Hello Chestermere! First of all I would like to congratulate the organizers of the water festival this past weekend! It was an incredible time, and we enjoyed seeing so many of our friends out enjoying all the festivities! I hope you were able to take in some of the incredible music! I was also honoured to attend and participate at the Chinese Children's Orchestra concert hosted by the Calgary Chinese Community Service Association. This wonderful group of young musicians and their parents travelled from China to come and perform traditional Chinese music on their traditional instruments. It was such a privilege to hear them perform, and I would like to thank them for including me in this amazing event! I was also a judge for the Miss Asia competition, which was an empowering and incredible experience. These young women have such great confidence and poise and I was so proud to meet them. These women are going to be some of our future leaders, engineers, choreographers, and many other wonderful things. Congratulations to all who participated!
This over-regulation, turning away from free markets, state-led economy led directly to the recessions that followed in the early 80's. There was no "tightening of the belt". Fast-forward to our present situation, and his son Mr. Justin Trudeau seems to want to follow in his dad's footsteps. We have as a nation, just purchased a pipeline for $4.5 billion dollars and we will have to spend another $7 billion to make it work, money that would have originally been supplied by the private sector. The Federal government keeps saying that they have no intention of keeping it, but have no buyers, as most buyers see the problem of getting to tide water as, well… a serious problem….an "unquantifiable risk". Did we not learn anything from his Dad at all? Do we not remember what happened with Petro-Canada?(It is owned by Suncor now). When has government ever shown that it can run a business? Both of the Trudeaus had the privilege of taking a country that is incredibly resilient, business oriented, prosperous and diversified and they have handcuffed industry, made policy decisions that discourage private sector investment which is the lifeblood of this country and this province, and have an obvious indifference for the magnificent people of this country and our prosperity. There is a lack of love and respect for our national well-being, and for our federation. This is evident in policy set by both father and son. Policy matters. There seems to be an inability to create strong economic policy, foreign policy (especially with our neighbours to the south), and we have our own Governments' attack on our national well being and our morale. I have to believe that no one goes into politics, whether federal or provincial, with the intention to make things worse. I have to believe that most people want what is best for their constituents and their country when they have the privilege of being elected. But when the son repeats the mistakes of the father when given the same privilege, decades apart, we have to ask ourselves, are we going to be more engaged in the process this time? Are we going to stand up for ourselves, and inspire the next generation to be self reliant and industrious? I hope so, because that is the reason I am here. I'm here for those next precious generations that will pay off our debt, and whose futures are being mortgaged by our present Governments, both provincially in Alberta and federally. As always we love to hear from you.


text:
package com.facebook.buck.artifact_cache;

import com.facebook.buck.event.BuckEventBus;
import com.facebook.buck.io.ProjectFilesystem;
import com.facebook.buck.util.HumanReadableException;
import com.google.common.base.Function;
import com.google.common.base.Optional;
import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListeningExecutorService;
import com.squareup.okhttp.ConnectionPool;
import com.squareup.okhttp.Interceptor;
import com.squareup.okhttp.OkHttpClient;
import com.squareup.okhttp.Response;
import com.squareup.okhttp.Request;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.URI;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
import java.util.Map;

/**
 * Creates instances of the {@link ArtifactCache}.
 */
public class ArtifactCaches {

  private ArtifactCaches() {
  }

  private static Request.Builder addHeadersToBuilder(
      Request.Builder builder, ImmutableMap<String, String> headers) {
    ImmutableSet<Map.Entry<String, String>> entries = headers.entrySet();
    for (Map.Entry<String, String> header : entries) {
      builder.addHeader(header.getKey(), header.getValue());
    }
    return builder;
  }

  /**
   * Creates a new instance of the cache for use during a build.
   *
   * @param buckConfig describes what kind of cache to create
   * @param buckEventBus event bus
   * @param projectFilesystem filesystem to store files on
   * @param wifiSsid current WiFi ssid to decide if we want the http cache or not
   * @return a cache
   * @throws InterruptedException
   */
  public static ArtifactCache newInstance(
      ArtifactCacheBuckConfig buckConfig,
      BuckEventBus buckEventBus,
      ProjectFilesystem projectFilesystem,
      Optional<String> wifiSsid,
      ListeningExecutorService httpWriteExecutorService) throws InterruptedException {
    ArtifactCacheConnectEvent.Started started = ArtifactCacheConnectEvent.started();
    buckEventBus.post(started);
    ArtifactCache artifactCache = newInstanceInternal(
        buckConfig,
        buckEventBus,
        projectFilesystem,
        wifiSsid,
        httpWriteExecutorService);
    buckEventBus.post(ArtifactCacheConnectEvent.finished(started));
    return artifactCache;
  }

  /**
   * Creates a new instance of the cache to be used to serve the dircache from the WebServer.
   *
   * @param buckConfig describes how to configure te cache
   * @param projectFilesystem filesystem to store files on
   * @return a cache
   * @throws InterruptedException
   */
  public static Optional<ArtifactCache> newServedCache(
      ArtifactCacheBuckConfig buckConfig,
      final ProjectFilesystem projectFilesystem) {
    return buckConfig.getServedLocalCache().transform(
        new Function<DirCacheEntry, ArtifactCache>() {
          @Override
          public ArtifactCache apply(DirCacheEntry input) {
            return createDirArtifactCache(
                Optional.<BuckEventBus>absent(),
                input,
                projectFilesystem);
          }
        });
  }

  private static ArtifactCache newInstanceInternal(
      ArtifactCacheBuckConfig buckConfig,
      BuckEventBus buckEventBus,
      ProjectFilesystem projectFilesystem,
      Optional<String> wifiSsid,
      ListeningExecutorService httpWriteExecutorService) throws InterruptedException {
    ImmutableSet<ArtifactCacheBuckConfig.ArtifactCacheMode> modes =
        buckConfig.getArtifactCacheModes();
    if (modes.isEmpty()) {
      return new NoopArtifactCache();
    }
    ImmutableList.Builder<ArtifactCache> builder = ImmutableList.builder();
    for (ArtifactCacheBuckConfig.ArtifactCacheMode mode : modes) {
      switch (mode) {
        case dir:
          builder.add(
              createDirArtifactCache(
                  Optional.of(buckEventBus),
                  buckConfig.getDirCache(),
                  projectFilesystem));
          break;
        case http:
          for (HttpCacheEntry cacheEntry : buckConfig.getHttpCaches()) {
            if (!cacheEntry.isWifiUsableForDistributedCache(wifiSsid)) {
              continue;
            }
            builder.add(createHttpArtifactCache(
                    cacheEntry,
                    buckConfig.getHostToReportToRemoteCacheServer(),
                    buckEventBus,
                    projectFilesystem,
                    httpWriteExecutorService));
          }
          break;
      }
    }
    ImmutableList<ArtifactCache> artifactCaches = builder.build();

    if (artifactCaches.size() == 1) {
      // Don't bother wrapping a single artifact cache in MultiArtifactCache.
      return artifactCaches.get(0);
    } else {
      return new MultiArtifactCache(artifactCaches);
    }
  }

  private static ArtifactCache createDirArtifactCache(
      Optional<BuckEventBus> buckEventBus,
      DirCacheEntry dirCacheConfig,
      ProjectFilesystem projectFilesystem) {
    Path cacheDir = dirCacheConfig.getCacheDir();
    try {
      DirArtifactCache dirArtifactCache =  new DirArtifactCache(
          "dir",
          projectFilesystem,
          cacheDir,
          dirCacheConfig.getCacheReadMode().isDoStore(),
          dirCacheConfig.getMaxSizeBytes());

      if (!buckEventBus.isPresent()) {
        return dirArtifactCache;
      }

      return new LoggingArtifactCacheDecorator(buckEventBus.get(),
          dirArtifactCache,
          new DirArtifactCacheEvent.DirArtifactCacheEventFactory());

    } catch (IOException e) {
      throw new HumanReadableException(
          "Failure initializing artifact cache directory: %s",
          cacheDir);
    }
  }

  private static ArtifactCache createHttpArtifactCache(
      HttpCacheEntry cacheDescription,
      final String hostToReportToRemote,
      BuckEventBus buckEventBus,
      ProjectFilesystem projectFilesystem,
      ListeningExecutorService httpWriteExecutorService) {
    String cacheName = cacheDescription.getName()
        .transform(new Function<String, String>() {
                     @Override
                     public String apply(String input) {
                       return "http-" + input;
                     }
                   })
        .or("http");
    URI url = cacheDescription.getUrl();
    int timeoutSeconds = cacheDescription.getTimeoutSeconds();
    boolean doStore = cacheDescription.getCacheReadMode().isDoStore();

