According to many tweets by various frustrated Android owners, upon attempting to download new apps from Google Play, they are being met with a 403 error. This error is stopping users from downloading or updating any applications from Google Play, but don't worry, Google is probably on a fix.
Issues like this sometimes pop up for many users, and the best thing to do is usually let it work itself out. Other users have reported that by removing and re-adding their Google account that they have fixed the problem, but for some users, that would just cause more trouble.
Probably best to hang in there for a few hours or so with your outdated apps until Google can resolve the issue.


text:
Q: EF Core Unique constraints with "NULL" values The solution of Does EF Core allow a unique column to contain multiple nulls? works perfect with
Microsoft SQL Server but not with PostgreSQL. Is there a solution which works also with PostgreSQL (Npgsql provider) ?

A: You can simply use a filtered index to specify the WHERE clauses as you wish:
modelBuilder.Entity<Blog>().HasIndex(b => b.SomeInt)
    .HasFilter(@"""SomeInt"" IS NOT NULL")
    .IsUnique();

This creates the index as follows:
CREATE UNIQUE INDEX "IX_Blogs_SomeInt" ON "Blogs" ("SomeInt") WHERE "SomeInt" IS NOT NULL;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Restaurant Lozenetz consists of an indoor unit with capacity of 40 seats. During the summer months the location of our guests and a spacious garden with 40 seats. The stylish design and decoration, combined with discreet background music and cozy atmosphere, privacy and comfort. Restaurant Lozenetz offers a wide range of fresh salads, delicious European cuisine, traditional Bulgarian dishes and mouth-watering fish dishes prepared in a professional and seasoned with mastery of Bulgarian cuisine. Enjoy a glass of premium wine from our wine list, professional selected by one of the best sommeliers in Bulgaria. Restaurant Lozenetz provides a great opportunity to organize a private party - 40 seats, birthdays, and conducting a business lunch or dinner.


Bill and I have been RV'ers for four decades, and always KOA Campgrounds are our favorite private places to enjoy because we can count on totally clean sites with electric, cable, and water and sewer kept in perfect condition. We know many sites will have trees, and playground equipment will be in safe and fun condition, even for the little K-9 friends to enjoy each other. We know bath houses and laundry facilities will always be clean, adequate and well located for the size of the campground. The cabins are always clean and have comfortable facilities. Tent grounds are dry, level, and separated from RV spots, insuring quiet, peaceful nights.
The KOA's that are called Journey are perfect for long hauls when we don't have time to enjoy campground facilities. Many offer meals we can order when we are too tired from the day's miles to think of cooking. Always there are walking paths to get our circulation going again! In some places KOA offers extra special campground Resorts with elite facilities, higher fees, and restricted for large and newer rigs. These often have planned parties, sometimes boating and fishing, sometimes cookouts for the group, many of whom frequent Resort KOA's. You can always choose the campground that fits your need and ideal place in the USA or Canada. These are so popular that it is wise to book as far ahead as your travel plans permit.
Most of the KOA's are Holiday campgrounds we have come to depend on, conveniently located about 20 to 45 minutes from the traffic and confusion of a big city, with rural quiet and often wooded trails. Some of these have public transportation to the city nearby or can arrange tours for you. We tow a car, so we leave our rig safely at the KOA and maneuver cities on our own.
Two of our favorites are at opposite ends of the USA because we like to explore different states at various times. One is KOA at Banning California, open year-round near Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, and about 45 minutes East of Los Angeles.
All the way across the USA we really enjoy Traverse City KOA, at Buckley, Michigan, about 30 minutes from the lovely city on the Great Lake. This one is open May 1 to mid-October.
But you can always find a KOA to fit your needs in the area you prefer because there are nearly 500 KOA's in North America. If you prefer the out-of-doors many are located very close to National Parks. Make your plans early for your travels each year and select different kinds of KOA's to see which types you prefer.


text:
CoramBAAF urges councils to check their procedures comply with Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005 in light of Somerset ruling
CoramBAAF, the independent membership organisation for professionals, foster carers and adopters, has called on all local authorities to check that their procedures comply with the detail of the Adoption Agencies Regulations (AAR) 2005 to avoid potential similar difficulties to those faced by Somerset County Council and highlighted by a recent High Court judgment.
In Somerset County Council v NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group & Anor [2021] EWHC 3004 (Fam) Mrs Justice Roberts considered the lawfulness of placement orders made in ten separate cases.
The court found that the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) had not made the decision that the child should be placed for adoption in accordance with the AAR 2005.
CoramBAAF said: "It appears that in these cases in Somerset, and possibly in many others, the Agency Medical Adviser had not completed the Child's Permanence Report as required by Regs 15 & 17 of the AAR 2005. She had not given advice on whether the child needed to have a medical examination and had not written a summary of the state of the child's health.
"In practical terms this omission had very little effect on the making of the ADM's decision, as she had full medical information from the initial health assessment of the child and any medical reports filed during court proceedings. In each case the medical adviser provided a full medical report before the child was matched to prospective adopters, and the local authority believed that this was an effective use of the limited medical advisor's time that they had available.
"The Court however found that the breach of the Regulations was so fundamental that it could render the application for a placement order invalid. The ADM did not have a medical qualification to enable her to interpret the medical reports provided and the initial health assessments did not include a comprehensive assessment of the child's future medical needs. The Court therefore considered each of the cases in detail. In each case, the judge was satisfied that the medical adviser would not have requested a further medical examination and would not have expressed a medical opinion that would have undermined the decision that the child should be placed for adoption."
CoramBAAF said the situation had come to light when the breaches of regulations were noticed by a barrister instructed on an appeal in March 2021. It added that there were possibly up to 250 cases affected in Somerset, where placement orders had been granted without the issue being picked up by the court, children's guardians or legal representatives.
For the ten children concerned, the 'primary cohort', their potential placements with adoptive families had had to be put on hold for over six months while the issue was considered by the court. "The impact on those ten children of having a six month delay in placement with their permanent families is significant, and in at least one case the placement was lost," CoramBAAF noted.
It added that there was another, larger group of children, who had already been placed for adoption and many more who had been adopted, based on placement orders with the same breach of Regulations. The court is considering how to approach these cases.
CoramBAAF said: "The court was told that this situation is not unique to Somerset. We suggest that all local authorities check that their procedures comply with the detail of the AAR 2005 to avoid potential similar difficulties. Somerset have commissioned CoramBAAF to review all of their adoption and fostering procedures to ensure that children's futures are not put at risk by accidental breaches of the Regulations. Members should contact the Advice Line if they have concerns about their own procedures and want to discuss this further."
A Practical Guide To Planning, Highways And Development
Managing and providing highways and highway improvements looms large in many building projects but the law and rules regulating their part in the planning and development processes are complex and widespread.
Pease, Chitty and Cousins: Law of Markets and Fairs
Containing in-depth commentary and analysis on the history of market and fair rights together with current developments in the law relating to franchise and statutory markets in the UK, this is the leading authority covering this complex area of law in the UK.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's about how online censorship tries to convince horny surfers to get a high res picture. I didn't had the money to spend on it so I used the low res picture as a knitting pattern.
Special thanks to my mom who knitted this behind closed curtains.


