One user actually took to his blog to show how to hack the website so you could enter even before the clues were issued!
I feel the best way for me to share the information is to post the letter here, be warned though it is long! Have a read and feel free to share it. The more people who know how the UK Customers of Sony were treated the better!
This letter was also sent to Game UK who have yet to reply and I have been asking Playstation UK for days for an email address to post this too, they have declined to answer that simple question.
I request that you review the following information that I have supplied to you and if you feel it is worth sharing with the rest of the UK I respectfully request that you consider this.
Unfortunately I do not have the reach to ensure that the general public are aware of this situation but am aware that your publication will have.
The issue that I am reporting involves, Sony, Playstation UK and Game UK.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Playstation, and as a result of this Sony have manufactured a Limited Edition Playstation 4 Console that they have marketed across the world, producing a mere 12,300 units globally. This number is to coincide with the original launch date in 1994 of the Playstation One Console.
It was initially released in the USA on Saturday 6th December 2014, whereby any American Customer of Sony simply had to go onto the Sony Website and preorder the console. A simple online purchase. However this seemingly simple purchase wasn't really so. The servers couldn't handle it and the Sony Online Store ground to a halt. As a Sony fan and wanting this system for my gaming collection, (which when a game system becomes out dated I retire into a glass trphy case in my games room) I actually went ahead and purchased an American shipping address, so that I could order the console, have it shipped to this address, who would then ship it back to me here in the UK.
I got onto the Sony website, ordered the console, which then had to be paid for via Paypal, which I did. The Sony website crashed and when I got back online they were all sold out.
This was my initial incident.
I would just like to formally state my absolute disgust at your handling of the PS4 20th Anniversary Edition preorders.
Your site couldn't handle the load and as a result I tried many times to check out, using both PayPal and your secure server. Neither worked! And this was not a one off! I tried many times to complete my purchase, even getting through eBay and back to your site at which point it failed!
The fact that your site couldn't handle the load meant my order never got fulfilled! For that I am obviously disgusted.
my launch Day PS4, (and PS3 Slim) are currently being played on my W8 series television! Yet now due to the failing on your website if I want to complete my collection with an 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 I have to buy one of an eBay Troll.
Just so you are aware of all of my facts I even purchased the use of a USA address which was then going to ship my console to the UK at a reasonable cost me, all of this a month before Christmas! Why? Because I am a genuine fan, a true Sony Supporter, and what rewards do we get? Nothing! A broken web site that after waiting over three hours to preorder won't let me fulfil the order!
To say I am unhappy is an understatement, but I do understand that demand is high etc etc, but it is the lack of care you present to your genuine customers that disturbs me most.
I await your reply, and want you to understand, I am still a Sony Customer, still a gamer and a proper fan of the PS4.
It is meant to be ForTheGamers, today that unfortunately fell foul and became ForTheGreedy.
Obviously a generic load of nonsense, I was particularly impressed by the Dear Customer introduction of the email, and penned the following reply : This reply was sent on 10/12/2014 about 2 hours after receiving Sony's reply.
Dear Michael, (See I what I did there I READ your email and replied using YOUR name) Did you even read my email? As your reply is offensive to me!
I deserve better than some generic Dear CUSTOMER email (my name was clearly printed at the end of the email). You didn't / or couldn't even reach me with the 24 hours stated!
Please READ my email again and even have an attempt at answering my concerns. If you can't please feel free to pass this message onto a Supervisor, again one who will preferably read the content and not reply with generic nonsense, and not only nonsense – lies!
Well they can the pop on Sony store in LONDON is selling at number today for £19.94 and then a further 50 on Thursday and Friday. So you are lying they can be purchased.
However living in Northern Ireland – a part of the UK, and being employed and a contributor to UK economy I am not in a position to simply get on a plane to London at a days notice!
#ForThePlayers? Well I am one of those Players and I was angry when I first emailed you and not my anger is even more! Why? Due to your lack of attention and not even having the common courtesy for a decent TRUTHFUL reply!
Have a look on ebay and see how this pop up store has benefitted the players! You dropped the ball on this on Sony and I await your reply. Maybe even try a name on this one. Dear Customer!!!!!!!!!
I am still awaiting a reply from this email.
Please note the fact that Sony were unable / unwilling or untruthful about the ways a UK Customer could in fact own a Limited Edition PS4.
As you can see from this email further information had been released to UK Customers and it was established that Sony and Playstation were opening a Pop Up Store in London on Wednesday 10th December 2014 from which Sony would be selling 94 Consoles for the bargain price of £19.94 on a first come first served basis. It was also released that a further 50 consoles would be sold at full RRP of £399 on 11/12/2014 and another 50 on 12/12/2014 again first come first served.
So 194 units of the UKs allocation were instantly sold to London. The outrage on this was evident all across twitter. For every positive comment there were literally hundreds of complaints addressing the fact that anyone with a job, child minding issues or the inability to sleep outside this shop for the night where simply out of luck and would never get a console, would never even get a chance at getting one. And they were right Playstation tweeted quickly that all the consoles were gone and the online fury increased.
I can only presume that feeling pressured Playstation UK then gave out information that on the week commencing 15/12/2014 Playstation UK would be running a competition where you would have the chance to purchase one console, at full price if you were one of the first 100 people to solve a clue and get registered on their site. This competition would run for 5 days and at the end of each day one console would given away at random to a competition entrant. So this then accounts for a further 505 UK allocated consoles.
The online world was rife with excitement, the competition details were revealed and it was established that the competition consisted of a character map graphic which at a specific time each day would refresh and one clue would be tweeted by Playstation and Game UK, this clue led you to a character and when you clicked on him after the clue you would be taken to a 'secret' registration page to register your wish to buy a console. Remember this is not to win, this is just to be allowed to hand Sony / Game £400 for a console.
Monday 15th December 2014 came and the clue was tweeted by Playstation and Game UK, this is when things started to get really interesting! The web site ground to a halt, it couldn't cope with the volume and demand. People were getting stuck at different stages of the process, and no one was able to enter. It seemed it was a complete lottery if the page would even load never mind let you register. Obviously people were getting through the registration process in little drips, it was then that the link sharing started. Twitter users where openly sharing the links on the Playstation and Game twitter feeds, all the while genuine entrants were getting stuck on the loading page, the consoles were getting snapped up by people who hadn't even seen the character map image never mind click on the answer.
Sony, Playstation and Game buried their heads in the sand throughout this initial day like they did throughout this competition.
The servers did seem to be a bit faster, however it transpires that at some stage during this day or the early hours of Wednesday 17/12/2014 the knowledge of a hack started to spread across the internet, maybe that is why the site was faster and also maybe why nothing was won by any of the genuine entrants. Link sharing was still occurring and Sony, Playstation and Game stood idly by as it happened. Surely they have the power to delete any offending tweets and ban / block users. It was becoming increasingly evident also that many twitter users had starting using twitter accounts set up solely to spam this competition and access without fear of accounts being blocked or banned for cheating.
had to unzip and run, the result of which was that his script would bounce off the PS site every 0.5 seconds looking for a change in any links, namely the link to the 'secret' game page. When it found this change it automatically copied it to your clipboard so all you had to do was paste it into your address bar and you were at the registration page.
Obviously it goes without saying that entering the competition on Wednesday 17th December 2014. The web site was still slow and sluggish, struggling with demand and the basically it was being bombarded with hundreds / thousands of users running the hack.
Genuine users had no chance again and link sharing was rife. The link was shared on twitter within minutes and anyone trying to enter legitimately was already out.
The twitter thread from this is available here, it was on this day that talk of the hack started to be complete public knowledge.
This was also the day that Sony got the link wrong during their competition and numerous users ended up on a File Not Found Page. So they had got online, solved the clue, clicked the answer and Sony had sent them to an invalid page. It was established that a '.' existed in the link instead of a '/' what a schoolboy mistake and one that must have cost some entrants a fair go! Sony and Games answer to the many queries on this was to say nothing, as has been their attitude towards the whole competition. This thread has also been massively cleaned up by the censor police at Playstation UK.
By December 18 2014 Day 4 of the competition the hack was widely known, only the genuine users didn't know of it. This is clearly seen on the twitter feeds as news came through of people having registered successfully even 2 minutes before the clue was published. Sony and Game responded to this ensuring users that anyone with a timestamped entry before the clue went out will have their entries destroyed, however nothing in relation to this has ever been confirmed. Tweets link sharing were still rife as was talk of the hack, people were even posting links to it so everyone could find it. Again the thread has been tidied up by the looks of things by the Sony Police, but it was all certainly there!
Playstation and Game then admitted on the evening of 18th December 2014 that they were aware of the hack / exploit and measures were put into place to ensure it was patched for the final day! Great news, only two possibly three of the five days had been ruined by the cheaters. Although all five days suffer from link sharing.
Comments / queries and demands from people have been ignored by Sony / Playstation and Game throughout and are still being ignored.
Why the rage? It is simple, the majority of genuine users wanted to own a little piece of gaming history, a special edition from something that they grew up with but now can't. In total there were so far 699 units made available to the UK, last night there were 113 active auctions for the consoles on ebay, this is ebay alone, and does not include the auctions that have already ended and other selling mediums. It seems the vast majority of winners are certainly not games / players!
The average current price on ebay sits around £1600, with some listed between £4000 – £6000 on a buy it now basis.
Game stated in their rules, one per customer, Instagram users have put up images of 3 units sitting under their Christmas tree boosting about the money they will make. Some ebay auctions have been with multiple units available, clearly this term and condition was not met. Also the rules stated that consoles will only be posted to the card holders registered address, how many cards and addresses to these ebay scammers have?
Further allegations were made that Game were cherry picking entries for winning, something which they have refused to comment on.
An allegation can be seen in this tweet : I have no idea whether they are true or not, but this is the only posting on twitter I could find which looks like a genuine fan may have got lucky but there are definite issues around the entry time she claims to have got from other users claiming to have entered the competition before her. Suggesting the first 100 rule has also be disregarded by Game.
DAY 3 : No tweet – Maybe the now established hack had something to do with it?
DAY 4 : No tweet.
DAY 5 : No tweet.
CAP_UK have been made aware of this incident by a number of unhappy users and complaints are in the process of being made.
character map or not. Thus anyone using a shared link would have got through without issue and if within the top 100 (if that even existed) will qualify without question.
These are just two of many many easily found examples.
But the purpose of my email to you is to inform you off the facts as a genuine gamer. To inform you on how this competition has been run, hacked and ruined by the inactions of Sony, Playstation and Game, and how eBay profiteers are now robbing people of 4-10 times the value of a console a few mere days after its release. This mere days before Christmas. To inform you how Game / Sony / Playstation have failed to address the complaints from their users and how their failure to take action when it was clear the system had been hacked has left genuine gamers out of pocket and or time. People, like me, invested time entering this competition, an entry that was destined to be useless and futile from the second the hack was available, and the fact that they did not invest in a website that could handle demand. This resulted in the hackers being on, registered and away back to the bar long before the genuine users had even gotten onto the competition site. Also how the competition (from the pop up store to the web competition) favoured the unemployed, as the timings for entries were all within 'regular working hours.' And how the failings of the website meant that for any users working 'regular office hours' had no chance of quickly entering the competition.
Sony / Playstation / Game should have ceased this competition as soon as it was known the site had been compromised and another alternative option sought.
Please give consideration to running with this story in your publication and at least letting consumers know how poorly these companies have done, how little they care for their customers, how little they are prepared to do in taking action against the cheaters and hackers and how they breached their own terms and conditions of the competition.
I like many others who have been let down by true this competition are true gamers, I am a 34 year old male who has been a Playstation and Sony Customer throughout their 20 years and really question if their commitment #4theplayers is even half of what they claim, maybe you and your publication can get answers one guy with a twitter account can not? I entered each and every day, ready to refresh on the start time and try to win fairly, but it is people like me who are let down. The people who did win are not Sony / Playstation Customers, they are scammers and cheats, but I suppose why would Sony / Game care, they get their money either way. Game as a Company, in my opinion should know better!
After all it isn't that long ago they all but disappeared from the planet, it was only customer and gamer loyalty that brought them back. They would do well to remember that.
Thank you for your time, and taking the time to read this, I know it is quite long and drawn out but I wanted to ensure I gave all the facts I could along with an accurate time line.


