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ELECTION '98: Botkin boosted by Bainbridge, Bremerton
By Michael Wagar, Sun Staff — Nov 5th, 1998
* Although Tim Botkin won the Central Kitsap commissioner race, opponent Carl Johnson was the clear winner within the CK school district boundaries.
While Carl Johnson won't be the next county commissioner, he might consider running for mayor of Silverdale - if and when voters approve an expected spring election for cityhood.
Johnson, a Republican, lost Tuesday night to Democrat Tim Botkin in the race for Central Kitsap County Commissioner. Botkin won with 53 percent of the vote across the county.
Yet in Central Kitsap, specifically within the boundaries of the Central Kitsap School District, Johnson was the clear winner, bringing in 53.5 percent of the vote. It wasn't enough to overcome the combined support from Bainbridge Island and Bremerton voters.
A whopping 65.7 percent of the voters on Bainbridge Island cast their ballots for Botkin. Bremerton followed by supporting Botkin with 56.3 percent of the vote. The two areas combined to give Botkin an insurmountable lead of 3,281 votes.
Overall, Botkin was winning the election by 3,011 out of 56,507 votes cast. The numbers will change when more absentee votes are counted and released Friday.
In South Kitsap the two candidates ran a near-dead heat. Botkin was barely ahead with 50.7 percent of the southern vote. North Kitsap favored Botkin with 52.2 percent of the vote.
In the other county government races, the contest between Democrat David Farr and Republican Jim Avery is still in question. Farr trails Avery by 1,199 votes, after Avery pulled in 51 percent of the vote.
"It certainly looks favorable for an Avery victory," said Kitsap County Auditor Karen Flynn. "But it's still too close to call."
Flynn said she expects to count about 20,000 more absentee ballots for countywide races. She said for Farr to win, he would have to have about 53 percent of the remaining ballots marked in his favor. She said in the early absentee votes, Farr was only receiving 49.6 percent of the vote.
"He would need to substantially increase his trend in late absentees, and that's possible," Flynn said.
In other Kitsap races:
* Democrat Flynn returns for another year as county auditor. Unopposed, she brought in 98.3 percent of the vote.
* Democrat Dean Logan outdistanced Republican Rocky Brannan for the post of county clerk. Logan is leading with 59.1 percent of the votes.
* The lone Republican to win a county government seat this election is Greg Sandstrom, Kitsap's newest coroner. Sandstrom, with 52.7 percent of the vote, beat Democrat Rene La Polla.
* Democrat Russ Hauge, running unopposed for his Prosecuting Attorney post, won with 98.3 percent of the vote.
* Kitsap County's new sheriff is Democrat Steve Boyer. He brought in 67.5 percent of the vote in downing Republican challenger Kent Boekweg.
* Democrat Sharon Shrader, also running unopposed for her treasurer seat, won with 98.6 percent of the vote.
The election means once again Kitsap County elected officials are nearly all Democrats. Botkin joins Democrats Charlotte Garrido and Chris Endresen on the Board of County Commissioners.
"I'm excited about having him down the hall," Endresen said. "I think he'll be a great commissioner. He understands land-use. He knows the county. He's dedicated and believes in public service."
Endresen said she doesn't think having all Democrats on the board hurts the process.
"I don't think party makes that much of a difference in this job," Endresen said. "Partisan politics don't really affect many of the issues around here."
Reach Michael Wagar at (360) 698-4938 or at mwagar@silverlink.net.
Voters don't seem confused by new primary ballot, auditor says
Auditor Karen Flynn, in charge of elections for Kitsap County, says she's hoping for a 45 percent turnout Tuesday. "That might not sound very good, but it's actually not bad for a primary," she said. "We're pleased with the turnout so far." On the ... [Read More...]
40 percent of the votes yet to be counted
Nearly 40 percent of the votes cast in Kitsap County remain to be counted following Tuesday's election. Kitsap County Auditor Karen Flynn said about 31,000 absentee ballots will be counted Friday. Flynn's office has 16,500 absentee ballots in hand, but won't tabulate those results until Friday. ... [Read More...]
ELECTION '96: Votes finally counted — Let the recount begin
* Most local candidates officially can proceed with post-election plans. By Gina Binole Sun Staff The election finally ended Wednesday. For most contenders. There will be an electronic recount in the 26th District state House race between GOP Rep. Lois McMahan and and Democrat ... [Read More...]
Best faces vote recount
It's still not over. Even though it looks like Phil Best will be the new county commissioner, a recount is Monday. By Julie McCormick Sun Staff The last package of absentee ballots from the Nov. 8 general election was counted Wednes-day, and nothing much ... [Read More...]
ELECTION '94: Absentee voting bigger deal than ever
Tuesday's primary is expected to bring out an average number of voters despite some hot local races. By Gina Binole Sun Staff Some folks will be sitting this one out. About 12,170 people to be exact. That is the number of absentee ballots, Kitsap ... [Read More...]


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Model weeps as she's jailed for trying to smuggle £1m of heroin into Ireland
Tereza Hluskova, 22, was sentenced at a court in Pakistan after she tried to smuggle the 19.8lb of heroin into Ireland via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
Bradley JollyDigital journalist
A young model who tried to smuggleheroin worth around £1.1 million into Ireland has today been jailed for more than eight years.
Tereza Hluskova, 22, broke down in tears as the judge sentenced her.
Photos and clips posted on social media show Hluskova her wiping away tears at Lahore Sessions Court in Pakistan.
The Czech model was caught with a reported 19.8lb (9kg) of the drug in her luggage at Islamabad International Airport, Dawn.com says, as she tried to head to Ireland via the United Arab Emirates.
After her arrest, she had claimed someone put the heroin in her suitcase in January last year.
But nine witnesses spoke in court and the jury found her guilty of drug trafficking.
Tereza Hluskova weeps after the court's decision to sentence her to eight years and eight months in prison (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
The model attempted to smuggle heroin at an airport (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Inside squalid 'Alcatraz' prison where El Chapo will spend the rest of his life
Today a judge condemned the offence and locked Hluskova up for eight years and eight months.
The court had heard the model travelled to Pakistan after meeting a man in Manchester who had allegedly set up a fake photography studio.
But the prosecution witnesses said Hluskova was attempting to smuggle heroin out of Pakistan when she was stopped at customs.
People photographed and filmed the 22-year-old leaving court (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Hluskova was found carrying around 9kg of heroin last year (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Fears British dad, 54, found dead in Vietnam 'was killed over unpaid rent'
She was on a three-month family visa at the time of her arrest, local media report.
Customs officers also spoke at Lahore Sessions Court during a lengthy trial.
Hluskova had denied the charge.
Hluskova claimed the drugs were planted in her luggage (Image: Facebook)
Photos show the drugs seized
Hluskova has a huge social media presence
Prison officer caught smuggling mobile phones into jail hidden in her gym pants under her uniform
Last year, a Bulgarian man was jailed for three years and four months in the Czech Republic after threatening terror attacks in Pakistan unless Hluskova was released.
Nikolai Simeonov Ivanov, 21, was found guilty of sending threats by email and text message to a TV channel and news website in Pakistan.
He told the court that he didn't think anyone would take his messages seriously, given that he included his telephone number and email address.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Diversity in Photography - Resources
March 28, 2019 jasmine defoore
Originally published September 2016. Updated March 2019.
As discussions around representation, diversity, and equality in media and journalism (have finally!) become more frequent, new resources are becoming available to help creatives find, hire and publish photography by women and people of color.
This list features organizations dedicated to increasing the presence of underrepresented groups in the media. Please contact me if you have corrections or suggestions for additional links.
Creative Directories & Agencies
Women Who Draw
Illustration is not my main area of focus, but as a photo editor, I am sometimes asked to make illustrator recommendations. I love this database for the filtering capabilities (location, race, illustration style, etc).
Women Photograph
Excellent resource for finding female-identifying and non-binary photographers around the world. Founded by Daniella Zalcman.
GirlGaze
"Girlgaze, initially created as an Instagram hashtag highlighting the female perspective, is an online jobs marketplace and creative agency that connects companies and brands with a global community of diverse and inclusive female-identifying creatives to generate award winning content."
Women in Photography
Women in Photography is a platform for any female Photographer or photo interest. The aim is to give female artists a platform to show their work, inspire and encourage on their journey as a photographer.
Rueda Photos
A collective focusing on "themes with social context, referring to the territory, the gender issues and the current affairs that are specific to it".
F Collective
"An initiative that asks brands + their agencies to pledge to present a female photographer option on each job, with a goal of increasing gender diversity in advertising photography."
Free the Bid
FREE THE BID is a 501c3 non-profit initiative advocating on behalf of women directors for equal opportunities to bid on commercial jobs in the global advertising industry.
We, Women
"Through a radical transformation of image-making—with the goal of contributing to lasting change—We, Women believes we can revolutionize how we see our world and ultimately, ourselves." Offers grants and other opportunities.
Authority Collective
"The Authority Collective is a group of womxn, femmes, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people of color reclaiming their authority in the photography, film and VR/AR industries."
Diversify Photo
Another fantastic database of artists around the world. "Diversify was born out of a recognition that calling for more diversity in the photo industry is not enough. To diversify photo, we need to equip Art Buyers, Creative Directors, and Photo Directors with resources to discover photographers of color available for assignments and commissions."
Natives Photograph
"Natives Photograph is a space to elevate the work of Indigenous visual journalists and bring balance to the way we tell stories about Indigenous people and spaces. Our mission is to support the media industry in hiring more Indigenous photographers to tell the stories of their communities and to reflect on how we tell these stories. "
"We connect emerging journalists, documentary makers and visual storytellers from underrepresented regions and communities with major publications and introduce them to a global audience."
Majority World
Massive list of photographers from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Hard to search by destination, suggest contacting with specific needs. "We specialise in sourcing high quality images from these diverse continents, which provide unique insights into local cultures, environments and development issues."
African Photojournalism Database
African Photojournalism Database is a directory of emerging and professional African news photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers reporting on cultural, economic, environmental, political and social issues on the continent, as well as sports, nature, and stories of everyday life. There are over 400 photographers currently listed on the database, including over 180 professional photographers.
Stock photo archives
Getty's Lean In collection
Jointly curated by Getty Images and LeanIn.Org – the women's empowerment nonprofit founded by Sheryl Sandberg – the collection features over 6,000 images of female leadership and equal partnership in contemporary work and life.
CreateHER Stock
"A grassroots resource and digital space for stock imagery that can be used for lifestyle, business, and everyday content creation for bloggers, creatives, and online influencers."
Refinery 29's 67% Project, creating body-positive imagery of women of all sizes: Images available through Getty
"The Gender Spectrum Collection is a stock photo library featuring images of trans and non-binary models that go beyond the clichés. This collection aims to help media better represent members of these communities as people not necessarily defined by their gender identities—people with careers, relationships, talents, passions, and home lives."
TONL
"Culturally diverse stock photos that represent the true world we live in. Creating an inclusive culture takes both commitment and action. A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions for everyone." Founded by Joshua Kissi.
Recently rebranded to Tetra Images. Blend used to be a decent source of more diverse stock photography options. I've not used Tetra and am not sure if they have maintained that area of focus.
Not specifically a stock archive showcasing the work of underrepresented communities, however, they do make an effort to feature more diverse and representational photography.
3% Movement
In Resources Tags diversity, stock photography, stock photos


