottom Line
Security concerns have always been there with new technologies and bring new threats and vulnerabilities with them. Although chatbots are an emerging technology, the security practices that stand behind them are present for a long time and are effective. Chatbots are the innovative development of the current era, and emerging technologies like AI will transform the way businesses might interact with the customers and ensure their security.
Source: https://chatbotslife.com/are-chatbots-vulnerable-best-practices-to-ensure-chatbots-security-d301b9f6ce17?source=rss—-a49517e4c30b—4
Best Technology Stacks For Mobile App Development
What's the Best Tech Stack for Mobile App Development? Read To Know
Which is the Best Tech Stack for Mobile Application Development? Kotlin, React Native, Ionic, Xamarin, Objective-C, Swift, JAVA… Which One?
Technology Stack for smartphones is like what blood is for the human body. Without a technology stack, it is hard even to imagine smartphones. Having a smartphone in uncountable hands is rising exponentially. For tech pundits, this is one unmissable aspect of our digital experience wherein tech stack is as critical as ROI.
The riveting experience for a successful mobile app predominantly depends on technology stacks.
The unbiased selection of mobile apps development language facilitates developers to build smooth, functional, efficient apps. They help businesses tone down the costs, focus on revenue-generation opportunities. Most importantly, it provides customers with jaw-dropping amazement, giving a reason to have it installed on the indispensable gadget in present times.
In today's time, when there are over 5 million apps globally, and by all conscience, these are whopping no.s and going to push the smartphone industry further. But now you could see mobile app development every 'nook and corner.' But the fact is not who provides what but understanding the behavioural pattern of users.
So the pertinent question is, which is the ideal tech stack to use for mobile app development?
In native mobile app development, all toolkits, mobile apps development language, and the SDK are supported and provided by operating system vendors. Native app development thus allows developers to build apps compatible with specific OS environments; it is suitable for device-specific hardware and software. Hence it renders optimized performance using the latest technology. However, since Android & iOS imparts — — a unique platform for development, businesses have to develop multiple mobile apps for each platform.
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1.Java: The popularity of JAVA still makes it one of the official programming languages for android app development until the introduction of Kotlin. Java itself is at the core of the Android OS. Many of us even see the logo of Java when the device reboots. However, contradictions with Oracle (which owns the license to Java) made Google shift to open-source Java SDK for versions starting from Android 7.0 Nougat
2.Kotlin: According to Google I/O conference in 2019- Kotlin is the officially supported language for Android app development. It is entirely based on Java but has a few additions which make it simpler and easier to work.
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It's my gut feeling like other developers to say that Kotlin is simply better. It has a leaner, more straightforward and concise code than open-cell Java, and several other advantages about handling null-pointer exceptions and more productive coding.
HERE'S A Programming Illustration Defining the CONCISENESS OF KOTLIN CODE
public class Address {
private String street;
private int streetNumber;
private String postCode;
private String city;
private Country country;
public Address(String street, int streetNumber, String postCode, String city, Country country) {
this.street = street;
this.streetNumber = streetNumber;
this.postCode = postCode;
this.city = city;
this.country = country;
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (this == o) return true;
if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
Address address = (Address) o;
if (streetNumber != address.streetNumber) return false;
if (!street.equals(address.street)) return false;
if (!postCode.equals(address.postCode)) return false;
if (!city.equals(address.city)) return false;
return country == address.country;
public int hashCode() {
int result = street.hashCode();
result = 31 * result + streetNumber;
result = 31 * result + postCode.hashCode();
result = 31 * result + city.hashCode();
result = 31 * result + (country != null ? country.hashCode() : 0);
return result;
public String toString() {
return "Address{" +
"street='" + street + '\'' +
", streetNumber=" + streetNumber +
", postCode='" + postCode + '\'' +
", city='" + city + '\'' +
", country=" + country +
public String getStreet() {
return street;
public void setStreet(String street) {
