Welcome to Jewel Limousines home on the web. Our site was designed with you in mind...very informative and customer friendly. We would like to be your ground transportation specialist. But, more importantly, we want you to choose the right limousine company.
Don't make a precious mistake!! Most people wouldn't hire the cheapest surgeon, yet many consumers shop for a limousine service in this fashion. The biggest mistake you could make when hiring a limousine service is basing your decision solely on the "best price."
This may translate into a large risk for you. "Do you want to accept the risk?!"
You made the wise decision to go In style, and you know very well how much you are spending, what is an extra couple of dollars to guarantee a perfect night?
Q: When hiring a limousine company, should I automatically expect free alcohol with my transportation?
A: Remember, laws differ from State to State. There is no limousine company in the state of Florida that has a Liquor license. All Limousines are "Bring Your Own Booze.". A lot of Limousine companies offer you free liquor in their vehicles; but do keep in mind, that unless they are supplying you with a new bottle that day, you do not know how long it has been in the limo. Never accept liquor out of a Limousines Crystal Bottle. You may possibly be drinking left over bottles by previous clients that the driver pours into what they call the Limo Crystal Bottle. These bottles sit inside the Limousines day after day, and no telling who put their dirty hands on it or if the last person drank straight from the bottle.
Q: What should I look for in a driver besides safety?
A: Keep in mind that a driver can make or break the occasion! Make sure the driver knows the area where you want to go. At Jewel Limousines, we only hire experienced chauffeurs who know all major areas. A driver who does not know the area, may possibly get lost ruining your night, not to mention that you will end up paying for the extra time. Ask for the driver experience, and knowledge of the area. Ask for the drivers phone number and make sure to call him or her ahead of time. Always expect the best from the driver, keep in mind that beside the vehicle he is the one that will make your night enjoyable. Make sure you are able to communicate with the driver. As foolish as this might sound, a good amount of drivers out there can only drive, but cannot communicate.
A driver should be able to recommend different clubs or restaurants, get you in and keep you from standing on lines. Of course during the holidays this might not be possible. If you feel he or her cannot help you, have him call the office. The reason you hired a Limo is for you to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride and not to become a back sit driver.
Q: With so many ground transportation companies out there, how do I choose the right company?
A: This by far is the toughest question to answer. Reputation and word-of- mouth references are very important when choosing a company. If you know someone who has used a limousine service, you should check with them and see if they were satisfied. Many companies look great in paper and on their Website. One good way is to take a good look at the pictures, and make sure that the background of the photo does not show Snow, Hills, Mountains or any other element that we do not have in Florida. Many companies copy and paste pictures from other companies. Always ask to see the vehicles and always get in writing what you are being promised. Ask your local Consumer affairs about the company record, and the better business bureau. Ask a friend or a relative, but never ask. another limo company.
Q: How can I be sure that my family, friends or clients are with a safe driver?
A: Every driver by law in every county must have a special license, this license is called a Hack license. In order to obtain this license, a driver must apply in person, allow consumer affairs to do a criminal background check and go thru a training process required by the county. After all of these requirements are met, then the company that they apply with must have an Operational Permit called a For-Hire Limousine License, which is also a long and intense process to obtain. Some of the requirements are training procedures in place for the drivers, criminal background check for the owners, yearly inspection of all vehicles, Insurance requirements, and be up to date with all fees. This is critical to making sure that your time with any limousine company is safe. All required permits are posted on the front windows of the limousine. Make sure that the dates are not expired, if this is the case notify the consumer affairs in your county.
Q: How do I know if the transportation company is a good company?
A: First, find out if they are Certified. As a rule, "IF THEY ARE NOT CERTIFIED BY YOUR COUNTY" stay away from them. There are very good reasons why they are not. Look for the sticker on the front window of the vehicle. The process to receive Certification is a long and arduous task. Not all transportation companies are equal!! Certification says a lot about a company! It lets you know that the Company you are choosing has met the rigid criteria and careful scrutiny. If they are Certified and allowed to operate in South Florida, then you are on a good track.
Q: How much do I tip the Driver?
A: Standard Gratuity is 20%. Keep in mind that it is acceptable to tip the driver extra, but always make sure the driver does not include the 20% on the total before handing you the bill. Very often clients end up tipping drivers 40%.
Q: How much should I pay for a Limo?
A: Every Company has different rates, some are higher than other, but in general they are all competitive. Do not get fooled by judging companies by their rates. Many times the lower price company has the better vehicles. A trick most companies use, is a transportation Tax or a service fee of 7% to charge you more. It is perfectly legal but most clients do not realize this until it is time to pay at the end of the night. Always ask for the break down of the charges ahead of time, and demand a confirmation Via Fax or E-mail.
Q: The vehicle I am getting....is it what I have been promised?
A: This is by far the most important question when renting a Limo. The best way to avoid a MAJOR disappointment, is to make an appointment to inspect the vehicle you plan on renting. Never rent a Limo that is more than 3 years old. All limousines get used and abused, and by far 3 years or more is too much for a limo to handle. Ask to have all the information pertaining to the limousine you are renting put in writing and make sure it is the same one advertised on their Web Site. A reliable and professional company will be more than happy to provide you with a signed contract . For your comfort, make sure to ask if the Air conditioning in the vehicle works properly, and if the vehicle is fully licensed and Insured by the county.
Q: Do all companies have SUV limos like Hummers and Escalade?
A: No! Please be very careful when renting an exotic vehicle. When you call around, it seems that everyone owns these vehicles, but in reality there is only a hand full of companies that do. Ask to see the vehicle and make sure to ask for a contract specifying the type of vehicle you are getting.
Q: Why can't I just get a ride to and from the event, instead of having a limousine there doing nothing?
A: This is perhaps the one question that is asked of me the most. Here are the facts: There are a few companies that will make you a promise that they will pick you up at certain time after an event. It is not possible to make such a promise, because the same promise was made to another party sharing the same car. The only way to insure that a limousine is there when you need it during your event is to lease it for that period. It is a fact that the good companies in our area often have to bail out the clients of others who choose to run their business that way. It's a tough answer, but it's the truth.
A: Jewel Limousines requires that reservation cancellations be received by telephone no less than 14 days prior to the scheduled pick-up time; excluding International Reservations (Outside U.S & Canada), Weddings, Bachelor/bachelorette and Nightclub Party Package Specials or Specialty Vehicles including; (SUV Limos, Hummer/H2 Limes and Limo-Buses). If you fail to cancel by phone 14 Days prior to your scheduled pick-up time you will be charged in full for the reservation. $10 admin fee charged per reservation cancellation for processing.
All Deposits, if required, at reservation placement are strictly non-refundable when reservation is placed; even if you cancel your reservation within the prescribed time frames. Furthermore the balance In full will be due should you fail to cancel by the prescribed time frames or no-show at pick-up time. Round trip reservations must be cancelled as two separate reservations.
Q: What is your Change Policy?
A: Jewel Limousine requires that all change requests be received by phone a minimum of 14 days prior to scheduled pick-up time and are subject to availability. If, a reservation change cannot be accommodated and results in a cancellation you will be charged for the reservation in full; if, the cancellation is not received within the prescribed cancellation periods listed above.
A: Jewel Limousines will charge your credit card 2 hours prior to the scheduled pick-up time.
Q: Can I pay for the reservation in Cash instead of using the credit card that was provided when I made the reservation?
A: Yes, and we require that you provide the credit card for imprint and payment.
Q: Is it possible to place, change or cancel a reservation with my Chauffeur?
A: Jewel Limousines requires that all changes, confirmations and cancellations be called into our dispatch center at (954)423-3000.
Q: If I place a reservation for 8 hours,.., but after pick-up..I realize I require less time....will I be charged for the full 8 hours?
A: Jewel Limousines will only bill you for the time used; as long as it exceeds our hourly minimum charge, as long as no special rate was quoted for the extended hours. If that is the case, then the regular rate will be applied to the minimum hours used, or the minimum required, which ever is greater.
Q: How far in advance should I place my reservation?
A: Availability changes daily and we suggest you place reservation as soon as you have firm travel dates and times.
Q: What happens if my plane Is early or late arriving?
A: Jewel Limousines updates all flight arrival times and we arrive when your plane lands, no matter whether you arrive late or early provided we have a correct flight number.
Q: How much time do I have to meet the Chauffeur on my Airport Transfer Reservation?
A: Jewel Limousine provides 30 minutes (45 minutes for international Arrivals requiring customs clearance) of free wait time on each Airport Arrival Transfer for you to deplane and pick-up your luggage. If you do not meet your Chauffeur or call us within 30 minutes (45 minutes for international Arrivals) of your plane landing, we will consider you a "no-show" and you will be charged in full for the reservation.
Q: Can I instruct the Chauffeur to take a scenic route to my hotel from the Airport?
A: Jewel Limousines Airport Transfer rates are based on a point to point transfer and your Chauffeur is instructed to use the most direct route for expediency, If you would prefer the Chauffeur use a specific route our hourly rates and minimums will apply, plus applicable fees/taxes and gratuity.
Q: Where do I meet my Chauffeur for pick-up?
A: Each pick-up location is different. Airport pick-up locations are listed on the Rates Page and we confirm all other pick-up locations at Reservation placement.
HERE ARE THE MOST BASIC QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK WHEN RENTING A LIMOUSINE?
1: Do you own the vehicle you are renting me?
2: Can I see the vehicle?
3: How long you have been in business? To confirm this, you can go on-line and type www.sunbiz.org . Do a search of any company under the name they advertise. If that name does not come up, Its a good chance that company is not incorporated, licensed and insured. A major RED flag. Notify your local Consumer affairs.
4: Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau? To confirm this on your own, you can go on-line and type www.bbb.org . Do a search under the name they advertise.
5: Do you have permits? Do keep in mind that every county has its own permits, and every Port Including POM, POE, MIA, FBI do also. If for any reason you get pulled over by consumer affairs/ and the vehicle is not permitted/ there is a good chance that all passengers will be asked to get out of the car and grab a Taxi/ and the Limo will be towed and impounded.
6: Do you have Insurance?
7: Are all your drivers fully licensed and Insured?
8: Are your vehicles and Drivers licensed in the County you are being picked up? How many limousines does the company have?
9: It's always best to have the limousine service provide proof of insurance before you rent a limo.
10: What credit cards are accepted?
11: Find out if the limousine service has a policy for cancellations?
12: Are the limousine companies you are calling farming out the work to other limousine companies?
13: Can you rent a limo for a flat rate?
14: Are there any discounts for weekday limousine rental rates?
15: What type of limousine is required? Don't assume when you rent a limo that every limousine service has the same cars!
16: What make and model and year is the limousine?
17: Perhaps you want to rent an SUV Limo instead of multiple limos.
19: When you rent, a limo, what special features do you want? TV or DVD in the Limousine?
20: Ask about free Refreshments in the limos!
22: Is your limousine going to smell like smoke?
23: Is the limousine driver uniform formal or casual?
24: Can you rent a limo with special packages for weddings, bachelor/bachelorette, birthdays, etc?
1. Will the limousine driver meet you at the terminal or door?
2. If you rent a limo will driver assist you with your luggage?
3. If a plane is late, what is the cost for the rental limousine to wait?


