text:
Leadership Succession at Crisis Action
Syria (2011- present)
Yemen (2017 – present)
Creative Coalitions Handbook
A catalyst and coordinator for organisations working together to protect civilians from armed conflict
Follow Crisis Action on Twitter
@Crisis_Action 19 hours ago
People's Coalition warns Mali crisis a wake-up call
28 local, regional and international NGOs released a joint statement calling for the political crisis in Mali to be a wake-up call of the need for a radical shift to address growing destabilization not only of Mali, but Burkina Faso, Niger and the wider Sahel region. Signatories emphasized that events in Mali had heightened the urgency of calls for a change of approach, reiterating that prioritizing a military response to the crisis had failed to promote stability, protect civilians from atrocities, and alleviate inter-communal grievances. The statement was received positively by stakeholders, with the UK government in particular expressing both broad agreement with the sentiments and interest in meeting with coalition leaders
Civil society briefings in lead up to Ministerial Roundtable
Members of the People's Coalition met with senior French, British, and EU officials in the weeks leading up to the High Level Ministerial Roundtable on the Central Sahel. In one such meeting, organized by Oxfam with the support of Crisis Action, African Security Sector Network, Centre Diocésain de Communication, and WATHI briefed EU member state representatives on the Africa working group (COAFR) as to the importance of prioritizing improvements in governance, strengthening the role of the penal system, and increasing outreach to populations and civil society in rural areas. This intervention was acknowledged in a confidential strategy non-paper on the Sahel by the European External Action Service, where they emphasized the need to continue consulting with civil society in similar ways.
New and wider engagement with Russian media
As part of Crisis Action's partners efforts to engage Russian civil society and the broader public on Syria, we supported Human Rights Watch to amplify media and public visibility inside Russia around their new report "Targeting Life in Idlib", published on October 15. The report spurred impressive media coverage, including a critical article and follow-up interview in Svoboba, in-depth coverage on the BBC Russian Service and pieces on the popular news site RosBalt, the financial news site FinAm, and regional news site Real-Vin. For most of these platforms, this is the first coverage of human rights abuses committed by Russia in Syria.
Supporting the finalization of the joint Russian human rights defenders' report
Crisis Action is providing support on the finalization and launch of the first-ever report by Russian human rights defenders on violations by all actors in Syria, including Russia. The report will be published in December via an international media briefing that will include both Russian and international journalists. A series of advocacy activities will then follow the media launch over the following months in European capitals, New York and Beirut.
Capacity-building support for Syrian and Russian civil society partners
On 21 October, Crisis Action delivered training on "Advocacy at the UN Human Rights Council and within the UN System," attended by more than 35 activists from Syrian CSOs. The session's key objectives were to provide an understanding of the key functions of the UN's international human rights mechanisms and processes, and how CSOs can most effectively engage the UN in Geneva and New York.
Saudi Arabia pushed to provide additional humanitarian funding
Crisis Action and partners helped to secure over $200 million in funding from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for the UN's humanitarian response in Yemen,. This involved working with partners to persuade the Middle East Subcommittee chair in the US house to demand, in a public letter signed by 55 Representatives, that the US "press the international community – especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE – to deliver significant contributions to humanitarian funding for Yemen." We followed this up by pitching CNN journalist Nima Elbagir on a story on Gulf states' under-funding, and subsequently worked closely with her to develop the story. The result "Aid cuts by Trump and some US allies are costing lives in Yemen" directly linked rising Yemeni malnutrition to the failure by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the US to adequately fund the UN humanitarian response.
Securing the largest-ever prisoner exchange agreement
In September, Crisis Action helped organize and circulate a joint statement among 8 Yemeni and international human rights NGOs urging all warring parties to reveal the fate and whereabouts of the forcibly disappeared and urgently release all those arbitrarily detained. Towards the end of September, the government of Yemen and Ansarallah reached an agreement in Switzerland to free more than one thousand detainees in the largest-ever prisoner swap since the conflict began in 2015.
The renewal of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (GEE)
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) voted to renew and strengthen the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen (GEE) for another year. While previously its mandate was focusing on reporting human rights violations, the GEE will now also be able to collect and analyze evidence that could be instrumental in pursuing accountability for war crimes in Yemen. These were exactly the asks of our coalitions private and public messaging around the GEE.
Bringing outside pressure for a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh
The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is escalating dangerously, threatening ethnic cleansing and regional instability, while key diplomatic voices are missing. On 16 October, we launched an Emergency Response, targeting a few key capitals to play a more active diplomatic role and to pressure all parties to honour a durable ceasefire and protect civilians.
Over 50 NGO partners attended a global briefing in late October with Svitlana Valko of International Partnership on Human Rights and Thomas de Waal, Carnegie fellow, which reinforced our campaign proposition and affirmed the need for coordinated joint action.
Now, we're connecting high-profile Azeri and Armenian voices – including faith leaders, former government negotiators, and ex-military figures – amplifying calls for peace across national and ethnic lines.
Pushing to avert post-election crisis in Tanzania
To avert post-election violence in Tanzania following the 28 October elections, we launched an Emergency Response with our partners Tanzania Election Watch, and were successful in encouraging the Spokesperson of the UN Secretary General and the African Union Chairperson to call on President Magufuli to ensure free and safe elections. The Tanzania National Election Commission swore in agents of opposition candidates, when they had previously refused to do so. Members of the Panel of Eminent Pan Africanists briefed senior officials in the office of the UN Secretary-General.
We worked with Professor P.L.O. Lumumba to publish an Op-Ed  in The East African calling for a peaceful, fair and transparent election.  The campaign also secured international media coverage, The campaign's Twitter hashtags – #TanzaniaFree and #TellMagufuli – had more than 10 million views and secured international coverage.
As had been anticipated President Magufuli was declared winner of the election notwithstanding the massive irregularities as documented by the Tanzania Election Watch in its Preliminary Election report. The government responded to opposition's rejection of the results by arresting the opposition leaders, and the AU Chairperson has been called upon by Tanzania Elections Watch to facilitate a mediation of the election dispute in Tanzania.