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package sw2017.at.adapters;

import android.content.Context;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;

import io.realm.RealmBaseAdapter;
import io.realm.RealmObject;
import io.realm.RealmResults;

/**
 * Created by Valdrin on 4/13/2017.
 */

public class RealmModelAdapter<T extends RealmObject> extends RealmBaseAdapter<T> {

    public RealmModelAdapter(Context context, RealmResults<T> realmResults, boolean automaticUpdate) {
        super(context, realmResults, automaticUpdate);
    }

    @Override
    public View getView(int position, View convertView, ViewGroup parent) {
        return null;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Throughout its long history, Plagron has specialised in the development of products for optimum natural growth and blooming. There is now a wide range of environmentally-friendly additives that provide the best available in the world for nature. It is precisely thanks to a balanced composition of the naturally pure ingredients that all products bearing the Plagron label have an optimally nutritious, protective and preventative effect. These additives are available to the plant enthusiasts, hobby gardeners and also highly professional cultivators. For virtually all plants, trees, shrubs, cuttings and flowers, Plagron has the products that provide for the most fertile possible environment, a process that starts with you.


Learn simple secrets to growing & re-blooming orchids & how to keep them healthy! Aug 5th, 12 – 1:30 pm. Reserve your seat at 916-922-4769. The workshop is given by owner & founder of Exotic Plants Kifumi Keppler who is an expert in orchid & plant care & aesthetic design. It is being held in Exotic Plants where you can see a stunning array of unique orchids & other plants you won't find anywhere else. You can even pick up a plant bargain at our Tent Sale! (10 am – 3 pm) Please call to reserve your seat today. Seating is limited!


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I highly recommend applying these download movie sites as they provide better quality movie documents and is significantly safer.


text:
Tele-townhall Series
Women of the Year Submissions
Sign-up for E-Newsletter
Leg Request Form
Whittier Daily News: Gov. Newsom signs SB 1137, creating a safety buffer between homes and oil wells in California
By STAFF REPORT and OLGA GRIGORYANTS
Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a package of environmental bills including SB 1137, closely watched by communities in Southern California who live near the region's extensive oil well fields. The new law prohibits new oil and gas wells, or major retrofitting of existing wells, within a new buffer zone of 3,200 feet between the wells and homes, schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
SB 1137 also requires companies to monitor leaks and emissions and install alarms.
Food & Water Watch California Organizing Manager Tomás Rebecchi recently called SB 1137 "the most meaningful piece of climate legislation passed" by California lawmakers this session.
Just days before the governor's signing, Ashley Hernandez, a community organizer for the nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment in Wilmington, said she hoped Newsom would back the bill to address the "traumatic impact of the oil and gas industry."
"We are tired of our community being disregarded," Hernandez told the Daily News. "This is such a sweet moment. … It's transformational for all of us."
Newsom recently put his power behind the bill, including it this summer in his mix of proposed bills to fight climate change. An effort in 2019 by South Bay Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, died in Sacramento while several other states went the other direction and created buffer safety zones in recent years.
The governor signed SB 1137 at a ceremony in Solano County where he also signed three other climate-related bills involving the state electric grid, carbon neutrality, and the capture and reuse of carbon emissions.
As in 2019, the proposed buffer zone legislation this year was fought hard by the oil and gas industry, some major business groups such as the state Chamber of Commerce, and powerful trade unions who called it a job killer.
More than 2.7 million Californians live within the 3,200 feet buffer zone in California, and 70% of them are people of color.
In Los Angeles County nearly 1.89 million residents live near oil and gas operations — one of several California countries that produce large volumes of oil. The other impacted counties include Kern, Ventura, Orange, and Santa Barbara, according to an analysis by the non-profit FracTracker Alliance.
Kobi Naseck, of Voices in Solidarity Against Oil in Neighborhoods, recently told the Daily News, "We have the data and we have the science and we're going to take action on that science to protect our people from the big oil."
Read the full article online here.
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text:
Why JA
Junior Achievement of South Central Pennsylvania
JA Global Marketplace®
JA Global Marketplace is designed to provide practical information about the key aspects of the global economy, what makes world trade work, and how trade affects students' daily lives.
JA Global Marketplace is a series of six activities recommended for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The average time for each activity is 45 minutes. Extended learning opportunities were developed to enhance and extend the learning of these core activities. JA Global Marketplace contains an optional CD designed as an interactive, take-home piece for students. Materials are packaged in a self-contained kit that includes detailed activity plans for the volunteer and materials for 32 students.
All JA programs are designed to support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. JA programs also correlate to stat standards in social studies, English, and mathematics, and to Common Core State Standards. JA Global Marketplace was purposefully developed to align with academic content areas, specifically world history, geography, and social studies.
Pillars of Student Success
Entrepreneurship: Financial-Literacy: Work-Readiness:
Program Implementation
Program Grade-Level
Classroom-Based Middle School
Program Concepts
Program Skills
Trade, Market, Domestic trade, International trade, Exports, Trade barrier, Quota, Subsidy, Embargo, Tariff, Standard, Business practices, Culture, Franchise, Global trade, Immigrate, Emigrate, Entrepreneurship, Human resources, Productivity, Technology, Exchange rates, Currency Interpreting maps, charts, and globes, Oral and written communication, Working in groups, Gathering and organizing information, Critical reading, Persuasion, compromise, and bargaining, Analyzing points of view, Brainstorming, Critical thinking, Math calculations
Program Sessions
Activity One: "X" Marks the Spot
Working in groups to identify imported items found throughout the classroom, students begin to recognize that trade with other countries affects their daily lives. Students understand that international trade occurs when nations want or need resources or services from other countries because they themselves cannot satisfy those needs and wants at reasonable costs.
Activity Two: You Be The Judge
Students learn that nations use several methods to increase their trade benefits. Agreements with one or more countries often are made to facilitate trade and avoid conflict.
Activity Three: Let's Make a Deal
Students work in groups to identify and understand the business practices used in other countries. Students discover that business practices vary from country to country and that understanding these practices can have a positive impact on trade.
Activity Four: People Power
Students discover how the movement of people facilitates international trade. They discuss examples of immigration and gain insight into the lives of immigrants through creative activities. They learn that economic opportunity often is the driving force behind immigration and global trade.
Activity Five: World of Words
Students discover how advances in communication and transportation have improved productivity and facilitated world trade. From moveable type to the Internet, students trace the international flow of information and its impact on world economies.
Activity Six: World of Money
To participate in international trade, businesses and individuals must be able to purchase goods and services from each other. Students will learn that countries have different currencies with different values. To purchase goods from another country, it usually is necessary to use that country's currency. Some European countries have facilitated the exchange process by adopting the euro as a common currency.
JA Global Marketplace Kit-Based Program Brief
JA Global Marketplace Kit-Based Program Overview
WANT TO GIVE?
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Volunteer Now!
"I don't think people realize how much of an impact these several hours can have on kids! The volunteer's presence, the connection to the community and its businesses, and the knowledge gained are entwined in setting kids up for future community involvement themselves."
— Patty Barbour, teacher, Sara Lindemuth Primary School
"Students returned to the classroom eager to discuss the event and had a new purpose for high classroom performance."
— Beverly Whiteford Science Department Chair Kennard-Dale High School
"JA helps with the relevancy of a student's education."
— PA's Former Secretary of Education, Carolyn Dumaresq
"I was overwhelmed with the amount of information they retained and truly understood. This is all thanks to Dave. He challenged my gifted students and helped the students that needed that extra support."
— Teacher in Central School District, Gwen Hubbs
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It's glampop. It's artrock. It's high fidelity lofitronics. It's a delicate mix of 70s pop, 80s beats and 90s rock. It's groovy. It's edgy. It's taking the best of all worlds and transforming it into a here & now sound... from Antwerp, Belgium!