Slow Down Linda - Dec. 1982 "Chas and Dave TV Show"
Goodnight Irene - Dec. 1982 "Chas and Dave TV Show"
Late Night Theme Tune - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Layla - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Lay Down Sally - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
White Room - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Forever Man - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Further On Up the Road - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Same Old Blues - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Knock On Wood - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
End Theme - May 1985 "Late Night With David Letterman"
Old Love - 26 October 1989 "David Sanborn Night Time"
Before You Accuse Me - 26 October 1989 "David Sanborn Night Time"
Hard Times - 26 October 1989 "David Sanborn Night Time"
Standing Around Cryin' - 28 October 1989 "Saturday Matters"
No Alabis - 24 March 1990 "Saturday Night Live"
Wonderful Tonight - 24 March 1990 "Saturday Night Live"
Tears in Heaven - January 1992 "Sue Lawley Show"
Before You Accuse Me - 6 June 1990 "Elvis Awards"
Crossroads - 12 January 1993 "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"
Tore Down - 24 September 1994 "Saturday Night Live"
Five Long Years - 24 September 1994 "Saturday Night Live"
Going Down Slow - 12 September 1986 "The Armani Party"
Cryin' Christmas Tears - 17 December 1998 "A Very Special Christmas"
Comments: From the cover art: "Please Note (David Letterman TV Show): This tape was actually recorded by the sound engineer in the TV Studio. If you listen closely, you'll hear the song begin, fade to silence, and then come back in. When it fades to silence, the show goes to a commercial break. As you can hear, the band keeps playing during the commercials, sometime stops, and comes back in when the TV show resumes after the commercials. Eric Didn't sing but sat in with the band and playes his tunes instrumentally. At one point, you can hear people chatting in the TV recording sound booth."


text:
National Fraternal Order of Police
Patrick Yoes	National President
Jim Pasco	Executive Director
328 Massachusetts Ave NE | Washington DC 20002
(202) 547-8189 | legislative@fop.net
The Honorable Val V. Demings
The Honorable Donald J. Bacon
Dear Representatives Demings and Bacon,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for H.R. 5615, the "Homeland Security Capabilities Preservation Act."
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, cities across the United States began receiving dedicated counterterrorism grant funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) grant program. This important program assists high-threat, high-density urban areas in efforts to build and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism. Since it was established, the UASI program provides financial assistance to address the planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas by providing assistant to build and sustain capabilities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats or acts of terrorism.
Unfortunately, only 30 or so jurisdictions have been participating in the UASI program in recent years, which is about half the number of participating jurisdictions in FY 2011. Over the past few years, despite the rise in threats of terrorism, some at-risk jurisdictions have been dropped from the program.
Your legislation recognizes the evolving nature of terrorism threats and addresses the vulnerability of these at-risk areas, given that they no longer receive funds through the UASI program. As you know, the sudden loss of Federal funding for local jurisdictions to maintain core homeland security capabilities it critical. By directing DHS to submit a plan on how to make Federal assistance available to former UASI jurisdictions, which your legislation does, will undoubtedly save lives and prevent future acts of terrorism.
On behalf of the more than 364,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I am proud to offer our support for this legislation. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington office.
National President
The Voice of Our Nation's Law Enforcement OfficersSince 1915
Download the Letter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This week, I want to do something different. I am enclosing one article and one video on Creating Customer Value.
The article is on Indian's Forgotten Feminist Epic, written by Karan Mahajan in the New Yorker. It is topical even more today!
This entry was posted on April 7, 2015 at 7:38 pm and is filed under Business & Management. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.	You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.


text:
package xyz.vinesh.creditcardview;

import android.graphics.Typeface;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
import android.support.v4.app.Fragment;
import android.support.v7.widget.CardView;
import android.text.Editable;
import android.text.TextWatcher;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.ImageView;
import android.widget.TextView;

import java.util.ArrayList;

/**
 * Created by vineshraju on 24/6/16.
 */
public class CreditCardViewFront extends Fragment implements CardUpdateListener {

    private TextView number, name, expiry;
    private ImageView logo;
    private Typeface typeface;
    private Card card;
    private CardView cardView;
    private CardTypes cardTypes;
    private static CreditCardView creditCardView;

    public CreditCardViewFront() {
    }

    public static CreditCardViewFront newInstance(Card card) {
        CreditCardViewFront fragment = new CreditCardViewFront();
        Bundle args = new Bundle();
        args.putString(Card.NAME_KEY, card.getCardHolderName());
        args.putString(Card.NUMBER_KEY, card.getCardNumber());
        args.putString(Card.EXPIRY_KEY, card.getExpiry());
        args.putString(Card.CVV_KEY, card.getCvv());
        args.putInt(Card.COLOR_KEY, card.getCardForegroundColor());
        fragment.setArguments(args);
        return fragment;
    }

    public void setCreditCardView(CreditCardView creditCardView) {
        this.creditCardView = creditCardView;
    }

    @Override
    public void onCreate(@Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        Bundle args = getArguments();
        card = new Card(args.getString(Card.NAME_KEY), args.getString(Card.NUMBER_KEY), args.getString(Card.CVV_KEY), args.getString(Card.EXPIRY_KEY), args.getInt(Card.COLOR_KEY));
    }

    @Nullable
    @Override
    public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, @Nullable ViewGroup container, @Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        View view = inflater.inflate(R.layout.credit_card_view_front, container, false);
        number = (TextView) view.findViewById(R.id.tvCardNumber);
        name = (TextView) view.findViewById(R.id.tvName);
        expiry = (TextView) view.findViewById(R.id.tvExpiry);
        logo = (ImageView) view.findViewById(R.id.ivLogo);
        cardView = (CardView) view.findViewById(R.id.card_view);
        if (creditCardView != null)
            creditCardView.setFrontListener(this);

        update();

        typeface = Typeface.createFromAsset(getContext().getAssets(), "fonts/ocraextended.ttf");
        number.setTypeface(typeface);
        name.setTypeface(typeface);
        expiry.setTypeface(typeface);

        cardTypes = new CardTypes(getContext());

        number.addTextChangedListener(new TextWatcher() {
            @Override
            public void beforeTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start, int count, int after) {

            }

            @Override
            public void onTextChanged(CharSequence s, int start, int before, int count) {
                refreshLogo(s);

            }

            @Override
            public void afterTextChanged(Editable s) {

            }
        });

        return view;
    }

    private void update() {
        cardView.setCardBackgroundColor(card.getCardForegroundColor());
        number.setText(introduceGaps(card.getCardNumber()));
        name.setText(card.getCardHolderName());
        expiry.setText(card.getExpiry());
    }

    private void refreshLogo(CharSequence s) {
        boolean matched = false;
        ArrayList<CardTypes.PatternResourcePairs> cardTypes = CreditCardViewFront.this.cardTypes.getCardTypes();
        for (CardTypes.PatternResourcePairs cardType : cardTypes) {
            if (cardType.matches(s.toString())) {
                matched = true;
                logo.setImageDrawable(cardType.getLogoResource());
                break;
            }
            if (!matched) logo.setImageDrawable(null);
        }
    }

    private String introduceGaps(String nonGappedNumber) {
        int count = 0;
        String gappedNumber = "";
        for (char c : nonGappedNumber.toCharArray()) {
            if (count < 4) {
                gappedNumber += c;
                count++;
            } else {
                gappedNumber = gappedNumber + " " + c;
                count = 1;
            }
        }
        return gappedNumber;
    }