this.street = street;
public int getStreetNumber() {
return streetNumber;
public void setStreetNumber(int streetNumber) {
this.streetNumber = streetNumber;
public String getPostCode() {
return postCode;
public void setPostCode(String postCode) {
this.postCode = postCode;
public String getCity() {
return city;
public void setCity(String city) {
this.city = city;
public Country getCountry() {
return country;
public void setCountry(Country country) {
this.country = country;
class Address(street:String, streetNumber:Int, postCode:String, city:String, country:Country) {
var street: String
var streetNumber:Int = 0
var postCode:String
var city: String
var country:Country
this.street = street
this.streetNumber = streetNumber
this.postCode = postCode
this.city = city
this.country = country
public override fun equals(o:Any):Boolean {
if (this === o) return true
if (o == null || javaClass != o.javaClass) return false
Val address = o as Address
if (streetNumber != address.streetNumber) return false
if (street != address.street) return false
if (postCode != address.postCode) return false
if (city != address.city) return false
return country === address.country
public override fun hashCode():Int {
val result = street.hashCode()
result = 31 * result + streetNumber
result = 31 * result + postCode.hashCode()
result = 31 * result + city.hashCode()
result = 31 * result + (if (country != null) country.hashCode() else 0)
return result
public override fun toString():String {
return ("Address{" +
"street='" + street + '\''.toString() +
", streetNumber=" + streetNumber +
", postCode='" + postCode + '\''.toString() +
", city='" + city + '\''.toString() +
", country=" + country +
I'd say KOTLIN IS THE BEST FIND FOR ANDROID APP DEVELOPMENT.Google has dug deeper with some plans ahead since announcing it as an official language. Moreover, it signals Google's first steps in moving away from the Java ecosystem, which is imminent, considering its recent adventures with Flutter and the upcoming Fuchsia OS.
1) Objective-C:
Objective C is the same for iOS what Java is for Android. Objective-C, a superset of the C programming language( with objective -oriented capabilities and dynamic run time) initially used to build the core of iOS operating system across the Apple devices. However, Apple soon started using swift, which diminishes the importance of Objective -C in comparison to previous compilations.
2. Swift:
Apple introduced Swift as an alternative to Objective-C in late 2015, and it has since been continued to be the primary language for iOS app development.Swift is more functional than Objective-C, less prone to errors, dynamic libraries help reduce the size and app without ever compromising performance.
Now, you would remember the comparison we've done with Java and kotlin. In iOS, objective-C is much older than swift with much more complicated syntax. Giving cringeworthy feel to beginners to get started with Objective-C.
NSMutableArray * array =[[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
var array =[Int]()
In cross-platform app development, developers build a single mobile app that can be used on multiple OS platforms. It is made possible by creating an app with a shared common codebase, adapted to various platforms.
Popular Cross-platform apps:
- Skype
1.React Native:
React Native is a mobile app development framework based on JavaScript. It is used and supported by one of the biggest social media platforms- Facebook. In cross-platform apps built using React Native, the application logic is coded in JavaScript, whereas its UI is entirely native. This blog about building a React Native app is worth reading if you want to know why its stakes are higher.
Xamarin is a Microsoft-supported cross-platform mobile app development tool that uses the C# programming language. Using Xamarin, developers can build mobile apps for multiple platforms, sharing over 90% of the same code.
TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, and is a statically-typed programming language supported by Microsoft. TypeScript can be used along with the React Native framework to make full use of its error detection features when writing code for react components.
- Untappd
- Amazon App Store
- Evernote
1. Apache Cordova/Adobe PhoneGap:
Apache Cordova is an open-source hybrid mobile app development framework that uses JavaScript for logic operations and while HTML5 & CSS3 for rendering. PhoneGap is a commercialized, free, and open-source distribution of Apache Cordova owned by Adobe. The PhoneGap platform was developed to deliver non-proprietary, free, and open-source app development solutions powered by the web.
Ionic is a hybrid app development framework based on AngularJS. Similar to other hybrid platforms, it uses HTML, CSS & JavaScript to build mobile apps. Ionic is primarily focused on the front-end UI experience and integrates well with frameworks such as Angular, Vue, and ReactJS.
