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Galaxy Surfactants wins the ESG Summit and Awards 2021
Bags top accolade under "Best ESG Initiative to Improve to Access to Clean Water award category"
Mumbai, 15th December 2021: India's leading manufacturer of surfactants and specialty care ingredients, Galaxy Surfactants has been awarded the ESG Summit & Awards 2021 under the category of Best ESG Initiative to Improve to Access to Clean Water. The Summit was organized by Transformance Forums with the purpose to help ESG stakeholders develop their ESG vision, strategy, and reporting.
Galaxy Surfactants was honoured with this award for its continuous contribution in improving Access to Clean Water. Recently, as a part of its initiative 'Samajeek Uthaan' developed with the objective of serving the community, Galaxy Surfactants de-silted percolation tanks in eight villages of Nanded District in Maharashtra. Through this project, it aims to help the villages get year-long access to clean water.
On receiving the award, Mr K Natarajan, COO of Galaxy Surfactants said, "With a focus on valuing every drop of water, we have implemented water stewardship across all our manufacturing units and functions. With stringent targets for water reduction, we have ensured that our manufacturing units in India are Zero Liquid Discharge Unit since May 2017. Further, Galaxy has cumulatively harvested 250 million litres of water through multiple projects. Our ambition is not just to become water positive, and water secure, but also to bring in a greater positive change in the environment for the larger good of society."
The summit served as a game-changing meet for all ESG Stakeholders, CFOs, Sustainability Leaders, CMOs, CEOs, General Counsels and Chief Auditors to develop a shared vision, strategy, and approach for their respective ESG practices. Amidst 200 + participants, Galaxy Surfactants, being one of the leading specialty chemicals firms in the country that enables sustainable, organic and environment-friendly chemical formulations and blends, received this honour.
Conceptualised and curated by Transformance Forums, the ESG Summit and Awards, 2021 was graced by the presence of 25 + Speakers from the Industry. Ms Pragnya Ram, Group Executive President, Group Head, Aditya Birla Group and Mr Nagesh Pinge, Independent Director, Automobile Corporation of Goa Limited were the Jury Members for the Award.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Growing roses is a challenge. They are not easy and simple like so many annuals and perennials we commonly grow in our gardens. Just when one thinks the "magical formula" is in hand it eludes us again. Finding solutions in the garden is often like detective work. I discovered something about the manure I had been buying. It was no longer manure. On close inspection it was apparent that the 'composted manure' was in reality finely ground wood chips with very little actual manure in it. Some manure even had high levels of sand in them. I suspect that true manure from farms and livestock sources are of good quality and worth seeking out.
And this is just what I did. I found the local horse stables and bagged volumes of free horse manure. I had not used horse manure before but thought it was worth a try. Having spaded out the composted manure (aged underneath the layers of fresh material), I inspected closely and discovered rich, dark organic material. Another bonus to this type of manure is the almost odorless nature. And yes, this was the answer to my problems. My roses responded beautifully. It was as if they had been given a new lease on life. This last summer I had a lush, bloom filled rose garden once again.
There have been other mistakes and miscalculations in the rose garden. On one hand I have read that roses should not be pruned until early spring. And yet I have seen roses pruned by the end of November. Of course, once-blooming climbers should only be pruned after blooming. This is not the issue here. I only speak of the average roses that need pruning for health and vigor. I found out the hard way that roses are best pruned before winter. One year I had left the roses as were with the intention of a good spring prune in February. I discovered, after nasty wind storms and some heavy snowfalls, that many long and thick canes had broken off at their bases. I realized that had I pruned them down by one third at least before winter, they would not have been damaged so severely.
Another error in judgement is proximity of planting. The roses most closely planted together, especially in areas of poor air circulation, seem to develop disease problems. It is akin to a small room filled with sick people passing their bacteria to one another. Roses pass their fungal diseases (black spot, mildew and rust) along readily in poor conditions. In addition to proximity planting with one another is the problem of proximity planting with other aggressive plants. I discovered that roses planted near particular trees and shrubs began to decrease in vitality. Deciding to move them I found greedy tree roots intertwined with the more delicate rose roots in competition for the rich soil.


I've been an owner of the Amazon Echo smart speaker since it was first released and even reviewed it here on the SWLing Post a couple years ago. Although it's not a perfect device–and many feel IOT products like this invade their privacy (rightfully so)–it is a nice hands-free way to call up a radio station, set a timer, get the weather, set reminders and even do a little light research.
I'm excited to share my 'work-in-progress' Alexa skill for searching shortwave broadcast schedules!
I've often stumbled over a station tuning the dial and have had to step away from the radio, grab a computer, go to a web site, type in a frequency… what a fuss – what if I could just ask my Echo dot….?
Since my day job involves chat bots, machine learning, and AI, I was recently asked to look into Alexa and suddenly I had a new home project!
That's brilliant, Mark! I'm sure I'm not the only SWL who would love to add this Alexa skill to their Echo device.
Mark did add that this is very much in prototype development and he hasn't sorted out a way to host it affordably, or better yet, for free if he publishes it publicly. If you have any suggestions about a host server, please comment.
I'm sure Mark would love any early constructive feedback readers might have. Please comment if this is an Alexa skill you would value.
Mark, please keep us apprised of your progress!
This entry was posted in New Products, News, Schedules and Frequencies, Shortwave Radio and tagged Alexa, Amazon Echo, Mark Hirst, Shortwave Schedules Alexa Skill on October 9, 2018 by Thomas.
Cant wait to try this. I enjoy using my Echo AND my SW radios.
It's only a prototype in development, so you won't find that skill yet. If Mark decides to release it publicly, we'll certainly post how you can add it to your device.


text:
Home Felons Voting
Florida's felon voting restoration flawed
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — In a ruling that could reverberate in this year's crucial elections, a federal judge ruled that Florida's system of…
Activists prepare to push felon voting rights amendment
Supporters of changing Florida's current system for restoring felons' voting rights met in Tampa on Feb. 5 to plan campaign strategy ahead of…
Editorial: Restore voting rights of ex-felons – Opinion –
The Gainesville Sun editorial board Nearly 1.7 million Floridians are denied the right to vote, including more than one in five black…
The United States pretends it gives the vote to every citizen over the age of 18. It doesn't – not by far
As part of the process of applying for US citizenship, everyone has to take a wee test to demonstrate they know a little…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. In a ruling that could reverberate in this year's crucial elections, a federal judge ruled that Florida's system of restoring voting…
STRASSBURGER: Former prisoners deserve the right to vote | Opinion
Nearly everyone should be given the opportunity to start over. However, some lawmakers would not concur. Felony disenfranchisement exemplifies this. The policy can…
A new ruling uses Citizens United to give rehabilitated felons their voting rights back.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks to reporters following his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 29. Drew Angerer/Getty…
Why you should vote to restore felons' voting rights
The Editorial Board, FLORIDA TODAY Published 1:35 p.m. ET Feb. 5, 2018 | Updated 1:45 p.m. ET Feb. 5, 2018 CLOSE Engagement Editor…
Federal judge strikes down Florida's voting restoration process for felons
Home Daily News Federal judge strikes down Florida's voting… Election Law By Gerardo Alvarez Posted February 5, 2018, 7:00 am CST Shutterstock A…
Federal judge knocks down Florida's voting ban for ex-felons
0 Federal judge: Florida's felon voting restoration flawed TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – In a ruling that could reverberate in this year's crucial elections, a…


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Q: How to add custom condition in custom rule I've created a custom rule in my extension using this
Now I want to add my custom conditions in a rule like order attribute, order billing address attribute and
order shipping address attribute...Using that link I've got this result

But I want to add something like this :

I've tried this link also to do this task HERE
But it is for sales rule so it also adds an extra link in sales rule also!
I'm working with condition rule very first time so I also don't exactly know it's flow.
Does anyone have any idea? Please Let me know!