text:
Blogs > Walid Phares > The Free Iran we can work with
The Free Iran we can work with
by Walid Phares
The argument made by the U.S. administration—as well as the pressure groups promoting engagement with the Iranian regime, backing the "nuclear interim deal," and encouraging Iranian influence in the region—is that there is no alternative to the Ayatollahs regime in Tehran. Indeed, over the past decade and particularly since 2009 when President Obama sent his letter to Ayatollah Khamanei as a prelude to engagement with the Islamic Republic, voices in Washington and in Brussels have asserted that the Khomeinist regime is strong domestically and is the only option available to the West for stabilizing the region. Thus, despite the obvious common knowledge that the regime and its Pasdaran have been suppressing their own people, meddling in neighboring countries' domestic affairs, and backing terror networks including Hezbollah and Hamas, the "pro-engagement lobby" has been successful in convincing the current administration—and some in the media—that Tehran cannot be bypassed nor can it be confronted simply because there is no opposition capable of replacing the regime.
Ironically, the Mullahs regime has for years aided this assertion by suppressing any domestic opposition to the point of physical elimination. Dissidents have been jailed and killed, students tortured, and anti-regime groups dismantled. The strategy of the regime is also simple: If they succeed in eliminating the opposition and discredit it, the West and the international community will continue to accept the argument that no viable alternative to the regime exists. Thus the retreat of the West, particularly under the Obama administration, has been consistent with the goals of the Iranian government. From ruling out strategic action against the regime's nuclear facilities to abstaining from supporting the opposition, to allowing Hezbollah to dominate Lebanon, to standing idle while Assad is slaughtering his own people, the global retreat from containing Iran's rulers has been standing on one central assumption—the presumption that no force can challenge the regime from the inside.
Tehran's rulers have shown their determination to eliminate any challenging force. What should have been two major opportunities toward replacing the government were reversed to instead solidify the regime's power. In 2009, the regime repressed massive demonstrations in several cities with no response but an astounding silence from the U.S. and the West. While the protests demonstrated that millions of Iranians—particularly youth and women—opposed the regime to the core, the argument was made that no organized force could confront the power of the Ayatollahs' guards and agencies. The sympathizers of engagement with the regime argued that masses alone could not bring down the ruling elites. The second move by Iran was actually against the organized resistance, most notably against its bases in neighboring Iraq. With the withdrawal of the U.S. from the country at the end of 2011, Iran's allies in Iraq eliminated Camp Ashraf, site of the most important and most organized armed resistance against the Ayatollahs. Via assassinations, torture and takeover of the camp, Iran was able to crush what it considered to be the single-most dangerous evidence of a strong and capable opposition to the regime. With Ashraf occupied and Camp Liberty at the mercy of the attackers, Tehran claimed victory over the MEK and other components of the opposition worldwide. The claim of "no-alternative to the regime" was again used by the regime's propagandists.
But a massive rally in Paris organized by the National Council of the Iranian Resistance (NCRI) proved just the opposite. It drew close to 100,000 Iranians from around the world and included the participation of prominent public figures from the United States, Europe and the Middle East. In her speech to the world, thanks to a powerful organization of the event, the leader of the Iranian Resistance, Ms. Maryam Rajavi, reminded those listening that an alternative to the Islamic Republic regime exists on the political map. The crushing of the 2009 demonstrations and the invasion of Ashraf in 2011 did not shut down the opposition. The June 2014 Paris rally demonstrated that political opposition to the regime is as strong as it has ever been. More international politicians than ever before, from all along the ideological spectrum, expressed solidarity with the MEK-led movement in exile. The high level of participation by Iranian youth and women provided further evidence that the spirit of the opposition has consolidated and has grown more abiding. Media coverage was also greater, and—ironically—Arab participation, including both Sunni and Shia, was wider.
The Iranian national resistance was able to show the world that despite systematic criticism and regime propaganda efforts, there is an alternative that has popular support and is capable of challenging the medieval regime currently ruling the country. In short, there is another Iran that continues to flourish and grow in exile. The choice is up to the United States and the West: Continue to feed the ambitions and the life of the Jihadi regime in Tehran—or help its alternative replace it with a pluralistic, secular and peaceful government.
Dr Walid Phares is the author of The Lost Spring: US Policy in the Middle East and Catastrophes to Avoid. He is a Co-Secretary General of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group on Counter Terrorism. www.walidphares.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Cash Accounting for Agriculture
Aggregation Rules
Who's Involved
The Farmers for Tax Fairness coalition creates awareness about proposed tax reform that will pose hardship on U.S. agriculture operations.
The Farmers for Tax Fairness coalition was created in 2013 by ag consulting and accounting firm K·Coe Isom, who began working with farmers in 1932. The third-generation firm is increasingly involved in agriculture—from influencing policy to supporting input providers, producers, and post-harvest handling. The firm advocates for the long-term viability of the food and agriculture industry.
This coalition is part of a national campaign to protect farm operations' access to cash accounting, and the biggest threat to it today is the IRS' erroneous interpretation of the Farming Syndicate Rule. Farmers for Tax Fairness is an initiative of K·Coe Isom and is not established as a separate non-profit entity.
A team led by Ryan Stroschein, K·Coe Isom's Federal Affairs Manager, and Brian Kuehl, K·Coe Isom's Director of Federal Affairs, includes several of the firm's tax and legislative issue specialists, as well as K·Coe Isom's outreach professionals.
This cause—defending cash accounting for all active ag producers from IRS' misreading of the law and overreach on the FSR—is broadly supported, but we still need your help creating awareness and telling your lawmakers step up and defend cash accounting.
Meet the Farmers for Tax Fairness Outreach Team
Brian Kuehl
Director of Federal Affairs, K·Coe Isom
Brian joined K·Coe Isom in June 2013 when the firm acquired Vela Environmental, a strategic consulting firm with a long history of lobbying and sustainability consulting in the food and agriculture sector. Brian's career includes serving as chief of staff, legislative director, and environmental and energy adviser to U.S. Senator Max Baucus. He studied psychology, legal philosophy, and political theory at the University of California at Davis and received his law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law. In 2006, he was awarded the Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he received a certificate in advanced environmental studies.
Paul Smith, CPA
Principal, K·Coe Isom
Paul oversees K·Coe Isom's commercial feedlot services. His expertise is in auditing and tax, income tax planning, entity structuring, and agriculture financial consulting. He earned his bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University and is a member of the Kansas Livestock Association, American Angus Association, and the Barber County Cattlemen's Association.
Login for Supporter Updates
Farmers and Ranchers Call on Congress and the Trump Administration to Repeal Harmful IRS Ruling
September 19, 2019 - (Washington, DC) In a letter to Congress today, 28 of America's leading agricultural businesses and associations called for the repeal of an IRS opinion that threatens the livelihoods of thousands of farm and ranch operations nationwide. The...
Farmers for Tax Fairness Applauds House Tax Reform Bill
Bill Does Not Restrict the Ability of Farmers and Ranchers to Use Cash Accounting (Nov. 2, 2017) – Farmers for Tax Fairness, a national coalition of farmers and ranchers, today applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for not restricting the use of cash accounting...
K·Coe Isom Applauds Congressional and White House Progress on Tax Reform Framework
Leading Ag Consulting & CPA Firm Calls on Congress to Shape Tax Reform to Boost U.S. Agriculture (Sept. 27, 2017) – K·Coe Isom, the nation's leading agricultural accounting and consulting firm, today applauded the U.S. House and Senate leadership and the White House...
A Letter to U.S. Senate Finance
A letter to U.S. senators on tax code and access to cash accounting for agricultural businesses.
47 S. Scott Street, Unit A
© Farmers for Tax Fairness™ All Rights Reserved


text:
'use strict';

// MODULES //

var tape = require( 'tape' );
var hasOwnProp = require( '@stdlib/assert/has-own-property' );
var ind2sub = require( './../lib' );

// TESTS //

tape( 'main export is a function', function test( t ) {
	t.ok( true, __filename );
	t.strictEqual( typeof ind2sub, 'function', 'main export is a function' );
	t.end();
});

tape( 'attached to the main export is a method for assigning results to a specified output array', function test( t ) {
	t.strictEqual( hasOwnProp( ind2sub, 'assign' ), true, 'has property' );
	t.strictEqual( typeof ind2sub.assign, 'function', 'has method' );
	t.end();
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
COLLECTION Identifier: MS Thr 372.1
Mrs. Patrick Campbell correspondence and other papers
Letters from British actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell (official stage name of Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner Campbell) to British playwright George Bernard Shaw and miscellaneous materials relating to the publication of their correspondence, as well as letters to Campbell from others.
1901-1940 and undated
1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)
The largest part of this collection consists of letters written by Campbell to George Bernard Shaw throughout the forty years of their relationship. Beginning in 1899 with Shaw's first letter and carrying through to the end of Campbells's life in 1940, the two shared an early flirtatious relationship and reciprocal inspiration that perhaps most notably gave shape to the role of Eliza in Shaw's Pygmalion. Written for Campbell, she played the role to accolades.
The letters between Shaw and Campbell range widely, delving into the subjects of their active careers, family, health, emotions, travel, and their many significant theatrical and society acquaintances and friends. James Barrie, W.B. (William Bulter) Yeats, Dame Ellen Terry, Alfred and Edith Sophy Lyttelton, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Sir Arthur Wing Pinero and Sir Henry Irving are mentioned with casual frequency. Politics is a notably absent theme; Campbell was not particularly interested.
A significant portion of the correspondence involves a specific and contentious topic for these writers: the publication of their letters. This project occupied Campbells's imagination for many years, first as a feature of her 1922 My life and some letters, in which she hoped to feature Shaw's letters to her, a proposition he did not favor. Acting in defense of his and his wife, Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend Shaw's, privacy, he demanded revision and redaction in advance of the publication. Their debate on the subject reigned during the years of 1921 and 1922 and concluded in a stretch of near silence lasting until 1928. In 1938, near the end of her life, Campbell again applied a concerted effort toward a published volume of their correspondence.
Publication exists not only as a theme of these letters, but as another framework through which they were actively read, both by Shaw and Campbell, as well as others such as the editor of a 1952 volume of their correspondence, Alan Dent. Manuscript annotations and corrections by these parties litter the letters and are noted where applicable.
Also included in this collection are two letters to friends Harry Lachman and Jue Quon Tai from Campbell. Additionally, letters to Campbell from her son, Alan Urquhart ("Beo"), various theatrical figures including George Arliss, Arnold Bennett, and Sir John Gielgud, and friends such as Daphne Du Maurier and Naomi Ellington Jacob are included. Typescript transcripts of Shaw's letters and postcards to Campbell as well as several letters from publishers and lawyers relating to the publication their correspondence round out the collection.
Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner Campbell (1865-1940) was a prominent British actress. She made her debut as Mrs. Patrick Campbell in 1888 playing in a string of minor successes until an 1893 role as Paula in The second Mrs. Tanqueray launched her career and garnered high praise in the press. Campbell is particularly remembered for her role as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, a part written for her by George Bernard Shaw, who began correspondence with her in 1899.
Though begun at the close of the previous century, the correspondence between Shaw and Campbell did not truly bloom until 1912. At that time, Shaw, the noted playwright, Fabian socialist, journalist, dramatic and literary critic, who had been married to fellow Fabian suffragist Charlotte Frances Payne-Townshend Shaw since 1898, pronounced himself to be "head over ears in love" with Campbell. In 1914, when Campbell, a widow of almost 15 years, was to marry George Cornwallis-West, Shaw implored her not to marry "that George." The marriage, combined with a souring experience for the two flirtatious friends in Sandwich (1913), seemed to dull the frequency of their correspondence until the 1920s when Campbell introduced the idea of publishing their collected letters in her autobiographical work, My life and some letters.
The correspondence, though less frequent through the years, continued to the end of Campbell's life. Her will, written in 1934, stated her long-held desire that their correspondence be published in full. Shaw's will, dated the year of his death in 1950, granted long-withheld permission for the correspondence to be published to the financial benefit of Campbell's great-grandchildren. The collection, Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell: their correspondence (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952), edited by Alan Dent, included a significant selection, though not all, of the correspondence. Of the letters included, a number were also edited for content to prevent "pain or embarrassment."
Organized into the following series:
I. Correspondence
___A. Letters from Mrs. Patrick Campbell
___B. Letters to Mrs. Patrick Campbell
___C. Other correspondence
II. Other material
82M-70. Gift of Frederick R. Koch AB 1955, 825 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10021; received: 1983 March 8.
See HOLLIS for additional holdings at Houghton relating to Shaw and Campbell.
Other instances of George Bernard Shaw and Campbell's correspondence are also present in the Bernard F. Burgunder collection of George Bernard Shaw at Cornell University Library and in the George Bernard Shaw collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center.
Dent, Alan. Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell their correspondence. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952.) Kilty, Jerome. Dear Liar: A comedy of letters adapted by Jerome Kilty from the correspondence of Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell. (London: Max Reinhardt, 1960.) Peters, Margot. Bernard Shaw and the actresses. (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1980.)
Dent, Alan. Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell their correspondence. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1952.)
Kilty, Jerome. Dear Liar: A comedy of letters adapted by Jerome Kilty from the correspondence of Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell. (London: Max Reinhardt, 1960.)
Peters, Margot. Bernard Shaw and the actresses. (New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1980.)
Originally processed by Maggie Lehrman, under the supervision of Beth Carroll-Horrocks.
Cataloging enhanced in 2011 by Emilie L. Hardman.
NOTE: When the final cataloging was completed in 2011, the items were completely resorted and assigned new item numbers. At some time in the past, penciled item numbers had been written on most letters and envelopes. The reader should note that those penciled numbers no longer are valid.
Campbell, Patrick, Mrs., 1865-1940. Mrs. Patrick Campbell correspondence and other papers, 1901-1940: Guide.
Mrs. Patrick Campbell Correspondence and Other Papers, 1901-1940 (MS Thr 372.1). Houghton Library, Harvard University.
Mrs. Patrick Campbell Correspondence and Other Papers, 1901-1940 (MS Thr 372.1). Houghton Library, Harvard University. https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/hou00457/catalog Accessed January 29, 2023.


