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Ros Satar
Novak Djokovic after winning the 2021 Australian Open, Melbourne | (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
Tennis | Australian Open 2021 | Djokovic dominates Medvedev: Big Three 'still there for a reason'
Novak Djokovic [1] def. Daniil Medvedev [4] 7-5, 6-2, 6-2
Wins a record ninth Australian Open title, and an 18th Slam overall.
MELBOURNE, AUSRTRALIA – Novak Djokovic inched closer to catching up Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer after he dominated Daniil Medvedev to win an 18th major title and ninth Australian Open.
Recap: Novak Djokovic [1] def. Daniil Medvedev [4] 7-5, 6-2, 6-2
For a match that heralded the hopes of a corking final, it failed to deliver on that aspect, as Novak Djokovic shut down any attempts by Daniil Medvedev to gain any kind of rhythm and thus any kind of foothold in the game.
At the start Djokovic roared out to a 3-0 lead, and for a fraction of a moment, the match seemed on as Medvedev would win the next three matches in a row. The play was competitive until a loose game from Medvedev as Djokovic clicked through the gears to break for the first set.
Medvedev rallied with an immediate break in the second set, but very quickly from that point it turned to one way traffic, as he was broken twice in a row and for the second set a third time.
Once Djokovic jumped out once more to a 3-0 lead in the third set, the fighting spirit we saw in the US Open against Rafael Nadal in 2019 gave way to impatience and frustration, as his resistance washed away for a straight sets loss in his second Slam.
Shop at Connected Clubs for a vast range in tennis equipment and training aids to help improve your tennis.
Djokovic: 'Roger, Rafa, myself are still there for a reason'
We will never know what might have been at the US Open had Djokovic's mis-fired ball had not struck a lines-judge, and he admitted that at Roland Garros just a few weeks later, it was still having an effect.
He said after the match: "I won Cincinnati tournament in New York, then had that disqualification at the US Open that obviously did affect me mentally, emotionally, to go out from the tournament like that when I was actually on a run.
"It did affect me through the rest of the season. I was kind of up and down with my performances. Managed to clinch the No. 1 at the end of the season, which was the goal. Just playing without crowd on the stands, it felt a little bit strange and maybe just a little bit lack of motivation."
Medvedev was effectively blocked from showing his best tennis, and coming off a 20-match winning streak, it was just unfortunate that his off-day came in a Slam final.
He said, after the match: "I would say US Open hurt more because I had more chances finally to win it than I had today. But both losses hurt. The only thing that keeps me warm is that, you know, I always try to do my best on the court.
"Today my best, I was not happy with myself during the match. I felt like I'm doing my best, but it's not there. It happens. This is also life. Of course, you cannot be 365 days in a year at your best, but if I try to do my best, that's why I became more professional a few years ago, working more physically, mentally on the court, out of the court, trying to eat good during tournaments and stuff like this.
"That's where I will have no regrets when I finish my career no matter what I achieve. That's I find the most important after such defeats."
Medvedev has put himself in the frame to be one of the new chasing pack, having reached two finals already. It took Dominic Thiem four attempts to win his first Slam, in this continuing era of the Big Three. But any complacency on the minds of this new chasing pack, and especially after this beat-down performance will give them a little pause, before they try their collective onslaught again when the season gears up on the clay.
Djokovic concluded: "There is a lot of quality in tennis from the younger guys that are coming up. I was mentioning before they're very close to start winning major titles more consistently.
"But Roger, Rafa, myself are still there for a reason. We don't want to hand it to them and we don't want to allow them to win slams. I think that's something that is very clear. Whether you communicate that message or not, we are definitely sending that vibe out there. I'm sticking to that."
Australian OpenDaniil MedvedevNovak Djokovic
Previous Tennis | Australian Open 2021 | Osaka: "I'm trying to go for five, taking it in sections"
Next Tennis | WTA Adelaide | Johanna Konta [3] v Shelby Rogers | R2 Preview & Prediction
Ros is a keen sports follower – having been a 400m hurdler in her time, she now contents herself with (far too) occasional trips to the gym and pool, and terrorising golf balls with big heavy bats! Sometimes known to hurtle uncontrollably down ski slopes, and even possesses a tennis racquet! Formerly an IT Architect for a large multinational corporation, she now works for herself as full-time Writer and some-time IT Analyst, she can be contacted via her public Linked In profile. Ros enjoys combining the wealth of skills she has developed during her career with any opportunities for freelance blogging & journalism, especially in (but not exclusive to) the world of sport, and completed a Diploma in Multimedia Journalism, in July 2012. She holds a UK National Press Card and has recently become a member of the Sports Journalists Association of Great Britain and the International Sports Press Association. She has written for the Huffington Post UK, Newsquest (Surrey), Sportsister.com and writes as a freelance contributor for 10sBalls.com, Tennis View Magazine and Tennis Panorama News. She does this stuff – A LOT!


According to a survey of spending published by the National Endowment for the Arts, American households spend an average of $130 annually on sports and exercise equipment. Bruce Hammond of the National Sporting Goods Association says that the average purchase price of a multi-purpose home gym station was $640 in 2011. However, the amount of money people spend on exercise equipment varies depending on what type of equipment they wish to purchase and how many features they want.
When equipping a home-gym, it's critical to consider at least one piece of cardio equipment. The top four treadmill picks from Consumer Search range from $990 to $3,500, with the average costing around $2,000. Another piece of popular cardio equipment is an elliptical trainer, which averages $1,500. The main variables accounting for price differences include durability, display features and built-in workout programs.
The costs of resistance training equipment vary widely depending on whether you choose free weights and resistance bands or weight machines that work specific muscle groups. Consumer Search's top picks for dumbbells range from $10 per set to $400 per set. A total-body training machine averages $1,381, with the lower end models costing $175.
Professional gym owners make up some of the consumer dollars spent on exercise equipment each year. While professional facilities can boast more cardio machines and weight stations to meet consumer demands, the equipment is often comparable to home-gym equipment. According to a 2010 sales presentation from Dynamic Club Out-fitters, a complete gym equipment package composed of treadmills and weight equipment, and designed for gym owners, was priced at $77,000.
A home gym can be designed on any budget. Instead of bulky cardio equipment, use jump ropes and stairs or run in place to increase your heart rate and burn calories. Strength training can be achieved with jugs filled with water or sand, or with calisthenics which require only your body weight for resistance. Consider springing for the high-priced cardio equipment while strength training with resistance bands, or run for cardio and invest in a set of free weights.


I'm nominated for best Latino Health Blogger!
Not everything you lose is a loss.
In less than a month my birthday will be here!
5 Things To Remind Yourself Daily.
5 Things To Remind Yourself Daily (because I know you're out there running around like a chicken without a head)!
Named a "Mujer Exitosa" by FORD!
Lucky me, I finally got the flu!


