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Hi,
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From the moment the idea for Home Theater Direct entered our minds back in 1998, we knew we’d have to somehow overcome our customers’ inability to listen to our speakers in advance of purchase. Thus was born our risk free 30-day in-home trial. We figured if a customer was willing to stick his or her neck out to check out our speakers, then we ought to be willing to stick our necks out too. Not only does our risk free guarantee give our customers peace of mind, it also allows them to audition our products the way audio products should be auditioned- in your own home with your own equipment.
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Firearms Regulations
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) have issued regulations expanding the scope of legal possession of firearms within Delaware’s state parks, state wildlife areas and state forests.
Overview of the Regulations
The regulations, pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling, state that visitors may legally possess firearms, as allowed by Delaware law, in state parks, wildlife areas and forests (see an online map of areas) unless they are prohibited by law due to a past conviction for a violent crime, active Protection from Abuse Order, or mental health commitment. This includes, for example, trails, unguarded beaches, parking lots, and vehicles.
The proposed regulations prohibit firearms only in certain public facilities and designated areas such as park offices, visitor centers, nature centers, bathhouses, restaurants and snack bars, stadiums and facilities while used for events, concerts and festivals, museums, zoos, stables, educational facilities, dormitories, playgrounds, camping areas, swimming pools, guarded beaches, and water parks. These designated areas are marked with appropriate signs.
The regulations allow holders of valid Delaware concealed-carry permits to carry within parks, including designated areas, provided only that the permit be produced upon request. The regulations would also allow active-duty law and qualified retired law enforcement officers to carry anywhere within the parks and other areas affected by Supreme Court decision.
Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club, Ltd., et al., v. Small
In December, 2017, a Delaware Supreme Court decision (Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club, Ltd., et al., v. Small, et al. [Dec. 7, 2017]) expanded the scope of visitors’ ability to possess firearms in Delaware’s state parks, state wildlife areas, and state forests. State parks and state wildlife areas are under DNREC jurisdiction. State forests are under the Department of Agriculture’s Jurisdiction. | {
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We can accept waste delivered to our site for fast unloading and cleaning facilities if needed. We ask for 24 hrs notice of deliveries. Delivery times 8 am to 4.30 pm, Mon – Fri.
Our aim is to offer the most suitable and cost affective collection and recycling service to you, we have the experience and means to offer this. We can provide correctly labelled containers for your waste.
We can recycle 100% of waste. We supply AD (anaerobic digestion) plants with feedstock and plastic wastes are processed and recycled , then supplied for re-use.
Helping to continue to drive waste away from landfill and ensuring that the UK meets the EU Landfill Directive targets for diverting biodegradable municipal waste from landfill by 2020.
We at FRS specialise in high oil and fat content waste streams, lowering your waste disposal costs by our extraction of recyclable fats and oils which can then be used for green energy. Examples of high oil and fat wastes are oily sludges, oily foods, oily/fatty scrapings etc. Contact us today with your enquiry.
By offering our waste food, oils and fats collection and processing services, organisations in the food chain are able to reduce their carbon footprints by re-directing unsold, byproducts or unusable waste products away from landfill to create a green renewable energy. By offering our services we are helping you to achieve your recycling targets, environmental best practice and compliances.
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Please attach any pictures of the wasteThank you and we will respond shortly | {
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Beginning of a dialog window, including tabbed navigation to register an account or sign in to an existing account. Both registration and sign in support using google and facebook accounts. Escape will close this window.
Like this item?
A beautiful pale blue rose cabochon (45x35mm) is attached to an antique brass bail. A chain of hand linked, vintage, peach moonglow beads (8mm), suspends the pendant for a vintage inspired look! It is finished off with antique brass chain.
Free shipping on this item and orders over $25!
Necklace measures 18” long with a lobster clasp. I can change the length of the chain at no extra cost. If you would like the length of the chain to be altered, just let me know in the ‘notes to seller’ section when you check out. | {
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Manufacturer of DeHoff and Eldorado Deep Hole Drilling Machines
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All DeHoff and Eldorado machines are designed and manufactured in our 50,000 square foot facility in Marshall, Missouri, USA. Our meticulous attention to detail during the build process ensures that each machine leaving our plant will deliver superior performance for decades to come.
We take great pride in the excellent reputation our products have earned over the last half-century. Kays Engineering’s dedicated and experienced employees work hard every day to maintain that reputation and continuously earn our customers’ trust. | {
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Four seeking 32nd Assembly seat
The 32nd Assembly District will be getting new representation for the first time since 2002.
Four candidates are running to replace retiring Rep. Thomas Lothian, including his chief of staff, Tyler August of Walworth. August won the Republican primary in September by three votes after a week-long recount.
Doug Harrod of Bloomfield Township was the only Democrat to file for the race. Independents Dan Kilkenny of Delavan and Rick Pappas of Fontana also are on the ticket.
Q: With a projected $2.4 billion state budget deficit, where will the cuts come from and what impact will those have on the people of Wisconsin?
August: The cuts will without a doubt be coming from a variety of places. I believe we need to reform state employees' compensation packages and bring them more in line with what the private sector receives, and that will save the taxpayers quite a bit of money.
We also have to take a look at all of the new programs started in the last budget, and I think our welfare programs need to be more closely scrutinized. Those programs need to have the ultimate goal of people not needing them anymore, and I think the programs have been allowed to become more of a crutch than anything else. I'm not proposing we eliminate those programs, but I do propose going back to when the programs were to help people get back on their feet, not be their sole source of income forever.
Also, as Rep. Lothian's chief of staff, I have practiced fiscal responsibility in our office. This year we are on track to return around 90 percent of our office account to the taxpayers. I think all state offices and departments should strive to operate on as few tax dollars as possible. Zero-based budgeting will help with this, as it will require each department to justify every dollar it spends every year.
Harrod: The cuts must be across the board in all departments to begin to solve the problem with two exceptions: education and health care.
We should be sure to maintain quality education at the current level because if we do not it will just burden property taxes more. Health care programs must be maintained in these difficult economic times. Denying the most vulnerable of health care is simply not morally or ethically proper. We must also work with our congressional representatives and senators to not be 47th out of 50 in Medicare and Medicaid funds. Unless there is a greater improvement in the economy, new programs need to be put on the shelf unless funding can be obtained without raising taxes on the economically stressed middle class.
We need to increase accountability of those who are rewarded with state contracts or provide services to the state. We need to get more "bang for our buck." Personally, I believe there is a significant waste in our budget that could be cleaned up. The overall impact is that people may not get all the services they have in the past until the economy improves. And it will improve.
Q: Is bipartisanship possible, and how would you work to bridge the gap between parties?
August: It is possible, but I'm not willing to leave my principles to do it. There are those within both parties who would balance this budget by raising taxes on a variety of different groups in Wisconsin. I am not one of them. Raising taxes to solve this problem is a non-starter with me.
If a Democrat wanted to work with me on reforming some of the programs and the ways in which government spends money, them I'm all for it. This budget is in bad shape, and I am open to many different ways of solving the problem, except for raising taxes in a recession.
Harrod: One of the main points of our entire campaign cycle has been to advocate for more bipartisanship. I have been to numerous forums during the election cycle and regrettably have witnessed name-calling, divisiveness and blame gaming. It accomplishes little or nothing and simply continues the problem of (not) moving the state forward.
As a coach at the high school level, if you approached your coaching staff and players the same way legislators approach their legislative responsibilities, you would not have much success in improving the lives of our residents in Wisconsin.
In my campaign, I have continually promoted the fact that I can act independently. I am the candidate that has the ability to communicate, cooperate and, if necessary, compromise to move the 32nd District and the state of Wisconsin forward.
Q: Many agree education will see cuts in the next budget. How can we maintain quality education while depleting its financial resources?
August: Frankly, the reason education funding is in danger of seeing cuts is because of the way it was funded in the last budget Gov. (Jim) Doyle signed. In order to start their new programs, legislative Democrats cut general purpose revenue funding for education and then back-filled the K-12 funding with one-time Obama stimulus money. That is irresponsible budgeting because now we are facing a hole in the education funding. That should have never been done.
We need to find ways to not only restore education funding to appropriate levels, but to make sure our school districts get more of the pie. Because of the school-funding formula, our districts are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to getting state education dollars. This results in more of our schools relying for the vast majority of their budgets from the property tax. We need to work to get our schools their share of the state dollars so we can realize some property tax relief in this area.
Harrod: I do not believe that we need to conclude now that cuts will be necessary. Let's examine our projected revenue sources, see where we can institute cuts and see where we can streamline our expenditures by cutting the waste that exists.
As an educator, we need to look hard at how much more we can individually do. I think most educators understand the problems and would be willing to sacrifice the same way many others are sacrificing. I have learned from my 43 years of teaching that our profession gets a lot of attention from the public, many times negative, but I also know the majority of educators are dedicated, hard-working professionals with the goal of helping our students learn and be good citizens in our communities.
Bios
32nd Assembly
Doug Harrod
Age: 65
Address: W1815 County B, Genoa City.
Job: Teacher at Badger High School
Education: Bachelor's degree from Illinois State University
Community service: Vice president of Genoa City Lions Club; coordinator of Church Garden; mission trips with Immanuel Lutheran Church.
Kilkenny, 54, of N3616 Elm Ridge Road, Delavan, is a general practice attorney and serves on the Walworth County Board of Supervisors. He's running as an independent and is the only 32nd candidate with experience in an elected position.
"One thing I agree with Tyler August about is we need fundamental changes in the way we do business in Madison," he said. "That's essentially to get rid of the partisan warfare. I think that can only be done with an independent candidate."
Kilkenny wants to end political bickering and return the government to the people. He said special interests hold too much power in the state Legislature, which has created many of the economical issues Wisconsin faces today.
Kilkenny holds degrees in economics and law from UW-Madison. He has served on the Walworth County Board since 2006 and the Darien Town Board since 2001.
Pappas, 47, of 543 Akwenasa Way, Fontana, is a small business bookkeeper running as an independent. He strives for a more transparent government with less involvement from special interest groups. If elected, he promises to maintain a daily blog of his activities to keep in touch with constituents.
"I'm pretty much a blank slate when I go to Madison," he said. "I would go up there open-minded with a lot of energy—no preconceived notions, no preconceived ideas of what to do. I think going in there for a first term you basically are just able to be a decision maker."
Pappas believes Wisconsin's government can improve job creation by making the state more competitive than its neighbors. He also said there needs to be a greater level of scrutiny on state spending to get the deficit under control.
Pappas serves on the Lakefront and Harbor Committee, Protection Committee and Board of Review for the village of Fontana. He holds a degree in economics from UW-Madison. | {
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AlienVault Monthly Product Roundup April 2018
Get the latest security news in your inbox.
We are continuously making improvements and rolling out new features to USM Anywhere to help your team to be more effective at detecting and responding to threats. You can keep up with USM Anywhere releases by reading our release notes in the AlienVault Product Forum. Here is a roundup of the highlights from our April 2018 releases:
Go Threat Hunting with OTX Endpoint Threat Hunter™:
Okay, so technically this one is not a USM Anywhere feature, but it is very cool (and free!) and worth the mention here. Earlier this month, we launched OTX Endpoint Threat Hunter™— a new free service in Open Threat Exchange® (OTX™) that allows anyone to hunt for malware and other threats on their endpoints using the indicators of compromise (IOCs) catalogued in OTX. It’s powerful, easy to use, and completely free.
Introducing our not-so-secret Agent, man:
OTX Endpoint Threat Hunter is powered by the AlienVault Agent—a lightweight and adaptable endpoint agent based on osquery. We plan to extend the use of the AlienVault Agent in USM Anywhere and have already begun to invite USM Anywhere users to request early access to the AlienVault Agent through the product, under the new Agents page. Participation in early access is limited.
The AlienVault Agent provides deep visibility into your environment with File Integrity Monitoring and event forwarding on Windows and Linux endpoints. It is simple and fast to install and has a small footprint. With the AlienVault Agent, you can get to endpoint security insights quickly, without the cost and complexity of a standalone endpoint security solution. We’ll announce general availability later this year, so stay tuned!
Show me the data sources:
When it comes to data collection for threat detection, the first and most important thing to know is whether your data sources are supported and how. To make it easier and faster to navigate data collection in USM Anywhere, we added a new Data Sources menu to the main navigation. This menu consolidates all the different ways USM Anywhere collects data from your environment: Sensors, Agents, and Integrations. The new Integrations page includes tabs for Plugins, Sensor Apps, and AlienApps, which now includes the Forensics and Response App. In addition, we streamlined the existing Settings menu, again making USM Anywhere simple and fast to use.
New and improved data sources:
Speaking of data sources, we regularly add support for new data sources and improve our methods of collection, parsing, and normalization for existing data sources. You can always find our full list of data sources, including AlienApps and plugins, here.
If you don’t see a data source here that you want to support, fear not. AlienVault will build support for most commercially available products at no additional charge. You can submit a request here.
This month, we added or updated the following data sources in USM Anywhere:
Threat Intelligence delivered faster than your Amazon Prime order
Last, but never least, the AlienVault Labs Security Research Team delivers continuous threat intelligence updates to USM Anywhere every single day. This automated, actionable (re: no effort required on your part) threat intelligence keeps your USM Anywhere deployment humming against emerging and evolving threats as they unfold in the wild.
In addition to all the data sources listed above, the AlienVault Labs Security Research Team delivered the following threat intelligence to the USM Anywhere platform this month:
New Correlation Rules
New correlation rule to detect PowerLessShell
New correlation rule to detect common Powershell attack frameworks
New correlation rule to detect Java process spawning
New correlation rule to detect known Mimikatz module in process argument
About the Author:Danielle Russell, AlienVaultDanielle is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at AlienVault, responsible for product messaging and positioning, go-to-market strategy, and sales enablement. Prior to AlienVault, Danielle held a marketing leadership position with an IT software company in the telecommunications industry. Danielle earned a B.S. Life Sciences Communication from the University of Wisconsin.
Read more posts from Danielle Russell › | {
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The color, design and style are choices of the person wearing it as this can characterize the person wearing it. The Blue - Ant Supertooth 3 is a handsfree speakerphone that provides a safe way to have a cell phone conversation while driving. Ultra baggy jeans and ultra tight jeans are two ends of the spectrum to avoid; somewhere in the middle is a safe choice. 5, White Shoulders by Elizabeth Arden, and Black Cashmere by Donna Karan. E Z Rack Color Bar is one of the leading Hair Color Organizer in Florida because of its EZ Color Rack System.
Our golf belts are completely customized based upon golfer. The construction basics to look for are a 5-point harness, use of energy-absorbing foam, and a sturdy steel frame. Some of the shops offer the accessories for free, while a few stores do charge. True players with right fortitude never compromise on their success due to inferior and substandard equipments.
The company's collection of watches is definitely something to talk about since each piece is designed to be attractive, yet amazingly accurate in its function. For the most part, the V-MODA M-100 Crossfade headphones hit the bullseye when it comes to sound, construction and style, but when it comes to comfort and gaming usefulness, they more or less miss the mark. The Main display often is held in conjunction when it comes to, from identical vicinity, your reason that China Based Websites You Can Also Use Sneaker Reasonable (CIFF) and as well Moda Shanghai. The M-100 also lacks common'but extraneous'gaming headset features such as LED lighting, or software-driven features like voice morphing and other soundscape effects (if any of those are important to you).
As you have noticed over the years, we are not angry people. ciles como en una clase de moldes, tratando de hacer una pollera que me llevar. This is the best way by which you can please your beloved without burning a hole in your pocket. El Seducir Una Mujer es como cuando aprendes a tocar un instrumento.
We have interviewed a lot of couples that repeated the vows, “Until Death Do Us Part. Here, it is better to ensure that you have selected the right portal so that you can get reliable news about your favorite industry and you too can become a Fashionista as per your long felt dream. All'alba freddo, la moda di creare il loro pezzo di cielo, moncler donna interpretazione del sapore caratteristico del paesaggio invernale. Pueden seguir su propio instinto sin importar lo que dir.
Wearing an uncomfortable shoe can make your feet feel exhausted and tired. This is due to the statement that they have integrated the sound-canuniting technique BLISS into the headcalls. Your wedding dress is one of the most significant part of your wedding day. Com isso veio tamb''m a compreens''o de que em tempos modernos, as pessoas precisam e querem buscar Deus de forma livre, sem dogmas ou paradigmas religiosos, o que chamamos de Universalismo, que quer dizer:. | {
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Bennett Studio
Sculptor of monumental commissions: bronze & all other materials; cast or carved; interior & exterior display; specializes in portraying the most appropriate composition, thematic symbolism & form for each request. | {
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Blog
The rich future of love
Love has the promise of a rich future. We can trust its music, listen to its voice, hope in its song. And like any musician, the song we play is the better for the practice we put in to it. Why do we need to practice love? At the beginning of one's married life it might not seem that this is necessary. However, given a bit of time the problems will set in, the ordinary problems that exist in any attempt we make at relationships.
Where do the problems come from? From different songs being played in our hearts: the song of selfishness, the song of fear, the song of anger, even the haunted melodies of ghosts of the past. We discover that we much as we thought we knew each other, sometimes we and our spouse are singing different melodies and it could be that these melodies make a cacophony rather than a duet.
To trust love's voice then, we need to be aware of the other songs resounding in our hearts. Here's a little exercise that could help you with this:
At the end of the day, think or write or draw about a situation between you and your spouse that wasn't as you had hoped. Use your breath to simply remain in the present as you think about it. Focusing on your breath will help you attune your attention to the reverberation of the event in your body and spirit. Drop the story and the blame and the rehearsing. Just be present to your God and to yourself in a compassionate accepting stance. Invite Jesus into the situation and watch what he does, what he says, how he treats your spouse, how he treats you. Ask his advice. Read a passage from the Gospels.
This little exercise will teach you about the song you want to sing, maybe the faltering melody you actually are singing, and the song Jesus wants to sing in your life.
This exercise is from HeartWork: an online one-on-one (or two-by-two if you wish to do it with your spouse) program for spiritual development and personal growth. For more information click here.
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We often feel love, particularly when we are at the outset of a romantic relationship. The struggles of married life, however, move this feeling much deeper, rooting our love in choice, intentional gi...
Sometimes people around us make decisions that make us MAD. We hear about a decision or situation that may or may not affect us personally but about which we have information and/or vested interest. A...
Sometimes people around us make decisions that make us MAD. We hear about a decision or situation that may or may not affect us personally but about which we have information and/or vested interest. A...
“I wish I had more self-confidence.” My heart is pounding, my palms sweaty, my fingers cold as ice, and I cannot quite take in a full breath of air. I am standing in general assembly on my first day...
by Sr. Kathryn J. Hermes, FSPI know when I've been in an argument with someone, I feel devastated. I withdraw. I avert my eyes when I meet the other person again and am not sure whether I can trust th... | {
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Sons of the Father
A rejuvenation of discovery comes to a close. The tenth and final volume of Starman, Sons of the Father reveals the mystery of the Starman of 1951…and is a very metaphysical ride, but at its heart is the story of a decision.
Or as Superman would bring it together for Jack Knight, some are called to the life for life, others for a time (season) as Jack’s love Sadie, pregnant and betrothed to Jack at the end of 9th book left him and his son with the Mist 2 (read Night and Day for the full effect)to be a single Dad and make decisions on his calling.
Was he still needed as Starman or is his time at an end to pursue love and family in San Francisco?
We have all had callings within our life, some have been for seasons (for me this was more likely the years spent in Church Ministry, a season not a life, could it be rekindled, possibly, but I have passed the bible baton to others better suited) or callings meant to be life long or at least until a season closes…
One has to ponder their choices, those that they pass the baton to continue the work, make their good byes and accept their next steps into the future. Sometimes we get to make these choices ourselves, other times they are thrust upon us by circumstance, but true health comes from coming to the same point of acceptance, closure and moving forward. | {
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Living or Leaving: Does Palliative Care Deserve a Place at the TAVR Table?
Some say palliative care should be part of the heart team, while others worry it might discourage patients from getting life-saving treatments.
Palliative care is not on the radar of many cardiologists and when it is, it is often an afterthought: the path taken when other treatments fail. Now there's growing interest in whether it can help ease the course of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) facing hard choices about whether to undergo intervention.
Some experts believe that palliative care deserves a spot on the TAVR heart team, so that patients and their families can take advantage of what it offers—psychosocial support, symptom management, shared decision-making, and advance care planning—as needed. Others, however, are concerned that palliative care might delay TAVR or even discourage good candidates from undergoing an intervention that could extend their lives and improve quality of life.
A debate on the topic, held at the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2017 Scientific Session, has sparked an ongoing conversation among those who took part, Danny Dvir, MD (UW Medicine, Seattle, WA), told TCTMD.
Dvir was assigned to argue against a role for palliative care in the TAVR setting, but he says even he sees the potential for this added support in certain situations.
“Treatment of AS is a moving target now. The indications change, the patient age changes—it’s really changing all the time,” Dvir observed. “And it’s complex to understand which populations should have what, and to understand the futility. Palliative care interacts with many, many [aspects of] decision-making related to our patients.”
Obliquely at least, the 2017 TAVR decision pathway released by the ACC earlier this year endorses the use of palliative care, specifically in futile cases where the risk of intervention is likely to outweigh the risk. The expert consensus document emphasizes the importance of shared decision-making, saying it “enables an exchange about the promise of TAVR as well as the realities of advanced age, alternatives to intervention, and palliative care options.”
To TCTMD, James N. Kirkpatrick, MD (University of Washington, Seattle), co-chair of the ACC’s palliative care working group, said the approach can help patients see the “broad picture” beyond intervention. “I don’t think anybody would be suggesting . . . that this would decrease the number of TAVRs that would be done in a substantial way,” said Kirkpatrick, who helped organize the palliative care-related session at the ACC meeting. “I think it’s more about aligning patient expectations and preferences, and doing the right thing for the patient.”
In 2016, Kirkpatrick and colleagues published the results of a survey asking about palliative care in patients being considered for TAVR or ventricular assist devices. More than 300 people responded, with 88.3% saying such consultations could be helpful in the TAVR setting. Yet only 34.4% of those who cared for TAVR patients reported providing palliative care consultations “often or always for patients who were deemed ineligible” for the procedure. Among all respondents, only 10.5% said they had received formal instruction on palliative care during their training.
A Roadblock or an Extra Lane?
“Aortic stenosis is a mechanical problem,” Dvir stressed during the debate. As TAVR becomes an ever more low-risk procedure, with fewer complications and better survival, “the role of nonmechanical treatments of aortic stenosis is diminishing. It’s quite clear,” Dvir said to TCTMD.
Not long ago, in uncertain cases, the solution was to use balloon valvuloplasty “to open the valve a bit, to see if the patient feels better, and then to do TAVR,” he explained. “[Today] since there is not negligible risk with balloon valvuloplasty, and it’s not a very effective procedure, I would argue just to do the TAVR.”
Adding palliative care as another step in the process could slow things down. “If we talk about palliative care, or we talk about more discussion before we do the procedure, or more consultations needed, or more exams needed, any delay in the procedure has some [repercussions],” Dvir noted, particularly in elderly patients whose current quality of life is poor and for whom life expectancy is already limited. “We’re leaving the patient with life-threatening illness, and we want to do some more work-up,” he said. “That is not without risk.”
So “if you see a patient in clinic and you do want to involve palliative care management with that patient, I would argue that it should be performed rapidly,” Dvir urged. “We cannot wait days for another clinic visit” just for palliative care.
Ted Feldman, MD (NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL), who told TCTMD that palliative care in TAVR is indeed rare but “also growing in awareness and use,” said Dvir’s concerns over delayed treatment are valid. “Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is a lethal disease, and in the highest-risk patients, it has a 50% 1-year mortality. That’s 1% per week mortality. So for somebody who is ultimately likely going to be treated, waiting carries risk.”
But it’s impossible to proceed with TAVR until patients and their family members agree that it’s the best route. “The process can easily run in parallel with a TAVR evaluation, and many families are receptive to the idea that the diagnostic evaluation doesn’t preclude deciding not to go ahead with therapy,” Feldman said, adding, “There are cases where it’s just going to take time. There’s no doubt about it.”
Kirkpatrick also said that delays in care “absolutely could happen.” This is why it’s important to think carefully about how palliative care specialists enter the picture, he said. “I personally like this idea of them on the [heart] team as opposed to a one-off consult in which we don’t know what’s going to happen. There is the potential for delay when that occurs, if there’s misunderstanding [or] if there’s miscommunication. . . . But if you take steps to ensure good collaboration and communication, I think the risk of that happening is very, very low.”
Getting a Head Start
All this stands as evidence that, when dealing with AS patients for whom TAVR offers uncertain benefit, palliative care should start early, says James B. McClurken, MD (Doylestown Hospital, Doylestown, PA). McClurken, who argued in the ACC debate that palliative care in TAVR prolongs meaningful life, told TCTMD that he’s a “firm believer” in its role on the heart team.
“It actually makes decisions easier for us, and it gives us the ability to shed our hero syndrome a little bit, when we think we may not be able to bring quality of life . . . for this individual patient,” he said. “Palliative care is not abandonment of the patient, and it’s not stopping potentially aggressive management.”
Instead, McClurken explained, earlier involvement usually “carries the conversation further down the pathway of ‘what ifs.’ What if we have a complication with the procedure? What if your kidneys fail? Are we going to do dialysis? What if we have a misadventure during deployment of the valve?”
At his center, the decision to get palliative care input is made on a case-by-case basis, with 7% to 15% of patients getting it, McClurken reported. Typically, these are the high-risk or extreme-risk, inoperable cases. “It’s the uncertain-outcomes patients that we want to involve in palliative care,” he said, citing a 2014 paper in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventionsthat described the continuum of futility and benefit with TAVR.
Making decisions all along the way is useful, he stressed. “All that dialogue happens ahead of time, and it eliminates the hand-wringing among family members after the fact. The family members usually all want to do everything, unless the [patient] has made it very clearly known what their wishes are. And many times the family members in my experience still find great anxiety and anguish over making decisions when [the patient] is having a stormy course.”
Dealing With Uncertainty
Much deliberation is involved in handling uncertain cases, McClurken said. “We tend to err on the side of doing the procedure when we’re in doubt. But it’s extremely important to have the dialogue that we’re not sure this is going to benefit quality of life. You may well still be on the oxygen. You’re certainly not going to be able to walk any more if you’re arthritic and not walking because of that now.”
Some but not all patients then choose to proceed. With upfront input on palliative care, “at least you’ve had the conversation,” McClurken said. “And in the unfortunate circumstance where they’re not better a year later and they’re still dragging around an oxygen tank and they’ve been hospitalized twice with pneumonia or something, the palliative care connection or interaction has already started prior to the intervention. And I think that’s a good thing. I don’t view it as obstructive of care or utilization of the procedure.”
Ethics consultation, a close cousin to palliative care, can come into play when decisions are being made—by patients, their families, and their physicians—on whether to pursue treatment.
“We see a very large number of really old, end-of-life patients,” Feldman explained. “This is the so-called Cohort C group, and it’s a real problem.”
In cases where little benefit is expected, “how do you first of all decide basically to not treat somebody with TAVR in this instance, or with anything more than comfort care? In some cases it’s an easy decision, where patients have comorbidities that we all recognize defeat the value of a TAVR procedure,” Feldman said. “But there are borderline cases where we really do need a process to help patient, family, and physicians all arrive at the same place.”
When TAVR Isn’t Done
Although it’s a rare occurrence, Feldman said he sometimes sees a “patient who is totally salvageable who thinks it’s time to throw in the towel. You hear somebody who’s 73 years old and looks pretty good say, ‘Well, I’ve had a long life. I’ve got a couple of grandkids. I’m ready to just give it up and die.’ You’re looking at him and thinking, ‘Oh my god, with therapy, you’ve got a decade ahead of you of probably good-quality life.’”
McClurken shared a similar experience. “We’ve had some patients who surprised us that we thought were wonderful candidates for TAVR but had really kind of lost their will to live,” he said. One such case was a 98-year-old man with severe AS who was living independently. That patient made it clear that he was only there because his cardiologist referred him, and he didn’t want treatment. “And we educated him [as to] what it was about. He looked like a good candidate and maybe even could go home the next day. He said, ‘I’m 98. All my friends are dead. My family’s dying off.’ He wasn’t suicidal, but he just sort of lost his desire to keep living for another handful of years.” This is a scenario in which palliative care would be key, McClurken added.
Another “not unusual” circumstance occurs when doing CT angiograms of the chest and abdomen to assess the best access route for TAVR, he said. “Probably somewhere between 10% and 15% of the time we find something else [like] a renal cancer nobody knew about or a nodule in the lung that looks concerning although it’s small.” Oftentimes it’s thought that the valve disease will lead to death faster than would the tumor, McClurken noted. “But if it looks like the tumor is widespread, we obviously put the brakes on and don’t do anything. . . . That changes the course of things.”