text:
Why Preserve Endangered and Indigenous Languages?
Jill Peck Oct 24, 2019
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2019 as the "International Year of Indigenous Languages," or IYIL, to raise awareness for the world's disappearing Indigenous languages. But what are Indigenous languages, and why preserve them?
What is an Indigenous Language?
When referring to languages or peoples, the word 'Indigenous' doesn't merely mean "native to or naturally occurring in a place." Rather, the United Nations describes Indigenous peoples as "inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live."
The cultures passed down within these groups serve as repositories of tradition, and the languages themselves sometimes interpret and express meaning in intricate and relatively unusual ways. Protecting them is exigent; by definition, these people coexist with more dominant societies that often stifle, at times intentionally, their distinct cultural identity.
What is IYIL?
The objective of IYIL 2019 is to bolster and promote the languages spoken by Indigenous peoples in the face of these challenges, and raise awareness as to the importance of the knowledge and heritage they contain. The sad fact is, many if not most of these languages are in real danger of disappearing forever.
According to UNESCO, nearly half of the world's estimated 7000 languages will likely cease to be spoken in the next hundred years. This mass extinction of about 3000 languages is a bone-chilling prospect, and in order to sound the alarm, multiple organizations have deemed these languages "endangered."
UNESCO has a six-degree scale that ranks living, endangered languages from vulnerable — those still spoken by children, but only in the home — to critically endangered — those only spoken by the grandparent generation, and they use it infrequently. UNESCO's website includes an impressive online atlas of the languages in jeopardy.
The Ethnologue has a 13-degree scale of endangerment which makes finer distinctions. These take into account whether a language is supported by a national or official status, or whether it is used in an education system — both of which can contribute to language longevity. Regardless of the agency or the scale, the defining factor of language endangerment is whether children continue to learn the language at home.
In addition to the wealth of cultural heritage, the value each language contributes to the field of Linguistics is immeasurable. As linguists try to explore and explain how language works in the brain, each and every language provides a perspective and datapoint totally equal in weight to that of any other. In this way, all languages are equal; the number of speakers, geographic range, or their use in affluent population centers or otherwise is entirely irrelevant. Therefore, even the loss of a single language is lamentable to linguists and linguaphiles alike.
The Linguistic Society of America describes the status of Indigenous languages in North America as "typical." Only eight of the approximately 165 Indigenous languages are spoken by more than 10,000 people, while 75 are in grave danger.
The situation, though grim, is by no means hopeless.
Indigenous communities across North America and beyond have been continually putting in the long hours of effort to revitalize their heritage languages. There are countless language departments and programs that teach tribal citizens the complexities of their language and provide them the space to practice and hone their communication skills. Immersion schools, bilingual head-start programs, and adult education classes are essential to laying a foundational speaking population. Master-Apprentice Programs are also effective, though demanding. These programs partner an elder fluent speaker with an apprentice, who spend long hours together and work to document and teach the apprentice the language. All of the above are implemented in hopes of achieving the ultimate goal: passing the language on to the next generation.
What Mango is doing to help
We're continually refining our courses, as well as adding new ones. Stay tuned for the latest addition to our endangered languages' collection — Potawatomi!
Our team has been working closely with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Dowagiac, Michigan to build a Potawatomi language course. If you'd like to learn about the fascinating language where place names like Chicago, Wisconsin, and Michigan come from, check back in a couple of weeks.
And remember, of Mango's 70+ language courses, nine are endangered languages spoken by Indigenous communities. As a sign of our commitment to promoting these languages, these courses are always offered free of charge to our users. The list of courses includes Cherokee, Tuvan, Hawaiian, Chaldean, Scottish Gaelic, and more.
Explore an endangered language for free.
Designed for the explorers at heart, the kindred spirits who want to live life to the fullest, Mango is language learning for the modern world. Challenge what you know and let the world surprise you. With over 70 languages, which one will you choose?
Which endangered language would you like to learn and why?
You Asked, We Updated: See the Latest in the Mango Mobile App
Start the Conversation in Potawatomi
Written by Jill Peck
Jill Peck is a linguist for Mango Languages. Her fields of expertise include Sino-Tibetan languages and Phonology.
Language Culture
3 Ways to Celebrate Native American Heritage Month