    // Setup the default client to use.
    OkHttpClient client = new OkHttpClient();
    client.networkInterceptors().add(
        new Interceptor() {
          @Override
          public Response intercept(Chain chain) throws IOException {
            return chain.proceed(
                chain.request().newBuilder()
                    .addHeader("X-BuckCache-User", System.getProperty("user.name", "<unknown>"))
                    .addHeader("X-BuckCache-Host", hostToReportToRemote)
                    .build());
          }
        });
    client.setConnectTimeout(timeoutSeconds, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
    client.setConnectionPool(
        new ConnectionPool(
            // It's important that this number is greater than the `-j` parallelism,
            // as if it's too small, we'll overflow the reusable connection pool and
            // start spamming new connections.  While this isn't the best location,
            // the other current option is setting this wherever we construct a `Build`
            // object and have access to the `-j` argument.  However, since that is
            // created in several places leave it here for now.
            /* maxIdleConnections */ 200,
            /* keepAliveDurationMs */ TimeUnit.MINUTES.toMillis(5)));

    // For fetches, use a client with a read timeout.
    OkHttpClient fetchClient = client.clone();
    fetchClient.setReadTimeout(timeoutSeconds, TimeUnit.SECONDS);

    final ImmutableMap<String, String> readHeaders = cacheDescription.getReadHeaders();
    final ImmutableMap<String, String> writeHeaders = cacheDescription.getWriteHeaders();

    // If write headers are specified, add them to every default client request.
    if (!writeHeaders.isEmpty()) {
      client.networkInterceptors().add(
          new Interceptor() {
            @Override
            public Response intercept(Chain chain) throws IOException {
              return chain.proceed(
                addHeadersToBuilder(chain.request().newBuilder(), writeHeaders).build()
              );
            }
          });
    }

    // If read headers are specified, add them to every read client request.
    if (!readHeaders.isEmpty()) {
      fetchClient.networkInterceptors().add(
          new Interceptor() {
            @Override
            public Response intercept(Chain chain) throws IOException {
              return chain.proceed(
                addHeadersToBuilder(chain.request().newBuilder(), readHeaders).build()
              );
            }
          });
    }

    return new HttpArtifactCache(
        cacheName,
        fetchClient,
        client,
        url,
        doStore,
        projectFilesystem,
        buckEventBus,
        httpWriteExecutorService);
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Steamboat Springs' lodging tax committee this week halved the number of finalists vying for annual revenues from a 1 percent tax on nightly resort accommodations, but its toughest work still lies ahead.
Looming next for the committee and the eight remaining finalists are public presentations in March. The volunteer committee composed of two Steamboat Springs City Council members, one public representative and three members of Steamboat's Lodging Association then is expected to recommend one of the proposals to the full City Council, which has the ultimate say in how the $600,000 to $800,000 in annual lodging tax revenues will be spent.
As this Editorial Board did back in July when the tax proposal process began, it's appropriate to remind the community, the committee and the City Council about the history of the lodging tax and the obligation we have to those who pay it.
So while there were many worthwhile projects presented to the lodging tax committee, many simply don't meet the criteria of the ballot language. For example, the beautification of U.S. Highway 40 medians on the southeast side of Steamboat is a needed improvement, but it doesn't pass the tourism test.
Similarly, a proposal to fund future capital projects at Haymaker Golf Course, which was built using lodging tax revenues and which has enjoyed exclusive use of those revenues since 1995, also doesn't fit the bill. While we're cognizant of the ongoing maintenance costs associated with new capital projects that fall under the city's umbrella, we strongly believe those amenities must put in place a fee structure or financing plan that allows for self-sufficiency. At Haymaker, which is a fantastic municipal golf facility but never has lived up to its billing as a tourism driver, that very well could mean continued increases in greens fees for locals and visitors.
As much as each of us has our biases about which of the current proposals might have the most beneficial impact on our own lives, the lodging tax committee must remain focused on determining which project best meets the criteria of the ballot language. Lest we forget, amenities constructed using revenues from the lodging tax must have a strong potential to increase tourism here, which not only benefits the folks who pay the tax in the first place but also will help ensure future stability — and perhaps even growth — in that revenue stream.


text:
package prefuse.action.layout;

import java.util.Iterator;

import prefuse.visual.VisualItem;

/**
 * Layout Action that sets x, y coordinates for a visual item by simply
 * looking them up from another data field.
 *
 * @author jeffrey heer
 */
public class SpecifiedLayout extends Layout {

    private String m_xfield = null;
    private String m_yfield = null;
    private String m_fixedfield = null;

    /**
     * Create a new SpecifiedLayout.
     * @param group the data group to layout
     * @param xField the field from which to lookup x coordinate values
     * @param yField the field from which to lookup y coordinate values
     */
    public SpecifiedLayout(String group, String xField, String yField) {
        super(group);
        m_xfield = xField;
        m_yfield = yField;
    }

    // ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    /**
     * Get the field to lookup to set the x-coordinate.
     * @return the x-value field. If null, this action
     * does not set the x-coordiante.
     */
    public String getXField() {
        return m_xfield;
    }

    /**
     * Set the field to lookup to set the x-coordinate.
     * @param xField the x-value field to use. If null, this action
     * will not set the x-coordiante.
     */
    public void setXField(String xField) {
        m_xfield = xField;
    }

    /**
     * Get the field to lookup to set the y-coordinate.
     * @return the y-value field. If null, this action
     * does not set the y-coordiante.
     */
    public String getYField() {
        return m_yfield;
    }

    /**
     * Set the field to lookup to set the y-coordinate.
     * @param yField the y-value field to use. If null, this action
     * will not set the y-coordiante.
     */
    public void setYField(String yField) {
        m_yfield = yField;
    }

    /**
     * Get the field to lookup to set the fixed property.
     * @return the fixed field. If null, this action
     * does not set the fixed field.
     */
    public String getFixedField() {
        return m_fixedfield;
    }

    /**
     * Set the field to lookup to set the fixed property.
     * @param fixedField the fixed field to use. If null, this action
     * will not set the fixed field.
     */
    public void setFixedField(String fixedField) {
        m_fixedfield = fixedField;
    }

    /**
     * @see prefuse.action.Action#run(double)
     */
    public void run(double frac) {
        Iterator iter = m_vis.items(m_group);
        while ( iter.hasNext() ) {
            VisualItem item = (VisualItem)iter.next();
            try {
                if ( m_xfield != null )
                    setX(item, null, item.getDouble(m_xfield));
                if ( m_yfield != null )
                    setY(item, null, item.getDouble(m_yfield));
                if ( m_fixedfield != null )
                    item.setFixed(item.getBoolean(m_fixedfield));
            } catch ( Exception e ) {
            }
        }
    }

} // end of class SpecifiedLayout


text:
Apple Unleashes Tiger Friday at 6:00 p.m.
CUPERTINO, California, April 28, 2005 — Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger," the next major release of the world's most advanced operating system, will go on sale Friday at 6:00 p.m. at participating Apple Authorized Resellers and Apple retail stores worldwide. All 105 Apple retail stores will host "Tiger World Premiere" events from 6:00 p.m. to midnight offering workshops and hands-on demonstrations of Tiger's hottest features, plus giveaways at every store including a chance to win a PowerBook G4, iPod and more.
"Starting tomorrow night, features like Spotlight and Dashboard will change the way millions of people use their computers," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Our competitors will be trying to copy Tiger's more than 200 new features and innovations for years to come."
Tiger delivers more than 200 new features and innovations including Spotlight, a revolutionary desktop search technology that lets users instantly find anything stored on their Mac, including documents, emails, contacts and images; and Dashboard, a new way to instantly access important information like weather forecasts and stock quotes, using a dazzling new class of applications called widgets.
Apple will also release Mac OS X Server version 10.4 "Tiger" at the same time. Based on the same core technology as the desktop operating system, Tiger Server integrates over 100 leading open source projects and standards-based applications with easy-to-use management tools that make it easy to deploy for Mac, Windows and Linux clients.
Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" will be available on April 29 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $129 (US) for a single user license. The Mac OS X Tiger Family Pack is a single-residence, five-user license that will be available for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple.
Mac OS X Server version 10.4 "Tiger" will be available on April 29 at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for a 10-client edition and $999 (US) for an unlimited-client edition. Current subscribers to the Apple Maintenance Program will receive Tiger Server as part of their service agreement. Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple.
The standard Mac OS Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchase a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after April 12 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). Tiger requires a minimum of 256MB of memory and is designed to run on any Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G5, G4, or G3 processor and built-in FireWire.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.
Reviews Around the Web: apple unleashes tiger
More in Apple
Brian MitchellNovember 13, 2019
Apple Introduces AirPods Pro with Noise Cancellation
Apple Enlarges Budget iPad to 10.2-inch (7th gen, 2019)
Brian MitchellSeptember 11, 2019
Apple Watch Series 5 Stays On Longer
Apple iPhone 11 is Lower Priced at $699
Apple Upgrades Power Mac G5 Line
Pear Cable Launches Flagship Audio Cable Line, ANJOU Analog Interconnects

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: What causes a sudden consistent HTTP Error 403.14 - Forbidden error in an asp.net core 3.1 mvc app? Yesterday, all was well. Today, all of a sudden, one route in an asp.net core 3.1 MVC app I have has started producing this error:
"HTTP Error 403.14 - Forbidden
The Web server is configured to not list the contents of this directory.
Most likely causes:
A default document is not configured for the requested URL, and directory browsing is not enabled on the server. "
All other routes work fine.
What is the likely cause of this?