text:
Q: FFMpeg remap_opencl filter usage I am trying to use the remap_opencl filter included in FFMpeg but I keep getting errors.
My FFMpeg command looks like this:
ffmpeg -y -init_hw_device opencl=gpu:0.1 \
        -i recording.mp4 -i x.pgm -i y.pgm \
        -filter_complex "\
            [0:v] format=yuv420p,hwupload [gpu0], \
            [1:v] format=yuv420p,hwupload [gpu1], \
            [2:v] format=yuv420p,hwupload [gpu2], \
            [gpu0][gpu1][gpu2] remap_opencl [remapped], \
            [remapped] hwdownload" \
        -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mp4

and the error I get is:
[AVHWDeviceContext @ 0x5589757ea0] No image support in OpenCL driver (zero supported image formats).
[Parsed_hwupload_1 @ 0x558a84ebd0] Query format failed for 'Parsed_hwupload_1': Invalid argument
Error reinitializing filters!
Failed to inject frame into filter network: Invalid argument
Error while processing the decoded data for stream #2:0

I believe this error is telling me that there is no image support in the OpenCL drivers for the PGM files. If this is true, could someone show me how I am supposed to use the remap_opencl filter?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


London tube passenger numbers drop 30% - All In London Forum - All In London.
after the bombings 4 weeks ago public transport carries up to 30% less than previously.
Sale of bicycles inreased over 300% and commuters are digging out old bikes from their garrages.
to boost public confidence in London's public transport police staged huge presence - at least 6 000 officers, many armed, patrol the streets.


Houston's end came on the eve of music's biggest night -- the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to cast a heavy pall on Sunday's ceremony.
"I just can't talk about it now," Houston's godmother, Aretha Franklin, said in a short statement. "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen."
"Her powerful voice graced many memorable and award-winning songs," Portnow said. "A light has been dimmed in our music community today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice."
Brown was getting ready to perform at a New Edition reunion tour in Southaven, Miss., as news spread about Houston's death Saturday evening.
The group went ahead with its performance, but Brown acknowledged that it was difficult.
He told the sell-out crowd: "First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage."
Brown said he decided to perform because fans had shown their loyalty to the group for more than 25 years. During an intermission, one of Houston's early hits, "You Give Good Love," played over the speakers. Fans stood up and began singing along with the song.


text:
How to Classify Violent Crimes, and the news in criminal justice this week
"Rethinking whether these kinds of crimes should be considered violent would change the conversation about what must be done to cut the incarcerated population…"
The Marshall Project conducted a nationwide survey of statutes and found that many people being classified as "violent" criminals have committed offenses most would not consider violent. In Kentucky, possession of anhydrous ammonia with intent to manufacture methamphetamines is classified as a violent crime, and carries a potential sentence of 20-50 years. In Minnesota, possession of marijuana can be considered a violent offense. And in North Carolina, trafficking a stolen identify is classified as a violent crime.
"HB 1352 is an important bill that will help remove barriers to success for thousands of Mississippians."
Mississippi's Criminal Justice Reform Act, signed by Governor Phil Bryant this week, includes wide-ranging reforms to the state's justice system. The bill would expand Mississippi's drug courts to a system of intervention courts that include mental health courts, veterans' courts, and other specializations; allow people charged with misdemeanors to avoid pretrial incarceration; end driver's license suspensions for non-driving related offenses; expand expungement opportunities; and allow individuals with drug-related convictions to receive workforce training and nutrition assistance, among other changes.
"…We will responsibly take steps to assist our friends and neighbors who deserve a second chance to contribute to our society."
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 370 into law this week, allowing New Mexicans to ask the courts to seal records of arrest or conviction. Expungements will not be allowed for crimes against children, sex offenses, drunk driving, embezzlement and some other serious crimes. Regrettably, occupational licensing reforms and data-driven probation reforms were not signed into law.
"The [New] Jersey results are exciting, because they hopefully will add fuel to that forward motion in states that are resistant to making change, out of fear that it will increase violent crime."
The New Jersey Judiciary released a report this week on the aftermath of the state's near-elimination of cash bail, and found that the state's jail population dropped by 44%,while rates of recidivism and failure to appear saw only slight increases. The report concluded that the reforms have "reduced unnecessary detention of low-risk defendants, assured community safety, upheld constitutional principles and preserved the integrity of the criminal justice process." The Administrative Office of the Courts is continuing to study the policy and its results, with a focus on reducing racial disparities and addressing concerns related to domestic violence.
"Our investigation found reasonable cause to believe that Alabama fails to provide constitutionally adequate conditions and that prisoners experience serious harm, including deadly harm, as a result."
The Department of Justice found that Alabama's prisons were overcrowded and understaffed, and that officials had shown a "flagrant disregard" to the rights of prisoners. Major prisons were operating at 182% of capacity, and some facilities had only 20% of their staff positions filled. The report also described "a high level of violence that is too common, cruel, of an unusual nature, and pervasive." The Department of Justice gave Alabama officials 49 days to address the concerns in the report.
Tagged: Mississippi, New Mexico, Pretrial, Alternatives to Incarceration, Probation, Second Chances, Data Collection, Judicial Discretion, Prison Reforms, Fairness in Court and System Financing
Newer PostJoin Us for a Celebration of Second Chances!
Older PostMinnesota's Proposed Parole Board, and the news in criminal justice this week


John Thirtle was a painter of landscapes, architectural subjects and portraits in watercolour; frame maker and printseller. John Sell Cotman was his brother-in-law. With Ladbrooke and Sillet, he was one of the leaders of the secession. After this folded, he scarcely appeared again in exhibitions although continued working until the early 1830s.
Among the Norwich School artists, John Thirtle is second, only to Cotman, as a watercolourist and equal to Crome, whose rare work in this medium can easily be confused with that of Thirtle. His oeuvre ranges from the sensitive early grey wash drawings, through the refreshingly free on-the-spot watercolour studies of Norfolk river scenery, to the colourful late works, all taken from the Norwich townscape or the surrounding country. Unhappily, his achievement is somewhat marred by several large worked-up drawings drowned in a Victorian profusion of detail and by ruinous fading through the use of fugitive colours.


This morning, I took some time to go with my wife and William to see a doctor. Part of the visit was to draw a vial of blood. William is a pretty chill little guy. There's not too much that phases him. But even with his trusty lollipop, this relaxed demeanor didn't quite match up to the pair of nurses trying to get blood out of his little arm. If you know me, you know that I don't handle blood or needles (or both) very well at all. So while little William screamed for all he was worth, I simply had to look away. I had to try to ignore the cries. After all, I know he needed that blood draw.
And in that moment, I knew what the Father must have felt looking down at Calvary so many years ago. His desire to hold His Son. To shield Him from the pain. To respond to His cries. And yet, He couldn't. He wouldn't. Because of us.
So when Jesus said, "It is finished," it must have been a relief to the Father. Relief because Jesus' pain was over. Satisfaction because the mission was accomplished. And joy because He knew that dawn would break anew Sunday morning.
As we near the end of our series, I hope that you have been blessed. But more so, I hope that you have been overwhelmed by the love of the Father for you.
Tomorrow will be another great worship experience! I hope to see you there.
Sabbath worship services are at 8:45 and 11:15 am. This week Pastor Al Reimche, president of the Oregon Conference, will bring us the Bible message entitled It Is Finished.
Immediately following second service SunnyCity volunteers will gather together for a potluck meeting in the Fellowship Hall.
Sunnyside Church Business meeting will be Wednesday, June 19, 7:15 pm. Our agenda consists of: 1) Clerk's Business, 2) Membership Business, 3) Budget, 4) ReNew Sunnyside, 5) Safety Committee Report. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. Your input is vital to our church operations.
The Living Last Supper is a reenactment of the Lord's Last Supper based on Leonardo da Vinci's painting. This is an event you will not want to miss. Invite your friends and family. It will be presented for both worship services on June 22. You can help the team by lending any of the following items: Stoneware or wooden pitchers, wooden cups, large wooden bowls, and 24" stools. Contact Tracey at 503-481-5698.
SunnyCity 2013 ~ Kids' Career Quest: "Imagine Your Future": What are you passionate about? What do you do for living? What is your hobby? Do you work for a wonderful company or do you own a business? What do you still want to be "when you grow up"? Be an inspiration for young children and join us here, at Sunnyside, on the day before VBS, Sunday, June 23, 12:00 to 4:00 pm for SunnyCity. To sign-up and volunteer, see Natalia Gramada today, or e-mail: oliviangramada@msn.com.
Please join the team and help us create a beautiful event for everyone! We need people who are happy to serve the community: greet visitors, coordinate parking, help at registration, lead stations or assist in booths that are short staffed, help with set-up and take down, prepare supplies ahead of time, spread the word, invite community organizations or business people to host a booth, supervise inflatables, paint or play with children, sing for them or play musical instruments, teach them how to fix a bike, change a tire or check the engine's oil, and many other possibilities! There's something to do for everyone! Let us know how you'd like to help, and plan to join us for potluck tomorrow right after the second service. Contact Natalia ASAP: 503-750-9151 or oliviangramada@msn.com. Volunteer forms are available at the information table.
Miller and Bonner Allen, Rob Brunese, Johnetta Fuller (Danette's sister), Norval Gryte, Nancy Ruhl, and all who have financial, spiritual, and health needs. Special prayer for the meetings Don Reynolds is holding at CherryWood Village.