Blepharoplasty surgery (eyelid tuck) is performed to cosmetically and functionally rejuvenate the eyelids and associated structures. By rejuvenating the eyelids, patients look more alert, awake and refreshed.
As we age, the skin and muscle associated with eyelids become loose and baggy. This produces a sad and saggy look that makes us look old and tired. In addition, tissues that separate the cushioning fat around the eyeball become weak and fat protrudes into the eyelids forming bags under the lower eyelids and making the upper lids appear thick.
The excess tissue can also obstruct vision and by having cosmetic eyelid surgery, patients don't only look better, but oftentimes see better as well. Aging changes of the eyelids can begin in the third decade and it is not uncommon to perform cosmetic eyelid surgery on patients in their 30's and 40's. Many people watch what they eat, they exercise and they pay attention to their appearance. Although they feel young, a complaint from many patients is when they look in the mirror they see a person that looks much older than they feel. Their friends are asking them if they are tired and they have lost that happy, refreshed look. Droopy and baggy eyelids simply make patients look older and tired.
When you pinch you excess eyelid skin and it stays pinched, it is time for blepharoplasty.
In the video below Dr. Niamtu discusses the essentials of safe blepharoplasty with natural results. Since a patient may only have this operation once in their life, investing some time and watching this video can be valuable to understand the procedures, dispel myths and make the correct decision when choosing a blepharoplasty surgeon.
The goal of cosmetic eyelid surgery is to remove excess tissue to rejuvenate the eyelid region. The patient above underwent upper eyelid surgery only.
One of the biggest problem with aging female upper lids is the inability to wear eye makeup because the excess skin lies on the lashes. The after image above illustrates the restoration of the youthful upper eyelid.
The before and after photos below show selected patients with cosmetic eyelid surgery.
Festoons are "boggy tissue" under the lower lids and and can sit on the upper cheek. Technically this is a process known as lymphedema where lymphatic fluid backs up in the tissues. Older treatments required surgical excision of the festoons, thus leaving a scar. CO2 laser technology has provided a 10 minute treatment (with about 7-8 days of recovery) that can dramatically improve this condition. The patients below were treated by Dr.Niamtu with CO2 laser resurfacing.
Blepharoplasty surgery is performed in our fully accredited office surgery center with light IV anesthesia. If desired, the surgery can usually be performed with local anesthesia as well. This surgery takes about 15 minutes per eyelid and the recovery time is usually about a week. During this time, the patient must refrain from any heavy activity and lifting. The eyes may swell or bruise for several days after surgery. Most patients that have eyelid surgery on Thursday or Friday can recover over the weekend and get out of the house by Monday or Tuesday with sunglasses to cover the surgery.
Dr. Niamtu uses the newest technologies of laser and radiowave surgery for eyelid surgery. This produces less bleeding and tissue damage which means faster recovery, less bruising, faster healing and less post operative pain.
Dr. Niamtu also uses the transconjunctival approach for lower eyelid surgery. This method allows the incision to be made inside the lower eyelid so there is no visible surgical scar. This approach is also less likely to cause a pulling down of the lower eyelid that is frequently seen with external incision techniques.
Older style external incisions (on the outside of the lower eyelid) can cause retraction of the lower eyelids and an unsightly pull down of the lower eyelid. This also causes exposure of the sclera (the white of the eye) and these changes are telltale signs of improper surgical technique. This can also result from excessive skin removal on the lower eyelid.
To avoid problems associated with lower eyelid malposition and excessive scleral show, Dr. Niamtu frequently treats the excess lower eyelid skin with laser resurfacing. This allows dramatic skin tightening without cutting away skin. No incisions are required. When performing laser resurfacing of the eyelid skin the patient will be red for a week and then pink for another several weeks. Makeup can be used to cover the pinkness until it resolves. For minor to moderate lower eyelid wrinkling, chemical skin peel can be performed and heals in about a week. The results are not quite as dramatic as the laser treatment, but the recovery is faster.
Festoons are the baggy pouches that some patients develop on the lower eyelids and cheeks. Dr. Niamtu treats many and out of state patients for festoon improvement. He has numerous lasers to take away festoons and years of aging.
Fat that normally cushions the eyeball protrudes and causes bags of the lower eyelids. This can be a heredity condition and occur early in life.
For patients that do not desire laser or chemical peel skin tightening, Dr. Niamtu utilizes a conservative procedure called a "skin pinch". This small procedure is done with a mini incision hidden under the eyelashes and can tighten the wrinkles without adversely affecting the normal eyelid position.
Dr. Niamtu has performed thousands of cosmetic eyelid procedures and it is one of his favorite procedures. Hundreds of Dr. Niamtu's before and after pictures can be seen by viewing the before and after galleries.
Simultaneous rejuvenation of the lower eyelids and the cheeks is a winning combination.
lower eyelid surgery can double team facial aging.
When considering cosmetic eyelid surgery it is important to inform your surgeon of any abnormalities of your eyes, vision, or general eye health. You should also schedule your surgery when you can relax for a week. Eyelid surgery is very safe but complications can occur when patients over exert themselves. When using laser and radiowave techniques like Dr. Niamtu does, patients often feel great shortly after surgery and can have a tendency to over due activities such as sports, gardening, exercise, etc. It is truly important to refrain from strenuous activities that require bending or lifting for a week after surgery to avoid complications. In addition, any drugs that increase bleeding such as aspirin, some vitamins and herbs and some over the counter medications need to be discontinued 2 weeks before surgery. The standard of care is to have minor blood work performed before eyelid surgery to make sure the patent's clotting system is functioning properly.
The position of the forehead and eyebrows also effects upper facial aging. Endoscopic and mini open brow lifting are newer procedures that are used to address this problem. Brow position should always be considered before undergoing Blepharoplasty. If you consult a cosmetic surgeon for eyelid surgery and they do not mention brow position in the first minute, you should probably see another surgeon!
Dr. Niamtu performed the best Blepharoplasty on my lower eyelids just two and a half months ago. I am so please with the results and I feel lifted both mentally and physically. As an African American woman, we often assume that we don't need cosmetic surgery but in my case, the natural milestones faced in later life had taken a toll on my appearance and dampened my feeling of well-being. Dr. Niamtu conquered all this with prompt, friendly and courteous service and his superior facial art works. During my initial consultation, the high level skill of Dr. Niamtu was apparent as he easily diagnosed and recommended treatment which included blepharoplasty, botox and smile line filers. The beauty of my two best female friends and colleagues (one Philippine and the other African American) are enhanced by Dr. Niamtu's skill as the both were his patience. They shared their immaculate satisfaction with Dr. Niamtu and all the staff. I must say that they all make you feel and look like a celebrity every time.
Dr Joe. Many thanks for the before after photos. As both of my daughters remarked, when I sent than photos before I saw than in person, that I was still me, but without all that excess 'baggage' I don't know what they were expecting, and for that matter, neither did I, but I am very, very pleased. Seeing the smiles on their faces 1 month post-op told me all that I needed to know. The care and attention given by you and your staff put me totally at ease, and for that I am most grateful.
Dr. Joe,Amazing results! I had been wearing glasses to hide my bags for years. After having them removed I feel more confident. Now I'm wearing contact lenses and eye makeup for the first time. 🙂 I don't look tired anymore.You and your staff were wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better doctor.
Dr. Niamtu does not participate with insurance plans. He performs purely cosmetic eyelid surgery with attention to sculpting skin, muscle, fat and wrinkles. There can be a big difference between cosmetic eyelid surgery and insurance-covered procedures that simply remove some excess tissue to improve vision.
These are two videos that are short vignettes of radiowave assisted cosmetic blepharoplasty. This is one of my topics that I am presenting at the Cosmetic Surgery Forum in Las Vegas next week. Radiowave surgery (like laser incision) is a practically bloodless means of performing blepharoplasty and no bleeding means faster healing with less pain and bruising. These are actual live surgery videos and viewer discression is advised.
The eyes are called the "seat of the soul" and are one of our most attractive features in youth. Studies have shown that when we first view a person, we make hundreds of subconscious impressions based upon the persons features and invariability, the first thing we look at are the person's eyes.
As we age, we experience changes with the skin, bone, muscle and fat of the eyelid regions. On of the main changes that happens is the development of "fat bags" especially on the lower eyelids.
The eye is naturally surrounded by a generous layer of fat to protect and cushion the eyeball. As we age, the tissues that normally keep the fat in place begin to weaken and the fat protrudes and becomes apparent. In addition, the skin of the eyelids becomes very wrinkled.
Cosmetic blepharoplasty is a procedure that reduces the protruding fat and rejuvenates the aging skin. Dr. Niamtu performs blepharoplasty with lasers which prevent bleeding and enable faster and less painful recovery with minimal bruising. He also employs a surgical approach that keeps the laser incision scar inside the lower eyelid so it is not visible. This video shows a patient with very large lower eyelid (and upper) bags being treated by Dr. Niamtu with the CO2 laser. This case represents extreme fat protrusion and the patient has much less fat to be reduced.
This video show actual surgical footage and may not be suitable for all viewers.
- This video contains actual surgical footage and may be graphic for some viewers. Dr. Niamtu performs lower and upper blepharoplasty on a patient with large fat depositions in the eyelids.
This video contains actual surgical footage and may be graphic for some viewers.
Dr. Niamtu performs lower and upper blepharoplasty on a patient with large fat depositions in the eyelids.
- Dr. Niamtu demonstrates a alternative surgical approach to lower eyelid blepharoplasty. This incision is rarely used by Dr. Niamtu but does have certain indications where it is preferable.
Dr. Niamtu demonstrates a alternative surgical approach to lower eyelid blepharoplasty. This incision is rarely used by Dr. Niamtu but does have certain indications where it is preferable.
The video below show condensed scenes of Dr. Niamtu performing a blepharoplasty with the Lumenis Encore CO2 laser. This is graphic surgical video and may not be suitable for viewing by some people. Notice that throughout all steps of the surgery there is no bleeding! Bleeding causes longer recovery, with increased pain and bruising. By having a bloodless procedure, the patients recover faster with less pain and bruising.
Some patients have aging situations that can be treated without surgery. Masquerading lower lid fat bags by filling the depression with injectable filler and simultaneously plumping the cheek is a small 10 minute procedure that can make a huge difference in looking younger. The recovery is minimal and your friends wonder if you are getting more sleep! This video shows actual injection so viewer discretion is recommended.
- Dr. Niamtu explains the details of proper eyelid diagnosis and treatment and discusses common mistakes made by surgeons and patients. If you are planning to have cosmetic eyelid surgery, invest several minutes of your time to view this video. It may save you a lot of frustration in the future.
Dr. Niamtu explains the details of proper eyelid diagnosis and treatment and discusses common mistakes made by surgeons and patients. If you are planning to have cosmetic eyelid surgery, invest several minutes of your time to view this video. It may save you a lot of frustration in the future.
Eyelid surgery can be seriously complicated by common medications that many patients take on a regular basis. Although these medications may seem harmless, they can affect the ability of blood to clot which can lead to complications in any surgery, but especially in eyelid facelift surgery. The following list show common medications that can increase bleeding. Before any surgery always tell your surgeon what medications you are taking.
Dr. Niamtu has published a 1,000 page comprehensive textbook on cosmetic facial surgery which includes a large chapter on his cosmetic eyelid techniques. Few surgeons receive the honor to publish such a text with a major medical publisher like Elsevier .
In:Cosmetic facial surgery. Editor: Dr. Niamtu, St. Louis, 2011, Mosby Elsevier.
Radiowave surgery versus CO2 laser for upper blepharoplasty incision: which modality produces the most aesthetic incision?
Dr. Niamtu lectures frequently on cosmetic eyelid surgery and is a regular speaker at the prestigious Cosmetic Eyelid and Brow Course at St. Louis University, Department of Oculoplastic Surgery. He is shown in the anatomy lab with cosmetic eyelid icon and guru, Dr. Alan Putterman.
Dr. Alan Putterman and Dr. Niamtu teaching eyelid and browlift surgery at St. Louis University.
Dr. Niamtu had the honor of being on of the few non ophthalmologists to speak at the annual meeting of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons in Chicago in 2010.
Dr. Niamtu continues to be invited as guest faculty for the St. Louis Oculoplastic and Cosmetic Blepharoplsty course and Facelift Course.
Dr. Niamtu is a regular lecturer at the Cosmetic Eyelid & Brow course at St. Louis University for the Department of Oculoplastic Surgery. Click on above to enlarge.
The above brochure is from an oculoplastic surgery meeting in Cervia Italy where Dr. Niamtu lectured on eyelid and brow lift techniques. Click on the image to enlarge.
The above brochure is from a multispecialty cosmetic facial surgery course at the University of St. Louis in July of 2006 where Dr. Niamtu lectured on eyelid and brow surgery. Click on the image to enlarge.
The above brochure is from a multispecialty cosmetic facial surgery course at the University of St. Louis in February of 2007 where Dr. Niamtu has been a regular lecturer on eyelid and brow lift techniques. Click on the image to enlarge.


text:
This trailer was taken from: "I'm Still Here" Movie Trailer Official HD (Video). August 20, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz6CU7pgiKc
Directed By: Casey Affleck
Written By: Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
When Joaquin Phoenix appeared on the Letterman show in 2009 he left many people surprised. Following the interview many people were unsure whether Joaquin Phoenix was either, high? Acting? Or seriously retiring from Hollywood in order to pursue a rap career under the guidance of P Diddy? The interview left many stunned and everybody speculating about whether we were witnessing a spectacular break down or a elaborate and drawn out performance. With the release of I'm Still Here that question has been answered, whether that answer will fulfill people or not is a different matter.
I'm Still Here is a fascinating piece of cinema due to its nature. However the film is ultimately nowhere near as effective or edgy as it wants to be for two reasons.
1) The main crux of the hype towards this film was whether it was real or not, if that uncertainty had been kept until everybody had seen the film then it would have been much more tragic, emotional, effecting and memorable. Instead when Casey Affleck announced during the films release that it was a hoax, the film certainly lost something and instead just had to be viewed as one big joke, making certain scenes in the film lose all their potential emotional power.
2) The ideas of celebrity and fame being explored in this mockumentary is nothing that hasn't already been explored in previous works. The unoriginality of the message behind the film certainly contributes to it being less effective.
The best part of I'm Still Here is without a doubt the now confirmed performance by Joaquin Phoenix. JP as he is referred to throughout the film, gives a performance that should truly be recognized for a number of reasons. He fully immersed and engaged himself in this character, you often hear actors blabber on about how much work they did to "become" the character…Joaquin became this character and maintained it for almost two years, he turned himself into a laughing stock, put himself almost out of work, did incredibly brave and stupid things, he risked physical and psychological damage, he risked being cut off from his industry. However the question must be asked…for what? Why put yourself through such a gripping and intense performance, just to have the mystery behind the film spoiled at its release and your ideas be nothing new?
While I can fully see from a PR standpoint why Casey Affleck had to come out and say it was a hoax, it still sacrificed almost everything the film was trying to do, rendering a lot of it pointless. However perhaps the films pointlessness is the point, the film mocks celebrity in a way that makes you think the sheer surrendering of its potential upon its release is merely an extension of the joke. Actors do all those things; act in certain ways but ultimately…why? You could argue that thesis and ultimately the ideas, or the possibility of the ideas behind I'm Still Here are more interesting than what is actually produced. Besides Joaquin's fantastic performance, I'm Still Here is ultimately forgettable and sadly a missed opportunity. An engaging and gripping missed opportunity.
One Sentence Summary: A stunning performance from Joaquin but ultimately a film that doesn't hit the heights it wants to and should do.