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Home » Entities » Robert Barrett
Profile: Robert Barrett
Robert Barrett was a participant or observer in the following events:
August 28, 1974: Nixon Lawyer Argues for Pardon; 'It's a Done Deal'
Leonard Garment. [Source: Spartacus Educational]Former President Nixon's White House counsel, Leonard Garment, delivers a three-page handwritten memo to the White House outlining his arguments in favor of a pardon (see August 27, 1974). Garment writes that the time for a pardon is now, otherwise President Ford risks "losing control of the situation." Calls for indictment will increase, Garment says, and "the whole miserable tragedy will be played out to God knows what ugly and wounding conclusion." Once the initial negative reaction to a pardon blows over, Garment argues, Ford will be viewed as "strong and admirable.… There will be a national sigh of relief." Garment also argues that Nixon well may not survive a prosecution because of his physical debilities and near-suicidal depression. Ford does not immediately see the memo, but his ad hoc chief of staff Alexander Haig does. Ford and Haig discuss the pardon in private, and though Ford will later write that Haig did not try to argue for a pardon, after the meeting Haig calls Garment to tell him, "It's a done deal." For his part, Ford doesn't think the country wants to, in his words, "see an ex-president behind bars." Nixon's suffering is enormous, Ford believes: "His resignation was an implicit admission of guilt, and he could have to carry forever his burden of guilt." Moreover, Ford worries that the nation is essentially overdosing on the political drama. Everyone has become "Watergate junkies," as one of Ford's military aides, Robert Barrett, tells him. "Some of us are mainlining, some of us are sniffing, some are lacing it with something else, but all of us are addicted," Barrett says. "This will go on and on unless someone steps in and says that we, as a nation, must go cold turkey. Otherwise, we'll die of an overdose." [Werth, 2006, pp. 212-214]
Entity Tags: Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., Leonard Garment, Robert Barrett