At Brookdale, not only do we grow crops, but we can help you grow them too!
As a 7-generation family farm located in South-Central New Hampshire, we leverage our growing experience to supply specialty equipment, harvest contrainers, irrigation/filtration, growing supplies and row covers....we've got you covered!
Our goal is to offer the best quality and pricing on farm supplies throughout New England. We offer a complete line of drip irrigation supplies, floating row cover, smooth, embossed, and Bio360 row crop plastics. We also offer selective reflective mulches, slitted row cover, silage tarps, baskets, apple bins and anything else you need for your growing or harvesting needs. We're happy to answer any questions you may have!
We can also help you design your irrigation system to insure a low-cost and efficient water treatment.
Please Note: Irrigation Pick-up Location is at 38 Broad Steet in Hollis, NH.


text:
West leaves Nevada hoops; ex-star cites personal reasons
Associated PressDec 15, 2015, 6:30 PM EST
RENO, Nev. (AP) AJ West, who led Nevada in scoring and rebounding a year ago, has left the Wolf Pack for personal reasons.
West, a 6-foot-9 senior, was one of only 11 players in the nation to average a double-double last season with 12.2 points and 10.8 rebounds. His 5.9 offensive rebounds per game led the country and were the most in the NCAA in 20 years.
The Brooklyn, New York, native was averaging 9.6 points and 7.7 rebounds this season but he recently fell out of the starting lineup and his playing minutes were declining under first-year coach Eric Musselman.
West said in a statement provided to the Reno Gazette-Journal on Tuesday that he's leaving for undisclosed personal reasons and doesn't "want to be a distraction to the team."
Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com


"Amazing place for Authentic Thai food! Not expensive for what the quality of foods and service you get. Lovely decoration. Make sure you reserve a table before."
"Amazing place to chill and surf (not for beginner) there are cabanas and sun beds. It takes 15-20mins with TukTuk from Arugam but worth visiting! Thr's a party here every Friday's night xD"
"Really nice local place to have cheap yet good lunch! No menu In English which is a good sign! I enjoyed my time there!!"
"This place is ok.Close to the beach, bars, shops.There is a swimming pool and parking lot. You need to tell the receptionist for making up the room 1day in advance or else they never clean."
"Cheap and delicious! Fried Shrimp with Garlic and Chili just for 150.- Menu is in Thai and English with pictures."
"Really good cocktails and awesome Cuban style decoration in the hidden alley of Soi 11! Just opposite to Fraser Suite inside the Massage Shops Street."


Bamboo stems were subjected to a mechanical treatment process for the extraction of bamboo fiber bundles. The fiber bundles were used as reinforcement for the fabrication of high-performance composites with phenolic resins as matrix. The influence of fabricated density and bamboo species on physical–mechanical properties of bamboo fiber bundle reinforced composites (BFCs) was evaluated. The results revealed that BFCs with density of 1200 kg/m3 exhibited lower water absorption, better dimensional stability, and higher mechanical properties with comparison to those with lower density. The changes in microstructures of BFCs with respect to density gave evidence that the high performance of BFCs with high density was due to the almost complete collapse of bamboo lumens, which resulted in the formation of solid bamboo and thin resin films with water resistance ability. BFCs fabricated from five bamboo species all showed better properties compared to commercialized bamboo-based composites. However, significant differences in physical-mechanical properties of BFCs among bamboo species were also found. This may be attributed to the variations in anatomical structure and physical–mechanical properties among original bamboo species. From a practical production view, the effect of bamboo species on properties of BFCs should be properly taken into consideration.
Xie, Jiulong; Qi, Jinqiu; Hu, Tingxing; De Hoop, Cornelis F.; Hse, Chung Yun; Shupe, Todd F. 2016. Effect of fabricated density and bamboo species on physical-mechanical properties of bamboo fiber bundle reinforced composites. Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 51(16): 11 pages.: 7480-7490.


text:
#include <openbabel/babelconfig.h>

#include <openbabel/obmolecformat.h>

using namespace std;
namespace OpenBabel
{
#define BOHR_TO_ANGSTROM 0.529177249

  class MolproOutputFormat : public OBMoleculeFormat
  {
  public:
    //Register this format type ID
    MolproOutputFormat()
    {
      OBConversion::RegisterFormat("mpo",this);
    }

    virtual const char* Description() //required
    {
      return
        "Molpro output format\n"
        "Read Options e.g. -as\n"
        " s  Output single bonds only\n"
        " b  Disable bonding entirely\n\n";
    };

//TODO    virtual const char* SpecificationURL()
//    {return "http://www.example.com";}; //optional

    //Flags() can return be any the following combined by | or be omitted if none apply
    // NOTREADABLE  READONEONLY  NOTWRITABLE  WRITEONEONLY
    virtual unsigned int Flags()
    {
      return READONEONLY | NOTWRITABLE;
    };

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    /// The "API" interface functions
    virtual bool ReadMolecule(OBBase* pOb, OBConversion* pConv);
  };

  //Make an instance of the format class
  MolproOutputFormat theMolproOutputFormat;

  class MolproInputFormat : public OBMoleculeFormat
  {
  public:
    //Register this format type ID
    MolproInputFormat()
    {
      OBConversion::RegisterFormat("mp",this);
    }

    virtual const char* Description() //required
    {
      return
        "Molpro input format\n"
        "No comments yet\n";
    };

//TODO    virtual const char* SpecificationURL()
//    {return "http://www.example.com";}; //optional

    //Flags() can return be any the following combined by | or be omitted if none apply
    // NOTREADABLE  READONEONLY  NOTWRITABLE  WRITEONEONLY
    virtual unsigned int Flags()
    {
      return NOTREADABLE | WRITEONEONLY;
    };

    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    /// The "API" interface functions
    virtual bool WriteMolecule(OBBase* pOb, OBConversion* pConv);

  };

  //Make an instance of the format class
  MolproInputFormat theMolproInputFormat;

  /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  bool MolproOutputFormat::ReadMolecule(OBBase* pOb, OBConversion* pConv)
  {

    OBMol* pmol = pOb->CastAndClear<OBMol>();
    if(pmol==NULL)
      return false;

    //Define some references so we can use the old parameter names
    istream &ifs = *pConv->GetInStream();
    OBMol &mol = *pmol;
    const char* title = pConv->GetTitle();

    //Vibrational data
    std::vector< std::vector< vector3 > > Lx;
    std::vector<double> Frequencies, Intensities;

    // 0 for no vibrations, 1 for regular vibrations, 2 for imaginary
    // vibrations, 3 for low/zero vibrations
    int vibration_state = 0;

    char buffer[BUFF_SIZE];
    string str;
    double x,y,z;
    OBAtom *atom;
    vector<string> vs;

    mol.BeginModify();
    while	(ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE))
      {
        if(strstr(buffer,"ATOMIC COORDINATES") != NULL)
          {
            // mol.EndModify();
            mol.Clear();
            mol.BeginModify();
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);	// blank
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);	// column headings
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);	// blank
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);
            tokenize(vs,buffer);
            while (vs.size() == 6)
              {
                atom = mol.NewAtom();
                x = atof((char*)vs[3].c_str())*BOHR_TO_ANGSTROM;
                y = atof((char*)vs[4].c_str())*BOHR_TO_ANGSTROM;
                z = atof((char*)vs[5].c_str())*BOHR_TO_ANGSTROM;
                atom->SetVector(x,y,z); //set coordinates

                //set atomic number
                int n;
                atom->SetAtomicNum(0);
                while (vs[1].length()!=0) { // recognize name with number
                    n = etab.GetAtomicNum(vs[1].c_str());
                  if (n!=0) {
                    atom->SetAtomicNum(n);
                    break;
                  } else {
                    vs[1].erase(vs[1].end()-1,vs[1].end());
                  }
                }

                if (!ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE))
                  break;
                tokenize(vs,buffer);
              }
          } // if "ATOMIC COORDINATES"
        if(strstr(buffer,"Normal Modes") != NULL && strstr(buffer,"of") == NULL) {
          vibration_state = 1;
          continue;
        }
        if(strstr(buffer,"Normal Modes of imag") != NULL) {
          vibration_state = 2;
          continue;
        }
        if(strstr(buffer,"Normal Modes of low") != NULL) {
          vibration_state = 3;
          continue;
        }
        if(strstr(buffer,"Wavenumbers [cm-1]") != NULL && vibration_state < 3)
          {
            // freq, intens and vib are auxiliary vectors which hold the data
            // for every block of 5 vibrations.
            vector<double> freq;
            vector<double> intens;
            vector<vector<vector3> > vib;

            tokenize(vs,buffer);
            for(unsigned int i=2; i<vs.size(); ++i) {
                if (vibration_state == 2) {
                  // imaginary frequency
                  freq.push_back(-atof(vs[i].c_str()));
                } else {
                  freq.push_back(atof(vs[i].c_str()));
                }
	    }