text:
Lysandros Vilaetis (Greek: Λύσανδρος Βιλαέτης) was a chief of Pyrgos and a Greek politician elected from 1823 until 1864.  He descended from a noted family of Pyrgos in which he was one of the first who inhabited the area.  He was a representative of Elis in the Second National Assembly at Astros in 1823, in the Third National Assembly at Troezen, in the Fourth National Assembly at Argos, in the Fifth National Assembly at Nafplion, in the Third of September National Assembly of the Greeks at Athens and in the Second National Assembly of the Greeks at Athens in 1862.

In 1848, Lysandros Vilaetis revolted along with approximately 80 comrades who ran into Pyrgos.  He left for Zakynthos when the movement failed.  He was finally pardoned in 1849.

References
The first version of the article is translated and is based from the article at the Greek Wikipedia (el:Main Page)

1836 births
1860 deaths
Greek politicians
Politicians from Elis
Lysandros
People from Elis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


From the beginning, Manuel Carrera was clear on what he wanted – that Carrera y Carrera become an internationally-recognized brand. It was May 1968 when Manuel traveled to Paris to exhibit his work in the exhibition palace at an event organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. He couldn't have imagined that one of his first international trips would coincide with such a historic moment for the neighboring country, France. That liberal vision that surged in May '68 in Paris increased Manuel Carrera's need to express his own personal vision and make it manifest within the classic jewelry industry of the period.


text:
Co-Founder & Chair of the Board
Kristin Groos Richmond
A true champion of healthy family nutrition and citywide wellness, Kristin is Chair of the Board and co-founded Revolution Foods. She served as its Chief Executive Officer from founding until the end of 2021. Prior to founding the company, she was Vice President of Resources for Indispensable Schools and Educators, where she grew the organization to a nationally scalable model working to help school leaders recognize and retain outstanding teachers. From 2000 to 2002, Kristin lived in Nairobi and co-founded the Kenya Community Center for Learning (KCCL). She began her career at Citi in Investment Banking. Kristin was a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions and is on the Dean's Advisory Council at UC Berkeley. She is a Pahara-Aspen Fellow, an Ashoka Fellow and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Kristin is on the Board of Directors for Generate Capital, a leading clean energy investment company and sustainable infrastructure operator. Most recently, Kristin was recognized as one of Inc.'s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs of 2020.
Kristin holds a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Boston College and a M.B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two sons.


Last week I was in Whistler BC for the World Junior/Under 23 Trials races held at Whistler Olympic Park in Callaghan Valley. For those who don't quite understand my reference in the title of this post, the last time I raced at this venue was the 2008 Canadian National Championships, and it was a complete disaster. It was so bad that since then, every time something hasn't gone my way, I've told myself, "Well at least it wasn't as bad as 2008 Nationals." But after last week's set of races, while everything didn't entirely go my way, it was incomparably better than those races 4 years ago.
Racing got underway on Thursday with my first ever 30km Skiathlon (for those who don't know, a skiathlon is a race where you do the first half classic style, enter an exchange zone where you switch your skis and poles, and then do the last half skate skiing). I had done a couple of 30km races last year, but never a skiathlon format, so I was very excited to see how I'd make out. I got off to an alright start in the classic, and by the end of the classic leg I was really starting to gain momentum and was picking people off as we headed into the exchange zone. I then had my best ever transition (and was therefore disappointed when I learned they didn't time people's exchanges, meaning I couldn't compare myself to everyone else). But unfortunately this was a case of all good things must end eventually. As soon as I hit the first climb on the skating leg, my muscles began cramping. By muscles, I don't just mean the major ones like quads, I mean everything from quads and hamstrings to triceps, abs and even some little muscle in my forearm I didn't even know I had. I knew right away that this was being caused my a severe deficiency in something, so being halfway through a 30km ski race, there was very little I could do. On the downhills I was able to give my legs a bit of a shake and quick massage which helped me to stay on my feet and keep skiing, but my race was, for all intents and purposes, over. Since I was still standing I told myself that dropping out was not an option, so I just put all my focus into each stride and, slowly and painfully, made my way through the final 15km to the finish line. While this may sound like a complete disaster of a race, I was able to learn quite a lot from it which I know will help me in future 30+km races, and even in the races to follow in those next few days.
Saturday marked day 2 of Trials with a skate sprint. After being dumped on with snow overnight, the course set up incredibly soft compared to what we had been skiing in, so it made for a slightly unusual sprint day. When the snow gets too soft like that, you have to really change your race plans, right down to your technique, how you are physically skiing. Having had some success in conditions like these in the past, I knew I had it in me to still have a good qualifier despite the conditions. And having never qualified for the heats in the Senior Men category, I had that added bit of motivation to have my best qualifier of the season to date. It ended up going pretty well, and after having skied it smooth and relaxed like I wanted to, I managed to qualify with the 16th fastest time in Senior Men, giving me my first opportunity to race the heats.
Unfortunately my quarterfinal didn't go quite as well, my legs having lactated out on the final climb and running out of gas in the final 200m. But I achieved my main goal for the day to make the heats, so all in all, a good day.
The final day of competition came on Sunday with a 15km classic individual start race. This is the race I had been really looking forward to most, so I was hoping to make it my best race of the weekend. I had a good head going into the start area, and really kept it throughout the race, skiing smooth and relaxed and even embracing the pain of pushing my body well past its limits (always a good day when you can do that). One of my goals in every individual start race this year has been to cross the finish line as the current leader (this means that you beat everyone who started before you). And for the first of what will hopefully be many times this season, I achieved that goal on Sunday. After crossing the finish line I was able to hear the commentator announce that I had the new fastest time, and I even got to look up and see my name at the top of the results list on the jumbo-tron in the stadium. That felt good haha :). I held onto the lead for a few more minutes before the top guys started finishing (maybe important to point out that in individual start races, the lowest ranked people go first, with the highest ranked athletes starting last). After all was said and done, I ended up finishing 16th in Open Men. This meant a lot of good things for me. It was both my first time finishing in the top 20 Open Men at a NorAm, and also my first time finishing in the top 10 Under 23 Men at a NorAm. And with this latter accomplishment, I also will be receiving a small 'performance bonus' if you will, from my team.
So while I may not have achieved my goal of qualifying for the Canadian World U23 Team this year, I was able to take a lot from these races and learn some good lessons. I am now back in my first home away from home, Canmore AB, preparing for the Haywood NorAm Western Canadian Championships which are being held here this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Despite the current frigid temperatures (currently around -40), the forecast looks a little warmer for the weekend, so I'm looking forward to my next chance to have some great races!
P.S. On occasion I like to browse the internet looking for quotes that speak to me, so after doing so I thought I'd share a couple. Enjoy :).


Bahditiwa obtained 7th Legionnaire's Legwraps.
Bahditiwa obtained 7th Legionnaire's Robes.
Lóras obtained Trident of Deep Ocean.
Ëternîty obtained 7th Legionnaire's Greaves.
Ëternîty obtained 7th Legionnaire's Armguards.
Lóras obtained Kraken Shell Pauldrons.
Lóras purchased item Relinquished Azerite Spaulders.
Lóras obtained Cloak of the Restless Tribes.


← Leann Ellis–lots of pets, and a wonderful new book!
Please Don't Call Me the Cat Lady!
I grew up in a home where even neighborhood animals were welcomed to stop in and visit. I grew up with dogs, cats, gerbils, goldfish, ducks, parakeets and even a robin as pets. In my adult life, I've limited myself to cats, usually one at a time. Professor, Sheba, Shadow have been my feline friends over the years. Then when we moved north, we found V-8 and Sadie at the local shelter. Two cats at the same time. We were rolling in cats! Then my daughter moved home, bringing my gran-kitty Tricksy with her. And then my mil passed away and we inherited Mootzie (She was of Slovenian heritage and mutza is how they sat cat.) So here I am with four cats at once. But I didn't plan that, so don't call me the cat lady! (But of course I love them and they give us such joy with their playful ways.
What interesting names have you given your pet?
Lyn has a wonderful new book out in the stores now! Read on….and be sure to pick up a copy!
Lawyer Eleanor Washburn defends wayward teenagers and supervises volunteers for Habitat for Humanity without missing a beat. But she is unnerved by fascinating single dad Pete Beck—especially since his chaotic life includes a little girl wishing for a mother. Sweet Cassie has Eleanor yearning for what's been missing from her lonely existence. Soon, both dad and daughter are chipping away at Eleanor's defenses. Can she find the courage to risk losing her heart to this ready-made family?
Thanks so much for visiting my blog, Lyn!!
My best pet name was our cat, Norman Bates, named for the serial killer in Psycho. We tried to call him Oreo the first couple of days, but it just didn't work. It had to be Norm.


text:
Q: LINQ - Return Value From Field With A Max Value if No Rows Found I have a table like this...
ID   Description  LowThreshold   HighThreshold
1    BAD          0.0            .69
2    MEETS        .70            .89
3    GOOD         .90            2

The object here is to write a LINQ query that will select the right Description based on a given decimal. For instance .75 is between .70 and .89, so it would return "MEETS". BUT, the kicker is, if the Number is higher than all the ranges, automatically return the Description for the record with the highest HighThreshold. So, if I pass in 5, I should get "GOOD" returned.
I have this so far, but it errors out with scores higher than 2, obviously:
private string GetEvaluationDescription (decimal score)
{
      string evaluationText = myContext.PerformanceRanges.Where
                        (e =>
                              e.LowThreshold <= score
                              &&
                              e.HighThreshold >= score
                        )
                        .Select(eval => eval.Description).First().ToString();
}

I'd like to accomplish this with just this one query, but my imagination isn't getting me there. I attempted what I found in this post but couldn't get it to work

A: What about this:
var range = myContext.PerformanceRanges
            .SingleOrDefault(e=>e.LowThreshold <= score && e.HighThreshold >= score)??
            PerformanceRanges.Single(
                                      e=>e.HighThreshold == PerformanceRanges
                                                            .Max(p=> p.HighThreshold)
                                    );

string evaluationText = range.Description;

The range query will select the element that matches with the Thereshold ranges, and if the value is greater (the first query will return null), it will select the greatest range.