A: After researching on this topic I've found the solution!
I focused on Magento's default rule in that, analyse the code of
vendor\magento\module-sales-rule\Model\Rule\Condition\Combine.php
then follow same like the default and modify where needed!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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(David Edward) "Shadow" Whitmore
Portrayed By
Ed Wasser
Graduated (1963)
Pureblood
Brigend, Wales
Josephine Marie Chevalier
Edward Rhys Whitmore
Hwellwyn, 21
The Leaky is Full
Character History:
Daniel Edward Whitmore has had an extremely challenging life. His response has been to take those challenges and throw them into others' faces, adding his own blend of cruelty and cold detachment to them.
In March of 1945, World War Two was winding down, though many had no idea at the time. A young witch by the name of Josephine Marie Chevalier, of the purest of wizarding lines, gave birth to a scrawny boy. The baby's father was a prominent member of wizarding Britain who had taken a trip to France nine months earlier. When Jo showed up on Edward Whitmore's doorstep, he hid her in his familiy's sprawling manor and kept her away from his wife who was barren. AfterJo was able to travel, Edward sent her on her merry way and raised his son in the privacy of his home claiming him to be a distant relation.
When the time came for his schooling, Whit recieved two letters: one from his father's beloved Hogwarts, and the other from his mother's alma mater, which was Beauxbatons. Following his father's wishes, he went to Hogwarts, where he was sorted into Ravenclaw and excelled at nearly every class, except for Defense against the Dark Arts. The reason for this was fairly clear to those who knew him. His magic naturally tended to the dark. He'd read almost everything in his father's library up to that point, and the old library had a lot of dark books. However, the general population of the school tended to ignore him, or label him as a 'bookworm' outright, so his dark tendencies remained otherwise unnoticed.
In his fifth year, he met Drusilla Lorina, who was a Slytherin in his form. They began spending time together, and when they graduated, they married.
Whit worked his way around the Ministry of Magic, starting as a clerk in Games and Sports and spending time in each department before realizing that it wasn't a match for him. Finally, when he was approached by an Unspeakable, he felt he had found his niche. Now, he is well-respected and adds a certain professional detachment to some of their more unsavory experiments.
About two years after he got settled into his niche at the Department of Mysteries, Drusilla announced to her husband that she was pregnant. The pregancy was a difficult one, and Whit found himself spending more time down in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic than he did at home. His wife assumed that he'd found a mistress, and left him shortly after Hweyllwyn was born. He has only seen his daughter and heir in passing; giving a cruel, ironic twist that he was now in the same situation as his mother. When Drusilla left him, he began spending more time in the pub near the ministry, and was recruited by a low-ranking Death Eater. It didn't take much for Whitmore to decide to join the ranks and begin working his way up them. Lord Voldemort has decided to keep him as a source of information in both the Ministry at large, and in the Department of Mysteries specifically, though the latter is restricted by oaths and secrecy spells galore. Whit finds a kind of a perverse pleasure at thumbing his nose at the wizarding world while appearing to be a mild-mannered man simply furthering the knowledge of magic and life.
Externally, Whitmore is the very picture of propriety and pureblood perfection. He sips his tea quietly, and might even stick his pinky finger out if it were proper.
He does appear interested in the world, questioning people about their various goals and dreams. Sometimes, he offers to help make them come true, but that is so rare these days.
Internally, he's bitter, angry, mad at the world and willing to prove it to everyone. He stays sane by participating in Death Eater raids and feeding his Master information that will help destroy the fabric of wizarding society. Oddly enough, though, he has a strong pureblood predjudice. He just believes the taint of Muggle and 'Mudblood' goes too deep for it to be cleansed by simple means. He believes wholeheartedly in the destruction en masse of the culture and reformation as a completely pureblood society.
+ Click here for the full list of logs.
- Hide logs
1995-02-13: The Leaky Is Full
christian sirius thalia tiana whitmore
1995-02-17: Dark Waiting Room
snape whitmore
1995-02-17: So This Is War
angelina bellatrix brian christian david davie fenrir ginny harry moody neville perpetua peter siobhan sirius snape thalia tiana whitmore
1995-03-01: Scrolls And Roles
septima whitmore
1995-04-18: Active Philosophy
joe whitmore
1995-05-05: Cat People
edwin fiona jilly sirius whitmore
1995-06-22: All Part Of The Plan
1995-06-23: Through the Looking Glass...No, Really
alistaire siobhan snape whitmore
1995-07-10: Dark Reassurance
edwin whitmore
1995-07-15: Bellatrix's Favorite Things
adelaide bellatrix edwin hestia kingsley sirius whitmore
1995-08-31: Soup And Schmooze
brandon eleanor whitmore
1995-11-12: A Twisted Tea Party
baddock clemency snape voldemort whitmore yaxley
1996-01-26B: Interitus
siobhan whitmore
1996-02-12: Dark Room, White Knight
siobhan snape voldemort whitmore
1996-04-01: Gruesome Apparitions
whitmore
deatheater ravenclaw whitmore
Whitmore is a Death Eater, but he is so far deep undercover that Voldemort doesn't even call him by name in the Death Eater meetings. He often appears completely different in manner of height, weight, voice, hair and eyecolor. His master usually calls him "Shadow", or "David". The Dark Lord is only one of two people to be allowed this privilege, the other being his ex-wife.
"What do you want?" — Jason Morden, Babylon 5 (the inspiration for this character)
Trivia and Notes:
Let me know via page or @mail if you want to have had the discussion with Whit already and be deeply in his debt. He will collect, and it will cost. But, it might be fun RP.
deatheaterravenclawwhitmore
page revision: 12, last edited: 10 Sep 2011 02:02


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The New Centurions: A Novel
byJoseph Wambaugh
March 1, 1987|
Meet the Los Angeles blues—a new breed of cop. From the baby-faced rookies to hashmark heroes, they are besieged men, dealing daily with a world coming apart. Hunting killers, quelling gang wars, fighting corruption, they risk death every day . . . every night.
Joseph Wambaugh was a damn good cop and LAPD detective. For fifteen years he prowled the streets, solved murders, took his lumps. Now he's the hard-hitting, tough-talking bestselling writer who tells the brutal, true stories of the men who risk their lives every time a siren screams.
Praise for The New Centurions
"As explosive as a gunfight."—The National Review
"Blunt, forceful, vivid . . . superb characterizations."—National Observer
"Wambaugh's policemen are neither angels nor villains."—Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
Joseph Wambaugh is the hard-hitting bestselling writer who conveys the passionate immediacy of a special world. He was a police officer with the LAPD for 14 years before retiring in 1974, during which time he published three bestselling novels. Over the course of his career, Wambaugh has been the author of more than 20 works of fiction...
Title:The New Centurions: A Novel
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Product dimensions:368 pages, 6.8 X 4.18 X 0.75 in
Shipping dimensions:368 pages, 6.8 X 4.18 X 0.75 in
Published:March 1, 1987
Publisher:Random House Publishing Group


Porkie's Original BBQ Founder Steve White today announced plans that call for the Central Florida-based fast casual barbecue concept to open franchised locations across Florida and the Southeast.
Porkie's Original BBQ plans to open another company-owned location in 2017 and then focus on an aggressive growth strategy of opening franchised locations across Florida and the Southeast.
Named the "Best BBQ in Central Florida," Porkie's Original BBQ celebrates its 14th year in business in 2017 and continues to create a devoted and growing fan base of barbecue lovers. Porkie's holds the longest running Bike Night in Central Florida – every Thursday night for 10 years.
they formulated a plan and a recipe for the best barbecue in the South. They took the best of what they had seen, tasted and learned, put it all together with what they knew and loved, stirred it up, and Porkie's Original BBQ was born in Apopka, Florida.
Since the opening of the first Porkie's location, Steve and Mike have worked closely with a carefully selected team of restaurant professionals in the development of their barbecue restaurant concept. They based their business on the principles of providing the customer with the highest quality, fresh ingredients, and fast efficient service, at an affordable price, all in a clean family environment.
Porkie's Original BBQ is located in the Apopka area of Central Florida at 256 E. Main Street, Apopka, FL 32703. The restaurant's phone number is 407-880-3351. Visit Porkie's on the web at http://www.PorkiesApopka.com.
NEXT Franchise Systems, LLC is a full-service franchise sales, consulting and development company that provides businesses with a one-stop franchising solution that is affordable, comprehensive and unique to each client.
NEXT's services include franchise development documents (FDD) including franchise agreements, franchise marketing, franchise sales, franchise lead generation, franchise operations manual development, franchise marketing program development, and franchise business modeling.
Is your franchise NEXT? Visit NEXT Franchise Systems on the web at https://www.nextfranchisesystems.com to find out how affordable it is to franchise your business.
For more information on the Porkie's Original BBQ franchise opportunity or NEXT Franchise Systems franchise consulting, sales and development, contact James Emerson at 407-536-6109.


In case anything happens to you that you that may because your pain and cost you a lot of money which is caused by the third party, the person responsible for the harm should also be responsible for the expenses that you will incur. Being compensated is not guaranteed since many people will be ready to pay for your medical bills. Even when the company wants to compensate you, they will be giving you less amount that will not be enough to take you back to your original state. For you to make the person or company compensate you for the loss you need a specialist that is aware of the law concerning personal injury compensation. There are many options for the personal injury lawyers which makes it hard for you to select the firm with quality services. In this website will give you some tips that you can trust to give you the best services.
You need to know for how long the lawyer has been in the business. It's good that you put your mind in selecting the attorney that has more experience in dealing with the lawsuits. This is on the line that the lawyers have gained enough skills and tactics to make sure that you win in your case.
Then, mind the notoriety of the personal injury attorney. You need to choose the lawyer that has a track record of helping their clients to achieve justice as required by the law because you will be promised of positive results. You can be able to get more info about the firm that you are interested with by reading the comments of the firm website and other important information that may be available. It good that have tome with the lawyer before you agree to hire the service so that you can know more about the quality of the services as you can view here.


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Стри́чава () — село в Великоберезнянской поселковой общине Ужгородского района Закарпатской области Украины.

Население по переписи 2001 года составляло 246 человек. Почтовый индекс — 89020. Телефонный код — 03135. Занимает площадь 9,9 км². Код КОАТУУ — 2120885601.

Ссылки
 Стричава на сайте Верховной рады Украины
 Административно-территориальное устройство Закарпатской области

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


On Wednesday night, myself and R. headed to Sobogusto for a wine tasting event organized by Bernard-Massard.
The concept is repeated once per month, every time with a different wine region. For a 20 euro fee, you get access to the full wine tasting and to a buffet of various food.
The event starts at 6 pm and last normally until 9 pm. Reservation is mandatory as they got only 100 places. This month was the turn of Cotes du Rhone.
I have been at Sobogusto, that is situated in Hollerich area, just next to P+R Bouillon, couple of years ago – I was not impressed by the food (it was fine, but nothing great), but I really liked the atmosphere and the place (trendy, chic, spacious), so I was really looking forward to come back.
We got there at 7ish and were accompanied to the Chalet upstairs and assigned to our table. We tasted 1 cremant, 1 white and about 6 red wines. The buffet had several charcuterie types, cheese, pizza and bread and grilled vegetables.
The evening was very pleasant.
The event was very well-organized. You reserve, so you have your table, the buffet is huge and well assorted and two people were serving the wine, so no queuing involved at all. Each wine was also shortly presented by Bernard-Massard guys.
The atmosphere was relaxed, polished and sophisticated. We enjoyed from the first to the last-minute.
Service was great and wines lovely. You got a chance to try different kind of wines of different budgets and you can buy them at the end if you want.
20 euro are definitely fair for what we drank and what we ate. The buffet included also bottles of water, so no hidden costs, very appreciated..
When I booked at Sobogusto I supposed to be AT Sobogusto, not at the Chalet on the first floor. It was still fine, but I personally prefer the atmosphere on the ground floor.
To conclude, we spent a nice and alternative evening at Sobogusto for the wine tasting event. You get a chance to try several great bottles, have some cheese/charcuterie and enjoy a relaxed environment.
If you are interested in the event, next month it will be "Vin du fete". The concept is really cool and I might come back in the future.
Bonjour ma belle! It's always a pleasure reading your posts! Thanks for sharing!
As for their food,sometimes I absolutely adore it and sometimes it's a bit disappointing, guess it depends on the cook's mood.