To summarize, there are 3 types of mobile apps- Native mobile apps, Cross-platform mobile apps, and Hybrid mobile apps; each offers unique technologies, frameworks, and tools of their own. I have enlisted here the best mobile app technology stacks you could use for mobile app development.
The technologies, tools, and frameworks mentioned here are used in some of the most successful apps. With support from an expert, a well-established mobile app development company, that may give much-needed impetus in the dynamic mobile app development world.
Source: https://chatbotslife.com/best-technology-stacks-for-mobile-app-development-6fed70b62778?source=rss—-a49517e4c30b—4
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum specializes in digitizing Hungarian language content, including newspapers, books, maps, and art. With over 30 years of experience, Arcanum serves more than 30,000 global subscribers with access to Hungarian culture, history, and heritage. Amazon Rekognition Solutions Architects worked with Arcanum to add highly scalable image analysis to Hungaricana, a free service provided by Arcanum, […]
Arcanum specializes in digitizing Hungarian language content, including newspapers, books, maps, and art. With over 30 years of experience, Arcanum serves more than 30,000 global subscribers with access to Hungarian culture, history, and heritage.
Amazon Rekognition Solutions Architects worked with Arcanum to add highly scalable image analysis to Hungaricana, a free service provided by Arcanum, which enables you to search and explore Hungarian cultural heritage, including 600,000 faces over 500,000 images. For example, you can find historical works by author Mór Jókai or photos on topics like weddings. The Arcanum team chose Amazon Rekognition to free valuable staff from time and cost-intensive manual labeling, and improved label accuracy to make 200,000 previously unsearchable images (approximately 40% of image inventory), available to users.
Amazon Rekognition makes it easy to add image and video analysis to your applications using highly scalable machine learning (ML) technology that requires no previous ML expertise to use. Amazon Rekognition also provides highly accurate facial recognition and facial search capabilities to detect, analyze, and compare faces.
Arcanum uses this facial recognition feature in their image database services to help you find particular people in Arcanum's articles. This post discusses their challenges and why they chose Amazon Rekognition as their solution.
Automated image labeling challenges
Arcanum dedicated a team of three people to start tagging and labeling content for Hungaricana. The team quickly learned that they would need to invest more than 3 months of time-consuming and repetitive human labor to provide accurate search capabilities to their customers. Considering the size of the team and scope of the existing project, Arcanum needed a better solution that would automate image and object labelling at scale.
Automated image labeling solutions
To speed up and automate image labeling, Arcanum turned to Amazon Rekognition to enable users to search photos by keywords (for example, type of historic event, place name, or a person relevant to Hungarian history).
For the Hungaricana project, preprocessing all the images was challenging. Arcanum ran a TensorFlow face search across all 28 million pages on a machine with 8 GPUs in their own offices to extract only faces from images.
The following screenshot shows what an extract looks like (image provided by Arcanum Database Ltd).
The images containing only faces are sent to Amazon Rekognition, invoking the IndexFaces operation to add a face to the collection. For each face that is detected in the specified face collection, Amazon Rekognition extracts facial features into a feature vector and stores it in an Amazon Aurora database. Amazon Rekognition uses feature vectors when it performs face match and search operations using the SearchFaces and SearchFacesByImage operations.
The image preprocessing helped create a very efficient and cost-effective way to index faces. The following diagram summarizes the preprocessing workflow.
As for the web application, the workflow starts with a Hungaricana user making a face search request. The following diagram illustrates the application workflow.
The workflow includes the following steps:
- The user requests a facial match by uploading the image. The web request is automatically distributed by the Elastic Load Balancer to the webserver fleet.
- Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) powers application servers that handle the user request.
- The uploaded image is stored in Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3).
- Amazon Rekognition indexes the face and runs SearchFaces to look for a face similar to the new face ID.
- The output of the search face by image operation is stored in Amazon ElastiCache, a fully managed in-memory data store.
- The metadata of the indexed faces are stored in an Aurora relational database built for the cloud.
- The resulting face thumbnails are served to the customer via the fast content-delivery network (CDN) service Amazon CloudFront.