A: What about this:
  string evaluationText = myContext.PerformanceRanges.Where
                    (e =>
                          (e.LowThreshold <= score
                          &&
                          e.HighThreshold >= score) ||
                         (e.HighThreshold ==
                            myContext.PerformanceRanges.Max (
                                  x => x.HighThreshold)
                            && score > e.HighThreshold )
                    )
                    .Select(eval => eval.Description).First().ToString();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Antislavery Usable Past
Slavery in Museums
Teaching Slavery
Trade and Empire: Remembering Slavery
Whitworth Art Gallery, 2007-2008
The Whitworth Art Gallery was one of eight heritage bodies in the 'Revealing Histories: Remembering Slavery' partnership in Greater Manchester. The project set out to explore the history, impact and legacy of slavery on Britain through collections and community links in the North West.
'Trade and Empire: Remembering Slavery' explored the themes of trade and empire, commerce and collecting, and the impact of the experience of slavery and its legacy. Four invited artists and academics (SuAndi, Kevin Dalton-Johnson, Dr Emma Poulter and Dr Alan Rice) worked with Whitworth curators and learning staff to create the exhibition. It comprised of selections from the Whitworth's collections, contemporary works by Black artists, and objects on loan from Manchester Museum, John Rylands University Library Manchester, Bolton Museums and Archives Service and private collections. Areas of focus included a history of the Benin Bronzes, representations of Black people in British art, photographs of West Africa belonging to Tom Singleton Gardner, and printed textiles designed by Althea McNish. The exhibition was accompanied by a series of community engagement events.
Funding Body
Heritage Lottery Fund,
Renaissance North West
Professor Alan Rice,
African art, Althea McNish, art, Benin Bronzes, Black British history, British Empire, Capitalism, cotton industry, Henry Box Brown, Industrial Revolution, installation, J.M.W Turner, Manchester, New Calabar, Nigeria, palm oil, photography, printmaking, pro-slavery, racism, research, resistance, textiles, wealth, West Africa, William Hogarth
In 1807 Britain legally abolished the slave trade, although it continued to participate in and profit from the institution of slavery. In 2007 the British government committed public funds to mark the bicentenary of the Slave Trade Act. The Remembering 1807 project has collected and archived material relating to the many events and activities that took place during 2007. These records help us to locate and understand the place of slavery, the slave trade and its abolition in the UK's public history, commemorative traditions and popular memory. Background to the collection...
More in this collection...
© University of Nottingham


text:
Race, Class & Communities
CHA Grants Boost Resident-Owned Businesses During The Pandemic
By Natalie Moore
Nov. 24, 2020, 6 a.m. CT
Tawanda Stange, owner of Ms. B's Kitchen and Catering, is one of seven CHA residents awarded $5,000 grants from the public housing agency to help their small businesses mitigate losses from the pandemic. Since April, she's had to let go two of her employees. Provided courtesy of Tawanda Stange
Ms. B's Kitchen and Catering in the North Lawndale neighborhood sells Chicago-style favorites like pizza puffs. On other days of the week, owner Tawanda Stange cooks comfort food, everything from pot roast to oxtails to gumbo. Her Sunday Soul Food menu includes baked chicken, smothered pork chops and candied yams.
Stange, who learned how to cook at her grandmother's house, started the business in 2017. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, she had to let go of two employees.
"It's been really rough," Stange said. "What has saved my business is catering. If it were not for that additional stream of revenue, I would have closed in April."
The Chicago Housing Authority is giving a boost, too. Stange, a resident of the Henry Horner Homes, is one of seven CHA residents awarded a $5,000 grant for their businesses to mitigate losses from the pandemic.
"I'm still doing old-school things in the restaurant," Stange said. She plans to use the money for modernization. Instead of writing tickets for orders, she is getting a computerized system that also takes credit cards. Stange will also use the money to establish an online presence.
CHA CEO Tracey Scott said 31 residents applied to the program. The public housing agency matched money given to the relief efforts from the Federal Home Loan Bank. In all, CHA will dole out $35,000.
Many of the resident-owned businesses are in the construction industry, and Scott said the program was specifically targeted to other types of small businesses.
"When we look at the kind of work they do, they're providing jobs for their communities," said Scott, adding there's an impression that CHA resident-owned businesses aren't sophisticated or equipped to deal with a pandemic.
"They are looking for ways to make sure their businesses survive the economic downturn, but they're being thoughtful about the impact they have on the community," Scott said. "There's a mission that drives them in addition to being economically sound."
In addition to Stange and Ms. B's Kitchen and Catering, the other award recipients are:
Ebony Grover (Pearlie Sue Cleaning),
Deadra Howell (Howell's Journey professional cleaning)
Noni Arnold (Helping Hands day care)
Irene Harris (Brilliance cleaning)
Xochilt Mejia (The Water Station health and wellness)
Kimberly Griggs (On The Move cleaning)
CHA does use some of the businesses for contracting, including $5 million last year for nonconstruction businesses. Stange has a major CHA catering order this week — 125 dinners for CHA seniors. Ms. B's Kitchen and Catering will provide the seniors full Thanksgiving plates, including roasted turkey, smoked ham, cornbread dressing and deviled eggs. And sweet potato pie for dessert.
Natalie Moore is a reporter on WBEZ's Race, Class and Communities desk. You can follow her on Twitter at @natalieymoore.
Chicago Developers Are Giving Opportunity Zones A Try
The Widening Racial Gap In Section 8 Vouchers
May 2, 2019 read more
CHA Work Requirement Doesn't Lift Residents Out Of Poverty
Cabrini Residents Continue To Show Their Resilience In The Wake Of Tragedy
Aug. 13, 2020 read more


This webinar covers Acceptance Sampling plans for process validation and production lot acceptance. Sampling plans for attribute data are the primary focus although variable acceptance sampling plans are presented as well. The binomial distribution and its use in developing Operating Characteristic (OC) Curves is discussed. The key inputs to determining sampling plans (AQL, RQL, Consumer's and Producer's Risks) are described in detail. Key characteristics of the generated sampling plans (such as average outgoing quality) are presented. Double sampling plans are briefly introduced. Several example applications of acceptance sampling are presented. The use of Statistical Process Control and Process Capability methods are presented as an alternative to variable acceptance sampling plans.
Personnel involved in process validation and production control often rely on sampling methods to determine the suitability of a process before moving to production (process validation) or for checking production lots for acceptance. This webinar provides details regarding the generation of sampling plans that meet the desired statistical properties. By attending this webinar, participants will be able to understand the key inputs and issues involved in determining acceptance sampling plans. Although software is generally used to generate sampling plans, the participants will gain useful insight into the methodology and its use in typical applications.


text:
Life Of A Chinese Hacker: Work Is Awful, Pay Is Lousy, Boss Doesn't Understand : The Two-Way The Los Angeles Times looks at the blog posts written over a 4-year period by "Rocy Bird," who told tales of what it's like inside a People's Liberation Army hacking unit.
Life Of A Chinese Hacker: Work Is Awful, Pay Is Lousy, Boss Doesn't Understand
March 13, 201311:29 AM ET
Mark Memmott
This 12-story building houses a Chinese military unit allegedly behind dozens of cyberattacks on U.S. and other Western companies. It's in a modern, if bland, part of Shanghai. Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images
This 12-story building houses a Chinese military unit allegedly behind dozens of cyberattacks on U.S. and other Western companies. It's in a modern, if bland, part of Shanghai.
Following up last month's news about reports that tie hackings of American defense contractors' websites to operations run — or at least encouraged — by the Chinese government, the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday told the tale of a Shanghai man who used to blog about his work in a People's Liberation Army hacking unit.
If the stories from this blogger — whose family name is Wang, but who blogged as "Rocy Bird" — are true, the Times writes, the hacking life was "all about low pay, drudgery and social isolation."
According to the Times, its reporters "tracked down Wang and his blog through an email address that was listed on a published 2006 paper about hacking. ... [He] did not return several emails and instant messages requesting comment."
The security firm that reported about hacking last month tells the Times that Rocy Bird's posts from 2006-2009 "provided the most detailed first-person account known to date of life inside the hacking establishment" and that it's likely not much has changed in the four years since.
A few details from the blog, via the Times' report:
-- Rocy Bird complained about being told to improve his English skills, and then being criticized for reading too many English-language magazines. "The boss doesn't understand," he wrote.
-- At a school reunion, the hacker "felt ashamed to say hello" to old classmates because his pay was much less than theirs.
-- His unhappiness showed through right from the start. " 'Fate has made me feel that I am imprisoned,' he wrote in his first entry on Sina.com. 'I want to escape.' "
-- "A Chinese Army Outpost That's Tucked Into Modern Shanghai."
-- "Who's Been Hacked By China? Better Question Might Be: Who Hasn't?"