It says to be on the lookout for a major announcement. I wonder what it could be?
Like how you spelled notice?
One thing that I noticed while looking around the site is that on the season passes for next year it just says KINGS ISLAND and has the Cedar Fair logo above it. I checked to see if this was the case with all of the other Paramount Parks and Kings Island is the only one like that.
What is weird about that?
Pardon my ignorance but what was their daily admission price in the past?
I noticed that you can purchase admission online for $29.95. Is that more or less then in the past?
That's the online discount rate... Nothing unusual there.
Are they still giving the ace discount?
Could it be something new, 10m is a lot for just X-Flight and of course SOB too but still how much does it really cost to fix supports and get new trains.
...but still how much does it really cost to fix supports and get new trains.
A couple of million easily. Trains are quite expensive....in fact, the single most expensive part of any coaster. Everything else is either planks of wood or chunks of steel.
Still, don't underestimate the cost of the work/retracking, etc. SOB has already had millions upon millions dumped into upkeep. ALthough I don't have a source handy, I've read that 6 years of work have almost equaled the initial costof the ride.
What? Like rip out all of the trees and pave over every remaining square yard of grass?
And putting in the beautiful TIJ:ST was a beauty move in the right direction? Cedar Fair isn't perfect, but Paramount has it's faults as well.
LOL. It's funny because it's true. Knott's Berry Farm is a prime example. A park that used to pulled part of its beautiful atmosphere and charm from large patches of beautiful lawns now more closely resembles a permanent fairground.
From my perspective, Cedar Fair could learn a lot more from things Paramount was doing although I do believe CF will be a lot more realistic as far as new attraction additions go overall. Paramount never quite got that new ride capacity thing right for any of their parks even if general park capacity was solid.


text:
Apparently You People Don't Really Care About Twitter Downtime
Michael once wrote that Twitter may not have to worry about uptime any more, explaining, "I now need Twitter more than Twitter needs me." And, a few months and countless hours of downtime later, it looks like most of you feel the same way. The early adopters may have migrated to Friendfeed, but the masses appear to be content to stay and take their punishment at Twitter.
Hitwise has just released their latest Twitter usage data, and despite a reliability record that many would describe as an "epic fail", the service is showing a surprising amount of resilience. Twitter's share of returning visitors (users that return to the site more than once in thirty days) has held steady at around 55% since March. Twitter has seen near-constant downtime and disappearing features in that time, but nobody seems to mind. At least, not enough to try out one of the other microblogging services.
The site has also seen impressive growth, rising from around .0004% of all internet traffic in January to .0024% in July – the nearest competitor only sees about 1/10th of that traffic. These numbers also neglect to account for the many Twitter users who use the site through its API using 3rd party programs, so we can expect Twitter's lead to be even more significant.
In effect, we've been telling Twitter that no matter how badly it screws up, we'll stay loyal, simply because our friends are already on the service.


Collar For Collar was created by a group of people who share a deep love and passion for dogs. As you know, dogs enrich our lives beyond words, so we decided to turn our passion and love for them into action in order to help dogs in need of resources. We have done so by building a brand and product line that is dedicated to the sole cause of saving dogs from inhumane, unhappy, and unhealthy lives.
Our signature item, an ultra soft and stretchy blended T-Shirt, features an icon tag on each neckline and hem (or collar) that symbolizes the impact your purchase has made towards saving dogs (your collar for their collar). Simple, yet profound!
When you buy a product from Collar For Collar, you are supporting the health, safety, and well-being of a dog in need.
You purchase a Collar For Collar Product Online.
Collar For Collar partners with organizations that are dedicated to rescuing dogs and finding them homes, not keeping them in kennels for long periods of time. We work closely with organizations of all sizes around the nation that share this cause.
Collar For Collar donates HALF the profits of every item sold to our partner organizations to directly benefit dogs in need.
Whether it's helping to provide food for the pet food pantry for an organization in Berkley, CA, dog treats, toys, and blankets for a shelter in Kansas City, Missouri or leashes and antibiotics for the Puppy ICU at a non-profit in Austin, TX, our goal at Collar For Collar is to promote and help fund organizations and individuals who advocate healthy and happy lives for dogs everywhere.


Meet your new favorite casserole recipe. This budget-friendly dish (costing under $10) allows you to stretch a small amount of meat over several servings. It's family friendly, filling, and loaded with flavor--the perfect weeknight meal.
The high heat on this recipe allows it to cook quickly, crisping the spaghetti slightly on the outside to make the perfect "pie crust" for this dish.
You can use crumbled sausage in this dish, or start with Italian sausage and remove the casing, which is what the recipe calls for. Remove the casing by cutting up the side with a knife or kitchen shears, then crumble the sausage using a spoon in the skillet as it cooks.


Common Obstacles Faced by Start Up Companies - Resnick Law, P.C.
Start ups offer an exciting opportunity to for ambitious entrepreneurs. With the opportunities for growth that these ventures present, however, there are also numerous obstacles that can arise along the way. This article reviews some of the most common mistakes that we see start ups make. Hopefully, by reading about these various challenges, you can take the steps necessary to decrease the chance that you ever encounter them.
Many start up companies encounter challenges because they fail to appreciate the terms of a personal guarantee. If you fail to properly pay your taxes, there is a strong chance that the Internal Revenue Service will end up holding you personally accountable and seize your personal assets. It is critical to carefully read business credit agreements to determine the exact terms of each arrangement. Our lawyers have substantial experience helping business owners create and navigate these agreements.
Numerous start up businesses attempt to avoid challenges involved with hiring workers by assigning all workers the title of independent contractor. Over the last few years, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Justice have articulated that there are a number of complex factors that determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. Employers who fail to understand these matters but who retain a large number of worker are at substantial risk of facing legal consequences. To make sure that your start up is fully compliant with labor laws, it is best to speak with a knowledgeable attorney.
Many people find that the process of establishing an LLC in Michigan is fairly simple. The process primarily involves completing an Articles of Organization document and sending a $50 check to the state of Michigan. If start up founders continue to operate as sole proprietors, however, they face a number of substantial risks. Not only do individuals expose their personal assets to business creditors, they also can lose out on the numerous advantages offered by tax savings.
While establishing an LLC is often inexpensive and simple to do, the presence of numerous individuals with an equity interest in a company creates the need for written agreements. One of the documents that can capture these complex terms is an operating agreements which can address ownership and management concerns. Properly considering the numerous complexities that can arise when a business is created can help to reduce the number of potential complications that can pop up later on.
No matter the exact problem that your start up is facing, we have the knowledge and experience to help. Contact Resnick Law today to speak with an experienced employment lawyer who knows what it takes to navigate the challenges that can arise in getting an innovative new business off the ground.


What sources do I read for urban planning issues, research and articles?
The New York Times is a great place to begin one's search for urban planning articles. The Times doesn't exactly categorize their articles as such, so a search for them must involve a specific city's name. Architecture will be a topic appearing more often than "urban planning." It's great, though, that architecture is often closely related to urban planning, or at the least, urban design.
Other large newspapers around the world (like San Francisco Chronicle, Guardian and Observer and Times in London) serve as venues for authors of urban planning articles. India is a notable place because the amount of growth and wealth in that country is expanding rapidly – this makes for a lot of writable experiences and observations. Out of all the large newspapers, the NYT is by far the best. U.S. cities that have a history of good urban planning (namely Portland and Seattle) have excellent representation of the profession in their mainstream media.
On the web, Planetizen has done the hard work of filtering the thousands of articles from mainstream media and picking out those of interest to the urban planning members of the website. I like the thrice-weekly email updates of new news articles the site editors have selected.
My last source is Streetsblog. This is quite strictly a New York City-only blog but it's updated more quickly than the local mainstream media about events and happenings that are even closer to home – for example, what's happening in your own block.


A great vehicle and a great value! The engine breathes better thanks to a turbocharger, improving both performance and economy. Top features include air conditioning, a leather steering wheel, front bucket seats, and power windows. It features an automatic transmission, 4-wheel drive, and a 2 liter 4 cylinder engine.


Madonna Sebastian Born on 1 October 1991 as the daughter of Babycd Devasia and Shyla Babycd ,at Kochi.
She completed her schooling from St. Peter's Senior Secondary School, Kadayarippu and graduated from Christ College, Bangalore.
Those who watched blockbuster Premam movie, will not forget "Celin's" lovely smile and glittering eyes.
She became famous through a famous TV channel show named Music Mojo. Her beautiful voice and lovely smile makes her so famous after the telecast the show.
She studies in Christ College Bangalore and she hails from Kochi.
Her first movie is Premam directed by Alphonse Puthren. The movie has Nivin Pauly, Anupama, Sai Pallavi and herself in lead role. Madonna's short and sweet performance got high appreciations from viewers and critics.
As per the latest reports, she might be appears in a Tamil movie opposite to Vijay Sethupathi.


Paloma-radon : atmospheric radon 222 as a geochemical probe for water in the martian subsoil.
J.C Sabroux, N. Michielsen, V. Voisin, C. Ferry, P. Richon, J.F Pineau, J.C Le Roulley, E. Chassefière, EGS-AGU-EUG joint Assembly, 6-11 april 2003, Nice (France).
Radon exhalation from a porous soil is known to depend strongly on the soil moisture content: a minute amount of water, or water ice, in the pore space increases dramatically the possibility for radon to migrate far from its parent mineral. We propose to take advantage of this characteristic by using atmospheric radon-222 as a geochemical probe for water in the Martian soil, at least one order of magnitude deeper than the current Mars Odyssey neutron data. Strong thermal inversions during the Martian night will accumulate radon in the lowest atmospheric boundary layer, up to measurable levels despite the comparatively high environmental (cosmic and solar) background radiation and the assumed low uranium content of the upper crust of the planet. Preliminary studies and development of an instrument for the measurement of the Martian atmospheric alpha radioactivity is part of the CNES-supported PALOMA experiment. Two test benches have been implemented, one of them allowing differential measurements of the diffusion of radon in the Martian soil simulant NASA JSC Mars-1, under relevant temperatures and pressures. The other, a 1 m3 radon-dedicated test bench, aims to characterize the instrument that will measure radon in the Mars environment (7 mb CO2). Tests on several nuclear radiation detectors show that semiconductor alpha-particle detectors (PIPS) are the best option (already on board the Mars Pathfinder Rover and other platforms). In addition, the detection volume is left open in order to capitalize upon the long (ca. 4 m) alpha track at this low pressure. A stationary diffusion model was developed in order to assess the radon flux at the Mars soil surface. Diffusion of gas in Martian soil is governed by Knudsen diffusion. The radon Knudsen diffusion coefficient was estimated, depending on the soil moisture and relevant structural properties, leading to a radon diffusion length of the order of 20 m. The landed platform PALOMA-Radon instrument will consist of a set of alpha detectors connected to an electronic spectrometer, a system of collimators and an alpha source used for test and calibration purposes.