            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);
            tokenize(vs,buffer);
            for(unsigned int i=2; i<vs.size(); ++i) {
                intens.push_back(atof(vs[i].c_str()));
	    }
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE); // relative intensities
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);
            tokenize(vs,buffer);
	    while(vs.size() > 1) {
              vector<double> x, y, z;
              for (unsigned int i = 1; i < vs.size(); i++)
                x.push_back(atof(vs[i].c_str()));
              ifs.getline(buffer, BUFF_SIZE);
              tokenize(vs,buffer);
              for (unsigned int i = 1; i < vs.size(); i++)
                y.push_back(atof(vs[i].c_str()));
              ifs.getline(buffer, BUFF_SIZE);
              tokenize(vs,buffer);
              for (unsigned int i = 1; i < vs.size(); i++)
                z.push_back(atof(vs[i].c_str()));
              for (unsigned int i = 0; i < freq.size(); i++) {
                vib.push_back(vector<vector3>());
                vib[i].push_back(vector3(x[i], y[i], z[i]));
              }
              ifs.getline(buffer, BUFF_SIZE);
              tokenize(vs,buffer);
            } // while
            for (unsigned int i = 0; i < freq.size(); i++) {
	      Frequencies.push_back(freq[i]);
              Intensities.push_back(intens[i]);
              Lx.push_back(vib[i]);
            }
          } // if "Normal Modes"
        if(strstr(buffer,"STATE") != NULL && strstr(buffer,"DIPOLE MOMENT") != NULL)
          {
            tokenize(vs,buffer);
            if (vs.size() == 8) {
              OBVectorData *dipoleMoment = new OBVectorData;
              dipoleMoment->SetAttribute("Dipole Moment");
              double x, y, z;
              x = atof(vs[5].c_str());
              y = atof(vs[6].c_str());
              z = atof(vs[7].c_str());
              dipoleMoment->SetData(x, y, z);
              dipoleMoment->SetOrigin(fileformatInput);
              mol.SetData(dipoleMoment);
            }
          } // "STATE" && "DIPOLE MOMENT"

        if(strstr(buffer, "   HF-SCF") || strstr(buffer, "   RHF-SCF") || strstr(buffer, "   OPTG(RHF)"))
          {
            ifs.getline(buffer,BUFF_SIZE);
            const double myHARTREE_TO_KCAL = 627.509;
            mol.SetEnergy(atof(buffer) * myHARTREE_TO_KCAL); //Uses first value on line
          }
      } // while

    if (mol.NumAtoms() == 0) { // e.g., if we're at the end of a file PR#1737209
      mol.EndModify();
      return false;
    }

    //Attach vibrational data, if there is any, to molecule
    if(Frequencies.size()>0)
    {
      OBVibrationData* vd = new OBVibrationData;
      vd->SetData(Lx, Frequencies, Intensities);
      mol.SetData(vd);
    }

    if (!pConv->IsOption("b",OBConversion::INOPTIONS))
      mol.ConnectTheDots();
    if (!pConv->IsOption("s",OBConversion::INOPTIONS) && !pConv->IsOption("b",OBConversion::INOPTIONS))
      mol.PerceiveBondOrders();

    mol.EndModify();
    mol.SetTitle(title);
    return(true);
  }

  ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

  bool MolproInputFormat::WriteMolecule(OBBase* pOb, OBConversion* pConv)
  {
    OBMol* pmol = dynamic_cast<OBMol*>(pOb);
    if(pmol==NULL)
      return false;

    //Define some references so we can use the old parameter names
    ostream &ofs = *pConv->GetOutStream();
    OBMol &mol = *pmol;

    char buffer[BUFF_SIZE];

    ofs << "*** " << mol.GetTitle() << endl;
    ofs << "!file,2,INSERT WAVEFUNCTION FILE LOCATION HERE" << endl;
    ofs << "!memory,INSERT MEMORY HERE" << endl;
    ofs << "!basis,INSERT BASIS SET HERE" << endl;
    ofs << "\n";
    ofs << "geomtyp=xyz" << endl;
    ofs << "geometry={" << endl;
    ofs << mol.NumAtoms() << endl;
    ofs << "Geometry specification:" << endl;

    FOR_ATOMS_OF_MOL(atom, mol)
      {
        snprintf(buffer, BUFF_SIZE, "%3s,%15.5f,%15.5f,%15.5f\n",
                etab.GetSymbol(atom->GetAtomicNum()),
                atom->GetX(),
                atom->GetY(),
                atom->GetZ());
        ofs << buffer;
      }

    ofs << "}\n\n";

    ofs << "!INSERT QM METHODS HERE" << endl;
    ofs << "!hf" << endl;
    ofs << "---" << endl;
    return(true);
  }