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Brittany Force enters NHRA Countdown to the…
Brittany Force enters NHRA Countdown to the Championship looking to build off past success at Maple Grove
Force is the NHRA Top Fuel points leader heading into the first event of the 2022 Countdown to the Championship postseason
Brittany Force during Top Fuel qualifying at Maple Grove Raceway in 2021. (Harold Hoch/Special to the Reading Eagle)
By Matthew Knaub | mknaub@readingeagle.com | Reading Eagle
PUBLISHED: September 13, 2022 at 5:39 p.m. | UPDATED: September 13, 2022 at 10:12 p.m.
Ahead of the 2013 season, Brittany Force decided she wanted to pave her own way within the NHRA.
The second-youngest daughter of legendary NHRA driver and team owner John Force and the sister to Ashley Force Hood and Courtney Force-Rahal — all of whom carved out successful careers in the Funny Car division — Brittany Force determined she wanted to bring something new to her father's race team.
"I wanted to do something a little different," Force said. "We already had enough Funny Cars in our pits, why not bring a Top Fuel car into the John Force Racing pits."
Ashley Force did just that, jumping into the Top Fuel division and eventually developing into a championship-caliber driver. After being name the 2013 NHRA Rookie of the Year, Force scored her first race win in 2016 and won the 2017 Top Fuel title.
"It was a challenge," Force said about the early years of her career. "It wasn't easy."
Now in her 10th season, Force heads into the 2022 Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA's postseason, focused on winning another title. The current Top Fuel points leader, Force will look to start off strong at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, which begin Thursday at 9 a.m. and serves as the first event of the six-race postseason.
"This first one is a big one," Force said. "It'll set the tone, set the mood for the rest of the Countdown."
Force is no stranger to Maple Grove, as she set the all-time Top Fuel elapsed time record at the dragstrip in 2019 with a run of 3.623 seconds. She also holds the all-time speed record of 335.57 miles per hour at the facility.
"It definitely helps when you're returning to a track that you've been successful at in the past," Force said. "It's an amazing racetrack. You can put great numbers on the board."
Force won the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove in 2017 on her way to the Top Fuel championship. She reached the semifinals of the event in 2019 and 2021 and was the No. 1 qualifier at both events.
"To go back to a racetrack that you've had success at, it puts a positive energy in our team," Force said. "It gives the whole team an extra bit of motivation and confidence."
Courtesy NHRA Communications
Force after winning the 2017 NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
This year, Force has scored four wins and heads into the Countdown to the Championship as the points leader for the first time in her career. Last year, she won just one race despite being the No. 1 qualifier 12 times.
"The key to our success this year has been our performance on race day," Force said. "That's where we've really turned it around."
A 15-time race winner, Force finished second in points in 2021 and third in 2019. She finished just 52 points behind the leader in 2019.
"It just makes you want it more," Force said about striving for her second title. "To come that close to something and lose it right at the very end, it's tough."
With the points reset, Force enters this year's Countdown with a 20-point lead, which she hopes to build upon this weekend at one of her most successful tracks.
"We want to start strong, and we're hoping to do it this weekend at Maple Grove," Force said. "Our plan is to come out and dominate right off the bat."
Matthew Knaub | Sports Reporter


All keiki must be residents of O'ahu at the time of entry and be entered by his or her parents or legal guardians. Each entry is $10 online. However, the entry fee will be waived for keiki who enter at Kapolei Commons this Saturday, August 19, from 10am to 1pm.
HONOLULU Family is taking part in the Touch a Truck event there on Saturday. Christi Young and Emily Porter have details.
Kapolei Commons is located near the Waterpark at 4450 Kapolei Parkway. For more info, go to their website at http:thekapoleicommons.com.


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Ramiro Andrés López (born 31 October 1984) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for San Telmo.

Career
El Porvenir were López's opening senior club, which preceded a move to Argentine Primera División side Almagro in 2005. He went on to make twenty-seven appearances for them, with the majority falling in the subsequent two years in Primera B Nacional. López had two spells with Sportivo Italiano in 2007 and 2009, either side of a stint in Primera B Metropolitana with Defensores de Belgrano. 2010 saw López join Deportivo Morón, with the midfielder scoring five goals in fifteen games before departing six months later to sign for Deportivo Merlo on 30 June. He scored fourteen times in two seasons with the team.

Patronato signed López in July 2012, before Sarmiento did the same the following year. On 30 June 2014, López joined Primera B Nacional's San Martín. They won promotion to the Primera División in his first season, with him scoring on his top-flight debut for the club against Godoy Cruz on 14 February 2015. Fellow Primera División outfit Arsenal de Sarandí completed the signing of López in July, with the player leaving twelve months later to Los Andes of Primera B Nacional. A move to Villa Dálmine followed, before López rejoined Arsenal de Sarandí on 30 June 2018. His bow came on 25 August versus Gimnasia y Esgrima.

On 7 June 2019, after achieving promotion as champions to the Primera División with Arsenal, López agreed to leave after joining newly-promoted Primera B Nacional team Barracas Central.

Career statistics
.

Honours
Arsenal de Sarandí
Primera B Nacional: 2018–19

References

External links

1984 births
Living people
People from Avellaneda Partido
Argentine footballers
Association football midfielders
Primera Nacional players
Argentine Primera División players
Primera B Metropolitana players
El Porvenir footballers
Club Almagro players
Sportivo Italiano footballers
Defensores de Belgrano footballers
Deportivo Morón footballers
Deportivo Merlo footballers
Club Atlético Patronato footballers
Club Atlético Sarmiento footballers
San Martín de San Juan footballers
Arsenal de Sarandí footballers
Club Atlético Los Andes footballers
Villa Dálmine footballers
Barracas Central players
San Telmo footballers
Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: RegEx or Pygrok Pattern match I have text like this
Example:
"visa code: ab c master number: efg discover: i j k"
Output should be like this:
abc, efg, ijk
Is there a way, I can use Grok pattern match or Reg EX to get 3 characters after the ":" (not considering space) ?

A: You can start with this:
>>> import re
>>> p = re.compile(r"\b((?:\w\s*){2}\w)\b")
>>> re.findall(p, "visa code: ab c master number: efg discover: i j k")
['ab c', 'efg', 'i j k']

But you have more work to do. For example, nobody can guess what you mean - exactly - by "characters".
Beyond that, pattern matching systems match strings, but do not convert them. You'll have to remove spaces you don't want via some other means (which should be easy).