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Home | All news | Politics | Concerned about increase of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan – EU Special Representative
PoliticsTop
Concerned about increase of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan – EU Special Representative
Siranush Ghazanchyan Send an email November 14, 2021, 21:09
Concerned about increase of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan this week, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar said in a Twitter post.
"Important to defuse, address causes, and engage in work towards comprehensive settlement," he added.
Concerned about increase of tensions between 🇦🇲and🇦🇿 this week. Important to defuse, address causes, and engage in work towards comprehensive settlement.
— Toivo Klaar (@ToivoKlaar) November 14, 2021
On November 14, at around 13:00, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces tried to secure a positional advance in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Ministry of Defense reported earlier today.
The Ministry said the situation was relatively stable as of 19:00.


Eatgrueldog had a 'meme' on his Blog of Dyslexia asking if the idiot light meant she got '3 wishes' which reminded me of both my first new car and my first new wife.
- Both were beautiful, and both had to be dumped.
New car. Admittedly I went out on a limb for a pretty and sporty model with leather seats, etc-etc. It was great to look at and fun to drive. I didn't get to drive it often, as the wifely unit commandeered it for her use.
- One evening wife complained that the car was hard to handle and was making a 'noise'...would I look at it? I did. A quick visual said all four 'new' Michelin tires were effectively flat. A subsequent trip to the corner gas station confirmed that there was 5# of air in each tire...and the dipstick was DRY. When the mechanic and I quit laughing and wiped the tears from our eyes, we agreed my wife was probably not bright enough to know what a flat tire looked like (much less four of 'em) or what that 'check oil' idiot light meant (check the oil).
- I got rid of that car at auction in short order.
New wife. Not quite up to the level of 'adding oil' as demonstrated here [attached .gif], she was great to look at and fun to drive, though I didn't get to drive as often as I would have liked.
- It took longer, but I eventually got rid of her too.
Life lesson. If I ever want that 'new car smell' I'll buy my mistress a leather skirt.


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What's happening up on Mt. Battie? Find out on The Chris Wolf Show.
Locals tend to take Mt. Battie for granted and usually only notice it when the star is lit up. But Mt. Battie is visited by thousands of people each year and is a valuable part of what makes us special.
Built in 1920, the Mt. Battie tower has weathered winter storms and summer sun for many years. They have taken their toll.
On Monday, April 27, PenBayPilot.com and "The Chris Wolf Show" will host Heather Moran and Randy Stearns from Friends of Mt. Battie. You'll find out the what's happening with the tower and who knows what else (there's no controlling Chris!).
In addition, you'll hear the news from PenBayPilot.com and stories that Chris Wolf has gathered from around the web, the weather and songs to help get your day started.
Hope to see you listening or watching!
If you have questions or comments for this show, please call in between 7 and 8 a.m. at 207-594-0721 or email Chris before or during the show at TheChrisWolfShow@gmail.com.
To Watch Show:
To watch this show live, go to www.MaineCoast.tv/wolf_stream.html or watch later on Channel 7. Maine Coast TV is located on Time Warner Channel 7 on converter boxes and set top boxes and on Channel 121-7 on digital TVs without set top boxes. The broadcast is available to all Time Warner subscribers in Knox County, Maine, including the islands of North Haven and Vinalhaven.
To Listen to Show:
To listen to the show, tune into WRFR 99.3 FM Camden or 93.3 FM Rockland for "The Chris Wolf Show", Monday, Wednesday, and Friday shows with news from PenBayPilot.com. Or, stream the audio live fromwww.WRFR.org or TuneIn.com at https://tunein.com/radio/Radio-Free-Rockland-933-s14055/ or on the TuneIn app or your iPhone or Android.


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'Trojan 20' launched to help offset budget cuts
Donations Will Help Offset School Budget Cuts
By: Will Dupree
JENKS, Okla. -- Jenks Public Schools expects to lose a combined $4.2 million in state funding this school year and the next. Before administrators start slashing their budgets, however, the district is launching a new fundraising campaign to offset some of the cuts.
The campaign is called "Trojan 20." Family members are being asked to give $20 on behalf of every student they have enrolled in the district.
Superintendent Dr. Stacey Butterfield launched the effort in a video Monday.
"If every parent gives $20 for each one of their students," Dr. Butterfield said, "you can make a difference."
Elizabeth Inbody, the executive director of the Jenks Public Schools Foundation, said if every parent gave $20, the district could raise about $240,000.
"We know this will not solve the problem," Inbody said. "This is not going to completely fill that gap, but it will provide fusing for things that might have been cut."
Any money raised will be divided equally among all the Jenks schools. It will then go toward school site budgets, instructional supplies and professional development for instructional staff, according to school officials.
Rob Loeber, the director of communications, said administrators are still deciding which exact cuts need to be made, and a more final decision should be made in the next few weeks.
"We want to be able to provide outstanding educational opportunities for every single student at every single grade level," Loeber said. "With these cuts, you run the risk of maybe increased class sizes, maybe taking some of those opportunities away, and that's never something we want to do. It's unfortunate we find ourselves in that position."
School officials, however, said they are already pleased with the response to the "Trojan 20" campaign. They said new donations are coming in online now every five minutes.
To find out how to donate, click here.


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The City Economic Recovery Tracker: Week of January 18
Tracking five cities' economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic
By Caleb Silver
Editor's note: Below you'll find the week 6 release of the City Economic Recovery Tracker (CERT), originally published Jan. 22, 2021. Visit the CERT homepage for the latest data.
The five cities in The Investopedia City Economic Recovery Tracker (CERT) all faltered in their economic recoveries during the week ending Jan. 9, signaling that the U.S. economic recovery is slowing as the U.S. battles a second wave of post-holiday COVID-19 cases. Los Angeles continues to struggle with outdoor dining restrictions and a high rate of COVID-19 cases, while New York faces high levels of unemployment.
Despite its weekly overall decline of six points, Houston is still experiencing the strongest recovery with a score of 57. Houston and Columbus are the only two cities halfway back to pre-pandemic levels. New York saw the greatest overall weekly change with a decrease of 14 points, joining Los Angeles and Chicago on the bottom tier of the leaderboard with a score of 36.
New York Sees Sharp Increase in COVID-19 Cases
COVID-19 case rates among the five cities have either stagnated or are on the rise, with steady increases in New York City pushing it to the second highest slot among the five cities with an average of 66 new cases per 100,000 people. New York City reported 551,000 COVID-19 cases and 26,331 deaths as of Jan. 22.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles saw its case rate plateau, though it continued to have the highest case rate with an average of 142 new cases per 100,000 people during the week of Jan. 9. Los Angeles County reported 1.05 million COVID-19 cases and 14,641 deaths as of Jan. 22. And both Chicago and Columbus's case rates had a small bump week-over-week after a month of declines. The coming weeks will be critical in telling if that rise in cases materializes into a trend or is just a weekly aberration.
Vaccine distribution is well underway with 37.96 million vaccines distributed and 17.55 million vaccines administered so far nationwide, according to the CDC. President Joe Biden's proposed American Rescue Plan hopes to subsidize COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs across the U.S., contributing $160 billion to pay for a national vaccination program that includes increasing COVID-19 testing and manufacturing more protective gear and supplies, among other things.
Chicago, Columbus Face Highest Unemployment Levels
The unemployment claims rates among the five cities have been mixed, with rates rising in New York and Chicago, and falling in Los Angeles, Houston, and Columbus. Nonetheless, the rates for Chicago and Columbus are still two to three times higher than the other cities in CERT.
Future unemployment claims will largely depend on how widespread potential future shutdowns are in the five cities and how quickly vaccine distribution and development can occur. The Biden administration proposed distributing an additional $1,400 in stimulus checks to Americans to help offset the economic burden faced by individuals across the country, in addition to $400 in weekly unemployment checks through next September.
Nearly All Cities Faced Reservation Declines
Nearly every city in CERT faced declines in restaurant reservations during the week of Jan. 9, with Chicago and Columbus erasing most of their gains from the previous two weeks. Los Angeles, meanwhile, continued to see its restaurant index at a score of zero as the city's outdoor dining ban carried on.
Despite the universal declines, Houston and Columbus are still more than halfway back to early March 2020 levels. However, the restaurant industry continues to struggle across the country as colder weather and rising COVID-19 rates deter patrons. A lack of aid has only exacerbated the problem, restaurateurs say. More than 100,000 restaurants have closed because of COVID-19 nationwide.
Transit Scores Still Falling
Transit numbers were down week-over-week in every city for the week ending Jan. 9, marking the second consecutive week of declines. Columbus and Houston sit at the top of the leaderboard with index scores of 63 and 69, respectively, and are doing markedly better than Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, which are less than halfway to recovery.
Biden's American Rescue Plan includes $20 billion for the transit industry, meant to provide relief to "the hardest hit public transit agencies" in the nation. This will be in addition to the $14 billion the federal government already set aside in the second stimulus package to aid struggling transit agencies nationwide.
Small Businesses See Drops
The small business index, a previous bright spot in CERT, saw declines for every city during the week of Jan. 9. Columbus had the smallest decline of five points, while the other cities saw decreases of between nine and 15 points each. Columbus is at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 75 has a score of 72, while New York sits at the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 53.
The Biden administration allocated $440 billion of its American Rescue Plan to communities, including grants and loans for small businesses.
Data by Amanda Morelli/Adrian Nesta. Additional reporting by Elana Dure.
City Economic Recovery Tracker
The Investopedia City Economic Recovery Tracker
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: April 2021
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: March 2021
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: February 2021
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: January 2021
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: Week of January 4
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: Week of December 21
The City Economic Recovery Tracker: Week of Dec. 7
Methodology: City Economic Recovery Tracker
Minimum Wage: Federal vs. State, Exceptions and FAQs
The minimum wage is a legally mandated price floor on hourly wages, below which nonexempt workers may not be offered a job or agree to work.
American Rescue Plan (Biden's $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package)
President Joseph R. Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, into law on March 11, 2021, after Congress passed it.
What Is Economic Stimulus? How It Works, Benefits, and Risks
Economic stimulus refers to attempts by governments or government agencies to financially kickstart growth during a difficult economic period.
Keynesian Economics Theory: Definition and How It's Used
Keynesian economics comprise a theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output and inflation, as developed by John Maynard Keynes.
The Great Depression: Overview, Causes, and Effects
The Great Depression was a devastating and prolonged economic recession that followed the crash of the U.S. stock market in 1929.
Recession: What Is It and What Causes It
A recession is a significant decline in economic activity that lasts longer than a few months.