} //namespace OpenBabel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Your age pension concierge service for Centrelink. Case studies and observations on claiming and maintaining the Centrelink age pension in Australia. The objective of this blog is to inform and promote discussion. Information contained within is generic and does not constitute advice, and professional assistance is recommended before any action taken with Centrelink.
Australia's social security policy and service delivery system is not designed to put customer needs first.
Since its creation in 1997, Centrelink has always had to deal with a troubled public perception of the quality of its service delivery. Challenges of long queues in crowded impersonal offices, and incomprehensible form letters, are well-known.
Even before the robo-debt crisis (which started this financial year), Centrelink's wait times have been on a pretty much consistent upward trajectory since the early 2000s.
It would appear – contrary to expectations – that with the growth of new technology, problems have got worse, not better, as can be seen in the graphic below.
See our full infographic on Centrelink waiting times here.
Ten years ago, the Centrelink officer that was dealing with you would almost certainly have been a permanent officer (97% of all staff), and therefore well-versed in the policies. Today, the numbers of casual staff have significantly grown: they now make up 14% of Department of Human Services staff, many of whom seem to be Centrelink call centre workers.
So, it is unsurprising that staff may not be well-trained in policy or how to deal with stressful customer situations, and face pressure to shift people online, ignoring the very difficult circumstances Centrelink customers may be in.
Centrelink's reputation has taken a beating in the last decade. Complaints have more than doubled from around 53,000 in 2007 to almost 114,000 in 2015-16, the bulk of the increase being in the last two years. The top three complaints relate to telephone, internet and processing wait times.
Only half of all customers have satisfactory perceptions of Centrelink. So when we are told Centrelink needs to release personal information to ensure public confidence in it is not undermined, the horse has already bolted.
It is also troubling that more than 20% of customers do not think they get accurate or consistent information from Centrelink, or that their individual circumstances are taken into account when communicating with it.
However, on the positive side, customers believe they are treated with respect by Centrelink officers (though this is down from 96% in 2007 to 90%), and the queues in Centrelink offices have declined from almost 17 minutes in 2013-14 to just under 11 minutes last year.
So what could Centrelink do to improve its service delivery and perilous reputation?
Annual reports show that there has been a long-term cut in the Department of Human Services' financial resourcing in real terms. This has been driven by the government's blunt instrument of efficiency dividends. So, with fewer staff, fewer phone calls can be answered.
There have also been continual changes in policy, which has resulted in complexity and uncertainty. With each policy change and associated benefit payment change, customers contact Centrelink in droves to understand the changes and ensure they are doing the right thing to maintain their often-precarious financial state.
There has been a continual cultural demeaning of Centrelink customers by influential politicians, which reinforces a view that they do not deserve good service.
When Centrelink customers are perceived as leaners or bludgers that do not contribute to society and have a lot of free time, why should we care if they have to wait on the phone for long periods?
As a result, Australia's social security policy and service delivery system is not designed to put customer needs first.
To improve its service delivery standards, Centrelink could immediately introduce a call-back feature so customers can request a call back when the queue is long. This is done is many businesses, and also by the ATO. It would be particularly welcome for people who only have mobile phones or who have to call during work breaks.
Centrelink could make its online and letter communication easier to understand and less threatening, and provide an accurate and complete explanation for the basis of its decision-making.
Centrelink could make better use of its social media platforms to engage with and respond to customers. It could provide dedicated hotlines for particular short-term issues. And the government should also ensure Centrelink is properly resourced to provide good service delivery.
Finally, the politically constructed public perception of Centrelink customers as bludgers, leaners and fraudsters must end. Many customers are working as well as receiving welfare, or have had a lifetime of work (age pensioners), or are saving government money by caring for people with disabilities or young children.
Those who face the considerable disadvantages of mental illness or poor education can find it very challenging to engage with bureaucratic processes while feeling under threat that the fine thread between survival and destitution could be cut at any wrong move.
Now this is a significantly different to that reported by Centrelink staff and that which has been presented at Senate enquiries. The Australian National Audit Office reported that in 2013-14 13.7 million callers hung up after waiting for as much as 1 hour. From all reports the current situation is now far worse; especially since the average age pension claim processing times have gone from an average 6 weeks to 4-5 months!
Now let's test those 'access' times. It's unlikely to be statistically significant, but it may give an idea of how a 'typical' Centerlink recipient needs to handle the situation. We are going to work with an age pensioner and log their attempts to contact Centrelink over a week period. We will attempt to contact Centrelink via the phone and then attend a Centrelink office.
Let's consider an age pensioner who is working and needs to report wages. They get 30min for lunch so we will attempt to contact Centrelink during that break and if no answer then we will hang up after 30 minutes.
Note: the age pensioner is lucky enough to have a mobile phone – but not a smart phone - and to save costs cancelled their fixed line some time ago. Hence a 30-minute call to Centrelink's 'Older Australians' 13 23 00 number will cost approx. $30.
Also for this trial we will visit a Centrelink office after that midday call. Now in practice this would also need to be done during a lunch time as Centrelink offices are only open between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and the age pensioner works during these hours. It is likely that the lunch time queues would be longer than what we will experience; but it's enough for this 'trial'. Again the pensioner will wait 30 minutes – in practice they would have less than 30 minutes as travel time would need to be allowed for.
Call: commenced at 12:03 – No answer, hung up at 12:37.
Visit: visited Centrelink at 3:42pm and told there are too many in the queue to be 'serviced' today, so "please come back tomorrow".
Call: commenced at 12:07 – No answer, hung up at 12:31.
Visit: visited Centrelink at 1:16pm, registered at the kiosk, and waited…After 30 minutes left without being served.
Call: tried 4 times to connect and eventually connected at 12:13 – hung up after 30 minutes wait.
Visit: was told at Centrelink kiosk that there was a 2hr wait, so left.
Let's hope next week is better.
Call: tried 8 times, connected at 12:20 - hung up after 40 minutes.
Visit: minimum staff - "holiday and sick" - "can't be seen within the hours". Left.
Tomorrow will start work late and go to a Centrelink office first things @ 8:30am.
Visit: Success! Only waited 20 minutes and was able to submit income earnings for the previous fortnight.
1. The process of reporting to Centrelink is cumbersome and time consuming. The above process could be repeated each and every fortnight.
2. It is clear that Centrelink are pushing clients towards on-line systems. However, even the Governments own IT advisory body (DTO) does not recommend its use. The apps and web services are not compatible with all platforms and cause confusion with respect to what information Centrelink can request and retain.
3. It is also clear that it is in Centrelinks interest - or it certainly appears that way - that barriers are built for the efficient reporting of circumstances. Claims are delayed or rejected, debt notices are issued for non-reporting etc. all assisting Centrelinks bottom line.
4. More and more people are 'moving' to use 3rd party organisations - such as yourpension.com.au - to avoid problems, reducing the chance of debt notices and 'get on with life'. However, Centrelink do not provide IT support for nominees; "its coming" Centrelink have been saying for more than 10 years. Centrelinks suggestion? "Just log on as the client". This not only conflicts the nominee agreement but it is an offence!
Note: Now we have attempted to replicate a typical attempt to contact Centrelink. Of course it is possible that some recipients have the opportunity to contact Centrelink more than once per day. However, as can be demonstrated in the above, unless that person has more than 30 minutes break then it is nigh impossible.
By now most pensioners will have received a letter from Centrelink outlining the changes to the age pension test from 1 January 2017.
We have received a significant number of queries regarding this letter. Hence, we will attempt to summarise the most common concerns.
For expediency we will use one central reference 'document' that in turn refers to key Government data. This reference is one of a series of fact checks published by The Conversation. We will refer to this document as The Conversation.
Proportion of pensioners affected – 90% unaffected sounds better than 300,000 Australians to lose.
The Centrelink letter states that "Ninety per cent of pensioners will either not be affected by this change or will receive an increase in their pension".
The Conversation estimates that 2.4 million Australians "were receiving Age Pensions or Veterans Affairs Pensions". Therefore, Centrelink are saying that approximately 240,000 Australians will have their pensions rejected or reduced.
1. All too often older Australians would prefer to continue to work but are constrained due to Government policies such as work cover insurance schemes ceasing before the age pension entitlement date, or simply there is no work for older Australians.
2. Most age pension claimants were contributing 3% of their tax to the age pension for the majority of their working life. Some still have their pay slips with that compulsory Government deduction.
3. The age pension is not the largest 'welfare' budget item. While the 'dole' is approx. 16% and child assistance schemes account for more than 40%. The Conversation states that "As we know from the Intergenerational Report, the proportion of Australians over 65 years is forecast to increase, leading to upward pressure on welfare spending. However, the overall number of Australians who rely on government benefits as their main source of income has been going down from about 28% in the mid-1990s to just under 25% in 2011-12." Additionally, we know that the proportion of age pensioners in proportion to the tax paying population continues to fall and that trend is forecast to continue.
4. It's funny that when we consider the kafuffle about the proposed tax concessions for the recent superannuation changes, where a $1.6m limit for an individual was proposed. Compare this to the approx. 25% of that level is applied to a couple's asset limit before reductions in the age pension are enforced.
The Centrelink letter provides tables on the asset threshold changes and it can easily be interpreted that the changes only impact on those age pensioners whose part pension is being determined by their asset levels. This is not always the case. It is possible that your current part pension is being determined by your income yet the changes could result in your age pension now being determined by your asset levels.
"where you can access an asset tested rate estimator".
Be careful of the wording "If you are age pension age or over on 1 January 2017 you will also be eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card." And for the Low Income Health Care Card be "automatically be eligible". This implies that you will not automatically be posted the cards. Many have interpreted the Ministers statement as age pensioners will automatically receive a card for use before 1/1/2017. We will assume the Ministers statement is correct and you will automatically be issued with the card. We will further assume that the Medicare/Health benefits will automatically be linked as you will continue to have the same CRN/CAN Centrelink client number. However, for most age pensioners the benefits are primarily with State and Local Govt based fees such rates, car registration, utilities etc. We are recommending that you contact these organisations to ensure the discounts continue after 1 January 2017.
The Commonwealth Seniors Health (CSHC) card is an income based card only and does not consider assets. The changes to the age pension relate to assets. Hence if you are 'on' the age pension you would already be automatically entitled to the CSHC. The concession by the Government appears redundant.
If the Centrelink letter is accurate and current processing times for the age pension are 4+ months! We expect a deluge of age pensioners applying for the above cards causing significant processing delays. Be warned about the possibility of loss of benefits during the processing times.
We have been unable to determine what the implications are for 'grandfathered' age pensioners. Grandfathering only applies until 'circumstances change'. Is this change by the Government being interpreted as a changed circumstance?
We are also intrigued by the statement regarding the Low Income Health Care Card (LIHC) and CSHC cards that "they will never be income tested so you will retain entitlement to the cards indefinitely provided you continue to meet all other eligibility requirements." With the CSHC card it is an income based card and has no assets test. So currently you could have $20m in assets – excluding the family home - and receive the CSHC card. The Centrelink letter implies that you can go back to work and receive $200k pa and still get the card - really?
If you are interested in where the age pension is heading, we recommend the Governments National Commission of Audit report. Where the report continues the trend of converting the age pension from a pension entitlement to a welfare payment.
Where, for example the report forecasts that the number of 'part' age pensioners will increase and 'full' pensions will fall.
A house in Bali and a full age pension.
"John" recently "went through" a divorce and considers that he no longer has the funds to purchase a home whilst on the age pension. John is living with his son and their family.
John and his former partner were on the full age pension and both were receiving approx. $660 pf.
This is a summary what he did following the sale of the family home.
He continues to run a small business that requires him to travel to Bali to purchase stock. He determines that the company would benefit if he "bought" a house in Bali to use when he visits. You can not own property in Bali but it will be treated as an investment property for Centrelink purposes. The property is valued at $300k.
John also has a further $200k in super.
As a single age pensioner, without assets, he would have been entitled to approx. $870pf. Now with the above assets his age pension falls to nearly the same as what he was receiving as a part of a 'couple' to $660pf.
John's age pension now rises back to the full single age pension rate – from $660 to $870pf.
Is $0.5m in super really a "small amount"?
When providing advice to a Centrelink age pensioner, a recent article in the mainstream press (7/9/16) suggested "for a relatively small amount, such as $500,000".
Of course "relative" can mean a number of things and is dependent upon - relative to what. So let's look at that relativity.
First we look at what $500k in super means to a single age pensioner – as was the case for the press article. Let's assume that this was the total amount of assets held by the age pensioner.
The age pension would be reduced from $870 to approx. $440pf for that "relatively" small amount. In 2017 that age pension is expected to be reduced by a further $7,700 pa. A weekly loss to the age pensioners 'budget' of nearly $150 per week from the current 2016 pension.
Back to judging whether that $500k is a relatively small amount.
So we will pick out a stat to assist with judging that relativity. The data relates to "average superannuation balances at the time of retirement (assumed to be between 60 to 64 years of age) in 2013/2014".
That is, for men, 50% of the retiring population has a superannuation balance of less than $100,000. For those applying for the age pension it is presumably far lower.
Therefore, the above mentioned relatively small $500,000 is at least 5 times that of the median for all retiring males and nearly 20 times that for women!
Update 8/8/16 – since we published this article we have received a number of comments regarding the above statistics. So we should expand in an attempt to explain.
Much of the difference between median and average is attributed to the number of people with large super balances and those without any super.
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528 hz. Tuning Fork (with peacock blue pouch) - 1pc.
Biosonics Brain Tuner DNA Beauty Secret (528hz.) - Biosonics say that their Chinese cutomers have been using this fork for years as a Beauty treatment to get rid of wrinkles! The DNA tuning fork is the frequency of 528, and hile there is no scientific research that supports the claim that this exact frequency repairs DNA however, many believe that there may be a strong link between DNA repair and a range of frequencies which could include 528cps. Good imagery and visualization combined with the 528 fork is said to enhance your nervous, immune, as well as circulatory systems and may lead to a more stable environment for DNA replication.
528cps (cycles per second) is said to be the frequency of Love. Love is an intention coming from the heart. When a mother sings a lullaby to her baby they may not sing in tune of anywhere near the frequency of the 528, but it does not matter because the sound carries their intention of love and healing . Therefore, the 528 fork, when used in this context can carry the vibration of love and healing the mother brings to it. Many believe with strong intention and visualization, all healing is possible and the sound of the tuning forks, based on scientific research will create the environment in your body so that our biochemistry has a new chance to reorganize and create a new pattern for healing.