Exactly which cases fall into the category of futile is hard to pinpoint, Dvir said. “It’s difficult to give an accurate number. Some say 10%, some will say 35% of patients undergo TAVR and do not improve clinically after the procedure. And the procedure is expensive. It’s not without cost.”
As such, this is “an ethical discussion,” he noted, adding, “If we want to make it more dedicated to the clear-cut patients that will improve after the procedure, then we can be more selective. But we may lose some patients that could’ve improved after TAVR and will never go to TAVR.”
Asked about cost, McClurken agreed: “This is not cheap at all. [TAVR] in general is utilized in individuals who we think are going to live at least another year. So their medical coexisting circumstances have to portend longevity.”
Improved quality of life, however, is itself a goal of TAVR, he said, noting that data on that are now starting to trickle in as the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT Registry enrolls more patients and follows them over time. Even with those results, it’s hard to get a full understanding of how things turn out, given that ascertaining quality of life requires making sure that patients fill out questionnaires long after treatment. “A lot of them don’t. And the ones who especially don’t are the ones who have a lousy quality of life,” he commented.
In decision-making, the hard part is knowing what to do with patients who are “on the cusp” in terms of deriving quality-of-life benefit. “We’ve had a couple of people who have just really perked up” after TAVR against expectations and serve as a reminder that treatment shouldn’t be unnecessarily withheld, McClurken said.
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Now We Are One
Yesterday Lily learnt that candles can go out rather suddenly and that chocolate tastes great. She also learnt how to eat wrapping paper, make footprints and handprints and that you have to wear a poppy sometimes and it is rustly in church.
Yesterday I learnt that dad used to go to the Royal Tournament with his family as a boy, and that it is the best metaphor for describing traffic in Jakarta.
This indicates that the things you learn when you are younger are more practical on the whole than the things you learn when you are older. Also that everybody like a good story. However, I do not know what wrapping paper tastes like, and haven’t made a handprint in a while, so maybe I ought to get in touch with my inner one-year-old. | {
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Auditor General Eugene DePasquale was joined by legislators today in expressing concern over the findings from audits of the Susquehanna River and Delaware River basin commissions.
DePasquale shared that there were thousands of taxpayer dollars being spent on unnecessary items. Among them, there was $1,000 spent on alcohol for meetings, over $16,000 spent on food for meetings and over $14,000 spent on what he considered questionable costs associated with employee perks. | {
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When The Language Of Freedom dies, Freedom Dies With It
Back in March (2015) a UK parliamentary select committee published a report [1] which expounded, amongst other things, its views on the police uploading arrest photographs, including those of people not subsequently convicted, into a facial recognition database. The police started doing this on the quiet, without any public announcement or public debate on their reasons for doing it or its impact on individual freedoms.
Here is what the Select Committee had to say:
“We fully appreciate the positive impact that facial recognition software could have on the detection and prevention of crime. However, it is troubling that the governance arrangements were not fully considered and implemented prior to the software being `switched on’. This appears to be a further example of a lack of oversight by the Government where biometrics is concerned; a situation that could have been avoided had a comprehensive biometrics strategy been developed and published.”[‘Current and future uses of biometric data and technologies’ report, House of Commons Science and Technology select committee, 2015]
Oh boy, strong words, they must have been pretty annoyed – oh no, hang on a minute – “fully appreciate the positive impact”, “governance arrangements were not fully considered”, “lack of oversight”… There must have been a mistake at the printers, they appear to have accidentally printed a sermon on the merits of doing nothing other than producing yet more administrative red tape.
Is this the best that a committee given the task of holding the government to account can do? Can the committee members only consider the alleged benefits of yet more technology-led policing in abstraction whilst ignoring the real costs in terms of freedoms?
In 1822, before there was an organised professional police force in Britain, a parliamentary select committee considered various suggestions for “facilitating the detection of crimes”. In their report they wrote [2]:
“It is difficult to reconcile an effective system of police, with that perfect freedom of action and exemption from interference, which are the great privileges and blessings of society in this country; and Your [this] Committee think that the forfeiture or curtailment of such advantages would be too great a sacrifice for improvements in police, or facilities in detection of crime, however desirable in themselves if abstractedly considered.”[‘Report from the Select Committee on the Police of the Metropolis’, 1822]
Or consider the words of an 1818 parliamentary select committee, similarly considering the suggestion of a preventative rather than reactive police force [3]:
“in a free country, or even in one where any unrestrained intercourse of society is admitted, such a system would of necessity be odious and repulsive, and one which no government could be able to carry into execution. ”[‘Third report from the Committee on the State of the Police of the Metropolis’, 1818]
What happened along the way to turn select committees from defenders of freedom into yes-men for the police and state? Why have politicians so stupendously failed to stand up for what is right?
The death of the language of freedom
In the 19th century, when the committees on the police of the metropolis wrote these reports, there was a richer language of freedoms and liberties. It was common for parliamentarians to use the phrase “unconstitutional” to criticise excesses of the state, so that in effect if some measure or proposal was right it was constitutional and if it was wrong it was unconstitutional. This use of the word constitutional demonstrated that certain core values were considered to be part of the life blood of the people. There were basic concepts of right and wrong that a much larger proportion of the population, compared to today, just got and the values of freedom and liberty permeated through the whole of western society.
This is not to idealise life in the 19th century (neither, for that matter, is this to say that things were worse – in fact there is plenty of evidence to suggest that select committees could be just as bent then as they are now! [4]). This is to explore the sterile and dead language of dissent that mortally constrains modern discourse of matters that affect our freedoms and liberties. It is through language that we communicate and understand concepts such as freedom. When the language of freedom dies, freedom itself dies.
In 1829, despite the above mentioned opposition, a new preventative professional police force was introduced in London and it didn’t take long before they were caught spying on the people. In 1832, Sergeant Popay of the Metropolitan Police, wearing plain clothes and using a false name, joined the Camberwell Branch of the National Political Union and attended meetings at which he urged members to “use stronger language than they did in their resolutions” [5] and generally encouraged violence against the state.
When members of the union discovered Popay’s true identity there was a public outcry and during a debate on the new police of London (the Metropolitan Police) William Cobbett MP presented a petition to parliament “against the system of Police adopted in the Metropolis”. The parliamentary record of that debate shows [6]:
“The Petition stated the abhorrence of the Petitioners at the conduct of Popay, who was a member of that novel and unconstitutional force called the New Police, the members of which were employed as spies, as instigators of mischief, ensnaring, betraying, and coercing the people.”[‘Metropolitan Police’, House of Commons Debate, 7th August 1833]
Now, in the face of the police uploading photographs of innocent people into a facial recognition database, we merely hear politicians, the media and even campaign groups calling for more “transparency” or “regulation”, “proportionality” and “necessity” – this modern lexicon, or Newspeak, may seem to sound good but you’re never really sure what it’s meant to mean. Is secretly uploading photographs to a facial recognition database a crisis in necessary and proportionate transformational transparency? The language of freedom is dead, and unless we resurrect it…
“Newspeak was designed not to extend but to DIMINISH the range of thought, and this purpose was indirectly assisted by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum.”[George Orwell, ‘1984’, Appendix]
1984 Action Day, 8th June is the anniversary of the publication of George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’ and is an opportunity for people to raise awareness of the many threats to our liberties and freedoms. | {
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(Draw once then remove from game)
From the shadows of a light-less corridor you peer across the threshold of a huge chamber. Within this cavernous hall you can see an open polished floor, and at each corner stands a tall statue, carved in glistening obsidian. For a moment you consider the possibility of danger here. The hall appears empty, and apart from the presence of the four crystalline statues there seems little reason to delay moving on. But still you cannot help but pause. The statues are beautiful pieces of ancient sculpture. Tall and black; they are robed figures, their heads obscured by large hoods, their arms outstretched as if in greeting. Yet there is something about them that gives you reason to hesitate. In the shadows you consider if you should traverse the chamber, or return down the passage and find another way.
Options: If you wish to take your chances here turn to section 197. If you would rather turn around and find another way then do that instead.
The Torchlight Text Edition is the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Any questions regarding this title, or any other book in the Chronicles of Arborell series can be answered by emailing the author at [email protected] | {
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Tag: loveislove
I think it’s time I let you go. It feels impossible to do because some part of me will be in love with you for the rest of my life. But the day dreaming, the running in place, replaying my memories… it’s not healthy. I’ve been holding on to the tiniest bit of hope that you’d come around but you haven’t and you aren’t going to. I had hopes and dreams of us lasting a lifetime and instead we lasted a season.
I’ve deleted you and your family from all social media, it only took me a year but it’s a step in the right direction. I’d delete your number but It’d be pointless since I know it by heart. I hate the way this feels, the “letting go” part but I hate the way I feel inside more. I can’t drive to the airport without remembering what it felt like to drive there hand in hand with you, to hug you goodbye and failing at doing my best not to cry. I remember what it felt like to have our time together and how genuinely happy you used to make me. Now I get angry, I should be able to make myself that happy, I should be enough for myself and yet here I am constantly angry, constantly upset and more often than not crying as I lay in bed trying to sleep.
Too many little things remind me of you, so I am left with no choice but to move on. I have to embrace the pain of letting you go, even when it makes me angry. I have to be stronger than the pain in order to survive and thrive again. It’s time that I do what I need to, to find my happiness again. They say happiness is an inside job, so bring on the soul searching.
I don’t care what anybody says. Its not hard to be loyal. Its not hard to be faithful. Its not hard to treat someone right. Its not hard to give someone reassurance. Its not hard to stick to one person. Its not hard to acknowledge someone’s worth. Its not hard to NOT break someone’s heart.
It’s exhausting loving someone and treating someone with their best interest at heart but when do you put your best interest first?
When do you say enough is enough, when do you stop giving so many extra chances?
I’ll always give you my best shot, I’ll always give you 110%. I’ll always give you everything I can but if it starts to seem like a one way relationship or it’s always me trying to make it work. I can’t promise you I’ll stick around.
If I’m giving you my attention and time and I’m involving you in my world or at least attempting to…I am doing it because I want you to be a part of my life, because I want more with you.
Everyone says “I’m not like the rest.” The thing is though I’m not, you just have to give me the chance to prove it. You’ve got to give me a real chance!
This next girl I met through social media. Britt is this stunningly and smoking hot girl who has thousands of followers, I was crushing on her for a good while. She has a bunch of tattoos and the way her smile is so infectious was just mind blowing. Her voice was this raspy but sexy tone and her laugh, I’d do anything to hear it when we spoke. I got the chance to get to know her a bit before she ghosted me, she was a kind and beautiful soul who had been through some rough shit and I wanted to continue to get to know her more. I kept trying to reach out but after 3 days, I let it go.
A little bit over a year went by before I spoke to her again, it was like she came out of nowhere. I was just going through a break up and so was she, we were each other’s ears to listen to. She lived in Tampa and was willing to drive down for the Holiday weekend, I was nervous as hell but super excited. (I hadn’t met her in person yet.) She got in town and I showed her around a bit, it wasn’t awkward or anything at all to my surprise. We ended up going out that night for drinks with a few of my friends, she fit right in and it was kind of surreal in the aspect of the fact that I hadn’t had a day where my ex didn’t cross my mind until that night with Britt.
We had an amazing night out, several drinks and plenty of laughs. We had a heart to heart talk about both of our break ups and I just genuinely felt closer to her in a matter of a few hours. We got home and as we laid down, she placed her head on my chest. I played with her hair for a bit while we kept talking, she was slowly turning her face up towards me when I leaned my head down to meet hers. I sat up some to kiss her, my hand gently resting under her jaw line I pulled her closer into our kiss.
“Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.”
Everything nowadays seems to be about race, culture, religion, body image and popularity. Everyone strives to be “insta famous” or “go viral.” When the world and the human race needs more kindness, more understanding and all around more love. The world needs more GOOD HUMANS.
Do you demonstrate love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, humility, patience, faithfulness, self control, consideration, integrity, dignity and accountability. Do you walk in forgiveness and understanding of others. There are few people today who fall into any of these categories and if you find one, run with that person because that person is positive and someone you can always count on as not just a true friend but a good human.
No one is perfect, no one is consistently any of these qualities above but everyone can try. If everyone tried a little harder every day to even be just a decent human, this world we all live in, this world we are raising kids in would be an even more beautiful place than it already is.
BE A GOOD HUMAN IN YOUR OWN WAY
At the end of the day, you are the one who people will always be thankful for because their lives wouldn’t be the same without you.
Don’t forget we are all ONLY HUMAN!
**if you’d like to get the shirt I’m wearing or any other shirts, hats or stickers! Check out Only Human Co.
You were a mystery to everyone but me, I knew all of your secrets, every curve on your body and I loved that I knew it all while everyone else wondered. Now I sit here, wishing I could forget everything about you, I’m petrified that you’re an intimacy I’ll never recover from.
Opening up my soul, opening up my heart. I’m more than hesitant, I constantly avoid it at all costs. I don’t think I can take another heartbreak because when I let someone in, they end up breaking my heart worse than the previous.
I stopped letting people in, I stayed as a “hookup” for many girls for a while because it was easier than trusting them with my heart.
I let you in though, I let my walls down; I gave you all of me.
I’ve gone through so many ups and downs through this but I know I’ll be okay in the end.
This heartbreak is different than the rest though, it’s a constant ache. This is a heartbreak I won’t forget because it’s the one that made me better, I didn’t turn to other girls, drugs or alcohol to move on from you. I’ve set goals and I’m demolishing them, instead of letting this one break me, I am making my life one that a heartbreak can’t hurt any longer.
I’ll start this one with some background before getting into it. I went to college in West Virginia and most of the sports teams had “team houses” AKA party centrals. There was the football house which was known for the slip and slide, Cornhole, flip cup relay races. The cheerleaders house which was almost always pre-gaming before going out to Wiseguyz and the basketball house which was GACKME party house! We’d always bounce between the houses each week, a crazy blend of people that always got along and had an amazing time.
Fall time in West Virginia is almost all college students favorite time, it’s football season, bonfires, (in West Virginia it means couch burning) and yes parties galore! This one Sunday afternoon in late September our football team stomped on West Virginia Wesleyan, the post game party was at the football house. We all rushed home and showered, rallied and headed down the street to party! The house was packed and the keg stands were already happening, there was a huge bonfire in the backyard and the smell of West Virginia fall was perfect!
We all were outside by the bonfire, drinking, talking and smoking, one of the cheerleaders (we will call her “K”) was talking to me about where I’m from and what Florida was like. It was an innocent conversation at first but as the drinks kept coming we were sitting closer and closer, she was starting to ask about what it’s like to be with a girl and that she had never been curious until recently. I tend to gain liquid courage as I drink, I mean who doesn’t really? So my first response was honest and then she had asked more detailed questions and I said “it’d be easier to just show you.” I could see her cheeks blushing even with the glow of the fire reflecting off her face. We had plenty of alcohol and I took the chance, I placed my hand under her chin and pulled her into my kiss. We sat there kissing for a bit and I said “you know we can leave or just go upstairs.” She grabbed my hand and we walked inside and up the stair way, we went to the bathroom and I shut the door behind us. We stood there kissing for a second and I asked if she was sure about this. She shook her head yes and continued to kiss me, I picked her up, her legs wrapped around my waist, I pushed everything on the edge of the counter away and I placed her there, next to the sink with her back against the mirror. We were kissing and her dress was pushed up above her hips. I slid her thong to the side so I could push my fingers against her clit, she gripped my back and pulled on my shirt so hard it was choking me with the pressure against my throat.
Growing up in my family meant multiple vacations a year in Chokoloskee spent fishing with family and friends. I loved every vacation we had there.
This one year in particular we went with several of my parents friends and their families. I was freshly 21 years old, went through an extremely ugly break up and drinking all kinds of alcohol. My parents one friend Macy, was recently separated from her husband and we had gotten to talking just in general, we had several things in common. We made drinks and spent the first evening there making Jell-O shots for everyone so they could cool over night. We mixed the blue jello with vodka, the red with rum and the green with tequila. We had the place to our selves and were just talking more about our most recent heartbreaks while we took turns passing the left over liquor bottles back and forth taking shots out of each. I came up with the genius idea of playing “Never have I ever.”
Almost everyone knows about this game, it’s a fun way to learn “fun facts” about your friends. The questions vary from “never have I ever kissed a girl” to “never have I ever popped a Molly” to anything else you can think of that you haven’t done, that someone else playing has done. If anyone in the group HAS done it, then they’d have to drink. So now it’s just the two of us playing and obviously we are getting drunk extremely fast.
We were like two teenage girls giggling and leaning into each other on the couch. We had music playing and it was just genuinely a great memory. Macy and I ended up passing out that night on the couch, woke up the next morning around 6am to head out fishing for the day. We were all out on the water for hours that day, came back in for lunch and cooler refills. Before heading back out Macy came walking down the dock in these daisy duke shorts, the top button was undone so her bikini bottoms were peaking through, her tank top was in her hand and her gray bikini top with orange and gold designs was all I could see. I put the boat in neutral and told shouted for her to go out on the water with me this time! I was fishing on my own anyways, some company would be perfect. She hurried up, hopped on and we were off. A side note you need to understand is Choko is also called 10,000 islands. There are so many islands to get lost in and different fishing areas, finding privacy out there isn’t hard at all. So I get the boat on a plane and run south down to one of the fishing spots I know of. As I’m running, I kept glancing over and couldn’t help but to begin to notice how attractive Macy is. Yes she’s much older than I was but she had this short burgundy hair that fit her fave perfectly and when she wasn’t wearing her glasses, I could see these darker green specks in her eyes when the sun hit them at certain angles.
She was sitting next to me and was relatively close to me, but I was comfortable with her so it wasn’t a big deal.
We got to the fishing spot, I slowed the boat to a stop just off the islands ledge and oyster bar. I put the power pole down and rigged both rods up with popping corks while she made us both a drink. We did a “cheers” and cast our lines out, music playing and our conversation started back up from the previous night, talking and spending time with Macy was like hanging out with a long lost friend. I was comfortable, I was able to be myself and I was happy in the moment. After a couple hours of fishing we had gotten a couple keepers and decided to let the boat drift along the back of the islands and we laid out towels and relaxed, enjoying the sunset, music, drinks and salty air. Somehow the conversation turned into Macy questioning if she preferred women over men. I said “I’ve only been with girls that choose men, they tell me there’s a comfort level when they’re with me that they feel safe to explore their curiosity.” She sat half way up, there was a look of relief on her face. I asked what was wrong, she took a big swig from her cup looked at me and said “your parents can’t know this happens.” | {
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They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Obama Gives Commanders Wide Berth for Secret Warfare
This would be a real story if anyone gave a shit. As soon as Obama won the election, people just stopped paying attention. Their man was, well, the man; he promised change and he's going to deliver, so the rest of us will pay absolutely no attention at all to what he's actually doing. If they actually knew that, rather than roll back the policies of the Bush regime all of them supposedly hated, he's embraced them and, in most cases, accelerated them, they'd be shocked. But Obama promised them change, and change means he's not like other politicians. You can trust him when he says he won't be anything like Bush. Go get your nails done. Go on a shopping spree, just 'cause. Watch TV all day. Everything is OK.
Last summer, the White House authorized a massive expansion of clandestine military and intelligence operations worldwide, sanctioning activities in more than a dozen countries and giving the military's combatant commanders significant new authority to conduct unconventional warfare.
The New York Times reported on one major operational plan, which authorizes intelligence gathering and reconnaissance activities in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. A Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order, was signed on September 30, 2009, by CENTCOM commander in chief David Petraeus. It was marked "LIMDIS" -- as in "limited distribution," and hard copies were delivered to about 30 people.
The Times did not report its original classified codename, "Avocado." The name has since been changed.
Other "ex-ords" signed by combatant commanders include provisions for secret American bases and operations in countries like Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and in the Dagestan region of the North Caucuses. In the latter space, U.S. soldiers were tasked with tracking down members of identified separatist groups with loose ties to Al Qaeda. One of those groups was responsible for the March 31 bombings in Kizlyar, according to American intelligence officials. | {
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I have several hundred jumps on several sizes of the Firebolt canopy. I have nothing negative to say about it or it's durability. It's a very good, all around canopy when loaded at 1/1 or below. Loaded higher, it becomes a bit more sporty but not in a bad way. It's a fun canopy to fly.
I work for the manufacturer and we received a canopy on it's second line set in for it's third so it had around 1500-2000 jumps, as expected the ZP fabric was not holding air like new but still had some life left in it. I did a test jump on it and at around 2-1 it flew great and still had a lot of flair left in it. | {
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VETERAN SERVICE CANINESVETERAN SERVICE CANINES
Mission Statement
Our program offers the opportunity for America's Heroes who have served us so proudly to now be served by their communities. Veteran Service Canines Inc. provides service canines and training, free of charge, to honorable PA Veterans of all war eras.... Read more
Location
Causes
Volunteer with us!
Here's a sample of our volunteer opportunities:
Mission Statement
Our program offers the opportunity for America's Heroes who have served us so proudly to now be served by their communities. Veteran Service Canines Inc. provides service canines and training, free of charge, to honorable PA Veterans of all war eras. These canines assist with both physical and PTSD/TBI emotional needs of the Veteran in his/her everyday life.
Description
Our volunteers is what keeps us helping our local veterans. We are 100% non profit. Our biggest need right now is people to foster pups and young dogs and trainers to donate their time. If you feel you could help us in either of these areas please contact us. | {
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The aim of this report is to call attention to a poorly recognised cause of pulmonary hypertension, thiamine deficiency. A 78-year-old woman without alcoholism or malabsorption presented with progressive dyspnoea and generalised oedema. Echocardiography showed signs of right ventricular overload with an estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure of 50 mm Hg. Increased lactate concentrations prompted us to investigate thiamine deficiency. A 3-month history of picky eating, relying exclusively on white rice as the staple food, and low blood concentrations of thiamine confirmed the diagnosis. She recovered fully after 12 days of intravenous thiamine administration. Thiamine deficiency should be considered in all patients with pulmonary hypertension of unknown origin. | {
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Travel From Chiang Mai to Bangkok with Sombat Tour Bus
As we wanted to make sure everything went smoothly on our vacation, we preferred to book everything in advance– accommodations, flights, and transportation. Thankfully, we found out that we can book tickets for local transportation within Thailand via BusOnlineTicket.co.th.
Here is the summary of our journey:
i.
Book bus ticket online with BusOnlineTicket.co.th
ii.
Board the bus at Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3
iii.
Facilities in Sombat Tour Super Class bus
iv.
Dinner at rest stop
v.
Arrival in Bangkok
Book bus ticket online with BusOnlineTicket.co.th
1.
We booked our bus tickets from Chiang Mai to Bangkok with Sombat Tour. We paid 569 THB per person for the Super Class, which is better than the Star Class bus we took from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
Board the bus at Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3
2.
On the day of departure, we went to Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3, also commonly known as Arcade Bus Station 3. At Sombat Tour's ticket counter, we collected our bus tickets.
3.
Next, we headed to the bus platform to wait for our bus. Arcade Bus Terminal 3 is extremely crowded as most of the buses depart from this new bus terminal. Despite this, there are plenty of seats available around the bus platforms.
4.
About 30 minutes before departure, the Sombat Tour bus arrives at the bus platform from the parking bay. We handed our bags to the bus driver for loading into the luggage compartment. Our bus tickets are also checked and the bags are labelled to prevent any confusion.
5.
For Sombat Tour's Super Class bus, the door for boarding is in the front, next to the bus driver. The bus steward in the bus collected our bus tickets and directed us to our assigned seats.
Facilities in Sombat Tour Super Class bus
6.
The Super Class bus features a 2+2 seating arrangement. Each seat comes with a blanket and neck pillow. Unlike the Star Class bus, the Super Class bus seats come with an in-built massage function! What a good way to relax our sore muscles while travelling the long journey!
7.
The restroom is located at the back of the bus. This is extremely accessible as compared to the Star Class bus, where you have to go down the stairs to reach the restroom. While the restroom cubicle may be a little cramped, I was surprised to find it well-ventilated and odourless.
*Tip: You may wish to use the Sombat Tour bus's restroom once you board the bus, instead of using the Chiang Mai Bus Terminal's restrooms. I found the bus toilet to be more hygienic and clean. An added bonus is that you do not need to pay to use its facilities and toilet paper is also provided free-of-charge!
8.
Another wonderful feature of the Super Class bus is that passengers get their own personal entertainment system. Movies and shows come in both Thai and English soundtrack. On top of that, there are a wide variety of games, including classics such as Solitaire, Angry Birds, and many more.
There is also a USB port for you to charge your phones on the go! We were initially disappointed as we did not bring our earphones along with us. We were delighted to find out that Sombat Tour loans out headphones for us! The bus steward will distribute the headphones and note down our seat numbers if we wanted to borrow a pair.
Dinner at rest stop
9.
After 6.5 hours of travelling, we made a 20 to 30-minute rest stop. This rest stop is exclusively owned by Sombat Tour so the dining experience was private and wonderful.
As the Super Class bus is considered a VIP bus, dinner was free-flow and we could order seconds, if we were still hungry. The bus steward also served all passengers cups of cold water, unlike the Star Class where we had to take our own drinks.
10.
After returning to the bus, we were each given a moist towelette to refresh up. The bus steward also prepared cups of hot green tea for each of us. This service is only available on the VIP buses.
Arrival in Bangkok
11.
After another 4 hours, we arrived in Bangkok. The bus journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok took a total of 11 hours. I find that the Super Class bus is much better as this is an express service, with no pick-up stops, unlike the Star Class bus. Facilities such as the massage chairs and in-built personal entertainment system also made the journey a far more enjoyable experience.
For just 80 THB, I found that the upgrade from the Star Class to the Super Class was a worthwhile choice! | {
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S. and in Israel, the only consequential difference between the Tavor SAR and the TAR21 Tavor Armourer Manual. Uploaded by stormtrooper1015. Tavor Assault Rifle Armorers Manual (IWI), operates according Sep 03, 2015 iwi tavor mail, sig mcx vs tavor, tavor bullpup forum, tavor forum, tavor forums, tavor manual of arms. Click on a term to search for related topics. X95 MicroTavor; IWI US Civilian Download the IWI Tavor TAR21 Armorers Manual This armorers manual is issued to the IDF for servicing of their TAR21 Based on requests from military and civilian customers alike, the Tavor 7 is IWIs introduction into the 7. | {
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How to stream movies and TV shows for free on Android
People have been saying that the best things in life are free for a long time, but it's only now that we live in the app era that I've started to truly believe it. For example, there's a huge number of apps that let you stream movies and TV shows for free on Android. We've gathered the best of them together for you here.
CBS
With the CBS app, you can stream as much as you want without having to verify your cable TV subscription credentials. It comes with episodes of shows like The Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, Elementary, The Good Wife and Two and a Half Men, plus late night hits like The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
The CW Network
With shows like America's Next Top Model, Arrow, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, the CW doesn't disappoint with fun content. You don't have to verify your cable TV subscription credentials, but you do have to sit through ads. All in all, this is a good app (if you like the content) that runs smoothly.
History
The History Channel's app offers some fun reality shows like American Pickers, Gangland, Mountain Men, Ice Road Trucker and old episodes of Top Gear (which recently moved to Amazon Prime under the name The Grand Tour). The History app allows you to search shows by topic, like WWII or Ancient History, which is a neat feature. The only downside is that there are several ads shown per episode.
Crackle
Crackle is a hugely popular free app, which is updated monthly with new TV shows and movies. Created by Grouper but later bought by Sony, the app features ads which run at regular intervals throughout the content, the trade-off for which is that you get an excellent selection of media and an app that functions far better than some of the other TV service ports on the list.
Crackle, like Netflix or Amazon, has picked up some original content that's getting more popular. The most famous of these is 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee' starring Jerry Seinfeld. It's on it's eighth season and has featured some major guests like Will Ferrell, Ricky Gervais and Barack Obama.
Hulu
Hulu lets users watch premium TV shows and movies on their smartphones or tablets without paying a subscription fee. It's packed with current and classic shows, Hulu originals, movies and plenty of kids' shows, making it a perfect family tablet companion.
If you want full access to the Hulu library you will need to pay $7.99 a month with limited commercials and $11.99 without commercials, but there are plenty of gems in the free version too. If you're willing to be patient then you'll be able to find some great shows for free.
SPB TV
The Android SPB TV app is not region-specific and offers content from around the world via a selection of weird and wonderful stations. From the NASA channel to Comedy for Women, this app gives you a pretty healthy mix of content.