Experimenting and live testing Hungaricana
During our test of Hungaricana, the application performed extremely well. The searches not only correctly identified people, but also provided links to all publications and sources in Arcanum's privately owned database where found faces are present. For example, the following screenshot shows the result of the famous composer and pianist Franz Liszt.
The application provided 42 pages of 6×4 results. The results are capped to 1,000. The 100% scores are the confidence scores returned by Amazon Rekognition and are rounded up to whole numbers.
The application of Hungaricana has always promptly, and with a high degree of certainty, presented results and links to all corresponding publications.
Business results
By introducing Amazon Rekognition into their workflow, Arcanum enabled a better customer experience, including building family trees, searching for historical figures, and researching historical places and events.
The concept of face searching using artificial intelligence certainly isn't new. But Hungaricana uses it in a very creative, unique way.
Amazon Rekognition allowed Arcanum to realize three distinct advantages:
- Time savings – The time to market speed increased dramatically. Now, instead of spending several months of intense manual labor to label all the images, the company can do this job in a few days. Before, basic labeling on 150,000 images took months for three people to complete.
- Cost savings – Arcanum saved around $15,000 on the Hungaricana project. Before using Amazon Rekognition, there was no automation, so a human workforce had to scan all the images. Now, employees can shift their focus to other high-value tasks.
- Improved accuracy – Users now have a much better experience regarding hit rates. Since Arcanum started using Amazon Rekognition, the number of hits has doubled. Before, out of 500,000 images, about 200,000 weren't searchable. But with Amazon Rekognition, search is now possible for all 500,000 images.
"Amazon Rekognition made Hungarian culture, history, and heritage more accessible to the world," says Előd Biszak, Arcanum CEO. "It has made research a lot easier for customers building family trees, searching for historical figures, and researching historical places and events. We cannot wait to see what the future of artificial intelligence has to offer to enrich our content further."
In this post, you learned how to add highly scalable face and image analysis to an enterprise-level image gallery to improve label accuracy, reduce costs, and save time.
You can test Amazon Rekognition features such as facial analysis, face comparison, or celebrity recognition on images specific to your use case on the Amazon Rekognition console.
For video presentations and tutorials, see Getting Started with Amazon Rekognition. For more information about Amazon Rekognition, see Amazon Rekognition Documentation.
About the Authors
Siniša Mikašinović is a Senior Solutions Architect at AWS Luxembourg, covering Central and Eastern Europe—a region full of opportunities, talented and innovative developers, ISVs, and startups. He helps customers adopt AWS services as well as acquire new skills, learn best practices, and succeed globally with the power of AWS. His areas of expertise are Game Tech and Microsoft on AWS. Siniša is a PowerShell enthusiast, a gamer, and a father of a small and very loud boy. He flies under the flags of Croatia and Serbia.
Cameron Peron is Senior Marketing Manager for AWS Amazon Rekognition and the AWS AI/ML community. He evangelizes how AI/ML innovation solves complex challenges facing community, enterprise, and startups alike. Out of the office, he enjoys staying active with kettlebell-sport, spending time with his family and friends, and is an avid fan of Euro-league basketball.
Source: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/machine-learning/arcanum-makes-hungarian-heritage-accessible-with-amazon-rekognition/
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Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
Arcanum makes Hungarian heritage accessible with Amazon Rekognition
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text:
"Sushi Sudoku"
Sudoku, also known as Number Place or Nanpure, is a logic-based placement puzzler.
The object is to fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3×3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. In this version you can select from three different modes, different difficulties and different tile sets with numbers, letters and sushi symbols.
Also try another online Sudoku.
More Number, Math and Sudoku Games:
Other Puzzle Games:
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text:
Project Description
Commercial Architectural Photography of Sungard
Client: PDM International
PDM International commissioned a photographic portfolio of the Sungard offices in Christchurch. The project required several finished images to be digitally combined from a collection of 3 to 5 differing exposures. To achieve this we utilise state of the art HDR techniques and careful layer combining to bring out the full range of tones in the image.


text:
Perenich Clearwater Personal Injury attorney Contact page
Contact Perenich Lawyers today
Please Fill out the contact form and well will get back to you within 24 hours. In the "subject" field please provide use with a brief explanation of your injures.