text:
Graphic Novel Review: Secret Six
Six Degrees of Devastation
The Secret Six series of graphic novels are part of the wonderful new trend from DC Comics for strong LGBT character comics. Written by Gail Simone, this is recent - and short lived - series from DC Comics that features the lesbian Scandal Savage, a main character throughout the whole series. She's awesome.
The Secret Six are a group of antiheroes, second string villains, who live together and contract out as mercenaries to a variety of employers (guards, rescue missions, assassinations - they do it all). The Secret Six is their official name, but only five of them are that permanent - the 'family'.
This is a pretty violent series, much more to the taste of Batman fans than Superman, but the character development and the plots are mostly as interesting as the violence and action (although it does get darker as the series progresses). The art isn't absolutely mindblowing, but it's certainly good enough.
My cat approves of these books. And not just because of Catman
From left: Villains United, Unhinged , The Darkest House
The characters are all actually interesting, mesh very well, are casually amoral but not entirely monstrous. It's a very fine line to draw, in a way - exemplified by the beginning of the first book in the series, Six Degrees of Devastation , where they're sickened by a concentration camp, free the prisoners... and then walk away while the prisoners massacre the guards.
All their books in order:
Villains United (Countdown to Infinite Crisis)
Villains United/ Infinite Crisis Special #1 (collected in The Infinite Crisis Companion )
Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation
Birds of Prey Vol. 7: Dead of Winter
Birds of Prey: Club Kids
Secret Six: Unhinged
Secret Six: Depths
Secret Six: Danse Macabre
Secret Six: Cat's in the Cradle
Birds of Prey Vol 2: The Death of Oracle (Catman & Deadshot only, but bonus story with Renee Montoya!) Birds of prey #7-15
Secret Six: The Reptile Brain
Secret Six: The Darkest House [review]
Scandal Savage
Scandal Savage is the daughter of the evil, powerful and immortal Vandal Savage. She's a deadly fighter, tough, and fights a lot like Wolverine, with her wrist-claw Lamentation Blades. She's initially the leader of the group but is off the team in the second half of the series (although she's still around - they make a distinction between 'team for jobs' and 'team as in family'). She's prominent, confident, smart, not blatantly fanservicey, and it is made quite clear that she's gay (and perfectly happy about it) in every book.
Knockout is her lover - super strong, tall, fast healing, gorgeous, she's the most powerful member of the team, and the one who ticks all the classic 'superheroine' boxes. Except for being a villain, of course. An ex-Female Fury from Akopolips, she used to fight alongside Superboy, until casually murdering a police officer.
Her non-masked identity was as a stripper. She wasn't originally gay. Technically, she's bisexual, or possibly pansexual - but she's just as in love with Scandal as Scandal is with her.
Deadshot, Catman and Ragdoll are the rest of the team. Later, they're joined by Bane and a steady series of 'sixth members' - each fascinating in their own way (for example, the aristocratic Jeanette, the mad Mad Hatter).
Deadshot is probably the most violent bad guy member of the group. Give him a gun and he'll shoot anything, and he doesn't really care what. A generally nasty character, he has his go od points - like the little daughter he refuses to see because of the danger it would put her in.
Catman used to be pretty pathetic, but is now the closest thing they have to a hero. Not that he's good, necessarily, but he's fairly honourable and a pretty nice person. He also seems to have deliberately modeled himself after Batman (even their silhouettes look similar) - something Bane mocks him about in Depths.
Villains United
(Countdown to Infinite Crisis)
Ragdoll is a peculiarly creepy, endearing - and suddenly vicious and quite insane- character. Addicted to surgery, he's scarred and bald, wearing a mask in public, lifting it for moments of openness. More notably, his limbs are now incredibly flexible and multiply jointed, and his party trick is to strangle someone by wrapping his legs around them.
First appearing as the villains in Villains United (Countdown to Infinite Crisis) they got their own series shortly after. In Villains United, they were caught in the middle of the larger battles of heroes and villains, refusing to join Lex Luthor's society of supervillains, leading to war. Knockout joins the Society undercover at Scandal's request, but breaks cover to save Scandal's life from one of the Society members.
Scandal comes out in the most casual way possibly in Villains United #5
Knockout reveals which side she's really on and rescues her girlfriend, Scandal in Infinite Crisis
They also appear in Villains United / Infinite Crisis Special #1 as part of a huge crossover, in which the events of Villains United are wrapped up, we get to see Knockout and Scandal as a 'proper' couple, and the team decides to stick together as mercenaries.
This story was collected in The Infinite Crisis Companion along with several similar 'wrap up' stories.
The team gets to know each other. Over ribs.
In Villains United / Infinite Crisis Special #1
The first official Secret Six book, we get roughly even coverage of all the members as Scandal's father decides to destroy the group and bring his heir back to him. Plenty of individual attacks on the group members, ending with a showdown against Vandal Savage.
It has lots of lovely Knockout and Savage time. Definitely a good one for anyone looking for superhero (...or villain) lesbian romance.
Lesbian-related moments...
- Knockout nearly dies from an attack during a romantic getaway, but not being human, survives.
- Turns out she's bisexual, as she promptly has sex with Deadshot to unwind... without realising this is a faux pas on Earth (Knockout swears that it meant nothing, he means nothing and she'll never do it again now that she knows). Scandal uses it as an excuse to leave the group, and protect them from her father.
Birds of Prey Vol. 7: Dead of Winter (issues #104–108)
BIRDS OF PREY 109
Spy Smasher is controlling the Birds of Prey and sends them on a mission to Russia, where they go up against the Secret Six who've been hired to guard their target.
In this crossover, Knockout goes and fights Barda inconclusively, Harley Quinn is the temporary sixth member, and Catman and Huntress discover a mutual attraction. Much like Villains United, here the Secret Six are the villains, and the main character are the heroes.
Again, more lovely lesbian naked time occurs. However, the story ends with each team going their separate ways, and they finish the story arc in another book, in issue #109, 'Stone Cold Knockout'.
Birds of Prey: Club Kids (issues #109-112, 1188)
This graphic novel is a collection of short stories finishing off the Birds of Prey series (they came back again in a new series with Gail Simone). Apart from Knockout's death in #109, we also see a bit more of Black Alice before she joins the Secret Six.
It is written by Tony Bedard and are crossovers with story threads in Final Crisis, and the fallout from Death of the New Gods.
A side note about Birds of Prey:
I've managed to read most of the Birds of Prey graphic novels now - also written by Gail Simone, full of female superheroes and very worth checking out - and we get to see the beginning of Black Alice (she joins the Secret Six in Danse Macabre) , who comes to the attention of the Birds of Prey when she's busy murdering drug dealers, and later when the Secret Society try to recruit her.
Knockout does not take the idea that she might lose to Barda very well in Birds of Prey #109
Now this is a good one. Loads of action, a fun storyline and a snake-pit of interesting characters. Plus, good artwork.
It opens with Catman trying to discuss the state of his soul with Deadshot, wondering if they're actually evil or just missing something. Deadshot couldn't care less, of course, but humors him. Oh, they're buying ice cream for Scandal's 'cheer up' party, and a gang of white supremacists are trying to rob the place. Eventually they annoy Deadshot enough that he takes them down and shows them how to properly rob a store, and the two wander out and keep talking about whether Catman has any 'good guy' left in him. Until Deadshot points out that Catman left the upset gang to do what they liked with the store owners... (which was a classic moment).
Anyway, the team hire a stripper called Liana to comfort Scandal, after they get her to drag herself out of bed, who has a vision - or a drunken hallucination - of Knockout. Considering Knockout's deity-like status, it is just possible enough to be believed...
Scandal decides her team are idiots, and gets back to work. The team have been hired, mysteriously, to rescue a woman from prison, who has a certain Get Out of Hell Free card in her possession (although they don't learn about this until too late). Unfortunately, every evil villain around wants it too, include a particularly nasty creature with a connection to Ragdoll and a lot of personal issues - and the money to put an enormous and ridiculous bounty on each of their heads (Junior also turns up in a terrying story in the Birds of Prey crossover, The Death of Oracle, along with a brief cameo from Catman).
Anyway, Scandal's quite upset about her lover's death, and she's rather bluntly reminded by Catman that Knockout probably went to hell - making the card suddenly very important to her. Catman's feeling guilty and clearly wants the card, Deadshot says he doesn't and actually gets heroic, and matters are generally tense all around. And then we get to meet the charming and aristocratic Jeannette, who has mysterious ties to Scandal (a past relationship - Jeanette's bisexual), is incredibly powerful, and is dead. Although that's not immediately evident. We do get a flashback to her childhood in the castle of the bloody Countess Bathory, though.
The Hatter - a little upset at Ragdoll throwing him off a wall in Six Degrees of Devastation appears to be behind the whole job, in an attempt to meet the Six again. And you know, wreak vengeance. Sadly, the vast crowd of villains after the bounty on their heads (and the card), get in his way. And then Ragdoll throws his hat away, so he has to go rescue it.
Bane, hilariously, decides that Scandal needs a father's love and steps into that role - without actually telling Scandal or adjusting for the appropriateness of the situation. Which leads to such delightful lines as "You may have one ice cream of your choice" as they hijack an ice cream van. But by the end of the book, a distinct bond is forming, as both rescue the other in turn from certain death.
Definitely one of the best books in the whole series.
In which Scandal meets up with Liana again by chance and goes on a date with her. Then there's an interlude of Bane, Catman and Ragdoll playing hero in Gotham for a little while (with Bane and Catman both pretending they are like totally not trying to be the Batman), followed by the 'main' action, with the whole team heading to a prison island on a guard job, which includes a whole group of Amazons. And Jeannette reveals a bit more of her extremely scary and sad Banshee side, as well as a lot of personal dislike of Amazons (who hid and let all the other women suffer). Oh, and she totally whups Wonder Woman.
Ends with Bane taking charge and kicking Scandal off the team.
Scandal and Jeannette, with blades and fan out.
This is a pretty grim story, the prison is nasty and the team ends up divided over following their contract or not. Bane is increasingly becoming a father-brother figure to Scandal as well, which is quite interesting to watch.
Interesting lesbian-related developments:
- Scandal is very prominent (although the team shares the action fairly evenly again) and actually goes on a date. The whole thing starts with full page of Liana glomping her in a supermarket.
This is apparently how Liana cheers people up.
Liana and Scandal on their date.
Apparently Scandal is adorable. Awww.
Flashback to Liana dressed as Knockout in Secret Six: Unhinged
At some point, Scandal may have to mention she's a villain.
- Wonder Woman turns up and fights Jeannette (the Banshee), who makes cracks about whether they get to kiss now. There's also some innuendo as Jeannette rescues Artemis.
Jeannette frees Artemis, along with a hint of subtext
"Is this the part where we kiss?"
This is made more interesting by Wonder Woman's - heck, all the Amazons' - long running lesbian subtext.
Diana (Wonder Woman) and her cousin Artemis
Jeannette is scary and powerful
Gail Simone also thinks of Diana as bisexual. And there's this awesome page floating around the web.
A fairly awesome interview about Wonder Woman's dating status from the marvellously LGBTQ-friendly Greg Rucka in Wonder Woman: Down to Earth (thanks to K.D. Bryan in the comments for the ID!)
The plot in Danse Macabre revolves around Deadshot. An old group (the terrifying government agent, Waller, and her Suicide Squad, who he rejoined briefly in Birds of Prey #109) wants him back, and attempts to kidnap him in order to persuade him. This is definitely one of the better books and we even get a bit of Scandal/Liana.
Scandal being off the team basically means she doesn't go into the field but she still handles intel and communication back at base, and she's still part of the decision making.
There's an introduction story about Deadshot, who's been feeling particularly homicidal, enough to worry even him, and he calls up an old priestly friend and they have a chat about Batman and Deadshot's family.
Then there's an abrupt scene change into a new story, with Deadshot and Catman kidnapping a child molestor (and murder) from prison and delivering him to one of the children's fathers, along with a knife and some practical instructions for torture. They're observed by Black Alice, a disturbed teen girl with the ability to steal magical powers and lots of issues, who announces she wants to join (she's crossed over from the Birds of Prey series, if you're curious). Unfortunately, she's way too powerful to brush off (she has the ability to steal the power of any magic user she knows about), so Deadshot and Catman decide to lose her by visiting a strip club. Cue Liana's appearance, Scandal and the rest of the team turning up to take a look at Black Alice, the girl taking on some cops, and the team stepping in and eventually letting her join.
Matters get a bit complicated after that, with the team heading out on a rescue mission that turns out to be an ambush by the Suicide Squad, while Waller goes after Scandal back at the house. Problem is, a bunch of Black Lantern zombies turn up (including the dead Atom - or as Ragdoll puts it, "the flying fetus of doom!") and go after everyone.
...you've gotta love Bane's expression
After it's over, Scandal tells Waller to get lost (and implies that she's still in charge, she's just letting Bane have his head for a while), and Deadshot gives Waller something to remember him by.
Awesome lesbian moments:
The strip club scene is quite fun - it's supervillain night, and Liana turns up on stage as Knockout. Scandal turns up shortly after, tells Deadshot she's already seen what Liana's got, so to speak, then they try and take Alice away before Liana gets fired.
It's supervillain night at the strip club, and Liana is front and center as Knockout
"I'm afraid you're several dates too late for that, Mr. Lawton"
Later, Liana turns up to collect Scandal for a date and Bane goes into protective father mode, hustling Liana off to ask her about her intentions, what this 'date' ritual consists of (a PG animated movie!), and starts asking for a list of all her sexual partners and potential STDs (...which is actually a pretty awesome bit of sexual awareness, if very creepy and over the line).
Bane ambushes Liana and goes into Father-figure mode
Bane starts by asking Liana's intentions and then escalates.
Luckily Scandal arrives and sweeps Liana off for a night of PG animation... or not.
Anyway, Scandal interrupts, informs Bane that her intentions are entirely carnal and sweeps Liana away (the latter suggesting that they skip the movie entirely).
That is, if Scandal can bear to get on the scary pink bike.
Alas, Liana turns out to have a bright pink motorcycle, which causes Scandal a few qualms.
- This one is mostly about Catman hunting down some men who steal his son (and killing them all). Scandal and the rest of the team are left behind, so don't really show up much. If you're mainly interested in Savage, skip this one.
- the current newest sixth member, Black Alice decides (briefly) that Ragdoll is her boyfriend and that Scandal is after him (at which point says "uh, I'm a gay woman"); and they fight. It did feel a bit like the writer went 'oh no, readers might not know this character is gay! We must remind them!' - due to her lack of plot time, there was no casual moment to mention this.
Catman later appears in the Birds of Prey crossover, The Death of Oracle - in which he arranges to persuade Huntress he isn't worth waiting for, and refers to the events in Cat's in the Cradle.
Written by Paul Cornell, issues #25-29 of Secret Six start right from the end of Cat's in the Cradle with the Secret Six being hired by the government with the promise of pardons and taking on a new Secret Six (led by Bane). Bane and Scandal still have the whole father-daughter thing going on, there's scifi travel to another world full of dinosaurs and fairly prehistoric tribes, intrigue, and government interferences.
The art in this issue is different in style too... a lot cleaner and flatter, and much less of the grimness and gore of the rest of the series.
Scandal Savage attacks with
her Lamentation Blades in The Reptile Brain
This is the final-but-one book in the series and gets pretty confusing, as it includes a large crossover introducing a new team/upcoming series - made up of most of the old Secret Six, including Scandal - as well as a number of random characters (such as the government agents Waller of the Suicide Squad and Spy Smasher, who turned up in the Birds of Prey series, and was responsible for them crossing paths with the Secret Six in Birds of Prey Vol. 7: Dead of Winter ).