You won't find the latest Hollywood blockbuster, NBC or Showtime on SPB TV, but if you want to take a chance on a wild card, this is the app to use. A few of the stations definitely appear to be of a more adult nature (how you choose to use that information is up to you).
#Toonmania
For your anime needs, it's hard to beat Toonmania, which offers a huge selection of the dubbed cartoons. Everything is easily navigable thanks to the app's clean and intuitive layout, and you can browse shows sorted by popularity or most recently added. There's also an exhaustive list of filters, so you can narrow down your search to find exactly what you're looking for.
This app isn't available from the Play Store, but if you head to mobi24, you can download the APK file. Just make sure you head to Settings > Lock screen and security and enable Unknown sources before trying to install the file. Once you're done you'll have access to everything in the library.
Crunchyroll
Another excellent Anime streaming app is Crunchyroll. And this one is available through Google Play. It has a huge selection of the best Anime available free. The app is quite popular with over five million downloads and gets a decent rating.
Running the app is quite simple. Just browse through your favorite shows and they will run with subtitles. The default is English so you won't have to mess with the language. You'll have to watch some advertisements but mostly for the premium service it offers. Basically, you're paying $4.99 so you won't have to watch Crunchyroll advertisements.
FilmOn
FilmOn streams a broad range of channels from around the world live, as well as a variety of classic/B-movies; mostly a bizarre but entertaining mix of horror and Kung Fu movies. But the sports channels are the most impressive. You can check out some pretty interesting live events on this app.
FilmOn is a free service supported by ads and doesn't have the same clout as Netflix or even Hulu, but the live TV streams work well, and it's a great option for streaming a number of well-known channels. Make sure you browse for a while and see what's available, you may be surprised at what you can find.
Those are just a few suggestions for how to stream free movies and TV shows on your smartphone. If you tried any of these apps, what did you think of them? Are there any of your favorite apps we've left off this list? Share them with us in the comments.
This article has been rewritten since first publication. Comments below may not reflect current content.
If you want great internet radio streaming, try "Radio Player by Audials" in the playstore. Free, no ads, and no request for donation even. Tons of features, but best, is recording, while listening or scheduled in background. It's unbelievable that more don't know about this gem. Great UI, exceptional performance, built in equalizer, etc,etc,etc. If you hate the ads on Play Music, or TuneIn, or others, then check this one out.
Hi Saul, I just followed your link then downloaded from Googleplay. I haven't had time to work with your app as of yet, I've just signed in and connected to Google drive (Which went very smoothly) and got back to you. This fills a gap in the market perfectly, which I've been looking for sometime as I've uploaded hundreds of movies into Google drive but unfortunately unable to load up the movies poster's , and i'am struggling with putting TV seasons together and in order, also renaming some title's which just come with a reference number. From the quick look I gave your app, it appears to cover all these (so thank heaven's). I will get to know how it functions and leave you fair feedback, unlike unfortunately some have and don't know what it's for! I hope you make a paid one so people have the choice to get rid of the ads, and I hope you keep this up/in development as it serves a great purpose, and as more individuals come across it will appreciate it as an indispensable tool. Can't wait to start reorganising the dreadful mess which I'm currently in, and have a ordered movie streaming platform of my own, great idea this app of yours, I hope it works out and you don't mind me reporting any bug's. All the best for New Year.
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Publication
Publication
The discovery of a new neutral gauge boson
Z
′
could provide the first concrete evidence of physics beyond the standard model. We explore how future parity violation experiments, especially atomic parity violation experiments, can be used to constrain
Z
′
bosons. We use the recent measurement of the
133
Cs
nuclear weak charge to estimate lower bounds on the mass of
Z
′
bosons for a number of representative models and to put constraints on the couplings of a newly discovered
Z
′
boson. We also consider how these constraints might be improved by future atomic parity violation experiments that will measure nuclear weak charges of multiple isotopes. We show how measurements of a single isotope and combining measurements into ratios and differences can be used to constrain the couplings of a
Z
′
and discriminate between models. We include in our results the constraints that can be obtained from the experiments Qweak and P2 that measure the proton weak charge. We find that current and future parity violation experiments could potentially play an important role in unravelling new physics if a
Z
′
were discovered. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
A heavy-hitting left-hander who enjoys blasting sixes, Travis Birt has been mostly seen in one-day and Twenty20 matches for Tasmania over the past couple of seasons. His success in those formats earned him a call-up into Australia's Twenty20 squad in February 2010; at the time he was averaging 55 in the FR Cup for the 2009-10 summer. Birt topped the state's one-day averages the previous season with 385 runs at 48.12 but his lack of runs at first-class level resulted in him slipping out of the Sheffield Shield side. He had been part of the Tigers' historic Pura Cup-winning team in 2006-07, when he made 736 first-class runs but the next season didn't score a century.
Birt secured a reputation for brutal strokeplay when he posted 145 against South Australia in 2004-05, the highest score in Tasmania's one-day history. He made his first-class debut in the same season but had to wait until the following year to feel at ease at the next level. Opposition bowlers didn't feel comfortable as only Darren Lehmann and Jimmy Maher made more Pura Cup runs than Birt's 850 at 50, and Australia A selection followed. New South Wales felt his impact during an innings of 160, which included seven sixes and 19 fours, and he also shared a state-record partnership of 292 for the fourth wicket with George Bailey when making 140 against South Australia. A former Academy and Australia Under-19 player who relocated from country Victoria, Birt has spent time playing with Derbyshire.Cricinfo staff February 2010
Why was it that Australia put in such a hazy performance in a match that mattered so much? Of the two teams they are the more experienced, the more used to winning and entering this week the more confident
Australia's selectors and management have been accused of being too harsh on Brad Haddin but the team's horrible display at Edgbaston suggests that they may actually have been too lenient, and not just on him
Australia's selectors and management have been accused of being too harsh on Brad Haddin but the team's horrible display at Edgbaston suggests that they may actually have been too lenient, and not just on him
Why was it that Australia put in such a hazy performance in a match that mattered so much? Of the two teams they are the more experienced, the more used to winning and entering this week the more confident
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March 19, 2011
Super Full Moon Tonight
Assuming clouds don't get in the way, you'll get to gaze at the biggest full moon in nearly two decades.
During what some skywatchers are calling the "supermoon," the moon won't just be at its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, it will be closer than it has been in 18 years.
"It's going to be big and really bright," said NASA astronomer Dave Williams. "It should be noticeably brighter than a normal full moon."
Full moons come in different sizes because of the elliptical shape of the moon's orbit one side of the ellipse is about 31,000 miles closer to Earth than the other. When the moon is closest to Earth (at its perigee), it is 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than when it's farthest from the planet (at its apogee).
For weeks, the rare full moon has sparked interest online, with astrologers and amateur astronomers speculating that the "supermoon" could lead to unusual weather. After Japan's earthquake, some even wondered if the supermoon contributed to the event.
In a post earlier this month, Accuweather blogger Mark Paquette said the phrase "supermoon" originated on the website of astrologer Richard Nolle and spread to astronomers online.
According to Nolle's definition, a new or full moon at 90 percent or more of its perigee (or closest approach to Earth) qualifies as a "supermoon." Tonight's full moon won't just be a supermoon but an extreme supermoon, he said, because the moon will be almost precisely at its closest distance to Earth.
"There were supermoons in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005," Paquette wrote. "These years had their share of extreme weather and other natural events. Is the Super Moon and these natural occurrences a coincidence?
But scientists emphasize that there is no connection between the moon's position and extreme weather or natural disasters (like Japan's earthquake) here on Earth. | {
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} |
Print Magic Paper manufacture & import a small range of specialty heavy weight inkjet paper & labels, some are hard to find & some are not found anywhere in the world. If you are interested in reselling or after bulk please inquire here | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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It’s strange how the weather has such a powerful effect on our moods. As much as I truly believe that we are in control of how we feel, sometimes it is a battle with external elements like deadlines, relationships, how comfortable we feel where we are, who we are with, and just the general atmosphere. It’s hard to stay positive when you’re swamped at work, surrounded by negative people, or in a place with toxic energy (library during finals week, anyone?), but I find it even more difficult to fight the weather.
Of course there are diagnoses like Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I think it goes deeper than that. I was reading this article about how different people are affected by the weather, and it classifies people into four types- those people who are unaffected by the weather or seasons, people who love summer, people who hate summer and people who love rain. I think this is a bit of an oversimplification, but I do agree that different types of people react differently to different types of weather. Obviously it has something to do with personality, but I also think it has to do with prakruti and vikruti. Prakruti and vikruti are Ayurvedic terms for your body’s constitution (long term and short term, respectively), or doshas (The Ayurvedic Institute has some great resources if you’re interested in learning more).
I am vata-pitta, slightly more pitta in the summer and more vata in the winter. I find that the wind (air, an element of vata) energizes me in the winter but makes me a bit dozy in the summer. Warmth and fire (pitta) give me energy in the summer but make me want curl up in bed when it’s cold outside.
It can be difficult to pick yourself up when it’s clammy and cold, but if you know your body type and personality, it can be done. Ayurvedic teachings tell us which flavors will complement our prakruti and vikruti (basically which foods suit your body type), and I think that on days when you may not be feeling your best it’s particularly important to eat well. When I’m tending towards pitta in the summer, I do sometimes crave ice cream despite being nearly entirely vegan. When it’s cold and I’m feeling more vata I go for cooked vegetables and beans. This is also true on a day-to-day basis- knowing your body type and which foods complement it can make a huge difference in your mood- sort of like eating comfort food, but in a healthy way.
Of course, simply realising that the weather is causing you to feel a certain way is often a good first step. It can be very easy to focus on negative thoughts while you’re sitting watching raindrops trickle down the window, or to forget about all of your problems while you’re laying in the sunshine. If you acknowledge that you’re in a certain mindset largely because of the weather, it becomes a lot easier to change your perspective.
Eating organic is often included in the green and healthy lifestyle that many people are starting to adopt. Obviously it’s healthier to eat foods that haven’t been doused in pesticides or injected with hormones, but it is definitely an expensive option. My good friend is taking a class in which she has to eat not only organic, but also only entirely unprocessed foods for two days. This is going to be very expensive for poor college students, which will quite possibly turn off the entire class from every trying to eat organic. I think it’s very important to realise that eating healthy and organic isn’t an all-or-nothing decision. You don’t have to throw away all of your prepared foods or shun cheese forever, because even just making small changes does help.
It’s important to know the differences in terminology before you go shopping. “Natural” means basically nothing- it is a term that is not really regulated by the FDA. “100% organic” clearly means that there are no synthetic ingredients in the food. “Organic” means that 95% of a food’s ingredients are organic. “Made with Organic Ingredients” means that 70% of the food’s ingredients must be organic- these three terms are regulated by the FDA.
Some foods are more important to eat organic than others. For example, fruits with thick peels are more resistant to pesticides, so it’s not always imperative to buy those organic. If you eat meat on the other hand, it’s pretty important to make sure it hasn’t been fed antibiotics or hormones. Here’s a brief list of some of the most and least important foods to worry about.
Watch out for:
Apples, peaches, and other tree fruits
Celery
Berries
Leafy greens
Bell Peppers
Grapes, raisins, and wine
Potatoes
Meats, milk- the fat retains pesticides that the animals ingested
Coffee, chocolate- The beans are often grown in countries with few regulations
Rice
Green Beans
Cucumbers
Don’t worry about:
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Sweet peas
Mango
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Cabbage
Watermelon
Sweet Potatoes
Grapefruit
Mushrooms
Papaya
Broccoli
Cabbage
Bananas
Kiwi
Asparagus
Mango
Avocado
Onions
There are other ways to save money while trying to stay healthy and unprocessed as well.
Buying in bulk is always great if you know it won’t go bad and you have space to store it.
Take a page out of your granny’s book and use coupons– seriously, I LOVE coupons. Sometimes I leave the store with them practically paying me.
Buying generic is a good idea- a store brand of plain organic vegetables is usually pretty indistinguishable from a fancy brand.
See if you can buy frozen– if you’re just making soup or smoothies, frozen fruits and vegetables are adequate. Also, sometimes canned goods are great too. The canning process actually sometimes gets rid of pesticides, but you do have to worry about BPA in the can linings.
Buy local and in season– obviously strawberries are going to be expensive in January when they have to come from some distant land. Also, it’s more eco friendly since your food hasn’t travelled as far and healthier since they haven’t been treated with chemicals for the long journey.
Buy less processed food– not only is this far healthier, it will obviously save you money because you’re not paying for labor. You’ll consume less sodium, oils, and chemicals with frighteningly long names. Also, many foods lose nutritional value when they’re overcooked as they often are in prepared foods. Make your own prepared foods by going on a cooking spree every few days and storing individual portions.
If you can’t find or afford organic goods, just make sure you do the best you can by washing food, peeling skins and outer leaves, and trimming fats.
I used to be pretty addicted to coffee. We’re talking 20-25 cups each day. Within the last few years I’ve been a lot better, only having 2 cups before hitting the gym every morning and maybe one more during the day every so often. This week, I totally slipped back into old habits. Not terribly, but yesterday I drank about seven cups, the day before I had four, and the beginning of the week was rough too. I didn’t feel jittery or any extremely negative effects, but it did make me wonder about caffeine. There have been so many studies done that seem to contradict each other, but here’s a roundup of what I’ve found so you can decide for yourself. These are mostly about coffee, but in many cases are applicable to any naturally occurring caffeine.
Studies suggest that it reduces risks of certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, liver disease, gout, diabetes, some cancers, gallstones, and Parkinson’s.
It dulls pain (hence my pre-workout coffee chugging)
Improved endurance for long-term activities (again, a great pre-gym beverage!)
Boosts energy and productivity (but you do usually “crash.” This Harvard study recommends drinking small amounts of coffee during the day to avoid this.)
Can reduce risk of heart attacks
Laxative- this can be good or bad, I suppose. This is specific to coffee, not necessarily other caffeine sources.
Diuretic- some say that in moderation, it doesn’t dry you out but personally I think I still get a bit drier. Also specific to coffee.
Dependency- caffeine is pretty addictive.
Stomach problems- coffee is very acidic so upset stomachs are not uncommon and can lead to damaging of the stomach’s lining
Jitters
Sleep patterns change- this is pretty easy to control, though. Often not drinking coffee in the afternoon is all it takes.
High cholesterol- Coffee increases LDL levels. Paper filters can help reduce this effect, but using more eco-friendly French Presses do not.
Lower risk of cardiovascular disease- perhaps the raised cholesterol effect is slight so this outweighs it?
Can slow cognitive effects of aging- similar to how it slows Alzheimer’s, perhaps?
Increased metabolism
High blood pressure
Frequent urination (yeah, this is unfortunate)
Can increase cortisol, though you can build a tolerance
Can reduce harmful effects of alcohol, according to this MSNBC article– does only mention the damage to the liver though, not any terrible decisions you might have made as a result of being inebriated (sorry)
Obviously, this isn’t a comprehensive list by any means and not all of what I read was particularly scholarly- if you have more information, please let me know! I realise that relying on a substance is a terrible, terrible thing. But the way I see it, as long as I don’t wake up craving a cup and as long as I’m not dozy and useless without it, it’s a pretty innocuous indulgence. I really do notice a big difference when I drink some before hitting the gym, as well. My stamina is far better and I also feel that I get a more efficient workout. Once in awhile needing a cup mid-day isn’t great since it means I didn’t sleep well the night before, but as long as I know I can crash later it’s not a huge issue. Its effects like higher cholesterol, cortisol, and blood pressure can all be counteracted by exercise and maintaining low stress levels, so as far as I’m concerned we are in the clear, fellow coffee-drinkers!
Like this:
We all have one. Or two. Or seven. But that’s what makes us human- if we all followed our diets religiously, never touched alcohol, avoided trashy TV, and always went to bed on time, we would be perfect. And so ridiculously boring.
Generally speaking, I am a very healthy person and I don’t often even feel the need to indulge. But once in awhile, something gives. On my 21st birthday, I drank an entire bottle of champagne- before I even went out. The thing is, what some people consider indulgences are things that many others engage in really frequently. If you live a truly healthy lifestyle, occasionally drinking a ridiculous amount of alcohol or eating way too much sugar is not going to kill you (well, don’t get too ridiculous). In fact if you restrain yourself for awhile, you will enjoy your “splurge” that much more. And even better than that is what happens afterwards: the hangover. Yes, I said better.
After I do something that I really wanted to do even though I knew it was a bad decision, I realise how much worse it actually made me feel. Yes, I really enjoyed that bar of chocolate- but now I feel bloated and oily, and I remember why I don’t really eat them. Or yeah, drinking way too much was fun at the time, but this morning my head is pounding and I am never doing it again. Obviously it will happen again, but at least in the meantime at least I don’t feel like I’m missing out.
If you indulge every so often, you’re much less likely to go absolutely nuts- indulging in a bit of chocolate on a miserable monday will make you feel like you’re not depriving yourself and it will satisfy you for awhile. Even if you splurge every week, hey- that’s six days of healthiness you have that you didn’t before. If you go a year without eating chocolate and then walk into the grocery store the day after Valentine’s- well, I would not want to be between you and the candy aisle.
The moral of the story? Embrace the fact that you’re human and you’re allowed to throw your body out of whack every once in awhile. Don’t be irritatingly perfect because you will be secretly miserable, and one day you will crack. If you’re healthy 95% of the time, don’t feel guilty for wanting to do something irresponsible, unhealthy, or just plain stupid. You’ll bounce back! But just in case, here are some tips for warding off cravings:
Exercise– even just a bit of a walk. Endorphins are powerful!
Get outside- fresh air does wonders.
Have a glass of water- you might just be thirsty. Our bodies often confuse hunger and thirst.
Have a conversation- connect with someone, or even just go on Facebook for a minute or two.
Play a stupid online game- sometimes that feels like indulging, too.
Substitute- if you want something sweet, go for fruit or yogurt. Or have a handful of nuts instead of chips.
Laugh- lots of cravings are emotional rather than physical. You might just need a mood boost!
Just do it already- if you still want a bag of Skittles after going crazy trying to distract yourself, eat a fun-sized one. If you had a rough couple of weeks and want to party all night, drink and be merry. You’ll enjoy it, and then life will move on. | {
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Ramtin Soodmand, a Christian who works for a church in Tehran and with youth groups, was arrested on 20 August. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment and is being held in an unknown location. He is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately as he has been detained solely for his religious beliefs.
On 17 August, Ramtin Soodmand received a call from Ministry of Intelligence officials. The officials told him to report to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Mashhad, north-east Iran. Ramtin Soodmand told them that he could see no reason why the officials in Mashhad might want to interview him as he lives in Tehran, but eventually he agreed to go.
Ramtin Soodmand has not been seen since he went to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Mashhad on 20 August. Since being detained he has been able to make three short phone calls to his family. On or around 24 August, he made a phone call to his mother, who lives in Mashhad. He then made a second call to both his mother and wife on 31 August. The third call was to his wife on 6 September. On all three occasions, he did not say where he was being held.
His family have visited the Ministry of Intelligence frequently but have been unable to obtain any information on his whereabouts or legal status. The Ministry of Intelligence officials claim that his case is still under investigation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Ramtin Soodmand’s father, Reverend Hossein Soodmand, was a Muslim who converted to Christianity in the 1960s, and became a Protestant pastor in Mashhad. He was hanged on 3 December 1990 in a prison in Mashhad after being convicted of apostasy; see Iran: Arrest and execution of a Christian pastor (Index: MDE 13/030/1990). He was also featured in Amnesty International's Annual Report 1991.
Christianity is a recognized religion in Iran, but evangelical Christians often experience harassment by the authorities. In recent months, since May, there has been an increase in the number of Christians arrested. Most of the arrests have taken place in Bandar Abbas, capital city of the Hormozgan province, Esfahan in central Iran, Sanandaj in north-west Iran and Kermanshah in western Iran.
Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution states: "The investigation of individuals' beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief." Under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party, "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching."
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Persian, Arabic or your own language:
- expressing concern that Ramtin Soodmand has been detained solely on account of his religious belief and is a prisoner of conscience;- calling on the authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, or charge him promptly with a recognizably criminal offence and give him a fair trial;- asking why he has been arrested, what he has been charged with and where he is held;- urging the authorities to ensure that he is not being tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and that he be provided immediate and regular access to his family, a lawyer and any medical treatment that he may require;- reminding the authorities that freedom of religious belief is guaranteed by the Iranian Constitution, and by Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.
Ramtin Soodmand, a Christian who works for a church in Tehran and with youth groups, was arrested on 20 August. He is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment and is being held in an unknown location. He is a prisoner of conscience and should be released immediately as he has been detained solely for his religious beliefs.
On 17 August, Ramtin Soodmand received a call from Ministry of Intelligence officials. The officials told him to report to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Mashhad, north-east Iran. Ramtin Soodmand told them that he could see no reason why the officials in Mashhad might want to interview him as he lives in Tehran, but eventually he agreed to go.
Ramtin Soodmand has not been seen since he went to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Mashhad on 20 August. Since being detained he has been able to make three short phone calls to his family. On or around 24 August, he made a phone call to his mother, who lives in Mashhad. He then made a second call to both his mother and wife on 31 August. The third call was to his wife on 6 September. On all three occasions, he did not say where he was being held.
His family have visited the Ministry of Intelligence frequently but have been unable to obtain any information on his whereabouts or legal status. The Ministry of Intelligence officials claim that his case is still under investigation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Ramtin Soodmand’s father, Reverend Hossein Soodmand, was a Muslim who converted to Christianity in the 1960s, and became a Protestant pastor in Mashhad. He was hanged on 3 December 1990 in a prison in Mashhad after being convicted of apostasy; see Iran: Arrest and execution of a Christian pastor (Index: MDE 13/030/1990). He was also featured in Amnesty International's Annual Report 1991.
Christianity is a recognized religion in Iran, but evangelical Christians often experience harassment by the authorities. In recent months, since May, there has been an increase in the number of Christians arrested. Most of the arrests have taken place in Bandar Abbas, capital city of the Hormozgan province, Esfahan in central Iran, Sanandaj in north-west Iran and Kermanshah in western Iran.
Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution states: "The investigation of individuals' beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief." Under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party, "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching."
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Persian, Arabic or your own language:
- expressing concern that Ramtin Soodmand has been detained solely on account of his religious belief and is a prisoner of conscience;- calling on the authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally, or charge him promptly with a recognizably criminal offence and give him a fair trial;- asking why he has been arrested, what he has been charged with and where he is held;- urging the authorities to ensure that he is not being tortured or otherwise ill-treated, and that he be provided immediate and regular access to his family, a lawyer and any medical treatment that he may require;- reminding the authorities that freedom of religious belief is guaranteed by the Iranian Constitution, and by Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party. | {
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Personalised Tree Writing Set With Stickers
This lovely set makes a unique present for a friend, relative or just as a treat for yourself! The 12 cards, envelopes and stickers sit neatly in a high quality presentation box. The tree design features on the front of the box, the cards and the stickers. The 12 stickers add a special touch to the set and can be used to seal the back of the envelope or elsewhere as desired.
All of the text on the notecards can be personalised, so you can use these cards for anything you choose, from 'just a note' to correspondence cards to thank you cards.
The personalised text is printed on both the notecards and the front of the writing set. Please write exactly what you would like in the box, for example:
Text on the notecards and the front of the box: A note from The Grant Family
Please note your text will be written in capitals as in our example.
Made from:
The cards are made from textured cream board from an Italian paper mill. The board is made from wood pulp sourced from sustainable forests. The envelopes are made from cream laid paper. | {
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My little blogging heaven
where crafting is everything and all is lovely and calm ... eek!
Saturday, 7 September 2013
CCC - CLARE'S CHALLENGE - LET'S GO MONOCHROME!
Hello there peeps I do hope you are all well and enjoying the weather - our bedroom window has been fully open, slightly open, fully open until I am going bloomin' dizzy! I just wish it would stop faffing about and be either cool or warm! I lurve Autumn and look forward to all the colours of the leaves and hedgerows - so I can't wait. Mind you I am a tad fed up with all the leaves that are falling off the trees in our garden. Well - this is me and I am having a little whinge! It doesn't help that I am tryping this on my gorgeous purple laptop with furry keys - Blossom comes in to see us for a little while every day now, but, whereas Milo (our neighbours cat) is a man's cat (yes - I have just said this in a deep voice inside my head) Blossom is a lady's cat - ie she doesn't leave me alone and insists on sitting, laying, washing, sleeping on my desk sooooo I have white fur all over the place! However, I am not whingeing about this 'cos she is a cutie. The trouble is she is getting more and more comfy and I feel that there may have to be a discussion very soon (with 'the maestro') regarding her living quarters/abode!!! You know where this is leading don't you. What you don't know is that this is the fifth cat who has decided we are a good option to foster! She would make the third one that has actually decided that we make good servants/housekeepers!Ooops another load of wafflings, so without further ado, this is my card for the Christmas Card Club and Clare has chosen the theme 'Let's go Monochrome', I was going to put this on my blog this morning - but forgot. It isn't due at the CCC until tomorrow but I really don't like posting 2 on the same day and I haven't a clue why (tis a tad airy fairy on Planet Susie! lol). I will shut up now - honest!
There is a little story to go with the finishing of this card - it sat on my desk for three days and I just couldn't think what to do in the bottom right hand corner. There was something missing so I was stumped. Then .... the Postman arrived and popped a package through the letterbox and that was it!!!! I had won the prize from Pixies Crafty Snippets Playground which consisted of a set of superb 'leaf' dies from Dee's Distinctively and a set of Christmas 'greeting' stamps. The holly leaves among the die set were just perfect for the corner of my card and within 10 minutes I had cut them out, stuck them on and given it to 'the maestro' for pics. Thank you so much for sending them so quickly Di. A brilliant prize!!!!!
Ingredients
8" x 8" Kraft Card - Papermania
Snowy Postcard Rubber Stamp - Stampendous
Vintage Sepia Ink Pad - Versafine
Krafty Christmas and Country Gent papers - LOTV
Bazzill Bling Card
Sentiment from internet
Stardust Stickles
Precious Snowflakes Die - Memory Box
Holly Leaves Die - Dee's Distinctively (Thank you Di!)
Holly Berries - Card Candi
Thank you very much for stopping by and for leaving me a comment. I hope your weekend is great and that you are enjoying yourselves.
Big hugs to you all out there.SUE xxxI would like to enter my card into the following challenges -
Such a beautiful card Sue. I love the image, wonderful colours and gorgeous detailing.My mum-in-law is just the same as you with cats, she seems to be giving 'stray?' cats new homes on a regular basis!hugs Sue
This is so lovely Sue and yes those leaves finish it off a treat. So glad the new addition is settling in nicely. Lol!!! Wish we could have another baby but we have moved to an apartment now and it wouldn't be fair. Also if you move in with a cat or dog that is okay but once it has died you can not replace them.
Lovely creation, thank you for joining us at CRAFT Challenge. Don't forget to check back on Thursday to see if you have won or if you have been chosen in our Top3. Also don't miss out on challenges and freebies on my digistamp blog.
Woohoooooo my crafterteer buddy!! this is delicious, love that die and I've just won this weeks prize on Di's blog LOL aren't we a lucky pair. Sounds like the cat has made itself right at home couldn't have picked a nicer couple lots of hugglessssssssss Sue and sloppys off Ollie xxxxxxx
I think the cats that decide you should adopt them sense your love! They sense you are a cat lover and know that they have found a good thing...cat paradise if you like!!!
Your card is gorgeous. You wonèt believe this...I almost bought this stamp the other day when we drove down to America. I had it clutched it my hands but DH came to pick me up early...the till lineups were dreadful and I put it back for another day! Drat! Bow that I see it inked I wish I had waited in line.
Did you notive it says British Columbia in the bottom right corner and Canada in the bottom left...
Your colour choices look fabulous and you were right about the holly in the bottom left...it is just right!
I think the cats that decide you should adopt them sense your love! They sense you are a cat lover and know that they have found a good thing...cat paradise if you like!!!
Your card is gorgeous. You wonèt believe this...I almost bought this stamp the other day when we drove down to America. I had it clutched it my hands but DH came to pick me up early...the till lineups were dreadful and I put it back for another day! Drat! Bow that I see it inked I wish I had waited in line.
Did you notive it says British Columbia in the bottom right corner and Canada in the bottom left...
Your colour choices look fabulous and you were right about the holly in the bottom left...it is just right!