    @Override
    public void updateCard(Card card) {
        this.card = card;
        update();
    }

    @Override
    public void updateCardTypes(CardTypes cardTypes) {
        this.cardTypes = cardTypes;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I spied a poster in the metro yesterday for an educational exhibition which the Cité de la Science science museum is currently hosting for children. Crad'expo: from the slang word crade, meaning 'dirty' or 'grotty'. The by-line, les fonctions «impolies» du corps humain, and the photo of a child picking her nose roused my curiosity.
According to the blurb, using interactive games and a host of characters with evocative names, such as Roméo le Roi du Rot (The Burp King) and René la Goutte au Nez (Runny Nose René), the exhibition explains to children the science behind those bodily functions that we are raised to regard as rude, undesirable or even outright taboo. It does this by encouraging children to crawl through a reconstruction of the digestive tract, explore the 'nasal cave', shoot dustballs into giant nostrils to make them sneeze and play 'fart wars' (whatever that might be). It is a feast for the eyes, ears and nose: there is even an exhibit where you have to sniff various unpleasant odours – feet, armpit, fetid breath – and identify them. I have to say I'm less keen to do that bit. My fridge smells of all of the above combined at the moment as there is an overripe camembert belonging to Mr Frog in there.
There is one small snag. The exhibition is aimed at 5-12 year olds. Tadpole is clearly too young and I would feel a little conspicuous going along without a small person. Would a kind volunteer be willing to loan me a child of a suitable age on Saturday? It sounds like much more fun than Christmas shopping, and you never know, I might learn something.
It would also give me an opportunity to improve my French vocabulary of 'impolite bodily functions', which is rather limited as this arguably indispensable subject did not feature on my GCSE/A-Level/Degree syllabuses. What scant knowledge I do possess in this respect, I have kindly distilled into the following quiz.
can you pair the following French words/phrases with their English equivalent?
When Tadpole burps, she is now at the stage where she thinks it is hilarious. She proudly yells 'burp!' to draw attention to the fruit of her labours (in case we happened to miss it), then puts her hand over her mouth and giggles in an adorable and very mischievous fashion. I think I must have unwittingly taught her this, as she apes my every gesture at the moment. Ahem. As a new parent I now more aware of the very different attitudes that we adopt regarding bodily functions according to the age of the child: when a newborn baby burps after a feed our reaction was to congratulate Tadpole for her prowess with a 'good girl!' At some point in the not too distant future I will have to teach her that some discretion is required in public and laughing when people make odd noises is not an appropriate reaction.
aha, now I know what the word 'eructer' means….!
:shock: Nigel, are you my husband? nah, now I come to think about it, he would never know the word "eructate".
Nearly every day they make me smile. Nice to know that at age 55, there is still a little 2nd grader in me.
I have an idea: Bring a clipboard, paper and pencil along with you to the exhibition. If anyone asks, say that you are doing a review for a small PTA-style newsletter.
ps – sneak a camera in, too. It will lend credence to your story, and you can post the pics here. Does French snot look any different from English or American snot?
PS My eldest daughter studied at Universite Blaise Pascal and lived in Clermont-Ferrand for a year.
I'm trying again with my link.
Luckily, I did not totally understand the poster, because I was just going to go to the exhibit sans child. I consider my maturity level to be stuck between the ages of 5 and 12 and therefore, I thought this would be perfect for me.
Can anyone come up with the Spanish equivalents? My Beloved only does these things (with pride) in English. Happy Tadpole. Leave her as long as possible.
french barf words are always the best. I haven't found any terribly interesting ones in pt yet. hmmmm. neither have I received burp discretion training.
well Vit I wouldn't expect that of a mud wallower such as Madge. But I thought you had more class!


text:
Seles not sure when she'll quit tennis, 'enjoy life'
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Under a ceiling of dark clouds,Monica Seles gathered her rackets and towel and trudged off Centre Court, stopping for a moment to sign a few autographs.
Even she's uncertain how many times she might take that walk again.
Wimbledon is the only major Seles has never won and she lost in the quarterfinals Tuesday, beaten by 2001 runner-up Justine Henin 7-5, 7-6 (4) in a match interrupted twice by rain.
At 28, Seles has hinted at the possibility of retiring in the near future, although she maintains she still could win what would be her 10th Grand Slam title.
I don't want to have that pressure to say, 'OK, I'm going to definitely retire by this certain date or this year.' No need to do that. I'm not a person who is going to have a farewell tour or that stuff,'' Seles said.I'm just going to play, and when that point comes that my body (is tired) or mentally I'm tired of it, I'll stop, enjoy life a little bit."
Asked Tuesday if she might have to accept that Wimbledon will be the one that got away, the fourth-seeded Seles said: "Oh, yeah, definitely that could be the case. I'm fine with that."
She never quite seemed comfortable against No. 6 Henin, looking as though she couldn't decide whether to swap swats from the baseline or try to come to the net.
Just having a hard time finding the range with my groundstrokes. I was missing a lot more,'' said Seles, who had 23 unforced errors to 16 for Henin.And when that was the case, I said, 'OK, let's just try to change that up.' But it's kind of hard to do that."
She still can hit the ball about as hard as always, and often managed to find the lines Tuesday with those same two-handed strokes from both sides.
Another thing that never changed over the years — the two-note grunts accompanying each swing. They are a sort of audio Rorschach test everyone can take: What word or words do you hear?
Seles turned pro at age 15 in 1989. By the time she was 19, she had won eight Grand Slam titles. Yet she's been past the quarters only once at the All England Club — in 1992, when she lost to Steffi Graf in the final.
Less than a year later, on April 30, 1993, a man climbed out of the stands at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany, and stabbed her. The psychological and physical scars took time to heal.
"That made me the person that I am. Certain things you cannot forget. That changed the course of my career," she said.
"There's no need to go back there, you know, day in, day out, to revisit that. That's part of me and that will always stay there. But at the same time, right now I'm in a happy position."
Seles returned to the game 27 months later and displayed remarkable resilience. That she was back on court was impressive in itself; that she immediately reached the 1995 U.S. Open final and then won the '96 Australian Open was downright stunning.
In May 1998, her father and coach, Karolj, died of cancer. She wore his ring around a chain on her neck during that year's French Open, the last time she reached a major final.
Oh, I really want to add any Grand Slam title,'' she said Tuesday,but obviously Wimbledon even more because I've never won it."
PrevPreviousHenin Heads Into Semi-Finals
NextSeles, Davenport win first two Fed Cup matchesNext


text:
United Way denies funding to St. Vincent de Paul for housing
Kent Mallett
NEWARK – St. Vincent de Paul Housing Facilities, which has been accused of discrimination against unmarried and gay couples at the Gardens on Sixth, will not receive funding from the United Way of Licking County for 2018-19.
The United Way Board of Directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny the St. Vincent de Paul application for funding because St. Vincent de Paul has not met several conditions to be funded, according to Deb Dingus, the United Way executive director.
Dingus said in July that local organizations receive United Way funding only if they pledge not to discriminate in providing services. The organizations, including St. Vincent de Paul, signed a diversity and inclusion agreement.
"We gave them an extension to meet these conditions and did not feel comfortable all those conditions were met," Dingus said. "They signed the agreement, but it was clear they were not going to be able to abide by all the statements in the agreement."
Previously:St. Francis de Sales pastor threatens shut down of St. Vincent de Paul
Tom Harvey, president of the housing facilities board, released a statement in response to the United Way decision, which withholds $30,000 from The Haven and $21,000 from The Gardens.
"The St. Vincent de Paul Housing Facilities are disappointed the United Way does not recognize the contributions, efforts and programs St. Vincent de Paul Housing has made to homeless and poverty in our community," Harvey said.
"More than 10,000 nights and meals have been provided to housing men in the last year at The Haven, and many Gardens on Sixth residents have moved on to permanent housing solutions through our collective efforts. We were hopeful United Way would recognize the need for our services in our community. We will look for other revenue sources and contributors."
The discrimination issues came to light in July, when a gay resident said she was told she could no longer live there with her girlfriend. Another resident said they are not allowed any overnight guests, and residents are asked personal questions about their lifestyle. And, Harvey said unmarried couples could not live there in the same apartment.
Then, the housing facilities updated its policy to not allow any couples, whether married or unmarried, gay or straight, to live at The Gardens on Sixth.
DIngus said it's a problem when an organization applies for funding, then makes a major change to its program.
"That was part of it, but that's just one issue," Dingus said. "There's were too many issues to list (at the meeting). We'd been there all night going through that."
Lesha Farias, a founding member of the Newark Think Tank on Poverty and recently replaced on the housing board, applauded the United Way decision.
"It sends a message you can't take public money and do whatever you want," Farias said. "There are consequences. And, there are serious consequences for those who need a place to live. I am so pleased with United Way. They have made a wise and thoughtful decision."
Dingus, Farias and The Gardens resident Chris Wills all said there are several empty apartments at The Gardens. Wills said he has not seen any new residents in four or five months.
"It's getting pretty empty around here," Wills said. "There are 10 empty apartments. I don't understand it myself."
Dingus said the homeless have many issues, but they can't address any of them until they get a good night's sleep and food to eat. Although The Gardens provides transitional housing, it can take residents from shelters, freeing up critical space in those emergency housing facilities.
"You deserve a bed no matter who you are," Dingus said. "There are the Gardens sitting over there with empty apartments, while we have a homeless crisis. Those apartments are useful for those in transition. It's just a shame.
"We see the homeless population going up in our downtown community. There's a lot of frustration. We have a lot of empty beds at local shelters."
kmallett@newarkadvocate.com
Twitter: @kmallett1958