text:
/*___Generated_by_IDEA___*/

package com.example.QueryBuilderExample;

/* This stub is only used by the IDE. It is NOT the R class actually packed into the APK */
public final class R {
}


Grimsby (4-4-2): 13. James McKeown (1. Greg Fleming 46) – 19. Bradley Wood, 6. Ian Miller (5. Shaun Pearson 46), 16. Simon Ford, 3. Aswad Thomas (2. Sam Hatton 46) – Luke Daley, 21. Andi Thanoj, 4. Derek Niven (8. Craig Disley 46), 11. Frankie Artus (17. Louie Soares 46) – 9. Anthony Elding (20. Dayle Southwell 46), 12. Andy Cook (18. Greg Pearson 46). Innbyttere: 7. Joe Colbeck.


Today has been great. The first thing I did this morning, while drinking two cups of delicious Donut Shop coffee, while listening to John Prine and Iris Dement singing In Spite Of Ourselves, one of my favorite songs, was to take down my newly painted, copycat "Restrooms 1mi." sign.
I did this, because I want it, on our front porch Wall of Shame. And after saying, "pretty please" to Tony, I got him to screw it to the siding. So now when our friends come over it will be one of the first things that they see and it will make them laugh.
Since Tony was screwing around, on the front porch, I then asked him to please hang up a license plate for me.
Then Tony started mowing, so I watered my flowers, in the front yard and then took pictures of them.
Well, this afternoon before cooking us lunch I decided that I was no longer on my diet sabbatical and I am totally back on the Weight Watchers wagon, again. It was a very difficult decision for me to make, because we still have four quarts left of that delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate ice cream, safely locked inside the Airstream's freezer.
Please Note: I wrote the above portion of this post after we ate lunch and before I decided to try to make Carol's totally delicious Magnolia Pie recipe. Because the other day I had purchased the Lemon Extract, buttermilk and Pillsbury Pie Crusts, so I could bake her mouth-watering pie.
But my Magnolia pie is different-looking than Carol's pie, because I had to use a square Pyrex dish to bake it in, because it is the only small, deep dish that will fit, inside my countertop Black & Decker Convection oven.
And I am naming my odd-looking pie—Cousin Nancy's Pie-R-Squared. (π r squared) And here is a picture of it, before we each ate a slice of it. Or should I say, "A square of it?"
So I guess I will start Weight Watchers tomorrow. Life is good and sweet.
How All Of It Looks!
The Best of Times! or Jack's Jacket!


Home » Mortgage Loan » Can I buy a house in texas with a credit rating of 590?? Can I still use my va loan??
Can I buy a house in texas with a credit rating of 590?? Can I still use my va loan??
Can you sell your house "rent to own" if you have a mortgage on it?
How can i find out if bankruptcy is for me, I am $25,000 in debt or should i trust a credit repair agency ?
How can I qualify for a mortgage when I retire if my only sources of income are my savings + Social Security?
Do I need to be a citizen or resident to buy American real estate?
Where can a single mother with 2 kids (21 18) get low cost health insurance?
What is the interest rate on a "second chance" car loan? Thank you.?
How do you go about looking at foreclosed homes with potential to buy?
Need help with starting a cleaning business.?
In texas, where would be a good place to buy a home?


I would like to pass on to Theo and your team at Brisbane Automatic Gate Systems from the Residents and the Body Corporate Committee our thanks and appreciation for the time you took in explaining how your company was going to tackle our problem with the vehicular gates that have caused many problems for us over the 6 years that the complex has been lived in. You and your team were patient, understanding and thoughtful, you personally came after hours and explained in layman terms at least twice to erase any fears residents and some committee members had of the planned works.
You should be proud of your workforce and your company, so once again I personally wish to thank you and your team along with all my committee and residents for your support and advice.
This is just a quick thank you note to say that we are very pleased with your service.
Yesterday, your technician attended our site and within minutes addressed the root cause of an intermitted gate-not-closing issue. What a pleasant experience this was. The tech was professional, polite and a very good ambassador for your company. Well done!
Very happy with the outcome .
The service was completed to exceptional standards. Thank you.
The gate motor was installed today and we have received a handover of how to use the gate. Dot and myself would like to thank yourself and all the trades people for making the installation process easy and stress free.


Interpharma is a leading biopharmaceutical company that is dedicated to improving health care with innovative products. Our philosophy is "Value Your Life".
Interpharma, was established by a group of healthcare professionals with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry. The group comprises former director of the global leading pharmaceutical companies, physicians, pharmacists, dietitians and medical technologists.
With extensive and long experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Interpharma is No.1 in the Nutraceuticals in hospital which our success story is proved by number of prescription in medical school and leading private hospital, health and medical center, anti-aging center and premium clinic.
Interpharma is 1 in 50 "The share innovative and creative Pride of Thailand" by The Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Through our diverse range of products, we provide solutions to common health conditions. We offer a premium range of products that are designed to prevent disease, sustain good health and enhance the quality of life.