What a super card for Clare's CCC challenge - love the way you've used and layered that stamp (one of my favourites) - thanks for entering my CHNC challenge 141 - you could also enter this into my CHNC challenge extra for September - I'd love to see it there too. You could also share this lovely card for The Glory of Christmas challenge 15: 'anything goes' - I'd love to see it there too, Hazel, Glory of Christmas DT. Hope to see you again soon. x
Hi Sue, playing catch up as I was gardening yesterday, and you know what that means at our age. lol.Lots of aches and pains and feeling very tired.When I could drag my self into the craft room had to finish my sons anniversary card, as it's today. I really did struggle with it. Was trying for 4 days to construct it, and then walla it all fell into place last night. Thank goodness.Love your superb card yet again. Those dies you won sound fab. I would never have thought of such a great colour to use for a Christmas card.Superb photography Graham.Lots of crafty love. Jenny L.
Kitties know where they are "lurved", Sue LOL They must enjoy your company and feel safe with you. The card you made for CCC looks so pretty done in vintage brows like that, and the beautiful layers. Very pretty! hugs, de
I'M A DT MEMBER AT
I'M A DT MEMBER AT
I'M A DT MEMBER AT
I'M A DT MEMBER AT
I WAS A GUEST DESIGNER !!!
I WAS A GUEST DESIGNER
About Me
I have been crafting since I was very small and started making my dolls clothes when I was 8. I have been married to my hubby for 47 years and even made my wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses. I still have the pattern - and the dress. We have had cats all our married life but we lost Ebony in January 2012 and Misty in February 2012. A huge feral cat used to own us but sadly, he died in August 2012. He was such a character for a feral cat and, even though we couldn't touch him, we knew he sort of liked us! We decided we wouldn't take on any more pets but in March 2013 a female cat and her 'husband' started living in the garden and despite being ignored they wouldn't leave so ... in short.... they both adopted us and they have now been neutered and chipped and once again we have fur babies! In 2015 an abandoned long haired puss adopted us and he's gorgeous! I will never know how they knew we would take them in - perhaps it's the large tattoo on our foreheads saying 'MUG'!! We wouldn't swap them for the world though. | {
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could you love me? all of me even the parts some people find too emotional or flighty or d a m a g e d? could you love the parts of me that react poorly when i’m in pain? and would you love the parts of me that are s e l f i s h and the jealous ones and can you love me even when i am a bit immature and very impatient? could you find it i n y o u r h e a r t to love my whole heart and not just the parts of it you like, those ones that make you feel good and that are romantic and thoughtful, patient or pretty or kind? could you love me if we were very different in a handful of ways, if I didn’t believe in the things that you do or if i did believe in things that you thought were w r o n g? would you love all of me even if i hurt your f e e l i n g s if I had bad days or made you a n g r y or if we sometimes seem a little i n c o m p a t i b l e? would you still love me if I was reckless and wild and a bit c a r e l e s s or if I cry sometimes and feel sad for no apparent reason at all? would you still love me if i made mistakes and some bad decisions or if I someday changed? can you love me all the way without giving up? can you love me despite all my i m p e r f e c t i o n s would you could you will you still love all of me?
.
____________________
I captured this image of my son yesterday – the focus is a little off from where I’d ideally like it to be, but I love it just the same. I adore the sincere emotion on his face. Several days ago, I posted an image of him (below) to one of the social networks I use. In that image, which I find so endearing, he’s smiling naturally, no posing, and you can see the true joy and beauty in his soul emanating from him. For me, personally, there’s also a really emotional feeling when I view that image, because, after all, he was looking at me with that sweet face!
Unfortunately, I had to delete some of the comments on that post, because somehow, people viewing the image thought it was okay to make disparaging comments and insults towards an 8 year old because of the way his teeth look. Kids at this age are still so deep in just beginning to develop into the tweens who will one day morph into teenagers that will bridge them to the young adults they can be before they even begin to think about the grown ups they will someday become. We have so, so much physical development that unfolds for us as human beings, and it’s a continuous process, with so many twists and turns along the way. Within, in our minds and proverbial hearts, we have an almost infinite amount of possible development, as well… I feel disappointed and saddened when I come into contact with human adults who have clearly not done as much intellectual and emotional development as even my 8 year old son has already accomplished.
I brush this off and move on, but note that life contains too much beauty to suffer the ugliness of a few. I will not tolerate or allow this kind of trash to sit with my spirit or on my pages. My advice is that when you come into contact with this kind of energy, touch it just enough to learn what you can from it, shake your head, and then brush it off and turn your face towards the sun. | {
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If this is the result of having a president who is great in foreign policy, then anyone is qualified for that job.
ISTANBUL — A suicide bomber attacked the American Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday, detonating himself inside a security entrance to the compound in a blast that officials said killed a Turkish guard and wounded a visiting Turkish journalist. The State Department immediately warned American citizens to avoid United States diplomatic missions in Turkey.
RelatedThe Lede Blog: Video Shows Aftermath of U.S. Embassy Bombing in Turkey (February 1, 2013) Connect With Us on TwitterFollow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
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Mehmet Ali Ozcan/European Pressphoto AgencyPeople gathered outside the United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday. Enlarge This Image
Adem Altan/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance of the embassy, but did not do damage inside the embassy itself. Alaattin Yusel, the governor of Ankara, told reporters in televised remarks that the explosion took place at a security entrance inside the embassy grounds. He spoke in front of the main embassy building, which apparently was not damaged, as he stood with the American ambassador, Francis J. Ricciardone Jr.
News photographs of the explosion site showed extensive damage to a squat one-story building just inside the compound where visitors are checked by security guards and an X-ray machine.
The semiofficial Anatolian News Agency quoted the interior minister, Muammer Guler, as saying the bomber was a known member of an outlawed leftist extremist group. But the precise motive for the attack was unclear.
Turkish news media said preliminary investigations by security officials said the bomber might have detonated a suicide belt prematurely as he was going through security controls. NTV, a private television broadcaster, said embassy security cameras had shown the assailant entering and panicking as he walked through an X-ray machine.
The other fatality in the blast was identified as Mustafa Akarsu, 47, one of the Turkish security guards at the embassy.
The wounded victim was identified as Didem Tuncay, 39, a former foreign news reporter for NTV, who had been en route to a meeting with Mr. Ricciardone at the time. Ms. Tuncay was taken to Numune Hospital in Ankara, and officials there said that the right side of her face had been hurt in the blast and that she was in serious condition.
Turkish-American relations are strong and friendly, but Turkey has not been immune to anti-American attacks in recent years. In 2008, three gunmen attacked security guards outside the American Consulate in Istanbul in a shootout that left the attackers and three police officers dead.
do you the number of those incidences would have risen or fallen under a more "republican" foreign policy (a.k.a boots on the ground, policing foreign countries, alienating the indigenous population and inciting recruits for terrorism)
do you the number of those incidences would have risen or fallen under a more "republican" foreign policy (a.k.a boots on the ground, policing foreign countries, alienating the indigenous population and inciting recruits for terrorism)
Yes...this is correct.
ANY Obama result is awesome because it could have been worse with someone else! | {
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Lansing police were dispatched to a residence in the 1000 block of Kelsey Avenue about 3:15 p.m. Saturday after a caller reported the residence's front door was ajar. Officers performed a security check and found the body of 26-year-old Lavoris Watkins.
Watkins was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene, according to Lansing police. She died from a gunshot wound.
Lansing police are investigating Watkins' death as homicide.
Those with information on this incident are asked to call the Lansing Police Department's Crime Stoppers line at 517-483-STOP.
Anonymous tips can also be sent to the department via text message at 847411. Begin the message with "LPD517," then text your tip. | {
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The Song of Mouse: An Author Spotlight on Jasmine Grimsley, Takefumi Kikusui and Kazuo Okanoya
Did you know that mice can sing? We can’t hear them, unfortunately – they’re a few octaves out of our range, and in fact even out of the range of many bat calls but they do nonetheless emit noises that bear many similarities to what we call songs. What isn’t known, however, is whether they are born with their songs fully formed in their heads, or whether they learn them from their parents and peers, as we do.
Given the two conclusions, we thought it would be interesting to find out a little bit more about the authors, their research and their opinions on each other’s research. Drs. Grimsley, Kikusui, and Okanoya graciously agreed to answer the following questions for us via email.
First, a bit of detail on your scientific background – how did you become interested in animal behavior and evolutionary biology?
The Wenstrup Lab (from left to right) Grimsley, Anderson, Wenstrup and Gadziola
Grimsley: I am really interested in hearing research, and with the advent of midbrain auditory implants it has become increasingly important that we understand how higher order areas of the brain process complex signals, such as social vocalizations. For my PhD work at the Institute of Hearing Research in England, I compared how all eight areas of guinea pig auditory cortex respond to conspecific social vocalizations. I try to approach research from a neuroethological perspective; understanding the natural behavior of my animal model is fundamental to this. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Wenstrup’s lab at NEOUCOM, and our lab is interested in how the brain codes the meaning of social vocalizations in both mice and bats. We have recently started working with mice because of the opportunities to study genetic variants and disease models.
Authors (from left to right) Kikusui, Nakanishi and Mogi
Kikusui: I started my career with veterinary medicine when I was an undergraduate and belonged to the lab of Veterinary Ethology in the University of Tokyo. I learned a lot of animal behavior including behavioral problems in dogs and cats. To solve the behavioral problems, we must understand the natural behavior of animals, that is, why the animals show species specific behavior (evolutionary biology, or genetic traits) and how the animals adapt to the environments, especially the social experience during the neonatal period of their lives (developmental biology, or acquired traits). Gradually, my research focus has been sifting to the two big questions, one is social cognition in animals and the other is developmental impacts on social brain functions.
Your manuscript includes several different audio recordings of the mice you were studying. Which audio file would you consider the most important and why?
Grimsley: We have compiled a library of the most typical example of each syllable from mice at each of the ages we tested. The “virtual mouse vocal organ” that is downloadable with the paper can produce bouts of mouse song that have patterns that are appropriate for mice of different ages. We hope that this will serve as a useful tool for other scientists interested in mouse communication.
Kikusui: I would recommend the first two audio files; Audio S1 represents C57BL6 song, Audio S2 represents BALB/C song. Because the readers would understand how these two strains emit different songs by these files.
Dr. Grimsley: In your manuscript, you suggest that mice are capable of vocal learning. Dr. Okanoya: Your team suggests that mouse songs do not involve imitative learning. At first glance, your papers seem to conflict. Can you briefly explain the differences between your studies? Could you offer some possible explanations for the different conclusions?
Grimsley: Our results don’t conflict with those of Kikusui and co-workers, because the experiments were different. In fact, both papers suggest that some elements of mouse songs are innate. However, we believe that the design of their experiments did not allow them to conclusively test whether mice are capable of vocal learning. Kakusui et al state that mice would have ample opportunity to hear adult male mating song during the period of exposure to adults (the first 21 days after birth). Since hearing onset occurs when pups are 10 days old, they believe that this allows for approximately 11 days exposure to adult song. In fact, high frequency hearing above 50 kHz (the frequencies in male mating song) does not develop in mice until they are older than 14 days. So the pups may not hear adult male songs until near the end of the 21 day exposure period. In other species, e.g., songbirds, vocal learning takes place during a more extensive period of exposure to adult songs. For example, in white crowned sparrows, where vocal learning is well understood, there is a much longer critical period for juveniles to learn adult song, between 10 and 50 days old. This 40 day period occurs during a time when the birds are able to fly and are considered to be juvenile rather than chicks. A comparable time period in mice may be between weaning (age 21 days) and the onset of sexual maturity (about 40 days). No exposure to adult song was provided during this period.
Okanoya: Showing developmental changes or behavioral complexity alone cannot determine whether or not a behavior is learned. As Grimsley et al also suggested, some types of
Authors (from left to right) Nakagawa and Okanoya
sensory manipulations such as deafening or cross-fostering should be necessary. We utilized the cross-fostering procedure to indicate that mice songs do not involve imitative learning. We think it may be necessary to define vocal learning in two types: vocal learning in the weak sense (VLW) and vocal learning in the strong sense (VLS). VLS refers to the involvement of the imitative learning, while VLW only refers to the involvement of the auditory feedback. VLS requires two steps: establishment of the auditory template for the tutor’s vocalizations and the feedback modifications of own vocalizations to match the template. VLW involves only one step: the feedback modifications of own vocalizations to match the “innate” template. While the Grimsley paper may be implying VLW but they never imply VLS. Experimental procedures used by Grimsley, while they are adequate to describe developmental changes, they do not address whether the behavior is learned or not. When we refer to vocal learning, we mean VLS, but not VLW, because human speech learning is obviously of the nature of VLS.
These two sets of experiments are a nice illustration of the complex process of scientific discovery. What have you learned from reading the other paper? Has this influenced the direction you plan to take in your own work?
Grimsley: The paper by Kakusui et al has shown some interesting strain-dependent differences in mouse song. They have also demonstrated that if there is a critical period for mice to learn song it is likely not to be before weaning at 21 days. The strong strain-dependent differences they show mean that it would be interesting to see if, behaviorally, mice are more attracted to the song from mice of their own strain.
Okanoya: As mentioned in the previous question, we feel the necessity to define vocal learning in two types. The complexity in developmental process and behavioral phenotypes as described in Grimsley paper, together with the fact that this behavior does not involve imitative learning, makes the mice vocalization an interesting preparation to study the process of unfolding of the genetically determined complex behavior.
What experiments would really answer this question of whether mouse vocalizations are innate or learned for you?
Grimsley: It would be interesting to test whether the song from a mouse with no auditory experience is different than song from a mouse with song experience. Practically, this could be
Second author of Grimsley et al. Jessica Monaghan
tested by deafening young mice prior to hearing onset and raising them with deafened parents. Raising mice with deafened parents would control for any possible factors such as behavioral feedback from the parents that might help shape their song.
Okanoya: We believe, based on our results, mice songs do not involve imitative vocal learning. In this sense, mice songs are innately determined, meaning that the under a normal developmental environment, behavioral phenotype of songs are highly stereotyped depending on the strain. In addition to our study, feedback alternation with an electric device might show the degree of auditory dependence.
What is your next big research project? Or where do you want to go from here?
Grimsley: We are using the ‘virtual mouse vocal organ’ from this study to generate bouts of mouse song to test the responses of the amygdala to social vocalizations. I am also really interested in investigating the effects of social context on the responses to these stimuli, both behaviorally and neurophysiologically.
Okanoya: We would like to know the neural mechanisms by which mice songs gain sequential variability. We suspect the involvement of the basal ganglia and the anterior cingulated cortex for this variability. Also, we would like to know how females respond to the strain differences of the songs. We are in the process of examining these questions.
Both of the manuscripts are freely available to read, comment on and rate. | {
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1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.3. Cut butter into small pieces, and cut butter into dry ingredients. I used a pastry blender, but you can use 2 knives or your fingers to get pea size pieces of butter.4. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Gently mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or your hands. Don't overmix...it'll look shaggy.5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to 1-inch thick. I didn't have time for a roller so I just patted it out. Tartine uses a 4-inch circle cutter (for 6 circles). I used a small 2-inch circle cutter and got 15 biscuits.6. Place biscuits on baking sheet (I placed on a Silpat) and brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.7. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
For my shortcakes, I cut about a pint of strawberries and macerated them in some sugar - amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of your strawberries. I whipped some heavy cream (about 1 1/2 cups) and with sugar and vanilla (to taste). Assemble and serve immediately or within a few hours. I assembled mine at 6:30 am, drove to work, stuck them in the fridge and served them at 11:00 am for a coffeebreak/pre-lunch treat. :)
You have some very lucky co-workers! I bet they love you after you share something like this with them. I know I would. :) I am a big fan of strawberry anything. Was just thinking about shortcake yesterday. | {
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My AI chatbot, called AiMind.html in JavaScript and MindForth in Forth, is tangentially approaching consciousness because I am working on a stage I call “self-referential thought”. On 5 September 2010 I made a minor breakthrough when I chanced upon the idea of using “neural inhibition” as a technique to permit the AiMind to respond exhaustively from its knowledge base (KB) to human user queries. If I ask my AiMind “what are you”, it now states all the facts that it knows about itself, and each fact is immediately _inhibited_ inside the software, so that the next fact may rise in activation and serve as the next response to the query. This discussion of self by the AiMind has a bearing on consciousness, because the artificially intelligent chatbot may gradually become aware of its own nature and its relationship to the human users.
Would you elaborate on your description of consciousness and describe how you’ll know that your chatbot has finally arrived (consciousness)? I read the link above, thanks Andrew, and read about that perspective. I’m curious of what you mean by this.
My AI chatbot, called AiMind.html in JavaScript and MindForth in Forth, is tangentially approaching consciousness because I am working on a stage I call “self-referential thought”. On 5 September 2010 I made a minor breakthrough when I chanced upon the idea of using “neural inhibition” as a technique to permit the AiMind to respond exhaustively from its knowledge base (KB) to human user queries. If I ask my AiMind “what are you”, it now states all the facts that it knows about itself, and each fact is immediately _inhibited_ inside the software, so that the next fact may rise in activation and serve as the next response to the query. This discussion of self by the AiMind has a bearing on consciousness, because the artificially intelligent chatbot may gradually become aware of its own nature and its relationship to the human users.
It sounds like you’re saying the chatbot has learned to recognize that it has already said something. How does this help the bot become aware of its own nature? Does it use its knowledge base to draw conclusions about itself? In other words, does it add facts about itself based on what it learns about other things?
Would you elaborate on your description of consciousness and describe how you’ll know that your chatbot has finally arrived (consciousness)? [...]
Regards,
Chuck
For my description please see http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/ConSciousness and also http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/SubConscious—both of which figure strongly in my AI “chatbot/Mind” programing. I read the NYT Tononi article on consciousness very carefully when it was published a week ago, and I recall thinking that it was quite different from my own simplistic idea of consciousness, which is that consciousness is basically the searchlight of attention, and that the _illusion_ of consciousness is itself the _essence_ of consciousness. In other words, if you can fool an entity into thinking that it is conscious, then it is in fact conscious.
As for how I will know that my Mind-chatbot has finally arrived at consciousness, it will be in the same way that we acknowledge consciousness in our fellow human beings: by report. If my AI chatbot begins to talk about its own existence and its own consciousness, then I will assume that it is doing a Cartesian “Cogito ergo sum” scenario. Please let me elaborate further in the next response below.
[...] If I ask my AiMind “what are you”, it now states all the facts that it knows about itself, and each fact is immediately _inhibited_ inside the software, so that the next fact may rise in activation and serve as the next response to the query. This discussion of self by the AiMind has a bearing on consciousness, because the artificially intelligent chatbot may gradually become aware of its own nature and its relationship to the human users.
It sounds like you’re saying the chatbot has learned to recognize that it has already said something. How does this help the bot become aware of its own nature? Does it use its knowledge base to draw conclusions about itself? In other words, does it add facts about itself based on what it learns about other things?
I am not “saying the chatbot has learned to recognize that it has already said something”, because the Mind-chatbot is still just learning to mine its knowledge-base (KB) for factual tidbits to say about itself. It has a self-concept of “I” and inside the KB it can find transitive or intransitive verbs (e.g., “am”) which are validly associated with the ego concept in such a way as to constitute knowledge about itself. In this month of September 2010, the AI chatbot is becoming able to answer a query like “What are you?” with the recall and utterance of exhaustively all be-verb statements about itself, contained in the knowledge base. The trick (and the difficulty) lies in orchestrating and coordinating the conceptual activations (yes, the AI has concepts) so that any pertinent question can be asked at any time. For example, today I was asking both “What are you?” and “What am I?” at the same time as I was adding extra tidibits to the KB, because the AI needs to be able to retrieve both the innate KB items and the new KB items entered at any time by a human user.
I am not yet sure how to “help the bot become aware of its own nature”. Once the conceptual activations achieve a sort of bulletproof robustness, then I hope to devise cognitive stratagems to demonstrate to the AI chatbot that it exists as an entity separate from the world around it. On the Google Code http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/MileStones page I indicate that I am currently working on “self-referential thought” for the AI Mind. It may be possible to turn the computer keyboard into a sense organ for the AI Mind, so that we can ask it if it sense this or that keystroke. It may also be necessary to embody the Mind in a physical robot with a sensorium through which it will become aware of both self and surroundings.
The AI does not yet “draw conclusions about itself” and it does not “add facts about itself based on what it learns about other things”, but I certainly hope and plan to getting into “Is-a” ontologies inside the AI, so that, if the AI knows facts about robots, and we tell the AI that it is a robot, then it should be able to make a few assumptions about its own nature as a robot.
I am running out of time here at a public library terminal, but I would like to mention that http://www.scn.org/~mentifex/AiMind.html (for MSIE) is the JavaScript tutorial version, which lags somewhat behind the Forth version, but is easier to run. Bye to all for now. -Arthur
I posted two replies earlier today, in which I failed to give http://www.scn.org/~mentifex/mfpj.html as the URL of my latest work, which bears tangentially on AI consciousness. By the way, Erwin Van Lun, thank you for hosting a friendly, amicable place in which all chatbot developers may meet and share ideas in a mutually beneficial atmosphere. -Arthur
By the way, Erwin Van Lun, thank you for hosting a friendly, amicable place in which all chatbot developers may meet and share ideas in a mutually beneficial atmosphere. -Arthur
You’re welcome Arthur. Always nice to hear such friendly feedback. Did you know we only started formally in March?
Arthur T Murray - Sep 27, 2010:
the _illusion_ of consciousness is itself the _essence_ of consciousness. In other words, if you can fool an entity into thinking that it is conscious, then it is in fact conscious.
Imagine a time where chatbots are having intelligent dialogs with humans. Chatbots learning all the time from their human counterparts, trying to copy their behaviour. Not only be repeating words, but also by pronoucing words. Not only verbal, but also in behaviour, in movements.
In this constant proces of copying, the chatbots learns fast, very fast. But it also discovers that he can’t reprodcue what other ‘humans’ and saying, but example they are singing opera’s, and his speech synthesier can’t handle that. He starts to realize he is different. He start to realize that his own ‘body’ has limitations.
And then the real intelligence comes in: how can he improve himself? Adding a better speech synthesis card.
By the time he orders a speech synthesis card from the budget he got from his human owner, and a humanoid robot installs the card, it would say, that’s the time we can really talk about articificial intelligence.
We have stumbled into a minor breakthrough in
our Mentifex AI coding. Last January (2010)
in MindForth we were coding elaborate schemes
to answer who-queries and what-queries in the AI.
Then on 5 September 2010 we developed a technique
of using neural inhibition to simply answer the
same what-queries for which we had written
over-complicated code in January of 2010.
We wanted to dismantle the complicated query-code,
but we did not want to lose any of the improvements
and advances that we had meanwhile incorporated
into the code-base along with the complex
query-response code. We decided to keep on coding
and to remove one small item at a time from the
complicated query-code. Then we decided to bring
the JavaScript AI (JSAI) up on a par with MindForth.
In coding the JSAI, we wished that we could keep
just the query-subject variable from the overly
complicated query-response code. It seemed a
shame to work so many hours on query-response
in January and then to abandon all the fruit of
such hard work except for the variable, but now
we see an AI breakthrough shining on the horizon.
If we use “qusub” as the new name for a query-subject
variable, we can start tagging each emerging
thought-subject and each re-activated KbTraversal
concept as a provisional “qusub”, holding onto the
“qusub” for one cycle of thought and not caring
whether the “qusub” concept is actually used as
the subject of a query. It is as if all
thought-subjects are like honeybee eggs with
the potential to mature into queens, depending on
whether or not they are fed royal jelly. Likewise,
each former thought-subject may or may not mature
into the linguistic subject of a query-thought,
depending on whether or not the dynamics of the
AI Mind require a query-subject. If each briefly
dominant thought-subject is tagged as both the
“subjold” old subject and the provisional “qusub”
query-subject, then our AI Mind software becomes
implicitly and inherently more powerful and more
pregnant with possibilities than we ever imagined
it would be.
We note in passing that we have devised a way to
tag subject-concepts not by encumbering them
internally, but by referencing them externally.
Each subject-concept is momentarily and
provisionally a “subjold” concept and a “qusub” concept,
whether or not any use is made of that status.
When Netizens say “and then something magical occurs”,
this hidden power of AI concepts is perhaps the
magic being alluded to.
Sat.2.OCT.2010—Debugging the WhoBe Glitches
By inserting quite a few “alert” messages, we have
determined that the JSAI was saying “WHAT” as its
first utterance because some old code at the end of
NounPhrase was directing the utterance of 54=WHAT
when NounPhrase could find no candidate concept.
Instead of just commenting out the offending code,
we have added the word 109=HELLO at the end of the
EnBoot sequence and mutatis mutandis changed the
NounPhrase code to say “HELLO” instead of “WHAT”.
This method is a rather clumsy way of getting the
AI Mind to say “HELLO” to human users, but at least
it is a start.
Sat.2.OCT.2010—Flushing out the Blank “aud” Fetch
By inserting a diagnostic alert before every SpeechAct
call, we have traced the origin of blank “aud” fetches
to the end of the BeVerb module. There we simply
knocked out the SpeechAct call, and the AI no longer
created empty auditory word-stretches. Next we used
the new “qusub” query-subject variable in WhoBe to
cause the AI to ask much more sensible WhoBe questions,
because the “qusub” variable was retaining the proper
subject for enquiry.
If you visited the JSAI Mind page and did not
type anything in, the AI tried to engage you
by saying “HELLO” and by asking
“WHO ARE YOU”. Actually, it activates
the “YOU” concept and does not find any
knowledge of “you” within itself, so an
activation threshold test switches or shunts
the program flow into a “WhoBe” module
of asking who you are.
The JavaScript AI is a tutorial version of the
much more ambitious MindForth AI—whose
installation target is autonomous robots.
Running MindForth involves the two technical steps
of downloading a particular version of Win32Forth
and of loading the AI source code into Win32Forth.
Therefore I keep working on the JavaScript Mind
which can be run simply by clicking on a link.
My near-term goal for the Forth and JavaScript AI
programs is to let them receive facts about, say,
you, from the user and then have them parrot
back those facts exhaustively in response to
user queries, such as “Who am I?” or “What
do cats eat?” The answers will not be a database
look-up, but will be associative conceptual thinking.
As I code my AI Minds in Forth or JavaScript, I
record my work-steps electronically in a
programming journal, a kind of “AI Lab Notes”.
Since something I posted in a consciousness
thread was moved here to start an AiMind thread,
I figured I might post journal entries here in
continuation of the original thread.
My near-term goal for the Forth and JavaScript AI
programs is to let them receive facts about, say,
you, from the user and then have them parrot
back those facts exhaustively in response to
user queries, such as “Who am I?” or “What
do cats eat?” The answers will not be a database
look-up, but will be associative conceptual thinking.
I would think that a database lookup would be necessary. I’m not sure I understand ‘associative conceptual thinking’. This implies that the information received from the human is not stored in a database. I may be wrong. I’m curious how you would save this data entered by the human. E.g.
Bot: Who are you?
Human: My name is Jim.
How/where is the name ‘Jim’ saved and associated with ‘name’....without a database.
Storing each word as a concept rather than as a database
entry permits the word to have different instances and
therefore different relationships over time. For instance, http://mind.sourceforge.net/spredact.html
has a diagram that shows how the concept of the verb
“eat” can associate backwards to different subjects
and forwards to different direct objects over time.
> This implies that the information received from the human
> is not stored in a database. I may be wrong. I’m curious
> how you would save this data entered by the human. E.g.
>
> Bot: Who are you?
> Human: My name is Jim.
>
> How/where is the name ‘Jim’ saved and associated with
> ‘name’....without a database.
>
> Regards,
> Chuck
Each word in the AI Mind, such as “name” or “Jim”,
is stored on three different levels. As a sequence
of phonemes, the word “J-I-M” is stored in the
time-sequential array of the auditory memory channel.
This storage of “JIM” is visible if one runs the http://www.scn.org/~mentifex/AiMind.html
program in “Diagnostic” mode by clicking on
the JavaScript “Diagnostic” checkbox, as I
have just now done and copied the results:
In the data recorded above, “MY” is a known
word with Psi concept number 94. “IS is also
a known word, with Psi concept number 66.
“NAME” is a new word to the AI, so it gets
assigned “110” as the next available identifying
number for a deep Psi concept. Likewise, “JIM”
is a new word to the AI, so it is assigned
“111” as the sequentially next available
Psi concept number for the next new word.
To sum up the answer to your basic question about
not using a database to store words, the end result
may be the same as a database, but the AI Mind
implementation adheres strictly to the AI theory
of storing concepts separately from word-engrams.
Hi Art,
I understand that you’ve included additional human-like modules such as hearing to
your model. I also understand how your model assigns a numerical value to various
words. I believe the numbers are simply a way of abstracting things to a
concept.
Here’s what I understand regarding people and the real world.