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Who Is TikTok's Bella Poarch?
Griffin Johnson Claims He Did Not Cheat On Dixie D'Amelio In New Song
Charli D'Amelio may soon be de-throned as the fastest-growing TikTok star by Filipino-American creator Bella Poarch.
Though you might not know her by name (yet), you've likely come across Bella's infamous lip-sync content on your For You Page— most notably her quirky rendition of Millie B's "M to the B" which is currently the most-liked video on TikTok with a whopping 416.3 million views and nearly 35 million likes.
Bella's childlike facial expressions on superzoom coupled with a seamlessly timed lip-sync helped shoot the creator to instantaneous virality, gaining over 23 million followers in just one month after vibing to the trending song.
@bellapoarch
To the ? ? ? #fyp
♬ M to the B – Millie B
One of the most recognisable faces on the platform, Bella's wasted no time reaping the benefits of viral stardom. The anime-lover is frequently spotted hanging out with famous influencers, including James Charles and members of The Hype House, and was recently tracked down by TikTok's notorious paparazzo, Fletcher of The Hollywood Fix, solidifying her as one of the biggest up-and-coming stars on the internet.
Here's what we know about TikTok star Bella Poarch.
She's adopted
Born in the Philippines on February 8, 1997, Bella confirmed in a TikTok comment that she was adopted. The 23-year-old reportedly grew up in Hawaii and now seems to reside in Los Angeles.
She served in the U.S. Navy
Before striking it big online, Bella served in the U.S. Navy and left the service when her contract expired in 2019. The creator has mentioned multiple times on TikTok that while serving, she worked "in a flight line" and her rating was AO, which stands for Aviation Ordnanceman. According to Operation Military Kids, AO is responsible for "operating aviation ordnance equipment, maintaining guns, bombs, rockets, missiles, and torpedoes. They are also involved in issuing and loading of small arms."
Bella was stationed in Japan for two years.
She has a controversial tattoo
Despite her newfound fame, Bella has already faced a major scandal when fans discovered the racist meaning behind one of her many tattoos. Bella's tattoo in question is of the Japanese rising sun flag. She replaced the flag's central sun symbol with a beating heart.
The star received significant backlash earlier this month, as the Japanese rising sun flag was used by the Imperial Japanese army before and during World War II. It represents regions Japan invaded and enslaved, including Korea.
#greenscreen Here is a photo of my arm tattoo. I love Korea?? I would never do anything to hurt anyone.
15 of The Biggest Pop Culture & Viral Moments of 2021
♬ The Banjo Beat, Pt. 1 – Ricky Desktop
The BBC reports that some South Koreans liken the Japanese sun rising flag to a Nazi swastika.
Bella responded to the backlash on TikTok saying she didn't know the dark meaning behind the flag and that she loves Korea. She has also said she will invest in laser tattoo removal.
She's a gamer and a singer
Prior to finding her niche with superzoom lip sync videos, Bella primarily created content about gaming. She appears to play both PC and console and has expressed her love of Animal Crossing and Call of Duty.
The viral star is also a talented singer, occasionally flexing her vocal skills on the platform as well.
And that's on the new queen bee of TikTok.
Centennial Beauty September 21, 2020
Is 'ABCDEFU' Singer GAYLE An Industry Plant?
The Death of Casual Instagram
Bryce Hall & Faith Ordway Fall Out Over Hot Tub Stream Kiss: A Full Breakdown

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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For years, many Western analysts believed the Chinese folks, having endured decades of hardship under Mao, would tolerate one-party rule in trade for rising incomes and extra social freedom until the day — or so the argument went — that a newly affluent nation would demand political freedoms, too.


Last week, Spotify confirmed it had reported Apple to the European Commission over what it claimed were anti-competitive practices in charging rivals a 30% tax on purchases made through Apple's payment system on its app store.
It said this included taking a cut when Spotify users who chose to upgrade from the free version of the service to the pay monthly premium version and this led to the firm gaining an unfair advantage because it has its own streaming service – Apple Music.
Apple responded, accusing Spotify of seeking to keep the benefits of being on its app store without "making any contributions to that marketplace", arguing the majority of Spotify users on Apple's iOS platform used the free version of the app and did not, therefore, contribute to this revenue stream.
The iPhone maker said Spotify had wrapped "financial motivations in misleading rhetoric".
Now Spotify has hit back again, claiming Apple's approach hurts competition and consumers.
"Every monopolist will suggest they have done nothing wrong and will argue that they have the best interests of competitors and consumers at heart," a Spotify spokesman said.
"In that way, Apple's response to our complaint before the European Commission is not new and is entirely in line with our expectations.
"We filed our complaint because Apple's actions hurt competition and consumers, and are in clear violation of the law.
"This is evident in Apple's belief that Spotify's users on iOS are Apple customers and not Spotify customers, which goes to the very heart of the issue with Apple.
"If we pay this tax, it would force us to artificially inflate the price of our Premium membership well above the price of Apple Music," he said.
Apple noted in its own response the tax in question does not apply if people subscribe through a non-Apple device, such as on a desktop, and then use the service afterwards on an Apple device.
The firm also said it drops from 30% to 15% after the first year and denied Spotify claims it had blocked app updates and access to products such as Siri voice assistant integration and Apple Watch connectivity.
Mr Ek said: "this is not a Spotify-versus-Apple issue" and the firm just wanted to promote healthy competition.
"We want the same fair rules for companies young and old, large and small," he said.
"It is about supporting and nurturing the healthy ecosystem that made our two companies successful in the first place.


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Manchester Monarchs win Calder Cup, crush Utica Comets on Twitter
Posted on June 14, 2015 by Jen Neale
On Saturday night, the Manchester Monarchs lifted their first Calder Cup after their 2-1 defeat of the Utica Comets in five games. Their championship came one year to the day after their parent club, the Los Angeles Kings, celebrated their second Stanley Cup.
And as the old saying goes, like parent club, like AHL affiliate. The Monarchs proceeded to pour salt in the still fresh wounds of the Comets on Twitter.
To everyone in New York outside of Oneida County, you're welcome.
— Manchester Monarchs (@MonarchsHockey) June 14, 2015
Sound familiar? Manchester followed in big brother's shoes with a dig aimed directly at the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, the target of the now infamous 2012 playoff tweet from the Kings.
The Kings missing the playoffs ended up being a boon for the Monarchs. After the NHL season ended, prized 2014 draft pick Adrian Kempe was signed an Amateur Try-Out contract with Manchester before inking his entry-level deal with the big club, thus saving a year on his ELC. Players like Nick Shore and Jordan Weal returned from LA to suit up for Manchester.
Shore and Kempe connected on one of the two goals scored by the Monarchs in the game.
Weal was a revelation for Manchester. He was named the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy recipient as the MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs. The forward posted 22 points (10G, 12A) in 19 games played, and tied for the team and league high in scoring with teammate Michael Mersch.
The win is bittersweet in a way for the Monarchs.
Los Angeles is a part of the AHL's western expansion. The Kings new AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, will hold the designation as the current league champions when the 2015-2016 begins. The Monarchs will remain in New Hampshire and a part of the Kings farm system, but they will become the ECHL affiliate for the club.
Winning the Calder Cup bodes well for teams at the NHL level. Just look at Jon Cooper and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Cooper led the Norfolk Admirals to the title in 2012. Many of the players on that team are now playing for him in Stanley Cup Final.
("Greaaaaat," said all NHL teams when realizing the Kings have a lot of talented players hitting their stide, just waiting for their shot.)
← Ben Bishop, Victor Hedman collide giving Patrick Sharp easy goal (video)
Proposed NHL antitrust lawsuit settlement brings price changes, single-team streaming options →


Sokil, Plant | Enterprise Catalogue "Ukraine Today"
Founded in 1965 "Sokil" Plant of the Ukrainian Hunters and Fishers Association has been the only Ukrainian manufacturer of the whole range of hunting, fishing and sports & tourist accessories for 45 years to date.
The company features the whole complex of stocking, processing, assembling and auxiliary workshops and fulfils the whole range of production and storing of the goods. The products are well-known both in Ukraine and abroad.
At exhibitions in Ukraine and in USA, Germany and France the company's products received the highest marks. In 1997 the plant was awarded the International Prize of the European Trade Club "For the Best Trade Mark" (Spain).
- tourist items: comfortable and capacious knapsacks, bags, tripods.
The plant has started production of Fisher's boxes, Polev's bullets with container-stabilisator (of 12, 16 and 20 caliber), gun powder dosers and etc.
The day-by-day work of the plant's specialists is oriented to designing and implementation of new products as well as to replacing the existing technologies with more sophisticated ones.
The products manufactured at the plant are sold by wholesale and at retail, they come to the shelves of public organizations of fishers and hunters as well as to outlets of sports associations and private companies.


Welcome to ENOTECA WINE SHOP located in Napa Valley in the quaint little town of Calistoga. The store is dedicated to ferreting out and offering the finest savory wines in the world by small artisanal producers.
Enoteca ("ee-no-teck-a") is an Italian word meaning a wine cellar or special wine library. Here is where you can find treasures from $9 for bargain hunters, on up to 4-figures for collectors.
Something for Everyone: specializing in small artisanal producers doesn't necessarily mean expensive–although it CAN in the case of some serious collectors' "unobtainia," which we have.
MargauX doesn't host tastings in-shop, but she does have a mail-order Wine Club with monthly or quarterly shipments, starting at $25 a bottle. Her offerings include a large selection of local as well as European wines.
"Margaux Singleton is a longtime Napa insider. She opened her Calistoga wine shop in 1997 and has cultivated relationships with many of the region's top winemakers, including fraternal superstars Luc and Nicolas Morlet.