text:
Central Africa Archive
NewsletterAfrica
A New Mass Abduction of Nigerian Schoolgirls Brings Another Botched Response
Robbie Corey-Boulet Feb 23, 2018 October 17, 2022
Editor's Note: Every Friday, WPR Associate Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent. The attack was depressingly familiar, as was the government's apparent inability to provide a clear explanation of what exactly happened. On Monday evening, militants from the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram stormed a girls' school in the town of Dapchi, in Nigeria's northeastern state of Yobe, and kidnapped dozens of students. The exact number of those missing was still unclear Friday, but it could be more than 100. The incident immediately evoked the abduction in 2014 of hundreds of […]
BriefingAfrica
Donors Keep Quiet As Chad's Economic Woes Give Way to Social Unrest
On Monday, a spokesman for a civil society group in Chad called Iyina became the latest government critic to be detained by security forces. According to police, Alain Kembah Didah was caught with a bottle of gasoline in his hand, preparing to burn a tire as part of an anti-government protest. Didah has disputed this account, but that didn't stop Chadian authorities from taking him into custody and, according to Amnesty International, beating him to the point where he could barely stand. In Chadian Arabic, the name Iyina means "We're fed up." Its members aren't the only ones who've been […]
Q & AAfrica
India Gains a New Naval Foothold in the Seychelles to Counter China's Ambitions
The Editors Feb 15, 2018 October 17, 2022
On Jan. 31, India signed a 20-year agreement with the island nation of the Seychelles to build an airstrip and jetty for the Indian navy. The pact, which was in the offing for years, reflects greater competition between India and China to establish naval positions in the Indian Ocean. In an email interview, James Holmes, the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the U.S. Navy War College, discusses the deal and India's wider strategy to keep tabs on China in what New Delhi sees as its "rightful nautical preserve." WPR: How does India's port deal with the Seychelles […]
Zuma's Long Goodbye Complicates Task of Rehabilitating South Africa's ANC
Robbie Corey-Boulet Feb 9, 2018 October 17, 2022
Editor's Note: Every Friday, WPR Associate Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent. The drama surrounding South Africa's leadership transition has dragged out long enough to acquire its own snappy name: Zexit. That's according to the BBC, which noted this week that the early departure of President Jacob Zuma, who has already been replaced as head of the ruling African National Congress by his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, is now being discussed as though it's inevitable. This week, that meant a series of canceled meetings and other engagements as Zuma and Ramaphosa negotiated […]
What One Man's Detention in Cameroon Says About France's Role in Central Africa
Michel Thierry Atangana Abega spent 17 years in detention in Cameroon, locked in a tiny underground cell. He was alone for nearly all that time, denied access to lawyers and doctors and dependent on charity to supplement meager, state-issued rations. His primary connection to the outside world came from a radio that carried local stations and, sometimes, Radio France Internationale and the BBC. Born in Cameroon in 1964, Atangana studied in France and became a naturalized French citizen in 1988. He embarked on a career as a financial engineer and, in 1994, traveled back to Cameroon to develop road projects. […]
Warlord's Conviction in Central African Republic Is a First Step Toward Justice
The Editors Feb 6, 2018 October 17, 2022
On Jan. 22, a court in the Central African Republic convicted and sentenced a former warlord and leader of the anti-Balaka militia, Rodrigue Ngaibona, to life in prison. Human rights groups described it as a first in the war-torn nation and a "decisive first step" in delivering justice for crimes committed during the violence that has gripped the country for the past five years. In an email interview, Elise Keppler, the associate director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch, and Lewis Mudge, a senior researcher in the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch focusing on the Central […]
A Shadow Inauguration Shows Kenya Is Still Not Over Last Year's Contested Vote
Editor's Note: Every Friday, WPR Associate Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term more than two months ago, but tensions around his re-election are clearly still fresh in Kenya. This week, the decision by opposition leader Raila Odinga to follow through on threats to stage a shadow inauguration brought those tensions to the forefront, and the government's response raised questions about Kenyatta's commitment to civil liberties. Thousands of Odinga supporters attended Tuesday's ceremony, where Odinga, holding a Bible, declared himself "the […]
Which of Africa's Entrenched Leaders Will Be Next to Fall?
2017 was a year of political transition in Africa, beginning with the flight into exile of Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh and ending with a military intervention in Zimbabwe to remove Robert Mugabe from power, which he had held for 37 years. The continent still has numerous heads of state who seem inclined to stay in office for many years to come, if not for life. But several of them are facing new pressures that may make their continued rule untenable. WPR has compiled 10 articles that examine those pressures and look at which of Africa's strongmen are most vulnerable. Purchase […]


Ever think about what you'd name your memoir if you had one?
I do it all the time. Some memoir titles are pretty cheesy, making them that much better. If you love horoscopes and believe in zodiac signs then you'll definitely love learning what your memoir title would be based on your astrological sign!
Maybe you need some inspiration to write your bestselling novel and if that is the case, well take a look! You could be inspired to share your funny, endearing, or romantic stories based on life experience. We can't wait to read it but in the meantime, find what title you should use based on your zodiac sign.
Aries tend to be funny, competitive, emotional, and passionate. We think this is the perfect memoir title to reflect the enthusiastic and goal-getter, Aries.
Read your March horoscope here.
I'm Right, You're Wrong: And Other Thoughts I've Had Before 9 a.m.
Taurus are creative and have a good work ethic but they can be pretty stubborn. We think this memoir title reflects everything you need to know about the second sign of the zodiac.
Gemini's are social butterflies that can't be tamed! They live life on their own terms and not many things can change that.
Cancer's are extremely protective making this title "funny because it's true". They enjoy their routine in life but seek adventure; creating a juicy contradiction but don't mess with them or any of their loved ones.
If you know a Leo then you know that they are fiery with lots of self-esteem. She may be hot-tempered too but she comes back for a hug pretty quickly. And of course a Leo would have a sassy but confident memoir title.
Virgo's are cerebral people. They analyze and evaluate people, places, and things. They seek new information and love learning which is why this memoir title is perfect for a Virgo.
Generally speaking, Libra's are one of the most likable signs of the zodiac. They have a diplomatic nature and tend to act as referee or devil's advocate when the chance presents itself.
Scorpio's are intense. They work hard, they play hard, and they'll question the validity of your statement while doing both. While they are loyal to those they love they exert stubborn characteristics when they are passionate about a topic.
Sagittarius have a great sense of humor and love to travel and find new adventures, hence why this title is perfect. They are curious about all sorts of things but to wander the world is the greatest gift a Sagittarius could receive. They'll let you know when their leaving but good luck trying to make them wait for you!
Capricorn's are incredibly ambitious which is why this memoir title is just so perfect. It might feel like the mind of a Capricorn never sleeps thanks to extreme disciple. They can be more serious than other signs in the zodiac but that just proves how strong independence can be.
An Aquarius would probably write a really meaningful self-help memoir. They are so imaginative and deep that readers would flock to buy a copy of an original work. With so many new ideas flowing at any given time we think this would be a successful book series.
Since Pisces are generally sensitive and empathetic, we think this memoir title hits the nail on the head. They are smart and artistic, great qualities when comprising a bestselling memoir. Because they tend to be good listeners you'll learn a lot from a Pisces author.
What title will you be using for your memoir? We want to know!


How fun! Kids can decorate the covers of these Do It Yourself Spiral Notebooks with their own special look or craft them up before the event for a fun personalized party favor.
Our Do It Yourself spiral notebooks are 3" x 5" and come with 30 ruled pages.
** accessories not included. Book on right is just an example for you to see.
Keep the kiddos busy with this darling carnival booth craft.
Includes yellow ink pad. Safe and non-toxic. Foam with self-adhesive pieces. The pre-cut pieces would be great for making your own invitations too!!
Darling blank paper popcorn bags. I love items that double as an activity and favor.
5 1/4" x 3 1/4" x 10" Food safe.
Make a treat that looks good enough to eat! Our Color Your Own Cotton Candy includes cones with fun patterns and cotton candy toppers that you color yourself. Assorted.
cotton candy tops are approx 6 3/4" x 7 1/4"
Ferris Wheel Pinwheel Craft Kit. These pinwheels are so fun to make, especially since each pinwheel looks like a little Ferris Wheel! A great VBS craft or classroom craft. Paper and foam. 10" Ferris Wheel on a 10" inch plastic stick. All craft kit pieces are pre-packaged for individual use. Kits include instructions and extra pieces.
Includes self-adhesive foam pieces and wooden clip. (12 kits/unit) 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" All craft kit pieces are pre-packaged for individual use. Kits include instructions and extra pieces.
Wooden Color Your Own Fuzzy Carnival Paddleball Games. Assorted styles. 9" Markers not included.
Create your own carnival craft projects with these fun stencils. Perfect for your VBS circus theme, or carnival party. Stencils are a fun activity kids can use to create artwork and enhance storytelling. Includes big top, carousel pony, ice cream cone, bumper car designs and more.
Each set includes a 7-pg. 5 1/4" x 8" activity pad and 2 assorted 3" crayons. Safe and non-toxic. (3 pcs./set) Conforms to ASTM D-4236.
book is 5 1/4" x 8"
Includes 1" - 1 3/4" wooden charms, 1/4" plastic beads and 24" satin cording. All craft kit pieces are pre-packaged for individual use.
Step right up and lace these cards! Set up a fun lacing station and let their creation be their prize. These sturdy cardboard shapes are large enough to use as garland or cute themed dangling decor. Helps improve fine motor skills. Includes one dozen 41/4" - 7" cardboard shapes with 31" yarn laces.
Fun Carnival themed pre-inked stampers. Assorted styles. Safe and non-toxic. 1 1/2"