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Search For "crop insurance"
After request from Maharashtra, Centre extends deadline for farmer
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): The Central government on Thursday agreed to the Maharashtra government's demand of extending the cut-off date for enrolment of farmers from July 15 to July 23 for Kharif season 2021 under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Andhra Pradesh: Minister slams TDP for propaganda over YSR Free Cr
Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], May 29 (ANI): Slamming Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief Chandrababu Naidu and other TDP leaders for their propaganda over YSR Free Crop Insurance scheme, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu said the state government paid Rs 3,783.25 crore
From Kisan Credit Cards to crop insurance scheme, govt wants to br
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 25 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government wants to bring a paradigm shift in the agri sector with initiatives such as Kisan Credit Cards and crop insurance scheme.
Govt allocates Rs 16000 crore for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
New Delhi [India], February 7 (ANI): Union government has allocated Rs 16,000 crores for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for the fiscal year 2021-22 to boost the safety of farmers' crops and to ensure that maximum benefit of crop insurance reaches farmers.
Bharti Axa launches app to optimise farming practices
New Delhi [India], Jan 27 (ANI): Bharti Axa General Insurance on Wednesday launched a new app to guide farmers in adopting best farming practices and enhancing productivity.
Navjot Singh Sidhu alleges private insurance companies looting far
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], December 16 (ANI): Amid the ongoing farmers protest in and around the national capital, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday claimed that private crop insurance companies have replaced government insurance companies and are indulged in looting farmers
Andhra govt disburses Rs 1,252 cr to 9.48 lakh farmers
Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 15 (ANI): The Andhra Pradesh Government on Tuesday disbursed Rs 1,252 crore to 9.48 lakh farmers under insurance claims pertaining to the 2019 season. The list of these 9.48 lakh beneficiaries registered under Dr YSR free crop insurance scheme wil
Bharti Axa General Insurance posts Rs 1,574 cr premium in H1
New Delhi [India], December 14 (ANI): Bharti Axa General Insurance on Monday reported a gross written premium of Rs 1,574 crore in the first half of current financial year 2020-21 against Rs 1,586 crore in the corresponding period of last fiscal.
Farmers whose crops were damaged will get relief money: CM Chouhan
Dewas (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 9 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said that farmers whose crops have been damaged will be provided with relief funds and the money will be given through the crop insurance scheme.
Nearly 70 per cent increase in coverage of area cultivated under f
Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 9 (ANI): There has been nearly 70 per cent increase in coverage of area cultivated under Andhra Pradesh government's free crop insurance scheme, implemented during 2019-20 rabi season, while the sum insured to farmers has doubled, said the Chief Mi
MP CM transfers crop insurance payments to farmers' accounts
Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 18 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday transferred crop insurance (fasal bima) payments to the bank accounts of farmers.
Rs 4,688 crore to be given to MP farmers for damage due to floods
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 6 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Agricultural Minister Kamal Patel on Sunday said that Rs 4,688 crore would be given to 20 lakh farmers who had been affected by floods caused by heavy monsoon rains on September 16 under the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Sc


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a clinical article is one of many primary types of interaction with a scientist of this outcomes of their research (among other many forms that are importantis just a systematic report, along with a poster message).
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Nonetheless, prestige isn't that essential. Probably the most important things is the visitors for who you might be posting a write-up. Editorial board of this scientific log when contemplating your manuscript, when you look at the place that is first will likely be led by this criterion.
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3) work needs to be put in the supply ( ag e.g., journal, procedures of University) available to community that is scientific.
0" 에 응답Written and unwritten guidelines for the planning of a systematic article in a journal that is peer-reviewed"


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text:
package utils

import java.text.Normalizer

import scala.collection.breakOut

object ParseHelper {
  def norm(str: String) = Normalizer.normalize(str, Normalizer.Form.NFKC).trim
  def normList(sep: Char)(str: String): List[String] = str.trim.split(sep).map(_.trim)(breakOut)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Questa voce raccoglie le informazioni riguardanti il Wuppertaler Sport-Verein nelle competizioni ufficiali della stagione 2009-2010.

Stagione
Nella stagione 2009-2010 il Wuppertal, allenato da Peter Radojewski, concluse il campionato di 3. Liga al 20º posto e retrocesse in Regionalliga.

Rosa

Organigramma societario
Area tecnica
 Allenatore: Peter Radojewski
 Allenatore in seconda: Thomas Stickroth
 Preparatore dei portieri: Dirk Zimmermann
 Preparatori atletici:

Risultati

3. Liga

Girone di andata

Girone di ritorno

Statistiche

Statistiche di squadra

Andamento in campionato

Statistiche dei giocatori

Collegamenti esterni

Wuppertaler

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Why We Should Be Worried About Computers Taking Over The World
by Effective Altruism Foundation
Lee Davy sits down with Adriano Mannino, Chairman and co-founder or Raising for Effective Giving, to discuss their recent presentation during the World Series of Poker, why more people don't give to charity, and their interest in the rise of artificial intelligence.
When Carnegie Mellon's computer Claudico took on poker's finest in a series of heads-up matches, the poker community put down their controllers, stopped playing Super Mario World and were enthralled.
Adriano Mannino, Chairman and co-founder of the non-profit organization Raising for Effective Giving (REG) wasn't enthralled. He was worried. When he gazed at the contest he saw an algorithm that would never stop learning, then the controllers started moving, Mario and Luigi were kicking Bowser's butt, and there wasn't a human being in sight.
I caught up with the sharp-suited effective altruist to talk about the progress of the REG movement, why Elon Musk has given $10m to a research unit created to look into the safety aspects of artificial intelligence, and why I have used a Super Mario World metaphor.
Talk about the REG presentation that you held in the Rio this week!
"It was great. Organizing such things is always a challenge so we were glad it all went well. There were a lot of great players present. I spoke for 30-minutes and we had a Q&A for another 30-minutes. There were some great questions and some wonderful suggestions regarding how we can convey our ideas beyond the poker world by people like Dan Shak, Justin Bonomo and Galen Hall. It was also great to see that so many people were dedicated on a personal level."
How do you follow up with the players who were present?
"Our main mission is to present the research that we have done: charity evaluation, looking into different cause areas and charities, trying to come up with estimates regarding how many lives particular interventions can save, and to put the arguments out there as to why we should help at all. Our main goal is to put this information out there, i.e. to provide the service of science-based, rational charity evaluation. The rest happens organically. There is no point being overly pushy. People will contact us with ideas they have, and we meet up for further discussions, or we hold dialogue via e-mail."
REG currently has 159 members. I believe the poker community can do better. What do you think needs to be done to increase that number?
"It would be desirable if that number was 10x bigger. But you have to consider we have only just begun. We had our launch dinner a year ago in Vegas. We had our first matching challenge a few months earlier. Philipp Gruissem and Igor Kurganov donated $50k together and asked their fans and followers to donate the same amount, and that's what kicked us off. I think it's a decent result to have 159 sign-ups and continuing our work, putting more information out there, holding more tournaments, and liaising with more casinos will see that number rise. The more people we have on board the more they will talk to other people, and the more will come on board. We hope this movement will keep on growing. We do see fields of thousands of players, and when you compare that with 159 members, it may not seem like too much, but if you think about what fraction that is, it's a decent fraction. Also a lot of people who haven't signed up are still involved in other charities and that's great also."
What does the research say when it comes to why people don't give to charity?
"Many people in the psychological thought experiments that one can present will agree that they have an interest in donating to charity and saving lives if they can do so at little costs to themselves, and particularly if it's emotionally touching. If you present them with a specific biography of a child that needs help, then the majority of people who have money will help. But when the suffering is far away our brains have a harder time relating to that on an emotional level.
"Of course emotions are always needed for action. They are the main drivers of action. If we can't rely on emotion directly because the suffering is happening far away, then we need a more cognitive and rational approach, so we really need to conceptualize the situation that we are in, and understand that we demonstrably have the power to affect lives at the other end of the globe if we use our money effectively. That's the main obstacle, trying to create that emotional connection to stuff that's far away and we are trying to use rationality to bridge that gap."
I often find that science fiction soon becomes science fact. There has been a spate of movies recently covering AI. Chappie was a particularly good one that I watched recently. In your REG dinner talk you mentioned that Elon Musk has donated $10m to the Future of Life Institute, and they have started to give that money out to different research units. What are people like Musk worried about, and what do you think the research will cover?
"A central part of our approach is that we want to be open-minded, think outside the box and also evaluate potential areas of charity that may not be mainstream and may be non-conventional.
"We have started with poverty and down to earth strategies, but we have also broadened our perspective and asked the question: On a global scale, what sorts of risks and developments could be most disruptive? Climate change is one example of something that has the potential to have globally disastrous effects and that will affect the far future.
"When you have the approach to save as many lives as possible, and reduce as much suffering as possible, then the far future is very important. It seems that far more people will be living in the far future, just in virtue of the succession of generations that are currently living. That's the background behind why we have started to look into AI as a discussion area.
"Elon Musk has just donated $10m to AI safety research. The main concern is that computer algorithms and machines are becoming increasingly powerful and more intelligent. There are a number of intelligence-related domains and games in which algorithms already outperform humans. Chess is one of them and I recently saw an algorithm outperforming humans in Super Mario World. It was crazy seeing an algorithm figuring out strategies that humans have never uncovered. What we call the "real world" is just a 3D game of greater complexity. AI capability research is advancing rapidly but the safety research is dangerously lagging behind."
"There are many historical examples of highly consequential technology. Nuclear technology came faster than people expected, and the safety research, and what we could do on a political and legal level, regarding how we could coordinate internationally and avoid arms races, was lagging behind. Musk and people like him are trying to boost safety research at the expense of pure capability research in order to try and guarantee a safer outcome.
"Why intelligence technologies? Intelligence has so far been a biological phenomenon that relates to the behavior of animals, and humans are animals. Intelligence just means the capacity to achieve goals across a varied range of environments. Why are humans the most powerful species on earth? It's because we are the most intelligent. We can totally dominate the chimps. But if other entities come about that we create artificially and they trump us in terms of intelligence, it's easy to see that in some decades or centuries down the line they could be in a similar relation to us as we are in relation to chimps.
'Some people would say: "isn't that science fiction?" – well, many experts strongly disagree, e.g. the Oxford professor Nick Bostrom in his new book "Superintelligence" , which I highly recommend. But even if you contradict these experts and only place a small probability on dangerous AI scenarios materializing reasonably soon, the stakes are extremely high, so the expected value is always high when trying to address it. We're collaborating with the Foundational Research Institute (FRI) as well as the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) in order to find the most promising donation options to avert disastrous AI outcomes."
I read that Google's work on the driverless car needed the input of philosophers because they needed to program the AI so it could make human-based decisions when it came to emergency situations.
"On the road you can have moral dilemmas in the real world. Say your driverless car is heading to a group of kids and they would all die if you didn't get out of their way. But the only way to avoid the kids is to drive into a wall and you will die. How is the algorithm going to decide in that case? It's a question that has a philosophical and ethical dimension. Should we in all instances try and minimize the victim count, or look at other principles?
"Then there is the technical side of things. Even if we can agree on the ethical dilemma there is a technical problem on how to reliably program these human values into the car. That's a good example of a very down to earth AI problem. But the much bigger problem that Musk is worried about is not driverless car algorithms that exist today, he is worried about extrapolated future algorithms that would be much more powerful.
"The worry is that at one point an algorithm will emerge that could beat humans in every cognitive capacity such as science and technological innovation, common sense and social skills. Such a scenario will obviously present severe dangers. We need to solve the problems of what values do we want to program into these machines and how do we make sure they will be stable and reliable? It's clear that if you have an super-powerful intelligence that is not programmed to respect the wishes and suffering of humans and other creatures, then the outcome could be globally catastrophic."
[This interview has been conducted by Lee Davy and was originally published on CalvinAyre.com.]
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How meta-charity can dominate direct charity
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Ukrainian self-determination and idea of freedom
Ukrainians' self-organizing drew in all layers of the population, acting on their passion for independence and freedom from imperial overlords. The new life they have brought to the idea of democracy is deeper than political democracy. Marx's humanist idea is a future determined by fully realizing that deeper content.
read the rest!
LGBTQ+ are under fire in Ukraine
LGBTQ+ Ukrainians are reacting in a variety of ways to the Russian invasion. Some are fleeing, others have enlisted or been drafted to fight; and others are staying to help their country in other ways.
Russian invasion and Ukrainian resistance shake up the world
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resistance to it are shaking up the world and revealing the ideological pollution of society, including of the Left.
Putin's brutal war in Ukraine puts the future of humanity in doubt
Putin's invasion confronted fierce resistance in Ukraine and opposition on Russian streets. The war reveals a changed world of competing centers of capital–which is in a state of stalled accumulation globally, devolving into militarism, other-hating fascism and fomenting new forms of genocide–signaling the future this system holds if left unchecked.
Editorial: No to Putin's planned war in Ukraine
Saber-rattling rhetoric, troop movements, and threats of open warfare have accompanied rounds of diplomatic meetings between Russia, the U.S., NATO, and other European powers over the future of Ukraine. These threats must be opposed, and seen for what they are—anti-working class counter-revolution on a world-historic scale.