Contact Attorney Michael Perenich and Mark Perenich For representation in the Tampa Bay area
When you choose to contact us, we take our duty to return your phone call very seriously. Other lawyers in the Tampa bay or Clearwater area have an answering service that you will have to leave a message at. That is not the case here, if I can't get to the phone we will have a real employee call you back as soon as we possibly can.
Office number: 727-724-7800 ask for Mark Perenich Clearwater personal injury attorney
Talk to a live person now!
Feel free to call in the case of an auto accident
Sometimes people get into auto accidents and they need to talk to someone immediately. We created a number that will allow you to talk to Mark Perenich or his associate at any time, day or night. Perenich's After Hours line 727-386-9677. If we can't help you wil will find someone that can, we are here to serve the community as those before us have done.
If you or a loved one has been injured in the Tampa Bay Area, turn to one of the personal injury leaders in the Tampa Bay area Mark Perenich. His ability to build the strongest personal injury cases has helped his clients win Hundreds of Millions of Dollars since 1955 (one of Tampa's oldest personal injury firms). He understands how important it is to be the most effective advocate for his clients and he holds that responsibility with pride.
Mark's Google Places can be found by clicking here.
Clearwater Injury lawyer Mark Perenich


text:
Download PDF Flyer
Volume: 1
Editor(s): José Juan Escobar-Chávez
Co-Editor(s): Virginia Merino
eISBN: 978-1-60805-191-5, 2010
Indexed in: Book Citation Index, Science Edition, Scopus and Chemical Abstracts.
Recommend this Book to your Library
This e-book provides an overview of current technologies used to increase the topical/transdermal delivery of drugs, its protocols, advantages and limitations. It includes exclusive chapters on chemical enhancers, Iontophoresis, Sonophoresis, Electroporation, Microneedles and the more recent use of micro/nanoparticles to deliver drugs throughout the skin.
The e-book's generalized approach on the topic is aimed to be helpful in drug discovery, drug delivery and toxicological research and to provide a broader perspective on the topic to readers with respect to current literature available on the subject.
The book is an interesting source of information for pharmacy students, and pharmaceutical research and development units of universities and commercial industries.
*(Excluding Mailing and Handling)
Secure Checkout
Personal information is secured with SSL technology
promotion: free to download
Pp. i
Matilde Merino Sanjuan
promotion: free to download
Pp. ii
José Juan Escobar-Chávez
promotion: free to download
Pp. iii-iv (2)
Jose Juan Escobar-Chavez and Virginia Merino
The Skin: A Valuable Route for Administration of Drugs
Pp. 1-22 (22)
Clara Luisa Dominguez-Delgado, Isabel Marlen Rodriguez-Cruz and Miriam Lopez- Cervantes
PDF Price: $15
Chemical Enhancers
Pp. 23-40 (18)
Alicia Lopez-Castellano and Virginia Merino
Transdermal Iontophoresis
Pp. 41-52 (12)
Virginia Merino and Alicia Lopez
Sonophoresis: A Valuable Physical Enhancer to Increase Transdermal Drug Delivery
Pp. 53-77 (25)
Jose Juan Escobar-Chavez, Dalia Bonilla-Martinez and Martha Angelica Villegas- Gonzalez
Electroporation of the Skin
Pp. 78-95 (18)
Cesar A. Gonzalez and Boris Rubinsky
Transdermal Drug Delivery Using Microneedles
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text:
Between 10 April and 5 May 2010 in Woolsey Hall at Yale University, USA, trombonist Achilles Liarmakopoulos and an instrumental ensemble recorded music by Astor Piazzolla for release on Naxos 8.572596 (Digital Release: March 2011, CD Release: December 2011). The album will feature these works:
* performances based on the manuscript sources
The musicians involved were Achilles Liarmakopoulos (trombone) (All Works), Hector Del Curto (bandoneon) (Works 1, 4, 7), Octavio Brunetti (piano) (Works 1, 4, 7), Pedro Giraudo (double bass) (Works 1, 4, 7), Simon Powis (guitar) (Work 2), Ian Rosenbaum (marimba) (Work 3), Robert Thompson (piano) (Works 5, 6), Samuel Adams (double bass) (Works 6, 8), Edson Scheid (violin 1) (Work 8), Jiyun Han (violin 2) (Work 8) Raul Garcia (viola) (Work 8), Arnold Choi (cello) (Work 8) and Maura Valenti (harp) (Work 9).
