text:
A Bikeshare Showdown Between Uber and Lyft
June 10, 2019, 10am PDT
Lyft may soon not be the sole bikeshare operation in San Francisco as the city looks to expand the system and open the market up to other companies.
Streetsblog USA
The Bay Area's Coming 'Freeway Revolution'
February 16, 2016, 8am PST
This will not be a revolution against freeways, as some may have hoped, but a revolution marked by new express lanes totaling 550 miles, beginning with a new stretch of 14 miles on I-580 through Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore in the East Bay.
New Year's Gift for Washington and New York City Commuters
January 4, 2016, 11am PST
Commuters working in New York City and Washington, D.C. will now enjoy transit tickets and passes purchased using pre-tax income.
Regional Planning Merger One Step Closer to Reality in the Bay Area
November 2, 2015, 8am PST
The Bay Area is one of the few metro regions in the U.S. with a separate MPO and COG, but that could change after voting members of both the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments agreed to a merger study.
Can a Single Regional Planning Agency Fix What Ails the Bay Area?
The potential to address the housing and transportation issues of the Bay Area by a single regional agency will be addressed this week.
Gentrification and the Bay Area's Controversial Growth Management Plan
August 29, 2015, 7am PDT
Is gentrification the inevitable result of land use planning that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by favoring infill development over auto-dependent sprawl? The Urban Displacement Project looks at the unintended effects of Plan Bay Area.
Marin Independent Journal
Small Starts Funding Cut Jeopardizes Critical SMART Train Extension
August 14, 2015, 11am PDT
After a Senate committee slashed the Small Starts grant program, the new Marin-Sonoma "SMART" train may not be extended from San Rafael to the Larkspur ferry landing, a critical link enabling rail commuters to take the ferry to San Francisco.
Bay Area's First Express Lanes Break Ground
August 8, 2015, 7am PDT
The new 23 miles of I-680 express lanes between San Ramon and Walnut Creek in Contra Costa County will begin construction this month, the first of over 500 miles to be built and operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Pleasanton Weekly
California First: Carbon Fees Used to Fund Affordable, Transit-Oriented Housing
July 6, 2015, 6am PDT
On June 29, the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $121.9 million in Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds to help build 28 affordable housing developments on major transit lines. Funding originates from proceeds of the cap-and-trade market.
Second Largest Bikeshare in U.S. will be Bay Area's by 2017
May 30, 2015, 1pm PDT
Bay Area Bike Share will grow from 700 to 7,000 bikes by 2017 after the expansion proposal was approved by a unanimous vote of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. It is a regional, not a city program, though most usage is in San Francisco.
Bay Area's Newest Commuter Rail Service on Display
May 14, 2015, 9am PDT
The Northwestern Pacific RR served Marin and Sonoma counties and the North Coast in the 1890s. The route of the new SMART train, while not as long, will run in the same right-of-way, starting next year. One new train was on display in San Rafael.
Bike Share on San Francisco Peninsula in Jeopardy
Palo Alto may be one of America's most bike-friendly small cities, but when it comes to bikeshare, it's been a flop. It's not alone—ridership has been low in Mountain View and Redwood City as well.
Palo Alto Online
Bay Area Bike Share Poised to Grow from 700 to 7,000 Bikes
April 4, 2015, 7am PDT
The regional system would expand to the the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville. Bikes would be added in San Jose and San Francisco.
San Francisco Workers: Got Commuter Benefits?
San Francisco's Department of Environment will soon begin enforcing the city's mandatory commuter benefits program for the first time since the law's inception in 2009. Fines up to $500 may be levied for noncompliance after warning notices are sent.
San Francisco Examiner
Density is Key to Fighting Climate Change, Rules Bay Area Judge
A group that coined the term, "stack and pack" to deride density and its role in reducing carbon emissions lost in court when the judge rejected their argument that only technological improvements in cars and fuels were necessary to reduce emissions.
Environmentalists Settle Lawsuit on Plan Bay Area
June 24, 2014, 8am PDT
Two down, two to go. Rarely has a regional transportation/land use plan been sued by so many diverse groups. Environmentalists settled with Bay Area regional planning agencies with assurances that the 2017 plan will better account for GHG reductions.
First Bay Area Express Lanes Approved For New Bay Area Agency
The Bay Area already has express lanes - but these 23 miles in Contra Costa County on I-680 will be the first built and operated by the new Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).
Could a Little Black Box Transform Road Funding in the U.S.?
Southern California's powerful regional planning association is one of the many public agencies across the United States that sees the future of road funding in a new technology called a 'black box'.
Plan Bay Area: Sued From the Right, Now the Left
Plan Bay Area must be doing something right as it seems to be antagonizing those on both ends of the planning spectrum. First, a libertarian group sues because of "densification", and now environmentalists sue because not enough funds go for transit.
KQED News
Bay Area Bike Share Prepares for August 29 Launch
Dwarfed by its city counterparts, the Bay Area's 1,000 bikes will cover a larger region (5 cities in 3 counties) with fewer bikes, many placed at key transit nodes. It also distinguishes itself by being a 'pilot program' with multiple public owners.
Environment News Service


text:
What Scotland Thinks > Comment & Analysis > Comment > Blogpost > Could Brexit Lead to IndyRef2?
Could Brexit Lead to IndyRef2?
Posted on 13th June 2016	by John Curtice
With the opinion polls consistently showing that Scotland is set to vote to Remain in the European Union on June 23rd (the latest estimate from TNS released last week suggested that, after excluding Don't Knows, as many as 71% might do so), there seems to be more interest north of the border in discussing what might happen if the UK as a whole were to vote to Leave than considering the merits or otherwise of remaining in the EU. Last week the former Prime Minister, John Major, and the Chancellor, George Osborne, both warned that a vote to Leave could well trigger a second independence referendum – and argued that was one reason why voters across the UK should vote to Remain.
But is this expectation a reasonable one? If it is, then one thing we should be able to demonstrate is that there is considerable evidence that a majority would vote in favour of independence should Scotland find itself heading for the EU exit door against its will. After all, Nicola Sturgeon has made it pretty clear that she is not minded to hold a second independence referendum unless there is clear and consistent evidence that a substantial majority would vote Yes.
For that position to arise there needs to be a substantial swing in favour of independence as compared with the current balance of opinion. The 13 polls conducted this year that have asked respondents whether they would currently vote Yes or No to independence have on average put Yes on 47% and No on 53%. In other words, Scotland currently remains divided down the middle on its constitutional future, with a small majority in favour of staying in the UK.
However, is there any reason to believe that such a swing would actually occur? For while the prospect of Scotland being 'forced' to leave the EU against its wishes would undoubtedly be regarded as an affront by many a supporter of independence, we should remember that it is how unionists would react to such an outcome that would determine whether or not there was a swing in favour of independence.
There is certainly one group of unionists who would not regard a UK-wide vote to Leave the EU with disfavour – those who themselves want to Leave. And we should remember that Leave supporters are a little more numerous amongst unionists than amongst nationalists. Polling conducted shortly before last month's Holyrood election by Panelbase, Survation and YouGov found on average that 37% of those who voted No in September 2014 propose to vote Leave, compared with 30% of those who voted Yes.
In any event, eight polls have now asked people in Scotland how they would vote in a second independence referendum if the UK were to vote to Leave the EU. Of these, five also asked their respondents how they would vote now in an independence referendum, and thus provide us with a direct measure of how much opinion might shift in those circumstances. The following table summarises what these five polls found:
As we can see, every one of these polls found that rather more say they will vote Yes if the UK votes to Leave the EU than say they would do so if there were an independence referendum now. But the 'swing' to independence in these circumstances is not a large one – between 3 and 6 points – and averages around four and a half. Applying that swing to the average level of support for independence in all polls conducted this year suggests that a UK-wide vote to Leave the EU might just result in majority support for independence – but only just. At 51% or 52%, it would certainly fall well short of the 60% figure that we have been advised would be regarded by the SNP as evidence that it might be willing to take the risk of calling a second referendum.
We should note too that two of the three polls that asked people how they would vote in a second independence referendum should the UK vote to Leave the EU (including last week's TNS poll) without also asking them how they would vote now, found that there would still be majority support for remaining in the Union. The average level of support for Yes in these three polls together with the five listed in our table stands at just 50%, with No also on 50%.
Of course, we should bear in mind that we are looking at what respondents say they think they would do under hypothetical circumstances. None of us can be sure how we will react in a situation we have not as yet experienced. Indeed, the reaction in Scotland to a UK-wide vote to Leave might in the end depend on what the fall-out from such a decision proves to be. But at the moment at least it is far from clear that a vote for Brexit would change the balance of public opinion on independence enough for Nicola Sturgeon to want to take the risk of holding indyref2.
How Scotland should be governed