A: You can try this way:
1.Open up IIS Manager.
2.Add the website by right clicking on "Default website" and choose "Add application".
3.Enter any name as alias type and the load that website in the physical path and click OK.
4.Then go to the Features View of that Loaded Website and double click on the "Directory Browsing".
5.Click on "Actions" work space and change the "Disable" state to "Enable" state.
6.Then Refresh the Default Website.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Ryan Grogan has a large variety of experience in composition for film, television and advertising. He has recently also begun compositions for games, having previously worked on the soundtrack for Tin Man Games' Gamebook Adventure The Wizard of Tarnath Tor.
For MacGuffin's Curse, Ryan created a variety of exciting tracks, ranging from acoustic gypsy rock to bellowing brass to bleak, muted noir. His work has added a great deal of character to the medieval festival city of Feyre, and we simply could not be happier with his work.
Russell Black is an avid sound tinkerer as well as a talented independent developer, whose iOS app Bebot has delighted both casual fans and dedicated musicians. Beneath Bebot's whimsical surface lies a powerful, customizable synth.
For MacGuffin's Curse, Russell rolled up his sleeves and arranged Ryan's tracks using the Commodore 64 SID chip. Such is his dedication that he insisted upon using the actual Commodore 64 hardware to reproduce the faithful sound, rather than merely settle for an emulated version.
And if you still don't believe it, well, try the MacGuffin's Curse Music Demo on your own Commodore 64! Get it here, copy it onto a Commodore 64 disk, and then run it!
If you're interested in more downloads (or perhaps even an official soundtrack release), we'd love to hear from you! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and share your thoughts!
"a lovingly crafted adventure, with plenty of head-scratching conundrums to solve... a real brainteaser and a half."
iOS version published by Ayopa Games.
Website design by Alastair Craig.


text:
Damian Lillard saves the day with 29pts, 7ast...
Blogs NBA NBA Videos Videos
Damian Lillard saves the day with 29pts, 7asts & great defense on Gary Neal
Damian Lillard Gary Neal
David Astramskas November 12, 2014	Damian Lillard
The Hornets' Gary Neal was almost the hero of the Portland/Charlotte game last night. Neal made a layup at the end which many thought was good and the game was going into OT but after a review it was declared no-good by the refs. Neal also could have been a hero if he would have went for and made a 3 to win the game but because of Lillard's defense that shot wasn't an option.
"A 3 would've been a bad shot in that situation," he said. "The way that Lillard closed in on me, that would have been a terrible shot, a terrible decision. So I drove strong right and attacked the basket, and like I said I was a tenth of a second too late."
Lillard's offense was also worth praising as he scored a game-high 29 points, hit 5 3-pointers and dished out a team-high 7 assists.
"It just felt like a game we could turn around," Lillard said. "It was just a matter of us understanding that, `Hey, if we stick with it, things will come around."
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Palm trees have burst onto the scene as one of this summer's hottest resort trends. The leafy, large-scale prints recreate the mood of a balmy tropical paradise and look great when paired with soft teals, navy blues and sandy shades of neutrals.
Infuse pops of warm coral to balance out cooler tones and to master a color palette that's fitting all year long.


text:
NASA planet-hunter telescope locates first Earth-sized planet in habitable zone
By Georgina Torbet	 January 11, 2020 8:35AM PST
An illustration of planet TOI 700 d, based on an ocean-covered simulation of the planet with a carbon-dioxide dominated atmosphere similar to that of early Mars. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA)
NASA's planet-hunting telescope TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) has made an exciting discovery — a planet the size of Earth which could potentially host liquid water on its surface.
TESS has found potentially habitable planets in the past, but those are generally of a size larger than Earth, called super-Earths. The latest findings mark the first time an Earth-sized planet has been located within the habitable zone — the orbits around a star which are the right temperature for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface. The planet TOI 700 d is located right on the inner edge of its system's habitable zone, with the other system planets TOI 700b and TOI 700c located closer to the star.
Originally, scientists had thought that the star TOI 700 was about the size of our sun, which made the planets appear to be larger and hotter, and not like Earth. But when the scientists realized that the star was actually only 40% the size and mass of the sun, their calculations about the planets also changed and they saw that there was an Earth-sized planet in the system.
"When we corrected the star's parameters, the sizes of its planets dropped, and we realized the outermost one was about the size of Earth and in the habitable zone," Emily Gilbert, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, explained in a statement. "Additionally, in 11 months of data, we saw no flares from the star, which improves the chances TOI 700 d is habitable and makes it easier to model its atmospheric and surface conditions."
This is a big step for TESS, as it has uncovered a planet more like our own than any it has located before. Researchers are now running simulations to see what kind of atmosphere and composition the planet could have, using additional data from the Spitzer Space Telescope.
"Given the impact of this discovery — that it is TESS's first habitable-zone Earth-sized planet — we really wanted our understanding of this system to be as concrete as possible," Joseph Rodriguez, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian, said in the statement. "Spitzer saw TOI 700 d transit exactly when we expected it to. It's a great addition to the legacy of a mission that helped confirm two of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and identify five more."
This instrument weighs exoplanets by observing their gravitational effects
Exoplanet discoveries include two super-Earths that could support life
European Space Agency launches Cheops satellite to investigate exoplanets
Stars' flares can render exoplanets in the habitable zone inhospitable to life
Teenage NASA intern discovers single exoplanet orbiting two stars
Astronomers discover bizarre stretchy objects unlike anything else in our galaxy
U.K.'s busiest airport deploys new anti-drone system for safer skies
Astronomers discover interstellar origin of one of the building blocks of life
Here's why SpaceX plans to blow up a rocket this weekend
An all-female spacewalk is happening right now: Here's how to watch


Where is the best place to see the Parade?
The best place to see the Parade is along the Naples Canals and outer walks. Other good places are along Bay Shore Drive North of 2nd Street or the Beach along Bay Shore Drive South of 2nd Street or on East Bayshore Walk on the Belmont Peninsula.
Can I see the Parade from a restaurant? Yes.
There are many wonderful restaurants in Naples, Belmont Shore and the surrounding areas from which you can walk to the Parade from. The Large Boat Parade will stream by the restaurants in Seaport Village.
How do I get to Naples?
From the North exit the 405 at Studebaker, from the South exit 7th Street and turn left on Studebaker. Go south on Studebaker (toward the beach) Turn right on 2nd Street. The second light is Pacific Coast Highway, go straight over the Davies Bridge and your on Naples Island. Enjoy the Parade. Please deposit all trash into the proper receptacles.
How do I access Naples?
You can access Naples off 2nd Street on a number of streets, including Naples Plaza, Revenna, Tivoli and The Toledo. It is Best to Park and walk. The Island has very limited parking. If you choose to park on Naples, the Naples Elementary School; has limited parking for a contribution of $20.00. The school is located at 5537 The Toledo near Venetia. The lot opens at 3:30 PM and the Streets close at 5:00 PM. Consult your Thomas Guide for exact street information.
Alamitos Bay Marina off 2 Street and Marina Drive offers substantial free parking just over the Davies Bridge from Naples. Mothers Beach off Revenna and Appian Way has some metered parking as well as Beach parking at Bayshore and Ocean Boulevard.
Are there any restrooms or Porta potties? Yes.
There are public restrooms at Mothers Beach and at Bayshore and 2 Street. Also there will be Porta potties at The Colonnade (by the fountain off Revenna), Naples Elementary School and the parking lot off Appian Way near LBYC.
There will be three "groups of carolers" walking around the Island and singing holiday songs by the bridges. Most of the homes in Naples have been decorated for the holidays in accompaniment of the Boat Parade theme. (we have a local competition for best decorated house).


If you're in the Central Wisconsin area and have been waiting for "peak" autumn colors, they have arrived! I shot this image the middle of last week in Doering just a few miles from our home. Absolutely spectacular autumn colors this year (even if they are a little early).
Have you added any of the fall color to your photo collection? Share some links to your favorite fall photos and locations in the comment section below.