It's the holiday season, the week for watching cult movies and eating chocolate. It's also the week for pondering how to improve your business skills in 2019.
You may recognize the above quote from 80's flick The Princess Bride repeated throughout the film by Íñigo Montoya (or you might have thought the blog page was hacked).
This iconic sentence was revived recently and made into a meme: Tips for effective networking from Íñigo Montoya.
Making an impression is an art that's hard to master. Montoya has a point but he's not the smoothest diplomat. Here are some more tips to help you shine and make the most of your business and personal interactions.
Mind your body language - The general belief is that 55% of communication is non-verbal so make sure you adopt a relaxed and open posture. Avoid crossing arms and legs and remember - as PRs say to their clients facing a scandal - "teeth, teeth, teeth." An authentic smile is your business card.
Be culturally sensitive - If you are traveling to another country or mingling with people from all over the world, learn basic local etiquette. You want to make sure you respect personal space, know if you need to kiss people one, two, three or even four times, shake hands or bow.
Listen intently - Avoid overwhelming the other person with your pitch and the temptation to interrupt conversation to add your anecdotes unless you're certain the other person has finished. Be genuinely interested in your new acquaintance and listen. Be open-minded and stay focused.
Mirror - A great way to make someone else comfortable is to subtly mirror their body language and even their words. You will make them comfortable and they will be sure you have understood. When we feel we've been truly heard, we're putty in anyone's hands.
Follow up - If your conversation went well and you agree to send something or even if you just exchange contact details, follow up as soon as possible, even if it's just to say how great it was to meet them.
These tips will make you unforgettable but if you meet anyone with six fingers disregard them and defend your honor.
Do you have networking tips of your own? Let us know.


text:
Theme a Little Theme
Feb 06 2015 Matt
With our imminent launch, I thought it'd be a good time to have a closer look at our two games, "Dr Disaster" and "In Memoriam". As lead game designer, I'll be providing a few insights into some of the design decisions we made along the way. In this first part I'll discuss the themes for our games, and in part two I'll delve into the way we designed our puzzles.
We aren't the first people to open up an escape venue; in fact we're not even close. But after playing in a lot of escape rooms around the world, we've identified a lot of recurring themes. Office environments are super popular (probably because they're so easy to set up!), as are horror themes (it's also easy to throw around red paint/tomato sauce!). Crime scenes of varying descriptions also feature prominently with a lot of murders and thefts happening all over the place.
So we've tried to do something a little bit different. Not to say that office/horror/crime rooms are lacklustre – we enjoy playing them, and there are some very very good ones out there. But we're trying to shake things up a bit, and theming is one area that we wanted to focus on.
With so many other venues taking a serious and hardline approach to storytelling, we thought it'd be refreshing to take a tried and tested trope and inject our own brand of laughs. The 3 of us met doing university comedy shows together, so this was a bit of a no brainer. "Dr Disaster" takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the spy/supervillain theme, with less "Bond" and more "Austin Powers." We've added comedic elements into the way we've decorated and dressed the room, and the puzzles have also been designed with this attitude to bring an element of surprise and maybe even encourage players to poke fun at each other. If you want to try a room which doesn't take itself too seriously then this is the one I'd recommend.
On the other end of the spectrum, "In Memoriam" has a much more serious theme. Without giving away too many spoilers, the idea behind this room is that you are being thrust into the life of an unknown woman with the view to saving her. The puzzles and aesthetics are designed to let you explore her memories and walk through the key events in her life that you must interact with to discover the clues. My sincere hope is that rather than having a narrative handed to you, you as a player will discover the narrative on your own as it's interwoven into the game. The further you progress the more you'll discover about this woman and how she's lived. And for those squeamish types, don't worry, there's no horror themes involved at all.
I've put up a few stills from our video briefings for both games above. Big thanks to Jeeves Verma, Mel Saxton and Janice Tan for appearing in front of camera; and amazing cinematographer Dan Christie and his crew for helping to shoot it all.
The last point that I'll make about theming is that we're all big fans of nerd and pop culture (well at least I am, I'll let the others confess themselves). We've referenced a few influential movies and video games under each of our game descriptions, and I've tried to sneak in as many pop culture references and Easter eggs into our games as possible. So far I've got Lord of the Rings, X-Men, Batman, Zelda, Mario, a few Bond references, and even Breaking Bad to name a few. When you can come and play see if you can find them all :)
That's all on themes for now. Stay tuned for a post on puzzle design sometime in the not too distant future!
Reuben Mei-Edwards June 06, 2015
This is a brilliant concept and great way to connect with your buddies and working as a team, we are planning to come back in 90 days and swap rooms with the other team and compete again!


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using AttackLeague.Utility;

using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics;
using AttackLeague.AttackLeague.Grid;

namespace AttackLeague.AttackLeague
{

    class FallingBlock : AbstractColorBlock
    {
        private const float MyBaseSpeed = 0.15f;
        private const float MyAdditionalSpeed = 0.1f;
        private bool myCanChain = false;
        protected float myYOffset = 0.0f;

        public FallingBlock(GridBundle aGridBundle, EBlockColor aColor)
            :base(aGridBundle)
        {
            myColor = aColor;
        }

        public FallingBlock(GridBundle aGridBundle, ColorBlock aBlock)
            :base(aGridBundle)
        {
            myColor = aBlock.GetColor();
            myCanChain = aBlock.CanChain;
        }

        public override void Update(float aGameSpeed)
        {
            base.Update(aGameSpeed);
            myYOffset -= GetMagicalSpeed(aGameSpeed);

            Point position = GetPosition();

            //Speed, might pass through many tiles?
            if (WillPassTile(aGameSpeed))
            {
                if (position.Y == 0 ||
                    myGridBundle.Container.myGrid[position.Y - 1][position.X].IsEmpty() == false)
                {
                    myGridBundle.Container.InitializeBlock(position, new ColorBlock(myGridBundle, this)); // MOVE TO GENERATOR I GUESS, or blocks who tell GENERATOR
                }
                else
                {
                    PassTile();
                    //passtile changes position, update
                    position = GetPosition();
                    myGridBundle.Container.InitializeBlock(position + new Point(0, 1), new EmptyBlock(myGridBundle));

                    myGridBundle.Container.SetBlock(position, this);
                }
            }

        }

        public bool WillPassTile(float aGameSpeed)
        {
            return (myYOffset - GetMagicalSpeed(aGameSpeed)) < 0.0f;
        }

        public void PassTile()
        {
            myGridArea.Y--;
            myYOffset += 1.0f;
        }

        public override void Draw(SpriteBatch aSpriteBatch, Vector2 aGridOffset, int aGridHeight, float aRaisingOffset)
        {
            Vector2 position = GetScreenPosition(aGridOffset, aGridHeight, aRaisingOffset);
            position.Y -= myYOffset * mySprite.GetSize().Y;
            mySprite.SetPosition(position);
            mySprite.Draw(aSpriteBatch);

            myIcon.SetPosition(position);
            SetIconAnimation();
            myIcon.Draw(aSpriteBatch);
        }

        public bool CanChain
        {
            get { return myCanChain; }
            set { myCanChain = value; }
        }

        public override bool AllowsFalling()
        {
            return true;
        }
    }
}


It's the end of the school year and that means finals and high school musical productions. The past few days have been a blur of rehearsals, costumes and cast parties.
In this case, Lucy's High School Theater Arts class put on a really fun show with musical scene selections from various Broadway musicals which they called Broadway Rocks! directed by our good friend, Barry Koff.
I think there were about 40 kids in the entire ensemble... but I could only see one.


Research shows that 85 percent of employees deal with conflict on some level and 29 percent of employees deal with conflict almost constantly. When workplace conflict is not managed effectively, it can diminish trust and morale — both of which have a direct impact on productivity and employee engagement.
How we communicate in the workplace informs how we relate and engage with colleagues and clients. Our communication approach can drive conflict and division or it can be a means for bringing people together in collaboration.
In this training, participants will learn how to communicate with honesty and empathy, so they may actively transform workplace conflict into collaboration.
This training will empower participants with the communication tools to develop and maintain healthy, productive working relationships rooted in honest, empathetic communication.
On-site leadership development workshops customized for your leadership team will improve their leadership skills, optimize their conflict management and dispute resolution skills, and build high-performing teams.