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1. What is Tax Law? Employee Benefits Law? Trusts and Estates Law?
Tax, employee benefits and trusts and estates practitioners all work with the tax code, and in some offices they may belong to the same practice group. But each specialty involves a different part of the tax code and different related areas of law. In addition, the day-to-day routine of the practices often differs.
Most tax lawyers have sub-specialties. For example, tax controversy specialists typically handle disputes with the IRS or state tax authorities and litigation in Tax Court or other courts. Corporate tax lawyers advise clients on merger and acquisition and other transactions, for example devising structures that will permit tax-deferred deals. International tax experts may develop plans for non-US operations, considering issues such as intellectual property ownership, manufacturing capabilities, and earnings repatriation in an effort to minimize the tax burden for a US parent corporation. Venture capital and other fund lawyers negotiate and draft partnership agreements using their knowledge of the securities and governance laws relevant to funds as well as their expertise in partnership tax law. Other niche practices include state and local tax work, tax-exempt bond work and representation of tax-exempt charitable organizations.
Like venture capital fund lawyers, employee benefits lawyers serve their clients with a tailored set of skills which includes tax. They advise clients on the requirements of ERISA, the federal statute that governs many benefit plans and overlaps with Section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code. Benefits lawyers design and draft employee and executive benefit plans such as qualified pension plans, ESOPs, 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, and welfare benefit plans such as health, disability and life insurance. They also advise on executive compensation arrangements, deferred compensation plans and equity compensation such as stock option plans. In most firms, employee benefits practice is distinct from employment law practice; the latter generally focuses on issues such as employment discrimination and labor law compliance.
Trusts and estates lawyers assist clients with estate planning, including the establishment of trusts and wills and lifetime transfer plans. They provide advice to trustees and personal representatives in connection with the administration of wills and trusts. They may also litigate challenged wills and trusts. A trusts and estates practitioner combines expertise in estate and gift tax law, wills, trusts and property law, and probate court practice.
2. What is the daily routine of an attorney practicing in these areas?
The day-to-day routine differs depending on subspecialty. For example, a tax controversy lawyer spends time on discovery, on drafting motions and briefs, on conferences with the government and in court. A corporate tax lawyer, a venture capital fund lawyer or an employee benefits lawyer often has a practice driven by business transactions and marked by significant time spent negotiating and drafting agreements, and researching and explaining the impact of a particular specialized provision of tax or other law on the deal at hand. A trusts and estates lawyer frequently meets with client families, as well as drafting their estate plan documents and representing them in probate court.
3. Where are Tax, Employee Benefits and Trusts and Estates Law Practiced?
Large and midsize law firms with business practices generally include a few lawyers with tax and/or benefits expertise. Some tax groups within large law firms have tax clients, such as corporate tax directors, and tax-heavy practices such as international tax planning or controversy. Other tax groups are satellite practices that support a core practice such as a corporate transaction practice. Often, large firms in the Bay Area have a separate group dedicated to venture capital and other fund clients as well as a separate employee benefits group.
Small and boutique law firms that focus on certain kinds of tax or benefits practice, such as tax controversy or nonprofit clients. Trusts and estates practices are frequently solo practitioners or small offices.
Accounting firms have enormous tax practices that span planning, controversy, return preparation and preparation of the tax portion of financial disclosure documents. They serve a wide variety of clients and offer many different niches. Some Big 4 firms ask new hires to spend one or two years learning about compliance, controversy and planning work before transitioning to specialty groups. In other cases, it is possible to immediately join a specialty group.
Government: Tax, benefits and trusts and estates attorneys give legal advice relating to examination, audit appeals and litigation at the Internal Revenue Services Office of Chief Counsel, which has offices all over the country. The Department of Justice also has a specialized tax division. Lawyers at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC design and draft regulatory and other guidance, advise on pending legislation, and meet with taxpayer groups. Tax attorneys work in similar capacities at the California Franchise Tax Board and other state tax offices. Benefits attorneys also hold staff positions at the Department of Labor and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
In-house. The legal staffs of large corporations, foundations and universities often include tax and benefits attorneys. In the case of large corporations, tax lawyers may belong to the tax department under the CFO function instead of to the general counsels office.
4. What Courses and Academic Experiences would be helpful?
Supplemental Courses: Consider supplementing with related courses depending on your interest. Possible law school classes include: Business Organizations, Employment Law, Employment Discrimination, Labor Law, Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Transactions, International Business Transactions, International Financial Law, International Economic Law, Securities Regulation, Legal Issues of Start-Up Businesses, and Venture Capital. Finally, some employers would consider graduation from an intense accounting short course such as the CAAP program offered at the business school, www.scu.edu/business/actg/caap-program.cfm, a plus.
Tax Courses: Also keep in mind that San Jose State Universitys Masters of Science in Taxation program offers numerous specialized courses which may be taken with prior permission for Santa Clara law credit, up to 6 credit hours, on a credit/no credit basis.
Writing a seminar paper or law review note on a tax, benefits or trusts and estates subject.
Participation in a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or other community service tax preparation program.
On-campus interviews. The Big 4 firms and the IRS have interviewed on campus and/or solicited resumes in recent years. They typically interview 3Ls in the fall and 2Ls in the spring.
Demonstrated interest. Most employers want to see a genuine interest in tax, benefits or trusts and estates on your transcript. Some tax classes, however, may be offered on an every-other-year basis. This means you need to plan your courses carefully. Try to start by taking Federal Personal Income Taxation in your first 2L semester and Federal Income Taxation of Business Organizations and/or Family Wealth Management in your second 2L semester. Then you will have time for more specialized tax or related classes in your 3L year.
Do your research. One way to test whether youre interested in tax is to skim online tax news to get the flavor of the technical and political news in tax. Most tax people skim Tax Notes Today, available on LEXIS, on a daily basis. Many also read the leading academic tax blog at www.taxprof.typepad.com, which may be more accessible due to its blog format.
Experience. Any kind of real-life tax, benefits or trusts and estates experience is a plus. Consider volunteer externships, whether at an accounting firm, a law firm, or the government, as well as paid summer internships. Also consider pursuing an externship or clerkship at a court with tax expertise (such as a probate court) or a more generalist court that sees a good amount of civil litigation. The ABA law student tax challenge held each fall can also provide mock experience; contestants write memos on a topical practice problem and defend the memos before panelists acting as senior tax partners and clients.
Publications. You can get a lot of mileage out of a tax-related paper as well. Tax types have a lot of respect for painstaking analysis and academic success. Consider submitting a paper to Tax Notes Today, tax law journals, one of many practitioner publications, or the Tannenwald competition for student tax papers, which is held each summer.
LLMs. Some students pursue a one-year tax LLM degree after graduation from law school. The programs at NYU, Georgetown and Florida have the best reputation. Locally, Golden Gate University and San Jose State University offer similar Masters of Science in Taxation degrees. There are also well-regarded programs in Southern California and elsewhere. It is possible to earn a tax LLM as a day or night student. The LLM programs offer a wider array of tax employers at interview time, including prominent law firms as well as accounting firms, although many of the interviewing firms at NYU and Georgetown have practices based on the East Coast.
6. What Professional Organizations and Associations can I join to meet people and find out more?
Tax conferences and continuing education meetings happen constantly, and its easy to meet people there. Check out the American Bar Association tax section, which includes a law student group, and the Practicing Law Institute, which offers drastically reduced rates through its law student scholarship program to students who attend its conferences.
7. What job search reference resources should I check out for further information?
BIG 4. The largest tax employers that either interview on campus or collect resumes for summer and permanent tax jobs are the Big 4 accounting firms: Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.
Law Firms. Numerous law firms with tax and benefits departments also interview on campus, but they do not always interview for tax or benefits positions. Many smaller firms, such as smaller trusts and estates practices, do not interview on campus at all. Some small firms require you to serve as an extern for some extended period of time before they will consider hiring you after graduation. Firms may post on SCU Law Jobs or at more general sites such as www.taxtalent.com. But in many cases landing a tax-related law firm job requires determined networking and a proactive effort to land informational and real interviews.
IRS. The IRS Office of Chief Counsel recruits law students for summer internships (although many are unpaid) and JDs for permanent positions. The timing of permanent hiring can be unpredictable due to budget constraints. The IRS website, www.irs.gov, and an IRS publication, Publication 4063, offer more information about landing a job with the chief counsels office.
Informational Interviews. The informational interview tool is often essential to a successful search for a tax job, particularly at a law firm. The informational interview is a meeting where you listen to the person opposite you talk about what he or she does, what he or she likes about it, what other firms do similar work, and so forth. The goal is to build a network and help yourself formulate a good idea of what kind of career you would like to build.
You can find people for an informational interview in many ways. You might look up Santa Clara graduates who practice tax, benefits or trusts and estates on Martindale-Hubbell. Or you could reach out to the representative a firm sends to the Fall On-Campus Interview Program Office or to a practitioner who participates in other Law Career Services events, such as panels, career fairs and networking receptions. Law Career Services and faculty members who practiced tax, benefits or trusts and estates may also have contacts. Try to be very clear that your ask is low coffee or a phone call with a particular person, so you can hear about his or her work.
8. Which faculty members at SCU practice(d) tax, benefits or trusts and estates law?


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Width 36" untrimmed, length 3 or 4 yard drops.


text:
BNID
Donate to BNID
ABOUT BNID
Senior Research Manager IDEA Initiative - J-PAL Global - Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
SENIOR MANAGER, IDEA INITIATIVE, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)-Innovations in Data and Experiments for Action Initiative, to lead J-PAL's new IDEA Initiative, which aims to increase the use of administrative data by governments, nonprofits, and private firms for evidence-informed decision-making. Responsibilities include creating resources including guidelines, best-practice papers, case studies, instructions, and toolkits on key topics regarding administrative data; working with leading experts to curate and edit a handbook that provides guidance to data producers on making administrative data more accessible and to applied researchers on processing and using this data; identifying and building collaborations with, and capacity of, data producers who can be long-term strategic partners; overseeing efforts to lean the data accessed by strategic partners and performing basic analysis and descriptive work that helps these policymakers move towards more data-driven decisions and encourages them to make data available for research/experiments; and working with senior leadership on fund-raising and managing calls for proposals.
A full job description is available at http://origin.povertyactionlab.org/fr/careers/senior-manager-idea-initiative-j-pal-global-102958.
Master's degree required (Ph.D. preferred) in data science, computer science, economics, political science, public policy, or related field; at least seven years' relevant experience (graduate school academic experience including teaching and research may count as relevant experience); interest in poverty alleviation or other social policy and research as demonstrated by coursework and research and teaching experience; knowledge of data management, data analysis, econometrics, and statistics; advanced statistical analysis skills; proficiency with Stata, R, Python, or other programming languages used for data analysis; and willingness to learn new programs. Experience handling issues like encryption and access rights for complex data (large, multi-user data sets) a plus.
Please note: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.
To apply, complete the MIT Application. Search for Job ID: 17358
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Job Posting Expires On
Post organization
© 2018 BNID


In its decision, the Court of Appeals concluded that the district court "did not give adequate credit to . . . evidence of test-rigging" presented by Suzuki, and that "[a] reasonable jury could find by clear and convincing evidence that CU sought to produce a predetermined result in the Samurai test." Among other things, the court relied upon a statement by CU's editorial director, after CU's test drivers had failed to make the Samurai roll over, that "If you can't find someone to roll his car, I will." The Court also emphasized that, at the time CU initially criticized the Samurai, CU had just purchased a new building and therefore "needed to boost its revenues to complete its capital campaign." The court further concluded that this "evidence of financial motive dovetails with the evidence of test rigging." Based on this and other evidence, the Court of Appeals reversed the district court's earlier ruling against Suzuki, and sent the case back for a jury trial.
Suzuki's lawsuit asserts claims for product disparagement based on statements by CU since April 1994. Those statements repeated CU's earlier allegations, dating to 1988, that the Suzuki Samurai is "Not Acceptable" because, according to CU, it is "likely to roll over during a maneuver that could be demanded of any car at any time." Suzuki further alleges that these statements created substantial harm, not only to sales of the Samurai, but also to sales of other Suzuki automobiles. The court's ruling will allow Suzuki to seek damages for its lost sales of Samurais and other vehicles to the extent it can prove that those losses were caused by disparaging statements made by CU after April 1994.