Our team of accomplished architectural and design account managers can assist your design team by offering products that will enhance your client's project while meeting their budget and your schedule.
Garden State Tile is a stocking distributor of ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal, and natural stone tiles, representing both domestic and imported manufacturers, including sustainable materials for LEED buildings. Lead times are minimized with our significant inventories, and we focus on offering value-priced design-inspired materials.
Our in-house, full service sample department provides samples in a variety of formats for presentations and submittals.
While our primary distribution is New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, we can provide material for wherever your project is located.
As your trusted advisor, we welcome the opportunity to assist you with solutions for your clients through state-of-the-art, in-stock, value-added products.
Explore some commercial tile installations here >>>.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Data;
using OpenMetaverse;
using OpenSim.Framework;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Text;
using Npgsql;

namespace OpenSim.Data.PGSQL
{
    public class PGSQLFriendsData : PGSQLGenericTableHandler<FriendsData>, IFriendsData
    {
        public PGSQLFriendsData(string connectionString, string realm)
            : base(connectionString, realm, "FriendsStore")
        {
            using (NpgsqlConnection conn = new NpgsqlConnection(m_ConnectionString))
            {
                conn.Open();
                Migration m = new Migration(conn, GetType().Assembly, "FriendsStore");
                m.Update();
            }
        }

        public override bool Delete(string principalID, string friend)
        {
            UUID princUUID = UUID.Zero;

            bool ret = UUID.TryParse(principalID, out princUUID);

            if (ret)
                return Delete(princUUID, friend);
            else
                return false;
        }

        public bool Delete(UUID principalID, string friend)
        {
            using (NpgsqlConnection conn = new NpgsqlConnection(m_ConnectionString))
            using (NpgsqlCommand cmd = new NpgsqlCommand())
            {
                cmd.CommandText = String.Format("delete from {0} where \"PrincipalID\" = :PrincipalID and \"Friend\" = :Friend", m_Realm);
                cmd.Parameters.Add(m_database.CreateParameter("PrincipalID", principalID.ToString()));
                cmd.Parameters.Add(m_database.CreateParameter("Friend", friend));
                cmd.Connection = conn;
                conn.Open();
                cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

                return true;
            }
        }

        public FriendsData[] GetFriends(string principalID)
        {
            UUID princUUID = UUID.Zero;

            bool ret = UUID.TryParse(principalID, out princUUID);

            if (ret)
               return GetFriends(princUUID);
            else
                return new FriendsData[0];
        }

        public FriendsData[] GetFriends(UUID principalID)
        {
            using (NpgsqlConnection conn = new NpgsqlConnection(m_ConnectionString))
            using (NpgsqlCommand cmd = new NpgsqlCommand())
            {

                cmd.CommandText = String.Format("select a.*,case when b.\"Flags\" is null then '-1' else b.\"Flags\" end as \"TheirFlags\" from {0} as a " +
                                                " left join {0} as b on a.\"PrincipalID\" = b.\"Friend\" and a.\"Friend\" = b.\"PrincipalID\" " +
                                                " where a.\"PrincipalID\" = :PrincipalID", m_Realm);
                cmd.Parameters.Add(m_database.CreateParameter("PrincipalID", principalID.ToString()));
                cmd.Connection = conn;
                conn.Open();
                return DoQuery(cmd);
            }
        }

        public FriendsData[] GetFriends(Guid principalID)
        {
            return GetFriends(principalID);
        }

    }
}


Christmas light background. Holiday glowing backdrop. Defocused Background With Blinking Stars. Blurred Bokeh.
Christmas holiday pattern. Vector illustration. Gentle seamless blue background of branches, berries and leaves. Happy Holidays.
Christmas greeting card lights and snowflakes vector background. Merry Christmas holidays wish and Happy new year message typography design and vintage ornament. Vector illustration.
Christmas greeting card light and snowflakes vector background. Merry Christmas holidays wish design and vintage ornament decoration. Happy new year message. Vector illustration.
Christmas retro typography and light with snowflakes. Merry Christmas holidays wish greeting card design and vintage ornament decoration. Happy new year message. Vector background Eps 10.
Holiday winter landscape background with coniferous forest. Christmas & New Year design. Elegant vintage card. Vector illustration.
Christmas postcard ornament decoration background. Vector illustration Eps 10. Happy new year message, Happy holidays wish.
Snowflake on snow.Winter holidays background.


Mindful eating promotes the consumption of smaller portions and fewer calories.
Mindfulness has helped many people to develop the skills necessary to manage chronic pain, depression, anxiety, stress and sleeping disorders. It has also become a popular way to change eating behaviours under the term "mindful eating".


text:
Gallery front | Photos | Bo-Kaap
Wale street in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town.
Barry Christianson
Barry Christianson/GroundUp
Bo-kaap, Cape Town
District 6 Ruins
Long-buried houses revealed after diggers clear a site for housing in District 6 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Homeless people living under a bridge in the Cape Town CBD.
Evictions in Khayelitsha
Empolweni in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Waste-picker in Johannesburg
Luyanda Hlatshwayo sorts waste in the informal settlement of Bekezela, Johannesburg.
Day 1 of the Covid-19 Lockdown in South Africa
A law enforcement officer stationed at Greenmarket Square is befriended by a squirrel during day 1 of the Covid-19 lockdown in Cape Town, South Africa.
Commuters hang on to trains.
Commuters hang onto the trains at Rondebosch train station in Cape Town.
Homeless People in Cape Town
Homeless people in Cape Town, South Africa.
Raw Sewege in Dunoon
A child walks his bicycle past a stream of greywater contaminated with sewage near a row of blocked toilets in the Ethembeni informal settlement, Dunoon
Dalebrook tidal pool in Kalk Bay
The Dalebrook tidal pool in Kalk Bay, Cape Town.
SANDF deployed to Cape Town To Help Quell Gang Violence
A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) military helicopter is seen during a training exercise outside the 35 Squadron airforce base in Belhar, Cape Town. The army has been in Cape Town to help police quell Gang Violence.
Minster Fikile Mbalula Train Ride
Commuters try and catch a train on the central line early in the morning. Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula was planning on taking a train from Khayelitsha to Langa but it didn't go as planned after numerous delays.
State of the Nation Address 2019
The entrance to the National Assembly at Parliament during the 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Town Train Station
Commuters on Cape Town train station.
Shack Fire in Khayelitsha
Over a thousand people are left homeless and one person was killed after a fire ravages the SST Section in Khayelitsha.