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package jsettlers.logic.map.loading.data.objects;

import jsettlers.common.material.EMaterialType;

public class StackMapDataObject implements MapDataObject {

	private final int count;
	private final EMaterialType type;

	public StackMapDataObject(EMaterialType type, int count) {
		this.type = type;
		this.count = count;
	}

	public EMaterialType getType() {
		return type;
	}

	public int getCount() {
		return count;
	}

}


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19 people died as Quetta-bound bus fell into ravine
LatestNational
By Sufyan Khalid
At least 19 people died when a bus that was traveling from Islamabad to Quetta and had been traveling through the Zhob region of the Balochistan province plunged into a ravine.
The accident took place at 1:00 am on Sunday in the Zhob area, and it was caused by a bus falling down a ravine. As a direct result of the accident, at least 19 individuals lost their lives, and 10 others were injured.
According to authorities involved in the rescue operation, "the bus was carrying 33 passengers and was traveling from Islamabad to Quetta," and they said that the event occurred as a result of the slippery road caused by the rain.
The rescue workers had a terrible time retrieving bodies and transporting injured people out of the ravine and eventually took them to a hospital in the area.
The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, was made aware of the occurrence, and he sent orders to the relevant authorities, instructing them to declare an emergency at Zhob hospital and offer medical care to those who were hurt.
Accidents on the roads are common in Pakistan for a variety of reasons, including a general lack of knowledge about how to stay safe on the roads, inadequate driver education, and a host of other factors.
A recent tragic accident near Hasan Abdal's Buran Interchange resulted in the death of at least 15 persons. The tragedy occurred when a passenger bus headed for Mardan crashed into a ditch while attempting to prevent a car from colliding with it.
Read Also: 7 dead, 15 injured in Layyah, Chowk Azam road accident
The bus left Lahore in the direction of Mardan, but on the route, as it crossed Hassan Abdal, it was involved in an accident and fell into a ditch. The accident occurred on the road to Mardan.
The officers in charge of the rescue operation were able to recover the bodies of 15 people who were on board.
Quetta bus ravine


The winners for the 2014 Chesley Awards, celebrating science fiction and fantasy art, have been announced! The Chesleys are given by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists each year. This year's ceremony took place on August 15th at the 72st World Science Fiction convention, LonCon.


Oct.24 (GMM) Former Niki Lauda and Sauber sponsor Money Service Group's founder Michael Seidl has been sentenced to jail for nine years.
Last week, F1 legend Lauda testified against Seidl in a Liechtenstein court, after he lost EUR 500,000 in an investment, and was underpaid to the tune of EUR 800,000 after Money Service Group sponsored his famous cap in 2011.
Seidl was tried for commercial fraud, and according to the major Volksblatt daily he was sentenced unconditionally to nine years in jail.
A court spokesman confirmed the verdict to the Austrian APA news agency, adding that Seidl has lodged an appeal.
As did Lauda, the Swiss team Sauber terminated its sponsorship deal with Money Service Group mid last year.


The United Counties Showground is a massive 52 acre site, with a fantastic range of facilities, attracting high-profile events for organisations across South Wales.
With a diverse range of events from agricultural shows to custom car rallies there's something for all of the family - take a look at our upcoming events.
Our main ring is available for all types of events from sporting competitions to displays and animal competitions.
Our 200 seat grandstand, means that your audience are under cover - protected from both sun and rain.
The main exhibition hall is a large modern single span building which is light and airy with excellent, quiet acoustics.
The design of the building makes this a very flexible space for all types of activities. It always feels pleasant and welcoming when occupied.
Accessible from all four sides it has a large roller shutter doors at each end which allow access for lorries and other large machines. It has a smooth concrete floor which is easily cleaned and can be carpeted for exhibitions.
Heaters are available but must be requested prior to the event.
Toilets are located outside the rear entrance and additional toilets are hired if required for larger events.
The electricity supply is sufficient for most requirements, but for large exhibitions a stand-by generator which simply plugs into the supply system is usually installed which ensures every event runs free of electricity outages.
Underneath our main grandstand is a large multi-purpose space.
At 11 x 16 metres, it's big enough for a range or uses and makes the perfect practice room.
The Showground is available to hire from just £600 a day. Contact our team for more details.