"Trump and top Democratic leaders late Wednesday agreed to work out an agreement that would protect the nation's DREAMers from deportation and enact border security measures that don't include building a physical wall, according to people familiar with the meeting," The Washington Post reports.
In this BBC special, the British broadcasting giant explains why it's extremely unlikely that Donald Trump's stupid wall will ever be built.
We said our goodbyes at home. My dad decided it was better for my brother and my sister to not go all the way to the airport…. I don't feel like it's happening. And after so much fight that we went through, for it to just end like this. I mean, it's not necessarily ending, but it is hard to see him go.
— Victoria Magana Ledesma, the eldest child of Andres Magana Ortiz, after her father left for Mexico ahead of an imminent attempt to deport him by the Trump regime. (The Washington Post: Facing deportation, Hawaii coffee farmer, father of three returns to Mexico after twenty-eight years).
Former Capitol Hill staffer Murshed Zaheed praises Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid for defending America's legacy of opening its doors to refugees while lamenting Congresswoman Louise Slaughter's vote for a Republican-backed bill to slam those doors shut.
"The American character is being tested. Will we hew to our long tradition of being a beacon of hope for those chased from their homelands?" asks Governor Jay Inslee in today's New York Times.
I think that our nation is tested from time to time. And I think this is one of those times to really dig deep and see what kind of character our nation and my state has. And I've always believed in my state, and the country has always been a place of refuge from those who are persecuted. Right on the Statute of Liberty they talk about the wretched refuge of your teeming shore. And I don't know where we've had more people who fit this classification of victims.
— Governor Jay Inslee, explaining to National Public Radio, why he is welcoming Syrian refugees to settle in Washington State.
KUOW's Liz Jones tells the story of a Syrian refugee family's arrival in Seattle, after a long journey that included stops in Cairo and New York.
— Colin Powell, telling Walter Issacson that Donald Trump doesn't speak for all Republicans on immigration. Powell told Issacson that he's "still a Republican" and wants to "continue to be a Republican because it annoys them." By them, Powell means the extremist tea party movement. (Via The Hill).


text:
package temportalist.esotericraft.galvanization.common.task.core

import net.minecraft.entity.player.EntityPlayerMP
import net.minecraft.item.ItemStack
import net.minecraft.nbt.NBTTagCompound
import net.minecraft.util.EnumFacing
import net.minecraft.util.math.BlockPos
import net.minecraft.world.World
import net.minecraftforge.event.entity.EntityJoinWorldEvent
import net.minecraftforge.fml.common.eventhandler.SubscribeEvent
import net.minecraftforge.fml.common.gameevent.TickEvent.WorldTickEvent
import net.minecraftforge.fml.common.network.NetworkRegistry.TargetPoint
import temportalist.esotericraft.api.galvanize.ai.IGalvanizeTask
import temportalist.esotericraft.galvanization.common.Galvanize
import temportalist.esotericraft.galvanization.common.init.ModItems
import temportalist.esotericraft.galvanization.common.network.PacketUpdateClientTasks
import temportalist.esotericraft.galvanization.common.task.ITask
import temportalist.esotericraft.galvanization.common.task.ai.core.LoaderTask

/**
  *
  * Created by TheTemportalist on 5/24/2016.
  *
  * @author TheTemportalist
  */
object ControllerTask {

	private val WORLD_DATA_KEY_TASK = Galvanize.getModId + ":task_data"

	def getData(world: World): WorldDataTask = {
		world.loadItemData(classOf[WorldDataTask], WORLD_DATA_KEY_TASK) match {
			case data: WorldDataTask => data
			case _ => // null or not WorldDataTask
				val data = new WorldDataTask(WORLD_DATA_KEY_TASK)
				data.setDimension(world.provider.getDimension)
				world.setItemData(WORLD_DATA_KEY_TASK, data)
				data
		}
	}

	def spawnTask(world: World, pos: BlockPos, face: EnumFacing, task: ITask): Boolean = {
		if (!world.isRemote && this.getData(world).spawnTask(world, pos, face, task)) {
			new PacketUpdateClientTasks(
				PacketUpdateClientTasks.SPAWN, task
			).sendToAllAround(Galvanize,
				new TargetPoint(world.provider.getDimension, pos.getX, pos.getY, pos.getZ, 128)
			)
			true
		}
		else false
	}

	def breakTask(world: World, pos: BlockPos, face: EnumFacing, drop: Boolean = true): Boolean = {
		if (world.isRemote) return false
		this.getData(world).breakTask(world, pos, face) match {
			case task: ITask =>
				task.onBroken(drop)
				new PacketUpdateClientTasks(
					PacketUpdateClientTasks.BREAK, task
				).sendToAllAround(Galvanize,
					new TargetPoint(world.provider.getDimension, pos.getX, pos.getY, pos.getZ, 128)
				)
				true
			case _ => // no task broken
				false
		}
	}

	def getNewItemStackForAIClass(aiClass: Class[_ <: IGalvanizeTask],
			stack: ItemStack = new ItemStack(ModItems.taskItem)): ItemStack = {
		stack.setTagCompound(new NBTTagCompound)
		val info = LoaderTask.getAnnotationInfo(aiClass)

		val display = info.getOrElse("displayName", null)
		if (display != null) stack.getTagCompound.setString("displayName", display.toString)

		val name = info.getOrElse("name", null)
		if (name != null) stack.getTagCompound.setString("name", name.toString)

		val modid = info.getOrElse("modid", null)
		if (name != null) stack.getTagCompound.setString("modid", modid.toString)

		stack.getTagCompound.setString("className", aiClass.getName)
		stack
	}

	def getTaskAt(world: World, pos: BlockPos, face: EnumFacing): ITask = {
		this.getData(world).getTaskAt(pos, face)
	}

	@SubscribeEvent
	def onJoinWorld(event: EntityJoinWorldEvent): Unit = {
		if (event.getWorld.isRemote) return
		event.getEntity match {
			case player: EntityPlayerMP =>
				new PacketUpdateClientTasks(PacketUpdateClientTasks.CLEAR).sendToPlayer(Galvanize, player)
				val tasks = this.getData(event.getWorld).getTasks
				if (tasks.nonEmpty) {
					for (task <- tasks) {
						///* TODO make packet more efficient
						new PacketUpdateClientTasks(PacketUpdateClientTasks.SPAWN, task).sendToPlayer(Galvanize, player)
						//*/
					}
				}
			case _ =>
		}
	}