A Warm Thank You To Our Drivers!
Ilford Minicab is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide quality service for all of your important needs and events. We are committed to providing the safest most reliable transportation within your locations. Make us your first choice in transportation.


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City takes bold climate action
Moving to Vancouver
Getting around Vancouver
Approves roadmap to dramatically reduce climate emissions and guide next steps
Vancouver has long been considered a global sustainability leader and approval of the Climate Emergency Action Plan will set a new benchmark for cities across Canada and around the world.
City Manager Sadhu Johnston
November 18 2020 –
Last night, Vancouver City Council approved the five-year Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), which contains 19 actions and sets Vancouver on an ambitious path to achieve our target to reduce Vancouver's carbon pollution by 50% by 2030.
Of the 19 actions in the CEAP, four 'game changer' actions were identified to significantly move the dial on reducing carbon pollution from the city's largest sources – buildings and transportation – which represent nearly all of the carbon pollution produced in Vancouver.
Currently, 54% of our carbon pollution comes from burning natural gas used to heat space and water in our buildings, and 39% of our emissions come from burning gasoline and diesel in our vehicles.
About the 'game changer' actions
The 'game changer' actions will not work alone and are designed, together with the other actions, to cut Vancouver's carbon pollution in half over the next decade.
The game changer actions are:
Through robust consultation, create a model to plan for transport pricing to reduce congestion and reallocate road space to more sustainable modes and increase walking, rolling, cycling, and transit use
Expanding residential on-street parking programs city-wide, with a carbon surcharge on new, higher priced, gas and diesel vehicles
Setting carbon pollution limits for existing buildings to transition older buildings off fossil fuels by improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy
Setting requirements for low carbon construction materials and practices in new buildings to reduce the embodied carbon from building construction
Priorities guided development of plan
Priorities in developing the CEAP included mitigating the impacts of climate change, advancing public health, making Vancouver more resilient to future disruptions, and integrating equity.
Three equity reviews were completed during the process of designing these actions, and a Climate and Equity Working Group reviewed and provided input that helped refine the actions.
Equity will remain central, as further research, analysis, and engagement is conducted before the game changer actions are implemented.
Financial framework
A financial framework was approved by Council as part of this plan, outlining our actions and investments over the next 5 years (to 2025) that will be required to meet our 2030 climate goal.
Third party modelling verified that implementing the Climate Emergency Action in combination with the Provincial government's climate plan (CleanBC) will put us on track to meet our 2030 targets.
The modelling also forecast a net savings of $1B for residents and businesses as a result of the changes in technology and behavior made over the next decade ($1.3B in investments and $2.3B in savings).
Engagement to inform detailed plans
Robust engagement and analysis is planned to inform the details of the actions in order to make them successful for Vancouver residents and businesses.
Detailed plans will be brought to Council before implementation.
For more information visit vancouver.ca/climate-emergency
"Vancouver has long been considered a global sustainability leader and approval of the Climate Emergency Action Plan will set a new benchmark for cities across Canada and around the world. The CEAP builds on a long history of forward-looking climate action from staff across all City departments. This is testament to the dedication, collaboration, and innovation across the City," says Sadhu Johnston, City Manager. "Meeting our climate targets is necessary and will take all of us; staff, residents, and businesses. Now we have a roadmap to help us get there."
General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability Gil Kelley
"The Climate Emergency Action Plan is an early action in Vancouver Plan, and its approval signals a clear commitment to align Vancouver with climate science by scaling-up efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. The actions identified are ambitious and necessary. Through them, we will improve the air we breathe, make our neighbourhoods more vibrant, reduce energy waste and switch to renewable energy sources, use low carbon construction materials in our buildings, and boost the green economy, amongst other priorities," says Gil Kelley, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability. "We are committed to working with residents and businesses on implementation to make sure we understand and address their needs."
General Manager of Engineering Services Lon LaClaire
"With transportation as the second-biggest source of carbon pollution, we have to prioritize sustainable ways of getting around," says Lon LaClaire, General Manager of Engineering Services. "The actions outlined in the Climate Emergency Action Plan will support people in switching to walking, biking, and transit trips. Introducing a user-pay model for roads promotes fairness and will allow us to invest those funds in more sustainable travel options. This approach is working to move more people and reduce congestion in major cities around the world and, over the next few years, we will work with our residents and stakeholders to find the right fit to deliver similar benefits for Vancouver."


And boy, was I missing a lot.
Social Media Vacation 2010 started for me on Friday June 18 at 1pm and lasted until Monday June 22 at 9am. Did I miss a lot? No. A few more emails to catch up on, a few tweets to reply to, a few Facebook replies. Not much.
Instead, I got to spend a weekend with my family. It was beautiful. My boy Finn now can make clicking sounds like a clock. He also blows kisses all the time and loves to point out every motorcycle and bus that he sees. I fell in love with my wife Haley again. I realized just how much I love hanging out with her and doing nothing. You don't get that too often with someone else. On Sunday, we went to Whole Foods and then I got a Father's Day Frosty (Wendy's is one of my guilty pleasures..shhh). We didn't do much, but it was one of the best days I've had in ages. Why? I was surrounded by love.
I'm not gonna preach to everyone here, but I think Social Media Vacations are a good thing. Carve out some time where you don't tweet, check in, blog, or even look at Facebook. Take a step further and just turn off your phone. Surround yourself with love. You'll be happy.
Previous Help out the Portland Public Library Teens!
Next That Fox News piece on libraries and the LibraryThing discussion going on about it.


Located in a niche of wilderness and natural beauty, Kandy Cottage offers an ideal environment for artists, writers and photographers. Some of the creative works that have been inspired by Kandy Cottage and its surroundings are on display at the cottage. We invite all our guests to become part of our creative community!


Is USRP® hardware supported in prior releases ?
I would like to develop algorithms to run on an USRP hardware. Is this supported in prior releases ?
1.Type "targetinstaller" at the MATLAB command prompt, launching Target Installer.
2.Choose the internet option, and select "USRP® Radio" from the list of options.
3.Target installer automatically downloads and installs the support package.
The Android sensor support package for MATLAB was shipped with MATLAB starting R2014a. Please refer to the documentation at the following page.
For previous releases, see: Android Sensor Support for R2013b and Earlier.
You should be able to install the support package using the steps similar to the above solution.
I can install USRP in R2009a?