Sadly, it lacks most of the intriguing character-driven and psychological stuff, even the 'team mates must kill each other' part doesn't really last long and could have been a lot more dramatic. On the plus side - it looks like Scandal is definitely going to be around for more, along with the rest of the team. And the team seems to be settling into a dynamic that actually works for them.
There's a bonus story actually written by Gail Simone (issue #896 of Action Comics, collected in Superman: The Black Ring and Superman: The Black Ring Vol. 2 ) which features the original team at some point earlier in their career, hired by Luthor and facing off with Vandal Savage. Good writing, lots of betrayals in a row, most un-gritty art.
The Final Volume: Secret Six: The Darkest House
The very last trade paperback of the Secret Six is not to be missed. Among various tying up of threads, an attempt by Bane to purge his Batman-demons (by violence, obviously), Scandal finally uses that get out of hell free card, and we get a wonderfully queer-friendly solution to her and Liana. A major, major chunk of the book is about Scandal and her relationships.
There's a full review here, because I read the last book so long after the rest of the series, and because there was a lot to talk about.
Jeannette also offers a solution to Scandal's relationship dilemma... If you really don't want to be spoiled, don't click through to the scan below. But it's awesome. If much too short.
The wonderful (spoilery) happy ending to Scandal's lesbian loves.
Oh, and while the Secret Six are sacrificed in the great DC restart, there's a petition for them to stick around here and some of them do get to stick around.
Summary of sexualities of the main characters:
Knockout, Catman and Jeanette - bisexual
Knockout is shown explicitly as bisexual
Jeannette is implied, but it's easy to miss - she's an ex-lover of Scandal
Catman is not shown explicitly (though you can certainly read subtext in some of his scenes with Deadshot), and the writer has expressed annoyance that she didn't get to show him as canon bisexual before the series was cancelled.
Scandal & Liana- lesbian
Both very central and obvious
Bane, Deadshot - straight
Both interested in women, never show interest in men
Ragdoll - ...who even knows. Pansexual?
Let's just say... he was written to be perverted in all directions, and not always with other people.
Black Alice - into Ragdoll, so again, who knows?
Of note: Tremor (Roshanna Chatterji) is an asexual female (according to Gail Simone) who appears in The Reptile Brain (issues 25-28) as part of Amanda Waller's team, in the New Earth crossover.
Tremor is now a main character in the 2013 series, The Movement, also written by Gail Simone. This comic features a young, headstrong team of superheroes who have taken over their part of the city and kicked out the government (essentially). It is well worth picking up, both for the story and the LGBTQIA content. It not only expands on Tremor's asexuality, but the rest of the team includes both a lesbian and a bisexual woman, a whole variety of ethnicities, and a scary girl in a wheelchair.
and a gay male, and at least one other lesbian that may or may not join the team.
All the Secret Six books in order:
The review of The Darkest House
The Graphic Novels page
Everything about DC Comics
All graphic novel reviews
Lesbian Comics and Graphic Novels
Labels: 5 Stars, asexual, bisexual, DC Comics, dead tree format, Gail Simone, graphic novels
K. D. Bryan September 4, 2011 at 9:57 PM
Lovely! Pitch perfect recap. I adore Secret Six to the point where I even put up a petition to keep it going: http://www.petitiononline.com/47748668/petition.html
Having read Knockout from her time back in Superboy I was surprised and later delighted by Gail's version of her. Scandal, Liana and Knockout are wonderful characters.
As for your Wonder Woman page, it's actually from the start of LGBT-friendly novel and comic book writer (and creator of the modern lesbian superheroines Batwoman & Question) Greg Rucka. His Wonder Woman series is delightful and that particular page can be found in Volume One, "Down To Earth": http://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Earth-Greg-Rucka/dp/1401202268
Good Lesbian Books September 4, 2011 at 11:13 PM
Thank you for the Wonder Woman link - I couldn't find the original anywhere!
And I've added the petition to the review - thoroughly approve btw - and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
6th Annual Lambda Literary Awards 1993
Book Review: Adijan and Her Genie by L-J Baker
LJ Baker, Lesbian Fantasy and Romance Author
List of Yuri Manga ♡
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South Korea's Travel & Tourism expected to create nearly half a million jobs within the next decade
Alonzo Phillips July 10, 2022 3 min read
London, Uk – The Earth Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has discovered South Korea's Vacation & Tourism is expected to create virtually 50 percent a million careers in excess of the following ten years.
The forecast from WTTC's hottest Financial Effects Report (EIR), which exhibits an typical of approximately 49,000 new positions each individual 12 months, to get to approximately 1.8 million by 2032, also reveals the sector will outpace the over-all economic system for the subsequent 10 years.
In accordance to the report, South Korea's Journey & Tourism's GDP is forecasted to mature at an typical level of 4.8% per year involving 2022-2032, appreciably outstripping the 1.8% advancement amount of the countrywide general overall economy.
This will increase the sector's contribution to virtually ₩116.9 trillion, representing 4.6% of the whole economic climate.
In 2023, the forecast from the world-wide tourism system displays the sector's contribution to South Korea's GDP could get to almost ₩83.4 trillion, only 4.7% behind pre-pandemic amounts.
On the lookout to this calendar year, the worldwide tourism entire body predicts the sector's contribution to GDP is anticipated to increase 30.6%, to achieve just about ₩73 trillion, amounting to 3.5% of the full financial system, although work stages in the sector are set to continue to be stagnant, to get to approximately 1.3 million.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: "After the devastating impact the pandemic brought about to South Korea's Travel & Tourism sector, the long run appears to be like vivid for the overall economy."
"We applaud the governing administration for easing of journey constraints, a transfer that will no doubt have a positive influence and recuperate hundreds of thousands of employment."
"However, pre-departure screening in no for a longer period expected in many countries close to the globe and we urge the authorities follow the direct and make it possible for travellers to shift freely after once again."
Prior to the pandemic, South Korea's Travel & Tourism sector's contribution to GDP was 4.4% (₩87.5 trillion) in 2019, slipping to just 2.7% (₩54.2 trillion) in 2020, which represented a stunning 38% decline.
The sector also supported approximately 1.3 million work in 2019, slipping to just above 1.2 million in 2020, when the pandemic devastated the sector.
Nonetheless, thanks to critical and very disruptive journey limitations, the world tourism body's most up-to-date EIR report reveals that 2021 noticed a sluggish the recovery for the country's Vacation & Tourism sector.
Last calendar year, its contribution to GDP climbed by a mere 3% yr on yr, to achieve just about ₩55.9 trillion.
The sector also saw a recovery of just below 2,000 Vacation & Tourism work opportunities, symbolizing a constructive rise of just .2% to extra than 1.2 million.
The sector's contribution to the economic climate and work could have been higher if it were being not for the impression of the Omicron variant, which led to the recovery faltering around the earth, with quite a few nations reinstating serious vacation limitations.
About WTTC
The Planet Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) signifies the global journey & tourism personal sector. Users include things like 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's major journey & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For a lot more than 30 many years, WTTC has been dedicated to boosting the recognition of governments and the public of the financial and social significance of the journey & tourism sector.
In accordance to WTTC's 2021 Financial Influence Report, through 2020, a year in which it was devasted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vacation & Tourism designed a 5.5% contribution to world-wide GDP and was responsible for 272 million jobs.
WTTC Push Office environment
Tags: create decade expected Jobs Koreas million South Tourism Travel
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Home/Arts/Metropolitan School of the Arts Honors Volunteer With Champion of Young Performers Award
ArtsSchool NewsVolunteering
Metropolitan School of the Arts Honors Volunteer With Champion of Young Performers Award
Kevin Dauray Send an email July 26, 2021
Michelle Collier, co-executive director of Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) awards Larry France (MSA volunteer) the Champion of Young Performers Award at MSA. (Photo courtesy MSA
ALEXANDRIA, VA-Alexandria's Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) recently honored volunteer Larry France with the Champion of Young Performers Award. The school created the award two years ago to recognize an individual or business partner who demonstrates extraordinary generosity to students by helping them in the development of their performing arts skills.
"Volunteers and donors are the heart of our community that makes MSA so special, and we are so honored to honor Larry this year," said MSA Co-Executive Director Michelle Collier.
Throughout this school year, France has give more than 50 hours of his time to guide students in rehearsal for an outdoor cabaret show. He also served as the director for MA's first online benefit concert and served as musical accompaniment for a charity performance to raise funds for Children's National Hospital. On a regular basis, he allows students to use his personal audio equipment.
When France is not working with MSA students, he works as an accompanist for cabarets and other performances with muliple theater companies, serves as choir director at churches, and leads the modern rock band Drumfish.
Melissa Dobbs founded the school in 2013. Its Academy prepares students for college programs in the performing arts, focusing on grade 7 to 12. The nonprofit relies on donations from the surrounding community and sponsors. MSA has been featured on "FOX 5 Morning News" and "WUSA9 Great Day Washington." The school has also been featured in articles appearing in The Washington Post Weekend Magazine and Washington Business Journal.
ICYMI: Alexandria Symphony Orchestra Announces Schedule for 2021-22 Season
Alexandria news Metropolitan School of the Arts performing arts Volunteering
Kevin Dauray
Kevin is Publisher's Assistant with The Zebra Press. He has been working for Alexandria's "Good News" newspaper since 2019. A graduate of George Mason University, he earned a bachelor's in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. He is an alumnus of T.C. Williams High School. Go Titans!
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Old Dogs Do Teach Us New Tricks
Linked Editorial health & wellness
Dogs are commonly referred to as man's best friend. This is because of their undeniable physical and emotional connection to their owners. Now, new research suggests that this connection is actually closer than had previously been expected. It reveals that companion dogs can be a powerful translational model to study complex questions about human health and pave the way for a new undiscovered area of research, in which old dogs can now teach us new tricks about our health.
The research, conducted by a team at the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Washington has yielded ground-breaking new data to support the value of using clinical records from dogs to learn about human health.
Companion dogs and their owners live closely entwined lives, and the research showed that both suffer from age-related health issues such as obesity, arthritis and diabetes, with very similar occurrence patterns (for example, at what point in their lives that conditions develop). With the ever-growing life expectancy for humans, it is becoming more common for us to spend several years suffering from multiple chronic diseases in later life. But the long delay in humans from exposure to risk factors in youth such as geographical location, diet or exercise to eventual disease in older age means that research studies in humans can take decades to complete, and this limits our ability to develop ways to prevent and effectively treat these conditions.
However, because dogs naturally have a much shorter life span, and experience similar health issues, canine lifetime studies can be completed in roughly one-seventh of the time in dogs compared with humans. These studies can help researchers to understand complex diseases and provide valuable information that can be used to enhance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these health issues in both humans and dogs.
Dr. Dan O'Neill of the Royal Veterinary College said:
These findings are hugely exciting! By sharing clinical records on their pets with VetCompass™, UK owners and vets have already helped the UK to lead the world in population-based animal research. But now potentially millions of older humans may also see the benefits from the exploration of canine health records
The research was published in the human aging journal Aging Cell, and the research was conducted through the VetCompass™ project at the Royal Veterinary College which analyses anonymised veterinary clinical records from over 1000 UK vet clinics enhance understanding, and improve the health and welfare, of companion animals, and beyond
companion dogs, dogs, health, research, veterinary
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Of the three certainties in life (death, taxes and horrifying Republican expressions of the conservative worldview) the key question to ask is whether all of them can be deferred until after the next election.
Republican Party leaders have a fair amount of control over the first two, but are continually grappling with the limits of their power over the third. Just this week, for instance, Georgia's Republican insurance commissioner compared Obamacare beneficiaries with preexisting medical conditions to uninsured, reckless drivers who plead for financial assistance after they've totaled their cars.
"[I]f you don't really understand what covering pre-existing conditions would be like, it would be like in Georgia we have a law that says you have to have insurance on your automobile," Ralph Hudgens told an audience at a Republican Women's Club Meeting, unaware that his remarks were being filmed.
You have to have liability insurance. If you're going to drive on Georgia's roads, you have to have liability insurance. You don't have to have collision. You don't have to have comprehensive…. But you have to have liability.
But say you're going along and you have a wreck. And it's your fault. Well, a pre-existing condition would be you then calling up your insurance agent and saying, 'I would like to get collision insurance coverage on my car.' And your insurance agent says, 'Well, you never had that before. Why would you want it now?' And you say, 'Well, I just had a wreck, it was my fault and I want the insurance company to pay to repair my car.' And that's the exact same thing on pre-existing insurance.
This might sound unusually callous, even for a Georgia Republican -- or like typical reactionary anti-Obamacare horseshit taken just a bit too far. But it's actually worse. It's a symptom of how deep the rot of 47 percenter thinking has crept in the conservative movement. It's no longer just people who have negative income tax liability whom conservatives write off as hopeless dependents, but anyone who benefits in any way from any government program or consumer protection (except, of course, for Hudgens' mortgage interest deduction, or the irrelevance of his preexisting conditions as a member of a group plan, or his untaxed premium contributions, or his parents' Medicare).
Hudgens has already apologized for his remarks, and his experience will serve as a warning to Republicans running for office on anti-Obamacare platforms not to take their attacks too far. But this wasn't a symptom of an ideologue's tendency to exaggerate -- it's part of the foundation of the conservative belief system. The fact that it's an Obamacare benefit just makes it more likely that one or more Republicans will screw up or fall into a similar trap.
After the 2012 elections, Republican leaders made a strategic decision not to reimagine the elements of the GOP agenda that reflect this kind of thinking. Later, they resigned themselves to not making any changes to the platform at all. As a consequence, the only instrument they have at their disposal to repress the conservative id is a draw rod.
Republicans can plead with candidates and movement celebrities not to expose their own underbellies. The party's latest crack at preventing or delaying an inevitable Akin-esque implosion is to put candidates through yet more sensitivity training and hope they don't reflexively pull back the curtain on their retrograde gender views during a flustered moment on the trail.
But this is far from a foolproof method, and there are too many figures in the movement with deplorable views and poor self-control for this to work 100 percent of the time. They can't muffle issues that matter to voters, which means they can't always control the conversation. As long as Obamacare (and inequality and women's rights) are on the docket, more outbursts like Hudgens' and Akin's will remain inevitable. And the party's attempts to explain them away as bad-appleism, unrepresentative of the party's official view, will continue to ring hollow.