	@SubscribeEvent
	def onTickWorld(event: WorldTickEvent): Unit = {
		this.getData(event.world).onTickServer(event)
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Kibirkstis and Aistes get dominant wins over the weekend
Credit: Saulius Čirba
Credit Saulius Čirba
Four teams from Lithuania battled against each other to start the year 2023 in the Women's Baltic Basketball League.
Player of the Game
Audronė Zdanevičiūtė
In the first Sunday's match, Aistes Kaunas (9-4) welcomed Siauliai-Vilmers (4-9). Even though the hosts got off to a better start (13:7), the guests finished the quarter better and held a slim 2-point lead (22:20) after the first 10 minutes.
However, Aistes began to slowly take control of the match and won the second quarter by 11 (29:18) to hold a solid 9-point lead (47:38) going into the half.
The girls from Kaunas took over the game in the second half and comfortably defeated their opponents from Siauliai 90:60 (18:20, 29:18, 24:14, 19:14).
Audrone Zdaneviciute was the top-scorer of the match with 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 8 drawn fouls for 34 PIR.
Tyra Marie Buss contributed with 24 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals, while Martyna Petrenaite added 21 points to the tally.
Only three players scored in double digits on the Siauliai-Vilmers team with Danguole Pupkeviciute leading the squad with 21 points and 5 assists.
Aistes: Audrone Zdaneviciute 25 (6/6 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 10/13 FT, 7 REB, 3 STL), Tyra Marie Buss 24 (5/11 2PT, 3/12 3PT, 5/8 FT, 5 AST, 5 STL), Martyna Petrenaite 21 (4/4 3PT).
Siauliai: Danguole Pupkeviciute 21 (3/6 2PT, 4/7 3PT, 3/4 FT, 5 AST, 8 TO), Ruta Stipra 12 (5/11 2PT, 5 REB), Enrika Matiukaite 11 (4/6 2PT, 8 REB).
In the second game of the day, Kibirkstis Vilnius (8-2) met against LCC Klaipeda (6-5). The club from the Lithuanian capital took control early, establishing a solid 15:6 lead with 5 minutes to go in the first quarter.
3-pointers this season
Points made: 8,5
Accuracy: 29,0%
Place in standings: 2
Record max: 14
Record min: 4
Most made 3FGs: Tyra Marie Buss
Kibirkstis were not phased by LCC's attempts to narrow the deficit and continued to win on every aspect of the game, and finished the first 10 minutes with a 17-point lead (32:15).
The guests didn't manage to bounce back after decisively losing the first quarter. A dominant third quarter from Kibirkstis (23:13) ended all hopes for the visiting team and handed LCC their 5th loss in the tournament, winning the matchup 91:63 (32:15, 17:16, 23:13, 19:19).
Gintare Petronyte once again dominated on the court. Leading the league in PIR, the Lithuanian center scored 16 points on 8-for-10 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds, and recorded 3 assists and 2 blocks for a game-leading 25 PIR.
All twelve players that were registered for the game appeared on the court for Kibirkstis with all but one playing at least 12 minutes.
Maiara Pereira Dias was the top scorer on the LCC roster with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists for 16 PIR.
Kibirkstis: Gintare Petronyte 16 (8/10 2PT, 7 REB), Justina Miknaite 12 (4/9 2PT, 3 STL), Rachel Elise Theriot 10 (5/6 2PT).
LCC: Maiara Pereira Dias 14 (6/8 2PT, 7 REB, 4 TO), Maisa Pereira Dias 13 (2/6 2PT, 6/7 FT, 6 REB), Laurinta Jurciute 12 (0/6 2PT, 3/7 3PT, 5 REB), Lina Loceniece 10 (1/6 3PT).
After the two matches, Aistes Kaunas moved to first place in the standings. However, the team has played the most games in the tournament with 13, and currently has more losses than the three teams below.
One of them is Kibirkstis Vilnius who rose to fourth place after today's win. Undefeated at home, the girls from Vilnius trail only Neptunas Klaipeda and Rigas Stradina University in the standings.
The two losing teams, on the other side, share 6th place in the standings at the moment. Siauliai-Vilmers have played 13 games as well and have 9 losses in their account with LCC Klaipeda losing 5 times in 11 matches.
Neptunas beat Daugavpils
Aistes Kaunas
90:66equalizer
Siauliai-Vilmers
2-pointers
7/11 FG
10/13 FT
Danguolė Pupkevičiūtė
3/4 FT
5 DREB
2 OREB
Few players
Gintarė Paulauskaitė
1 TO
Morgan Lenahan
34 EFF
100% 2P%
20% 3P%
Standings W L
Kibirkstis Vilnius
TalTech Tallinn
Rigas Stradina University
LCC Klaipeda
Daugavpils University
Audentes Tallinn
BJBS Riga


But while Halilhodžić had 38 games to prepare for Russia 2018, his successor Nishino has just three matches.
Japan's soccer association, the JFA, has sacked head coach Vahid Halilhodžić with just over two months to go until the Russia 2018 World Cup. His replacement, JFA technical director Akira Nishino, has little chance to implement his style of soccer before Japan's first World Cup game against Colombia on June 19.
Japan qualified for the World Cup after finishing top of its group, which also included other World Cup finalists Saudi Arabia and Australia, but since then, the Samurai Blue has had a series of poor results including a three-all draw with Haiti in Yokohama (which could have been worse if not for Shinji Kagawa's injury-time equalizer) and a four-one defeat in Tokyo to fierce rivals South Korea. In the recent international break, Japan drew with Mali and lost to Ukraine.
The poor friendly results might have been the final straw, but there had been calls from the local media for Halilhodžić to resign as early as last September. Before his sacking, there were reports in local media that Halilhodžić had 'lost the dressing room'. Asian soccer columnist John Duerden said earlier in April that Halilhodžić "never looked completely comfortable in his quest to make Japan more of a counter-attacking team", and that it had started to look like the coach didn't know his strongest team. JFA president Kozo Tashima said in a press conference Monday that the JFA want Nishino to get Japan to play a more passing-based style of soccer.
Tashima: we want Nishino to play a Japanese style of football.
The bewildering timing of the JFA's announcement is concerning for Japan. Despite Halilhodžić's failings, his replacement Nishino, who won the AFC Asian Champions' League in 2008 with Gamba Osaka, barely has time to get his players to play the possession-based soccer that the JFA are looking for. Japan now only has one friendly against Ghana in May and a pre-World Cup training camp and two warm-up games in Switzerland for the new head coach to work with the team, and he will have to choose his initial squad for those games without any other friendly matches beforehand to help him judge the players. He might already know the players from his role at the JFA, but he hasn't taken a training session with them and won't know how they will respond to his methods.
While not leaving it as late as Japan, other Asian countries have also given their respective head coaches relatively little time to prepare for the World Cup. Four of the five Asian countries heading to Russia have a different head coach from this time last year. Iran's Carlos Queiroz is the exception, but he too has run into conflict with the country's soccer authorities over Iran's World Cup preparations. South Korea parted with Uli Stielike with two qualifiers left to play, but ran a winter training camp to allow new coach Shin Tae-yong more time to implement his soccer philosophy. Australia's head coach Ange Postecoglou resigned shortly after guiding the Socceroos through the qualification play-offs. Postecoglou was replaced by Bert Van Marwijk, who himself had left Saudi Arabia in September 2017 after claiming several of his staff members were sacked. Saudi Arabia replaced Van Marwijk with Edgardo Bauza before sacking Bauza and settling on former Chile head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi in November last year. Saudi Arabia's World Cup preparations are also likely to suffer from the misguided attempt to loan out national team players to Spain, as these players haven't been given playing time by Spanish clubs.
By contrast, out of the other nations heading to Russia 2018, only Tunisia in Africa, Argentina in South America, and Croatia and Serbia in Europe have changed head coaches since the start of 2017.
While there are other reasons behind the sackings, the top Asian teams only face really tough matches as the World Cup approaches, a problem exacerbated by the format of Asia's World Cup qualifying stages which means teams can go over a year without a proper test of their ability. Both Halilhodžić and South Korea's Uli Stielike enjoyed long spells of easy fixtures in 2015 and 2016 before recent problems in tougher fixtures led to pressure for them to be sacked.
Japan were handed a relatively kind draw for Russia 2018, avoiding heavyweights like Germany and Brazil, but without time to prepare properly, Japan need Nishino to be a magician to have a chance of reaching the World Cup knockout stages. The JFA may feel that Nishino will do a better job than Halilhodžić, but the question that fans will want the answer to is why the JFA chose now, on the eve of the World Cup, to make the change.


text:
Q: SQL Recursion Ordering Heres my query:
;with cte as ( select RMT_Baseline_Id, B1.CIIdentifier, RMT_ParentBaselineId, cast('' as varchar(max)) as [path], 0 as level, row_number()over(partition by RMT_ParentBaselineId
order by B1.CIIdentifier desc) / power(10.0,0) as x
from tbl_RMTRiskIssue R1
inner join tbl_Baseline B1 on B1.Id=R1.RMT_Baseline_Id
where RMT_ParentBaselineId is null
union all
select t.RMT_Baseline_Id, B2.CIIdentifier, t.RMT_ParentBaselineId, [path]+B2.CIIDentifier+'-->', level+1, x + row_number()over(partition by t.RMT_ParentBaselineId
order by B2.CIIdentifier desc) / power(10.0,level+1)
from cte
join tbl_RMTRiskIssue t on cte.RMT_Baseline_Id = t.RMT_ParentBaselineId
inner join tbl_Baseline B2 on B2.Id=cte.RMT_Baseline_Id )
SELECT x, b.ciidentifier,[path] from cte
inner join tbl_Baseline B on B.Id =cte.RMT_Baseline_id
WHERE B.thisbaseline IN(615)
ORDER BY x

Here's my results
x                       CIIdentifier path
694.100000000000000000  RA.0016      RI.0001-->
694.110000000000000000  RA.0008      RI.0001-->RA.0016-->
694.120000000000000000  RA.0015      RI.0001-->RA.0016-->

Can any one tell me why line 3 doesnt come before line 2? Its supposed to sort by CIIdentifier DESC but its not
I think x needs to be constructed differently for the children so 694.11 is RA.0015 and 694.12 is RA.0008 but cant work it out, the CTE is ordered by CIIdentifier desc but seems to be ignored, if I change it to ASC then the results are the same which Im finding bizarre
Thanks

A: Your ORDER BY x forces the entire dataset to order by that number and 694.110000000000000000  < 694.120000000000000000. For a quick review of how order by works, click Here.

The ORDER BY keyword sorts the records in ascending order by default. To sort the records in a descending order, you can use the DESC keyword.