Leo Babauta, on his Zen Habits blog, posted a wonderful piece today called "Advice to My Kids". His thoughts on what to tell your children about life and living it are sound.
What I'd add to this is simple. It's advice for anyone, at any stage of life.
The world we're in right now isn't generally a place that's rewarding the kinds of behaviours that let us neatly separate our work life and our home/personal life. That is not because we're tethered to our smartphones twenty-four hours a day. It's not, in other words, a technological problem.
It's because there's no security left.
Back in the mid-1950s, William Whyte wrote The Organization Man. In it, Whyte wanted to show that our preference to be a good player inside an organization, trusting it to make good decisions on our behalf, was not as good for us as charting our own courses and trusting to our freedom rather than seeking security. A novel by Sloan Wilson that had come out a year earlier, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, had pointed out the emptiness of such a "secure" life.
Still, for the decades from the 1940s to the 2000s, most people found security by living within large organizations. Along the way companies that had made a point of never laying anyone off, not even in the Great Depression (like IBM) gave up and started playing the downsizing, reshaping and merger & acquisition games others had been playing for a long while. Even then, the myth that the corporate or governmental ladder was the place to be persisted.
It's a myth that underlies all our thinking about company pensions, about the value of a title, about our résumés, and about why we tether ourselves to work all evening and weekend, and never take a real holiday where we truly "leave it all behind".
Now, if you were living 24/7/365 building your own venture, from being an artist to a start up technology company and everything in between, that passion overflowing to fill every moment might make sense. Those would be free choices.
Security, on the other hand, should come with the ability to say "here's a boundary".
It should also come with loyalty — and the loyalty of those of us working in them is not reciprocated by the organizations we work for, is it?
Most of us don't want to do what Leo advised his kids to do. We want security.
Think about it. If you need help thinking it through, talk to us. That's what we're here for.
This entry was posted in Personal and tagged freedom, real world advice, security on February 8, 2013 by Bruce Stewart.
Thirty years ago, as I was applying to graduate school, the professor who became my advisor and mentor told me an important lesson.
He put it this way: "always have f–k you money".
In today's world, where name brand organizations collapse at the drop of a merger & acquisition or bankruptcy hat — nearly ninety per cent of the Dow Jones 30 from thirty years ago aren't there any more — and where multiple degrees don't necessarily mean more than cubicle hell or barista lifestyles, that freedom is more important than ever.
But here's the thing (and it's where due diligence about your future becomes personal indeed): you want the freedom less in the form of a big fat pay cheque and a fat brokerage account, and more in the ability to decide your own future.
Suppose, for instance, you are a real fan of the Stratford Festival (Stratford, Ontario). You've been taking the nearly two hour drive from Toronto regularly to see plays. Over the years you've become delighted with the town itself as well. You end up having dreams of living there one day.
If the answer to that is "but I can't afford the commute (time or money)" or "there's no job that pays well enough there", then you've built a trap for yourself where your freedom is constrained.
Take a look at the community of New Urbanists. Architects, designers, urban planners, these meet up at the annual Congress for the New Urbanism event.
But a funny thing's been happening in the past few years. Whereas the original New Urbanists are typically located in large, expensive cities, the new crop (CNU is twenty years old now) are locating in small towns. Whereas the original New Urbanists lived out of suitcases travelling from job to job, or proposal to proposal, the new crop tends to work close to home.
In other words, money isn't everything. It's just one piece of the puzzle. And not needing so much of it is as liberating as having piles of the stuff.
The person who wanted to move to Stratford (population, 30,000) and work there could do so, as long as they didn't need a lot coming in. Sure, they wouldn't be an Executive Vice-President at a major financial institution working there, but, on the other hand, they'd be home in ten minutes flat and be living in a place they love.
This is why the ever-escalating educational requirements I talked about are so dangerous for today's students just starting out. If you got your credentials paying cash on the barrelhead, great! Education has value, and often in places you didn't expect it (I've spent my working life in and around IT strategy issues; my degrees are in philosophy).
On the other hand, if you went to school on student loans (and remember, in the United States, these can no longer be discharged through bankruptcy) you are starting out with a millstone around your neck. That's why the pressure to "get a degree to get the job" has become so great (instead of people studying to suit their own needs and desires).
As a result, my daughter is studying what interests her, and although she has career ambitions in that field she knows that at the end of it all if there is no job there she's got a résumé that will lead to other things — plus no debt forcing her to take a job simply because it pays enough to service her past.
The reason we at Personal Due Diligence talk about doing diligence is so that you're not blindsided by events. But isn't the real goal to be free enough to live where you want, doing what enriches you personally, while not having it all at risk constantly?
This entry was posted in Personal and tagged freedom, not being trapped, security on January 14, 2013 by Bruce Stewart.


text:
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino
Location. With an entrance marked by a 123 foot laughing neon clown, Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, located toward the north end of The Strip in Las Vegas, Nev., has been a permanent fixture for nearly four decades. Home to the world's largest permanent circus, this property is positioned less than five miles from McCarran International Airport. Buses, private trolleys and the Las Vegas monorail are available for a fee. The hotel is located next to Stardust and Hilton Grand Vacations.
Hotel Features. This family friendly hotel displays a pink and white circus theme throughout the public areas. Dining opportunities include THE Steakhouse, boasting aged beef and fresh seafood, and the Circus Buffet, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Adventuredome, a five acre elevated indoor theme park, features rollercoasters, a water park, a sling shot and a carousel. Many of the world's most accomplished trapeze artists, high wire acts and aerialists are showcased at the Circus Circus Midway Stage, which presents complimentary performances every hour from 12 p.m. This property houses a shopping promenade with souvenir shops, a magic store and an old time western photograph shop.
Guestrooms. Located in three towers, some of the hotel's 3,773 guestrooms sport colorful circus motifs and are furnished with mahogany stained dressers and nightstands. Rooms that were renovated in 2008 feature light mocha colored carpets, granite topped furnishings and bed dressed with 280 thread count linens, dark headboards and earth tone fabrics. Technological enhancements found in renovated rooms include 32 inch flat screen televisions. Refrigerators are available, on request. Manor rooms are accessed via an enclosed moving walkway, and are housed within five, three story buildings with interior access. Manor rooms include refrigerators.
Expert Tip. Mexitalia, an on site Mexican themed restaurant by day, transforms into a club by night that features dueling DJs.