text:
Science and Engineering/Dinosaurs
This page features some of our amazing dinosaur research.
The Buzz S3, E2: What killed the dinosaurs?
Dinosaurs 26th May 2022
Could exciting new evidence help us finally reveal what killed the dinosaurs? We speak to Professor Phil Manning to answer this colossal question!
Tanis treasure: Unearthing the secrets of dinosaurs' last day
Departments 21st April 2022
Manchester researchers work with Sir David Attenborough and the BBC to spectacularly reveal what happened on the final day of the dinosaurs.
ScienceX: The eXtravaganza returns… greener than ever!
Social responsibility 4th November 2021
ScienceX 2021 proved a huge success – with children exploring the wonders of science and engineering, and climate change taking centre stage.
The Buzz Episode 3 – Mission Jurassic
Dinosaurs 30th April 2020
In this episode of The Buzz, we're talking about dinosaurs and learning about one of the University's most exciting projects – Mission Jurassic.
On a mission to uncover the secrets of the Jurassic Mile
Dinosaurs 7th June 2019
There's something exciting going on in the Badlands of Wyoming, and we've dug up a few clues for you. Join us as we introduce the real Jurassic Park.
Sir William Boyd Dawkins – an extraordinary study
Dinosaurs 28th January 2019
Discover the extraordinary story of academic and explorer William Boyd Dawkins, the first Professor of Geology and Palaeontology at Manchester and former Curator of Manchester Museum, whose incredible study is recreated at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
Famous big-head solves co-fossil mystery
Departments 16th January 2019
A detailed digital 3D model of a colossal skull has been created – and the creature it came from is the key to unlocking one of the UK's longest standing dinosaur mysteries.
Why 'Phantom' Archaeopteryx discovery has scientists in a flap
Departments 25th October 2018
Since its discovery 150 years ago, scientists have heralded Archaeopteryx as the 'missing link' in the evolution of dinosaurs to modern birds. A transitional fossil, the species was commonly referred to as Urvogel – meaning "first bird". But as is so often the case, once something reaches such lofty heights, it's human nature to want […]
Baby bird proves big deal to palaeontologists
Departments 14th March 2018
A tiny bird that was smaller than your little finger and lived the briefest of lives has proven itself a giant of fossil history. The chick in the picture below may look like a character from a Disney remake of Walking With Dinosaurs, but this little chap has provided us with a valuable insight into […]
New predator shows its teeth
Departments 28th February 2018
Fuxianhuiid – it may not be simple to say but these ancient arthropods have always seemed like pretty simple animals in all other respects. However, things aren't always what they seem and the discovery of a new type of fuxianhuiid has provided a valuable insight into how predators evolved. A team of scientists including Dr […]


Tip: I punched out a scallop circle before I adhered designer paper panels on to the layer.
Hi Seongsook, your card is just awesome! I love the bright colors in the patterned paper you chose. The red background really enhances the design. Love your creative use of negative space from the scalloped circle. It really lets the butterfly pop! Thanks so much for playing this week!
Your cards are great. I love the sketch.


I received the letter pictured below when I worked at Norma Krueger Elementary School's Scharf Library. Crystal Walpole wrote asking what my favorite book was. She dropped the letter into her classroom's mailbox. Krueger's Wee Deliver postal service stamped and delivered it to the library.
At the time, Crystal's address was 683 Cocker Spaniel Drive in Sporting Dog, Texas. The library's was 123 Yorkshire Terrier Avenue in Terrierville, Texas.
Crystal's favorite books were Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and Rats on the Roof by James Marshall. Those were my favorite books, too.
And Crystal Walpole is one of my favorite writers.
The towns of Terrierville and Sporting Dog existed for a brief but happy time as part of Marion Independent School District in Marion, Texas.
How nice that you kept this keepsake!
It's one of my prized possessions.
How wonderful that you have this.
What a fabulous piece of provenance, Kathy! Akin to the napkins scribbled on by great artists. My favourite part of this post, though has to be the addresses. It makes me want to write to my local government immediately and demand a change of address by deed poll.
The school district's mascot was the Bulldog, so the elementary school chose to use dog breeds for classroom addresses. I don't know how long they used the Wee Deliver program, but I think it was fun for everyone–letter writers, mail carriers, postal workers, teachers, librarians and all. Especially this librarian.
By the way, a friend wants the city to change Slaughter Lane to S.(outh) Laughter Lane. I think it would make drivers who see the sign feel better.


KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that education is a high priority area and a multi-pronged approach needs to be adopted to bring out-of-school children to schools.
Although some effective steps have been taken, the demands of the sector are tremendous and more needs to be done, he said while presiding over a meeting of the 8th Board of Governors (BoG) of the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) at Chief Minister's House on Thursday. The meeting was attended by the education minister who happens to be vice chairman of the SEF.
The BoG consists of Sindh Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Planning and Development Department Chairman M Waseem, Education Secretary Aziz Uqaili, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi, SEF Managing Director Naheed Shah and non-official members Dr Kaiser Bengali, Dr Qazi Masood, Dr Muhammad Memon, Hussnain Qamar Shah and director of the Sindh Education Foundation.
Briefing the board, Naheed Shah Durrani stated that the foundation had not only expanded its outreach to 506,511 students through a network of 2,100 schools during the last few years, but also made some structural changes. She said the foundation was gradually moving to post-primary portfolio. Today, it has an enrolment of 80,000 students at post-primary level in elementary, secondary and high schools.
"The SEF has moved on from two-room/three-room schools and now it has six plus room schools," she said. She said there was a minimum complement of services available in schools together with required teachers. She added that SEF had prepared in-house quality workbooks and provided these to over 350,000 students across the foundation schools to boost their learning.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah examined the foundation's portfolio and appreciated its efforts. He said the public-private partnership now needed to be structured to help the government reach out to students who were out of school. He said that "methodologies and implementation plans can be deliberated to tackle the issue of abandoned schools with the School Education Department taking the lead and engaging the foundation as a key player in the education sector".
The chief minister directed Minister of Education Jam Mehtab Dahar, Education Secretary Aziz Uqaili and the SEF managing director to explore possibility of public-private partnership to make 2,000 closed schools operational and get maximum out-of-school children into schools.
The foundation managing director submitted the progress report on quality initiative `Teach for Change'. The board was informed that 77 Teaching Support Associates (TSAs) on the model of "Teach for Pakistan" and "Teach for America" had been hired from prestigious institutions. These young graduates will play their role as subject specialist teachers and change agents in foundation's schools in far flung areas of Sukkur, Hyderabad, Dadu, Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar regions in the first phase.
Moreover, with a view to supplement traditional teaching and learning, the progress on ICT-based learning was shown to the board. The foundation has already done a pilot project for grade 5 (mathematics and science) educational contents in five districts -- Khairpur, Dadu, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, and Karachi. Resultantly, 60-70 percent learning improvement was recorded by the foundation's in-house Learning Support Unit. This application will be launched in September 2017. The chief minister would formally launch the programme after Ramazan this year.
The SF managing director also presented the revised budget of the CFY 2016-17 and the budget estimate of FY 2017-18 to the board. The forum was informed that 89 percent of the budget was spent on student fee and school development services in the outgoing year, whereas the same was envisaged for the next fiscal year. This showed the core focus on learning and quality initiatives. The board unanimously approved service rules for the foundation and increase in salaries of SEF employees in line with annual budgetary increment of the government with a view to strengthen operations in the region as well.


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But, of course, credit must be given to the gutsy women who wear this outlandish. strip running on the fuel tank. The bling continues across to the engine cover and the thick front forks. Obviously.
Black fork sliders, silencers and oil tank contribute. The finish is top class, with wonderfully deep paintwork and tidy detailing, while the chopped mudguards enhance the lines and maximise the.
Mention it to anyone familiar with motorcycles, and they'll immediately think of the Harley-Davidson bike that gained fame in the. and the bike had rider floorboards, a wide fuel tank and a fat.
Fascinated with motorcycles since his childhood, Hotaling said his dream was to one day own a Harley Davidson. The ball on top of the shifter has a live.45 caliber round inside it and the gas tank.
And then appear seven women, riding their Harley-Davidson bikes in a neat line. Her first bike memory is of sitting on the fuel tank, riding with her father and grandfather. For Sunita Kunjeer, a.
In conjunction with the debut of its 2016 motorcycles, Harley-Davidson is live-streaming the unveiling of. It's got a vintage-looking Hollywood handlebar, a gloss black "Cat's Eye" tank console.
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Its old-school walnut fuel tank still holds 4.5 gallons and feeds the rubber. The unit sends its power to the ground through a modern transmission. The 2014 Harley Davidson SuperLow 1200 is offered.
And that's just the women. Harley bikers lived life. The rest of us just watched. Still, I always wanted a Harley. Growing up in the late '50s and '60s, I simply equated motorcycling with Harley-.
Peter MacKenzie, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India and. 13.2 litre fuel tank, 15kg lighter, inverted 43mm cartridge style front forks and more. Harley Davidson Street Bob is designed to.
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The ergonomics are such that men and women of all abilities will find the Harley. meaning a circa 230km range from its 13.1L capacity tank. Trailblazer: the Harley-Davidson Street 500, the brand's.
Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) rode through the 1990s and early 2000s. Yes, there are plenty of exceptions, and Harley works hard on expanding its appeal to women and younger buyers. But they've had.
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The new Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 motorcycle delivers moto-aggression with. A speed screen frames the LED headlamp and helps breaks the wind, while a stretched 4.4-gallon fuel tank exclusive to the.
Riding gear for your Harley is important. True story. V-twin thunder and the lure of the open road is what motorcycle riding gear for your Harley Davidson is all about. Head to toe, your style is so intrinsically woven into every rotation of the engine that any attempt to separate the two will be.
Her reply: "Why do women like stilettos?" In other words, never mind the practicality; feel the style. If you're going to enjoy Harley-Davidson's 2011 Blackline. entities mounted independently on.
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I'll also admit that with its as-tested price of more than $13,000, this 2015 Harley Davidson Sportser 1200T SuperLow is the. especially when the large 4.5-gallon gas tank dominates the upper half.
Viewers of Piers Morgan's new show Killer Women were left in tears by seven-year-old AJ from Florida who gave evidence that he'd seen his mother Amanda Lewis, 35, kill his sister.