* A child smells, tastes, feels, hears, and sees the world. Without knowledge
of speech or writing they store concepts using sensory data. For example, a
‘flower’ produces 5 inputs that is stored in the brain as a complex pattern.
* Over the next few years the toddler learns to associate spoken words with
these concepts. So words they hear trigger the memory of a flower based upon
senses…and they can communicate a concept with a word.
* After several more years the youngster can translate these concepts and their
spoken aliases into written language.
The problem inherent with chat bots, I think, is that we are trying to emulate
human conversation ‘two levels removed’ from the actual concept. That is, we only
try to use the written language.
How does your model deal with this issue…of using written language that is removed
from real world concepts defined by sensory data? How do you simulate these senses?
> I also understand how your model assigns a numerical
> value to various words. I believe the numbers are
> simply a way of abstracting things to a concept.
Yes, each “Psi” concept number is the software stand-in
for a long neuronal fiber as assumed in the theory of mind.
Since I can not actually create fibers in software, I
assign a number to each concept and pretend it is a long
fiber making synaptic connections across associative tags
to other concept-fibers on the mindgrid. Two of my Psi
variables are “fex” and “fin”, for fiber-out and fiber-in,
meaning, going out of the concept-fiber, and going in.
When I just now typed “you are chuck” into the JSAI at http://www.scn.org/~mentifex/AiMind.html
with the checkbox checked for “Diagnostic” mode,
the word “you” appeared with a fiber-out “fex” of
56, which means that the AI activates concept #56
whenever it is addressing an external person as “you”.
The same word “you”, coming into the AI from outside,
has a fiber-in “fin” value automatically assigned as 50,
which is the 50=I self-concept, so that saying “you”
to the AI activates its “I” concept and it thinks as “I”.
> Here’s what I understand regarding people and the real world.
>
> * A child smells,
> For example, a ‘flower’ produces 5 inputs that is
> stored in the brain as a complex pattern.
>
> * Over the next few years the toddler learns to
> associate spoken words with these concepts. So
> words they hear trigger the memory of a flower
> based upon senses…and they can communicate a
> concept with a word.
>
> * After several more years the youngster can
> translate these concepts and their spoken aliases
> into written language.
>
> The problem inherent with chat bots, I think,
> is that we are trying to emulate human conversation
> ‘two levels removed’ from the actual concept.
> That is, we only try to use the written language.
>
> How does your model deal with this issue…of using
> written language that is removed from real world
> concepts defined by sensory data?
Although MindForth seems to be using written language,
it actually treats each alphabetic ASCII character
as if it were a phoneme (using the variable “pho”).
http://cyborg.blogspot.com/2010/05/audrecog.html
(the AudRecog auditory recognition module) is probably
very strange-looking to non-AI programmers, who
might typically use simple string-matching to
process words into the AI. MindForth uses an
extremely elaborate system of quasi-neuronal
activation for pattern-matching in recognition of
words. It then uses “differential activation” to
recognize stems and other subwords within a word.
> How do you simulate these senses?
MindForth currently simulates only the sense of
hearing. The sensorium of other senses and the
MotorOutput module are “stubbed in” so that
robotmakers and others, who might like to work
on sensory input or motor output, may see in
advance where to place their code inside the AI.
> Also, is it proper to refer to your model as a bot?
In two senses of the word “bot”, it is indeed
proper to refer to the MindForth AI Mind as a bot.
Since intelligent robots are my installation target,
in Transcript display mode the AI Mind shows
Human:
Robot:
as the conversants, so as to encourage the idea that
the artificial intelligence belongs inside a robot.
Because the AI Mind converses, it is also a chatbot.
After more than eight years of status quo,
we have removed the call from ReActivate to
SpreadAct, and suddenly our MindForth AI
does not seem to suffer so much from stray
activations. The new regime will take some
getting used to. We must keep in mind that
NounAct and VerbAct are taking over from http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/ReActivate
ReActivate the job of calling SpreadAct http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/SpreadAct
but only for nouns and verbs that have been
selected to play a role in a sentence of thought.
We always have the option of reintroducing the call
to SpreadAct if we determine that there is a need
for a modicum of background activation on all
concepts that are recently being thought about.
We still want to determine why our diagnostic
reports do not show build-ups of activation on a
pre-slosh-over verb-node and the actual slosh-over
activation being carried by a “spike” from the
verb-node to the direct object.
In VerbAct, the initial activation should come
from whatever activation is already on the verb-node,
after it has received a “spike” of activation from http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/NounAct
NounAct. The “verbval” value is indeed declared
in the VerbPhrase module.
During a two-word KB-query like “dogs eat…?”,
a verb-node of “EAT” wins selection during the
“DOGS EAT…” response and imparts a “verbval”
level from VerbPhrase into VerbAct, but it does
not matter very much how large the “verbval” is.
The subject-word “DOG” gets re-activated to an
equal value on all nodes, but ReActivate no longer
calls SpreadAct to pass a “spike” on to verb-nodes.
It is only during response-generation that NounAct
sends a “spike” from each subject-node into SpreadAct
for each “seqpsi” verb-node, but not to verb-nodes
with a different subject.
Perhaps NounAct should put a specific, non-cumulative
activation on all the nodes of a noun. Then an equal
“spike” can be sent to all associated verbs. But VerbAct http://code.google.com/p/mindforth/wiki/VerbAct
should only put cumulative activation on verb-nodes, and
should send non-equal “spikes” to direct-object noun-nodes.
Fri.15.OCT.2010—Non-Uniform Spiking Slosh-Over
By means of some rather wild coding, yesterday in
14oct10A.F we finally achieved and visibly demonstrated
true spike-borne activational slosh-over from the combined
activations of subject and verb to the correct direct
object in a thought generated as a subject-verb-object
(SVO) sentence. We then cleaned up the code by commenting
out the diagnostic messages and we uploaded the AI Mind
as 14oct10B.F(orth) to the Web.
We so wildly changed settings and pre-conditions that
the conceptual activations still showed a tendency to
get out of whack and let invalid associations be asserted.
No problem. With activations on verb-nodes no longer being
pumped up to outrageously high values, there was sometimes
not enough activation on verb-nodes to carry a thought,
and a question was asked about a subject-concept instead
of a thought being generated. However, in our on-screen
clusters of diagnostic reports we saw the genuine slosh-over
where VerbAct was sending out different “spikes” from
different verb-nodes into the SpreadAct module, so that
valid and correct direct objects would be activated so as
to win inclusion in a thought, while other recorded objects
of the same verb but for different subjects, would fail
to garner enough activation to be selected as objects.
As long as we preserve the hard-won functionality of
slosh-over, we may further tweak our AI source code
towards our target of a robust, bullet-proof artificial
intelligence. See you at the Singularity. | {
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I'm a senior at the University of Minnesota Duluth with a major in Marketing and a minor in Mathematics. I am a captain of the UMD Ski Team, Co-Chair of the Advertising Marketing Club, and I enjoy volunteering for Courage Center Duluth as a ski instructor. | {
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Watch this little girl meet her uncle for the first time—this is no regular family meeting. Her uncle is her father's identical twin brother. Who can keep track of Dad when he's got a clone walking around?! This kid's reaction is priceless; check it out: | {
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Wireless Power Bank
Sale price Price $39.99 Regular price
OverviewIntroducing the latest Spiegel product, a wireless charging power bank and docking station. It gives you the power to charge any of your devices anytime, anywhere without the messy inconvenience of wires. With an integrated USB port you get double the charging fun so you can juice up a second device simultaneously. We include our cutting-edge suction technology to secure your phone while it charges so you don’t have to worry about your phone slipping and crashing to the floor. The LED indicators clearly tell you how much power you have left. Comes in three beautiful colors. | {
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Thank you for using the Repaint Manager. We would love to receive ideas on how to improve this program even more. But please note, while everyone might have lots of ideas of new features, we can only do so much. We will take all ideas into consideration, but note that we do not implement every idea suggested here. The ideas will obviously have to be agreed on by the development team but should also need to be technically possible. | {
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Easy And Trustworthy Garbage Removal In Ithaca, NY
Posted by alex on Jun 2013 in Environment | Comments Off on Easy And Trustworthy Garbage Removal In Ithaca, NY
Trash removal can be a large job. This is especially true if you have to do it yourself. But the great news is that garbage removal ithaca ny just got easier. There are companies out there that can provide you with trash removal that is convenient for you. They do all of the dirty work for you.
No matter how much trash you have or how big the items you need to get rid of are, they have a trash pickup service that is right for you. These Garbage Removal Ithaca NY companies have several sizes of trucks that can handle any job that you can throw at them. They even offer rental services on large garbage receptacles so you can throw all your items away at once and they will haul it away for you once you are done with it. It really makes your life a lot more simple.
But picking up large items or renting a trash bin from them is just the start of what they can do for you. Thesegarbage removal ithaca ny services can also provide weekly trash pickups for you. This way your trash is always picked up on time and you won’t have to worry about your trash piling up for weeks on end. They can even pick up large items for you on their regular trash days. Trash pick up should not be a headache for you and they make sure that the process is very simple for you. All you have to do is request services from them and they will come out and do the job that you need done. It doesn’t matter if you need weekly services or just a rental trash bin, they can do it all in one place.
Trash is not something that you should have to worry about. It also should not pile up either. Now, you can have someone come out and pick it up for you with no problems. They are always on time and make sure that the area is always left clean and trash free. They are the trash specialists that you can trust. | {
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Gunman kills toddler in Michigan
INKSTER, Mich. (AP) — A suspected gunman was in custody on Wednesday after police and a witness said he casually walked up to a suburban Detroit home, fatally shot a 2-year-old girl at close range and injured two more people including a 12-year-old girl.
The shooter fired multiple times at the three people on the porch of the home in Inkster Tuesday night, said Michigan State Police spokesman Lt. Mike Shaw.
The toddler, Kamiya LaShawn Gross, died at the scene, Shaw said. The older girl was hospitalized in critical condition and a 30-year-old man was in stable condition, he said.
Their names were not released, but Shaw said the man was the toddler’s father and also related to the 12-year-old girl who lived at the home.
A shooting at an after-hours club that wounded three people in April may have spurred Tuesday’s shooting, said Inkster Police Chief Hilton Napoleon. Inkster is 13 miles southwest of Detroit.
“This appeared to be an issue of retaliation,” Napoleon said.
Both the suspect in Tuesday’s shooting and the adult victim were present during the incident in April, he added. The identity of the suspect has not been released by police.
Kamiya’s mother, Erica Gross, told WDIV-TV that she dropped her daughter off at the home Tuesday afternoon.
“My heart is broken, my heart is gone,” Gross said. “I’m a young mother. That was the best two years of my life, and it’s taken away from me.”
Andy Anderson, 51, of Detroit, said he was visiting family in the area when the shooting happened. He told the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News that a man walked up to children playing in the yard and first shot the 2-year-old at close range.
“He shot the baby,” Anderson said. “I thought, ‘No, he didn’t.’ And then he turned the gun and started shooting on the porch.”
Anderson said he ducked behind a car.
He said the gunman got out of a van driven by another person and walked up to the home before the shooting, then returned to the van and left.
“He walked down the street casually with a gun in his hand,” Anderson said.
Inkster police got word of the shooting around 8:35 p.m. Tuesday. Police were at the scene and canvassing the neighborhood Wednesday and they didn’t release any information about a possible motive.
Community activist Aaron Simms said he was organizing a vigil for Thursday night outside the family’s home.
“People are just shooting because they don’t know how to do anything else,” Simms said. | {
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Mysterio Update
Rey Mysterio has been overseas doing promotional work for WWE, and is expected to make his return to TV on Monday in Brooklyn. It's likely Mysterio will be announced for the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.
WWE Stars Film "The Soup"
WWE stars The Bella Twins, Titus O'Neil, Dolph Ziggler, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole and JBL filmed a WWE-themed episode "The Soup," and you can check out a photo gallery of them on set via WZ's official Instagram account at this link.
Matt Hardy Cuts Promo on AJ Styles
Matt Hardy, who is scheduled to face AJ Styles on March 28th Waterbury, CT for Northeast Wrestling, has cut the following promo hyping the bout: | {
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This is my new dry erase board with a push-pin section. I keep a few inspirational Post-It’s right above my desk. My favorite is:
“Dig the well before you’re thirsty”
I like the Post-It note quotes because they draw more attention than the dry-erase writing.———————————
My House Of Rave goals were mostly met, although some of the stipulations changed. My main concern is finding a better customer service system. I currently use a basic webmail program for email, and an answering machine through Vonage. This system doesn’t allow me to organize emails or easily track problem resolutions. I’m THIS close to signing up for an exchange server. This will allow me to use an Outlook interface, but from any computer in the world.
I finally added some custom templates which allowed me to integrate the frame of the main page onto every page, including the shopping cart and checkout pages. This makes the whole site look much more congruent.
———————————
I recently checked the webstats for Neville1.com, and found it gets 500+ unique page views a day. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t all traffic from NevBlog, but from the “Wallpapers” section under “Stuff”
When someone types in “The Godfather” into Google Image Search, one of the first results is a wallpaper on Neville1. Also, the image searches for “Kawasaki”, “Yamaha R1″ and “Henry Ford” also bring in several thousand visits per month.
I decided to test what would happen if I put an Adsense banner on the Wallpapers page about 4 days ago. So far it’s only made about $0.45 a day. Ehh.
——————————————–I spoke about the change in libraries too soon. After that post, the PCL library added some outside tables for the coffee shop inside. I’m curious how much money the university gets from the coffee shop.
The local coffee shops must hate this new cafe!
———————————————
After visiting the Aprilia dealership, I found a few leads for used Aprilia Scarabeo 50 scooters. This is the one I’m hoping to get a deal on:
A brand new one runs $2,700 + tax, title & insurance = $3,400
The time I spend waiting for and riding the bus is getting ridiculous, especially since I live so close to campus. Parking in Downtown is also crazy during the day, so a scooter would be especially helpful.
——————————————–
One business venture under a non-disclosure agreement is really coming together now. The original creator of the business and I will hopefully have it up and running within the next month. Exciting stuff!
Actually there’s a good chance that the coffee shop is there rent free. I know of two separate businesses, an ISP and a coffee shop that receive free rent just for being there to pretty up the campus. Most educational institutions don’t have good business people running the place and they just give away the space for free.
Dave,The coffee shops are scattered on the fringes of campus. However, they offer a much different atmosphere than the library, which I think will still draw most people back.I doubt the coffee shop will have a HUGE impact at this particular location…but if they open a coffee shop at the UGL library (with no books), some of the shops will feel the impact.
Arbie,Two of my favorite quotes also!
Anon,Ha! If you said “Free rent” to any UT student, they would laugh at you. UT finds more and more ways every year to get more money from students, and making sure they spend their money on campus is one way. We do however get a lot of resources yet comparatively pay very little in tuition….so I can see why they need more money.
Wirthy,Not pink…white. The picture shows some red glare off the tool boxes they had around it. C’mon now…I’m not buying a PINK scooter!
hiI just wanted to know how did u opened the forum..i m a TA and teach around 90 studnets in a week would like my students to discuss and i can answer the questions there rather than individual emails..
i didnt get a chance to post some interesting trends that i’ve observed as well in the past 3-5 years..i would love to read comments …
1)monthly subscription services… all i see now are monthly bills.. it used to be just phone, electricity, and cable… now its cell phones, internet, radio, renting movies, downloading music, even bloody driving your car (zipcar.com)… hook em with a discount on a one time buy and reel em in with a yearly contract and an early termination fee…
any ideas on something that’s cheap or free… make it better and make it monthly…
2) self service.. okay so pumps have been around.. but have u noticed, ure doin online banking, checkin into flights, self-checkouts at the grocery store and using the atm more than a few years ago… no more high labor costs… do it yourself is in… as long as u have the technology, that’s reliable… and u’ll be cutting edge if u can remember individual client preferences…
any ideas on improving stuff.. i had an idea of a self operated motel… u swipe ure credit card in the door..and BAM…u have the room for the nite, ure credit card is ure key… no worries…leave in the morning?
3)everything has a higher end… take walmart, uve got target, take bilo (or star market or shaws, etc) and u’ve got whole foods, if there is a mass market then there is a richer mass market… and there’s always room in the market for two players…
any ideas of a company that’s only conquered the lower end of the disposable income market?
so there u have it… some widespread trends i’ve seen and hopefully i’ll hear some ideas from u guys…
I don’t mean to offend, but I wanted to tell you that its very distracting when trying to read what you write when you replace all your “you”s with “u”, and “your”s with “ur”. It distracts from the point of what you are writing and makes you sound immature. I realize that it is a common thing on the web, but I think you will find that if you use proper grammer, you will be taken more seriously. | {
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Pentagon Creates Military Command for AfricaThe Pentagon is establishing a new military command for Africa, scheduled to begin operating by September 2008. The action addresses Africa's potential as a breeding ground for terrorism as well as its complex humanitarian needs.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is flanked by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Tina W. Jonas at Tuesday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Moeller Mini-Biography
The Pentagon says it is creating a new unified military command for its operations in Africa. Africom, will cover all parts of the continent except Egypt, which will continue to fall under Central Command. Pentagon officials say the move signals Africa's growing importance to U.S. interests.
The idea for an Africa command has kicked around the halls of the Pentagon for more than a decade.
Last summer, then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld formed a planning team to examine what it would take to get an Africa command up and running. In early December, Rumsfeld made the recommendation to President Bush, who authorized a new command on the same day Rumsfeld left office.
Tuesday, Rumsfeld's successor, Robert Gates, announced the decision to Congress.
"This command will enable us to have a more effective and integrated approach than the current arrangement of dividing Africa between Central Command and European Command," Gates said.
Those two commands are overloaded because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the decision to create an Africa Command also reflects the rise in U.S. national security interests on the continent.
U.S. intelligence agents — and terrorism experts — have long been concerned about the increasing infiltration of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations, especially in the northern trans-Saharan region.
The U.S. has launched a number of initiatives to counter the threat, including military and intelligence training missions by Special Forces units.
Navy Rear Adm. Robert Moeller, the man who will oversee the new Africa Command, says those types of programs will not change.
"We do not anticipate lessening any of the current focus, certainly in the north, in the Horn of Africa area," Moeller said, adding: "... We will now be in a position to look more closely at other areas of the continent as well."
The U.S. has other strategic interests in Africa. The continent will account for 20 to 25 percent of U.S. energy imports by the next decade.
Steven Morrison, the director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the U.S/ is also trying to gain a foothold on the continent for other reasons, including "intensifying competition with China, India and others for influence and for access" and "rising commitments with respect to global health in Africa."
Morrison says the new command will shift U.S. involvement in Africa from a reactive to a proactive commitment.
The question that Africans will have is, 'At what price and how serious and how sustainable will the U.S. effort be,'" Morrison said. "And there's going to be a need now for an intensive conversation in selling of this concept within Africa."
Morrison says the promise this command holds is that will be about more than just the military. This one will be defined by interagency mix, combining intelligence, diplomatic, health and aid experts.
Pentagon officials say that the deputy commander's position is being set aside for a State Department official, rather than a military figure. Ambassador Robert Loftis, a senior security adviser at the State Department, says there are some political advisors at other military commands. Still, Loftis says, Africom will be different.
"What we've been working on here is really to try to find a way where the Department of Defense, Department of State, USAID, and eventually some of the other players from the federal government can find a way to work together more efficiently," he said. "Whether or not this turns into a model for other areas of the world, I don't know yet."
The Pentagon says that Africom will initially be based out of Germany, awaiting a permanent home on the continent. The new command is due to be in full operation by September 2008. | {
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Smart-charging trial to ease power demand
14th July 2017
The last week has seen an explosion of news items about increasing numbers of electric vehicles (EVs), including France banning petrol and diesel cars by 2040, Volvo planning to sell only electric and hybrid vehicles by 2019, and Tesla announcing that its Model 3 mass-market electric car has started rolling off production lines.
There have been many subsequent articles in the media about whether the UK’s electricity grid can cope with increasing numbers of EVs.
Electric Nation, a Western Power Distribution (WPD) and Network Innovation Allowance funded project, is trialling a smart charging solution to the potential challenge of clusters of EVs charging at peak times on local electricity networks. WPD’s collaboration partners in the project are EA Technology, DriveElectric, Lucy Electric GridKey and TRL.
Mark Dale, Innovation and Low Carbon Networks Engineer at Western Power Distribution (WPD), comments: “While the UK electricity system has plenty of capacity to deliver energy to EVs currently and for the foreseeable future, smart charging can play an important role in ensuring electricity network upgrades are kept to a minimum as the numbers of EVs being charged at home increase. We believe that with the correct management of charging, the electricity network has the capacity to integrate the predicted uptake of EVs. Smart charging can allow management of the demand on the local electricity network and can help to avoid or defer work to upgrade infrastructure.”
Mark was a speaker at the ‘Powering the Electric and Low Emission Vehicle Future’ Policy-UK Forum event and other speakers represented OLEV, Ofgem, Cenex and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership also provided positive support about the introduction of controllable charge points.
Dave A Roberts, Smart Interventions Director, EA Technology, said, “We are now at a tipping point with the transition to electric vehicles. This is great news for motorists, and the environment, as EVs play a key role in helping to improve local air quality. Smart charging will allow increased uptake of EVs on UK roads and will save money – for the industry and therefore customers – on reinforcing local electricity networks.”
The UK Government has ambitious targets for the uptake of EVs, and sales are currently increasing at a rapid rate. An electric vehicle can more than double the demand on the local electricity network from a home when charging at peak times. If many homes in a local area adopt EVs, and they all charge at peak times, then this will have a significant impact on the local electricity network.
The costs to reinforce such local networks – e.g. through replacing cables, overhead lines or substation equipment – has been estimated to be at least £2.2 billion by 2050. However it is expected that such costs can be avoided in many instances by the widespread adoption of smart chargers, which can facilitate managed charging at times of peak demand, as well as providing added functionality for electric car owners.
In order to trial how smart chargers can help address the challenge of increasing number of EVs on local electricity networks, the Electric Nation project is recruiting new EV owners and providing a free smart charger, so it can learn from the data – and the feedback – from trial participants.
The Electric Nation trial is taking place in the WPD network areas in the Midlands, South West and South Wales. It is seeking to recruit 500-700 people buying or leasing new electric vehicles of all makes and models, pure electric and plug-in hybrids to take part in the largest trial of its kind. Trial participants will get a free smart charger installed.
Places on the trial are now filling up fast, so any new EV owners who want one of the latest smart chargers installed free of charge are advised to apply as soon as possible. | {
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Delta Adds Three Non-Stop Destinations
Delta Airlines, Memphis’s Hub carrier, has added Amarillo, Texas, and Evansville, Indiana, to its list of non-stop destinations from the Bluff City. The new service brings the total to four Texas non-stop destinations that are served only by Delta Airlines out of Memphis. The others are Lubbock, McAllen, and Dallas Love Field. The airline is also restarting its service to Toronto, Canada, and will offer two non-stop flights daily.
The flights to Evansville will be available starting April 6, and flights to Amarillo will be offered starting June 10.
Memphis to Evansville, Indiana (beginning April 6)
Flight Number
Departs
Arrives
DL 3730
7:45 p.m.
8:52 p.m.
Evansville, Indiana to Memphis
Flight Number
Departs
Arrives
DL 3731
6:45 a.m.
7:52 a.m.
Memphis to Amarillo, Texas (beginning June 10)
Flight Number
Departs
Arrives
DL 4275
9:20 a.m.
11:20 a.m.
DL 4277
1:40 p.m.
3:40 p.m.
DL 4279
7:40 p.m.
9:40 p.m.
Amarillo, Texas to Memphis
Flight Number
Departs
Arrives
DL 4274
5:55 a.m.
7:55 a.m.
DL 4276
11:45 a.m.
1:45 p.m.
DL 4278
4:05 p.m.
6:05 p.m.
Both the Evansville and Amarillo flights will be served with 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.
Service to Toronto will be available beginning May 1, and this flight will use 70-seat CRJ-900 aircraft, which offers both First Class and Coach seating.
Memphis to Toronto, Canada (beginning May 1)
Flight Number
Departs
Arrives
DL 5014
8:35 a.m.
12:00 p.m.
DL 5016
6:48 p.m.
10:13 p.m.
Toronto, Canada to Memphis
Flight Number
Departs
Arrives
DL 5013
7:00 a.m.
8:30 a.m.
DL 5015
4:15 p.m.
5:45 p.m.
Delta Air Lines is the world’s No. 1 airline, with a network of 367 destinations in 66 countries on six continents. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France KLM. Visit www.delta.com. | {
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Artist Interview: LaJuné McMillian
LaJuné McMillian is a new media artist, and creative technologist creating art that integrates performance, virtual reality, and physical computing to question our current forms of communication. LaJuné was previously the Director of Skating at Figure Skating in Harlem, where they integrated STEAM and Figure Skating to teach girls of color about movement and technology. While at Eyebeam, they will create The Black Movement Project, an online library equipped with 3D black character base models and motion capture data from black performers previously unrepresented in available databases. They spoke with Salome Asega, Assistant Director of POWRPLNT, Curatorial Advisor of REFRESH, and Eyebeam alum.
Salome Asega: Congratulations on the residency at Eyebeam this year. The theme for the year is access, and I’m wondering how does the work you do tie into this theme?
LaJunéMcMillian: The project itself is called The Black Movement Project. I’m trying to focus on building a motion capture library and a tool for black 3D-based characters. It’s a library that people can use. People will be able to download any motion-capture file, or download any character they want to use. They will have access to the way that we move through time. It’s a museum, or an archive, of the ways that we move.
I’m starting with dance. I’ll be going through the different genres of black dance, but then I’ll be moving more into different ways black people move throughout life. I’ve been interested in hairstyles. What would it be like to have motion-capture files of [someone] doing cornrows? Looking at the different ways that we’ve moved, and currently move, and creating a space for it.
SA: There are so many entry points to how we think about access. You know, access to resources, access as it relates to disability justice, but I like this idea of access to yourself and your representation in digital form, in 3D form. So, it’s very interesting. What is your personal criteria for success during this residency?
LM: So, when I’m there, I’m going to just dive into the work. I plan on having at least 100 motion capture files that will be downloadable for use by the end. I want to have these six base character models to use. There will be two tools that people will be able to use. Using web XR, users will be able to see the people who are doing the motions and they’ll be able to download it. Users can also dive a bit into [character base model’s] lives and learn their relationship to movement.
SA: Can you give us examples of those people, of the kind of portraits you’re trying to capture?
LM: Right now I’m in the process of reaching out to different dance communities. So, I’m really looking for people who are invested in movement.
SA: How are you planning to make use of the Eyebeam space? You’ll be hosting workshops and you’ll actually be doing your [movement] tracking there?
LM: Basically, what I’m trying to do is create a space where I can bring black people into the 3D community. I want to bring in black performers, and then I also want to bring in black activists. I’m trying to create this space where we can all sit down and build these tools together.
SA: Mhm. What do you think needs to happen, or should happen, in what you call the 3D community / VR community space to become more accessible and more inclusive?
LM: One of my largest problems is access itself, and being able to afford tools. There are a lot of tools that I would love to use, but I can’t because I can’t afford them. Making the tools more affordable would be helpful, but the tools that are out now don’t cater to the black community at all. Like Mixamoand Adobe Fuse, motion capture spaces where you can download motion-capture files and you can actually rig characters, there are no characters that represent me. Even when it comes to finding hairstyles—I can’t find any hairstyles that represent me or my hair texture. In the 3D community as a whole, when it comes to hair textures or black hair styles, it just hasn’t been there. I want to open up the XR community to more black performers, activists, and modelers, and coders, making the tools more of a reflection of the black community.
Even when you open up 3D modeling programs, Fuse in particular, the base character is white. It doesn’t feel authentic to my work. I always have to change the skin color. I have to change the nose, the eyes, the lips. What if the model already had black features? And then change I could change it from there, to make it feel like I’m not trying to change this white character to a black character, but a black character to a different black character. You know?
SA: Mhm.
LM: Those are just ways that block people out from using tools because everything is made so hard for people who don’t look like that.
SA: Yeah—and you want to widen the standard you know?
LM: Yeah.
SA: I’m curious about what kind of exploratory places you’re interested in reaching during this residency? What are some weird experiments you want to get into while at Eyebeam? What are things that you’re excited about trying, that you haven’t had time or resources for yet?
LM: I’m going to make this tool by researching a huge range of black bodies. I’m going to do body scans of all different types of black people. I’m really interested in different sizes, body forms, and skin/hair textures to showcase the diversity of blackness. I’m interested in learning more about how we’ve used movement as a form of resilience. I’m trying to explore why I move through space. There were certain parts of my life through [figure] skating that were traumatic, but then there were also parts of it that made me feel alive and free. I’m trying to explore that relationship.