A: It's ordering by x right here !
Replace the (last) line ORDER BY x by ORDER BY B1.CIIdentifier desc
Advice: write SQL keywords in uppercase, it makes it easier to be understood for persons who doesn't know the meaning of your columns and what you're trying exactly to do !
FROM SELECT INNER JOINORDERBY` ...
EDIT Or just remove the last line of your query

A: The final select statement is selecting from your CTE, the CTE is ordered by the B1.CIIdentifier, however the final select is ordering by X.
Remove the un-needed select in the CTE builder, and order by the right field at the end.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
'Halo' TV Series Nabs Second Season Renewal Ahead of its Debut on Paramount+
Paramount+ today announced that its highly anticipated upcoming series HALO, based on the iconic Xbox franchise, has been renewed for a second season prior to the series' upcoming launch on Thursday, March 24, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and in all international markets where the streaming service is available. In addition, David Wiener ("Homecoming," "The Killing," "Brave New World") will join the series as showrunner and executive producer for the second season.
"HALO is an expansive, world-building opportunity for Paramount+, and we're thrilled to give fans a second season to look forward to before we launch the series next month," said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer, Paramount+. "HALO will deliver a thrill-ride for fans of the game and non-gamers alike, as it ties together stunning visuals with a deeper look at the personal stories behind these iconic characters, all set within an epic battle for the future of humanity."
"HALO takes us into a dazzling world that we believe will enthrall audiences as much with its electrifying visuals as its bold, character-driven storytelling," said David Nevins, chief content officer of scripted originals, Paramount+, and chairman and chief executive officer, Showtime Networks Inc. "This second-season pickup reflects the confidence we have in the power of this epic series to attract and engage viewers. HALO has been a great collaboration with Amblin and 343 Industries, and we are all grateful for the opportunity to continue it."
Read: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez Engaged Again? Friend Says They Are Open to the Idea
In its adaptation for Paramount+, HALO will take place in the universe that first debuted in 2001 with the launch of Xbox(R)'s first "Halo" game. Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, HALO the series will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.
The series stars Pablo Schreiber ("American Gods") as the Master Chief, Spartan-117; Natascha McElhone ("Californication") as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super soldiers; and Jen Taylor ("Halo" game series, RWBY) as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history, and potentially the key to the survival of the human race. Additional stars include Bokeem Woodbine ("Fargo"), Shabana Azmi ("Fire"), Natasha Culzac ("The Witcher"), Olive Gray ("Half Moon Investigations"), Yerin Ha ("Reef Break"), Bentley Kalu ("Avengers: Age of Ultron"), Kate Kennedy ("Catastrophe"), Charlie Murphy ("Peaky Blinders") and Danny Sapani ("Penny Dreadful"). Also joining the cast as original characters are Ryan McParland ("6Degrees"), Burn Gorman ("The Expanse") and Fiona O'Shaughnessy ("Nina Forever").
"Halo" reinvented how people think about video games and has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon, having sold more than 82 million copies worldwide and grossing more than $6 billion in lifetime total sales revenue.
HALO is produced by SHOWTIME(R) in association with 343 Industries, along with Amblin Television. The first season of HALO is executive produced by Steven Kane, alongside Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Amblin Television in partnership with 343 Industries, Otto Bathurst and Toby Leslie for One Big Picture, and Kyle Killen and Scott Pennington for Chapter Eleven. Kiki Wolfkill, Frank O'Connor and Bonnie Ross serve as executive producers for 343 Industries. The series is distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.


Prove you are a global citizen by applying for the World Citizen Talent Scholarship at The Hague University, an educational united nations of 150 nationalities, where everyone speaks English.
The Hague University offers scholarships to students who would like to start their Master studies programme during the academic year 2018-2019 at the university.
The scholarships cover a large sum of the university's tuition fee and will only be awarded once. This scholarship is a tuition fee waiver.
Have been conditionally accepted as a student (also-called offer of student position) on or before 1 May for the upcoming academic year.
The scholarship sponsors are seeking young, intelligent, talented and ambitious people who view themselves as citizens of the world. If this sounds like you and the conditions listed above apply to you, all you need to do is complete the application form and write an essay of 950 to 1100 words that would convince them to provide you with a scholarship.
At €5,000 each, the scholarships covers a large sum of the university's tuition fee and will only be awarded once. The scholarship is a tuition fee waiver of € 5000.
Step 1: Apply for the Master programme of your choice by using the online Osiris application tool.
Step 2: Write an essay (in English, 950 to 1100 words) explaining why and how you can contribute to the multinational, multicultural beehive that is The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Please read the essay guidelines and information on the assessment procedure on the official website before you start writing.
Step 3: Submit your essay by completing the scholarship application form between 1 November - 31 March.
It is important to read the FAQs, and also to visit the official website (link to it is below) to access the Regulations for Financial Aid, to access the online Application Form, and also for more detailed information on this scholarship.
You must complete and submit the scholarship application form between 1 November 2017 - 31 March 2018. The university has appointed a committee to judge all essays, which also should be submitted before 31 March, 2018.
By submitting your essay, you are giving the university the right to publish it, if it so wishes.
When you are writing your essay, try picturing yourself as a member of the university community. University-appointed judges will select 9 students whose essays will have impressed them most and reward them with a scholarship. The decision of the jury will be binding.
The Hague is the perfect home for the The Hague University, it is a very international city which deserves its title - The International City of Peace & Justice. The vibrant seaside resort of Scheveningen, historic city centre and international diplomatic community all add to its international atmosphere.


text:
El Municipio de Tepetongo es uno de 58 municipios en el estado de Zacatecas, México. Su cabecera municipal se encuentra en la localidad de Tepetongo. Tiene una superficie de 715 km² (el.45% de la superficie del estado). El municipio se encuentra a 85 kilómetros de la capital estatal.
El nombre indígena para Tepetongo fue el de Tuichan, en honor al dios guerrero de la tribu de los huachichiles que se asentó en la región. Tepetongo fue fundado el 9 de junio de 1596 por el capitán Don Juan De La Torre.

Geografía

Municipios adyacentes
 Municipio de Susticacán (norte)
 Municipio de Jerez (norte)
 Municipio de Villanueva (este)
 Municipio de Santa María de los Ángeles (sur)
 Municipio de Huejúcar (sur)
 Municipio de Monte Escobedo (oeste)

Carreteras principales
  Carretera Federal 23

Localidades

Cabecera
 Tepetongo

Comunidades Rurales

 Arroyo Seco de Abajo
 Arroyo Seco de Arriba
 Arroyo Seco de Enmedio
 Buenavista
 Colonia Emiliano Zapata
 Colonia Ignacio Zaragoza
 Colonia José María Morelos
 El Ahuichote
 El Cacalote
 El Capulín de los Salinas
 El Caquizte

 El Cuidado
 El Laurel
 El Marecito
 El Salitral
 El Salitre
 El Salitrillo
 El Vergel
 Juanchorrey
 La Cuadrilla
 La Estancia de los Berumen
 La Joya

 La Lechuguilla
 La Tinaja
 La Troje
 La Trojita
 Los Aparicio
 Puerta Blanca
 San Antonio
 San Pascual
 San Tadeo
 Santa Rosa
 Víboras

Ranchos

 Cerro Verde
 Colonia Francisco Villa
 Lo de Nava
 El Alamito
 El Cargadero

 El Maguey
 El Salto
 El Recuerdo
 El Terrero
 El Venado

 Juan Blanco
 La Cañada
 La Chaveña
 La Presa
 Las Flores

 Las Joyas
 Los Cedros
 Los Mimbres
 Piedras Chinas
 Puerta del Alamito

 Puerta del Duraznillo
 San Elías
 Santa Rita

Referencias

Tepetongo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Volatile Equities, Unstable Gold & Saturated Real Estate Market – Where Should One Look To Invest In Current Scenario?
When you have more than one investment choice, you are more likely to be paralyzed by the paradox of choice of investing.
What Is The Right Age and Right Way To Save Money?
Saving a huge amount of money in the long run will help you to live a cozy life. There arises a question demanding the right age to start saving money. What do you think? Is it ok to start saving from the age of 30 or late 30's?
Investments are meant to make money but there are investments where every one of us has invested and lost money. Do you want to know where?
Why It Is REALLY Very Important to Start Investing Early?
Two individuals, one of them invested ₹3000 for 10 years and yet he made ₹1.43 Crore more than the person who invested the same amount for 30 years in the same asset class with same average return on investment.
What is a "Commodity"?, What is a commodity exchange? , What is Commodity Futures?