Welcome To The New FM-DOWN.COM!
1/1/19 - Happy New Year! This year is looking good for your ol' pals in FMDown. On the heels of a brand new record, we're prepping for our Decadent Cabaret performance, gearing up for some summer festivals, and planning the guerrilla shows.
In the meantime, check out all the NEW ITEMS IN THE STORE! The new record is now available on vinyl, along with some cool FMDown swag. Get it!
11/16/18 - The new record, Maybe We Could Get Somewhere if We Could Just Be Somewhere Else... is now available for streaming! It's available on all major digital platforms. Check it out here (for free!) on Bandcamp!
We will be performing the album in its entirety at the Bad Art Music Festival at the Pablo Center in Eau Claire on Black Friday, November 23. At that time, the new record will be released for purchase on VINYL!
9/4/18 - The Joey G Signature Football is here! Available in the store now!
We've also been busy adding new items to the store, as well as discontinuing some older items. Stop by often to see what's new!
Our fourth album is due in November - stay tuned!
FMDown is a four-piece rock juggernaut hailing from Eau Claire, WI. Started in 2010, we've been assaulting current music trends with a unique, yet familiar blend of Midwestern rock and roll. Feel free to stick around for a while and have a listen to our tunes and check out when we're coming to cure you of your daily woes.
Cheers, and we'll see you soon.
Join our mailing list, and we'll let you know only when there's something we think you should know about. We hate junk e-mail too... don't worry. Heck - we'll even give you our song "New Years Day". Perks - got to love 'em.