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Alicia Paz
Laughing Walls
Flâneuses
Monsters & Artists
Dark Flora
Devil in the Details
Painting Allegories
Displacements & Encounters
Holly Walsh
Imagine if we find evidence of alien activity in outer space. What exactly would the alien's activity be? Suppose our first proof of extraterrestrial existence was an intergalactic artist, who, while during a break from the rest of her race, was spotted by a passing space probe. Although NASA has yet to meet this unearthly life form, Alicia Paz's 'Untitled' 2004 fuses Japanese monster model catalogues and glossy magazines to invent her Martian double. The alien's beautiful visage hovers before her reptilian head as she shuffles through a wasteland of smouldering ashes. Lit by a radioactive glow, her body morphs into globules of paint with pigment trickles across her thighs and shoulders like viscous varicous veins. Propped up on an easel behind her, a canvas displays the abstract form of her tumorous handprint, gleaming from her silvery Midas touch. Paz's self-portrait seems particularly ambiguous – is she portraying herself as a monster or hiding within a protective shell? Is her face her own, a mask, or a reflection of our own gaze?
Paz's fascination with masks, puppets and dolls is apparent throughout her work. In a series of paintings from the late nineties, Paz lifted images from postcards of 18th Century porcelain figurines to explore the tension between the artifice of representation and the veracity of actual processes involved in painting. In her more recent work, Paz again turns to miniature collectable items, in this case, cheap plastic toys, glossy magazines and comic books. Far from being naive pawns, Paz's company of kitsch characters appear all too knowing of their function within the paintings, to the point where it is difficult to discern whether it is director or the cast that are in control. In 'Untitled' 2002, an oversized Barbie dolls plays ventriloquist to the decapitated head of a snarling woman whilst in 'Untitled (Traitors)' 2002, a cartoon boy seems to pull the strings behind a dancing toddler. Paz's paintings explore different levels of control, often allowing the characters to drive the internal mechanisms and generate their own narrative.
The self-reflexive element of Paz's work is also evident in her references to the processes and tools involved in painting. Like the narrative, Paz's paintings develop from the inside out, with the painting's protagonists becoming responsible for the upkeep of their own world. In 'Untitled (Traitors)' 2002, a lanky youth touches up the background with a decorator's paintbrush. As Paz writes, many of her works "seem to be 'self made' in so far as they encompass an 'author', as well as a motif. In relation to the art of the 60s and 70s, I underline the processelements in the painting, even though, paradoxically, the finished work continues to be a representation of that process." Like a hall of mirrors, Paz's paintings trace the stages of artifice between herself, her fictional counterpart and their work of art.
While Paz's paintings reveal the mechanics of their own creation, they also manifest a tendency to self-destruct. In the mid-nineties, Paz made a series of images in which cuddly rabbits slapped decorator's paint across a Goya masterpiece and scribbled on Velazquez. Although no longer pitching 'high art' against 'kitsch', Paz's iconoclastic streak continues in her new work, where the characters are often under attack within the canvas, bombarded from all sides by explosions and bombs or swallowed up by gloops of paint. In 'Untitled' 2002, the bald Barbie looses her leg to a bright pink blast as a green missile flashes in the sky above. Whilst resembling comic strip detonations, these abstract outbursts of paint also create a contrast to the figurative content of the collages.
Paz's paintings often combine trompe l'oeil collage effects with areas of impasto, drips and scraped paint to both undermine and assert the painting's surface. For her new series of paintings, Paz chooses the traditional technique of oil on canvas to depict her sci-fi scenarios and urban allegories. In 'Untitled' 2002, Paz tangles fragments of women's faces in a web of pulsating paint. Based on cuttings from glossy magazines and comic books, the women exude a sense of sassy self-assurance as they dodge the silver vapour trails and custard explosions that lick, curl and splurge around them. The rippling texture of the silver paint and flashes of yellow lend the painting a baroque sensibility. To further assert the picture plane, Paz punctuates the surface with silver buttons which imbed themselves in the canvas like a spray of bullets.
Paz's paintings often resemble a single scene from a comic strip, in which all action is suspended in a frozen frame. Where previously the figures remained distinct from their backgrounds, Paz has begun to integrate her characters with their surroundings, merging their forms with other areas of paint and deepening the space. The spatial layering creates the illusion of a puppet theatre, extending backwards in discrete layers. 'Untitled' 2002 assembles a cast of toys, catalogue models and cartoons within an idyllic Mediterranean cove. Each creature is defined by its own painterly finish – from the slick sucked polish of the bald Barbie to the boldly outlined sapling in the foreground. Consequently, the various paint qualities become characters in the scene, using the reproduced images as vehicles to drive their own formal conflicts and convergences.
By cannibalising science fiction, glossy catalogues and second hand comic books, Paz exposes the duplicitous nature of representation and the fictional essence of painting. Paz's canvases become artistic battlegrounds, where critters wrestle super heroes, mass produced kitsch combats high art's masterpieces and techniques, and the abstract clashes with the figurative.
Holly Walsh 2004
Holly Walsh is a regular contributor to Frieze Magazine.


The Hawaiian Islands are the most distant from any other land mass on earth. Because of this geography, their flora and fauna have evolved in isolation and are unique: about 25% of Hawaii's reef fish, coral, and algae species occur nowhere else. Their isolated evolution, combined with human alteration of near-shore habitats, has made Hawaii's marine habitats, especially coral reefs, particularly vulnerable to alien invasions.
Smothering Seaweeds (Kappaphycus & Eucheuma sp.) form thick, smothering mats killing corals.
Alien invasive species are introduced species that have arrived accidentally by ballast water or hull-fouling of oceangoing ships, or by accidental and intentional releases of aquaculture species, aquarium specimens or bait. The most harmful of these invaders displace native species, change natural reef structures and food webs. Though there are hundreds of introduced algae and invertebrate species in Hawai'i, only a few have demonstrated exceptionally dangerous invasive tendencies.
Five species of alien algae have become invasive in Hawai'i: Prickly Seaweed (Acanthophora spicifera), Leather Mudweed (Avrainvillea amadelpha), Hookweed (Hypnea musciformis), Smothering Seaweed (Kappaphycus spp.), and Gorillo Ogo (Gracilaria salicornia). Prickly Seaweed arrived as an accidental "visitor" on the bottom of a shipping barge in 1950; it is not know exactly how Leather Mudweed arrived in Hawai'i, and the latter three species were intentionally introduced on Oahu and Molokai in the 1970's for experimental aquaculture for the agar industry. These "weedy" species have now spread from their initial sites of introduction and are competing with native marine flora and fauna.
Most alien algae populations are currently confined to discreet areas and may still be able to be controlled by removal and/or enhancement of native grazer populations. Other areas, particularly coral reefs, remain at risk from the spread of aliens from these sites. This is why it is important to train our eyes to spot these unwanted visitors.
The native Cladophora sericea was found blooming on Maui as a result of excess nutrients.
In stressed or disturbed environments, normally benign native algal and invertebrate species can bloom, or grow out of control. As human impacts on local reefs increase, we cannot predict when, where or which species will become a problem. Signs of native blooms include changes in biodiversity, species composition and reef habitat. Hawai'i has had a number of incidences of native algae and invertebrate blooms going back to the 1970's.


The 2018 Toyota Corolla SE we recently tested was fun to drive because it handled exceptionally well and sounded like a sports car with its throaty exhaust (equipped with an optional $649 TRD Performance Exhaust system). It also had 17-inch machined alloy wheels, a sporty front fascia, and rear spoiler to enhance the sport-inspired feeling.
Our tester was amazingly quick for having a 1.8-L four-cylinder engine, but that was partially due to the six-speed manual transmission. It was a bit sluggish on mountain hills, but overall performed to our satisfaction, especially since it has an overall fuel rating of 30 MPG (27/city and 35/highway). Since most of our driving was on the highway, we experienced more than 34.3 MPG during the weeklong test.
The Corolla had plentiful safety features including the Toyota Safety Sense P Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure, and Dynamic Cruise Control. The Star Safety System (Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, EBD, Smart Stop Technology, and more), along with eight airbags and Hill Start Assist, were also incorporated in the safety elements.
With a sporty interior, and more than ample seating space, the Corolla SE (one of five trims) offered an Entune Audio-Plus, power tilt/slide moonroof, and leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Overall we liked the Corolla and appreciated the 13 cubic feet of cargo volume. Base price on our tester was $21,715, and with options (including a TRD rear sway bar) it was just over $23,200.
The 2018 Lexus RX 350L five-door SUV is a pure delight to drive and offers safety, exquisite comfort, abundant technology, and genuine performance with its 3.5-L V-6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
Our likes on the RX are the full-time active torque control all-wheel-drive system that works well, 20-inch split alloy wheels (option; 18-inch standard), integrated fog lamps, 10-way power front seats (ours had the optional heated/vented seats), power/folding outside mirrors, a Mark Levinson premium audio system with 15-speakers (optional as part of a package; sound is stunning), and the tri-zone climate control system.
From 10 airbags to the Lexus Safety System +, there are multiple standard safety features on the RX, aluminum roof rails, a power rear door, backup camera, and more.
The solid chassis on the FWD RX features a MacPherson strut and coil spring front with gas-pressurize shocks, and an independent double wishbone with coils and gas shocks on the rear, both with stabilizer bars. The ride and handling are gracious.
Technology is prevalent on the RX 350L, but some that we really liked is optional, such as the blind spot monitoring system with rear cross traffic alert, and the industry's first 12.3-inch high-resolution split-screen multimedia display with connection to navigation and other systems.
This is a classy SUV for up to seven passengers that has a base price of $49,070, and with options our tested unit was $57,195.
And to top off the lineup, we tested one of our all-time favorites, a 2018 version of the Toyota 4Runner 4x4 TRD Offroad Premium. Long name, but worth it as this tough beast is just exciting to drive, on- or off-road. We love the ruggedness of its body-on-frame construction, yet its comfortable to drive, and its 9.6 inches of ground clearance - perfect for off-roading.
Our tester was powered by the 4.0-L DOHC V-6 with dual independent variable valve timing that results in 270 HP and 278 lb-ft. of torque at 4,400 RPM. Mated to a five-speed ECT automatic, the downfall for rugged and beastly is pretty lousy fuel economy - in this case 18 MPG overall.
A part-time 4WD system with Active Traction Control was on our tested unit (full-time on some models) along with front and rear stabilizer bars and skid plates, as well as 17-inch performance tires. There is also an electronically controlled rear differential with Multi-terrain Select and Crawl Control.
In addition, there is Hill Start Assist Control and Downhill Assist Control.
The most expensive of three options on our 4Runner was the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System ($1,750) - and well worth it in our view. This system employs hydraulics to automatically adjust stabilizer bars and lean resistance. In essence, it optimizes chassis performance which is vital for rugged off-roading.
With up to 89.7 cubic feet of cargo space, the 4Runner can accommodate a generous amount of goods.
This SUV is great for highway driving, but it really shines when it goes off road. Our only dislike is the heavy cargo door can be difficult to close (needs an automatic open/close system).
With an MSRP of $39,495, our tester had a final price with options of $41,895.