Achilles Liarmakopoulos, trombonist
Pedro Giraudo, bass; Hector Del Curto, bandoneon
Octavio Brunetti, piano; Achilles Liarmakopoulos, trombone


text:
Liverpool launches free-to-use brand created by Finch
Businesses, organisations and the public are being encouraged to use the City of Liverpool's new brand across their own communications for free.
The identity, created by Liverpool advertising agency Finch, builds on the heritage created by the European Capital of Culture 2008 brand.
Paul Whitehead, head of marketing at Liverpool Vision, the organisation behind the brand, says, 'Companies had to pay to use the Capital of Culture logo, but with this we wanted to give something back. We don't intend to police the brand – we'll ask companies to sign up to the terms and conditions and follow the guidelines.'
Consultancy Ripple Effect has created a public-facing website with guidance on graphic usage, brand values and positioning. Uniform is working on a broader marketing programme for the brand.
Jim Northover, founder of Lloyd Northover, the group behind the Belfast City branding, says, 'There could be issues around cohesion, in that it needs to be used in a way that reinforces the underlying idea. There's got to be meaning as opposed to just creating a badge.'
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text:
Pairing: YunJae
Rating: PG-13 for now
Length: Chaptered
Genre: AU, fluff
Warning: Super-mild underage shenanigans. Like so super that really, even if you squint you might not see it. I can't see it myself but eh. Protecting my own ass is a good thing.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the story. I wish I had YunJae and if I had my way, they'd move to New Zealand so they can be MARRIED here
Summary: Nothing has ever fazed him in his life. At 29, he is successfully self-employed, and doing something he loves which means going to work should really be enjoyable. What is that saying? If you work in what you love, you will never work a day in your life? This would be true if not for just one doe-eyed problem…
AN1: I can finish this within 15 chapters!!! So...uh... "short" by my standards... //stares at ICE and SB//
AN2: Also, this gorgeous banner is made by shinkinism on tumblr!!!
( The TattooistCollapse )


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John Rich On Celebrity Apprentice
I am not a big fan of reality television but for some reason i really enjoy the shows that involve celebrities in some sort of competition. I especially love the "Celebrity Apprentice". Never liked the regular show with people i've never heard of, but i'm hooked when ya throw the famous people in there!
I am really psyched for this season because it has been officially announced that John Rich will be one of the celebs in the Competition. I am a HUGE Big and Rich fan so I can't wait for this show! John's personality will make the show worth watching because we all know how crazy Mr. Rich can be.
John will be competeing against former baseball player Jose Canseco, actor Gary Busey, 70's teenage hearthrob David Cassidy, LaToya Jackson, Singer MeatLoaf, actress Lisa Rinna, Rapper Lil John, Singer Dionne Warwick, former "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch, "Real Housewives of Atlanta''s NeNe Leakes (those 2 are celebrities??), Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath and models Hope Dworaczyk and Niki Taylor.
John is not the first country star to make an appearance on the show as Trace Adkins came down to the final 2 in 2009 and Clint Black made an appearance last year.
The premiere of the new season of the "Celebrity Apprentice" is March 6th on NBC WNYT 13.