Regular followers of this blog have heard a bit of this before, but it's worth repeating that China is a fantastic bargain, especially outside of the summer season. Unless you do the research yourself over the period of a whole year you might not realize that flights to China from the United States are much more expensive in summer, and the hotels and tours and so forth once you are there are also far more expensive.
At the moment you can get a flight from New York to Beijing for only US$690 round-trip, and to Shanghai for only $740. From Los Angeles the prices are actually slightly higher, in spite of the shorter distance, so these sale fares seem to favor those on the east coast, weirdly enough.
Another thing that you should know about Beijing and Shanghai during the summer is that both of them tend to be incredibly hot and the air quality is often horrible. When we see video clips of people climbing the Great Wall we don't assume that it's 100F and the person is weezing in the smog, but during summer that's what you can expect.
Winters in those Chinese towns do tend to get quite cold, but the hotels are all extremely modern and properly heated so as long as you wear a jacket then you'll be fine. The best time to go is March or April, and the current fare sales go into those months, so this is a perfect time to be shopping for airfare to China.
An organized tour or on your own?
Most people, it seems, visit China as part of a large group tour, and prices for those tours are very low for what you get, but obviously not everyone wants to be with the same 43 other people for 9 straight days. It is possible to travel independently in China as long as you obtain a visa in advance to do so.
Once you get to China you can book train tickets or bus tickets or flights between all the major cities, and then sign up for tours of the famous sights just for the day. For example, you can take a train from Beijing to Xi'an and get a hotel there yourself for probably $20 a night. Then when you want to see the Terracotta Warriors you just ask at your hotel desk and they will book you on a tour of the site for the following day, at a very low cost.
That way you can see China at your own pace and shop or dine wherever and whenever you want. Those big group tours are cheap partly because the group members have most of their meals together. This means you'll be shuffled into large restaurants that can sit 44 people all at the same time, and that you'll basically be getting buffet food whether you serve yourself or order it off a menu. Most of China's best restaurants don't serve in this style, so going on your own is worth more just for that alone.


Can your broker/dealer say that?
Two decades in the industry and we still don't have a single disclosure on our firm's record to date.1 That track record of strength, stability, and continued success are no accident. They are a result of our passionate commitment to our core values. Our long-term success is a result of consistently doing the right thing — even when no one is looking.
We stand firmly behind our values in every decision — no matter how small — and are only interested in being front page news for the right reasons.
Most of our executive management team started out as advisors themselves, so our policies and procedures are designed from a different chair — yours. You'll find that the attitude of our compliance department is unlike that of any broker/dealer or RIA you've ever known. In fact, you might even enjoy conversations with our compliance team.
Brian, one our advisors in Texas, said it best in a recent email. "SCF compliance is mature, reasonable, and experienced." It is that same unique culture that allows us to offer a service-driven boutique experience in every area of our firm while providing resources and products that rival the largest firms in our industry.
1As of January 23, 2017.


Working on patina paintings this morning. This is an exercise of letting the paint go where it wants to go, without judgement or ambition. Okay, maybe there is a little ambition, especially if I see something shaping up, but mostly it's free form. I'm looking for happy accidents Got a few.
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #1"
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #2"
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #3"
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #4"
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #5"
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #6"
Or, should I turn it upside down?
Daily Whip Out: "Patina #6 flipped"
Do I add a figure to these? Do I let them stand alone? Ah, that is another story.
"There's many a good story that could have been prevented by a good teacher."
I remember doing these for my Fundamentals class at the American Academy of art. They did have us sketch over some of them later.


St. John's Waltz is a congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. We believe that God has revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus, by entering into creation and teaching humanity His Word and His Way. Through Jesus, God's love is fully revealed. By Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection all humanity is reconciled to God. We believe that God has called us to love one another and all of His creation. Valuing His Word and His Way, we take seriously our Lord's command to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. As a community that has received this faith, we gather together around God's Word and His Sacraments.
We encourage you to find out more about us through our website or by listening to a past sermon, but we know it only gives a glimpse. The best way to find out more about both our church and school is to come, see, and hear for yourself. We invite you to join us at one of our services, experience a Bible Class, and walk through our facilities.
St. John's Waltz will be hosting VBS Sunday, June 16th-June 20th from 5:00p-8:00p with the theme Miraculous Mission. Registration is here!
If you are looking for our school, click here.
If you would like to see a service before being a part of one or if you are a member away from home, we stream our Sunday morning services at the times below. You can stream them here.


text:
total = 0
firstdigit = 0
digit = 0

with open('../inputs/01.txt') as f:
    digit = int(f.read(1))
    firstdigit = digit
    while True:
        tmp = f.read(1)
        try:
            tmp = int(tmp)
        except:
            if digit == firstdigit:
                total += firstdigit
            break
        if tmp == digit:
            total += tmp
        else:
            digit = tmp

print total


On Monday, WWE announced on WWE.com all 32 names that will be competing in the upcoming Cruiserweight Classic that begins taping later this month at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The Cruiserweight Classic will begin airing on WWE Network on July 13.
They didn't mention Brian Kendrick's WWE Heavyweight Title Reign that occured in 2008!
Kendrick was never Heavyweight Champion.
That still makes him a former champion though!


rent or buy: What's Right For Your Company? 3 common factors that effect the decision making process. Read Factor 3.
While the desire to save money may be universal, each company has their own unique set of criteria for their decision making process. Three common factors effect the decision making process. They constitute the constraints under which all programs must function. They are performance, time and cost.
Only after carefully considering these factors will you be able to determine if renting or buying a display is the best option for your company.
Does my company prefer to retain its cash and appear more profitable to its shareholders?
Would my company prefer to add a display as an asset to its balance sheet which may be depreciated over its useful life (typically 3 to 5 years)?
Will it be difficult for me to secure approval for a one-time capital expenditure to purchase a display?
Companies that prefer to retain their cash rather than making a capital investment, will see the financial benefits of renting a display.
Reducing your operating expenses by renting a display can free up funds to be used on other areas of exhibit marketing.
In some cases, exhibit rentals are bundled together as a turn key or all-inclusive package. Purchasing some or all of your services from a single-source may enable you to realize additional discounts. Turn key solutions may include customized design rendering, graphic production, structures, lighting, delivery, step-by-step installation instructions, labor supervision and pick-up.
Even greater savings can be achieved on transportation when you rent a display in the city in which it will be used.
And finally, rental displays offer savings by eliminating all ownership costs. Those often "hidden" costs may include monthly storage, in and outbound inspection, repairs, refurbishment, upgrades and disposal.


The last time I featured Mab Graves on my blog was when she opened her solo Alice in Wonderland exhibition and I absolutely loved it! Mab always has a way of capturing my attention with her choice of theme and her gorgeous use of colors. Which is what makes her one of my favorite artists. This time, her solo show at Arch Enemy Arts features a mixture of real Science with elements of Science Fiction. There are so many cute ideas and characters and amazing girls with candy-colored hair. It's way too hard to pick a favorite!
You can view Mab Graves' exhibition online by clicking here. Or if you're lucky enough to live in the Philadelphia area, you can pay a visit to Arch Enemy Arts to see the show in person until April 30th, 2016!
For available prints see Mab Graves' Etsy Store.
And be sure to check out Mab's twitter and instagram to keep up with all of her new projects!
All credit for pictures and quotes goes to Arch Enemy Arts and Hi Fructose Magazine. Except for the awesome picture of her with her exhibition poster which is from Mab's instagram.
Aww these are amazing, super cute, I especially liked the one of the planets with faces!!
Very cool & colorful. I'll have to check out more of her work.


The Garden Nanny complete garden maintenance program puts someone at your side to offer the amount of help you want to maintain your garden. Light assistance is available if you just need a bit of help. If you need more physical assistance, Garden Nanny can help with that, too. This program works for beginning and advanced gardeners because you tell us how much help you want and how often you want Garden Nanny to be there.
Every garden is different, and each gardener has unique needs. At Garden Nanny, we understand that and accommodate your gardening needs. The Garden Nanny program is often described as gardening on the buddy system. This program is designed to help anyone who needs someone at their side to help with gardening tasks while managing and maintaining a garden.
Feeding and Watering Plants. Properly watering and feeding plants helps keep them green and vibrant. It aids flower and fruit production, plus it helps protect plants from disease.
Pest Management. Gardens need insects to pollinate plants and to destroy insects that are harmful. Garden Nanny helps out by employing natural pest control techniques that won't destroy the delicate ecological balance of your garden.
Pruning. When you put our experience with plants to use in your garden, we prune as needed to maintain shape and plant health.
Removing Weeds. Weeds have a reputation for choking healthy plants by overcrowding them. We get rid of all weeds in your garden so the plants you want to grow can thrive.
Transplanting. Garden Nanny thins and transplants perennial flowers in the spring and fall. This adds to the balanced, full appearance of your plants to create the effect you want.
Gardening help is available on the scale that fits your needs when you call Garden Nanny. Our services are by appointment only, so call us today at 201-873-1970 201-873-1970 to schedule an appointment, or fill out our online contact form and someone will get back with you as quickly as possible. We help with home and commercial gardens and parks. We also offer recurring services to maintain a garden as well as one-time services to help you get a beautiful garden started.