Bypass the filters and ensure your text message is read and responded to.
Emails, mailers, TV spots, digital ads – they all get filtered out by voters because they're delivered by mediums that are easily ignored. Everyone reads their text messages, even if it is just the preview on their lock screen. With the proliferation of SMS in political campaigns, carriers are now blocking messages sent from lackluster platforms.
We tested all of the major platforms and couldn't find the reliability and performance required. Cygnal developed a high-deliverability, super-responsive text messaging platform for its own internal research purposes. We needed to ensure our text messages got to the voter and two-way conversations could happen in near real-time. Now we offer the ability have meaningful conversations and deliver important messages to voters via SMS and MMS.
Our peer-to-peer text message platform means a trained individual physically sends every single text message to your voters.
If you need a conversational component, these skilled individuals send your desired replies. It is even possible to conduct one- to four-question surveys via SMS back-and-forth.
Based on your needs, you can either send us your file and message(s), or we can procure cell phone numbers for you and help craft the message to voters.
Once the campaign is designed, we deploy and send you a performance report.
Single text messages are $0.105/SMS and $0.165/MMS. Two-way conversations via SMS are $0.165/recipient.


My skitch camera capture program was doing fine until i had the new mac update 10.12.12. After the update, the skitch camera capture is not working (abeit the count down is shown and a click sound comes, but only with a black out screen). I have latest version of the skitch. I also uninstalled and re-installed the newest version - nothing is helping out. Please guide.
Same problem here. would love to see this fixed.
It is also happening now with 10.13. Please advise resolution.


ince 1992, more women have been obtaining college degrees than men. Most recently, the breakdown is 36 percent to 28 percent. Nevertheless, the pay gap between men and women in white collar jobs is pronounced.


text:
Christopher (Chris) Sullivan (nacido el 18 de abril de 1965 en San José, California) es un exfutbolista estadounidense.

Jugó alrededor de 10 años en clubes de Francia, Hungría, Suecia, Dinamarca, Alemania, México y en su país, pero sin tener mucha continuidad. Fue internacional con la selección estadounidense y disputó 19 partidos y marcó 2 goles. Además, integró el equipo nacional en la Copa Mundial de 1990 donde actuó en 2 juegos.

Trayectoria

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Christopher Sullivan en ussoccerplayers.com

Nacidos en San José (California)
Futbolistas de California
Futbolistas de Estados Unidos en la Copa Mundial de 1990
Futbolistas del Hertha Berlín en los años 1990
Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol de Estados Unidos en los años 1980
Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol de Estados Unidos en los años 1990
Futbolistas del San Jose Earthquakes
Futbolistas del Venados Fútbol Club
Futbolistas del Győri ETO FC
Futbolistas del Brøndby IF

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


On Friday, June 27, 2014, a U.S. federal trademark registration was filed for FINGERPRINT. The USPTO has given the FINGERPRINT trademark serial number of 86322816. The current federal status of this trademark filing is ABANDONED - NO STATEMENT OF USE FILED. The correspondent listed for FINGERPRINT is KONRAD GATIEN of STUBBS ALDERTON & MARKILES, LLP, 1453 3RD STREET PROMENADE STE 300, SANTA MONICA, CA 90401-3454 . The FINGERPRINT trademark is filed in the category of Restaurant and Hotel Services . The description provided to the USPTO for FINGERPRINT is Hotel services; Bar services; Restaurant services; Catering services; Providing banquet and social function facilities for special occasions.
FINGERPRINT is providing Hotel services; Bar services; Restaurant services; Catering services; Providing banquet and social function facilities for special occasions.


A brief, 500 word statement on why you want to attend, how you plan to utilize the training, and how your career will benefit by attending.
A 1 page case study illustrating how diagnostic testing made a definitive diagnosis for a patient with a primary immune deficiency or immune dysregulatory disorder, or was used to guide therapy. The 1 page case report should include pertinent clinical and laboratory information, along with any flow or genetic data or figures.


Born to Krishna and Uma in Chennai, this Miss India ,Miss beautiful was once a cameo in Tamil Industry .She started her career as a model ,appearing in Tv ads.She is well acclaimed for her facial expressions while acting ,that was her master piece. In this gallery, we feature actress Trisha stills and images collection. Watch and share 6+ stills, pics and images of actress Trisha Krishnan.


text:
Bombay HC raps Maharashtra, centre over 'faulty' CRZ maps
The court heard a petition by NGO Vanshakti that the maps, prepared in 2018, under Coastal Regulation Zone notification, 2011, were "erroneous, inaccurate and incomplete."
Rosy Sequeira
MUMBAI: Bombay high court has sought the responses of the state and the Centre on the accuracy of the final Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) maps for Greater Mumbai.
"Your clients will proceed on defective maps? Perhaps your clients are not bothered," a bench of acting chief justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari and justice Nitin Borkar said on March 12 after told the Union's advocate for the Ministry of Environment and Forest said instructions would have to be taken from the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Kerala.
The NGO's advocate, Zaman Ali, argued that such defective maps were going to form the basis of new maps that are required to be updated under the 2019 CRZ notification. He said the whole exercise would be redundant if the present maps were not corrected. Asked by the judges to point out one defect, Ali answered different colour codes were required within CRZ-I areas such as mudflats, mangroves, sanctuaries and heritage sites.
He showed the final coastal maps for the eastern coast of Mumbai and said, "The entire CRZ-1 A (eco-sensitive areas) is given one colour. The Thane creek flamingoes sanctuary has not been given a distinct colour code as required by the 2011 notification."
The petition states "various plots/lands which would fall under different categories of CRZ are now marked as 'non-CRZ' without any justification" and that existing authorised development on the seaward side are not demarcated.
Pointing to further lapses, the plea says relief centres for disaster management during cyclones, rain, storms and tsunamis have not been indicated. The petition informs that suggestions and objections to the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) maps were ignored and that "authorities have failed to take into account the danger of natural hazards in the sensitive coastal stretches of Maharashtra."
The NGO has urged for a stay on the operation of the CZMP maps in their present layout and sought a directive for publication of fresh maps. It wants Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority to stop all ongoing construction/landfilling activities in CRZ areas until then.
Miffed at the Centre seeking time to reply, the ACJ also said, "Your clients are not co-operating with the court." The court gave a "last chance" and adjourned the hearing to March 27.
Nitin Borkar
ministry of environment
Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority
Greater Mumbai
Bhushan Dharmadhikari