text:
Ingushetia
North Ossetia
OBC Events
Our Prizes
The results of OBCT (2018 figures)
Defending the right to freedom of information and promoting the transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union as well as in the enlargement and Eastern Partnership countries are the objectives of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom - ECPMF , of which OBC Transeuropa is one of the founding members.
The services OBCT provides to ECPMF include the development and curation of the Resource Centre on Media Freedom in Europe and an ongoing work of information and in-depth analysis on key issues for European democracy, in network with numerous media partners in Italy and South-Eastern Europe.
OBCT news on media and journalism
ENVIRONMENT Serbia: toxic substances and dangerous railways
Belgrade | Antonela Riha | 26/1/2023
Little or nothing is known about the impact and responsibility of 20 tonnes of ammonia leaking from a tank on a freight train in southeast Serbia, an accident that also claimed two lives. In Serbia, it remains hard for citizens to obtain information about these environmental disasters
INTERVIEW Romania: plagiarism, a gateway to corruption
Sielke Kelner | 19/12/2022
In this conversation with Emilia Șercan, investigative journalist and senior lecturer at the University of Bucharest, we explored the state of the art of Romanian journalism and reflected upon the different meanings of plagiarism in a country where corruption remains rampant
Latvia: Media regulator urged not to revoke Dozhd license pending court review
Together with our MFRR partners, we express concern over the decision to revoke the broadcast license of the independent TV station Dozhd: independent Russian journalism should be provided a safe refuge in Europe
Meduza's statement regarding the revocation of TV Rain's Latvian broadcasting license
Meduza | 7/12/2022
We share the full text of Meduza's statement in support of independent Russian broadcaster TV Rain
Multiple journalists threatened and harassed in Serbia, authorities must take urgent action
| 6/12/2022
OBCT joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response partners and the Safe Journalists Network in condemning in the strongest terms the intimidation and often orchestrated campaigns by pro-government media outlets and members of the public to silence journalists in Serbia
RIGHTS Turkey, bombs and censorship
Istanbul | Kenan Behzat Sharpe | 2/12/2022
The recent attack in the heart of Istanbul brought the issue of political violence in Turkey back to the fore, but also dramatically exposed the limitations on access to free information in the country
Bulgarian far-right party's 'foreign agent' bill sparks media freedom concerns
Press freedom groups raise alarm that law appears intended to target critical media in Bulgaria
Italy: Newspaper Domani sued for defamation by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Redazione | 25/11/2022
At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing in the case of aggravated defamation against two journalists from the daily newspaper Domani initiated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an appeal for the lawsuit to be dropped and for a comprehensive reform of defamation laws in Italy
Milan shelter city: protected residences for threatened journalism
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa, Q Code Mag and ECPMF, in collaboration with the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation, present the event "Milan shelter city: protected residences for threatened journalism"
Milan city of refuge: protected residences for threatened journalism
OBC Transeuropa | 18/11/2022
A public event to present the Journalist-in-Residence (JiR) protected residence project, coordinated by OBC Transeuropa, Q Code Mag and the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium, to relaunch the idea of Milan as a shelter city for journalists. Two journalists who have benefited from the JiR protection programme will be present and will share their experiences
INTERVIEW Gag complaints, an anti-SLAPP shield is coming
Paola Rosà | 22/11/2022
OCCRP, the transnational investigative journalism platform against crime and corruption, has devised a system to prevent lawsuits, prevent self-censorship, and defend journalists from gag lawsuits – an actual shield in defence of reporters. We interviewed Drew Sullivan, co-founder of OCCRP
Italy: a call in support of Roberto Saviano, defendant in a defamation trial
Coalition CASE | 16/11/2022
At the conclusion of the first hearing in the proceedings for aggravated defamation initiated by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against Roberto Saviano in 2021, we express our solidarity with the Italian journalist for his commitment to the public interest
RULE OF LAW Italy, journalism and the rule of law
Maria Francesca Rita | 17/11/2022
In a country where media freedom and pluralism are formally protected by a solid legislative framework, the ability of journalists to conduct their investigative work still faces several challenges. We discussed these issues in an interview with Lorenzo Bagnoli, IrpiMedia journalist
SCANDAL "Predatorgate", dozens of Greek ministers and journalists under surveillance
Athens | Alessio Giussani | 9/11/2022
New revelations reopen the surveillance scandal in Greece: dozens of journalists, politicians, and entrepreneurs were targeted by secret services and spyware. Who gave the orders?
RIGHTS Against SLAPPs, the first European conference
Sielke Kelner | 7/11/2022
The first European conference for the fight against SLAPPs, also known as gag or reckless complaints, was held in Strasbourg on 20 October, organised by the European Center for Press and Media Freedom and the Coalition against SLAPP in Europe. The report of the event
MEDIA AND POLITICS Romania: the interference of parties in the media
Mihaela Iordache | 3/11/2022
A recent report by the Council of Europe exposes the flow of money that goes from political parties to the media in Romania, and the consequent subordination
>>OBCT news
>>ECPMF Media Partners archive
The Media Freedom Resource Centre is an open online platform that facilitates quick and systematic access to an ever-growing collection of resources on media freedom and pluralism, such as region-wide and country-specific publication and practical tools for journalists, practitioners, policy makers. Whether you are journalist, a media expert or an organisation, use this crowd-sourcing platform to share and disseminate your materials!
Dossier Resource Centre
Building on a previous Wiki GLAM initiative, Wiki4MediaFreedom aims at boosting the availability of accurate knowledge on media freedom and pluralism in Europe on Wikipedia. People who are willing to contribute, learn and help disseminate in languages other than English relevant information on these topics are very welcome to join!
Through a partnership between Index on Censorship, European Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders Mapping Media Freedom monitors and visualises the state of media freedom in Europe by crowdsourcing reports of violations and limitations from journalists and press freedom watchdogs. Get involved!
OBCT took part in the European project Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Support Network for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe
The network of media partner ECPMF
24 Vesti Macedonia- The first Macedonian all news TV channel and on-line news provider
All the news Beta Serbia- One of the main Serbian press agencies
Bianet Turkey- Independent press agency, with a special focus on civil society
All the news Courrier des Balkans France- The main French on-line news provider on South East Europe
Dilema Veche Romania- Romania's main weekly, focusing on culture and social issues. It has both a paper and on-line version
All the news H-Alter Croatia- Independent on-line news provider, with a special focus on civil society
MediaCentar Bosnia Herzegovina- Supporting the development of independent and professional journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
All the news Mediapool Bulgaria- Created in 2001, it is the oldest Bulgarian on-line news provider
Kosovo 2.0 Kosovo- is an online magazine which, since 2010, involves talented young media professionals in Kosovo. All content is published in Albanian, English and Serbian. It has 14.200 fans in Facebook and 4.900 Twitter followers
All the news Radio Popolare Italy- Broadcasting from Milan, Popolare is both a radio and a network of 17 of the Italian main radio stations covering among other Rome, Florence, Turin, Venice
Radio Študent Slovenia - One of Europe's oldest and strongest independent and non-commercial urban radio stations
All the news Shqiptarja Albania- Independent media-group based in Tirana
Athens Live Greece- Independent media, on-the-ground source for stories, news, and images from Athens and throughout Greece.
All the news Vijesti Montenegro- The main daily newspaper in Montenegro. It has both a paper and an on-line version. It started its publications in 1997
Former partner of the network (2015-2016): The Press Project Greece- Daily on-line news provider on Greece. Specialized in features and analyses
The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom is co-funded by the European Commission
OBCT is a operational unit of:
Municipality of Trento
Municipality of Rovereto
Trento University
Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa is a publication registered at the Court of Rovereto n. 256 on 26 May 2004 - Editor in Chief Luca Zanoni
Copyleft 2023 Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa License | Terms of use


Interflora's local Padiham florists offer flower delivery Padiham that is dependable, because every order is handled by Interflora florists who are passionate about flowers. When you need to send flowers in Padiham, use Interflora's local Padiham florists and save yourself the time and effort it takes to find a well-organised and reliable service. The bouquets and gifts delivered by Interflora Padiham flower shops always meet our expectations and are fit to bursting with intoxicating and luscious flowers.
With flowers delivered that are sure to make a grand entrance, think of Interflora florists in Padiham when you want great flower delivery Padiham. Choose Interflora to deliver your flowers and one of our welcoming and approachable florists in Padiham will handle your order with care. From Padiham flower shop to arrival, we arrange every order by hand. Send flowers in Padiham with Interflora and, via our flower shops, your significant someone will receive a lovely bouquet on their special day.
Padiham Memorial Park covers 12 acres of land and is divided by the River Calder. It has a rose garden, lawns, bowling greens, tennis courts, skate park and a leisure centre for visitors to enjoy. Being outside is great and when you come home you want that fresh, airy feeling to continue, so why not come home to a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Interflora's Padiham florists.


text:
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
About NSDC
The composition of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
HomeNewsOrganization of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine23.11.2019, 06:34
Address of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov on the occasion of the Day of Holodomors Victims
The artificial famine in Ukraine, organized and planned by the Soviet authorities in 1921-1923, 1932-1933 and 1946-1947, is one of the most horrific crimes in human history that has no time limitations.
The Holodomor of 1932-1933, recognized as the genocide of the Ukrainian people, became a deliberate act of mass destruction of Ukrainians as a nation and the Ukrainian peasantry as a class. The evil deeds of the Soviet totalitarian regime stroke an irreparable blow to the very roots of the Ukrainian people, its centuries-old traditions, spiritual culture and ethnic identity, which we are experiencing even today.
The Holodomor...We remember in the name of the future and are aware of our responsibility for today. For this to never happen again, we must preserve our unity, freedom, and dignity. Then no enemy can conquer us or destroy state sovereignty.
Today in the homes of Ukrainians, candles are lit as a symbol of the soul, as a symbol of the memory of those Ukrainians who died during the Holodomor.
Eternal memory.
Organization of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
Oleksiy Danilov held an interagency meeting on the implementation of the law on national resistance 18.01.2022 14:11
A modern information-analytical system "COTA" developed and put into operation at the NSDC Staff 18.01.2022 09:00
The electronic map of the COVID-19 coronavirus disease spread worldwide and in Ukraine 18.01.2022 08:00
Preliminary results of the state defense order in 2021 have been summarized at the NSDC Staff 06.01.2022 12:31
Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to Ukraine Partha Satpathy 05.01.2022 14:50
PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
GOVERNMENT PORTAL
VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE
COVID-19: MAP OF THE DISEASE SPREAD IN UKRAINE AND WORLDWIDE
8, Petrо Bolbochan str., Kyiv, 01601
(former Komandarm Kamenev str.)
Phone 0-800-503-486
All materials published on this site are those of the Staff of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.