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Record Type: Person
Tafel, Edgar (American architect, 1912-2011)
Note: American architect began his career as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. He was the last surviving member of the original Taliesin Fellowship.
Tafel, Edgar (preferred,V,index)
Edgar Tafel (V,display)
Tafel, Edgar A. (V)
Edgar A. Tafel (V)
American (preferred)
architect (preferred)
Birth and Death Places:
Born: New York City (New York state, United States) (inhabited place)
Died: Manhattan (New York City, New York state, United States) (borough)
Related People or Corporate Bodies:
apprentice of .... Wright, Frank Lloyd
........................ (American architect, 1867-1959) [500020307]
.... Persons, Artists
........ Tafel, Edgar (I)
(American architect, 1912-2011) ..... [VP Preferred]
(American architect, b.1912) ..... [BHA]
(American architect, New York) ..... [AVERY]
(American architect, contemporary) ..... [AVERY]
Edgar A. Tafel ........ [AVERY, VP]
............................. Getty Vocabulary Program rules
Edgar Tafel ........ [VP]
........................ Getty Vocabulary Program rules
Tafel, Edgar ........ [BHA Preferred, VP]
.......................... BHA, Authority file (1973-)
.......................... Dunlap, Edgar Tafel, New York Times (2011) obit.
Tafel, Edgar A. ........ [AVERY Preferred, VP]
............................... Avery Authority files (1963-)
............................... Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (1963-)
............................... Dunlap, Edgar Tafel, New York Times (2011)
Subject: ........ [AVERY, BHA, Gallery Systems, VP]
.................... AIA Profile (1980-) 1983
.................... BHA, Authority file (1973-)
.................... Gallery Systems (2000-) LOC ID: n78036852
.................... Getty Vocabulary Program rules
.................... Library of Congress Authorities database (n.d.) LOC ID: n78036852
.................... Profile '83
.................... Who Was Who in America (1899-1890-) 1988
English .......... [AVERY, VP]
.......... Dunlap, Edgar Tafel, New York Times (2011) obit.
.......... Profile '83


Gym bra by Dorina, Witness the fitness, Offers support for medium impact activities, Removable lightly-padded cups, Quick-drying to keep you comfortable, Supportive underband for a secure fit, Striped design, Wide-cut adjustable straps, Racer back for unrestricted movement, Hook-and-eye fastening. Dorina launched in 1968 with a finesse for perfect-fitting lingerie and activewear. While its styles may have changed since then, its fits haven't and its multiways and push-up bras still mix business with pleasure.


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Michael Carusi
I make websites for free and host them. I also do standard web development. Occasional marketing consultant. My blog consists of stuff I'm thinking about. E-mail me with cool opportunities.
Musings on the Messy Divorce of Facebook and WhatsApp
I still remember the overall tenor of astonishment when Facebook announced in 2014 that it was acquiring messenger app WhatsApp for a staggering $19 billion, blowing away other notable acquisitions such as Apple's $3 billion purchase of Beats. This was generally viewed as a coup for Facebook, with some going as far as to call it Facebook's best purchase. The excitement in the air was palpable as people imagined the new levels Facebook's support could give WhatsApp.
It didn't work out that way.
The Wall Street Journal provides a good perspective of how ugly the split was between Facebook and WhatsApp was. Founders Brian Acton and Jan Koum are walking away leaving about $1.3 billion on the table.
As much as excitement as there was surrounding the WhatsApp acquisition and what it could mean for Facebook, some industry observers including myself were skeptical from a very early point. This acquisition highlighted a structural mismatch: WhatsApp is ad-free but a $1 subscription kicks in after the first year and is an alternative to the cell provider's traditional text messaging. Facebook built its immense fortune on advertising and has remained committed to it if the quote on that WSJ story is any indicator: "Advertising supported businesses like Facebook equalize access and improve opportunity." Acton and Koum believe in privacy issues to the extent where they've shown wariness about commercial applications of WhatsApp.
Koum and Acton had reportedly been disagreeing quite frequently with Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, who wanted to see a faster, larger return on the messaging app. While Instagram, acquired in 2012 for a comparatively paltry $1 billion, has gradually been "Facebook-ified" with features such as Facebook's signature algorithmic timeline it seems as though Koum and Acton stood their ground more firmly about how their app was used. Zuckerberg and Sandberg, by comparison, clearly remain committed to their ads-based model even as Facebook has found himself embroiled in controversy in both the United States in Europe.
Facebook has built a massive advertising business around targeting advertising, and Zuckerberg and Sandberg have both touted how an an advertising-driven model makes it free for consumers and helps bridge the digital divide. Whether or not Zuckerberg and Sandberg are true believers in this philosophy or whether they're more financially motivated is an open debate, although it seems clear that they were unhappy about both the philosophical approach to WhatsApp advocated by its founders as well as the amount of money WhatsApp was bringing in since 2014.
Beyond the philosophical clash between Facebook and WhatsApp's decision makers it's hard to imagine a scenario where money wasn't involved in Facebook's push for more advertising. If center of all conflict is economics, the driver of it is how much money. At the time of the sale WhatsApp was profitable based on fee-revenue even though the data wasn't and still isn't publicly available. With hundreds of millions of users WhatsApp had to at least be sustaining itself through its incremental annual fee. It just wasn't making all of the money in the world, which wasn't enough for an entity like Facebook.
This is the problem of being acquired by a public company when you're a (relatively) smaller, private outfit: Expectations.
Take me, for example. I run a local web hosting company. I've clashed fairly frequently with one of my (still wonderful) mentors, who has spent most of his career at public companies. I've soundly rejected a number of ideas that I considered and still consider ludicrous: Raising prices across the board for $1 without explanation except for a standard E-mail announcement. Tacking a $1 "service fee" onto renewing domains on behalf of clients (which I already bill them for).
To me, this is exactly the kind of nickel and diming that I sought to escape, and it's representative of the corporate culture that drives rock bottom approval ratings of entities like large commercial banks. Yet it's the kind of philosophy you almost always see at large companies. It doesn't matter if you potentially burn bridges or damage your credibility with your customers because at public companies, it's no longer about them. Your shareholders are who you really answer to.
It's the type of culture that promotes monetizing your actual customers ahead of monetizing the customer, and it's what turns entities like Facebook from relatively simple social networks into sprawling Rube Goldberg machines in their quest to promote as many avenues to make money as possible. Not for their own survival or to stay solvent but because companies at the level of Facebook are dictated entirely by a need for more, more, more. It might not even just be outright greed; Facebook has almost certainly arrived at the surreal level in corporate culture where making ridiculous amounts of money at the expense of all else is expected.
If anyone remembers the Star Wars Battlefront 2 mess, Electronic Arts provided a sterling demonstration of this. The rollout of Star Wars Battlefront 2 was a total disaster, to the point where EA blamed the loot box controversy on poorer than expected sales. Yet for a long time, apologists have frequently pointed to loot boxes as something AAA video game publishers like EA need in order to make money. Video game publishers themselves insisted that loot boxes were there for the players' benefit.
Both of these talking points are questionable at best, but given EA's dogged pursuit of controversial in-game systems that emulated gambling mechanics one can assume that a lot of money was in the table, right?
Wrong. In an extremely bizarre admission to investors – the only people public companies tend to be honest with – EA flat out admitted that it expected 'no material impact' on financial earnings after turning off Star Wars Battlefront II's microtransactions. It's interesting that when it comes to facing consumers and the press EA constantly touted this as a benefit to players despite the overwhelming backlash, but when it came time to speak to investors worried about the backlash it was all about the money.
As completely unrelated as this New York Times article is, this one paragraph in particular stands out to me:
Long ago, 40 percent of Link-Belt's stock was owned by its employees, according to a company document from 1925. Back then, business schools taught that a chief executive's role was to balance shareholders' interests with those of employees, customers and the government.
But today, most of Rexnord's shares are held by mutual funds managed on behalf of global investors. To many, Rexnord was nothing more than three letters on a page — RXN — with an arrow pointing up or down.
One of the new issues facing an increasingly globalized world is the diminishing cares of larger companies on local matters: Namely employees or even customers. I'm hardly interested in advocating a return to a decentralized, non-globalized world, but it's going to be a big problem when the pursuit of higher stock prices damns collateral damage. When companies continue indulging themselves, oblivious to the consequences, something or someone else will become that consequence, as Facebook figured out recently.
Shifting gears back to the topic at hand, 2016 was when the real trouble undoubtedly started for WhatsApp, though:
WhatsApp topped one billion monthly users, and it had eliminated its 99 cent fee. Facebook told investors it would stop increasing the number of ads in Facebook's news feed, resulting in slower advertising-revenue growth. This put pressure on Facebook's other properties—including WhatsApp—to make money. That August, WhatsApp announced it would start sharing phone numbers and other user data with Facebook, straying from its earlier promise to be built "around the goal of knowing as little about you as possible."
In hindsight this was almost certainly the first horseman of the Apocalypse for this awkward marriage. This was undoubtedly perceived as a blow to WhatsApp's more dedicated users who used the platform specifically to avoid situations like this. Brian Chen even described it as an anti-Facebook whose founders were presumably won over, though to be fair a $20 billion price tag can obscure a lot of things.
As sympathetic as I am to the WhatsApp cofounders I'm still somewhat perplexed; they had to assume this situation would happen. It's always something of a risk when you sell to a larger company. Dany Levy thought she was securing the future of DailyCandy by selling it to NBCUniversal only to watch them shut it down and for DailyCandy to disappear into the Internet ether. Except that was complicated by the recession; Koum and Acton had to know going into this that Facebook was was going to monetizing their pants off given the purchase price!
If I'm being charitable, it's entirely possible that Koum and Acton simply underestimated the pressures that being beholden to shareholders rather than overseeing a private company would bring. Sure enough, WhatsApp soon started running into the same problem: Making money, but not all of the money in the entire world, which wasn't enough:
In response to the pressure from above to make money, Messrs. Koum and Acton proposed several ideas to bring in more revenue. One, known as "re-engagement messaging," would let advertisers contact only users who had already been their customers. Last year, WhatsApp said it would charge companies for some future features that connect them with customers over the app. None of the proposals were as lucrative as Facebook's ad-based model. "Well, that doesn't scale," Ms. Sandberg told the WhatsApp executives of their proposals, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Ultimately, this whole fiasco highlights a few particular takeaways:
-If there are any victims in this situation, it is not Koum and Acton. It hurts to watch your company be meddled with, but this is a situation they had to know would eventually happen. When you hate ads as much as you do, you don't sell to an ad-driven media platform without expecting a lot of reprecussions. Now that they're both gone, the real victims will be the WhatsApp user base
-Facebook is still resolutely wedded to its ad-based model even through the storm of controversy it's weathered in the past few years, and even as cracks in the viability of the model have started showing. Whether this is through genuine passion for the model on behalf of Zuckerberg and Sandberg or through profit hinges on your remembering how much money Sandberg believed advertising on WhatsApp could make.
-Targeted advertising still isn't going anywhere. In spite of the massive backlash Facebook has faced they're still using their status as a juggernaut to promote it, and businesses are still reacting reasonably well to it despite my own skepticism of targeted advertising on Facebook as it stands right now.
If nothing else, remember why you got into business in the first place and whether or not a direction that involves the antithesis of what your business represents is a good idea. Being billionaires probably makes it a moot point, but not everyone gets that opportunity
Recent Stuff I've Written
The Complicated Part About "Getting To The Top Of Google"
Facebook's Fabricated Video Marketing Craze
Facebook Is Adding Its Name To Instagram and WhatsApp. This Could End Badly.
An Online Ordering Food Delivery Company CEO Responded To My Criticism
How GrubHub's Predatory Practices Cause It To Compete With Its Own Customers
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Arslanbek Makhmudov signs co-promotional deal with Top Rank
Arslanbek Makhmudov faces Carlos Takam on September 16
By Patrick L. Stumberg Aug 15, 2022, 3:45pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Arslanbek Makhmudov signs co-promotional deal with Top Rank
Arslanbek Makhmudov is the latest heavyweight to join the Top Rank stable
https://twitter.com/trboxing/status/1559210980751486976
33-year-old heavyweight knockout artist Arslanbek Makhmudov has signed a "multi-year co-promotional contract" with Top Rank, who will work alongside existing promoter Eye of the Tiger to manage "The Lion's" career going forward.
"I'm fortunate to work with the top promoters in the world," Makhmudov said. "This represents an important step toward achieving my goal of becoming a world champion."
Makhmudov (14-0, 14 KO) has been virtually untouchable as he's graduated from low- to mid-level competition. Only Jonathan Rice and Mariusz Wach have taken him past the third round, and while demolition jobs of Samuel Peter and Erkan Teper aren't anything to write home about, he's got what looks like a very solid test in store when he takes on Carlos Takam on September 16th.
ESPN+ will carry that one, for those curious.
If he can get past Takam in impressive fashion, odds are we'll see him fast-tracked. He's ranked sixth with both the WBC and WBA, meaning that if the snarl at the top ever gets sorted out, he'll be in prime position to make a push.
WATCH: 'Big George Foreman' biopic trailer