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By Billy Manes on Thu, Dec 7, 2006 at 12:00 am
"I hate you," I clench my teeth around my steering wheel. "You are dead to me."
"Don't say that!" Savannah drawls inaudibly … to me.
Life has taken a bloated tryptophan turn over the past couple of days, and my car has taken a few extra turns itself in just the past half-hour. A half-baked premise involving something like going far away to appreciate where you came from — that and one too many tumblers of soothing elixir punctuated by some superfluous talk about "finding a pulse" — and we're careening down the darkened, underdeveloped thoroughfare at the nether reaches of Alafaya Trail like two strung-out models in a David Lynch movie.
"I think my Mulholland just fell," I seethe nonsense as Savannah strokes a tree and attempts to talk backward. "Do you even know where I'm taking you?"
"On."
Oh. We finally pass a subdivision called Wisper Palms when I realize that we've officially exited spelling limits. Night-vision images of a Blair witch or a cannibal's bonfire sputter behind my eyes, and if I press down on my eyelids real hard, I can almost see streetlights. Alas, the horizon reveals shadows of some kind of industrial smokestacks just beyond a red-and-white guardrail that will let us go no further.
"This is where the sidewalk ends," Savannah Silversteins.
"In New Jersey?"
Turns out that we had just passed our intended destination, Avalon Park, which is, sadly, not a Roxy Music playground with a Bryan Ferry wheel. Instead, it's the eerie stillness of a Pleasantville condo/house/retail monstrosity of seemingly self-sufficient means: a congested cul-de-sac of Baldwinian Parkitude promising single-family peripheral existence from the low $300s. You could be home by now?
"I don't hate you as much now," I peek into the fancy storefronts. "And, for the moment, you're only in a coma."
Surprisingly animated is our point of destination, the Town Tavern on the circle of the town's center. A middle-class mélange of quirky middle-agers and Dockers-and-boat-shoes types (endemic to younger first-time home buyers) salt their dogs at a convivial pace, while, perhaps obligatorily, a karaoke challenge pollutes the clean air with the sounds of yesteryear.
"With arrrrrrrms wide open!" Stapps one showstopper, and something has been knocked loose.
"Where's the bathroom?" Savannah claws her own stuffed ass.
"Take a left at the Panda," offers a booth-seated reveler.
The Panda is a claw machine full of stuffed animals, but that isn't important. Why we're really here, I've just found out, is to claw the stuffed ass of Savannah's radio colleague and Internet-rumored sex toy, Scott (of night-timers Jody and Scott). He isn't here yet, but Drew Garabo is, playing host or judge or something to this "ultimate" $500 battle of aesthetic displeasure.
"What are you going to sing?" he quizzes some almost-pretty girl mashed up near him.
"It depends on how much I drink," etc.
Anyway, by the time Scott arrives — Cusack-cute (Cute-sack? Eww) in a sweatshirt — we're playing overdressed flirty on the front deck.
"You want to go to Pulse?" Savannah rediscovers an earlier theme. "Billy's got a 'thing' at Pulse."
"Is that the place where guys get free drinks to take their shirts off?" Scott seems interested but isn't letting on. "I don't want to drink with shirtless guys."
Me neither, much less at the home of my longest $40 grudge. But if we're looking for a pulse, than little seems more obvious than, well, Pulse. We giggle about how Savannah needs to get her year-old sexy back, how magically hot Scott is (Schott?), how he totally wants me instead, and then we head off to the gay.
"The white in here," Savannah sniffs, "it makes me want to do coke."
Anyway, our mutual hair-ticulturist, Joel, is working tonight in the black-walled bar, so we make a heroin sway into the horse.
"It smells like farts and semen," Savannah sniffs, again.
And just then, a bar stripper's thonged ass descends on her Sexy face, all musky and gyrating. Said Sexy face quickly falls into her hands which fall abruptly to the bar. This isn't working out. We're looking for a frontal, throbbing pulse, not the rhythmic pull of a magic button. What's a horny girl gonna do with a bunghole?
"Let's go smoke," she says.
Outside, a lanky fag is drawn to Savannah's L.A.M.B. Gwen boots. He says he's a designer (for himself) and suggests that she dye them black. Why?
"I just came from a mod party and I haven't had a chance to change," he eludes fashion.
"You're wearing black boat shoes," Savannah calls him on it.
Clearly Pulse isn't where the pulse is, so we phone up Scott and decide on a neutral, if black-shod, meeting place: Independent Bar. Scott says he's here, but our kiss-kiss perusal of the premises reveals the opposite. Instead we're accosted by an inexplicable mutual fan, one of measurable intoxicated derangement. He paws at Savannah for a while before escaping to me, making sure that I know that he's a "flipper," someone who flips between the Monsters and the Morning After shows to achieve the perfect mix of early-morning insanity. Then he realizes something erroneous.
"You're Billy Zane!" he Titanics. "From the Orlando Sentinel! You're a serious writer, aren't you? She's beautiful! And so are you, I mean, if I was into that sort of thing."
"Er, thanks."
Anyway, Scott finally shows up with an O-Rock posse, sporting a new, dangerous glaze in his gaze. And try as she might, Savannah can't seem to penetrate it.
"I'm gonna rape your ass!" Scott growls into my face for no apparent reason.
"Gawd, I told you he was trying to get with you!" Savannah squeals, pulse elevating. "I hate you!"
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