SA: Mhm.
LM: This project started from a space where I came to the realization that my life had been built trying to cater to whiteness. How do I disconnect from that? How do I free myself from all of this? Being a part of the Diaspora means that there are certain parts of my identity that were forced upon me and my ancestors to survive. In order to undo this, I suggest building new forms of communication. Let’s build new inventions, or new spaces, where we can create. I’m researching, you know, what is it that we already have now and how can we build from there? What do we have to let go of, and what do we have to hang onto? And I think when it comes to things like movement, we’ve brought movement with us through centuries, through so many different cultures. How do we keep holding onto this? What is it about this that is so resilient?
SA: I love you saying that you’re in a place of research, and that you’re willing to do this research—that you want to do this research—with other people. It’s a beautiful way to start your residency. That you’re willing and you want to learn with other people to create spaces for you to exist in this 3D/XR community. So, thank you so much. I’m very excited to see what happens this year and I can’t wait to start poking around this library and even use some of the things you create. | {
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Portland District Office Success Stories
Portland District Office Success Stories
Hiroshi Morihara has had a long, distinguished career in business; from being a mechanical engineer, inventing silicon manufacturing processes, starting up manufacturing plants, working as a consultant in semiconductor and biotech industries and developing property. It wasn’t until the beginning of this century though, after his wife suggested he return to inventing, that he developed the idea for HM3 Energy. He had just finished reading a book about energy and hearing a speech on the environmental ramifications of coal plants, when it hit him. His invention would be a cleaner form of energy, and that’s just what HM3 Energy has developed.
HM3 Energy has a proprietary torrefaction process to turn biomass into clean fuel to replace coal in coal-fired power plants. HM3 Energy's TorrB briquettes can be made sustainably from readily available and abundant biomass sources such as urban wood waste, agricultural residue, and forest waste. Existing power plants designed to burn coal can use HM3 Energy’s torrefied biomass instead of coal, drastically reducing carbon and other harmful emissions such as mercury, sulfur and nitrous oxides.
Different from many other pellets made from wood chips or agricultural residuals, HM3 Energy’s TorrB torrefied biomass briquettes can be burned in existing coal plants without any plant modification. Torrefied biomass briquettes provide utility companies a reliable, clean and environmentally-friendly source of energy.
In order to get where they are today, HM3 Energy needed funding. They accessed that through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, a highly competitive program that encourages small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development that has the potential for commercialization. Through an awards-based program, SBIR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization.
The SBIR program is structured in three phases; the objective of the first phase is to establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed R/R&D efforts. Morihara received his first SBIR grant in 2010 to develop a waterless dirt removal system in order to clean the biomass without creating additional waste.
Once that was accomplished, the next step, phase II of the SBIR program, was to figure out how to scale up a pellet plant, specifically the torrefaction and densification parts of the process. In November 2012, HM3 Energy demonstrated commercial-scale densification through their phase II funding, becoming possibly the first company in the world with a proven process for mass producing biomass briquettes which are water resistant.
The third phase of the SBIR program is for the small business to pursue commercialization objectives resulting from phase I/II. Since the SBIR program does not fund phase III, Morihara is working hard to establish funding to build HM3 Energy's commercial plants.
When asked how he and HM3 Energy were able to accomplish what they have, Morihara immediately spoke of his employees, “develop a good team, you need all of your people.” He also added some advice for inventors and entrepreneurs alike, “if you think you know everything, you fail; you will need help along the way.”
For more information about the Small Business Innovation and Research program, visit http://www.sbir.gov/, or contact the Portland District Office at (503) 326-3682 or [email protected]. | {
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Japan Current Account Surplus Rises - 2004-10-15
Japan's current account surplus rose 2.3 percent in August from a year earlier. That is the 14th consecutive monthly increase in the account, which measures international payments for goods and services, and earnings on investments.
Japan's Finance Ministry says the gain is due to more money flowing into investments and a smaller services deficit.
The latest statistics also show Japan's trade surplus fell more than 15 percent, the first drop in 14 months, largely because of a surge in import costs, especially rising oil prices. Japan's struggling Daiei supermarket chain has averted possible bankruptcy by accepting a government-backed bailout.
Mr. Nakagawa says he respects the decision made by the company, which he sees as being in the public interest.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange says it is considering de-listing Seibu Railway, part of the giant Seibu conglomerate. The group's core company, Kokudo, has admitted actually owning a large number of the rail company's shares held in the name of several individuals.
Officials of the Tokyo Exchange call the irregularities unprecedented, and say they prevent investors from being able to assess a fair price for Seibu Railway's stock.
Kokudo chairman Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, one of Japan's wealthiest industrialists, says he takes responsibility. Mr. Tsutsumi says he will quit all his positions in the conglomerate, including stepping down as owner of the Seibu Lions professional baseball team. He will also resign as the honorary president of the Japan Olympic Committee, but he remains the largest shareholder of Kokudo.
Earlier this year, Mr. Tsutsumi resigned as chairman of Seibu Railway to take responsibility for a scandal involving alleged payoffs to racketeers.
A survey by the World Economic Forum shows Japan rejoining the top 10 of the world's most competitive countries for the first time since 1995.
Japan now ranks ninth, up from 11th last year. The Forum says Japan's corporate managers have recovered their confidence and that government efficiency has greatly improved. | {
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Letter to the Editor: Look in the Mirror
It pains me to see that the turn out for voting in the county was at 39.66 percent for Helper and 30.4 percent for Price.
We talk about supporting our troops who are fighting and dying whether we agree with the war or not. I am disappointed to see that people are not exercising their rights that these men and women are fighting for. For those of us who are well enough to vote we should. For those of you who did not vote, do not complain about the leadership in your area as you were not part of the process of electing these individuals and therefore have no right to complain.
As an individual who served in our Armed Forces I just want to say that if the national average of voters turning out is as bad as it was in our area this country is in sad shape. The only people who honor our constitution and rights as Americans turned out to vote. The rest of you should truly be ashamed of yourselves.
I do understand that there are circumstances that arise that do not make it possible. For those of you who could have made it out and did not I hope you feel good about yourself when you look in the mirror in the morning.
I appreciate my rights and would gladly accept a call to serve if my country needed me again. How many of you would say the same thing? | {
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With Halloween upon us, it's only right that our Week In Dork feature creatures, the dead, undead, witches and more! TheTurtleDork shares and sheds tears over the latest episode of The Walking Dead (SPOILERS). He also chimes in on Danny Boyle and Michael Fassbender's latest: JOBS. MouthDork continues to his trek through the catalogue of Wes Craven as well as some William Sadler/ Billy Zane fun in Tale's From The Crypt Presents: Demon Knight. He also discusses his experience at the Alamo Drafthouse and their screening of the Abominable Dr. Phibes complete with 5 course meal taken from Price's cookbook AND with his daugher in attendance! MouthDork finally gets to see the Kurt Russell's "cowboys & cannibals western": Bone Tomahawk! Disco dances to the tune of Shion Sono's Tokyo Tribe (NEVA EVA DIE!), and discusses Vin Diesel's latest non-Fast & Furious film The Last Witch Hunter. In keeping with the Halloween spirit this week we've got a "Fistful of Fear" - our Top 5 Must Watch films during the Halloween season. And finally, Disco gets a new homework assignment before wrapping up. Please rate and review us. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @ITMODcast. And as always, thanks for listening!
After a brief intermission so we could cop our Star Wars The Force Awakens tickets, the Dorks return with part 2 of their Fortnight in Dork. This time we're talking Alamo Drafthouse goodness with Goodfellas and the Evil Dead Double Feature and Quote-a-long. WifeDork has some stand-up comedy to recommend and she also discusses the greatness that is The Keeping Room as well as Del Toro's latest Crimson Peak. MouthDork finishes up The Black Widow comic run and the latest issue of Secret Wars. He professes his love for Jack Black's latest: Goosebumps. Disco discusses (briefly) his disappointment with Insidious Chapter 3. In honor of Crimson Peak we got a Fistful of Cribs. Disco talks his homework assignment: Spider Baby before we Mingle On Social Media. Please rate and review us and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ITMODcast. And as always thank you for listening!
The Dorks have got there hands full this week! On top of having TWO Weeks In Dork to cover a little film called Star Wars The Force Awakens drops a new trailer AND starts ticket pre-sale right in the middle of recording this podcast! But do we let that stop us? NO! Well, sorta. But through the magic of editing, Disco brings you the first of a 2 part Fortnight In Dork uninterrupted. This half WifeDork discusses Meet The Patels, and The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet! MouthDork talks Bridge of Spies and how his mind was blown by Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro's latest Sicario, Knock Knock and The Final Girls. TheDiscoDork talks Pan before heading into the break. Join us for part 2 where we talk Crimson Peak, The Keeping Room, Goodfellas, Goosebumps and MORE! Stay tuned and thank you for listening!
Welcome everybody to another edition of the ITMODcast Podcast! Joining us from the new documentary: Finders Keepers, is The Foot Man himself Mr. Shannon Whisnant! If you haven't seen the film, we highly recommend you do so. You can check the trailer out here: https://youtu.be/wvR3lE6p1nI
Via Skype, Mr. Whisnant discusses life before, during and after the documentary. Seeing him up on the screen is one thing, but actually sitting down, talking with and getting to know him is another entirely. As funny as you'd expect but also as equally fascinating. While the documentary no doubt paints an interesting portrait of the man, there's much more to the Foot Man than his odd discovery.
Please rate and review us, or leave a comment. Follow The Footman on Twitter @footmannc and also on FaceBook: Shannon Whisnant. And you can follow us on Twitter, Instagram and FaceBook @ITMODcast. Thanks for listening!
Now that we've got Lost Weekend IV outta the way, the Dorks return to their regularly scheduled programming with this Week In Dork. We're talkin' Emily Blunt's latest Sicario, Zemeckis' The Walk and of course Matt Damon's The Martian. WifeDork has some more stand up comedy to recommend and MouthDork continues his Wes Craven filmography re-watch with The Hills Have Eyes 2 and Chiller. Speaking of Craven, WifeDork discusses her very first watch of A Nightmare on Elm Street at the Alamo Drafthouse in One Loudon! TheDiscoDork has WifeDork interpret his latest homework assignment: Head. And of course we Mingle On Social Media before wrapping up. Rate and review us, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @ITMODcast. And as always, thanks for listening! | {
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Patients should continue testosterone therapy only if there is improvement in the symptoms of hypogonadism and should be monitored regularly. You will need periodic blood tests for testosterone levels and blood tests to monitor your blood count and PSA. Testosterone therapy has health risks, and thus doctors should closely monitor its use. Testosterone therapy can worsen sleep apnea and congestive heart failure.
inability of the male to achieve or maintain an erection of sufficient rigidity to perform sexual intercourse successfully. An impotent man may produce sufficient numbers of normal spermatozoa; the condition is related to infertility only insofar as it prevents coitus with and impregnation of the female partner. Called also erectile dysfunction. adj., adj im´potent.
Diabetes. Erectile Dysfunction is common in people with diabetes. An estimated 10.9 million adult men in the U.S. have diabetes, and 35 to 50 percent of these men are impotent. The process involves premature and unusually severe hardening of the arteries. Peripheral neuropathy, with involvement of the nerves controlling erections, is commonly seen in people with diabetes.
Erectile dysfunction (previously called impotence) is the inability to get or maintain an erection that is sufficient to ensure satisfactory sex for both partners. This problem can cause significant distress for couples. Fortunately more and more men of all ages are seeking help, and treatment for ED has advanced rapidly. The enormous demand for “anti-impotence” drugs suggests that erection problems may be more common than was previously thought. Find out more about the causes and treatment of erectile dysfunction here.
If a trial of oral therapy and withdrawal of offending medications do not restore erectile function or if a patient has medical or financial contraindications to pharmacologic therapy, most primary care practitioners should consider referring the patient to a specialist for additional evaluation and discussion of alternative treatment options. However, some primary care practitioners may recommend vacuum constriction devices.
Ejaculatory incompetence, erectile difficulty, erectile dysfunction, erectile failure, frigidity–female Medtalk The inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection adequate for the successful completion of intercourse, terminating in ejaculation; penile erection is mediated by nitric oxide Epidemiology Prevalence of minimal, moderate, and complete impotence in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study was 52%; age is the most important factor; complete impotence ↑ from 5%–age 40 to 15%–age 70; for an erection to achieve a successful outcome, it requires
Alprostadil is an FDA-approved erectile dysfunction drug that can be injected directly into the penis to trigger an automatic erection. "Penile injection is the most effective type of ED treatment for men who can't take oral treatment," says Nelson Bennett, MD, a urologist at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. In fact, it has an 85 percent success rate. Possible side effects include a burning sensation and priapism, an erection that lasts more than four hours and requires medical treatment.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome can cause changes in blood pressure, body composition, and cholesterol which may lead to ED. Other conditions that may contribute to erectile dysfunction include Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, Peyronie’s disease, sleep disorders, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Taking certain medications can also increase your risk for ED.
Does drinking water improve erectile dysfunction? Erectile dysfunction or ED is a common concern for men. Everyday factors, such as hydration levels, may affect a person's ability to get or maintain an erection. Drinking water may, therefore, help some men with ED. In this article, learn about the link between hydration and ED, and other factors that can cause ED. Read now
Now, there are lots of ways that you can reduce stress and anxiety in your life. One of those things you can do is exercising daily. Now, it doesn’t mean getting into a gym all the time, but it can just be doing sit-ups at home, long walks at the grocery store, bicycling, and if you can afford the gym, getting there maybe two to three days a week. But don’t forget, a healthy body equals a healthy mind. Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises– now, here’s where you can take a few moments to be centered and communicate with your inner self, peace. Healthy eating– now, taking control of the intake of what goes into your body makes you to start feeling better and looking better. That wellness is the opposite of anxiety. And treating issues and tackling things that are weighing you down, taking that very first step is liberating.
Nerves originating in the spinal cord and peripheral ganglia innervate the penis. There are autonomic (parasympathetic and sympathetic), and somatic separate and integrated pathways. The autonomic pathways neurons originate in the spinal cord and peripheral ganglia from the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, respectively. They merge to form the cavernous nerves that travel alongside the prostate, enter the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum to affect the neurovascular events required for tumescence and detumescence. The somatic nerves send sensory information from the penile skin, glans, and urethra via the dorsal penile nerve and pudendal nerve to the spinal cord. The somatic nerves also initiate contraction of the ischio- and bulbocavernosus muscles.
Performance anxiety can be another cause of impotence. If a person wasn’t able to achieve an erection in the past, he may fear he won’t be able to achieve an erection in the future. A person may also find he can’t achieve an erection with a certain partner. Someone with ED related to performance anxiety may be able to have full erections when masturbating or when sleeping, yet he isn’t able to maintain an erection during intercourse.
There are many different treatment options for erectile dysfunction but your individual diagnosis will determine which treatment option is right for you. It is important to realize that not all treatment options will work for everyone. A doctor who has specialized in men’s sexual health (typically a urologist) will be the most qualified to discuss all of your treatment options with you. Many specialists will often encourage you to schedule additional follow up appointments to review how your treatment is working for you or if a different option may be more beneficial.
Due to the risk of hypotension, caution should be used in patients using alpha blockers for prostate hyperplasia and patients using other antihypertensive medications and alpha blockers, which should not be co-administered with PDE5 inhibitors. In patients who take 50 mg of sildenafil or more and use alpha blockers, sildenafil dosing should be avoided for at least 4 hours after the dose of the alpha blocker. In patients who take 25 mg of sildenafil, use of any alpha blockers is considered safe.
Common medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of developing erectile dysfunction. Thus, optimal management of these diseases may help prevent the development or progression of erectile dysfunction. Lifestyle modifications to improve vascular function, including smoking cessation, losing weight if overweight, and exercising regularly, may be helpful.
Erosion of the prosthesis, whereby it presses through the corporal tissue into the urethra, may occur. Symptoms and signs may include pain, blood in the urine, discharge, abnormal urine stream, and malfunction. If the prosthesis erodes into the urethra, a physician must remove it. If the other cylinder remains intact, it can be left in place. A physician leaves a catheter in place to allow the urethra to heal.
Inside the cell, NOS catalyzes the oxidation of L-arginine to NO and L-citrulline. Endogenous blockers of this pathway have been identified. The gaseous NO that is produced acts as a neurotransmitter or paracrine messenger. Its biologic half-life is only 5 seconds. NO may act within the cell or diffuse and interact with nearby target cells. In the corpora cavernosa, NO activates guanylate cyclase, which in turn increases cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Relaxation of vascular smooth muscles by cGMP leads to vasodilation and increased blood flow.
Depending on the cause, erectile dysfunction (ED) may be curable, but the condition is almost always treatable for most men. The first step is to visit your doctor, because several health conditions -- and the medications that treat them -- can cause ED. For example, cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) disease causes arteries to narrow, which decreases blood flow to the penis and can cause trouble getting or maintaining an erection.
The link between chronic disease and ED is most striking for diabetes. Men who have diabetes are two to three times more likely to have erectile dysfunction than men who do not have diabetes. Among men with erectile dysfunction, those with diabetes may experience the problem as much as 10 to 15 years earlier than men without diabetes. Yet evidence shows that good blood sugar control can minimize this risk. Other conditions that may cause ED include cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), kidney disease, and multiple sclerosis. These illnesses can impair blood flow or nerve impulses throughout the body. | {
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P E R F O R M A N C E
I love being a part of a new work, and the community that is developed within that creative process. It is my mission as a dancer to soak up the atmosphere of the group, vision of the choreographer, and work tirelessly to bring their vision to life. | {
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Andy Carroll scored an eight-minute hat-trick as West Ham United’s last London derby at Upton Park ended in a barnstorming 3-3 draw with Arsenal on Saturday – a result that dented both club’s respective ambitions.
Third-placed Arsenal led 2-0 after 35 minutes but were rocked by a ferocious West Ham fightback and although they scrambled a point thanks to Laurent Koscielny, their Premier League title hopes look all but over.
They are now 10 points behind leaders Leicester, who play away to Sunderland on Sunday, with six matches left.
“Do we still have an opportunity to win the title? I don’t know,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “We made it more difficult today.”
“I’m not here after the game to blame the players. We are disappointed to concede three goals. Particularly after 2-1. Overall it’s a shame.”
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic had high praise for Andy Carroll. “He has everything. It’s impossible to stop him.
“His work rate, watch how many times he tried to get the ball off them. He was keeping the ball, laying it off. Heading, he’s maybe the best in the world. He has to stay away from those injuries.”
Do we still have an opportunity to win the title? I don’t know. We made it more difficult today
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Arsenal had an early let-off when Manuel Lanzini’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside and took advantage when Mesut Ozil fired home from Alex Iwobi’s astute pass.
Alexis Sanchez finished off a slick passing move to make it 2-0 to the Gunners after 35 minutes.
Undaunted, West Ham were level before the break thanks to a devastating burst from Carroll.
First he met Aaron Cresswell’s cross with a thumping header which gave David Ospina no chance and then in stoppage time he acrobatically volleyed into the corner.
West Ham swarmed forward at the start of the second half, having a Dimitri Payet effort ruled out before Carroll headed in Michail Antonio’s cross.
Nacho Monreal’s shot was hacked off the line by Lanzini but Arsenal levelled after 70 minutes when some intricate passing ended with Danny Welbeck flicking the ball to Koscielny who stabbed a shot high past Adrian.
Sanchez could have won it for Arsenal while the superb Payet reduced Arsenal’s defence to nervous jitters but neither side could claim maximum points.
West Ham equalled a club record with a 14th successive home game without defeat, but their hopes of celebrating their move to the Olympic Stadium after more than a century at Upton Park by qualifying for the Champions League are receding after three consecutive draws.
Aston Villa are on the brink of being relegated for the first time in 29 years after the Premier League’s bottom club slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Eric Black’s side were condemned to their eighth successive defeat by goals in either half from Steve Cook and Josh King as the atmosphere turned mutinous at Villa Park.
Jordan Ayew’s late strike was no consolation and although Villa were spared official confirmation of their drop into the second tier because fourth bottom Norwich were beaten by Crystal Palace, their fate is likely to be sealed at Manchester United next weekend.
Aston Villa caretaker boss Eric Black told BBC Sport: “Not going down today is a small consolation. I was happy with the energy and desire to do what we asked them to do.
“We’ve conceded poorish goals, but we have to remain professional until the end. Come Monday morning we have to dust ourselves down and go again.”
Crystal Palace collected their first win of 2016 by beating Norwich 1-0, boosting its hopes of preserving their top-flight status and keeping last-place Villa up for at least another week.
Jason Puncheon curled home a shot into the far corner for a 68th-minute winner as Palace ended their winless run of 14 games, stretching back to December 19, and moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
Struggling Newcastle put in another lacklustre performance as Southampton easily won their English Premier League match 3-1.
An early goal from Shane Long in the 4th minute set the tone in a match in which Newcastle failed to make much impact.
Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama added the second and third goals in the 38th and 55th minutes respectively to condemn Newcastle to its eighth straight away defeat. Newcastle’s Andros Townsend scored a fine consolation goal on 65 minutes, but it did nothing to alter his side’s fortunes.
Chelsea experienced their first English Premier League defeat under interim manager Guus Hiddink in a 1-0 loss against Swansea.
The only goal came in the 26th minute, with a fine volley by Gylfi Sigurdsson after Jefferson Montero’s run.
On-loan Chelsea striker Alexandre Pato had the ball in the net early in the second half, but it was disallowed as the striker was penalised for handball in the build-up. | {
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Status conscious sex
The rules of cruising make it hard to talk about condoms
Oct 30, 2002, 7:00 PM EST
LEFT WONDERING. Is the truth out there? Credit: Mia Hansen
Mike is 19, HIV-negative and regularly seeks casual sex in bathhouses and on the Internet. He’s careful. Mostly.
“I have turned down sex with men because they were positive,” says Mike. “I can’t say I ask all the time, but if I have a feeling that the person might be positive I do ask…. If I wanted to have unsafe sex, I would definitely ask the person’s status.”
People like Mike seem rare in the casual sex scene, as many men are not asking their partner’s HIV status at all.
It’s partly because many men are taking precautions all the time and consider their partner’s status to be none of their business. In other cases, men say it breaks the sexiness of the situation.
But perhaps the most interesting reason is that men feel the codes of the casual sex game restrict communication too much.
“You’re talking safer sex in, frankly, an unsafe environment,” says Jair, 27, speaking of his encounters in washrooms and parks. “People are not talking. That’s part of the game – tacitly implied.”
Jair says he’s HIV-negative as far as he knows. He says when people ask him his status, it seems like a ritual, not real interest.
“There’s an urge to give them the correct answer so things can go forward,” he says. “It’s almost like, ‘If you’re positive, I’m leaving.’ It’s asked to make the person feel that unsafe sex is permissible.”
Part of the not talking is tied to the fear of rejection positive men face.
“I’ve met men who have told me they’re positive before we’ve had sex,” says Scott, 32. He says they have a lot of anxiety.
“As if they expect me to dump them or run away. It totally doesn’t make a difference. I couldn’t care less one way or the other,” says Scott. “I’ve had lots of HIV-positive partners, who have been out to me about having HIV. I still treat them the same way. We still have great sex. I still fuck them and they fuck me.”
Scott hasn’t been tested for six years and doesn’t know his status. Although he tries to never have unsafe sex, Scott says he’s occasionally slipped up. In these instances, his partners have often asked his status – afterwards.
“The guy’s asking me, praying to God I’m negative and I can’t reassure him. It’s a pretty human reaction afterwards, once you come back to your senses, but it’s a little late by then, isn’t it?”
In casual encounters, men often don’t believe their partners’ response anyhow, believing men will say whatever it takes to get the sex they want. Alternatively, if a partner is willing to have unprotected anonymous sex, then he isn’t likely to know his status anyway.
Men are not only silent about their concerns for their own health. Many of the men I talked to say they’ve witnessed unsafe situations while cruising, but didn’t speak up. In one washroom scene, Jair was being blown by a guy who had dropped his pants to jerk off. A third man entered the stall and began fucking his partner without a condom, without asking.
Scott has had a similar situation occur at a sex party.
“The thing that disturbed me was one of the men was really young, 18, right, and this other guy was just really going at him like crazy without a condom,” says Scott. “Quite often I’m in situations where I feel like I’m condoning unsafe sex by being silent. I felt depressed afterwards, knowing that this 18-year-old kid was potentially [at risk] and I was there and I didn’t say anything.”
The fact that a lot of casual encounters are nonverbal means that negotiations of whether to have safe or unsafe sex are usually left to imprecise signals.
“It depends where people are having sex,” says Paul. “If people are having sex in a bathhouse, [a person’s preference] is usually communicated by the presence or absence of condoms in the room.
“If you see someone lying on his stomach, he’s a bottom. If you don’t see condoms in the room and he’s on his stomach you can assume he’s open to barebacking.”
Most of Paul’s partners are his age and have been a part of the generation most experienced with AIDS and HIV. This experience leads to particular conclusions.
“If there’s no suggestion that condoms should be used, coming from the bottom, then there’s the assumption that he’s positive.”
While positive men tend to assume that only positive men like themselves would be taking such a risk, studies in San Francisco suggest the same thing goes for negative men, who often assume that any partner not using a condom would also be negative.
Men are taking serious risks and how they’re negotiating those risks is varied and faltering. Unfortunately, every time a negative partner and a positive partner have sex there’s a possibility of a new infection – whether they know each other’s status or not. | {
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99.9% of gun owners aren’t radical either!
President Obama told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria that 99.9 percent of Muslims reject radical Islam. He made the comments in response to a question about the White House avoiding using the phrase “Islamic terrorists.”
“You know, I think that the way to understand this is there is an element growing out of Muslim communities in certain parts of the world that have perverted the religion, have embraced a nihilistic, violent, almost medieval interpretation of Islam, and they’re doing damage in a lot of countries around the world,” said Obama.
“But it is absolutely true that I reject a notion that somehow that creates a religious war because the overwhelming majority of Muslims reject that interpretation of Islam. They don’t even recognize it as being Islam, and I think that for us to be successful in fighting this scourge, it’s very important for us to align ourselves with the 99.9 percent of Muslims who are looking for the same thing we’re looking for–order, peace, prosperity.”
Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that 99.9% of the ~3.3 million Muslims living in the United States reject radical Islam (although though we all know that isn’t true in). With that said, wouldn’t it also be fair to say that 99.9% of Evil Black Rifle (EBR) owners reject indiscriminately murdering people as well? If we going to protect the constitutional rights of Muslims regardless of the deadly actions of a select few, shouldn’t we also protect the constitutional rights of EBR owners despite the actions of even fewer EBR owners? Mustn’t we then conclude that the onerous and ineffective restrictions proposed by the gun control crowd, always trying to utilize the fresh memory of dead bodies to peddle their agenda, would be just as unfair to EBR owners as, for example, a Muslim immigration ban would be to Muslims?
You will notice that I say “EBR” instead of “assault rifle” because these weapons aren’t assault rifles at all. They are semi-automatic rifles with no capacity for fully-automatic fire, which is primarily used by soldiers to lay down suppressive fire, and for engaging multiple targets at short range. If you’ve ever fired a fully-automatic weapon, you know why it’s commonly referred to as “spray and pray”.
Just to be clear, when the government buys the fully-automatic M4 for use here in the USA, for the Smithsonian and the US Mint, among others, it is a “personal defense weapon”; clearly they need to lay down suppressive fire and engage multiple civilians at once in the name of “personal defense”. But when a civilian buys the semi-automatic AR-15, it is an “assault rifle” and needs to be banned. You can’t make this stuff up.
It would be very difficult to accurately analyze who does and doesn’t have access to legally owned EBRs, so for simplicity’s sake, we’ll use a low estimate of 20 million people with access. That’s six times the number of Muslims in the USA. Don’t EBR owners deserve to not be labeled as fanatics and murderers just like Muslims? Don’t EBR owners deserve to retain their constitutional rights also? Especially given that there are six times as many EBR owners as Muslims in the United States.
The NRA only has 5 million members, so there are plenty of EBR owners (myself included) who are not members of the NRA, but will still likely be plenty pissed off if their Second Amendment rights are trampled. And there are at least 110 million people who live in a household with at least one gun, so pitching useless gun control measures such as hi-capacity magazine bans is sure to piss off even more people.