This DevOps Puppet Tutorial on what is Puppet will help you understand what is Configuration management and why it was introduced. This tutorial also explains how Puppet achieves Configuration Management in detail and includes a hands-on session around Puppet by the end of which you will learn how to write Manifests, Modules and how to establish a secure connection between Puppet Master and Puppet Agent. The hands-on session also explains how to deploy MySQL and PHP using Puppet.
The Hands-On session is performed on two CentOS-32bit machines in one machine Puppet Master is installed and in other machine Puppet Agent is installed.


text:
#TBT: Daley Talks Music, Soul, and Damon Alburn
Having been featured on the BBC's Sound of 2011, many years ago at this stage, Gareth "Daley" has had, what appears to be a very quiet time since his debut, way back when. The Soulful singer/songwriter initially came into the public eye after collaborating on the Gorillaz 2009 single, Doncamatic which received lacklustre reception from critics and reached a paltry no.37 spot in the U.K charts (listen below). The 27-year-old, originally from Sale, Manchester was first signed to A&M Records along with big name acts like Duffy and Sheryl Crow, and now resides at Polydor along with Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and Selena Gomez—he's in some damn good company. Just last year, he dropped his newest offering, the critically acclaimed The Spectrum, on which Billboard seriously loved.
"The Spectrum is also gutsily off-trend, ignoring the sound of radio at the moment -- his work is largely detached from hip-hop, hushed instead of hard, gaseous rather than assertive."
In 2011, Daley released a free to download mixtape entitled Those who wait and after taking a first listen before our interview, I was hooked. His dynamic vocals, including some soaring falsetto mixed with soulful synthesisers and thumping beats, made for an interesting combination. The beautifully lethargic Spent: a relatable an anti-love song. His cover of Madonna's Like a Virgin: surprisingly contemporary.
In the 2011 market crowded with generic dance floor fillers, David Guetta and Lady
Gaga, Daley brought a sound that had not been seen for a long time in the Industry.
Although, some critics did slate his sound for being "Self indulgent". I found him lyrically and thematically honest. To me, he seemed like the type of songwriter, who would retain integrity and artistry before selling music he did not believe to be a complete representation of his soul.
I had the pleasure of speaking to the man himself about his love of music, collaborations and
where he finds his inspiration.
Darragh: So Daley, thanks for chatting to thebeardedirishman. Where did your love of songwriting come from?
Daley: Well I've always loved playing with melodies and harmonies, seeing where I can take my voice, but lyrically it's something that I grew into. It wasn't until I'd actually 'been through' some things that I was really able to understand what I wanted to write about and it started to become the commentary on my life.
Stylic: Did you grow up in a musical family?
Daley: Not at all! I think I'm definitely the anomaly in that respect. There isn't really anyone else musical in my family. My parents always played music of some kind or another though, and a lot of that stuff was some of the first music I got into so I'm sure I was influenced in some way!
Stylic: What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
Daley: It's strange. I didn't grow up listening to any particular genre. My parents were more leisurely music listeners than music collectors, so they had a CD rack of quite random albums, from Sade to The Cranberries to George Michael to The Smiths... and plenty of other stuff. I'd say everything had a vaguely soulful edge to it though, which is what I think eventually pushed me in that direction.
Stylic: What do you consider to have been your "Big Break"?
Daley: My big break would probably have been being featured on BBC Introducing in 2009 just
moved down to London and I had been gigging around non stop trying to get seen and heard wherever I could with an early demo called Rainy Day. Then after that song I wrote with the Gorillaz...that took me out to a bigger audience, so those two were really my big breaks.
Stylic: How did you end up working with artists like the Gorillaz, Wretch 32 and Marsha A?
Daley: Really strange but a lot of the time been a case of right place right time, I met Damon Alburn through a friend of his who had been to one of my gigs, they showed him my YouTube videos and he invited me down to his studio to jam, and we worked through some stuff and ended up writing Doncamatic. With Wretch, It was a similar thing: a friend of a friend introduced us and I helped him out with the chorus of of Long Way Home. Me and Marsha were both in New York at the same time and managed to get a couple of days in the studio and just made the most of it. Each collaboration has been so different, but great.
Stylic: Does love give you your main source of soulful inspiration?
Daley: It's the thing that feels most pressing to express, love or the lack of it. But life in general and the details of situations we find ourselves in are what inspire me, picking up on those small moments that everyone can relate to and understand.
Stylic: Who is your biggest musical inspiration?
Daley: Prince. He's just the best, really. That's all I can say.
Stylic: Did you ever contemplate going down the reality show route ?
Daley: Not seriously. It had crossed my mind but I always knew the way I wanted to do it. Luckily those opportunities came about for me. I'd hate to have to go through the humiliation and foul play that goes on in reality TV. Although there's still plenty of that around whichever way you do it I suppose.
Stylic: When are you coming to play for your Irish fans?
Daley: Soon I hope! I've literally just put together a small tour with four dates in Manchester,
Birmingham, Bristol and London to get me started, but I definitely intend making it over there and
throwing down some shows soon. I haven't been back since I toured with the Gorillaz so I'm looking forward to it.
Keep an eye on what this man gets up to on https://www.daley.tv/
The International Burlesque Fest Returns
In Talks: Maverick Sabre
Natty Wailer: Love and Lliberation


Dreams keep us alive, give us hope, move us forward, connect us to the past. I've asked other autism Moms if they have ever dreamed of their child without autism. I haven't. I wonder why? Perhaps because my heart would break and I would not wake up. Have you ever had a dream so real you did not want to wake up?
I heart Bruce!!! So sad for the loss of Clarence.
After all these years together (Mac moved in 18 years ago in August), I didn't have any happy dreams about him until a few months ago. I have no idea what precipitated it. In my dream, he was talking. It was crazy to hear his sweet little voice. Luckily, he was not swearing in it. I've often said he probably has a mind full of swear words he learned from me and our mom.
I get the swearing part – Miss G said, "Dammit!" at school this year and while it WAS in appropriate context…. the teachers had to turn around and not giggle out loud!
Makes sense to me! I prefer reality too – warts, schmwarts and all.
In fact I had a good dream last night I wanted to last longer. I was having some tender moments with Dear Departed who has been gone for fourteen years.
I don't think so, but I have had dreams where I woke up in the middle and really wanted to go back into them! I know some people have mastered that – I have not.
I've had dreams that I could control but wonder if those are "reaL" dreams?
I seem to have nothing but bizarre dreams….like all my teeth fall out and I go to the veterinarian (naturally) who offers me a coyote jawbone as a replacement. Wonder what that means?!
I'm with Linda — no dreams that vie with reality, no matter how crazy or messy reality is at the time. I HAVE had dreams that felt real and scared the crap out of me — like one where I'm married to someone else and I know he's the wrong guy and I'm so happy I can't breathe… then I wake up and am incredibly grateful to see my actual husband next to me.


text:
Government to build 1,500 new homes on brownfield land in Harlesden and Park Royal
Old Oak Common will be regenerated over 30 years - Credit: Archant
The government is to build at least 1,500 new homes on brownfield land in Harlesden and Park Royal, the prime minster has announced today.
David Cameron was focus of the hacker's attention. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire - Credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images
The proposals earmarked for Old Oak Common are part of a 'radical' move by the government to commission the building of more than 10,000 homes on public brownfield land across the country.
Brownfield land is an unused site which can be used for development once it has been checked for any contamination and cleaned up.
David Cameron said it is the biggest of use of the policy since Margaret Thatcher and Michael Heseltine started the regeneration of London's Docklands in the Eighties.
He added: "This Government was elected to deliver security and opportunity - whatever stage of life you're at. Nothing is more important to achieving that than ensuring hard-working people can buy affordable homes.
The regeneration of the Docklands started in the 1980s - Credit: CWG
"Today's package signals a huge shift in government policy. Nothing like this has been done on this scale in three decades - government rolling its sleeves up and directly getting homes built.
"Backed up with a further £1.2 billion to get homes built on brownfield sites, it shows we will do everything we can to get Britain building and let more people have the security that comes with a home of their own."
Last year the regeneration plans for Old Oak Common were approved by the government.
Drawn up by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, the scheme promises to boost the economy in the area by £15billion through the creation of up to 24,000 homes, more than 55,000 jobs, a new high street, schools and leisure facilities.
The regeneration of the 950 hectare site that straddles Brent, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Ealing will take place over a 30-year period and includes the construction of a vast High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail Station by 2026.
It is one of the largest regeneration schemes in London.
Work on the new 'affordable' and 'starter' homes, which will be built on brownfield sites around the transport 'superhub' off the HS2, Crossrail and National Rail interchange, will start this year.
The construction of the first wave of the new homes will also take place in Dover, Chichester, Gosport, and Northstowe in Cambridgeshire.