Since its founding in 1978, the College of Engineering has nevertheless been filled with numerous achievements. It has consistently been a top performer in the region in terms of the number of passers for the various engineering board examinations and has also won championships in several local and national competitions.
Dubbed as the "Home of the Champions", the College is committed to giving students the required tools for them to become proficient in whatever field of engineering they choose to pursue. Led by a dynamic faculty and administration, the College is equipped with the facilities and proper curriculum that have, through the years, produced some of the most successful engineers in the country that have made their mark both here and abroad.
We envision the College of Engineering to be a center of excellence so that the University of Batangas will be recognized as one of the leaders in providing topnotch Engineering education nationwide.
The College of Engineering devotes itself in delivering quality education in engineering theories, practices and civic consciousness in a global, technology, and research driven environment.
- Pursue academic excellence through continued efforts to update its course offerings and curriculum with the changing demands of time.
The Civil Engineering Department envisions to be recognized as one of the leading providers of quality engineering and to be acknowledged as an institution that recognizes the value of research in developing knowledge and technology for the betterment of the society.
The Civil Engineering Department is committed to offer a Civil Engineering program which aims to provide students with strong technical, scientific and professional competencies in a global, technological and research-driven environment.
• Be motivated toward lifelong learning and the pursuit of significant, recognized post-undergraduate professional development through participations in trainings and seminars, and/or undertaking graduate studies in engineering, science or other related fields.
-Participate in professional, in-service and/or community activities to contribute to the society or to civil engineering profession.
a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, physical sciences, engineering sciences to the practice of civil engineering.
c) An ability to design, build, improve, and install systems or processes which meet desired needs within realistic constraints.
d) An ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.
e) An ability to recognize, formulate and solve civil engineering problems.
f) An understanding of the effects and impact of civil engineering projects on nature and society, and of the civil engineers' social and ethical responsibilities.
g) Specialized engineering knowledge in each applicable field, and the ability to apply such knowledge to provide solutions to actual problems.
h) An ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing using the English language.
i) An ability to engage in life-long learning and an acceptance of the need to keep current of the development in the specific field of specialization.
j) An ability to use the appropriate techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for the practice of civil engineering.
k) A knowledge of contemporary issues.
l) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of engineering and management principles as a member and/or leader in a team to manage projects in multidisciplinary environments.
The Computer Engineering Department envisions to be recognized as one of the leading providers of competitive IT professionals in various IT related industries both locally and internationally. It commits itself in delivering quality education, and thus, strives to become a center of excellence.
The Computer Engineering department is committed in preparing its graduates for professional computer engineering careers which includes leading roles in the design, analysis and application of computing structures that involve hardware and software. The graduates must have a strong foundation in their education in order to participate in a global, technological, and research- driven environment.
a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, sciences, and engineering sciences to the practice of computer engineering.
b) An ability to design and conduct experiments as well as analyze and interpret data.
c) An ability to design a system to meet desired needs.
e) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve computer engineering problems.
g) An ability to communicate effectively in verbal and non-verbal communication.
h) A broad education necessary to understand impact of engineering solutions in a global/societal context.
i) An ability to engage in life-long learning and to keep current of the development in a specific field of specialization.
l) . An ability to apply acquired computer engineering knowledge and skills for national development.
The Electrical Engineering Department is committed to offer solid educational program that provides its students with strong technical, scientific and professional competencies in a global, technological and research-driven environment.
The Electrical Engineering Department envisions to be recognized as a distinguished provider of quality electrical engineering education nationwide.
•	Engage in the productive practice of electrical engineering to identify and solve significant problems across a broad range of application areas.
•	Play a part in delivering services to the society through a combination of technical expertise, social responsibility and leadership.
a.	An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, physical, life and information sciences; and engineering sciences appropriate to the field of practice.
c.	An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within identified constraints.
d.	An ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.
e.	An ability to recognize, formulate and solve engineering problems.
f.	Recognition of professional, social, and ethical responsibility.
g.	An ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing using the English language.
h.	An understanding of the effects of engineering solutions in a comprehensive context.
i.	An ability to engage in life-long learning and an understanding of the need to keep current of the developments in the specific field of practice.
l.	Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of engineering and management principles as a member and/or leader in a team to manage projects in multidisciplinary environments.
The Electronics Engineering department aims to provide high-quality program that prepares its graduates for the challenges of the new century and to excel at the local and international level by promoting learning through research, design and technology- based learning.
The mission of the Electronics Engineering department is to provide its graduates with the knowledge and skills needed for high-quality engineering work in order to equip its students with a thorough understanding of social, business, industrial, and human aspects that will prepare them for diverse and competitive career paths.
•	Shall become an effective leader in the operations and maintenance of electronic systems, equipment and component parts.
•	Shall be involved in the analysis and solution of electronic engineering problems using fundamental and modern technical skills.
k) Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
The Department of Industrial Engineering aims to provide high quality education that will prepare their graduates to adapt to the rapid changes in their field and to become future leaders in the industry, business, and academe.
The Department of Industrial Engineering is committed to enrich the intellectual and moral values of students by providing them with sound industrial engineering education; to enhance the technical skills of the students through a practical approach and site visits; to engage in innovative research and to provide services to society by delivering outreach activities through its programs. The department continuously improves its performance in the creation, integration, and dissemination of information relevant to the design, implementation, operation analysis and improvement of industrial processes to better serve the industrial engineering profession and to uphold the reputation of the University of Batangas in providing excellent education.
• Assess and create enterprise value through innovative structured problem solving in order to make process faster, more innovative, reliable and cost-efficient.
a. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, physical and information sciences, and engineering sciences to the practice of industrial engineering.
c. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
e. An ability to recognize, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
f. A recognition of professional, social, and ethical responsibility.
g. An ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing using the English language.
h. An understanding of the effects of engineering solutions in a comprehensive context.
i. An ability to engage in life-long learning and an understanding of the need to keep current of the developments in the specific field of specialization.
j. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and engineering tools necessary for engineering and business practice.
k. An ability to perform services in the form of analysis, design, preparation of plans, specifications, estimates, and implementation of work standards, statistical process control systems, production planning and materials control systems, manufacturing and service facilities, operations research models for production and operations, and/or information systems.
l. An ability to understand the engineering and management principles as a member and leader of a team, and to manage projects in a multi-disciplinary environment.
The Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Batangas aims to provide students with the fundamental background necessary for an active career in mechanical engineering. Graduates will obtain a high-quality and rigorous technical education that is enriched by flexible curriculum and interdisciplinary research opportunities which will enable the graduates to apply their knowledge and to pursue successful career paths in either the engineering profession or an alternative field.
The mission of the Mechanical Engineering program at University of Batangas is to provide students with the fundamental background necessary for an active career in mechanical engineering, to conduct basic and applied research; and to continue their education through post-graduate studies; and to provide service to the engineering profession and to the community.
k.	Knowledgeable in project management, administration, business acumen, and entrepreneurship.