Sight Studio is a photography studio founded by Diana Nikolova. Sight Studio specializes in architecture photography, more unique black & white photography and still photography, delivering unique, high-end photographic solutions for architects, manufacturers, marketers and other professionals through its areas of architecture, advertising and product photography and fine-art portraits.
The online portfolio of Sight-Studio.com features examples of some of the best photographic works of Diana Nikolova structured in professional and personal projects, with photographies in the categories of architecture, fine-art portraits and product photography.
Through the Sight Studio website you can also access the latest news and contents from Sight-Studio.com and even contact Diana Nikolova for your next project.
To enter the website of Sight Studio and take a look at the different photography categories on architecture, fine-art portraits and product photography, you need to have the latest Flash Player version installed on your computer.
Don't hesitate to contact us for your next photographic project. Get in touch with Diana Nikolova, photographer, at Sight Studio, Lipnik 52, Ruse-7000 Bulgaria. We're available to travel and we're able to develop photography projects all around the world.


In mid-June of this year a number of software vendors with products for creating, editing and consuming PDF files came together in Boston, Massachusetts for a couple of days. The goal was to test our products currently in development against each other's sample PDF 2.0 files to ensure that we caught any issues before letting those products out into the wild for real users to work with.
For any normal product release we have tens of thousands of sample files collected over several years: those created ourselves as well as those sent in with customer queries or purchased as part of formal test suites. But this is different.
This is testing our code for the features in PDF 2.0; features that are so new that nobody is shipping tools to create files yet. So we've been making our own sample files. But if we make sample files to test our own code we can miss issues because the same assumptions get made in the sample and in the code. We need a way to break that bootstrap problem.
And that's why Global Graphics, in conjunction with the PDF Association, organised and hosted the US interop in Boston in June, just as we had in Cambridge, UK six weeks earlier for the first PDF 2.0 interop event.
Between the two events there was a good turn-out of vendors of leading PDF tools, especially those companies who want to make sure that their customers are ready as the rest of the market starts to roll out support for PDF 2.0 over the next year.
For the US event we'd acted on feedback from the UK event and put JIRA in place as a full tracking system for everyone to file sample files, ask questions and report their results. That made it much easier for all of us to follow what was happening, even though quite a few of the US event 'attendees' were actually working remotely. That JIRA instance has now been taken off-line, but we've backed up everything from both events and we're hoping that we'll be able to transfer the data to a JIRA instance hosted by the PDF Association at some point in the future.
The feedback on both events was good, with most participants saying that the information they'd gained had met their expectations and averaging a score of 4.5 out of 5 for overall value.
As to my own products … let's just say that if you score an interop on the number of niggly little issues that you find while doing the tests … the Boston event scored pretty high! But that's the point. Each of those issues that we find and resolve before we ship is an issue that our customers never have to see or deal with. And that's a very good thing!