It's the last day of January, meaning that already there are only eleven months left of 2013. I won't pretend to be upset that January is nearly over, especially as it will be my 16th birthday in February. Nevertheless, as always, I am utterly in awe of how rapidly time goes by, and sometimes that thought scares me. I often just want to stop, to have the ability to pause a moment and just live in it, to bask in the happiness of it, if you will. Because time going by means getting older, and although it is inevitable, growing old is one of my biggest fears.
So, thinking about this, I decided that at the end of each month this year I will write a post about what I have achieved or done. I doubt they will often be big things, but it's just a way for me to record what I do, and hopefully something you may find interesting. My logic is that if time insists on passing so swiftly I may as well record the little things that happen so that I have my memories, things that may not seem all that important right now, but in a few years I am sure I will be grateful to have written about.
Watched for the first time: Jane Eyre (2011 version) - I thought it was a little slow and that the book was much better. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it lacked some of the necessary detail from the book, although the acting was wonderful. The King's Speech - Everybody talked about this for such a long time and somehow I never got around to seeing it, so Mum and I finally rented it the other weekend and I loved it. The acting was impeccable and the story was incredible. Les Misérables - I've already seen it twice and bought the soundtrack. I can't impart my love for this film enough, it was utterly brilliant. It's Complicated - Meryl Streep was excellent, I thought this film would be just another romcom and so was wonderfully surprised at how interesting I found it as it explores divorce and human nature of addiction to what is familiar very well.
Bought (clothes): a beautiful new dress from Rare in the sales, some new underwear and also started looking for a prom dress, I'm finding it impossible to find one I like.
At school: completed all my mocks and was lucky enough to receive all my results at a B and above, started learning my script for my final drama piece, got my maths exam result from November which was a B, had my final school and year picture taken, got my first A* in English coursework, I normally don't do so well in English coursework, so this was amazing!
Out of school: had a few really good snow days, went to a surprise party, watched a few films with Harry, went to Pizza Express with friends and ate more than I ever knew I could - eating basically sums up my life.
Although mocks tired me out, January has been rather good to me, here's hoping February will do the same.
So mocks are finally over, thank goodness, it means I can finally stuff my face with food and do absolutely nothing all day long relax a little. I've even been lucky enough to get some fairly wonderful results, let's hope I can do the same in the real thing. I'm aspiring to be around these parts much more often now that I have a little more time, and I've got a few ideas for some posts so just watch this space.
First off I must mention the beautiful snow that we were gifted with nearly two weeks ago now, meaning my maths mock was thankfully cancelled until a week later. At first I wasn't all that sure that the snow was anything more than an inconvenience. However, after a weekend of snowball fights, sledging and movies I was soon persuaded that this snow was exactly what my gloomy January needed. I hate to become complacent with the stereotypical attitude towards January, but if I'm being perfectly honest it will be a relief for me once it's over.
Here are some pictures (courtesy of my friend Rosie) of the snow and evidence of my balance deficiency, which many of you will already know of, I'm sure.
Lack of balance also results in my logic telling me when walking down a slippery hill, that the most appropriate solution to not falling is grabbing an unsuspecting friend's scarf, poor girl.
It also means you fall over, and said friends take pictures.
They also finally help you up.
We were incredibly loud as I'm sure you can imagine, with laughter and singing in surprisingly great supply. The next day my boyfriend taught me how to rugby tackle, when trying to push people over in the snow failed, useful life skill I admit. I went sledging with some of my friends on the Sunday, which was hilarious although I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it. So that was my snow weekend, I quite want another one now. Next time it would be better if we could get some more school off though, that part was slightly disappointing.
I'm finally nearly at the end of my horrific fortnight of mocks - only one more to go! They've not been too bad, and luckily I have managed to stay completely calm about them, which is much more than I could say for myself this time last year. We had a cover RE lesson today and started watching Hotel Rwanda, we only managed to watch the first hour and although I thought it was incredibly well done, I honestly don't know if I could continue watching it. I'm torn between half of me, which tells me that it is so important that I learn about things like this that have happened, if only to show some respect to the poor people who were affected by it and also to get some perspective on what life can be like and learn to appreciate what I have. However, the other half of me wants me to completely shy away from finishing this film, because it is truly heartbreaking to watch.
It made me think about how ignorant we can be as humans. We can turn our back on things, because it's easier not to know. I used to not watch the news because stories would make me cry, stupid as it sounds. But I'm growing to realise that in life people go through horrible things, in ways that I can't even begin to comprehend. And the least I can do, as just me, is listen to their stories and be a better person because of them and what they suffered through. The least these people deserve are people to hear their stories and gain some respect.
Having said that, I'm not one to believe that you should forget your own problems or start comparing them with someone else's. I love this quote from a book I read about a year ago - "I think that if I ever have kids, and they are upset, I won't tell them that people are starving in China or anything like that because it wouldn't change the fact that they were upset. And even if somebody else has it much worse, that doesn't really change the fact that you have what you have." The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I think that it's essential to remember that sometimes, otherwise you just feel guilty for feeling bad about what you're going through, when really it is a big deal and you do have what you have.
I hope I will watch the rest of that film. I'd better go and get some maths revision done, only two more days to go till mock fortnight is over, I simply cannot wait.
I thought I'd just give you a brief update into what I've been doing for the first 6 days of 2013, because I'm so incredibly exciting.
1. Having had a marvellous NYE I woke up on NYD feeling pretty wrong, I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I felt off. So, I went downstairs to wake up Harry, who was sleeping on the sofa as I had taken his bed (sorry!), and just as I thought it might be alright, I swiftly proceeded to throw up in his toilet. Wonderful. Still have no idea what caused it, but I'm wishfully hoping it will never be talked of again.
2. I decided this was the day to start my revision for mocks. I'd been putting it off for the majority of the holidays with the classic excuses of 'Christmas Eve, Christmas, in Yorkshire therefore can't, New Year.' Now that they were all done I had nothing left, so began. 6 hours into it I felt just about ready for a breakdown, so when my best friend Rosie called me it was greatly appreciated. We had both spent the day revising and agreed we needed a break so I went to hers for a 'revision' sleepover. We really did have the intent to do revision, I promise. It just didn't happen that night. We talked and laughed and everything else we do at sleepovers, and it was really nice.
3. Rosie and I awoke, decided we really must do some revision, and eventually did. We then got ready and I went to Harry's for dinner, which was lovely.
4. One of my best friends, James, moved to Australia nearly 2 years ago and he came back for Christmas, but obviously had spent lots of time with family so we hadn't been able to see him before the 4th. I spent the morning revising and then we went to Sean's to see him. It was such a funny evening, spent watching Friends With Kids (good film), eating, and laughing, an insane amount. I really missed him. A portion of it was also spent with me, Lucy and Hannah being left alone and with Lucy's iPad mini, resulting in some horrific pictures, a few of which I will leave you with at the end of this post.
5. Harry came round and we watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. Oh my goodness, I love it. Ryan Gosling. All I need to say. And the rest of the film was pretty good too. Really glad Harry brought it. We had lunch at the M&S cafe, I'm a little in love with their ham and cheese toasties. In the evening I again met up with James and the gang, again very funny and lovely.
6. Today has been spent revising some more, and basically getting ready for school tomorrow. My alarm is set for 6:30am tomorrow, and I have two weeks of mocks ahead of me. I want to cry. These holidays have been wonderful, I've almost forgotten what school feels like. Oh well, got to go back. I'll get through it, I think.
If you've read all of those points, well done, if not, don't worry, I don't blame you. If you don't see me around these parts in the next couple of weeks it's because I should probably concentrate on my mocks, but we'll see, I might turn up at some point. Ok, as promised, there are the pictures, we're beautiful, I know.
I want to begin by writing about my Christmas, as I haven't yet had the opportunity to do that. I had the most wonderful day, which began with me and my Dad driving up to Yorkshire to my sister's. When we got there everyone opened their presents, I got lots of money, clothes, chocolate and best of all Taylor Swift's album Red Deluxe Edition and Ellie Goulding's new album Halcyon. They are both incredible, do not deny me of that. I proceeded to play with my niece and nephews and their new toys.. I really am cool aunty Anna.
Of course in Hartley tradition, Christmas dinner was the main part of the day, and did not disappoint in being absolutely delicious. I even managed to steal three pigs-in-blankets compared to everyone else's measly one each. I was extremely proud. Later on, after lots of watching Christmas tv and playing with toys we decided to play Trivial Pursuit. We've never played it before and I think I now know why. It was an embarrassment how bad I was at it (we all were!), I found the questions so difficult! However, surprisingly I was not the worst and proudly came second to last at the end of it! I had a really lovely time in Yorkshire, spending time with the kids and my sister is always great.
Soon after I got back I developed a Stye infection in my eye. I've still got it now and believe me, it's nasty. It's very painful and I can't wear my beloved contact lenses because I'm treating it with an ointment my doctor prescribed. However I decided I wasn't going to let it affect my New Year's Eve. I spent it at my boyfriend's and I really had the best night, he's incredibly good to me, even if he does call me short arse on occasion. I always find this time of year very strange, I never know what to expect from it. While it feels like a new beginning, it also feels exactly the same as yesterday to me. So I suppose a New Year and its affect depends completely on how you perceive it.
My Mum was asking me yesterday if I had any new years resolutions, and usually I'm known to be quite eager to start the year with some goals. But 2012 has definitely been the year I've grown the most, and it's made me realise that as I've learnt more and more about myself, I've been learning how to improve myself and be more aware of what I need. So really I just want to continue doing that. Because at the end of the day, what can you do that's more important than understanding yourself? So that's my ethos for this year. Apart from working hard for my exams in the Summer and having as wonderful a time as possible, of course.
2012 consisted of: having my heart broken and slowly putting it back together, going on a French exchange straight after which brought challenges of its own, a brutally difficult 15th birthday, my first ever formal exam, some wonderful exam results, going on holiday with my sister without my dad, getting to know little Edwin very well, getting really close with Cait (that sister) for the first time, many hilarious occasions with my best friends, an unexpected holiday to Romania when a friend was in need, the start of year 11 (which meant a hell of a lot of work), and meeting Harry who makes me smile very much.
Not bad for one year, I think. Ok 2013, bring it on.