At this point it is worth mentioning the fact that rifles of all types account for ~4% of all firearm homicides annually – if you accounted solely for EBRs, the number would certainly be lower. You are almost twice as likely to be killed with a blunt object, and about five times as likely to be killed with a knife or other cutting instrument as an EBR. Even if you include all rifle deaths for 20 years (~7,000), over 99.99% of EBR owners in the USA still reject murder. Still, gun control advocates insist on calling EBR owners murderers with blood on their hands, while still refusing to recognize that radical Islam had a much bigger role in driving Omar Mateen to kill. Gun grabbers are always consistent in their shameless hypocrisy.
When gun control advocates don’t get their way, of course they throw a big temper tantrum and disrupt the entire lawmaking process. Even worse, the liberal rags will cheer them on, even though they voted down other proposals put forward by Republicans that were almost as intrusive on gun rights as their own. How’s this – let’s note every member who participated in the sit-in, and force them to vote on an “assault weapons ban”. I can guarantee the ones in gun-friendly districts will be squirming on that floor they’re “sitting-in” on. They would be forced to choose between voting against an assault weapons ban and looking like a total hypocrite in the process, or voting for an assault weapons ban, and losing their up-coming election. Can someone please make this happen?
There is a simple reason for this – the gun control crowd is trying to take away a constitutional right, and to take away something already enjoyed by millions of Americans. Those who have that right and want to keep it, are clearly prepared to fight and vote on this issue more than those who want to restrict it. We are all single issue voters – we don’t care if the candidate is Republican, Democrat, Green Party, whatever – we won’t even consider voting for them if they are on the wrong side of gun rights. Honestly, I think Bloomberg might be a good President, but I would actively campaign against him if he were running, just because of how much he spends in attempts to restrict the rights of legal gun owners across the USA.
The gun control crowd is largely a bunch of SJW types who hear about bad things and injustices and look for instant, quick fix solutions. They are the types who frequently say things like “Ban all guns!” or call for an “assault weapons ban”. And some of them may actually be single issue voters, but they will vote for “clean energy” one year, and vote to kill it the next year when their electric bill goes up 200% and they are subjected to rolling blackouts.
And the gun rights crowd?
We always vote for gun rights!
There are tens, maybe even hundreds of millions of us. We go to the polls, this year as we do every year, to vote for gun rights. We are a far bigger group than Muslims, and we deserve the same respect that they do. When you try to restrict our rights by instituting foolish gun control measures like an “assault weapons ban”, we will be there to vote against you. And we will never forget how you cast your vote; in this election, and every election to come.
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Duane Norman is a thirty-something, straight, white male living in the northeastern US, and is a staunch advocate of free markets and legal gun ownership. Duane founded Free Market Shooter and occasionally contributes to Single Dude Travel on issues related to freedom, liberty and the basic human right to self-defense. | {
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In view of the pandemic due to coronavirus (Covid-19), those passengers with a scheduled flight are advised to review the itinerary or flight status, as flight cancellations between some countries are occurring for an indeterminate time.
Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport, opened on May 15, 1931, is the largest in Mexico and the busiest in Latin America. Not only does it serve the nearest metropolitan area, but most of the country. In addition to domestic flights, it operates with numerous international destinations within America, Europe and the Far East.
Official Website: aicm.com.mxNumber of Terminals - 2 - Terminals 1 and 2, open 24 hours a day. There are public shuttles connecting both buildings, situated 3 km (1.8 miles) away from each other. The Aerotrén is a free service that can only be used by connecting passengers, with an electronic booking key, ticket or boarding pass; it operates every 10 minutes from 5:00 am to 1:00 am between gate 6, in Terminal 1, and gate 4, in Terminal 2.Annual passenger traffic: 47.7 million passengers went through it in 2018.Tel: +52 55 2482 2400 / 2424. There are information desks in the International and Domestic Arrivals and Departures Halls, available from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm. On the ground floor of both terminals there are also tourist information counters, open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Tel +52 55 2599 0704).
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Parking services at Mexico City international airport (MEX)
Inside the grounds, there are three parking areas with bays for short- and long-term stays. All of them are under surveillance through a CCTV system, operate 24 hours a day and have pre-payment booths.
Terminal 1 National Parking - In front of Gates 1 and 2 of the building, in the Domestic Arrivals area. Offers valet parking service.Terminal 1 International Parking - Situated opposite the International area, next to the bus stop.Terminal 2 Parking - Located across from the building's entrance.
Services for passengers with special needs
There are ramps, elevators, moving walkways, mini-vehicles for the transportation of people with reduced mobility, electric stairs and ramps, adapted telephones and restrooms, Braille signage and reserved parking spaces. Passengers requiring wheelchairs should contact their airline before their travel. | {
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Though the establishment of educational institutions is not necessarily surprising in Counter Reformation France as the church was obliged to foster education, what was innovative about Lyon’s écoles de charité is that ... | {
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p270
Chalceia
Article by Leonhard Schmitz, Ph.D., F.R.S.E., Rector of the High School of Edinburgh
on p270 of
CHALCEIA
(χαλκεῖα), a very ancient festival celebrated at Athens, which at different times seems to have had a different character, for at first it was solemnised in honour of Athena, surnamed Ergane, and by the whole people of Athens, whence it was called Ἀθήναια or Πάνδημος (Suidas, s.v.; Etymol. Magn.; Eustath. ad Il.II p284, 36). At a later period, however, it was celebrated only by artisans, especially smiths, and in honour of Hephaestus, whence its name was changed into Χαλκεῖα
(Pollux, VII.105). It was kept on the 30th day of the month of Pyanepsion (Suidas, Harpocrat. Eustath. l.c.). Menander had written a comedy called Χαλκεῖα, a fragment of which is preserved in Athen. XI p502 (comp. Welcker, Die Aeschyl. Trilog. p290).
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The purpose of the Code of Student Conduct is to promote the University's academic aims and a sense of community through the cultivation of mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding.
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Elections will bring new leaders in key civil service posts
Congress will lose at least two, and possibly three, lawmakers on Tuesday who have championed the rights of federal workers and crusaded for federal management reforms.
Rep. Steve Horn, R-Calif., chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations, and Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., ranking member of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, are retiring this year.
In addition, Rep. Connie Morella, R-Md., who has supported efforts to boost pay and benefits for federal employees during her 16 years in office, is locked in a tight reelection race against her Democratic opponent, Maryland state Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
Morella, whose suburban Maryland congressional district is home to many federal employees, recently sponsored legislation (H.R. 3340) allowing federal employees aged 50 and older to contribute an extra $1,000 to their Thrift Savings Plan accounts. The House passed the bill in October and it is now awaiting action in the Senate. The eight-term congresswoman also supported long-term care insurance for government workers and has worked to reduce health care premiums and child care costs for federal employees.
A recent Baltimore Sun and Gazette Newspapers poll of 563 voters in Morella's district showed her leading Van Hollen 44 to 42 percent, with 14 percent undecided.
Both candidates are equally devoted to federal workers, according to Paul Light, vice president and director of governmental studies at the Brookings Institution. "The two are virtually indistinguishable on civil service issues," he said.
Morella, one of the most liberal Republicans in the House, fought to allow employees in the proposed Department of Homeland Security to join labor unions and engage in collective bargaining. Van Hollen has also pledged to uphold the civil service status of federal employees slated to move to the new department.
"Federal employees were the victims of attacks in government offices in New York and the Pentagon," Van Hollen said in a statement. "Federal employees are the men and women who will be on the scene when our freedom is next attacked. It is shameful that the public servants we depend upon most to protect our liberties are being asked to surrender their civil service rights to keep their jobs- they deserve more respect."
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal employee union, took the unusual step of endorsing both candidates. "We have two excellent candidates and have equally good reasons to endorse either one," said Bobby Harnage the union's president.
AFGE praised Morella for establishing a "proven record of strong support for federal employees and their unions" during her tenure in the House.
Van Hollen has vowed to help agencies find ways to meet the challenge of recruiting top-quality civil servants to replace the large number of workers who will be eligible for retirement in the next few years. His election would also help the Democrats gain a stronger foothold in the House, meaning "one less vote in favor of retaining the rabidly anti-federal employee and anti-union House Republican leadership in the 108th Congress," according to an AFGE statement.
Van Hollen won the American Postal Workers Union's undivided support, because he is a Democrat, according to the union. "It was really an easy call for us to make," said APWU President William Burrus. "Morella is a Republican, and really anathema to organized labor. She has supported the House leadership."
But the National Treasury Employees Union decided to endorse Morella, because of her past support for federal employees. In addition to backing the "largest possible federal pay raise every year," Morella has been "instrumental in not only bringing federal employee concerns to Congress's attention, but ensuring that action is taken to address them," said NTEU President Colleen Kelley.
Horn and Thompson voluntarily gave up their seats in the House and Senate, respectively.
Horn chose to retire after efforts to redraw California's electoral map eliminated his district. A committee spokesperson did not want to speculate on who will take his place, since the whole Government Reform Committee will be reshuffled as term limits force Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind. to step down as the chair.
But nobody can fill Horn's shoes, according to Light. "This is a guy who really understands how government works," Light said. "Whoever takes over will be radically different. [Horn] was willing to put up with a fair level of ego. He presided over hearings where there were more people presenting testimony than there were in the audience."
Horn also stood out as a lawmaker who cared about information technology issues and seized on the Y2K problem before others in Congress started paying attention, Light said. The California Republican is also a longtime critic of agencies' financial management practices. In April, he gave government on overall grade of 'D' on his annual financial management report card.
Fred Thompson, who served as the chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee before the Democrats took control of that chamber, spent his two terms crusading against federal waste, fraud and abuse. He held hearings on improving agency programs cited by the General Accounting Office as being at high risk for mismanagement. He has also pushed for cost-benefit reviews of federal regulations.
If the Republicans take back the Senate on Tuesday, Thompson's departure means that the Governmental Affairs chairmanship will be up for grabs.
Sens. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are next in line for the position in terms of seniority. But Stevens already serves as the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, and would likely head that panel if the Republicans regain control of the Senate. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who has shown a strong interest in civil service reform, could also be a contender for the Governmental Affairs chairmanship.
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LORETTO, Pa. (AP) Nick SanGiacomo threw for 165 yards with a touchdown and ran for two more scores, including the game-winner with 11 seconds remaining, to lead Central Connecticut State to a 22-17 comeback victory against St. Francis on Saturday.
Trailing 17-16 with 2:24 left in the fourth, SanGiacomo engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive, completing four of his five passes and capping it off with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to clinch the contest for the Blue Devils (3-9, 1-5 Northeast Conference). | {
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A Dark Cloud Hovers Over Thai Activists’ Victory
Thongnut Sawekchinda was shot and killed near his home by gunmen on a motorcycle.
SAMUT SAKHON- A Thai court has recently backed protests by a local community, ordering the closure of a coal company. However, victory was bitter-sweet, with one campaigner the latest fatality of an apparent culture of intimidation.
There was delight this month for community members from Samut Sakhon province, after the Thai Central Administrative Court backed their protests against the coal company’s operations and ordered activities to be shut down.
The battle was about local authorities allowing a coal company to handle, transport and store coal and the construction of a port without authorization. Protesters claimed the operations were damaging the environment. Samut Sakhon lies at the mouth of the Tha Chin Klong River, a tributary of the Chao Phraya River, which runs onto the Gulf of Thailand.
Central Administrative Court ordered activities to be shut down
Though welcome, the court victory was tinged with sadness, having come at a high price.
In July 2011, community protest leader Thongnut Sawekchinda was shot and killed near his home by gunmen on a motorcycle. Arrests followed, including the suspected gunmen and a coal transport operator, accused of masterminding the murder. One of the conspirators was himself killed in May 2012 as he prepared to testify before a local court.
After the court decision, Thongnut’s widow, Jomkhwan Sawekchinda, said she was satisfied her late husband had played a part in improving the lives of the local community.
Paying a high price
Thongnut is one of more than 20 activists who have paid with their lives after leading campaigns over the environment and land rights in the past decade.
In the early morning of November 19, 2012, in the southern Surat Thani province, Montha Chukaew and Pranee Boonrat were killed by unidentified assailants as the women made their way to a local market.
Thai investigators discovered ten bullet cases from assault rifles near the bodies. The women were members of the Southern Peasants Federation (SPFT), set up in 2008, to fight for land rights access against a palm oil company at the village of Khlong Sai Pattana.
Somchai Homlaor, a human rights lawyer, says the killers remain at large. “No one was arrested because the many of the police in Thailand are under the influence of powerful people – business tycoons, big people,” Somchai said. “So the rule of law is not so effective because the police do not comply with the principle of the rule of law.”
Samut Sakhon lies at the mouth of the Tha Chin Klong River, a tributary of the Chao Phraya River, which runs onto the Gulf of Thailand.
Conflict of interest
Whereas in the past, murders and disappearances in Thailand were often linked to politics, Pasuk Pongpaichit, a Chulalongkorn University political economist, says activists deaths these days are more often tied to conflicts over development projects.
“You see this kind of conflict of interests which involve large sums of money, with a large amount of profits to be made,” Pasuk said. “You see this a lot – people, interested parties, get very selfish and resort to killing,” she said.
Shalmali Guttal, a researcher with the non-government organization, Focus on Global South, says the pursuit of rapid growth – including in Thailand – has led to conflicts leading to human rights violations, environmental destruction and rising inequality. Asia may be the engine for growth, “but this comes at a huge cost for local communities, the environment and human rights in Asia,” Guttal told DW.
“The government pays less attention to the protection of the human rights defenders in Thailand because (they are) activists, they are environmentalists and they are seen as trouble makers – the ones who protest the development,” rights lawyer Somchai told DW.
Call for reform
Activists point to the need for reform to ensure progress in investigations of murders and disappearances. They say Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission has failed to protect campaigners.
“One has to look at the judicial process. It’s very rare that the gunmen get punished or the people behind these kind of contracts get punished properly. And I think there is something wrong with the judicial process… We need to reform our judicial system,” she said. “It’s very rare that the mastermind gets punished,” political economist Pasuk told DW.
“Really, at the end of the day, the elite groups and the corrupt abusive government people behind them know who the activists are and they assess the situation,” said Robertson. “If they feel they can go after them they will and sometimes it starts with intimidation and sometimes it ends with murder.”
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The New York City Police Department is the nation’s largest municipal force, with 36,650 officers. The civilian agency charged with reviewing misconduct by the police has been notified of two cases — out of the 81 it has been able to track since 2010 — in which the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau upheld its conclusion that an officer had lied.CreditJulie Jacobson/Associated Press
Promotions, Not Punishments, for Officers Accused of Lying
Of the 81 cases in which a civilian review board found an officer had lied, the Police Department pursued “false statement” charges in only two.
The New York City Police Department is the nation’s largest municipal force, with 36,650 officers. The civilian agency charged with reviewing misconduct by the police has been notified of two cases — out of the 81 it has been able to track since 2010 — in which the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau upheld its conclusion that an officer had lied.CreditJulie Jacobson/Associated Press
For years, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a New York City agency that investigates abusive police behavior, has documented every instance it believes it has caught an officer lying. The cases rarely present much of a mystery: Often they involve officers who deny throwing a punch or who downplay the force used during an arrest — only to have their accounts undermined by video recordings.
But the civilian board has no power to mete out discipline in such cases; it refers them to the Police Department for further investigation and possible action.
In case after case, the Police Department reaches the same finding: There is not enough evidence to determine whether the police officer made a false statement, The New York Times found.
The board has been notified of only two cases — out of the 81 it has been able to track since 2010 — in which the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau upheld the board’s accusation that the officer had made a false statement. In the other 79 cases, the Police Department found no wrongdoing or found the officer guilty of lesser misconduct, such as failing to properly fill out a memo book, according to information provided by the board and a document obtained by The Times.
The department isn’t required to tell the board if it takes action. So while the board has been able to learn the outcome of the 81 cases, there are dozens of other false-statement cases whose results the board does not know.
“There didn’t appear to be any disciplinary consequences for cases where it seemed black and white that the officer was not telling the truth,” said Richard Emery, who was the civilian board’s chairman from 2014 to 2016.
The Times has examined how lying remains a persistent problem within the Police Department, which, with its 36,650 officers, is by far the nation’s largest municipal force. A monthslong investigation uncovered a number of cases in recent years in which officers had clearly not told the truth about arrests they had made — a phenomenon with a storied nickname, testilying, that is still tossed around.
But the department’s reluctance to investigate and discipline officers for lying — as shown by the information collected by the civilian review board — appears to be as much of a problem as the initial lies. One reason officers lie, it would seem, is that they can get away with it.
Looking at the cases brought by the review board is only one way to gauge how the Police Department responds to accusations of lying within its ranks. Another way is to review criminal cases that were dismissed after a judge concluded that a police officer’s testimony was not credible.
It is impossible to tally the number of such cases because they are often sealed by the court. But in several cases reviewed by The Times, it was apparent that many officers whose testimony came under suspicion experienced little negative impact to their careers; in fact, a number were subsequently promoted.
One plainclothes officer, Konrad Zakiewicz, was accused by two federal judges of testifying falsely in gun cases in 2013. His career survived. Last year, he was promoted to detective.
So was Nector Martinez, a Bronx police officer who in October 2017 testified falsely against a woman in a gun case, nearly sending her to prison on the basis of a story that appears to be made up. In November he received his gold detective shield.
Another Bronx police officer, Sean Kinane, also made detective last year, even though a federal judge the year before had said his testimony in a drug case was “unreliable” and “not credible.”
In another case, in 2016, a judge rejected the account of an arrest given by a Bronx precinct commander, Christopher McCormack, concluding that little of the commander’s testimony was credible. Yet in March 2017, Inspector McCormack was promoted to deputy chief and put in charge of detectives in Manhattan North.
‘Mistakes Based on Faulty Memory’
The Police Department has pushed back against the claim that lies by officers are not punished.
J. Peter Donald, a spokesman, said the Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau has grown more effective in recent years at catching dishonest officers. It has, for example, expanded its integrity-testing unit in which undercover investigators pretend to be crime victims, witnesses or suspects in order to see how officers respond.
“We’re proactively rooting out people who have a problem with the truth,” he said.
Separately, the Police Department convened a panel of top officials who, since 2016, have been reviewing every case in which a judge finds that an officer’s testimony was not believable. The department’s top legal official, Lawrence Byrne, said the cases were not, in the aggregate, indicative of a systemic problem. Often, Mr. Byrne said, the police officer’s testimony was undermined by “mistakes based on faulty memory, not an intentional lie.”
Another police legal official, Ann P. Prunty, went further, saying that at times it is the judges, not the police officers, who are in error. “Sometimes you see a judge who just has a bias and thinks that an officer’s account is implausible,” said Ms. Prunty, an assistant deputy commissioner for legal matters and a former prosecutor in Manhattan. “When you look at it, it is. It’s quite plausible.”
The Police Department noted that it brings dozens of disciplinary proceedings against police officers for making a “false statement” each year. But many of those cases appear to involve internal disciplinary matters — such as falsehoods about injuries, the circumstances of car accidents or off-duty misconduct — rather than incidents in which officers lied about arrests.
“If you intentionally make a false statement as a police officer, as opposed to a mistake, you can and will be terminated for that,” Mr. Byrne said. More than 70 officers have been “fired or forced out of the department in the last five years” for perjury or false statements, Mr. Byrne said in October at a New York City Bar Association event. About 150 more were disciplined to a lesser extent for making false statements in recent years, he said.
On paper, the Police Department’s policy about lying is severe: “Intentionally making a false official statement regarding a material matter will result in dismissal from the Department, absent exceptional circumstances.” The policy notes that statements to the Civilian Complaint Review Board are subject to this policy.
The severity of the punishment may actually discourage the department from bringing police officers up on disciplinary charges for false statements, the Commission to Combat Police Corruption noted in a recent report. With little option for lesser punishment, the Police Department may be trying to avoid ending the career of a police officer over a single lie.
The commission found that the Police Department has been “charging officers with making false official statements in far fewer instances than facts and circumstances seem to warrant.”
In Search of Accountability
The set of 81 cases in which the civilian review board accused officers of lying offers an opportunity to systematically examine how the Police Department handles allegations of dishonesty.
The board, with more than 80 civilian investigators and jurisdiction over a wide range of police abuses, has referred between 13 and 60 false-statement cases to the Police Department annually in each of the last five years.
While many details remain shrouded by police secrecy laws, The Times was able to learn the names of officers cited by the board for false statements in most of the 81 cases, as well as some specifics, from a review of court documents, transcripts and internal Police Department disciplinary documents. Many of the cases involve use of force.
In one 2014 case, video shows an officer capturing a fleeing drug suspect at gunpoint in Brooklyn. The officer can be seen striking the man in the head with his police radio during the arrest.
Two other officers on the scene were interviewed by the civilian board. One officer, Thomas Mikalinis, was cited for a false statement after claiming that the arresting officer had punched the suspect, according to a summary of the case. The second officer, James Cooney, was cited for a false statement for claiming that he did not notice any injuries at the scene.
The police later took the man, Christopher Torres, to the hospital for stitches, according to a lawsuit he filed. A photo said to be taken by a bystander shows blood smeared across Mr. Torres’s face. A video of the episode also appears to show blood on the sidewalk, although it does not establish that either Officer Mikalinis or Officer Cooney would necessarily have seen the arresting officer strike the man in the head with the radio.
Image
A photograph from a lawsuit against the Police Department that was filed by Christopher Torres, pictured, who was arrested on drug charges in 2014 in Brooklyn.
The Police Department later dismissed the board’s false-statement accusations against the men, according to Police Department records reviewed by The Times.
The two cases out of the 81 that were upheld by the Internal Affairs Bureau could not be identified with certainty. But one might involve a narcotics detective, Evagelos Dimitrakakis. He was accused by the Police Department of including false information in a sworn affidavit for a warrant to search a house in Brooklyn.
The detective’s alleged misconduct was discovered by investigators for the board who noticed the detective’s search warrant seemed to describe a single-family house, when in fact the house had been divided into at least two apartments, according to police records obtained by The Times. That raised the question of whether the detective had performed the investigative steps he claimed to have undertaken in his application for a search warrant.
In an interview with board investigators, Detective Dimitrakakis said that his confidential informant had purchased cocaine from people on different floors of the house, which the Police Department later determined was not true: The purchases had all occurred in a front room on the first floor. Detective Dimitrakakis currently faces the prospect of an internal police trial on charges of making a false statement, according to paperwork relating to his case. He has been transferred out of his former narcotics squad to the quartermaster section.
In the 81 cases it was not unusual for the Police Department to impose discipline for lesser offenses while finding that there was insufficient evidence to conclude the officer had lied. A number of officers, for instance, received minor punishment for failing to make a memo book entry or for failing to properly notify a supervisor. In other cases, officers were found to have either impeded or failed to cooperate with an investigation, which came with a hefty loss of vacation days.
‘A Culture of Dishonesty’
There is nearly a two-year gap in the board’s information regarding the outcome of cases between 2014 and 2016. During this time, there were dozens of additional false-statement cases — possibly more than 70 — that were referred to the Police Department but whose outcome the board never learned.
During that gap, there appear to have been at least four other instances in which the Police Department brought false-statement charges against officers based on the review board’s referrals, according to interviews with police officials.
The department’s top internal prosecutor, Kevin Richardson, said the police force “does take false-statement cases very seriously.” But he faulted the board for referring cases that hardly seemed to rise to the level of a lie.
In one case, Mr. Richardson said, the board had accused an officer of lying because of confusion over the color of a shirt. The officer had explained that he had stopped someone because the police were looking for a suspect wearing a green shirt. But the officer was a shade off. “There was a discrepancy about whether the color of the clothing was green or turquoise,” Mr. Richardson said.
Mr. Richardson said there were other cases over similarly minor discrepancies. “This isn’t an anomaly,” he said.
While the merits of individual cases are debatable, legal experts said they were troubled by the overall record.
“They are willfully ignoring what appear to be false statements, if not outright lies, and it’s intolerable for the Police Department to be doing that,” Christopher T. Dunn, the associate legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said when informed of The Times’s findings. “That just breeds a culture of dishonesty.” | {
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The Mormon Tabernacle Choir now has an app for Apple mobile devices. People can listen to the choir’s music 24/7; purchase choir Blu-rays, digital music albums, books and DVDs; watch videos; access a performance calendar; and read the choir blog.
In a very rare performance, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square will present Handel’s Messiah in its entirety. The Easter performance will coincide with Good Friday, 18 April, and Saturday, 19 April 2014, at 7:30 p.m. in the Tabernacle and will also be the first time in 10 years that the full choir and orchestra will perform at the Easter concert. Mack Wilberg, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, will conduct the event.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will provide a live stream of the Saturday evening edition of its 2013 Pioneer Day concert. Saturday’s show begins at 8:00 p.m. MDT at Motab.org/Pioneer2013; Friday’s show, which will not be aired live, starts at the same time.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are headed home to Utah after 10 days on tour in the Upper Midwest United States. The choir and orchestra performed in Minneapolis on 20 June after earlier stops in Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin.
As part of its upcoming tour, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will stop in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, on 19 June to honor the history of Mormon loggers in the area. Choir members donated the funds to erect a commemorative historical marker.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s music, including the popular Music and the Spoken Word weekly broadcast (the oldest continuing nationwide network broadcast in America), is now available on demand and archived on the choir’s new YouTube channel.
At the conclusion of this Sunday's broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word, the Choir will sing "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" to outgoing choir president Mac Christensen, who has served as president since 2000.
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Cobalt Data Center Locations
Cobalt’s Cheyenne data center is located at 7710 W. Cheyenne, Las Vegas, NV 89129. The data center has an extremely low instance of natural catastrophes and is considered a safe-zone from natural disasters. The area faces neither the earthquake risks associated with coastal California nor the winter storm problems that afflict the Mountain West and the northern US. […]
Cobalt’s Sahara data center is located at East Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV. The data center is located in an area of 2.4 Acres and has an extremely low instance of natural catastrophes and is considered a safe-zone from natural disasters. The area faces neither the earthquake risks associated with coastal California nor the winter storm problems that […]
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Here’s an issue that I’ve only experienced once myself, but that anecdotal evidence says may not be a completely uncommon occurrence for some users.
You install an app from the Windows Store that either doesn’t install correctly ... | {
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What’s Definitely The Most Effective Day-To Go On A Job Interview
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Make sure before you go to type, you take a look at your training.
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The Lenhart Family
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
"I want YOU!"
In nursing school, we are taught how to assess a person's pain level on a 0-10 scale. With experience we learn that anyone who is able talk rates their pain a "10" (especially while playing on their smart phone) is lying.
After going back to work yesterday, coming home to man the troops(7 kids) solo since Jake had an elders meeting, unsuccessfully trying to potty train a rambunctious two year old, and being in so much back pain I could scream... I would could have honestly rated my frustration a "10" on a 0 to 10 scale.
Finally a coveted reprieve was within reach... BEDTIME! I wanted to get in, read the book (skipping a few pages, sing the song (skipping a few verses), say the prayer, and get out!!! My big comfy bed and DVR was calling my name and I was ready to answer.
With baby settled, I was ready to tackle (not literally) our new two and a half year old "jewel". But she had other plans. Amidst the one more drink of water, temper tantrums, and my frugal efforts to appease this little lady, I learned a lesson that has been haunting me today.
After thirty minutes and just when my frustration and her crying reached an all time high, completely fluttered, I yelled (I mean calmly said) "WHAT DO YOU WANT JEWEL?!" to which she finally clearly communicated "I want YOU!"
Humbled I slowed down long enough to rock that precious jewel in my arms on the floor (despite my back pain) for a few minutes. And then, with me feeling like the biggest most selfish chump, she climbed in bed and went right to sleep.
Lesson #1: sometimes foster/ adopted communicate their hurt,grief, loss, and confusion with bad behavior. But what they are really crying out for is YOU! It's a mommy or a daddy to love on them and rock them for just a few minutes.
Lesson #2: sometimes we can get really frustrated, instead of throwing an adult tantrum or retreating into isolation, we just need to cry out to God "I want YOU!" Because no matter how old we are we need a loving daddy just as much as an orphaned child does. We need to crawl into his arms and rest!
I love the verse in psalms that commands "be still and know that I am God." Another translation uses "cease striving" in place of "be still". Sometimes God uses little things and or little people to get me to "cease striving" and slow my anxious heart down.
Today several times, when I have felt frustration creeping in, I have whispered and even yelled out to God three little yet powerful words "I want YOU!" And because of that today has been good!
Lenhart Family October 2012
My beautiful children
October 2012
Gotcha Day
Haiti 2013
Haiti 2013
OklaHOMEa
Jimso
Senior Night
About Me
I am a nurse and most importantly mom of 6 precious children( 2 are homegrown, 1 on loan,& 3 are hand picked). Drew (age 18) Ashlyn (age 16) We have adopted 3 Haitian miracles Jimso (age12), Jackson (age 15) a&Jedone (age 17) We also have a foster daughter who is a constant source of joy!We are passionate about orphan/ foster care. | {
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News & Notices
Update on Renfrew Fire Ban
Posted On: Friday, May 22, 2020
Fire Ban is lifted!