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ANOMALIE OBSCURA No.387
tagnone
#1 Article #1 Joke Article Top Ten Article Active Contributor Contest Winner Contest Runner-Up Challenge Winner
{$translationblock}
OFFICIAL REPORT AND RECORD
in request for its
IMMEDIATE CONCEALMENT
~ 12th of October, 1881 ~
TARGET IDENTIFICATION INDEX
Desirability
8 7 8 (Mojave Desert) 7 D
Thinking Creatures - Armed with Anomalous Weapons - Non-Aggressive / Neutralized
Bounty Commissioner, Gereon Blanch
Lead Bounty Hunter, Harold C. Wright, Dr. Arnold Ward
~ PERMISSION GRANTED TO THOSE CONCERNED AS PER THE 33rd ORDINANCE OF THE BLIGH CHARTER ~
REWARD NOT DISCLOSED HERE
Biting clouds of gold and red. Animals left dead in its wake. Beware of the east wind. It is of concern that you do not be late with this. Warrants for searching are of limited time, and secrecy is imperative.
Upon capture, immediately notify
SIR ARNOLD HAMPTON*
*of the esteemed RED ROCK CLUB, under the Left Peak branch of the AXTON HORNSBY EXPLORATION SOCIETY
ON THE LOCATION AND DISCOVERY OF THE ANOMALY
Men'll believe anything in this fuckin' jumped-up road-town. Tarred and feathered enough thieves to know that desert can drive people off the brink. A second sun made of gnats? Who knows. Heard worse, in my time. Indians out everywhere here been speakin' about some cloud of red hanging over the sands since forever. 'A house of hair'. Never seen it myself, but… Maybe. I've known an' caught enough folks maiming animals in the name of something to believe there's least some kind of truth there.
- Ranger Lee Johnson
MARKED FOR TRANSFER
Written July 1890, Revised 1910. Blakely esq.
ANOMALIE OBSCURA No. 387 was found by the Wright-Ward hunting party while investigating the Colorado Desert under Bligh jurisdiction following a tip-off about some large locust swarms out near the Algodones Dunes in southeastern California. While this normally would not give cause to presume the presence of beings necessitating the Creatura Obscura label, increased obsessions with Anomalia following the success of the Arnolds case resulted in several opportunists seeing the strange in everything in the hopes of future fame, and with all going on with our branches in Europe, the rising claimants to discovery are all too quick to fund such dreamers.
Rumors of periodic swarms of some kind of insect had been filtering through the local towns for a while by that point, with some claiming they were tied to a person known as 'the man in red', who had been thought murdering various animals and even people near at least three known towns at the border of the desert, nearer the railroads. After panning of various sources both via the use of our more criminal liaisons, the reports were confirmed as at least holding some truth, providing a lead. Such swarms were associated colloquially with a sickness of the bowels, though our men had very little time to confirm such reports, and experienced no such symptoms themselves. God's hand was on them, or so Wright claimed, and so it was that they found their quarry in due time.
After around three weeks of searching in the desert, the party we sent out was approached by said 'man in red', claiming himself to be 'the Servant', though when asked for a master he claimed that he served none but 'God'; contrary to his reputation, he was more than willing to help and aid the authority in their search, and insisted that he had 'killed nothing' when confronted on the matter. Upon further cooperation and the man's assured lack of weapons, the party followed him to the site where No. 387 was later found. Upon their entry into No. 387, sentries posted outside the site reported seeing the swarms arise from No. 387 that had been rumored days before, confirming the existence of the purported Anomalia, though their true nature had not been fully discerned as of yet.
It is believed that No. 387 was also responsible for the 'ship in the desert' rumors that had been circulating in that area for quite some time beforehand, as well.
I'm a man with a mission. My queen gave it to me, my queen and Country- and Viceroy. I can tell you're good people. My friend has been ill for some time, since before you changed your face; but you'll help, you are still Knights of Spur.
- The Man in Red
ON THE ACCOUNTS AND PROPERTIES OF THE ANOMALY
The only known photograph of No. 387
I had a brother once. A sister too. I loved them, would pray for them every night when I first set out from my homeland over the Atlantic. The ship would smell of bad ale and cabin whores and heaps of shit, and I'd pray not in spite of it but because of it. It's dirt we come from, and to dirt we return.
It's strange, though. I hadn't thought of them in ages. Not until I met you, anyway
It's a sign. It must be.
It is considered of import to note that any and all accounts regarding aspects of such Anomalia recounted here come distinctly posthumously, via the mouths of brigands and gunslingers, who, though hired under Axton Hornsby's Bligh Charter and given their shields for authority, remain known of ill-repute and excessive aplomb. The writings here that follow are pieced from their words as can be best managed, but certain discrepancies continue to fail to be addressed hereby.
The cache of queer things found and labeled under the designation ANOMALIE OBSCURA No. 387 are numerous and have been placed beneath it for the purposes of simplification - upon the destruction of the central thing, the others seem to have died also, or so the men there assumed.
We're pilgrims. You, me, everyone here. We're pilgrims bearing witness to something gold and brilliant, but that's all that's left. I never got to sail the glistening seas of the El Dorado rivers, Portugal took it from me by gunpowder and by spears. But in a way, I found it anyways, rotten shell on the sandbar of America that it is. I never got to meet the king of the golden city, but I feel a duty to preserve the last husk of his honor. You would feel the same if only you'd seen it.
In a way, I'm a Knight of Spur, too. Only, for my dead golden crown.
No. 387 in and of itself, believed to be the source of the strangeness blighting the region, refers to a 'ship' of certain quality and unknown origin that was found half-lodged in the sands of the southern portion of the Colorado Desert in California. Lengthwise it was recorded to be some hundred meters long, and widthwise a mere fifty.1 It seemed made on the outside of a material similar in texture and quality to that of rusted Damascus steel, metallic when the sun hits it at certain times of day. While the ship bears a strange pronged 'mast' of sorts, it has no real upper deck; rather, a series of doorless jagged buildings clutter the top, spined and ribbed with bones of unidentified large animals. The successive layered nature of such 'buildings' imply the metallic character of the ship to not be inorganic at all, but rather 'grown' upward as if by a natural process. Attempts to dig into the ground outside the ship yielded that it had no bottom, its walls extending into the sands for as much as could be dug at the time.
The interior of No. 387 reveals a much larger inside to its outside, with a maze of spiraling passages that radiate out from a central space presumed to be located directly underneath the ship's mast. The material within the ship itself is not metallic, but upon close inspection bears a remarkable resemblance to analogous fossiliferous rocks - they are composed of creatures innumerable, stacked and cemented together in some reddish rust-like groundmass, all of unidentified origin, and all seemingly drained of something before they were given to No. 387's walls. These walls appear to be alive, in a way, and it is well-advised that one must not touch them. An attempt to remove one of the creatures from them proved ill-fated, resulting in the loss of one of the party sent into the ship, his body being systematically torn apart by the creatures therein, who had come alive, and cemented and assimilated to become one of their numbers.
Various heads of animals local to the surrounding area around No. 387 were found suspended by unknown substances of substantial strength to the ceiling of the passages at certain points in the network, their eyes sewn shut by an unknown fluid and jaws permanently dislocated. The function of such displays are unknown, but they appear to place at every intersection between two passages, arranged in a spiraling cluster.
No. 387 B designates a man with no given name beyond 'the Man in Red' claiming to have once been a conquistador with a writ from the Spanish monarchy to find 'the nine wonders of the New World', declaring that he had been led to No. 387 B by a 'golden dream'. In spite of this, he has only been reported as speaking English, with some occasional lapses into a language unknown by the gunslingers on the scene. Despite the hellish locale, he appeared completely ready and willing to serve and aid in leading the men in our employ to No. 387, believing they could help him with various tasks pertaining to its maintenance. The man seems more a corpse than living, with one of his hands so decayed it essentially is useless in its present state. He at least partly appears aware of his current disposition but chooses not to put any weight to it, believing that serving the 'glory of the crown' and the health of the spirit was more important than the trivial matters of the body.
B eyond the nature of the network itself, it is strongly believed that No. 387 is also capable of producing certain life to aid in its defense and repair - here lies the Creatura Obscura so suspected from previous reports. During the investigation, a multitude of previously unclassified creatures was discovered, but only seven were described thoroughly enough to be included here. Naming conventions as stated below come from names provided by No. 387 B, or are otherwise labeled by number alone:
No. 1. The Red Pigs:
Such creatures have no eyes, but appear entirely segmented similar in manner and form to other metameric elongated arthropods on the earth,2 though it is clear they are most certainly alien in origin. They grow to various sizes, anything ranging from the length and width of a man's thumb, to something much larger. The biggest recorded was nearly thirteen feet in length and two men abreast widthwise, and lay entirely stationary with no seeming reaction to foreign stimuli even when directly provoked or interfered with via the use of machetes and firearms.
It is additionally important to note that they seem to only have one orifice which functions as both the mouth and anus of their bodies, and it is by seemingly rotatable root-like structures (possibly teeth, but they appear to be jointed and held together by exterior 'ligaments', implying a rather different origin to our own) that they appear able to attach themselves to various surfaces and thereby sustain themselves. They were encountered both feeding in this manner and apparently growing from the walls of the tunnels in various protrusions and fibrous sacs, producing a fluid from their joints similar in appearance to that of animal blood, though the color is blacker than red, and its consistency far more viscous. No. 387 B called them 'gifts of the Spanish sun's great herd', claiming it was they who bored the tunnels within No. 387, and that they are 'the tormented, and the damned. They were stolen from death for a purpose, and when they fulfill it, so it is that their lives shall be stolen as well, and that they may finally rest.'
No. 2. The Heralds:
These creatures appear consistently 1-1.5m in height, standing on two legs with multiple claw-like appendages protruding from their torso. Their bodies are vesicular in appearance and bear globular tumor-like ocular structures imbued with a strange inner light. While roughly like a man in appearance, no defined 'head' can be seen on their bodies. They were reported as traversing in wolf-like packs through the tunnels, but their explicit purpose in doing so - whether social, or something more sinister - remains unknown. No. 387 B refused to speak of their nature beyond the name he had given them.
When gunslinger Jeremy Northrope tried to stop one and question it, it froze and attached its claws into him, emitting a piercing thrumming sound for four minutes before releasing him and walking away, causing him an intense feeling of vertigo and disillusionment. When he finally awoke from his delirium an hour later, he said he had been taken somewhere else: a 'golden city larger than the whole world where a thousand fires burned, rising from a sea of blood that eats the sky'. No. 387 B claimed this to be a real place, a 'memory' of El Dorado, saying that the ship was 'a cathedral, born there like Jesus'.
No. 3. The Carriers:
'The Carriers' typically appeared as headless animals of various species whose bodies were taken from the surrounding area outside No. 387, the source material from local deer, coyotes, roadrunners, and even rattlesnakes and small lizards having been recorded. These creatures tended to cloister around the intersections of the passages near their missing dangling heads, seemingly moving around aimlessly but never straying farther away.
Given how a litter of No. 1's 'red pigs' were seen emerging from a split-open body of No. 3, we strongly suspect they are not autonomous at all, but rather serve as living insulators for such creatures to develop and grow before they come of age. Therefore, the reason they 'move' is likely due to being solely motivated by an attempt to regulate temperature for the creatures inside.
No. 387 B claims to be the one who removes the heads and prepares the animals for transfer.
No. 4. Unnamed:
Similar in appearance to No. 1 specimens, but smaller with more orifices and spines. Only one such creature was recorded, having been attached to No. 387 B's head. It's unknown if this was how No. 387 B remained alive or not, and it was never fully acknowledged by No. 387 B despite having engulfed a large portion of the man's face, with attachments seen driven into one of his eye sockets and both ears.
Unnamed spider-like creatures with nearly twelve legs, and a thorny hide covered in skulls, both human-like and not. They range in size, and most seem 'dead'. It was presumed they were originally just part of the organic architecture of No. 387, but upon No. 387's demise they seemed to come alive to protect No. 387 C at all costs.
No. 6. Blood Flies:
Creatures of this manner and form were found in swarms both outside and inside No. 387. Originally believed to be some kind of locust, close inspection reveals them to have distinct red-gold coloring with nearly ten wings rather than one, each with a jointed structure unlike most insects. Aside from that, their bodies are long and leech-like, similar to No. 1 specimens, but support a bulbous growth for a head covered with numerous vesicles embedded with what can be assumed are eyes.
Sizes outside have been recorded ranging between that of a gnat, to nearly the size of a small dog. They appear to act similarly to mosquitoes, but rather than just blood, they seem to also seek out technology. The camera was taken and corroded by such creatures on our men's escape.
Most of the venture, however, encountered these creatures as rather docile, not really interfering with those in our employ until a threat was registered to No. 387.
No. 7. The Builders:
Massive bloated versions of No. 6 the size of train cars, found in the central chamber of No. 387. Despite having wings and legs aplenty, these creatures do not move overmuch, rather focusing entirely on one goal: construction. It's suspected that it is they who are responsible for the construction of No. 387 in its entirety, though they were only found building the throne during our encounters there.
No. 387 B claims they were El Dorado's 'milk and honey; their promised. Their supreme,' and that it was by their hand that the great city of gold inside its tower had been made brilliant.
Before the last days, the caliphate had reigned glorious. The golden tower Al-Gahat, you can see it in the dreams. It was built for a reason, you know. The King knew he could not find the Bab-Ilim, the Babel of ancients, so be decided to surpass it. I saw it all in my dreams before I came here. The holy brothels. The canals. The temples there are not small like this one. They walk on beasts with seven legs, and they have blood and wine aplenty, did you know that? There was always indulgence in the Empire, and everything knew itself and its place. Beautiful Zoroth'at, too, El Dorado: the place I had sought foolishly thinking it a village of mere savage men who had too many trinkets. It is the old city, the place of a thousand flames, where all eyes were awake always, and aware of the truth of what reigned them… There is power in king's gold. In king's flesh. And before the end… all the servants in a hundred thousand worlds knew it.
This central 'chamber' within No. 387 was found at last after much journeying through the tunnels. The walls are entirely composed here with the bones and meat of various creatures, known and unknown, and at its center lies a deep vat of a dubious thick mixture of what No. 387 B claims to be blood of 'a thousand countries, a thousand nations, a thousand worlds'. Many of the creatures previously described above were seen clustering around the edges, feeding off of it. At the far end of the room, a throne some 20-30 meters in height was seen in construction by the so-called 'Builders', something that No. 387 B claims is 'the way back', that got 'broken' when No. 387 came here from 'Far Arabia'.
No. 387 C refers to what No. 387 B called only 'the Scientist', an unmoving humanoid 'giant' with ten arms and ten eyes, composed of various animal bones and rotting red, blue, and white flesh seemingly part of the growths on the walls of the central chamber. Ritualistic behavior is observed by everything within No. 387 towards No. 387 C.
He was an imam, once. From El Dorado, before the Portuguese came. Now he just sleeps, of course - but we'll wake him. I know we will. The Scientist knew the magic of the flesh, and it was he who saved this cathedral and took it here, when the Empire collapsed. A whole river of worlds the caliphate once spanned, brothers and sisters and children copulating under the Crown, forever singing from minarets in the name of the two suns, red and gold.
But that's all gone. Lost, forever.
I can't decide if I found the city of gold- or not.
While not much now is known about No. 387 C, based on reports of increasing vertigo and delusion upon entry into to the central chamber of No. 3873, we are led to believe that prolonged exposure to the room can induce physiological or psychological shifts in those present, making them more susceptible to the influence of No. 387. An autopsy of one of the bodies recovered from the room after a reinvestigation of the No. 387 site two weeks later revealed tumor-like growths on the inside of the brain similar to what was seen present on the No. 2 specimens, 'the Heralds'. It's very likely that such growths and effects were the precursor signs of the eventual fate of No. 387 B, and a possible cause of his apparent persisting undeath in the present day.
While further study of such unique Anomalia would have been optimal, unfortunately circumstances prevented the party from doing so. When the party attempted to leave to reconnect with the sentries outside, No. 387 B started crying, demanding an answer as to why they were abandoning him there. Despite repeated attempts to leave, No. 387 B's insistence became more frantic, and the other creatures within the ship seemed to awake from their trance.
While such creatures proved easy to kill with ordinary firearms, more drastic measures had to thus be undertaken.
ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ANOMALY
No. 387 as of right now does not pose any known further threat, which is of great relief to us in spite of everything else. Due to a lack of any possible concealment procedures available on our behalf for Anomalia of this nature, rangers on site decided it best to deal with it in a direct manner: via the use of stockpiled dynamite from nearby abandoned railroad construction sheds.
While risky, when it became clear that No. 387 and its various components would not release the party that went inside of it without a fight, strategically placed reserves of dynamic were piled against weak points in the outer shell of the ship. Escape from No. 387 was secured by the party via the threatening of the Man in Red, who was shot in the head immediately after exit multiple times to sever his connection to what was preserving his body from death, the third casualty that day. As soon as the majority of the former party was seen escaping as best they can, the dynamite was lit, permanently wounding No. 387. Immediately upon contact with the smaller explosions, the ship fell to pieces, disappearing under the sand.
Most of the creatures flying outside of No. 387 seemed to immediately die, rupturing from the inside out in extremely hot torrents of blood and innards, falling out of the sky in droves - further confirming suspicions that they were extensions of No. 387 in and of itself. Those that did not die disappeared under the sands, and despite further excavation in those dunes, none were recovered. A few days later, sightings of a wounded beast with ten arms and a red eye slowly moving north towards the remains of the railroad were reported at sunset.
The only thing left from the rather timid explosion was No. 387 B's helmet, which had somehow survived the blast. No remaining magic, anomalous signatures, or other abnormalities were found associated with it.
As of today, despite frequent revisiting of the area of the explosion and the surrounding desert, it remains currently unaccounted for. Whether this supposed sighting is truly No. 387 C, or another induced vision residual of the Heralds that had inhabited No. 387 or even the ship itself, remains unanswered.
I came to America to discover the undiscoverable, to brave and to find what had been barred legally from our organisation for far too long. I wanted to make a name for myself, for my chapter in our grand society. The Bligh Charter was given to us for a reason, and I believed myself the man to prove that we were worth that reason.
Yet of all the things I've been party to something still brings me back to that one day - by the strange ship, on those sands. When blood rained from the sky, the dynamite lit, seeing that Red Man's head rupture in front of me and the monster attached to it rip like dry grass… The others were all cheering.
I could only think of how much of a waste it all was.
The red man, the servant, whoever he was - he called us Knights like him, Knights of Spur. Maybe a reference to when we were still serving under the Pope, though how he could have known that I can't deign to say. I didn't feel very knightly that day. Might it be that he was indeed as old as he claimed, old enough to have been one of our people, back when there was no Axton-Hornsby Exploration Society or Protectorate or any of that, and just the Auctoritas in its prime. Maybe he was just a delusion, like everything else in that place.
Whenever he spoke of the Scientist, that strange idol in that horrible room, he spoke of it like it was a brother. A friend. He spoke of it, and every time, he caught my eyes with his own. It unsettled me in more ways than I'd like to admit. His pupils and irises were so milky his whole eyes might as well have been white, and the thing that ate at the side of his head shuddered whenever his gaze met mine.
Maybe it's because he knew that I was the only one there who'd understand. That this beast, this monster who'd created some hellish pit here in the middle of nowhere wasn't really that different from me. It too came to these lands to try and prove something to its ruler. It too, this 'imam', this 'scientist', was scorned by its peers. I was the only scientist there in our party that day, the only learned man in that wily group. The others thought me evil. I don't think they liked my top-hat, or my gloves, or very much about me at all. I was just good at fixing them.
That's fine. Tolerance does not mean love, and that's a fact I've never been blind to
Maybe this 'Scientist' of old was thought the same. He came here to prove himself to a King so great his city spanned worlds, to prove he could be useful. To have a purpose in his King's grand design, in helping to build that empire, that grand Tower. The others at home scorned him, maybe even the others around him, too. He went out, adventuring through worlds upon worlds, to pave new venues for his country and king. To share that love he knew so well, that gave so little back to him in return. But then he crashed, and ended up here; alone, and lost. And then whatever place beyond time and space he hailed from fell. To massacre or disease, war or famine, like all the other grand civilizations in our own human histories. Like in the Bible, a tower had been built too grand and too splendorous for likes of the Almighty, and so it was laid waste, its people scattered and its language divided up forever.
Nothing lasts. Not even kings.
Were we truly Knights of Spur? Or were we Portugal, there to bring it all down?
It grows late, and I tire of asking maybes.
- Arnold Ward, doctor in the Wright-Ward hunting party and later a famous professor in the field of paratheistic sociology. Written shortly before he died. 1910.
The following is the last recorded quote from the Servant, shortly before the final scouts left No. 387 for the last time.
I know not if I truly found the City of Gold, or if it were a devil's mirage- but grant me this kindness, from seeking knights to a knight who no longer seeks. We mean you all no harm, not I nor my companion, nor the creatures who stem from him. I know this has never stopped the killing of things by the church, just as Portugal slew innumerable innocents in the New World and the City of Gold.
I am thankful, at least, to know that my life is in the hands of Knights belike; rather than the silvery cold hands of a new age's machines. Even if those knights use strange weapons and strange terms, and come from an English land not of England. To be killed or saved by my brothers through time, that is the only kindness I expect.
All of us seek something, on our noble ventures. I sought the city of gold, I found a tower-city of it. My friend, here in this vessel, sought colonies in the same way a spurned pilgrim to our New World has done. I do not know what strange lands you men seek, what destinies you will manifest- as your government has said, according to my scarce visits. I cannot remember my comrades in arms any longer, our search is long over.
Do not find your own El Dorado, friends. The thrill is in the search. You will not like the golden forms that your final port takes. A man who reaches his goal with his men lying face-down on the road behind him is a sorrowful man indeed. A man who never finds his Tower, his City of Gold, but stays with his friends- that is a happy man. But one who climbs those final red peaks, friends not lying in the dirt but trembling still on the last porch in fear of him? One who lost his guiding light, his sight of himself in pursuit of his Tower? That is not a man anymore at all.
That is a monster.
Property of the Axton-Hornsby Exploration Society's Anomaly Records
Department of Aberration Concealment & Logistics
1. Though reports on this vary wildly, with some men claiming numbers nearly three times this figure.
2. Such as centipedes or millipedes.
3. Including attempts by one of the gunslingers to shoot a companion.
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text:
package di.spring.extensions.custom;