text:
Vagrant Rant M o v i e s . G a m e s . M u s i c . "L i f e".
« My Take on the Big Films of the 2015 Oscars
Mega Ultra Blast Cast Ep.38 – Introducing Baby Barlow »
Ahead: 2015
Posted March 6, 2015 by vagrantesque in Games, Lists, Movies.	Tagged: ahead, Anticipated, Best, exciting, forward, Games, Movies, upcoming.	Leave a Comment
OK, Oscars are done, our stupid movie release schedule overlap with the USA should be catching up, and the dry months of videogame releases are coming to a close. Let's get hyped.
Well, here we are at the real beginning of a new commercial year of entertainment media, and it is astonishingly clear in terms of confirmed release dates or windows, particularly in light of the murky waters of the last two uncertain years. If I see one theme running through the suite of upcoming movies and videogames, it's "Anything 2014 can do, 2015 can do bigger". Yes, there are some real giants waiting to be awoken in 2015, most of which have not reached saturation point with audiences just yet. And they look positively mouth-watering. The question remains, however – will bigger equate to better in 2015? Here are my top ten most anticipated movies and games for this year.
NOTE: Because I've already devoted an entire post to Nintendo's 2015 lineup, I'm going to disqualify them from my games list. Because, well, that wouldn't be fair.
10. Chappie
Might as well start with a movie that's actually really close to coming out in cinemas – next week, in fact. I certainly wasn't alone in enjoying Neill Blomkamp's Best Picture-nominated science fiction racism metaphor District 9, and I was more positive on his wealth gap themed follow-up Elysium than most people. But I do have to admit that the movies had a very similar feel, and from the looks of things Chappie is very much cut from the same cloth. It will need to do something pretty cool to stand out, and I look forward to finding out if it does.
9. Ant-Man
As the only superhero movie of 2015 that isn't a sequel or reboot, Marvel's Ant-Man could go one of two ways – it could expand Marvel's ever-expanding Cinematic Universe with yet another breakout character, or it could flop and finally give the anti-superhero subsection of film critics some real ammunition. Losing a director as unique as Edgar Wright must not have been easy for the production, and it has everything to prove. Yet Marvel Studios has yet to really let fans down, and so Ant-Man well and truly has my attention.
8. The Good Dinosaur
After three consecutive years of huge (and really good) Boxing Day releases, Disney Animation Studios is taking a well deserved year off in 2015 to let Pixar take the 3D animation spotlight, with a pair of films to boot. The Good Dinosaur is half of said pair, and it seems to be taking an unorthodox approach to the well-worn prehistoric setting of animated family movies, asking the question of how things might have gone had dinosaurs lived alongside early humans with sufficiently less intelligence than themselves. It's the less interesting of the two 2015 Pixar outings for me, but I'm ready to be optimistic about Pixar again, so bring it on.
7. Tomorrowland
Speaking of Disney, George Clooney's Tomorrowland is also coming this year. Intentionally shrouded in an advertising campaign that seems to be giving nothing away, Tomorrowland is refreshingly mysterious for a Disney movie at the time of writing – scratch that – it's refreshingly mysterious for any big movie in today's day and age at the time of writing, and it seems poised to deliver a wondrous fantasy experience. I just hope that was the last of the trailers.
6. Jurassic World
Though I wouldn't call myself the world's biggest Jurassic Park fanatic, I definitely enjoyed the movies as a kid, and fourth film in the series Jurassic World is generating so much hype at the moment that it is taking on "event movie" status, and therefore attracting me like a moth to a flame. It hits right around the middle of the year and seems to be filled with set piece moments ripe for discussion. Oh, and Chris Pratt. count me in.
Pixar's other 2015 film looks to be a return to the crazy concepts for which the studio was once so well known. Marketed as a "major emotion picture", Inside Out follows the anthropomorphic forms of a handful of colour-coded human feelings inside a teenage girl's head. And that is all we know at this stage. There's something both incredibly fresh and wonderfully familiar about such a setup, and it's all potential at the moment. Colour me keen.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
I was already excited for Avengers: Age of Ultron by default, but the above trailer, which dropped yesterday, just elevates everything. It's clear that the sequel to the cinema-transforming team up movie from 2012 is looking to lift the stakes by bringing in a major robotic villain from the Marvel comics universe, but I'm most intrigued to see how the movie handles the pair of mutants-that-they-aren't-allowed-to-call-mutants Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, not to mention just what on earth is going to happen to set up the MCU's Black Panther and Civil War movies. However it turns out, Age of Ultron will definitely provide a ton of talking points for fans, which is just fine with me.
3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II
There aren't any trailers yet for this movie, so here's a moving mockingjay pin.
Though I know there are others who disagree, I believe Mockingjay is the best Hunger Games book, and that's mostly because of what happens in its second half. That makes me more than a little amped for the final chapter in the trilogy's surprisingly well-made cinematic adaptation, especially in light of how director Francis Lawrence and his high profile cast managed to make a pretty decent movie out of a minuscule amount of action late last year. A lot of weird things go down in the final act of the anti-war saga, and seeing how the production team tackles them on the big screen will be well worth the wait. I hope.
2. Spectre
I really likes the last James Bond movie, Skyfall. In fact it was my favourite movie of 2012, and it surprised a lot of people with the direction it decided to take the revered British spy franchise. The film also astonished critics who believed that celebrated director Sam Mendes was incapable of shooting good action sequences, and gave the world one of the most memorable screen villains of the last decade in Javier Bardem's Silva. And so, needless to say, the prospect of Mendes returning to Bond with a story that looks to resurrect a classic 007 foe, the eponymous organisation SPECTRE, is rather worth getting hyped about, no?
1. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Come on, this was never not going to be number one. Who doesn't love Star Wars? I still have to pinch myself when I think about the fact that there is another one coming this year. Oh boy oh boy oh boy.
Manny Lewis
SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge out of Water
The Man From U.N.C.L.E
GAMES (Non-Nintendo)
10. No Man's Sky (PS4/PC)
If you watched any of Sony's 2014 press events you are probably aware of No Man's Sky, quite possibly the least believable videogame pitch since the original Scribblenauts. Tiny English development studio Hello Games has found itself very much in the PS4 spotlight with a game that promises the ability to explore a universe that is constantly expanding as players "discover" visually striking new planets. If the half-dozen-strong team can show us what makes the game a game, rather than just an exploratory experience, No Man's Sky could quite possibly be the runaway success story of 2015.
9. Halo 5: Guardians (XBO)
For more reasons than I care to list right now, I missed out on playing the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta a couple of months ago, but I haven't heard too many bad things about it and by most accounts it's heading in a very positive new direction for the series. Story-wise, the various teases Microsoft has shown off are piquing fan interest and there can be little doubt, based on the history of 343 Industries' recent work, that the game will look and sound positively stunning. The jury is out on whether I will realistically be able to play Halo 5 during this insanely packed upcoming holiday season, especially if it doesn't bring back the Firefight mode, but I will nonetheless be keeping a very keen eye on the Chief and his pals.
8. Rainbow Six: Siege (PS4/XBO/PC
If the last six months have taught me anything about videogames, it's that I am still capable of enjoying multiplayer-focused competitive first person shooters, even though I thought I had long ago thrown away all hope of doing so. The key, as it turns out, is a gameplay structure that actually, genuinely encourages teamwork and communication. Destiny's Crucible and the very fabric of Evolve have provided some of my most enjoyable gaming moments in recent memory precisely because they promote those very things, so the breach-and-defend concept behind Rainbow Six: Siege has me very intrigued indeed. A framework built around strategic thought, potential for multiple approaches and a strong demand for situational awareness all look to be adding up to something special.
7. Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PSV)
OK first things first: I am a little confused as to why such a Japanese-sounding (and slightly creepy by association) subtitle was added to Danganronpa Another Episode for its western release. Nevertheless, I am thrilled that the third game in the critically acclaimed Danganronpa series is making its way west, thanks to the continued localisation efforts of NIS America. The first two games, translated, re-dubbed and released in quick succession last year, both made my Top 10 Games list of 2014 for their wildly unpredictable plots, memorable characters and enjoyable mystery-solving gameplay. Now it remains to be seen whether swapping out a Phoenix Wright-esque flow for third person shooting mechanics will hinder the series or help it stay fresh.
6. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)
I may have very minimal experience with the critically acclaimed Uncharted series, but I sure as hell played The Last of Us, and I'm not about to make the mistake of missing a Naughty Dog game again. A Thief's End looks positively gorgeous, touts a highly polished presentation style featuring great voice acting talents and, most exciting of all, appears to pack a dynamic game engine with the potential for emergent gameplay within enemy encounters. I have little doubt that Uncharted 4 will launch amidst a sea of other impossibly exciting games, but it has shown enough to ensure that I'll be clearing time to play it.
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider (XBO)
I enjoyed the rebooted 2013 Tomb Raider enough to finish it twice – once on Xbox 360 and once on PS4 – so suffice to say I'm looking forward to what Crystal Dynamics does with its sequel. The only trailer we've seen thus far provides a rather adult glimpse into the mental burden of being Lara Croft, and I hope the talented developers do some cool things with the idea that this new Lara is very much a human being dealing with some pretty stressful stuff. The primarily Siberia-based gameplay looks to be introducing several new game mechanics to flesh out the experience, and a higher quantity of tombs has been promised, which is a very good thing considering how much of a highlight the self-contained puzzles were in the first game.
4. Just Cause 3 (PS4/XBO/PC)
One of my absolute favourite games of the last console generation was Just Cause 2, an open world game that presented gorgeous visuals, a positively gigantic world packed with collectibles/destroyables and a careless disregard for realism in favour of pure fun. The game is nearly impossible to complete 100%, such is the sheer volume of things to do in its world, and the game's cheesy, so-bad-it's-good voice acting is always entertaining. And now we are all getting another one, only prettier and with more depth. And a wingsuit. Yes.
3. Star Wars: Battlefront (PS4/XBO/PC)
The number one reason we got a PS2 when I was a kid was so my brother and I could play the original Star Wars: Battlefront, a console Star Wars fan's dream come true. The film references, spectacular locales, command point design and vehicular/on-foot combat balance all added up to a spectacular experience that has been gone for far too long from the home console gaming space. If that kind of gameplay sounds straight out of a modern Battlefield game to you, that's probably because it essentially is, making it all the more fitting that Battlefield developers DICE are all over this one. I simply cannot wait to see what they do with the game, and there are millions upon millions more just like me.
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS3/PS4/360/XBO/PC)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is not a game I was expecting to get into much, as the entry point into the series if you want to understand everything is ludicrously high. Yet after dabbling in MGS 3: Snake Eater on both 3DS and PS Vita it became immediately apparent that the series' gameplay mix is unlike anything else out there, a realisation that only grew once I played last year's Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (which you should definitely play as well if you've ever been curious, now that its once-exorbitant price has dropped significantly). Last year's Tokyo Game Show gameplay demo, complete with soothing narrator voice and adorable puppy (from 3:13 in the video here) just blew my mind with its attention to detail, and it truly looks like industry legend Hideo Kojima is primed to deliver one of the very best games of a year that looks to be overflowing with quality. September 1st can't come fast enough.
1. Persona 5 (PS3/PS4)
Persona 4 Golden is one of my all-time favourite videogames, and easily the best JRPG I've played in the last decade. So I'm sure you can imagine what the thought of a sequel might do to me. Exploding with style out of every pore of its painstaking design, this new, metropolitan take on what I'm sure will be the staple themes and systems of the critically acclaimed series has me more excited to play it than any other game this year. Between promising new Final Fantasy, Tales, Xenoblade and Bravely Default games, 2015 is looking like a banner year for the JRPG genre as a whole, but if it is to live up to its potential it will probably be because Persona 5 has led the charge. If there is even a smidgen of a delay between the American and Australian releases this time around (as is usually the case with Atlus games), I will be on the import bandwagon faster than you can say cat burglar.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4/XBO)
A Hat in Time (PC/?)
Severed (PSV)
Tearaway Unfolded (PS4)
Magicka 2 (PS4/PC)
Overwatch (PC)
Battleborn (PS4/XBO/PC)
Hold onto your wallets, folks.
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Paul Jones is a sci-fi writer who draws influence from his own family and lifetime of reading. In this interview he discusses why he's avoided traditional publishing and which marketing techniques have not worked for him.
My Epic Fantasy "Ameca J" series is a trilogy that takes place in the fictional world of "Mythrania" and is based on my two daughters. The inspiration comes from a lifetime of reading fantasy and science fiction, and a genuine desire to promote "family" values for my two girls who were always fighting. So the inspiration was, what if it was only the two of them, trapped in an unknown, dangerous world populated by strange and savage creatures? Would the eldest girl step up to the responsibility of keeping the younger safe?
Sales are slow. But that is because I've self-published and self-promoted, which takes more time to do than actually writing the books themselves.
3. Have you sought a traditional publisher? Why or why not?
I have not sought a traditional publisher. There are several reasons why not, the first of which is the inspirational stories of Amanda Hocking and John Locke, both impressive success stories of people who have self-published and self-promoted. Another reason is I have no patience for writing submissions and synopses; if I've just written a hundred thousand word novel, I am not going to try and condense it into two pages for some lazy publisher or agent. Finally, the true judge of a good book should not be a publisher or agent, but rather the public.
I have mixed feelings on it. It is a very simple thing to do, however the promotion takes an enormous amount of time.
Nothing special. For the books I've published, which are e-books only, I promote them on various forums, and in some cases provide them free to review sites. It was doing this that got me a rating from the Flamingnet Young Adult review site of "Top Choice" for Ameca J and the Legacy of Menindus.
The only thing I've stopped using is the Harper Collins "Authonomy" site, where a budding writer can publish their work for the critical acclaim and backing of their peers, and if they finish in the top 5 in any given month, then they get selected by Harper Collins for review with a view to potential publishing. Unfortunately this does not depend on the quality of the book or how well-written it is, but rather on how long the writer will spend on the site promoting the work and exchanging "back the book" votes. It's just not doing what it says it should.
Allow plenty of time for marketing.
Not trying a "joint venture" with a publisher, this is just code for you paying them to do what you can do yourself for free.
Research your genre, think about your target market – how are they influenced, where do they congregate – identify this and saturate those areas with your information.
I'm working on two, a sequel to Boundary Limit, called "No Boundaries" and a new Ameca J book set three years after the last.
Tense adventures for discerning 21st century readers.