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Our standard gabion baskets are manufactured from galfan wire, providing four times the lifespan of regular galvanised finishes. Naturally, this results in a highly durable and resilient product.
Our standard gabion baskets are manufactured from galfan wire, providing four times the lifespan of regular galvanised finishes. Naturally, this results in a highly durable and resilient product. Certification to emphasise this can be seen below.
Easy to attach and assemble. Installation time can be sped up using helicoils (optional extra, please enquire).
Gabions are used in a wide variety of situations involving ground stabilisation and erosion control. However, there are also times when gabion baskets can be used to create decorative additions to gardens, car parks and suchlike.
No need to dig a foundation - gabions are a mass retaining system and all the baskets need is a firm base that they will not sink into.
The permeable nature of the gabions mean water can come through them which stops a buildup of water and the ground becoming waterlogged. On the subject of 'flood protection', water can be prevented from coming through the baskets by lining them with thick plastic sheeting.
The uses for gabions are endless. Just some that have become popular include cladding to provide an attractive finish to buildings, walls and other situations, as well as gabion fencing whereby wall features are constructed with narrow depth gabions.
EcoGrid Ltd we offer a vast collection of gabion baskets in different sizes, thickness and specifications. Box gabions can also be used to create cladding and fencing, offering an attractive finish to buildings and walls. Gabion mattresses are also available, used with a gabion wall to stop it being undercut by a river or stream.
For pricing and information on our other gabion baskets, such as PVC coating, thicker wire or various sizes, please call 0151 639 4281 or email sales@ecogrid.co.uk.


text:
Q: How to maintain state of child components of Sortable container? As shown in the code below, the App component has a state. The properties of this state are passed down to the Child components via props.
But as soon as the state changes in the App component, the Child components inside the Sortable component are not updated. But Child components outside the this Sortable container is updated (rerendered) as usual.
How can I achieve these sortable Child components to be rendered on each state change?
Here's the code (simplified):
App.js:
import Sortable from 'react-sortablejs';
import Child from './Child';

class App extends React.Component {

  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.state = {
      text1: "Text1",
      text2: "Text2"
    }
  }

  render() {
    return (

        <Sortable>
          <Child text={this.state.text1} />
          <Child text={this.state.text2} />
        </Sortable>
        <Child text={this.state.text1} />

    );
  }
}

Child.js:
import React from 'react';
export default class Child extends React.Component {
    constructor(props) {
        super(props);
    }

    render() {
        return (
{this.props.text}
)
    }
}

How the page looks like when loaded:

... and after state is updated:

A: It looks like the Sortable component overrides shouldComponentUpdate here:
shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps) {
    // If onChange is null, it is an UnControlled component
    // Don't let React re-render it by setting return to false
    if (!nextProps.onChange) {
         return false;
    }
    return true;
}

Basically, it's set to only change if there is an onChange handler. You'd want to pass a method like that to determine what to do (if anything) when the state of App changes.


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It has become popular in recent years for churches to downplay their doctrinal distinctives.
In fact, many church websites now have a "values" tab rather than a "beliefs" tab.
We don't mind telling you what we believe as a church. Below is a summary statement.
For a more detailed statement, see our Confession of Faith, Shorter Catechism, or Larger Catechism.
Evangelical churches today are increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than by the Spirit of Christ. As evangelicals, we call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith. In the course of history words change.
In our day this has happened to the word "evangelical." In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church. In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.
Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.
Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.
Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliche's, promises. and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given. The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture.
The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.
God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.
Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God's and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God's centrality in the life of today's church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.
God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God's kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.
We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure adequately to tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism. For Christ's sake. Amen.


text:
Kate Middleton: The Ultimate 'Slut Antidote'?
Women aren't one-dimensional. No woman is either a madonna or a whore. But our habit of putting famous people into easily identifiable boxes means celebrity women often come off this way. The way famous women represent themselves and their brand... does tend to make them figureheads for a certain 'kind of woman'.
Rosie Waterland
Rogue Editor at Mamamia.com.au
Is it time for us to take some Kate Middleton and turn her into an easy-to-swallow pill so we can give every girl on earth a dose of much needed 'class'?
Should we make a 'Kate Pill' obligatory for all new-born girls? Would we have avoided all the boob/bum/almost-vagina-but-not-quite Instagram photos of Miley Cyrus and Kim Kardashian if they'd been given a Kate-branded 'anti-slut' antidote at birth?
Some people think so.
An opinion piece by Miranda Devine in Australia's Daily Telegraph referred to Duchess Kate as the 'anti-slut' - the ultimate antidote to the current crop of celebrity female exhibitionists.
Actually, here's Miranda in her own words:
"Kate's grace and elegance is a welcome change from the desperate self-loathing exhibitionism of most celebrity females of her generation.
Kate is the anti-slut, the antidote to everything wrong with Western culture. She has put class back into sexy, made modesty cool, and added cachet to marriage and motherhood. No wonder she has become a role model to a generation of young women, despite scornful feminists."
Miranda Devine isn't the only one looking for a pop culture alternative to... what's the opposite of an 'anti-slut'? A mega-slut?
Dave Grohl (of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana) recently told Rolling Stone that he was relieved when he first discovered 17-year-old singer Lorde, as she was a healthy alternative to all the other "stripper pop" that his two daughters listen to.
Clearly, a lot of people (and in particular, parents) are looking for a less overtly sexual role model for young women and girls. And fair enough - with Miley and Kim and Katy and Rihanna and Gaga all seemingly trading on their sexuality above all else, it can feel like the pop cultural world has been completely co-opted by tits and arse. You can't blame women for wanting an alternative role model when not wearing pants appears to have become the norm. For example:
Not exactly much to choose from.
But is it really fair to call Duchess Kate the anti-'slut'?
Let's say that that makes her the 'anti-Miley'. That would put Miley and her ilk in the position of slut. But why? Because she got fresh with a foam hand on stage? Because she dry-humps giant teddy bears in her videos?
That feels almost as simple as saying that Kate isn't a slut because she wears pantyhose when her skirt doesn't reach the knee.
Women aren't one-dimensional. No woman is either a madonna or a whore. But our habit of putting famous people into easily identifiable boxes means celebrity women often come off this way. The way famous women represent themselves and their brand (and make no mistake - the 'royal' brand is just as cultivated as the crazy foam-hand 'Miley' brand) does tend to make them figureheads for a certain 'kind of woman'.
Duchess Kate and popstars like Miley definitely divide people - women in particular. Articles about their suitability as role models always elicit a strong and varied response, which just shows that women aren't one simple homogenous group. We don't feel the same way or think the same way on all things. And that means we're never going to agree on the 'right way' for a woman to live, or the right role model for girls to have.
And if one-dimensional is the way we're going to play it with our celebrity women - if we're going to insist on calling Kate the anti-slut to Miley's mega-slut - at least we have a variety of role models available.
Kate's brand may be 'classy' and demure but it's also a little inhibited and domesticated for some people. Miley's brand may be outrageous and offensive to some but she's also independent and not afraid of her sexuality. Can we really say one of these is 'better' than the other?
Celebrities like Kate and Miley may be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but the point is, they're both on the spectrum. Because no one woman is the 'right' kind of woman. Parents may not want their girls to consider one or the other a role model but I think the most important thing here is that young women are learning that there's no 'right way' in the first place.
Not everyone is going to be everybody's cup of tea, but it's still good for us to have lots of kinds of tea to choose from.
And really? We should be concentrating on taking these women out of such limited pigeon holes to begin with.
This post originally appeared on Mamamia.com.au
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