text:
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada, which closed in 2021.
Politicschechnya firechechnya tallest buildingOlimp tower
Olympus Tower, Chechnya's Tallest Building, Engulfed In Flames (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
LOOK: Fire Engulfs Chechnya's Tallest Building
The Huffington Post Canada
Apr 4, 2013, 08:45 AM EDT | Updated Apr 4, 2013
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A fire swept through the tallest building in the Russian Republic of Chechnya Wednesday.
Dramatic photos and video of the blaze at the 145-meter-high Olympus (Olimp) Tower in Chechnya's capital of Grozny have been widely shared on the internet.
Russia's Emergency Services Ministry said nobody was hurt and that the fire was mostly limited to insulation that encased the tower, according to the Wall Street Journal. Onlookers were kept away from the fire.
Around 300 people were involved in putting out the blaze, reports RT News.
The building previously made headlines when French actor Gerard Depardieu was given an apartment there by the leader of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov. Depardieu visited Russia amid a public spat with his native France over tax rates.
Singer Seal and action star Jean Claude Van Damme attended the opening of the building, which is seen as a symbol Chechnya's emergence from years of war, according to ITN.
Fire In High-Rise Apartment Building In Grozny, Russia
chechnya firechechnya tallest buildingOlimp towerOlympus TowerOlympus Tower chechnya
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Canada. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.


text:
/**
 * @file
 * eval audio source
 */

#include "libavutil/avassert.h"
#include "libavutil/avstring.h"
#include "libavutil/channel_layout.h"
#include "libavutil/eval.h"
#include "libavutil/opt.h"
#include "libavutil/parseutils.h"
#include "avfilter.h"
#include "audio.h"
#include "internal.h"

static const char * const var_names[] = {
    "ch",           ///< the value of the current channel
    "n",            ///< number of frame
    "nb_in_channels",
    "nb_out_channels",
    "t",            ///< timestamp expressed in seconds
    "s",            ///< sample rate
    NULL
};

enum var_name {
    VAR_CH,
    VAR_N,
    VAR_NB_IN_CHANNELS,
    VAR_NB_OUT_CHANNELS,
    VAR_T,
    VAR_S,
    VAR_VARS_NB
};

typedef struct {
    const AVClass *class;
    char *sample_rate_str;
    int sample_rate;
    int64_t chlayout;
    char *chlayout_str;
    int nb_channels;            ///< number of output channels
    int nb_in_channels;         ///< number of input channels
    int same_chlayout;          ///< set output as input channel layout
    int64_t pts;
    AVExpr **expr;
    char *exprs;
    int nb_samples;             ///< number of samples per requested frame
    int64_t duration;
    uint64_t n;
    double var_values[VAR_VARS_NB];
    double *channel_values;
    int64_t out_channel_layout;
} EvalContext;

static double val(void *priv, double ch)
{
    EvalContext *eval = priv;
    return eval->channel_values[FFMIN((int)ch, eval->nb_in_channels-1)];
}

static double (* const aeval_func1[])(void *, double) = { val, NULL };
static const char * const aeval_func1_names[] = { "val", NULL };

#define OFFSET(x) offsetof(EvalContext, x)
#define FLAGS AV_OPT_FLAG_AUDIO_PARAM|AV_OPT_FLAG_FILTERING_PARAM

static const AVOption aevalsrc_options[]= {
    { "exprs",       "set the '|'-separated list of channels expressions", OFFSET(exprs), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, .flags = FLAGS },
    { "nb_samples",  "set the number of samples per requested frame", OFFSET(nb_samples),      AV_OPT_TYPE_INT,    {.i64 = 1024},    0,        INT_MAX, FLAGS },
    { "n",           "set the number of samples per requested frame", OFFSET(nb_samples),      AV_OPT_TYPE_INT,    {.i64 = 1024},    0,        INT_MAX, FLAGS },
    { "sample_rate", "set the sample rate",                           OFFSET(sample_rate_str), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = "44100"}, CHAR_MIN, CHAR_MAX, FLAGS },
    { "s",           "set the sample rate",                           OFFSET(sample_rate_str), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = "44100"}, CHAR_MIN, CHAR_MAX, FLAGS },
    { "duration",    "set audio duration", OFFSET(duration), AV_OPT_TYPE_DURATION, {.i64 = -1}, -1, INT64_MAX, FLAGS },
    { "d",           "set audio duration", OFFSET(duration), AV_OPT_TYPE_DURATION, {.i64 = -1}, -1, INT64_MAX, FLAGS },
    { "channel_layout", "set channel layout", OFFSET(chlayout_str), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, 0, 0, FLAGS },
    { "c",              "set channel layout", OFFSET(chlayout_str), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, 0, 0, FLAGS },
    { NULL }
};

AVFILTER_DEFINE_CLASS(aevalsrc);

static int parse_channel_expressions(AVFilterContext *ctx,
                                     int expected_nb_channels)
{
    EvalContext *eval = ctx->priv;
    char *args1 = av_strdup(eval->exprs);
    char *expr, *last_expr = NULL, *buf;
    double (* const *func1)(void *, double) = NULL;
    const char * const *func1_names = NULL;
    int i, ret = 0;

    if (!args1)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);

    if (!eval->exprs) {
        av_log(ctx, AV_LOG_ERROR, "Channels expressions list is empty\n");
        return AVERROR(EINVAL);
    }

    if (!strcmp(ctx->filter->name, "aeval")) {
        func1 = aeval_func1;
        func1_names = aeval_func1_names;
    }

#define ADD_EXPRESSION(expr_) do {                                      \
        if (!av_dynarray2_add((void **)&eval->expr, &eval->nb_channels, \
                              sizeof(*eval->expr), NULL)) {             \
            ret = AVERROR(ENOMEM);                                      \
            goto end;                                                   \
        }                                                               \
        eval->expr[eval->nb_channels-1] = NULL;                         \
        ret = av_expr_parse(&eval->expr[eval->nb_channels - 1], expr_,  \
                            var_names, func1_names, func1,              \
                            NULL, NULL, 0, ctx);                        \
        if (ret < 0)                                                    \
            goto end;                                                   \
    } while (0)