I enjoyed this book very much. I thought it was a fitting end to the series. No, it's not Dickens but I don't think it's meant to be. It did entirely capture my attention for the day and a half it took me to read it (which after recently reading GOT's I fully appreciate) and I, for one, would love to see a spin-off based on my new favourite character..."Sharon". No spoilers but I love this character more than I've loved most other characters in the series. Good job Mr.Riggs! Thank you.
The last inthis series of of books and I for one am sad that Jacobs story did not continue. What a wonderful story that can be enjoyed by adults young and mature. Recommended highly. Maybe Mr Ridley could have Jacob, Emma, Miss Peregine and cohorts go off on exciting and dangerous missions through various loops using the Pantaloopticon. Such rich adventures could be had.
Couldn't put it down. Great series wish there were more and look forward to just that. Characters and photos, amazing.
Amazing conclusion to an amazing story. Plot twists will keep you guessing and the action will have you sit on the edge of your seat or bed or wherever you are reading.


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Michelle Obama Is Getting Her Own Netflix Documentary
Becoming documents the former First Lady's transition out of the White House.
By Erica Gonzales
May 4 2020, 10:10 am EDT
Michelle Obama is getting the documentary treatment. The former First Lady and author is the focus of the new film Becoming, which follows the period of change in her life after her husband Barack Obama's presidency. Named after her best-selling memoir released in 2018, the events on camera are an intimate portrayal of Michelle on her 34-city book tour, meeting and sharing stories with communities across the country. Nadia Hallgren (She's the Ticket, After Maria) directs.
"This is totally me, unplugged, for the first time," Obama says in the trailer for her doc. Here's what to know about the project.
It premieres on May 6 on Netflix.
This Netflix Original arrives on the platform on Wednesday, May 6, just under two weeks after it was announced. Like most programs on the streamer, we can expect Becoming to launch at around 3 a.m. ET.
A preview shows Michelle Obama bonding with a group of bright young girls.
Because the film follows the former First Lady on her book tour, one of her stops was with a group of inquisitive girls who asked her about her life post–White House. "It's not getting back on track, but it's creating my next track," she tells her guests, referring to her transition out of her career as FLOTUS, in Netflix's first look of the doc.
It's been in the works for two years.
Director Nadia Hallgren first met with Michelle in 2018, right after Higher Ground Productions, Michelle and Barack Obama's production company, launched.
"I had 30 minutes with her, I was told—and if you connect with each other, you have the job. No pressure," Hallgren recalled in a statement. "We just started to talk about ourselves. I'm from the South Bronx, she's from the South Side. We both understood the neighborhood pride. We talked about where we came from, how it shaped who we are and, of course, we talked about our mothers. After 30 minutes, she said, 'Let's do this.'"
Michelle Obama has some loving words about the project.
The former FLOTUS herself responded to the news on Instagram. "Those months I spent traveling—meeting and connecting with people in cities across the globe—drove home the idea that what we share in common is deep and real and can't be messed with," she wrote in part of her post. "In groups large and small, young and old, unique and united, we came together and shared stories, filling those spaces with our joys, worries, and dreams. We processed the past and imagined a better future. In talking about the idea of 'becoming,' many of us dared to say our hopes out loud. I treasure the memories and that sense of connection now more than ever, as we struggle together to weather this pandemic, as we care for our loved ones, and cope with loss, confusion, and uncertainty."
Watch this space for news.
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CBSE Date Sheet 2019 for Class 10 is already published by CBSE, as of December 23, 2018. According to the date sheet, CBSE Class X Exams will extend from February 21 to March 29, 2018. Students can check the CBSE Exam Schedule 2019 for 10th Board Exam in the official CBSE website. Important details about the CBSE timetable, including the date, website link and steps to download are explained here. Last year, the CBSE 10th Board Exam started on 5th March and finished on 4th April, 2018.
Additionally, the CBSE site will have the date sheet available in the pdf format. Also, candidates should take a printout of the date sheet for future use.
CBSE Exam Schedule 2019 for 10th Board Exam was published on 23rd December, 2018.
Candidates can go through these steps to check the CBSE Class 10 Exam Time Table 2019. There is no need to login to the website. As the date sheet is published, there is a direct link for the same in the official CBSE website. Students can click on the link for the CBSE Date Sheet 2019 for Class 10 to check the Exam schedule.
* Finally, find time to relax!
CBSE CLASS X admit cards are expected to be released in February 2019. Candidates may check the CBSE website for further announcements regarding the admit cards.
Also, read Choose Right Stream after 10th- Personality wise.
NEET Results 2019- How to Predict/ Estimate?
Now, relax! Read our motivational message to all test takers: Together, In These Testing Times!- A Message To All Test Takers.
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The biggest Big Ten game of the season came down to one play Saturday night, and James Franklin made a call that Penn State fans, quite frankly, may never get over.
Facing 4th-and-5 on Ohio State's 43, Franklin took the ball out of the hands of Trace McSorley – who had torched the Buckeyes for a school-record 461 yards of offense – and ran a read-option hand-off to Miles Sanders, who was stuffed for a loss.
A couple of kneel-downs later, Ohio State escaped with a 27-26 win.
Bowden was joking, of course, but Franklin's decision stunned just about everyone.
Almost any running play – or play-action play – likely wouldn't have worked in that situation, Bowden said.
Ohio State (5-0) moved from No. 4 to No. 3 in the AP Poll, while Penn State (4-1) fell from No. 9 to No. 11. Worse for Penn State, the Buckeyes have, in essence, a two-game lead in the Big Ten East standings. They also, as of now, play just two more games against ranked teams: at No. 20 Michigan State (3-1) on Nov. 9 and against No. 15 Michigan (4-1) on Nov. 24.
Penn State, meanwhile, must win out and hope for a couple of upsets to reach the Big Ten Championship.
Elsewhere around the country, Clemson (5-0) survived Syracuse, 27-23, but fell from No. 3 to No. 4 in the standings, this after losing Trevor Lawrence to a head injury in the first half.
Syracuse (4-1), meanwhile, came oh-so-close to upsetting Clemson for the second straight season.
"I don't think he'll be there very long," Bowden said of Syracuse coach Dino Babers. "I think he's got some signature wins in his career. They're going to have a hard time keeping him. They're going to have to come with more money, and Syracuse traditionally doesn't do that. But I think he's an excellent coach."


This web site provides only general information about Reading Borough Council and the services provided by Reading Borough Council as the Highway Authority, together with current legal and other issues of general interest or application. Although Reading Borough Council makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of information herein, we cannot accept responsibility for any loss which might arise from reliance on the information contained on this site or any damage which may be caused by downloading information from this site.
Any third party product or service referred to herein or whose web site is linked hereto is recommended or endorsed by Reading Borough Council.
Reading Borough Council's web site or any web site accessible via Reading Borough Council's web site is virus free.


text:
Slack intergation for Capistrano 3.

![capistrano-slackbot](https://googledrive.com/host/0B03_MIH-1qgoX3A4OWh5djFWUmc/capistrano-slackbot.png)

## Installation

Add this line to your application's Gemfile:
```yaml
gem "capistrano-slackbot"
```

And then execute:
```bash
$ bundle
```

## Usage

Add capistrano/slackbot to your Capfile:
```ruby
# Capfile

require "capistrano/slackbot"
```

Then add some configuation options to your deploy.rb:
```ruby
# deploy.rb

set :slack_webhook_url, ENV["SLACK_WEBHOOK"] # from your "Incoming Webhook" integration
set :slack_options, { channel: "#general", icon_emoji: ":shipit:" } # arbitrary additional options passed to slack
```

And deploy away!