text:
Jobless Claims Higher: Surpass 300,000
U.S. stock futures look down Thursday morning and jobless claims come in higher than expected. MarketWatch's Polya Lesova discusses on the News Hub. Photo: Getty
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... those take a look of mock it's this morning that it costs rejoin with a pony Lesova ... to tells about how things are looking ... for a good morning and ... only looking so yes the pictures and knowing this morning I found about sixty points ... on the Dow futures attached check ... out we also just got some economically that we've got the weekly jobless claims the idea goes by eleven thousand ... at which was well above expectations ... ah but I ... got to be paying to the labor days so it was possibly the store that by the court today ... aam ... more importantly if we look at the four week average that that he meets me at the funeral was on ... so so that makes the Canberra on my and that ... the future's looking nowhere ... near any other news I opted to lose the will which in ... our soul that went missing key Asian markets Aso I Japanese that the Japanese stock index ended at an eight month high ... on the ends of the dollar rose against the yen and I've had boosted its use of export base in Japan ... so I've got ... to rekindle the ball ... and in which three stocks we have history and black Komodo one earnest into the ... sauce but that's ... about it as though the place that is via call my high Saumya now sticking his cities in the team and ... at the with Viacom to carry a downplaying TV channels on its planned out with basic ... TV service on ... people also offers the means ... of black comb programming on immobile a devices ... I'm so nice coping she leaves out the facts deals ... with other entertainment companies as well ... ALM so it so that for the fist up in the yen and the second one I think you mentioned is that eight years had run ... on the which is adding to the ball ... that the company is saying that if I looking at options to seek new cap that though ... I'm because he expects its debt high it's become so important to the south while the ROICs bikie soon ... I aam and that feels that existing deal pieces for example fell about twenty percent which is a pretty in the Cadbury drop for him ... out that this is having some trouble LULU LULU in one of course is well right so wait waiting on that but now look it that had the yoga gear maker I aam ... I raised its earnings Alto continued to two thousand XP above expectations as so serious that way I think and you might get paid ... twenty thank you very


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The strike initiated by the private bus employees of buses plying the Colombo – Chilaw route has reached its second day today.
The strike was initiated yesterday after the private bus employees of Chilaw alleged that the driver and conductor of a bus plying the Vavuniya Colombo route had assaulted the driver and conductor of a Colombo – Chilaw bus.
The employees of the Chilaw passenger transportation service engaged in a protest today in the Chilaw town alleging that the authorities have failed to apprehend the suspects.
Chairman of the passenger transportation services of Chilaw Chaminda Hansa expressed the following views regarding this.
Our regional correspondent stated that due to the strike, the police have been deployed to protect the long distance private buses that pass the Chilaw town.
Upon inquiry by our news team chairman of the National Transportation Commission Roshan Guanawardena stated that the police have already arrested the suspects in question.


text:
Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve
Natural Areas
El Ocote is one of the most important centers in Mexico and the world, as its privileged location allows it to host a diverse biodiversity of incalculable value to humanity. It is considered a conservation priority due to its biodiversity, its representation of endangered, rare and endemic species and because it contains a complex of unique caves and geological formations. The most important rivers in the area are La Venta and Encajonado, there are also subterranean rivers that rise to the surface in some places, which is why they are called "aguajitos" (water eyes). In the area´s high mountains, there are trees that are more than 30 meters tall, such as mahogany, sapodilla, palm and Mexican elm. There are more than two thousand species of plants and fungi and more than five thousand species of invertebrates in the reserve. In terms of birds, more than 350 species have been recorded in El Ocote and it has been verified that at least 38 species of North American migratory birds use the reserve on their migratory routes and as a winter shelter. The migratory birds stay on the site for six to nine months annually.
Some of the resident bird species are the king vulture, curassow, pava corolita, white hawk, ornate hawk-eagle, osprey and four species of parrots. There are about 31 species of amphibians in El Ocote, corresponding to 34% of the species in Chiapas.+Read more
Of the 184 mammal species found in the State of Chiapas, 66% (121) of the species are mainly found in the El Ocote area. Among the endangered species found here are the howler monkey, spider monkey and tapir. Also found in the area are jaguar, ocelot, oncilla, otter, white-lipped peccary and the river crocodile. El Ocote was one of the last places where the latter species was recorded in Mexico.
There are also other endangered species in the region such as the king vulture, black hawk-eagle, crested owl, corolita, tinamoú jamuey and white-tipped dove. La Selva El Ocote is considered as one of the most important forest reserves in Mesoamerica, so a visit here is the perfect complement to a tour through the great natural beauty of the state of Chiapas.
Click on an activity and view the specialized operators that provide it:
Flora and Fauna