    /* reset expressions */
    for (i = 0; i < eval->nb_channels; i++) {
        av_expr_free(eval->expr[i]);
        eval->expr[i] = NULL;
    }
    av_freep(&eval->expr);
    eval->nb_channels = 0;

    buf = args1;
    while (expr = av_strtok(buf, "|", &buf)) {
        ADD_EXPRESSION(expr);
        last_expr = expr;
    }

    if (expected_nb_channels > eval->nb_channels)
        for (i = eval->nb_channels; i < expected_nb_channels; i++)
            ADD_EXPRESSION(last_expr);

    if (expected_nb_channels > 0 && eval->nb_channels != expected_nb_channels) {
        av_log(ctx, AV_LOG_ERROR,
               "Mismatch between the specified number of channel expressions '%d' "
               "and the number of expected output channels '%d' for the specified channel layout\n",
               eval->nb_channels, expected_nb_channels);
        ret = AVERROR(EINVAL);
        goto end;
    }

end:
    av_free(args1);
    return ret;
}

static av_cold int init(AVFilterContext *ctx)
{
    EvalContext *eval = ctx->priv;
    int ret = 0;

    if (eval->chlayout_str) {
        if (!strcmp(eval->chlayout_str, "same") && !strcmp(ctx->filter->name, "aeval")) {
            eval->same_chlayout = 1;
        } else {
            ret = ff_parse_channel_layout(&eval->chlayout, NULL, eval->chlayout_str, ctx);
            if (ret < 0)
                return ret;

            ret = parse_channel_expressions(ctx, av_get_channel_layout_nb_channels(eval->chlayout));
            if (ret < 0)
                return ret;
        }
    } else {
        /* guess channel layout from nb expressions/channels */
        if ((ret = parse_channel_expressions(ctx, -1)) < 0)
            return ret;

        eval->chlayout = av_get_default_channel_layout(eval->nb_channels);
        if (!eval->chlayout && eval->nb_channels <= 0) {
            av_log(ctx, AV_LOG_ERROR, "Invalid number of channels '%d' provided\n",
                   eval->nb_channels);
            return AVERROR(EINVAL);
        }
    }

    if (eval->sample_rate_str)
        if ((ret = ff_parse_sample_rate(&eval->sample_rate, eval->sample_rate_str, ctx)))
            return ret;
    eval->n = 0;

    return ret;
}

static av_cold void uninit(AVFilterContext *ctx)
{
    EvalContext *eval = ctx->priv;
    int i;

    for (i = 0; i < eval->nb_channels; i++) {
        av_expr_free(eval->expr[i]);
        eval->expr[i] = NULL;
    }
    av_freep(&eval->expr);
    av_freep(&eval->channel_values);
}

static int config_props(AVFilterLink *outlink)
{
    EvalContext *eval = outlink->src->priv;
    char buf[128];

    outlink->time_base = (AVRational){1, eval->sample_rate};
    outlink->sample_rate = eval->sample_rate;

    eval->var_values[VAR_S] = eval->sample_rate;
    eval->var_values[VAR_NB_IN_CHANNELS] = NAN;
    eval->var_values[VAR_NB_OUT_CHANNELS] = outlink->channels;

    av_get_channel_layout_string(buf, sizeof(buf), 0, eval->chlayout);

    av_log(outlink->src, AV_LOG_VERBOSE,
           "sample_rate:%d chlayout:%s duration:%"PRId64"\n",
           eval->sample_rate, buf, eval->duration);

    return 0;
}

static int query_formats(AVFilterContext *ctx)
{
    EvalContext *eval = ctx->priv;
    static const enum AVSampleFormat sample_fmts[] = { AV_SAMPLE_FMT_DBLP, AV_SAMPLE_FMT_NONE };
    int64_t chlayouts[] = { eval->chlayout ? eval->chlayout : FF_COUNT2LAYOUT(eval->nb_channels) , -1 };
    int sample_rates[] = { eval->sample_rate, -1 };
    AVFilterFormats *formats;
    AVFilterChannelLayouts *layouts;
    int ret;

    formats = ff_make_format_list(sample_fmts);
    if (!formats)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
    ret = ff_set_common_formats (ctx, formats);
    if (ret < 0)
        return ret;

    layouts = avfilter_make_format64_list(chlayouts);
    if (!layouts)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
    ret = ff_set_common_channel_layouts(ctx, layouts);
    if (ret < 0)
        return ret;

    formats = ff_make_format_list(sample_rates);
    if (!formats)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
    return ff_set_common_samplerates(ctx, formats);
}

static int request_frame(AVFilterLink *outlink)
{
    EvalContext *eval = outlink->src->priv;
    AVFrame *samplesref;
    int i, j;
    int64_t t = av_rescale(eval->n, AV_TIME_BASE, eval->sample_rate);

    if (eval->duration >= 0 && t >= eval->duration)
        return AVERROR_EOF;

    samplesref = ff_get_audio_buffer(outlink, eval->nb_samples);
    if (!samplesref)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);

    /* evaluate expression for each single sample and for each channel */
    for (i = 0; i < eval->nb_samples; i++, eval->n++) {
        eval->var_values[VAR_N] = eval->n;
        eval->var_values[VAR_T] = eval->var_values[VAR_N] * (double)1/eval->sample_rate;

        for (j = 0; j < eval->nb_channels; j++) {
            *((double *) samplesref->extended_data[j] + i) =
                av_expr_eval(eval->expr[j], eval->var_values, NULL);
        }
    }

    samplesref->pts = eval->pts;
    samplesref->sample_rate = eval->sample_rate;
    eval->pts += eval->nb_samples;

    return ff_filter_frame(outlink, samplesref);
}

#if CONFIG_AEVALSRC_FILTER
static const AVFilterPad aevalsrc_outputs[] = {
    {
        .name          = "default",
        .type          = AVMEDIA_TYPE_AUDIO,
        .config_props  = config_props,
        .request_frame = request_frame,
    },
    { NULL }
};

AVFilter ff_asrc_aevalsrc = {
    .name          = "aevalsrc",
    .description   = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("Generate an audio signal generated by an expression."),
    .query_formats = query_formats,
    .init          = init,
    .uninit        = uninit,
    .priv_size     = sizeof(EvalContext),
    .inputs        = NULL,
    .outputs       = aevalsrc_outputs,
    .priv_class    = &aevalsrc_class,
};

#endif /* CONFIG_AEVALSRC_FILTER */

#define OFFSET(x) offsetof(EvalContext, x)
#define FLAGS AV_OPT_FLAG_AUDIO_PARAM|AV_OPT_FLAG_FILTERING_PARAM

static const AVOption aeval_options[]= {
    { "exprs", "set the '|'-separated list of channels expressions", OFFSET(exprs), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, .flags = FLAGS },
    { "channel_layout", "set channel layout", OFFSET(chlayout_str), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, 0, 0, FLAGS },
    { "c",              "set channel layout", OFFSET(chlayout_str), AV_OPT_TYPE_STRING, {.str = NULL}, 0, 0, FLAGS },
    { NULL }
};

AVFILTER_DEFINE_CLASS(aeval);

static int aeval_query_formats(AVFilterContext *ctx)
{
    AVFilterFormats *formats = NULL;
    AVFilterChannelLayouts *layouts;
    AVFilterLink *inlink  = ctx->inputs[0];
    AVFilterLink *outlink  = ctx->outputs[0];
    EvalContext *eval = ctx->priv;
    static const enum AVSampleFormat sample_fmts[] = {
        AV_SAMPLE_FMT_DBLP, AV_SAMPLE_FMT_NONE
    };
    int ret;

    // inlink supports any channel layout
    layouts = ff_all_channel_counts();
    if ((ret = ff_channel_layouts_ref(layouts, &inlink->out_channel_layouts)) < 0)
        return ret;

    if (eval->same_chlayout) {
        layouts = ff_all_channel_counts();
        if ((ret = ff_set_common_channel_layouts(ctx, layouts)) < 0)
            return ret;
    } else {
        // outlink supports only requested output channel layout
        layouts = NULL;
        if ((ret = ff_add_channel_layout(&layouts,
                              eval->out_channel_layout ? eval->out_channel_layout :
                              FF_COUNT2LAYOUT(eval->nb_channels))) < 0)
            return ret;
        if ((ret = ff_channel_layouts_ref(layouts, &outlink->in_channel_layouts)) < 0)
            return ret;
    }

    formats = ff_make_format_list(sample_fmts);
    if ((ret = ff_set_common_formats(ctx, formats)) < 0)
        return ret;

    formats = ff_all_samplerates();
    return ff_set_common_samplerates(ctx, formats);
}

static int aeval_config_output(AVFilterLink *outlink)
{
    AVFilterContext *ctx = outlink->src;
    EvalContext *eval = ctx->priv;
    AVFilterLink *inlink = ctx->inputs[0];
    int ret;

    if (eval->same_chlayout) {
        eval->chlayout = inlink->channel_layout;

        if ((ret = parse_channel_expressions(ctx, inlink->channels)) < 0)
            return ret;
    }

    eval->n = 0;
    eval->nb_in_channels = eval->var_values[VAR_NB_IN_CHANNELS] = inlink->channels;
    eval->var_values[VAR_NB_OUT_CHANNELS] = outlink->channels;
    eval->var_values[VAR_S] = inlink->sample_rate;
    eval->var_values[VAR_T] = NAN;

    eval->channel_values = av_realloc_f(eval->channel_values,
                                        inlink->channels, sizeof(*eval->channel_values));
    if (!eval->channel_values)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);

    return 0;
}

#define TS2T(ts, tb) ((ts) == AV_NOPTS_VALUE ? NAN : (double)(ts)*av_q2d(tb))

static int filter_frame(AVFilterLink *inlink, AVFrame *in)
{
    EvalContext *eval     = inlink->dst->priv;
    AVFilterLink *outlink = inlink->dst->outputs[0];
    int nb_samples        = in->nb_samples;
    AVFrame *out;
    double t0;
    int i, j;

    /* do volume scaling in-place if input buffer is writable */
    out = ff_get_audio_buffer(outlink, nb_samples);
    if (!out)
        return AVERROR(ENOMEM);
    av_frame_copy_props(out, in);

    t0 = TS2T(in->pts, inlink->time_base);

    /* evaluate expression for each single sample and for each channel */
    for (i = 0; i < nb_samples; i++, eval->n++) {
        eval->var_values[VAR_N] = eval->n;
        eval->var_values[VAR_T] = t0 + i * (double)1/inlink->sample_rate;

        for (j = 0; j < inlink->channels; j++)
            eval->channel_values[j] = *((double *) in->extended_data[j] + i);

        for (j = 0; j < outlink->channels; j++) {
            eval->var_values[VAR_CH] = j;
            *((double *) out->extended_data[j] + i) =
                av_expr_eval(eval->expr[j], eval->var_values, eval);
        }
    }

    av_frame_free(&in);
    return ff_filter_frame(outlink, out);
}

#if CONFIG_AEVAL_FILTER

static const AVFilterPad aeval_inputs[] = {
    {
        .name           = "default",
        .type           = AVMEDIA_TYPE_AUDIO,
        .filter_frame   = filter_frame,
    },
    { NULL }
};

static const AVFilterPad aeval_outputs[] = {
    {
        .name          = "default",
        .type          = AVMEDIA_TYPE_AUDIO,
        .config_props  = aeval_config_output,
    },
    { NULL }
};