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Q: How to calculate Hadoop Storage? Im not sure If Im calculating it right but for example im using Hadoop default settings and I want to calculate how much data i can store in my cluster. For example I have 12 nodes and 8 TB total disk space per node allocated to HDFS storage.
Do I just calculate 12/8 = 1.5 TB?

A: You're not including the replication factor and overhead for processing any of that data. Plus, Hadoop won't run if all the disks are close to full
Therefore, 8 TB would be first divided by 3 (without the new Erasure Coding enabled), and then by the number of nodes
However, you can't technically hit 100% of HDFS usage because the services will start failing once you start going above 85% usage, so really, your starting number should be 7TB

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Ferrino is the technical sponsor of the Polish expedition to climb K2 in winter. K2 is the last 8,000 to have never been climbed during the winter season, the second highest peak of the Earth (8611 m).
K2 is the last 8,000 to have never been climbed during the winter season, the second highest peak of the Earth (8611 m).
Ferrino is the technical sponsor of this important expedition organized by the Polish Mountaineering Federation and supported by the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism.
Right now the Polish mountaineers are attempting the climb to enter into the history of mountaineering.
"We know that we only have 5% chance of getting to the top, but it's only trying that we can do it. If we had never dared in the past there would not be all the Polish successes in the high mountains" says Krzysztof Wielicki, the expedition leader who boasts the first winter ascent of an eight thousand, the Everest (1980, together with Leszek Cichy), and two other first winter ascents, on the Kangchenjunga in 1986 (with Jerzy Kukuczka) and on the Lhotse, alone.
Alongside the leader Wielicki they are Janusz Gołąb, Jarosław Bator (doctor), Dariusz Załuski (director), Adam Bielecki, Marcin Kaczkan, Artur Małek, Marek Chmielarski, Rafał Fronia, Piotr Tomala, Maciek Bedrejczuk, Piotr Snopczyński and Denis Urubko (Russian-Kazakh which from two years has also the Polish citizenship).
Ferrino is proud to once again take part in a great challenge alongside great names of Alpinism.
The Polish team is equipped with Ferrino Svalbard 3.0 tents, an icon of our brand that this years celebrates 30 years and the fourth restyling. Suitable for the most extreme winter conditions, very resistant thanks to the double cross structure, the Svalbard is at the same time fast to assemble and easy to carry.
Other tents used by the Polish team in these expeditions days is the Pilier 2, designed to withstand high winds at high altitudes.
Also, the Radical 45 + 10 backpack that could not missing on their shoulders! The backpack featured by DSM Dynemma fiber composite fabric, which is very light but at the same time very resistant,.
Ferrino welcomes Serbian trail runner Jovica Spajić inside its team of athletes giving him the role of international "ambassador" for the brand.


New Delhi: Several students who enrolled into distance education programme offered by the Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) of the University of Mumbai have been sent in a lurch. The distance programme offered by University of Mumbai is no longer recognized by UGC. The Distance Education Bureau, UGC released the list of approved Distance Education Institutes and their corresponding courses for the academic year 2018-19 on October 3 this year.


The Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) has ramped up its lobbying efforts in favour of reauthorisation of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) as a congressional vote looms.
The SIIA argues that if the bill is not extended, captives writing terrorism-related risks will become "no longer viable alternative risk transfer vehicles".
Mike Ferguson, chief operating officer of the SIIA, told Captive International: "If TRIA is allowed to expire, the standalone terrorism coverage market will see costs skyrocket, and/or availability dry up. TRIA mandates carriers to offer terrorism coverage with their property policies but expiration and the absence of reliable actuarial models to properly price premiums would cause carriers to withdraw from the market, especially in high-risk areas. Captive-written policies likely have provisions enabling them to cancel or modify terrorism coverage in the event TRIA is allowed to expire."