text:
First Impressions of the Disney Studios-Why I Fell in Love
16 June 2011 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments
Recreating this photo is not possible today! Pre-Sorcerer's Hat and Sunset Blvd.
You'll notice I didn't say "Disney's Hollywood Studios," because I truly fell in love with the Disney-MGM Studios, which is no longer the proper name, as we all know. It will forever be "MGM" to me when I speak of it among family and friends, just as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover will always be the "Wedway Peoplemover". But I'm not here to talk about why I'm stuck in the past or yell at you kids to get off my lawn. Oh wait, I actually am going to talk about why I'm stuck in the past. Sorry about that. Hopefully you'll bear with me and perhaps even agree with some of my thoughts.
I am pretty bad with dates and official names for things, so apologies up front if I remember something incorrectly. I used to be great with details, but then I had three kids. In any event, my first visit to the Disney-MGM Studios was some time in 1989, probably in June when I got out of school (a 14 year-old Sophomore). We were living in Lynchburg, VA at the time and would've driven down to Orlando. My trips sort of mesh together around this time, so I'm not sure where we stayed, it could've even been off-property. It's hard to imagine that this was a time before Disney's Port Orleans (either side), Beach Club, or Wilderness Lodge Resorts existed, but it was. I remember there being a lot of buzz surrounding the park, because it was supposed to be a Disney version of the Universal Studios lot in Hollywood, or Hollywood East. Sort of.
My late father was a huge old movie buff. He loved all the classic black and white films, the over-the-top musicals and everything in between. So to say he was excited for this new park was an understatement. As I've mentioned before, I spent from 1983-1986 visiting EPCOT Center and the bonds I'd formed there were unbreakable. We had so many memories as a family there, we all had high hopes for the Disney-MGM Studios. And we weren't disappointed.
From the moment you walk into the Studios, you are greeted with tiny details giving a nod back to old Hollywood, or as their slogan goes, "The Hollywood that never was and always will be." I remember how completely thrilling it was to walk into the 50's Prime Time Cafe for the first time and see items I saw in my grandmother's home as an even younger girl. It truly was another world, different from the Fantasy, Adventure or Tomorrowlands of the Magic Kingdom or the futuristic (it still was back then!) world of EPCOT. It was like reality, only better.
Back then there was no Sunset Boulevard but that didn't mean anything felt lacking. The only Sorcerer's hat was that seen atop Sorcerer Mickey's head as he stood on top of Grauman's Chinese Theatre to kick of the Sorcery in the Sky fireworks, which premiered the following year in 1990. Pixar Place did not exist and Lights, Motors, Action! was actually home to Residential Street, which I still miss to this day. What made Disney-MGM Studios so magical, to me, was not only the incredible attention given to each themed area, but also the amount of guest interaction and audience participation. It was, after all, the birthplace of Streetmosphere!
Sneak Peek at Sofia the First in the Disney Christmas Parade and In the Parks Too!
Who can forget their very first journey on the Great Movie Ride when your car is over-taken by either a gangster or a western bank robber and you are right in the middle of the show? I remember thinking it was the greatest ride ever, even if I did close my eyes in the Alien and Raiders of the Lost Ark scenes. During the finale with the movie clips, I'd listen to my dad name every movie that came on, and usually know all the lines too. As a result, I really can't sit through that part of the ride today and not tear up, remembering him and his favorites.
Another attraction I loved was the Monster Sound Show. I am a huge Martin Short and Chevy Chase fan, and seeing this fun little movie was great, along with the chance for the audience to create their own sound effects to the film? Hysterical. And? Interactive. Super Star Television was an example of this as well. Housed where the American Idol Experience is now, the stage held several sets for different famous television scenes. Employing blue-screen technology, guests chosen from the audience can then act out the candy factory scene from I Love Lucy, or be a jilted lover in a soap opera, or appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. My dad was chosen during our visit and played that soap opera character, complete with long trench coat and fedora. It is such such a special memory and he loved getting to talk about it.
The Rocketeer's Bulldog Cafe on the Backlot Tour
I think my favorite at that time was the Backstage Studios Tour (now the Backlot Tour). When the attraction first opened, you entered where the Animation tour is now and an actual cast member gave you the tour spiel on the tram. Driving through the costuming and set-building departments, something was always being worked on. You truly felt like you were a part of the backstage magic. The tour then went down Residential Street, which showed the front facades of houses used in opening shots of tv shows. The Golden Girls house was there and the house from its spin-off show, Empty Nest as well as the house from the Disney Channel Adventures in Wonderland series. It was just fun to look at these pristine houses from the front, then make a turn and see nothing but framing and no back to the houses at all. I never watched the Golden Girls the same way again! Later, the Bulldog Cafe from the wonderful Disney movie The Rocketeer was placed on the tour too. It was not a real cafe and really very small in person. It did not age well and was removed along with the other houses when Lights, Motors, Action was being built.
PHOTO TOUR of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights!
My ex-husband counseling his victim…er, volunteer
The Catastrophe Canyon section was the same and it was actually believable that we were stuck in the middle of a movie production. Now there is no pretense, and guests are told up front that we are just witnessing special effects. The tour ended where the Studio Catering Company now is, and guests could take a break before going on to the second part of the tour – Inside the Magic: Special Effects & Production Tour. This was always fun because you got to see things like blue-screen technology used to make the flying bee scene in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and miniatures used in the making of Dick Tracy. You then walked through a series of production studios, including a section on sound hosted by Pee Wee Herman and Mel Gibson. You were also able to see actual shows being produced, including the new Mickey Mouse Club. We then watched the short film, The Lottery, starring Bette Midler and filmed right on New York Street. The last part of the tour was walking through a room filled with the set pieces from The Lottery. This was later replaced with pieces from the 101 Dalmations live-action film.
The details are a but hazy as to when the changes to this part of the tour were made, but I know the bee room and the miniatures room were still in effect back in 1995, because that's where my now-ex-husband (then-fiance) worked when we first moved to Orlando to work at Disney. He started out in Merchandise at the Little Mermaid shop, but then transferred to Attractions and worked at the special effects water tank, the two inside special effects rooms, and rotated to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set play area. I remember being so jealous that he was in Attractions! It was really fun to watch him perform his show. At that time there was a tv show on the Disney Channel also called Walt Disney World Inside Out. It started with Scott Herriott as host but changed in 1995 to J.D. Roth, Brianne Leary and George Foreman. J.D. Roth filmed a segment at the Inside the Magic tour and my ex-husband was the cast member responsible for (off-screen) setting off all the correct cues to make the bee and other parts of the attraction work. Fun fact! 😉
The water effects tour is slightly different today…
Needless to say, we enjoyed our first visit. My mom and I returned in 1991 with my high school class trip to Walt Disney World. At that time, Here Come the Muppets was where the Voyage of the Little Mermaid is and the Dick Tracy show was there (I may only be remembering the Dick Tracy show from the vacation planning video though – I seem to remember it being part of the Backlot Tour…maybe it was just a display of some sort?). EDIT: Confirmed by StudiosCentral.com – here's a YouTube video of the Dick Tracy finale with some other great Backstage Studio Tour footage! Thanks, Matt!
NEW: Official Poster for Saving Mr. Banks
Here Come the Muppets sign
Later when we moved to Orlando in 1995, we would enjoy the Aladdin parade and see the debut of the Toy Story Parade. I cannot hear "Strange Days" without remembering that time in my life – good memories of course! I haven't even touched on Streetmosphere (see that link above, it's worth a read!) or the wonderful Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas stage shows, which had incredible sets, actors and special effects. The park has of late received a lot of criticism and I will admit that I myself even thought less of it as the years went on. Things like Residential Street being destroyed, the Sorcerer's Hat addition, and lots of Disney Channel synergy moving in have changed the feel of the place. However in recent times, I realized how much I really did fall in love with the Studios and what a special place it is.
Dorma Nesmond to the rescue during the D23 Great Scavenger Hunt
One thing that brought this into view was taking part in the D23 Great Scavenger Hunt about a month ago. There were so many difficult questions that caused you to really stop and notice the impeccable detail and Hollywood spirit with which the park is imbued. Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards are brimming with nods to old Hollywood, little inside jokes and other Imagineering details you'd expect in any Disney park but may not have ever noticed here. While the scavenger hunt was frustrating, it definitely gave me a renewed appreciation for Disney's Hollywood Studios.
As with all Disney parks, things will change and corporate decisions will be made that may not feel right as a guest, but great decisions are made as well – Star Wars Weekends are one of my favorite times of the year and the all-new 3D Star Tours is probably my favorite ride right now. If I were to speak to the decision-makers at Disney I would implore them to remember what made the Studios so appealing: interaction. They are on the right track with Star Tours and the "Rebel Spy" aspect, which is now a goal for each guest as they ride. After all, don't we all want to be a star?
The park history remains as well. Just as I regale my children with tales of Horizons and KELP and how Living with the Land was once LISTEN to the Land, I now tell them how there was a time when the 8×10 glossies hanging in Mama Melrose were relevant actors and how their daddy used to dump gallons of water on people every day. So during this Disney's Hollywood Studios Awareness Week, I have become acutely aware of how important it is to capture and record these memories while they are fresh and appreciate the best laid plans of Mice and men.
Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Attractions, Disney Past, Family Memories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: #DHSawareness, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Backlot Tour, Bulldog Cafe, Cast member memories, Disney memories, Disney Studios, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Hollywood, Great Movie Ride, hollywood studios, Inside the Magic Special Effects Tour, Rocketeer, Studios Central, Walt Disney World Inside Out
About Suzannah Otis
A child of the 80's, Zanna climbed trees and roller-skated till the streetlights came on. She sipped her her first iced coffee at age 10 and never looked back. Growing up outside of Boston, all of these things shaped her life, as did the original EPCOT Center, which brought her where she is today.
Zanna is the mother of 2 adult humans, an 11-year old (also human), and 3 cats. She is also the wife to one husband, who lovingly puts up with all of the above. Zanna tries to find that one little spark in everything, and thanks you very much for taking the time to read this.
Matt Hochberg says
16 June 2011 at
Great insight into what you've loved about the Studios over the years. I'm thinking your site could be changed from Zannaland to ZannaStudios. 😉
Zanna says
Aw, shucks, Matt. Coming from you, that is the ultimate compliment!! I had to pay the Studios back for all the great memories its given me!
Aurora says
LOVE this post Banana!!!!!!! I hate that hat blocking my view of the amazingness 🙂
Nellabeaner says
Scott says
19 October 2011 at
Two words: awesome sauce! I feel like I know you tons more now. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Scott. I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment!


text:
Q: Use of "unlike" while comparing two things, followed by a comma and "in something else" I am wondering, which one is correct:

Unlike in something, in something else it is easy to...
Unlike something, in something else it is easy to...

My instinct tells me both versions could be correct, but I just want to be sure. Plus, I guess the preposition does not matter here, it could be "on", "at" and so on. Does conjunction matter though? E.g. could we replace Unlike with While or any other conjunction used for comparison?
Also, does it matter if we add anything after the phrase?

Unlike in something, where this acts this way, in something else it is easy to...
Unlike something, where this acts this way, in something else it is easy to...

In here, since the parentheses might be pretty long, seems for me it is proper to remind the reader that we are comparing some items. Am i right?

A: Use unlike x when you compare something directly to x.

Unlike rats, bats have wings.

This means bats are different from rats because bats have wings. Rats and bats are compared directly.
Use unlike in x when x forms the context of your discussion, and you compare something with an aspect of x.

Unlike in running, you need to time your breathing carefully when swimming.

This means breathing while running and breathing while swimming are managed differently; it does not compare swimming with running directly.

A: The "unlike" is of no relevance here; what matters is the clause that the something is the object of. For example:

Unlike with biscuits, which get soft as time goes on, in the cake world you will find that hardness indicates something has been sitting around for a long time.

So your example "Unlike something, where this acts this way" is incorrect, as "something where this" doesn't work. It either needs to be "somewhere where this" or "in something where this".


text:
Home » M&M'S Premiums Make Star-Studded Debut
M&M'S Premiums Make Star-Studded Debut
Smooth and sophisticated describes the latest introduction from Mars Snackfood … as well as the way in which the company launched the product in early September. The Hackettstown, N.J.-based manufacturer celebrated the national introduction of its newM&M'S Premiumswith a fashion event during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan, N.Y. There, models showcased the upscale
M&M'S- available in Mint Chocolate, Raspberry Almond, Triple Chocolate, Chocolate Almond and Mocha - while wearing vibrantly colored gown inspired by the rich jewel tones of the product. The gowns were created by red carpet designer Pamella Roland. The event was hosted by actress Eva Longoria Parker and the sassy Ms. Green, star of both print and broadcast advertisements for theM&M'Sbrand. For more information aboutM&M'SPremiums, visit
www.mms.com.
Yellow M&M to make solo debut during Super Bowl XLVIII
M&M'S ask fans to vote for new peanut M&M's flavor
M&M'S looks to 'M-Prove America'
M&M's debuts movie trailer spoof at 2015 Academy Awards