Yesterday was a terrible day for people all over the world. Willy Wonka's actor Gene Wilder passed away on Monday, August 29. Died at 83, he had a secret and long battle going on with Alzheimer's. In order to pay tribute to one of the finest actors in Hollywood, we have compiled a list of ten Gene Wilder Young Frankenstein quotes.
Sources say that Gene was diagnosed with Alzheimer's three years ago, but he kept it a secret, because he could not stand one smile less in the world. Gene passed away on late Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut due to complication from Alzheimer's.
If you have been searching for "Gene Wilder quotes," "Young Frankenstein quotes" then you have come to the right place. Given below are 10 amazing quotes from Gene's movie Young Frankenstein.
Igor: I can remember what my dad used to say in times like this.
Inga: Dr. Fronkensteen are you alright? Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: My name is FRANKENSTEIN!
If you want to know more information about Gene Wilder, then click this link.


ART CARD SALE Fundraiser— The Power of Imagination Art & Writing Workshop empowers children ages 8-13 by helping them to envision their imagination as a tool to dream and do big! The cards will ship to you via Priority Mail, in time for the fast approaching holidays!
For Immediate Release: Douglas Turner will be among guest speakers who will give 20-minute talks in each classroom. Turner hopes to instill a passion for the arts and a love for creativity because they are crucial components in healthy development. He also aims to nurture the seed of confidence.
Events, News and Events, T.E.E.I. Updates / January 15, 2016 / Comments Off on Crowdfund and Membership CAMPAIGN LAUNCH PARTY on MLK Day!
ARCHITECTURE OF TOMORROW CAMPAIGN LAUNCH PARTY Monday 1/18 MLK Day 7-10p Pangea Restaurant 178 Second Ave., East Village Hors D'oeuvres & Wine | RSVP |This is going to be an amazing evening for everyone! The Architecture of Tomorrow is set to become a membership driven initiative and I couldn't be more excited about this.
T.E.E.I. Updates / November 10, 2015 / Comments Off on HELP US WIN A $10K GRANT BY CHOOSING AOT AS YOUR FAVORITE CAUSE!
HELP US WIN A $10K GRANT BY CHOOSING AOT AS YOUR FAVORITE CAUSE!
Show up on Saturday the 24th from 1-3p, Senator Jesse E. Hamilton has organized a Youth Resource Fair at Brownsville NeON. Stop by AOTps' Equal Education Initiative Booth we'll be providing consultations, and artist internship connections!
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class DummyService < Service
  attr_accessor :responses, :sleep

  def initialize(config = {})
    self.responses = []
    self.sleep = 0
    super
  end

  def service_types_generated
    responses.collect {|r| ServiceTypeValue[ r["service_type_value"] ]}.compact.uniq
  end

  def handle(request)

    ::Kernel.sleep( self.sleep ) if self.sleep

    responses.each do |response|
      request.add_service_response( { :service => self }.merge(response.symbolize_keys ) )
    end

    return request.dispatched(self, true)
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Published on Sustainable Energy for All
African women help their communities go solar
Carolyn Lucey
Also available in: Arabic | Spanish
Wamayo's solar lantern has helped her tailoring business grow.
This number cannot be emphasized enough – more than 1 billion people around the world live without access to electricity, and 2.9 billion still cook with polluting, harmful fuel like firewood and dung.
As we celebrate Earth Day, we're looking at the ways to bring energy access to those communities and transform lives, and at the same time, protect our planet's resources. How can we make sure that the right progress for communities is the right progress for the planet?
The good news is that the world is constantly coming up with new technology to address this challenge. We have portable, phone-charging solar lamps and energy efficient cookstoves that are affordable and practical for communities living off-the-grid. The challenge now is how to make sure the right technologies are available in affordable and sustainable ways to the communities that need them most.
Solar Sister is a social enterprise that recruits, trains, and supports African women launch clean-energy businesses in their communities, selling lights and cookstoves to their neighbors. We are organized around the principle that women must be intentionally included in discussions around energy.
Because women are the ones most affected by a lack of access to energy: in the overwhelming majority of instances, they gather fuel for stoves, cook in smoky kitchens, and walk miles to fill a can with kerosene. Often, they are also in charge of the day-to-day energy costs in their households and have the motivation, insight, and community connections needed to make sure energy access leads to a better community for all. What we've seen in the field, time and again, is that women's voices and leadership are essential to the movement for equitable, clean energy access.
Natalia's and Wamayo's stories help underline that reality.
Natalia is a mother, farmer, and tailor in Tanzania. With the S2 lanterns, she can safely cook dinner and her children can study at night.
Before she purchased solar lanterns, Natalia's children were not doing so well at school – their health wouldn't allow it.
"They couldn't study confidently. When we used kerosene they started coughing and choking from the smoke," Natalia said.
That's when she decided to buy battery-powered flashlights as an alternative, but quickly got frustrated when they broke and couldn't be replaced. Then, a Solar Sister entrepreneur, Rose, introduced a reliable, safe solar lantern with a two-year warranty and a receipt to Natalia. That gave her the option of replacing it without spending more money. Plus, Natalia trusted Rose, who had been a friend and neighbor for many years.
Natalia bought one lantern to test it out, wanting to make sure the technology lived up to Rosa's claim. She saved money from selling her vegetable crop and working as a tailor to buy two more lanterns, one at a time. It worked. Her children's grades improved quickly and even better – they don't cough as much anymore.
And then there is Wamayo, who can't help smiling when she places her solar lantern in front of her sewing machine to demonstrate how she uses it late into the night. The lantern, purchased from a Solar Sister entrepreneur in Sango Bay, Uganda, has become an integral part of her tailoring business. Wamayo put away savings for a whole year to buy it. Now that she doesn't spend 700 shillings per day to buy kerosene, her savings, combined with more income from extended work hours, means she has enough money to build a new house for her family.
Then there are the entrepreneurs themselves. Moshi sold more than 250 solar lanterns and clean cookstoves in her first year as a Solar Sister entrepreneur. When Moshi learned of Solar Sister and the opportunity to get electricity for herself and her community, which is off Tanzania's electricity grid, she knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur and do her part to end energy poverty in her village. But she soon realized it was too big a task for one woman to take on.
So she convinced three more to join her.
"We are far from the (end of the) road... We thought, let us take it upon ourselves to get access to clean energy," Moshi said.
Moshi saved up her own earnings to purchase the cookstove which she says reduces smoke emissions, cooks faster, and uses half the amount of wood as before.
The four women began selling solar lanterns at village gatherings, the local mosque, market days, and at their savings group meetings. They've realized that there is, in fact, a high demand for both solar lanterns and clean cookstoves. The solar lanterns help relieve the high cost of kerosene, while the cookstoves reduce the number of weekly trips a woman must make to gather firewood. The women estimate that 75% of their town now has solar and clean energy in their homes. Our hope is that we can help them get to 100% soon.
Case studies and images provided by Lindsey Allen & Serena Chan, "Solar Sister Social Impact Report," Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Santa Clara University.
Communications Associate, Solar Sister
More Blogs By Carolyn
Kip Patrick
Great to see all you do to help women around the world. Keep up the great work Solar Sister!


text:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/award-winning-philippine-filmmaker-backs-duterte-drug-war/article/479792
Award-winning Philippine filmmaker backs Duterte drug war
Posted Nov 17, 2016	by Ayee Macaraig (AFP)
Award-winning Philippine director Brillante Mendoza has turned his cinematic skills to promoting someone many in the West would see as an unlikely hero -- President Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war.
Philippine director Brillante Mendoza has become a celebrated figure in the global independent film industry for his gritty movies exposing social injustice and the sufferings of the poor in his home country
Noel Celis, AFP
Mendoza has become a celebrated figure in the global independent film industry for his gritty movies exposing social injustice and the sufferings of the poor in his home country.
While critics have condemned Duterte's anti-crime crackdown, which has claimed the lives of thousands of poor people, Mendoza has filmed government advertisements promoting it and directed the broadcast of a presidential address to the nation.
"If there's one person who understands the situation, it's the president," Mendoza, 56, told AFP at his Manila production house that is full of posters of his movies and trophies from top film festivals including Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Mendoza has filmed government advertisements promoting Duterte's anti-crime crackdown and directed the broadcast of a presidential address to the nation
"I know there are a lot of people who are not supportive in totality of what he wants and what he's doing right now, but if you actually have witnessed the real situation, this is the way to go about it."
Duterte easily won presidential elections in May largely on a campaign pledge to eradicate drugs by killing tens of thousands of people, warning the Philippines was in danger of becoming a narco-state.
Since he took office at the end of June, police have killed more than 1,800 drug suspects and about 2,600 others have died in unexplained circumstances linked to the crackdown, according to official figures.
The president has repeatedly insisted police are only killing in self-defence and that most of the unexplained deaths are due to criminals attacking each other.
But Western governments and human rights organisations have expressed fears about alleged extrajudicial killings and a breakdown in the rule of law.
Those concerns have been fuelled by Duterte's extreme language and comments viewed by critics as incitements to kill.
- Culture clash -
Duterte said recently he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts, and likened his campaign to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's efforts to exterminate Jews in Europe.
The 71-year-old lawyer later apologised for his Hitler reference, but said he was "emphatic" about wanting to kill drug addicts.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Duterte said recently he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug addicts
Manman Dejeto, AFP
French newspaper Liberation branded Duterte a "serial killer".
Mendoza, whose films have earned him a French knighthood and a best director award at Cannes, declined to comment on the extrajudicial killings issue.
He also said he had no personal knowledge of such deaths, while insisting foreign critics misunderstood Duterte due to a culture clash.
"I would tell them you don't know our president," Mendoza said.
"You are only seeing it from your perspective as somebody who lives far away from the Philippines. Because you are living in a first-world country."
For instance, Mendoza said, it was easy for foreigners to misunderstand Duterte's cursing, which he said was merely "an expression" for people in the southern Philippines where he is from.
Mendoza said he became aware of the full extent of the nation's drug problem as he researched his film: "Ma' Rosa", which won the Cannes best actress award in May and earned a nomination in next year's Oscars for best foreign language film.
"Ma' Rosa" focuses on a mother selling drugs to make ends meet who is arrested by corrupt policemen.
Residents and policemen gather over the body of a suspect killed during an anti-drug operation
Ted Aljibe, AFP
"I didn't know there was a huge problem of drugs in this country," said Mendoza, a former advertising production designer.
The two short films he made pro bono for the government have been viewed millions of times on social media.
In his ultra-realist style, they tell the stories of a father who misses milestones in his daughter's life due to substance abuse and a Filipina who is working overseas sending money back home to a son hooked on drugs.
Mendoza said he hoped the films, which carry the government's #partnerforchange hashtag, would help spur drug addicts to kick their habits.
- Narrow focus -
Mendoza said artists and Asians had a better understanding of Duterte than Europeans, who were only learning about him from the media.
Indeed, tens of millions of Filipinos from all strata of society continue to support Duterte and his efforts to contain the drug menace in the belief it will make society safe.
Many also see him as the strong leader needed to fight enduring problems such as crippling corruption, widespread poverty, a decades-long communist rebellion and Islamic militancy.
Still, not all Filipino artists back Duterte.
Actress Agot Isidro caused controversy when she described the president as a "psychopath".
Prominent filmmaker Pepe Diokno, whose debut film focused on "death squads" allegedly run by Duterte when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao, has been another critic.
Nevertheless, Mendoza insists the drug problem is so complex that it and Duterte cannot just be looked at through the lens of mass killings.
"I am not advocating that people who are poor should be put to death. But then, at the end of the day, we shouldn't only see that in that perspective," he said.
"There are a lot of sides we have to consider."


With a menu that consists of Vietnamese street food sharing plates and exotic cocktails, the focus at Montreal restaurant Le Red Tiger is firmly fixed on quality, originality, and some very nice design.
Drawing inspiration from the architecture of Southeast-Asia — namely the Chinese imperialist days, French colonial and post-colonial eras — designer Guillaume Ménard of Atelier Mainor looked beyond your average run-of-the-mill 'modern' restaurants, instead exploring a rural and traditional side that has resulted in three distinct styles from three distinct chapters in Vietnam's history.
During summer months, Le Red Tiger opens up its wide garage doors — revealing an eye-catching black and white chequered floor that contrasts with the establishment's main shades of brown and yellow. A neon sign reading Càng dông càng vui (a Vietnamese proverb equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon proverb: the more the merrier) sits above the bar in front of the open kitchen, and bespoke furniture — including a set of nine-feet tables resting on single one-foot stands — adds character to the place; alongside family photographs for a veritable stamp of authenticity. A brilliant piece in the entryway by mural artist and illustrator Aless Mc brings an urban edge and sense of playfulness.
Personal, fun, and taking a nice sidestep from cookie-cutter modern interiors, Le Red Tiger feels like the genuine article; an interesting addition to Montreal's culinary landscape.


text:
'Determinants of the Extent of Forward Looking Information: Evidence from UK before Financial Crisis
Abed Suzan, Basil Al-Najjar
The study aims to propose a multi-theoretical framework based on information asymmetry and institutional theories by focusing on the OFR regulation changing period from 2004-2006. We carry out an empirical investigation to detect the extent of forward-looking information for a sample of 690 UK non-financial firm-year observations which are drawn from the top 500 UK. We show that the extent of voluntary disclosure of Forward Looking (FL) information is positively and significantly associated with growth opportunities, leadership, audit committee, competition rate, corporate size, and cross-listing. However, the extent of FL information is negatively and significantly associated with blockholders. This paper applies a multi-theoretical lens based on information asymmetry and institutional theories are employed in order to identify potential new determinants of voluntary disclosure in regards to forward-looking information in the UK context.
Corporate Ownership and Control
https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv13i3p2
10.22495/cocv13i3p2Licence: Unspecified
http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/32771/
Link to publisher's website
Dive into the research topics of ''Determinants of the Extent of Forward Looking Information: Evidence from UK before Financial Crisis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Institutional Theory Business & Economics 100%
Financial Crisis Business & Economics 94%
Voluntary Disclosure Business & Economics 73%
Information Asymmetry Business & Economics 60%
Cross-listing Business & Economics 42%
Blockholders Business & Economics 40%
Audit Committee Business & Economics 35%
Growth Opportunities Business & Economics 33%
Suzan, A., & Al-Najjar, B. (2016). 'Determinants of the Extent of Forward Looking Information: Evidence from UK before Financial Crisis. Corporate Ownership and Control, 13(3), 17-32. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv13i3p2
Suzan, Abed ; Al-Najjar, Basil. / 'Determinants of the Extent of Forward Looking Information : Evidence from UK before Financial Crisis. In: Corporate Ownership and Control. 2016 ; Vol. 13, No. 3. pp. 17-32.
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