The Town of Renfrew will be lifting its Burning Ban effective 1:00 pm on Friday May 22, 2020. As such, those who are already in possession of a 2020 Recreational Open Air Burning Permit (numbers starting with 2020) are able to return to enjoying outdoor fires while maintaining good social distancing protocols as per the Provincial Emergency Order Guidelines. Please contact the Renfrew County District Health Unit with any concerns or questions you may have concerning Social/Physical Distancing.
The Town of Renfrew Fire Department is accepting requests for Inspections, in compliance with By-Law 29-2017, for the purposes of applying for a Recreational Open Air Burning Permit. Prior to calling to schedule your inspection, please take a moment to become familiar with all requirements by reviewing the regulatory by-law; a copy of which is available on the Town Website. | {
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]]>https://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/guccifer-2-0-dncs-servers-hacked-by-a-lone-hacker/feed/0prettytwistedthoughtsTake Heart, Berner: The Truth is Cominghttps://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/take-heart-berner-the-truth-is-coming/
https://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/take-heart-berner-the-truth-is-coming/#respondThu, 16 Jun 2016 15:50:56 +0000http://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/take-heart-berner-the-truth-is-coming/The Writing of John Laurits: Take Heart, Berner My warmest greetings to you, my brothers, sisters, & others — I hope that you are all in good enough spirits, though I know that the media has been hard on you, lately. You’ll be happy to know that I come bearing good news… It’s…]]>
Take Heart, Berner
My warmest greetings to you, my brothers, sisters, & others — I hope that you are all in good enough spirits, though I know that the media has been hard on you, lately. You’ll be happy to know that I come bearing good news…
It’s been a few days since I’ve written to you in a full article & this is because so much has been happening that I could scarcely write about any number without that number changing. Now, with the assistance of the People’s Math Front (& even some new volunteers), I think that I’ve got my grasp on the situation, again. Let’s dig in, shall we?
I’m sure that many of you are wondering…
What the heck is going on in California?!
Well, I’m glad that you’ve asked! Because it just so happens that I’ve spent every waking hour for the last several days…
]]>https://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/take-heart-berner-the-truth-is-coming/feed/0Featured Image -- 22prettytwistedthoughtsAn Open Letter to Bernie Sandershttps://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/an-open-letter-to-bernie-sanders/
https://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/an-open-letter-to-bernie-sanders/#respondTue, 14 Jun 2016 08:50:10 +0000http://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/an-open-letter-to-bernie-sanders/theindependentthinker2016: Our family on voting day. Dear Bernie, I hope this letter finds you well. I write you today on behalf of tens of millions of Americans and untold numbers worldwide. I write first and foremost to say “Thank you.”. Thank you for taking the time to serve your country and humankind. I, like you,…]]>
]]>https://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/an-open-letter-to-bernie-sanders/feed/0prettytwistedthoughtsWhy I will #SeeYouInPhillyhttps://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/why-i-will-seeyouinphilly/
https://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/why-i-will-seeyouinphilly/#respondFri, 10 Jun 2016 00:06:07 +0000http://prettytwistedthoughts.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/why-i-will-seeyouinphilly/The Writing of John Laurits: Greetings, my sisters, brothers, & others — Since the first article on the delegate math, I’ve (mostly) kept my mouth shut about the coming marches & demonstrations in Philadelphia & the rest of the nation (& the world) — this is because I felt that it was of…]]>
Since the first article on the delegate math, I’ve (mostly) kept my mouth shut about the coming marches & demonstrations in Philadelphia & the rest of the nation (& the world) — this is because I felt that it was of the utmost importance for the people to keep focused on winning as many votes as the rigged system would allow.
Now — the primary season is all but over & I’d like to talk about the next phase of our political revolution — massive demonstrations.
Why I’ll #SeeYouInPhilly
Here’s the truth, as I see it — in late 2015, democratic party registrations reached a low tide, with a mere 29% of registered voters (and forget the GOP at a pitiful 26%). Think about it — 26% +29% = 55% — that means that barely over half of registered voters’ interests overlap with the 2 state-sanctioned parties combined! | {
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I finally got a chance to comb through the response letters AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee about their text messaging rates, and they all took offense to accusations of climbing prices.
“T-Mobile’s average revenue per text message, which takes into account the revenue for all text messages, has declined by more than 50 percent since 2005,” T-Mobile president and CEO Robert Dotson wrote.
“Text messages were commonly priced at 10 cents per message sent or received in 2005. As of the end of the month, the rate per text message will have increased to 20 cents on all four wireless carriers,” Kohl wrote.
All four carriers responded to Kohl’s inquiry, though Verizon did not consent to having its letter released to the public.
“While it is true that the rate for casual text message usage has increased, Sprint does not agree that its overall rate for text messaging have increased over the past three years,” wrote Vonya B. McCann, vice president of government affairs for Sprint.
“T-Mobile’s average revenue per text message, which takes into account the revenue for all text messages, has declined by more than 50 percent since 2005,” Dotson wrote.
Sprint currently charges 20 cents per text message for those who pay on an individual basis, but offers 10 plans for text bundles that can bring prices down to around 2.5 cents per text. AT&T and T-Mobile have similar offerings.
All three providers gave themselves a pat on the back for handling the increased demand for text messages over the past few years.
In Q4 2005, AT&T processed 5.5 billion texts – a number that jumped to 32 billion in Q4 2007, said Timothy P. McKone, AT&T’s executive vice president for federal relations.
Sprint compared text messaging bundles to DVD rental company Blockbuster, which offers an unlimited subscription for $20 per month or $4 per DVD in the store. “Sprint’s variable text messaging pricing structure is not unique,” McCann wrote.
AT&T was particularly concerned about lawsuits that have popped up in the wake of Kohl’s inquiry.
“As you probably know, since your letter was made public, 20 class action lawsuits have been filed around the country against AT&T and the other national wireless carriers, specifically alleging price-fixing for text messaging services,” McKone wrote. “All but one of these cases cite your inquiry as one of the bases of alleged collusion. We were therefore eager to clear up any misunderstanding.” | {
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Spike Jonze is making a secret short film about robot love. Or: he’s making a short film about robot love, and it’s no longer quite as secret. I wrote about the project a few months ago, when all we had was a few small details and a suggestive photo. At the time the short was said to be premiering in November; obviously that didn’t happen. Wonder if some wires were crossed — that’s robot humor — and the November date was actually referring to We Were Once a Fairytale, which was leaked in October. Not long ago, Jonze said he hoped to finish it up by the end of January.
Regardless, now new details have come to light, including the film’s backer, and the star: Andrew Garfield.
The Guardian has a tidbit about the new project, which was actually funded by Absolut Vodka. Before you get up in arms about Jonze making a long-form commercial, keep in mind how some other similar projects have gone before. There are those BMW films, some of which were quite fun, not to mention the recent Absolut films with Zach Galifianakis and Tim and Eric, which were total insanity.
Here’s what The Guardian says:
He’s just shot another half-hour short film for Absolut vodka, a “robot love story” called I’m Here, starring British actor Andrew Garfield.
I was already highly interested in this one, but Garfield bumps that up a notch. He was killer in Boy A, and has a great presence in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, as well. He’s really the heart of that movie. While some of the other presences are more flashy, without Garfield the whole thing would fall apart.
That said, we still don’t know much about this one, and thought the Guardian calls Garfield the star, we don’t know to what extent he’ll be featured in the 30-minute short. Below is the photo of a broken robot arm that I ran when this was originally announced. How does that fit in? No idea. | {
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NoMachine 4.5.0 Download
Publisher description for NoMachine 4.5.0
NoMachine (what a great name) is a free tool that is a remote desktop application. It employs many powerful features. It works with many operating systems giving you the freedom to employ whatever kind you want. It has blazing fast remote link to its machine-human interface. You can collaborate with teammates or friends or both, you can share data and files, and NoMachine does this securely, regardless of the type of data or where it resides. The design allows you to work as if you were in front of your personal workstation, giving you access to all of your content and applications regardless of where you are and the PC you are using. As long as the storage is accessible by your machine you can remotely access that storage. You can print on your connected printer as if you were there. You can play games or be serious or be a reader, all remotely. Any PC or Mac that is NoMachine-enabled can be the source machine as you connect remotely. You can view any video in hi-res smoothly. Envision you are traveling light and need to get to files, data, images that reside on your home or work machine to someone else. If enabled, you sit at your friend’s machine, access NoMachine, access your machine, call up the applications and files needed, send them off to the target audience, and job done. | {
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Google says it doesn't copy, uses lemonade to explain
Schmidt happens
When life gives Schmidt lemons… he takes to Google+ to explain why his company is as innovative as alcoholic lemonade. You know, the social network that's a bit like Facebook but sort of isn't.
"Playing catch-up with the competition can only ever help you make incremental gains," wrote Google's executive chairman. "It will never help you create something new."
"It's important to understand what's going on around you, but the best way to stay ahead is a laser focus on building great products that people need."
Credit: Tom Fishburne
Accompanied was an image, depicting a community with a sincere alcohol problem, to illustrate the point being inferred.
In all fairness, though we jab at Google+, the platform has brought some unique features of its own. But there are plenty of other reasons why, if you're Google, you're probably better off keeping these sorts of bold statements to a minimum. | {
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Blog (page 2)
Understanding the difference between a will and a living trust can guide you in selecting the one that best meets your needs. A revocable living trust is a trust that is established during your lifetime. You would be the Trustor…
There are three main ways you can own real property with someone else in Oregon. Tenancy by the Entirety: Spouses can own real property as tenants by the entirety. This is the most common ownership interest for married persons. Both…
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means tested benefit that provides $735/month (for 2017) in income to the beneficiary. The beneficiary is not allowed to have more than $2,000 in countable resources. A person eligible for SSI will also be…
Attorney Tim Nay is a founding member Of the Trump Policy Analysis Group (TPAG). Its purpose is to objectively review and analyze legislative, regulatory, and other initiatives that directly impact older Americans and Americans with special needs. Members of…
A will allows you to nominate a personal representative of your estate and dispose of your probate assets. The personal representative would be in charge of your probate estate at your death. However, a will only controls the distribution of…
Real property is often the main asset of an estate. The home may be sold during the probate process but only by someone with legal authority to manage the estate assets. The Personal Representative (executor) must be formally appointed by…
Controlling where your assets go at your death takes planning. If you die without a will (intestate) or if all of your beneficiaries die before you and you have not named an alternate beneficiary the laws of intestacy in your…
In Oregon, a spouse has a right to inherit from a deceased spouse, unless there is a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. If the surviving spouse does not receive the Elective Share amount, determined by the length of the marriage and…
A life event, such as a marriage, is a good opportunity to review your estate planning. You will likely want to update your agents under your will, power of attorney for finances, and advance directive for health care documents. You…
Naming an agent or representative to act on your behalf is an important step in your estate planning. Care must be taken in deciding who to name as the primary agent and alternate(s). Many people name their spouse, adult child,…
You should review your estate planning if you are planning on getting married. You will likely want to update who your agents are under your will, power of attorney for finances, and advance directive for healthcare documents. You would also…
If a Medicaid applicant has gross income over the Medicaid limit of $2,199 per month (in 2016) an income cap trust is a device to enable the applicant to qualify for Medicaid with respect to the income requirement. This ‘income…
Making lifetime gifts of your assets may benefit your estate, assuming you will have sufficient resources remaining to live comfortably. An individual can give $14,000 per year to another individual. However, Oregon does not tax lifetime gifts. The federal government…
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TESTIMONIALS
“I felt absolutely daunted by the prospect of estate planning and kept putting it off. But once I discovered the highly informative website of Nay and Friedenberg, my anxiety lifted, and I was inspired to give them a call. Over the course of two sessions, Sam patiently guided me , step by step, through the process of creating a living trust. I give thanks for Sam’s legal expertise, his keen attention to every vital detail, as well as his down to earth warmth and compassion. With his help, I created a will that honored the unique dimensions of my life. My experience at the law offices of Nay and Friedenberg turned out to be uplifting and deeply meaningful.”
— Wendy F
“Professional manner, Professional advice, I felt like more than just a client.”
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TESTIMONIALS
“I felt absolutely daunted by the prospect of estate planning and kept putting it off. But once I discovered the highly informative website of Nay and Friedenberg, my anxiety lifted, and I was inspired to give them a call. Over the course of two sessions, Sam patiently guided me , step by step, through the process of creating a living trust. I give thanks for Sam’s legal expertise, his keen attention to every vital detail, as well as his down to earth warmth and compassion. With his help, I created a will that honored the unique dimensions of my life. My experience at the law offices of Nay and Friedenberg turned out to be uplifting and deeply meaningful.”
— Wendy F
“Professional manner, Professional advice, I felt like more than just a client.” | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Lessons From the Fight for Reproductive Justice in Texas
Mike Pence has been on a crusade in his own state to not just limit access to abortion, but to criminalize abortion, to make it a crime to get an abortion. In Mike Pence’s state of Indiana, the first women that we know of have been incarcerated for having abortions and, arguably, also for having an unplanned miscarriage. billmoyers.com | {
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} |
Photos: Blanchard Case
Rod and Kristy Blanchard, Gypsy's father and stepmother, are featured in the HBO documentary "Mommy Dead and Dearest." They say Dee Dee Blanchard convinced them Gypsy had health problems and refused to let Gypsy be alone with them. Submitted photo
Photos: Blanchard Case
Rod and Kristy Blanchard, Gypsy's father and stepmother, are featured in the HBO documentary "Mommy Dead and Dearest." They say Dee Dee Blanchard convinced them Gypsy had health problems and refused to let Gypsy be alone with them.
Submitted photo
"Mommy Dead and Dearest," a documentary about Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard, aired on HBO in May 2017. Submitted photo
Photos: Blanchard Case
"Mommy Dead and Dearest," a documentary about Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard, aired on HBO in May 2017.
Submitted photo
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On July 5, 2016, Gypsy Blanchard, 24, received a plea agreement in her mother's slaying that includes only 10 years in prison — the minimum sentence for a second-degree murder charge. News-Leader file photo
Photos: Blanchard Case
On July 5, 2016, Gypsy Blanchard, 24, received a plea agreement in her mother's slaying that includes only 10 years in prison — the minimum sentence for a second-degree murder charge.
News-Leader file photo
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Gypsy Blanchard raises her right hand and swears an oath while pleading guilty to murder in the second degree during her court appearance on Tuesday, July 5, 2016. Andrew Jansen/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard raises her right hand and swears an oath while pleading guilty to murder in the second degree during her court appearance on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.
Andrew Jansen/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard along with her attorneys, Mike Stanfield, right, and Clate Baker, listen as the prosecuting attorney speaks during her court appearance on Tuesday, July 5, 2016. Andrew Jansen/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard along with her attorneys, Mike Stanfield, right, and Clate Baker, listen as the prosecuting attorney speaks during her court appearance on Tuesday, July 5, 2016.
Andrew Jansen/News-Leader
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Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott gives an update into the homicide investigation of Claudinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard, 48, who was found dead in her home on June 14, 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott gives an update into the homicide investigation of Claudinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard, 48, who was found dead in her home on June 14, 2015.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The home of Claudinnea "Dee Dee" Blancharde, 48, and her daughter, Gypsy Blanchard, then believed to be 19, on Monday, June 15, 2015. Claudinnea was found dead in the home near Springfield on Sunday evening, and Gypsy was missing but later located in another state. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The home of Claudinnea "Dee Dee" Blancharde, 48, and her daughter, Gypsy Blanchard, then believed to be 19, on Monday, June 15, 2015. Claudinnea was found dead in the home near Springfield on Sunday evening, and Gypsy was missing but later located in another state.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The home of Claudinnea "Dee Dee" Blancharde, 48, and her daughter, Gypsy Blanchard, then believed to be 19 years old, on Monday, June 15, 2015. Claudinnea was found dead in the home on Sunday evening, and Gypsy was missing but later located in another state. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The home of Claudinnea "Dee Dee" Blancharde, 48, and her daughter, Gypsy Blanchard, then believed to be 19 years old, on Monday, June 15, 2015. Claudinnea was found dead in the home on Sunday evening, and Gypsy was missing but later located in another state.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
The Blanchard house near Springfield, photographed June 15, 2015.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. for a preliminary hearing on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. for a preliminary hearing on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Prosecuting attorney Dan Patterson introduces an evidence disc into his computer during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Prosecuting attorney Dan Patterson introduces an evidence disc into his computer during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard listens to hear attorney Michael Stanfield during her appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard listens to hear attorney Michael Stanfield during her appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Judge J. Ron Carrier is handed state exhibits by prosecuting attorney Dan Patterson during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Judge J. Ron Carrier is handed state exhibits by prosecuting attorney Dan Patterson during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Stan Hancock, the state's second witness, of the Greene County Sheriff's Office points to an image of state evidence during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Stan Hancock, the state's second witness, of the Greene County Sheriff's Office points to an image of state evidence during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Jim Stanleyof the Greene County Sheriff's Office, the state's first witness, points to an image of state evidence during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Jim Stanleyof the Greene County Sheriff's Office, the state's first witness, points to an image of state evidence during Gypsy Blanchard's appearance in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard enters court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard enters court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. for a preliminary hearing on July 24, 2015. Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Blanchard appeared in court for a preliminary hearing at the Greene County Courthouse in Springfield, Mo. for a preliminary hearing on July 24, 2015.
Guillermo Hernandez Martinez, Guillermo Hernandez Martinez/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn enters the courtroom during an arraignment on Monday, July 13, 2015. Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes, Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn enters the courtroom during an arraignment on Monday, July 13, 2015. Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes, Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn enters the courtroom during an arraignment on Monday, July 13, 2015. Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes, Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn enters the courtroom during an arraignment on Monday, July 13, 2015. Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes, Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Photos: Blanchard Case
Nicholas Godejohn pleaded not guilty to two charges in a strange case in which he is accused of killing his girlfriend's mother in a home just north of Springfield.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
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Gypsy Rose Blanchard raises her hammer during the dedication of her family's new home. News-Leader File Photo
Photos: Blanchard Case
Gypsy Rose Blanchard raises her hammer during the dedication of her family's new home.
News-Leader File Photo
Photos: Blanchard Case
Dee Dee Blanchard managed to convince doctors and neighbors that her daughter Gypsy had several health problems including leukemia, muscular dystrophy and limited mental capabilities. In return, they were given many types of donations. Gypsy is now serving a 10-year prison sentence for her role in Dee Dee Blanchard's death in 2015. Submitted
Photos: Blanchard Case
Dee Dee Blanchard managed to convince doctors and neighbors that her daughter Gypsy had several health problems including leukemia, muscular dystrophy and limited mental capabilities. In return, they were given many types of donations. Gypsy is now serving a 10-year prison sentence for her role in Dee Dee Blanchard's death in 2015.
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Rod and Kristy Blanchard, Gypsy Blanchard's father and stepmother, were featured in an HBO documentary about Gypsy's case. The Blanchard family is currently participating in the development of a proposed scripted TV series about the case, "By Proxy."(Photo: Submitted photo)
Today, Gypsy is working toward earning her GED and participating in the research process for "By Proxy," a proposed scripted TV series about the case, Blanchard said.
The News-Leader interviewed Gypsy's stepmother Monday with a phone call to Blanchard's home in Cut Off, Louisiana.
"She is thriving," Blanchard said. "There has been no long-term side effects from all the medication her mom had given her. She has a clean bill of health, thank God — and I really only think what it has done was stunt her growth. Now, don't get me wrong, her eyes, she does have a lazy eye if she doesn't wear her glasses all the time. That was since she was a little baby. Everything else was all a lie."
Gypsy has seen some, but not all, of the media hype surrounding her life, Blanchard said. For example, prison officials did not allow Gypsy to view "Mommy Dead and Dearest" after HBO released the documentary in May.
The first time Gypsy saw video of herself being interrogated by law enforcement was last fall, when she was interviewed for the "Dr. Phil" show, Blanchard said. That was also the first moment when Gypsy saw photos of the murder scene.
"I was really worried at first about it," Blanchard said, referring to the interview with Phil McGraw and the interrogation video. "You know, she didn't have a parent or a family member on the side with her when she watched it."
Gypsy called her stepmother afterward and said that seeing the crime scene "choked her up a little bit," Blanchard said. "But she handled it as best as she could."
Blanchard described her stepdaughter as "happy-go-lucky."
"Despite everything, she still tells me that she's happier now than with her mom," Blanchard said. "And that if she had a choice to either be in jail, or back with her mom, she would rather be in jail."
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Franchesca Macelli, a screenwriter working with the Blanchard family to produce the proposed TV series, said she has interviewed Gypsy since June and believes the 26-year-old is "very open about everything," trying to answer questions about her case as accurately as possible, as far as she can remember.
Screenwriter Franchesca Macelli is working with Gypsy Blanchard and her family on a proposed scripted TV series about Gypsy's experience with medical child abuse. Its working title is "By Proxy."(Photo: Courtesy Franchesca Macelli)
"She's such a warm and caring person, which is such an oxymoron," Macelli told the News-Leader on Monday. "You would think of a murderer as callous, hateful, horrible, but she's a caring person."
Gypsy has even sent Macelli get-well cards and a "very beautiful Christmas card," Macelli said.
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Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
Gypsy Blanchard takes the stand during the trial of her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn on Nov. 15, 2018. Godejohn is on trial for fatally stabbing Gypsy's mother, 48-year-old Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, at her Greene County home in June of 2015. Nathan Papes/News-Leader
A compilation of the events surrounding Gypsy Blanchard and the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard.
Nathan Papes/News-Leader
"We talk about it," Blanchard said. "She says, 'if I can't get out earlier, even with the petition, I'm fine with that.' She's really fine with that. She's just glad she's not under her mother's care. I mean, even though she went from one prison to another."
"At least where she's at now, she can say what wants to say, can eat what she wants to eat, she can walk, there's nobody telling her 'you can't say that,' stuff like that," Blanchard said. | {
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Antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have created a need for new antibacterial approaches. Research featuring one such antibacterial innovation using clay, a material used for its medicinal properties since ancient times, was reported in PLOS ONE (the journal of the Public Library of Science).
In this case, the innovation involves the antibacterial mechanism: specific metal ions attached to the clay. Rather than taking advantage of clay’s absorption power, this study found that the effective antibacterial mechanism is the release of specific metal ions with microbiocidal properties from the clay’s surface.
Comparisons of the antibacterial effect on pathogens of similar clay samples with different levels of iron, copper, cobalt, nickel, and zinc ions demonstrate the dominant role of those ions. Variability of antibacterial strength in clay samples correlates with the clay’s chemical variability.
Now that the mechanism has been demonstrated, further research will look to standardize the composition and antibacterial efficacy of clay, and define appropriate safety precautions to avoid effects of toxic minerals that are often also present in clays. If this works out, it could lead to another point for ancient wisdom’s applicability to modern research innovations. | {
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Heliopolis(Greek), Egyptian Iunu, or Onu (“Pillar City”), biblical Onone of the most ancient Egyptian cities , and the seat of worship of the sun god, Re. It was the capital of the 15th nome of Lower Egypt, but Heliopolis was important as a religious rather than a political centre. Its During the New Kingdom (c. 1539–1075 BCE) its great temple of Re was second in size only to that of Amon at Thebes, and its priesthood wielded great influence, particularly during the 5th dynasty (c. 2465–c. 2325 BCE), when the worship of Re became the state cult.In the New Kingdom, the temple of Re-Horakhte became the repository of royal records.
Little remains today of this great ancient Egyptian city. The sole surviving monument is the obelisk of Sesostris I, the oldest obelisk in existence. Of the pair of obelisks erected by Thutmose III in Heliopolis, now known as Cleopatra’s Needles, one stands on the Thames embankment in London and the other in Central Park, in New York City. | {
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To gain a better understanding of the knowledge gaps, research directions, and approaches that could be useful in supporting the development of resilient coastal communities, the Gulf Research Program sponsored a study by the National Academies’ ResilientAmerica Roundtable within the Policy and Global Affairs Division. View the report...
Representatives from the National Academies of Sciences of the G20 countries provided recommendations for improving marine conservation to the Japanese Prime Minister for later consultation at this year's G20 Summit. Learn more...
The President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Presidents of NAS, NAE, and NAM have signed a five-year agreement to continue their cooperation on studies, workshops, and other activities in areas of mutual interest. Learn more...
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New Report: Building and Measuring Community Resilience
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QED-C: An Industry-Government Partnership to Grow a Competitive U.S. Quantum Industry
Here at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, we promote the use of science, engineering, and medicine to enhance the security and well-being of people throughout the world and to ease disparities in human welfare. To accomplish this, we cooperate with partner organizations and scientific communities internationally. We also work to increase the capacity of both individual national academies and regional and global networks of academies to provide evidence-based advice to their governments, policy makers, and the public, thus strengthening and shaping policy and programs worldwide. To learn more, visit our International Activities website... | {
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Summer Research Fellowships
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The Institute for Humanities Research is able to offer two graduate research fellowships of $2,000 each for summer research and research-related travel. The work should be conducted during the summer of 2010.
Applicants should be current graduate students in good standing in one of the graduate programs in the Humanities division. Interested students should submit a brief (one to two pages) description of the proposed research and a simple budget; an even briefer letter of support from the faculty advisor should be sent to the IHR separately. These statements should address why the research is important, and how it will contribute to the student’s progress toward the degree.
Applications are due May 21, 2010.
Awards will be announced by June 15, 2009.
Submissions (and support letters) should be emailed to [email protected] as PDF files. | {
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...
Posting of signs helps curb shearwater deaths on Kauai
By Noelle Fujii / [email protected]
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 03, 2014
~~<p><strong>Question:</strong> Whatever happened to the efforts to help wedge-tailed shearwaters on Kauai after a large colony on the island's south shore was killed by dogs and cats last year?</p><p><strong>Answer: </strong>The state Department of Land and Natural Resources placed signs along the island's southern coastal paths, where the coastal birds nest, asking pet owners to keep their pets away from the area.</p>~~
Question: Whatever happened to the efforts to help wedge-tailed shearwaters on Kauai after a large colony on the island's south shore was killed by dogs and cats last year?
Answer: The state Department of Land and Natural Resources placed signs along the island's southern coastal paths, where the coastal birds nest, asking pet owners to keep their pets away from the area. Login for more... | {
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Lightyears has been established in 2005 in Denmark. Lightyears has developed and manufactured excellent quality lamps for residential and industrial purposes. In close cooperation with some of the world’s best designers and architects, Lightyears has designed a lot of innovative contemporary lamps.Lightyears proudly presents modern lights with great functionality and brilliant aesthetics. The concept is to create lamps that offer beautiful, yet functional illumination to the delight and benefit of the user. All of lightyears lamps are manufactured in robust materials like copper, steel, glass and acrylic, which together with their timeless design guarantee a long and trouble-free service life.Since 2005 Lightyears has been devoted on light productions for more than 60 countries and have formed the centerpiece of spectacular interior designs in restaurants, hotels, corporate headquarters, shops and private homes all over the world.Lightyears employs 18 people and is located in the port of Aarhus in Denmark, with showrooms in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Munich. | {
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International Conference, jointly organised by the Centre for Peace History, University of Sheffield, and the Arbeitskreis für Historische Friedensforschung, in collaboration with the German Historical Institute London and the German Historical Institute Rome Venue: German Historical Institute London | {
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What Women Want 2.0 with Sophie Walker in Cardiff
Sophie Walker, Leader of the Women's Equality Party, will visit Cardiff to ask the women of Wales "What do you want?".
**This is a free but ticketed event. Please book a ticket via Eventbrite.**
Relaunched in 2016 by What Women Want 2.0, WE have teamed up with the What Women Want team to lead a high-profile and historic canvassing project – a 'national conversation with women' – which marks the 20th anniversary of the 'What Women Want' Social Survey of 1996.
Through the power and reach of Women's Equality Party branches, WE aim to capture what women living in Britain want in 2016; the aim is to reach at least 10,000 women of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities and identities. The results of the conversation will inform the future policy direction of the Women's Equality Party, the fastest growing political party in the UK.
Join Sophie to hear and talk about What Women Want 2.0 at 12.30pm on Saturday 12 November.
There will be a collection on the day to cover the cost of the event, or you can donate online using the 'donation' ticket option on Eventbrite.
The Cardiff branch is planning its canvassing for What Women Want 2.0 now. If you'd like to be involved in canvassing and can spare a couple of hours over coming weeks anywhere in Wales please email [email protected] | {
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