There are currently 5,647 games installed. The games in the arcade have been played 137,811 times for a total of 1 Year 11 Months 3 Weeks 1 Day 16 hours 44 secs.
Mah Jongg Dimensions has been played 1,610 times.
Connexions has been played 1,497 times.
Marble Roller - Easy has been played 1,224 times.
Ballie Buster has been played 1,217 times.
Country Bricks has been played 1,215 times.
Easter Egg Match has been played 1,184 times.
1: Kiste has 744 highscores.
2: fiffy has 626 highscores.
3: maki has 506 highscores.
4: gupe46 has 342 highscores.
5: patrone has 280 highscores.
6: turit has 238 highscores.
7: gabymaus has 224 highscores.
8: Anonymous has 199 highscores.
9: RobinHood has 165 highscores.
10: Hummel has 144 highscores.
Mini Putt 2 has been played 1 time.
3D Racing - Track 3 has been played 1 time.
BarBQ Beef has been played 1 time.
BookBall has been played 1 time.
COLOR-RADO has been played 1 time.


text:
Why the US has a premium Android gap
At CES 2018, AT&T was on the verge of announcing a partnership with an ascending smartphone company to offer its latest flagship, but the carrier suddenly reversed course; a pending announcement with Verizon met a similarly abrupt demise. These scuttled plans would turn out to be the closest Huawei would come to launching its smartphones in the U.S.
Since that time, the company–once vying with Samsung for the world's #1 smartphone company–has seen its smartphone fortunes fall precipitously. Far worse than failing to enter the U.S., its share in markets outside of China has plummeted as the Trump and Biden administrations have banned it from licensing Google Mobile Services. The key collection of applications and APIs that enables Google goodies such as the Play Store elevates Android smartphone experiences beyond the baseline Android Open Source Project.
While a unique case, Huawei's ban from carrier portfolios has been but one in a range of phenomena that have included Apple's dominant domestic position, Samsung's marketing largesse, LG's market departure, and the unwillingness of some major Chinese brands to enter the U.S. market. Collectively, they have resulted in far less competition at the top end of the domestic Android market than we see in Europe. Today, Samsung (S and Z series), Motorola (RAZR and Edge series), OnePlus (10 Pro), and Google (Pixel Pro) compete in the U.S.'s premium Android segment. In Europe, however, those brands' premium tier competitors include Xiaomi (now #2 globally), Oppo, and Vivo.
Among the latter companies' product strengths are cameras competitive with the best from Samsung and Apple, large batteries and super-fast charging, and dalliances with folding displays such as the promising Oppo Find N. (Despite Huawei's overwhelming software disadvantage, its smartphone hardware remains on trend with these features.) And particularly in Xiaomi's case, the smartphones tap into a vast ecosystem of devices and incubated companies that includes its own crowdfunding platform.
It's not that American Android users are wading through also-rans. In addition to debuting "firsts" on their smartphones, the domestic players must keep up with the features of U.S. market abstainers (as well as Apple) to compete effectively in Europe and, for many, China. There is also a rising tide created by annual improvement in Qualcomm chips used by all except recent defector Google. That said, Xiaomi surpassed Samsung to become the best-selling smartphone brand in Europe last year with models that offered features of Samsung's S21 Ultra at the price point of the standard S21.
While Google and Microsoft upping their smartphone game are good news for the American market, though, it's unlikely that the premium U.S. Android landscape will get much more dynamic for a while. For one, while Xiaomi has been eyeing American shores for years, the tense state of China-U.S.trade relations that clobbered Huawei could nix entry; Xiaomi was on the same "entity" list as Huawei for much of last year. Besides, the company is more focused on gaining share in the growing Indian market versus the saturated American one. When I asked a OnePlus executive last year why its sister companies Oppo and Vivo (also owned by conglomerate BBK Electronics) hadn't crossed the Pacific as it had, it simply said that those companies operated independently and that OnePlus has always been a global brand.
As for Motorola, its executive director of business development for North America Doug Michau says that the Lenovo subsidiary's midrange aspirational G series will continue to anchor its efforts as it solidifies its #2 U.S. Android position in Samsung's long shadow. However, citing the halo effect of the folding RAZR, he recognizes the value in statement products. "You widen your umbrella. You're opening the eyes of other consumers," he says, noting that "premium isn't necessarily about a price point"; some consumers are, for example, more design-driven while others are more spec-driven.
Like OnePlus, Motorola has had a camera reckoning and has opened a camera center of excellence as part of its longer-term R&D lab. "You have to have great hardware," Michau says in referencing components. That said, he also notes that, with consumers taking so many more photos in social apps rather than the standard camera app, it's important to form partnerships to make advanced camera functionality relevant where consumers actually capture images.
There's at least one more company to watch. TCL has been focused on the value segments, such as the models it just announced at CES. However, the company has advanced display technology that has helped it rise up the ranks in the TV market. It has shown some tantalizing folding concepts, announced a tablet with new display technology to rival color E Ink, and is developing AR-enabled smart glasses amidst a growing sprawl of consumer electronics. Clearly, it could unleash a flagship as it starts to build momentum although it's similarly holding back in Europe for now. And recently, BlackBerry brand steward Onward Mobility emerged from its COVID reticence to assure the world that it's still plugging away on something special that includes 5G and physical keys.
For now, though, Americans looking for 2022's best Android smartphones have a handful of solid choices. The U.S. is still a highly competitive market, just one without some of the strongest competitors.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One of our favorite former Panthers, Jordan Gross, joined Wilson this morning as he was previewing tonight's Charlotte Concerts Presents A Musical Showcase at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Jordan will be emceeing the event which begins at 7pm.
Created by Charlotte Concerts, A Musical Showcase will feature performances by 14 instrumental and choral ensembles from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Judges will be in the audience and will select three overall winners from the performing groups.
Charlotte Concerts was founded in 1930 and has a dual mission to present world-renowned performing artists to local audiences, and to sponsor innovative arts education outreach initiatives in our local communities and schools.


ERA404 3D Artists worked with Gary Keenan, designer/art director of CreativeGroup.TV, to concept and render (2) 3D logo identities for the MSNBC network.
One concept featured rich blue screens showing television static and refracting the MSNBC 3D logo (reproduced in a shiny multi-colored glass material). The screens revolve around the logo and resolve with MSNBC's famous mneumonic.
The identity was composited in Autodesk Flame, by CreativeGroup.TV resident VFX Artist, Craig Lamson.
LDJ Productions worked with ERA404 to create conceptual 3D models to demonstrate and enhance their vision for this Matrix Sales event.
Elements were provided by ERA404 3D artists for various credit squeezes, seasonal packages, and specialty promos (like the Emmy Promo shown).
CreativeGroup.TV designer /art director, Gary Keenan was offered the chance to create a cross-promotion package for K-Mart and Nickelodeon and immediately brought ERA404 aboard to assist with concepting and 3D graphics.
The spot, featured a stylized exterior of K-Mart's unique architecture hanging signs and composited high-resolution stills of specialty items on display in the store's interior.
The final spot was executed by CreativeGroup.TV resident 3D Artist, Jianchao Li and composited by VFX Artist Craig Lamson.
LDJ Productions hired ERA404 to help conceptualize the exhibit for their product launch: INOA – Innovation No Ammonia.The event, held at Cedar Lake in Manhattan, NYC, helped teach salon owners about their new brand. The production design included an interactive floor for revealing presentation materials, a wrap around video wall, and full conceptual renders of a salon that will feature the new product line.
Following the creation of First Funds' identity and stationery system, ERA404 continued this campaign through the launch of a new web site and customer portal for their clients, printed/collateral literature and tradeshow booth concepting.


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Tech Retrospective
Tell a story about an emerging technology or initiative. This can be a story about an initiative you were part of implementing or one in which you were an "implementee".
What went well?
What did not go well?
Was the implementation successful?
What were the major barriers to success?
If it was successful, what one thing can you point to that it would not have been a success without?
In 2008, I did a practicum at a large high school where I taught English Literature and Humanities. I had been learning about UDL and multiple intelligences and wanted to plan my teaching units with these principles in mind. My lessons were to be presented using text, visuals, audio and video. It was a convoluted process transferring the YouTube videos onto my computer so I could access them without access to the internet but I felt it was worth it.
My practicum teacher didn't bother with technology. In a way, his reasoning made sense: there were three projectors accessible for teachers at this school of 1000+ students. You had to book the device weeks in advance and invariably spend your lunch hour tracking it down. There was no internet connection and even if there were, most sites like YouTube were blocked.
While I could see his reluctance to adopt any form of technology as a teaching and learning tool, I was of a different mind: I felt it my duty to engage my diverse learners (many of whom kept school-banned phones in their shoes) using multiple modalities. Also, as a student teacher I (selfishly) knew that my best classroom management strategy would be to engage and even surprise my learners with media they could relate to and appreciate. I wanted to spark their curiosity by using tools that were part of their lives. The lessons I designed followed a pattern that went something like this: a multimedia hook, questions for discussion, extensions and connections and finally a project-based assignment.
I planned all my lessons for the 8 week practicum only to realize there was no way I could have enough access to the projector to share my lessons. What was I going to do??? Flexibility is key in teaching but without my videos and presentation I had nothing! In desperation, I went onto eBay and with the last of my student loan, bought myself a refurbished mini projector. Turns out, it was the best purchase of my early teaching career as not only did it help me teach successful units for my practicum, it became my best friend when I started TOCing. 5 years later, every classroom I know of has its own projector and, in many cases, access to the internet. YouTube is no longer banned.
This experience teaches me that determination and perseverance are key when implementing technology into a teaching and learning practice on any scale. "This too shall pass" comes to mind as a mantra. While my first 21st century experience at schools included No Device rules, now even my son's elementary school has a healthy BYOD policy. While in the moment, restrictive policies and lack of technology can be limiting, things are actually changing more rapidly than it may feel.
I think that change happens when, as Margaret Mead described, "a small and thoughtful group of committed citizens" perseveres knowing that what they are doing is worthwhile. The willingness to take a risk helps as well as open-mindedness and creative problem-solving. Then, let go and change what is not working.
A humbling process.
Jean Kloppenburg link
I had a very familiar scenario six years ago when I first started working at Woodlands. There were two projectors available in my department and they were never seemed to be available for use. I was teaching the arts and photography with no means to show any visuals to the class! Like you, I had to take matters into my own hands and go online for an affordable projector. It was a life saver for me in my first years teaching. Within five years' time, projectors are finally installed in all classrooms at Woodlands. Persistence, perseverance, and ingenuity are attributes that are key for embedding technology into a teaching practise. Maybe in the next five years we will see tablets in every classroom and look back at those days when we had to book a computer lab to gain access to the internet! I am looking forward to technology use and accessibility to Wi-Fi ( bandwidth that actually can handle a class size ).
I admire your tenacity and intuition when it comes to engaging your students with technology. Your use of technology and your planning with project-based assignments during your practicum put you ahead of your time! Your Margaret Mead quote reminds me of our cohort group working at bringing their own innovative uses with technology to the forefront. Sonny and Justin have similar stories of bringing about a change in attitude and technology use in their teaching. It is inspiring to see how change can take place with ""a small and thoughtful group of committed teachers" knowing that what they are doing is worthwhile.
Great post and a great story Laura.
Tracy Cameron
I was able to relate to your experience very well! I too remember those days of frustration where we were in University learning about all of these new ways to include technology in our lessons to then get to our practicum school and find out the tragedy of limited equipment. However looking back to only 2008 and looking at where we are now is amazing! You are right that now it's uncommon to find a classroom not equipped with its own projector and even some other forms of technology (SmartBoards, tablets, computers, etc.). We have comes leaps and bounds and we have leaps and bounds to go.
Thanks for the relatable post!