## Contributing

1. Fork it ( https://github.com/[my-github-username]/capistrano-slackbot/fork )
2. Create your feature branch (`git checkout -b my-new-feature`)
3. Commit your changes (`git commit -am 'Add some feature'`)
4. Push to the branch (`git push origin my-new-feature`)
5. Create a new Pull Request


Manchester airport has created a new travel trade marketing manager role off the back of its 'Fly Manchester' campaign.
Nico Spyrou has previously worked in the B2B marketing team at STA Travel UK, at digital agency Capture Marketing and marketing consultancy JUXDIT.
He will be the key point of contact for all trade-related activity and spend time on the road as well as organising and delivering events throughout Manchester airport's catchment area, which includes parts of Merseyside, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Scotland.
Patrick Alexander, head of marketing for Manchester airport, said: "We are delighted to welcome Nico to the team during this period of growth following the successful Fly Manchester marketing campaign to win back passengers in our catchment.
Spyrou added: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining Manchester airport at such an exciting time in its history, with record-breaking numbers of passengers using the airport, and the £1billion terminal transformation project ahead.
Manchester airport has seen passenger traffic increase to 23 million in recent times.


text:
Q: Why does data get assigned without an extra copy being created, in an initialization list? Parashift explains initialization lists well, but does not explain why an extra copy of a variable is created before assignment in the ctor body, but no extra copy is created when assigned through an initialization list.
I've even come across advice of using ++i instead of i++ because the former avoids creation of a temporary i before assignment. Is it the same for POD's assigned in a ctor body? A temp variable gets created before the assignment happens?
To put it another way, why does the compiler need to create an extra copy of a variable? Why can't it just assign the variable directly?
Why?

A: Consider the following:
struct C {
    C() { /* construct the object */ }
};

struct X {
    C member;

    X() { member = C(); }
};

The X() constructor is the same as if you had said:
X() : member() { member = C(); }

First, the C constructor is called to construct the member data member.  Then the body of X is executed, a second, temporary C object is created and assigned to member, then the temporary is destroyed.

Note that this is only the case for types that are initialized automatically.  If member was of type int or of a POD class type (as examples), it would be uninitalized when the body of the X constructor is entered.
For such types it doesn't really matter from a performance standpoint whether you initialize the data member in the initialization list or assign to the data member in the body of the constructor; the difference is entirely stylistic.  Where possible, the initialization list should still be preferred for the sake of consistency.

A: To address your first question specifically regarding the copy (without touching on "++i" vs "i++"):
The constructor is a function, and it has parameters. These parameters are copies of the variables passed as parameters (unless passing by reference is used). You can now manipulate this copy or do anything else with it. Then when you assign, you take this copy of the parameter (possibility manipulated) and assign it to the member variable. When you use an initialization list, the compiler can optimize the assignment immediately without this copy, as you will not be using it for anything but the initialization (and cannot modify it before assigning it to the member variable).

A:
why an extra copy of a variable is created before assignment in the
  ctor body, but no extra copy is created when assigned through an
  initialization list.

Because assignment follows initialization. In other words, assignment is optional, but initialization is mandatory. You may not notice much difference for PODs. But the same holds true for user defined data types.

advice of using ++i instead of i++

Again for PODs it doesn't matter much. But for user defined classes, i++ does create a temporary copy. So it's better to use ++i.
struct A {
  A operator ++ (int)  // example of i++
  {
    A temp = *this;
    this->value ++;
    return temp;    // makes 2 copies "temp" and return value
  }
  A& operator ++ ()  // example of ++i
  {
    this->value ++;
    return *this;  // no copy
  }
};


text:
637: Scribblenauts
Comic #637 (September 16, 2009)
Title text: Let me look away and type 'guy who's just jealous that I beat all his MarioKart times' and turn back, and... yup, there you are again!
Scribblenauts is a game for the Nintendo DS in which the player controls a character named Maxwell, whose goal is to get a "Starite" in each level. The player has the ability to summon over 22,000 different objects into the game by typing them on the touchscreen using the DS's stylus device. Those items are then ostensibly used to help Maxwell collect the Starite (for example, typing "ladder" to help him reach a Starite that's inside a tree), but the player can decide to forgo the objective and just type in random things for fun.
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, and has excited the imagination of writers and journalists in popular culture, some of whom posit the theory that a catastrophic accident at the LHC could destroy the world. One of those ideas concerned the LHC creating a black hole that would proceed to suck in all the surrounding matter. However, in the game, the LHC, when tapped, creates a comically small black hole which only kills Maxwell.
Megan discovers that the LHC can be summoned in Scribblenauts, and has a fun time creating black holes with it. Cueball's snide comment is an unfortunately rather common reaction among adults towards entertainment geared for children, and the fact that Scribblenauts is a portable game just gives him another stick to beat it with. Irritated, Megan types in the phrase "pretentious asshole", and then pretends that Cueball has suddenly appeared. It is unclear whether she is referring to Cueball spawning in-game, or his presence in the real world. Note that, in reality, Scribblenauts doesn't respond to profanity.
In the title text, she types "guy who's just jealous that I beat all his Mario Kart times" (this could be a reference to 423: Finish Line and 290: Fucking Blue Shells) and once again, Cueball "appears" right in front of her. Mario Kart is another video-game series geared towards children, and there's a version of it for the DS, which implies that Cueball's just being snooty about Scribblenauts because Megan has so thoroughly dominated him in another "DS kids game".
[Megan is sitting on bed.]
[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
Megan: Wow, Scribblenauts even lets you summon the LHC.
[Cueball is sitting at a computer. Megan talks from off-panel.]
Fwoosh
Megan: And it makes a black hole! This game rules.
Cueball: I guess it's okay, for a DS kids game.
PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLE
[Megan looks up.]
Megan: Oh, hi! It worked!
I thought that she was looking up and seeing Cueball in the room, rather than on the screen? 192.17.144.235 22:35, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
I thought that there were two copies of her in the third panel because she succeeded in summoning herself in reality with the phrase 'pretentious asshole', much like a Calvin and Hobbes comic where he duplicates himself and then when Hobbes says the duplicate is really good, Calvin says "What do you mean? This guy is a total jerk!" -- Gman314 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
Yes, and no. 108.162.219.223 01:57, 24 December 2013 (UTC)
A bit of clarification would be nice – can the LHC really be summoned in the real Scribblenauts game? --162.158.114.40 22:48, 6 November 2017 (UTC)
Uh...yeah? Why wouldn't it be? 172.69.34.24 19:14, 30 December 2020 (UTC)
The joke in the third panel is that when summoning "pretentious asshole", that she summoned a clone of her self (the pretentious asshole), but the clone is unaware that the original is behind her and thinks Cueball was summoned. Explanation should be updated.
I agree that it is not immediately clear what is happening in the last panel, but the official xkcd transcript says that "the woman looks up". L-Space Traveler (talk) 11:38, 21 October 2022 (UTC)
Retrieved from "https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=637:_Scribblenauts&oldid=295070"
Comics from September
Comics with color


text:
Best selling author to speak at SFA
Best-selling author to speak at SFA
Dinesh D'Souza
The Office of International Programs at Stephen F. Austin State University will host a lecture by best-selling author Dinesh D'Souza at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in the Grand Ballroom of the Baker Pattillo Student Center.
The topic of D'Souza's speech is "Islam and Christianity Amidst International Turmoil: Is Religion to Blame?"
D'Souza recently was named president of King's College in New York City and continues to write best-selling books, tour the lecture circuit and participate in debates.
Prior to writing books, he was a study-abroad student from Bombay, India, who studied his senior year of high school in Arizona. He decided to stay in the United States and received his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1983.
Following his studies, D'Souza worked as senior domestic policy analyst in the Reagan administration from 1987 to 1989. Later, he worked at the American Enterprise Institute and then became a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
D'Souza has written several bestselling titles, including "Illiberal Education," "What's So Great About America," "What's So Great About Christianity," a biography on Ronald Reagan and his latest book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage."
Investor's Business Daily has called D'Souza one of the top young public-policy makers in the country, and the New York Times named him one of America's most influential thinkers. The World Affairs Council also lists him as one of the nation's 500 leading authorities on international issues.
"We're pleased to host President D'Souza, and I think it's an excellent opportunity for students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the community, to learn more about a very serious and relevant topic," said Dr. Murali Venugopalan, director of the Office of International Programs at SFA.
"His books have had a major influence on public policy and opinion, and I encourage students especially to attend."
A question-and-answer session and book signing will be held following the lecture. A reception also will follow at Hotel Fredonia in Nacogdoches. The event is sponsored by the SFA Office of the Provost, College of Liberal and Applied Arts, Department of Government, Office of Student Affairs, International Student Association, Multicultural Center, Barnes & Noble bookstore and Hotel Fredonia.
For more information, contact Venugopalan at (936) 468-6631.


text:
Spencer X
Manhattan, NY, USA
Musician, Producer Multi-Platform Social Media Star
Beatboxing phenom Spencer X is a viral sensation. He is a musician, producer and a multi-platform social media star, and he is taking the world by storm. With a following of 36.6 million on Tik Tok, 837,000 Instagram and 2.03 million subscribers on YouTube, Spencer X has a fierce fanbase. First gaining notoriety by performing at the Vans Warped Tour, 116th Street Festival and Bumbershoot Festival, Spencer X has built an exceptional career. He now stands as one of Tik Tok's most influential personalities in the world.
Beyond social media, Spencer X has collaborated with some of the globe's biggest stars. Most notably Alicia Keys, Sean Kingston and Marshmello. Spencer X's star is on the rise. With a mix of refreshing comedy, beatboxing and skits, Spencer X is unafraid to experiment with new concepts. Forever shaping his musical integrity, Spencer X is on the cutting edge when it comes to creating content. Not to be contained by the COVID-19 lockdown, Spencer X performed on the "Live X Live" Tik Tok in-home concerts. The show saw him reach millions of views, and rescue his fan's quarantine boredom.
Inspiring a generation of up and coming artists, Spencer X is a positive role model. Raising the profile of beatboxing and rapping, Spencer X has become a favourite amongst GenZ. Now as the world eagerly awaits his next project, Spencer X is sure to be shaking up the music scene for years to come.
Spencer X - Be Somebody (Official Music Video)
Spencer X Best BeatBox Tik Tok 2020 - CooL TikTok
Funny Spencer X Beatbox Tik Tok Video
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