AVFilter ff_af_aeval = {
    .name          = "aeval",
    .description   = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("Filter audio signal according to a specified expression."),
    .query_formats = aeval_query_formats,
    .init          = init,
    .uninit        = uninit,
    .priv_size     = sizeof(EvalContext),
    .inputs        = aeval_inputs,
    .outputs       = aeval_outputs,
    .priv_class    = &aeval_class,
};

#endif /* CONFIG_AEVAL_FILTER */

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Through The Fires
By Gaëtan Soulier, contributing writer
Photos by Deccan Chronicle and Gaëtan Soulier
In recent years, there has been a spike in forest fires. While the world and the news have focused on California and the Australian bushfires, massive forest fires have been prevalent and destructive in other areas around the globe. On Aug. 3, 2020, one of the biggest fires in the history of southern France started. With almost 2600 acres of land burned, 9000 people relocated for their own safety and a potential danger from the fire reaching nearby biochemical factories. While this fire is now under control, I interviewed both a local and a firefighter to give us insight into the event.
Fires are raging throughout southern France
Claude Soulier is a southern France citizen who has lived through many forest fires. Although he lived through many of them, he says he never had his home be endangered by the fires before.
"It was the first time that I really felt scared for my home and what I built," Soulier said. "Most of the garden burned–the very thing he took care of for years had been burned to the ground in an instant. Southern France has a history of having small pine fires in the summer because of people dropping cigarette butts, forgetting about ashes of a bonfire, etcetera."
Local firefighter Kevin Delacroix tells us that this year was particularly dry; the fire started with just a cigarette butt.
A very dry year
The dangerous part of a fire starting during a very dry season and in a windy environment is that in most cases it is not reported early enough to be contained. This is where firefighters must communicate effectively and act fast. I was fortunate enough to have a firefighter willing to explain to me the strategies used to contain the fires.
A local firefighter explained that "Our first priority when it comes to fires is to surround as many houses as possible and hold our grounds until the Canadair [a French plane used to throw water on the fire] extinguishes the fire."
He acknowledged that it was not the best way to go about it in his opinion as the last forest fires that happened in Southern France burned nearly 2600 acres of land. According to him, the best way would be to surround the fire as best as they can and suffocate it by reducing a circle over and over until it is controlled.
However, while the fire is being contained, the damage is already done, and people will have to live with a devastated landscape for years before nature can regain its rights. Whether the fire is stopped or not, we can only hope that the emotional toll on people is manageable. The emotional value placed on the forest that burned or the gardens of people is enormous. A vast majority of people from the South have lived their entire lives there, so to see symbols of their life burn to the ground is very hard.
Claude agreed to share with us his feelings regarding the state of his garden. "It is just sad, there is not much to add to that," Soulier said. "I had an olive tree here, my favorite, he had been standing in that garden since my great grandfather planted it. It was up for nearly 200 years and now it's just a pile of ash."
Fires have laid waste to the land
On that previous note, Claude asked me to point out the fires that happened when he was a child burned as much–if not less–land. It then raises the question about our capabilities to stop the fires.
"Our firefighters had barely three firetrucks in the '60s and the fires still went down to the sea; we are in 2020 our firefighting department has hundreds of firetrucks and it still goes down to the sea," Soulier said.
There have been more and more fires happening recently during the summer and with the inability to stop them effectively it really raised a lot of questions about people's security.
Losing your garden and potentially losing the home you have lived in for years is devastating. It is with assurance and hope, however, that Kevin Delacroix says "it is very unlikely that houses get burned down, and this year taught a lesson, we are already working on our methods to become more efficient!"
Published by McK Review
We are the official, student-run newspaper of McKendree University.	View all posts by McK Review
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One thought on "Through The Fires"
Christine Bahr says:
Gaëtan, thank you for sharing this story. It's interesting to know that forest fires are a global challenge, not just something that happens in the U.S.
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Home Church Can you give me Bible witnessing tips to reach out to my friends?
Can you give me Bible witnessing tips to reach out to my friends?
A- Get close to people. He "drew near and went with them" (Luke 24:15).
B- Look for an opportunity to share His love. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10).
C- Be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. "Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot" (Acts 8:29).
D- Be a good listener. "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19).
E- Offer God's solution first. "Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10).
F- Be prepared to give an answer to your faith. "… be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).
G- Lead people to the Scriptures. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
H- Make disciples for the Lord. "Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
I- Give all the glory to God and not to yourself. "Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the coastlands" (Isaiah 42:12).


text:
Submit a piece 🎮 Block your 📱 number iOS 15 might not work Talking Tech
'Infinity' a delightful mashup of Disney characters
Jinny Gudmundsen
Special to USA TODAY
Toy-based game works by connecting a base to your game system
Lets kids design and create their own worlds to explore
Starter set costs %2474.99
If your kids are fans of Skylanders and Minecraft, they are going to love Disney Infinity. Like Skylanders, Disney Infinity uses real toys placed on a portal to introduce characters into a video gaming world. And like Minecraft, Disney Infinity offers kids the ability to design and create their own worlds to explore.
Disney Infinity is a toy-based video game that works by connecting the Infinity Base to your video game system, and then placing a game piece and toy figurines on the base to start the gaming. It's best to think of Disney Infinity as having two separate parts. It has traditional video gaming, involving the toy characters within their world going on missions. That part is referred to as Play Set gaming. But it also has an open sandbox mode, where you can throw all of the toy characters together to mix and match them any way you want. This part is known as the Toy Box mode.
At launch, families can purchase a Disney Infinity starter pack, which comes with The Infinity Base, a game piece containing three Infinity Play Sets (Monsters University, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Incredibles), three Infinity toy characters (Sulley, Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible) and one random power disc which, when set under a character on the Base, serves to boost the character's abilities. This pack costs $74.99. Add-on Play Sets for other Disney franchises are sold separately for $34.99. At launch there is one for Cars (Lightning McQueen and Holley Shiftwell and a Play Set game piece) and one for the Lone Ranger (Lone Ranger, Tonto and the Play Set game piece). More Play Sets are coming. The game is also expandable, with additional characters and power discs.
To start a traditional video gaming experience, you place the hexagonal game piece on the Base and add one or two characters from that world. Each Play Set offers 6-8 hours of story-driven, mission-based gaming within that world. These missions vary, depending on which world you are in. For example, in Monsters U, the missions relate to using Sulley's scare powers to clean up after rival Fear Tech pulled some pranks. Kids will be using Sulley to "holler" toilet paper off of trees around the campus. In Cars, the missions are driving-base; whereas in The Incredibles, they are about defeating bad guys and destroying robots.
As you go on missions within the themed Play Sets, you will do things like jump, climb, fight and drive. Each character has special abilities, so depending on who you have on the Base, your play style will vary. There are coins to collect and capsules that unlock special content within the Play Set and in the Toy Box. The capsules carrying content for the Toy Box include characters, vehicles, upgrades, gadgets and more.
Players can have many missions open at once and choose to work on them in any order. When two players are playing together in split-screen mode, one can be working on one mission and the other on a separate one. To help finish a mission, kids can turn on a green arrow that constantly points the way to completion. The missions are fun and varied but don't move the needle much.
Where this game shines is in its Toy Box mode. Kids can simply explore (and find more digital toy capsules); design and customize their own worlds (ala Minecraft); and create their own games, whether that be racing, sports, platforming or other. All of these play possibilities are introduced through clever tutorials known as Mastery Adventures.
Kids will really enjoy bringing characters from different worlds together to play. They can mix and match powers and abilities. Thus Sulley from Monsters U can don Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear's jet pack to fly around. The Toy Box has 250 toys unlocked from the start; but kids can unlock hundreds more by playing in the Play Sets mode. The toys include teleporters, vehicles, scoreboards, critters, mounts, balls, tools and more. Also, each character you own has a special character adventure that can be accessed in this mode. For example, with Sulley, it's a game about playing paintball.
The Toy Box features lots of wide, open spaces — some located on floating islands — which players can manipulate, using a special tool called a magic wand. They can build bluffs, place bridges over chasms, plant trees and even install a Super Cannon, which sends you launching across gaps. Special power discs can be placed on the Base to have a world painted to look like a specific Disney movie such as Wreck it Ralph.
The coolest part of the Toy Box are the Creativi-Toys, which are toys that you can program. Players can assign orders or behaviors to these toys and sequence them together to create games or fun interactive bits. For example you can program a special Step On Trigger to start a Falling Object Generator so that when you step on the trigger a ball falls out of the air. Kids can even program their own soccer game by tying the ball going into the goal to a scoreboard.
Two kids together on the same console can play in the Play Sets and two more can join over the Internet in the Toy Box mode. Kids have the ability to upload their Toy Box worlds to Disney. They can also download other user-created worlds to explore. Both the user-generated worlds and the toy characters are console agnostic, so your child can take his Sulley to play on any friend's system.
Disney Infinity is appropriately named. The sky's the limit in this digital toy box. If you can think it up, you can design it. While most of the Play Sets available at launch are very boy-centric with lots of shooting, combat and action, more Play Sets are coming. All of this cartoonish violence has earned the game an E10+ rating from the ESRB. As a consequence, there's a disconnect between the age appropriateness of the Infinity toys, which are appealing to young kids, and the age for playing this game.
Score: 4 stars (out of 4)
Rating: E10+ (Cartoon Violence)
Best for: 10-up
Publisher: Disney, www.disneyinfinity.com
Platform: Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Xbox 360, PS3
Cost: $74.99 for Starter Pack
Jinny Gudmundsen is the author of the new book: iPad Apps for Kids, part of the For Dummies series. Contact her at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her @JinnyGudmundsen.


Protect your hearing when operating machinery. If you have to raise your voice to talk to someone who is an arm's length away, the noise can be potentially harmful to your hearing.
Wear gloves to protect from skin irritations, cuts, and contaminants.
Reduce the risk of sunburn and skin cancer by wearing long sleeves, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunshades. Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
Keep an eye on the thermometer and take precautions in the heat.
When working in hot weather, remind workers to drink plenty of liquids, but not those that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar, as they can cause you to lose body fluid.
Pay attention to signs of heat-related illness, including high body temperature, headache, dizziness, rapid pulse, nausea, confusion, or unconsciousness.
If you hire a contractor for landscaping or other outdoor maintenance, it's important to inquire about the company's safety record and make sure they train and require employees to follow safe work practices. They may not be on your payroll, but if a contract worker is injured at your property, an Occupational Health and Safety officers may cite and fine not only the contractor, but the worksite employer as well.
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