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By Members' Research Service / December 17, 2020
'How the EU political system is changing: New institutional dynamics since 2019'
A very well attended policy roundtable on 'How the EU political system is changing and the new institutional dynamics since 2019', hosted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) on 2 December 2020, focused on relations between the Commission, Parliament and Council, and the dynamics of the EU political system as a whole.
Written by Joanna Apap
A very well attended policy roundtable on 'How the EU political system is changing and the new institutional dynamics since 2019', hosted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) on 2 December 2020, focused on relations between the Commission, Parliament and Council, and the dynamics of the EU political system as a whole. A series of leading experts on EU politics and institutions took stock of these recent changes and explored how they may alter the way people think and write about the 'Brussels system' now and in the future.
Director-General of EPRS, Anthony Teasdale, welcomed the participants and opened the roundtable, noting how the last 18 months have been a period of unusually rapid change in the European Union's political institutions. The May 2019 European elections saw a turnover of more than 60 % in the membership of the European Parliament. Autumn 2019 subsequently saw the entry into office of new Presidents of the European Commission and European Council, as well as a new High Representative/Vice President for Common Foreign and Security Policy, with the new College of Commissioners committed to a 'geo-political' agenda on climate change and digital issues in particular.
Heather Grabbe, Director at the Open Society European Policy Institute then highlighted how the end of January 2020 saw the first-ever departure of an EU Member State, in the form of the United Kingdom withdrawal. From March, the coronavirus crisis had huge consequences for all levels of government, including rapid moves to digitally based discussion and decision-making. In parallel, the EU's prized achievements of free movement and the single market came under great strain. There has been an intense pressure for speedy EU action to ease the emerging economic crisis by fiscal intervention on an unprecedented scale and this has put the direction of the Commission's role in question. Swift revision of EU policy on competition and State aid and to align other policies with the Green Deal objectives is needed. The Green Deal itself will pave the way for Europeans to get more involved through deliberative processes and co-creation of policy. This may have an impact on the EU institutions' working methods. The way in which the Commission intends to ensure greater implication of citizens will be announced, together with the launch of the European Climate Pact, on 16 December 2020. In addition, Heather Grabbe noted that the rule of law crisis could put the whole EU system at risk.
Brigid Laffan, Director and Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute (EUI), explained how the legacy of the Jean‑Claude Juncker Commission's working methods has been very strong. Today, with a woman in the Commission's top job, the approach and tone are different, and having a medical expert in a position to address of the impact of the Covid‑19 crisis is certainly an advantage. However, will the EU be capable of delivering on all the major policy areas prioritised by the Commission? The next five years will be crucial and the agenda is very demanding, not only due to the Covid‑19 crisis but also as action requires cross-sectoral cooperation. The EU institutions need to engage and negotiate, ensuring transparency, keeping the electorate on board and regularly informing Parliament. This therefore calls for intense inter-institutional collaboration, continuing the approach initiated in view of the Brexit negotiations.
Olivier Costa, Director and Professor with the European Political and Governance Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges, assessed how the European Parliament exerts its powers. He pointed out that, while the European Parliament's two largest political groups, the European People's Party and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, have been used to sharing its presidency, they decided to end this coalition agreement in January 2017 during the mid-term election. Media and commentators predicted a new era of more political and conflictual decision-making. However, according to Olivier Costa, the grand coalition has remained in place, albeit informally, as can be observed in the adoption of legislation (although less for non-legislative amendments). Olivier Costa concluded that coalition formation in the European Parliament is affected by institutional, inter-institutional and conjectural constraints, regardless of any deal between the three centrist political groups. With the Covid-19 crisis, a more systematic use of a coalition approach can be observed and since September 2020, Parliament appears rather 'consensual' in formal voting.
Former Secretary-General of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe and the London School of Economics, Martin Westlake, suggested looking at 2019 to see what we could expect in 2024. He noted that Parliament is the youngest of the three main decision-making EU institutions, but perhaps the most revolutionary. Agreeing that consensus between the EU institutions is key to moving the agenda forward, Martin Westlake underlined the 'Presidentialisation of the Commission', begun under Jean-Claude Juncker and continued strongly by Ursula von der Leyen. It might be expected that the Spitzenkandidaten procedure might be improved for 2024, and that possibly Ursula von der Leyen will take part.
Uwe Puetter, Professor for Empirical Research on Europe at the Europa-Universität Flensburg explained how consensus works in the Council and considered that the Council may need to consider moving towards enhanced cooperation to avoid stalemates such as that over the Multiannual Financial Framework and the recovery fund. He highlighted how Parliament has relatively little power in certain new policies such as the euro, but has exponentially increased in its powers in areas such as the single market regulatory framework. With respect to increasing citizen involvement, the Commission's political guidelines include a Conference on the future of Europe, with the Vice-President of the Commission on Democracy and Demography specifically charged to lead this process. Uwe Puetter explained that, although the Commission needs to be a powerful communicator, it also needs to be an effective interlocutor with the European Parliament and the European Council and noted that the Commission needs to exercise its executive powers together with the Council rather than separately.
In his role as discussant, Andrew Moravscik, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, started by stating that the EU's response to successive crises demonstrates it is optimistic and resilient. He described the EU as a democratic polity, reflecting what the people want and the pressures experienced. Over the last 25 years, the emergence of the European Council and Council of Minsters as dominant, thanks to greater consensus between Member States, is a big shift in constitutional terms. Andrew Moravscik concluded by stating that the issue of globalisation is driven by concrete drivers, such as national economic interests, which need to be understood in the context of international cooperation and the resultant institutionalisation of European integration. The EU has moved in a very positive direction, as it increasingly justifies its actions to show how it is protecting Europeans. Noting Ursula von der Leyen's strong performance and agenda, he noted that for the first time, American politicians are saying 'let's speak with Europeans on issues of common concern, as Europeans know how to deal with these matters', which is a very positive evolution.
Follow this link to the recording of the online Policy Roundtable
Categories: BLOG, Events Tags: european institutions, events, Joanna Apap, political system
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For our New Year's Eve party, I cooked this Crab Bee Hoon cos' I found lovely fresh crabs in the supermarket while doing my last minute shopping. I simply LOVE crabs with roe (: The broth was lovely and rich... and of course, the crabs were awesome. This dish is almost too cheap to prepare as compared to paying lots of $$ in restaurants for it!
This recipe was cooked in a hurry so I failed to document the image steps. But fret not, I'll do so when I cook this soon! (: I took the inspiration from Rasa Malaysia.
1. Boil the beehoon. Rinse with cold water to remove starch (water should run clear). Set aside in serving bowl.
2. In a pot, melt the butter and saute the ginger.
3. Add the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil.
4. Add the evaporated milk and give it a gentle stir.
5. Add the crab and cook it till it's cooked. Crab would turn red and flesh will be white.
6. Add the bok choy, huadiaojiu, white pepper and scallions. Bring to a quick boil.
7. Pour the soup over the thick beehoon and serve.