public class BarBar implements IBar {

    @Override
    public void printIt() {
        System.out.println("This is a BarBar object");
    }
}


text:
Niger: The alleged perpetrator of the March 31 coup attempt arrested in Benin
Captain Sani Gourouza was therefore arrested in Benin and handed over to the Nigerien authorities. He is the alleged perpetrator of the coup attempt that rocked Niamey on the night of March 30 to 31, the day before the inauguration of new President Mohammed Bazoum. The information is officially confirmed by the Nigerien police and gendarmerie who had issued an arrest warrant against him.
It is the end of a run for Captain Sani Gourouza, the alleged leader of the put schists, of Niamey air base 101, cited in the foiled coup attempt against the regime of Mahamadou Issoufou, on the night of March 30 to 31 , two days before the inauguration of the new president Mohamed Bazoum. This Monday, he was arrested by the Beninese services and returned to Niamey.
A week ago, exactly on April 20, a lieutenant and an adjutant were also arrested in Benin and transferred to Niamey. Cooperation welcomed by the hierarchy of the Nigerien research brigade after an arrest warrant issued against the captain and his men involved in the coup.
After the failure of this attempt and in his last message to the nation, President Mahamadou Issoufou, condemned this action. The same was true for the new president Mohamed Bazoum on the day of his inauguration. Both had declared that the perpetrators and their accomplices will be sought and brought to justice .
The opposition then declared that this coup attempt was a coup staged by the Niamey regime to promote itself. We remember that the advance of Captain Gourouza's men had been stopped at the height of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which shares a wall with the presidential palace. The deluge of fire from the elements of the presidential guard, for a quarter of an hour, it is said, had scared the attackers, some of whom are still in the wild.
News Source : Allafrica
Categories: Global, World
Tags: Africa, benin, LiveStockRates, News247live, News247live TBG, Niger, TBG News247live


text:
<?php

namespace Google\Service\PlayIntegrity;

class TokenPayloadExternal extends \Google\Model
{
  protected $accountDetailsType = AccountDetails::class;
  protected $accountDetailsDataType = '';
  protected $appIntegrityType = AppIntegrity::class;
  protected $appIntegrityDataType = '';
  protected $deviceIntegrityType = DeviceIntegrity::class;
  protected $deviceIntegrityDataType = '';
  protected $requestDetailsType = RequestDetails::class;
  protected $requestDetailsDataType = '';
  protected $testingDetailsType = TestingDetails::class;
  protected $testingDetailsDataType = '';

  /**
   * @param AccountDetails
   */
  public function setAccountDetails(AccountDetails $accountDetails)
  {
    $this->accountDetails = $accountDetails;
  }
  /**
   * @return AccountDetails
   */
  public function getAccountDetails()
  {
    return $this->accountDetails;
  }
  /**
   * @param AppIntegrity
   */
  public function setAppIntegrity(AppIntegrity $appIntegrity)
  {
    $this->appIntegrity = $appIntegrity;
  }
  /**
   * @return AppIntegrity
   */
  public function getAppIntegrity()
  {
    return $this->appIntegrity;
  }
  /**
   * @param DeviceIntegrity
   */
  public function setDeviceIntegrity(DeviceIntegrity $deviceIntegrity)
  {
    $this->deviceIntegrity = $deviceIntegrity;
  }
  /**
   * @return DeviceIntegrity
   */
  public function getDeviceIntegrity()
  {
    return $this->deviceIntegrity;
  }
  /**
   * @param RequestDetails
   */
  public function setRequestDetails(RequestDetails $requestDetails)
  {
    $this->requestDetails = $requestDetails;
  }
  /**
   * @return RequestDetails
   */
  public function getRequestDetails()
  {
    return $this->requestDetails;
  }
  /**
   * @param TestingDetails
   */
  public function setTestingDetails(TestingDetails $testingDetails)
  {
    $this->testingDetails = $testingDetails;
  }
  /**
   * @return TestingDetails
   */
  public function getTestingDetails()
  {
    return $this->testingDetails;
  }
}

// Adding a class alias for backwards compatibility with the previous class name.
class_alias(TokenPayloadExternal::class, 'Google_Service_PlayIntegrity_TokenPayloadExternal');