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Home blog 14 Businesses Doing a Great Job at animal snares
14 Businesses Doing a Great Job at animal snares
I am the person who has always had an animal trap, even though I have never owned one. It's always been a part of my life. For years I have been trying to build a trap. It never happened. How about this: the other day I went to an animal sanctuary and had to leave my dog at one of the shelter's shelters because I had to take my dog to get his rabies shot. I had to leave my dog.
What happened was that I had my dog with me and I put him in a car and when I got to the shelter, the woman at the shelter told me I needed to get my dog to the animal shelter. I told her that I would. She was like, "No, you have to get your dog to the animal shelter and then take him to the animal shelter" and I was like, "What?" She was like, "This is my job.
It's really hard for animal welfare shelters and animal control to keep up with a lot of the situations they deal with. They deal with people who are mentally ill, people who have been abandoned or abused, and often homeless pets. The shelters and animal control have to deal with all of these situations on a daily basis. They have to keep a dog in a shelter every day, they have to pick up a bad-tempered pet, and they have to deal with lost pets.
The animal snares you see in the video above are actually part of a video game called the Inhumane Escape. It's basically a survival game where you're trying to get across a desert with the help of a dog and a monkey. Each dog and monkey has a special feature you can use to help you move the desert towards you. The dog has a blind spot, the monkey has an obstacle course, and the dog can run backwards while the monkey can run forwards.
Not all of the animals can be rescued, but some can. The Inhumane Escape video game shows animals like these trying to run out of food and water, and their owners doing all they can to help them succeed, but with the help of their pets. The game is not a true survival game though, and all progress is random, so youll never get to see the best possible animal that way.
The Inhumane Escape game, as you may know, is not a true game in the traditional sense at all. While the goal is to escape from a cage, it is actually a series of events that can only occur if you use your dog, monkey, or other animal as the animal that is the focus of the game. The game is designed to give you the best odds of escaping the cage, but it also allows you to be the best possible animal if you can help it.
This is the part of the game where you set up a snares and try to catch the animal you have set up as the focus of the game. In this way you can be the best animal in the game or at least the best animal that you can be.
In animal snares you can set up a snares that contains something that will cause the animal to lose its ability to defend itself. For instance, you can set up a snares with a snake that you can use to attack your pets and when the snake is set up to attack you can set up a snares with a cat that is set up to defend itself. The best animals will be the ones that are set up to defend themselves.
Animals are a unique group of creatures that are extremely intelligent and a lot more resilient than humans. They can outrun most of the things that humans can. They can outrun and outsmart almost anything. In fact, they can outrun and outsmart nearly everything that could possibly move. They can outrun and outsmart nearly everything that could possibly exist.
The best of these animals are the ones that the cats are set up to defend themselves. Cats are smart. They can outrun and outsmart almost anything that can move. It's a matter of time before the cats are able to break out of the snares.
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December 25, 2019 December 25, 2019 pandrezLeave a Comment on 2019 Review: Top 10 Albums
2019 Review: Top 10 Albums
Everyone's life has a soundtrack and the songs or albums that make up that soundtrack will always differ from person to person. One of my favorite things to do every year is look back on the music that served as a backdrop throughout the weeks and months. This year I have what is probably my strongest top 10 to date; granted I'm only proud of the past 4 or 5 years in terms of quality Top 10s, but 2019 really delivered an exceptional number of albums.
There's a lot that didn't make the list but I've included a brief Honorable Mentions section as well.
Tyler, The Creator – IGOR
IGOR is Tyler's most polished, cohesive and personal album to date. It's been great getting to see Tyler explore his identity and many different styles throughout the years, but on IGOR, he sounds the most comfortable he's ever been and delivers an eclectic and stylish mix of songs about love, heartbreak and identity.
Top Three Tracks: "Earfquake" – "New Magic Wand" – "Are We Still Friends?"
Solange – When I Get Home
Solange is far from just Beyonce's little sister. She has found her true voice as an artist and has delivered another beautiful and meticulously-crafted concept album. A love letter to her hometown of Houston, When I Get Home is a finely-tuned collection of repeated refrains, seamless transitions and elegant vocals.
Top Three Tracks: "Stay Flo" – "Almeda" – "Way to the Show"
Mannequin Pussy – Patience
I never saw myself as someone who would be into "punk" music… until I listened to "Drunk II" off of Mannequin Pussy's 2019 offering Patience. I soon found myself playing the entire album over and over; craving it more and more every time. Patience is a teetering seesaw of an album that goes from screaming in your face to crying alongside you; all within a brisk 25 minute runtime.
Top Three Tracks: "Patience" – "Drunk II" – "Who You Are"
Orville Peck – Pony
I wrote an article earlier this year about how interesting I found Orville Peck to be. A masked cowboy crooner whose Country sound is far from what's popular on most Country radio stations today, at least from what I've heard. Not only is he one of the most unique artists I've discovered this year, Pony is an impressively skillful, rowdy, and equally graceful technicolor ride through the Wild West. Though it's only Peck's first solo project, I'm eager to see where his enigmatic stage persona and nostalgic sound will go next.
Top Three Tracks: "Dead of Night" – "Hope to Die" – "Queen of the Rodeo"
Big Thief – U.F.O.F.
Certain albums just take their time to hit, U.F.O.F. is the most last-minute addition to my Top 10 despite coming out in the first half of 2019. When it was first recommended to me, I gave it a listen but the band's sound just wasn't something I particularly cared to listen to at the time. I revisited the album as the year went on and after my… third or fourth listen, it finally resonated with me, like a switch had been flipped.
There's something so mystical and nostalgic about this whole album, it evokes feelings of dawn and feelings of warm and hazy summer air. I'm still relatively early in my discovery of the album as I've only listened to it a handful of times but it gets better and more fascinating with each listen.
Top Three Tracks: "Open Desert" – "U.F.O.F." – "Century"
Clairo is the first of two teenage bedroom pop sensations on this list whose debut EPs didn't really resonate with me but whose debut albums came out and knocked me for a loop.
Her debut EP diary 001 I thought was mostly good but felt rather ordinary aside from the track "Flaming Hot Cheetos" which ended up being one of my favorite songs of that year. Still, I was hesitant to listen to this when it first came out, expecting another "mostly ok" project like diary. Luckily for me, Immunity is a beautiful step forward for the now twenty-one-year-old singer-songwriter. Every song here actually feels like a page ripped out of a diary; each one feeling vastly different from the last but they never feel out of place nor do they overstay their welcome.
Immunity is almost exactly what you expect when you hear the words "bedroom pop", but the project itself also feels far too unique and personal to be dismissed as just another collection of soft, pop memoirs. From a suicide attempt on "Alewife" to struggling with love and sexuality on tracks like "Sofia", Clairo's first project is at times so personal, that it feels more like living through it.
Top Three Tracks: "White Flag" – "Sinking" – "Bags"
Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising
Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising falls in line with the second trend of albums present on this list: albums that I feel compelled to describe as "cinematic". And if you need any clarification as to what something "cinematic" would sound like, just listen to any of the three tracks listed below, in particular, the one aptly titled "Movies."
One a purely technical level, Titanic Rising is a masterpiece, it is produced to perfection. There's swelling synths, strings and harmonies that make you feel like you're floating forty feet above the ground, Natalie's vocals throughout are haunting while at the same time familiar and welcoming.
I talked about this album earlier this year in my Mid-2019 checkpoint and everything I said then very much still stands now. Though I've revisited this album over and over, I still find myself discovering new things to love every time I come back to it. Critical reception aside, this is one of the most overlooked albums this year and I highly urge anyone to give it a listen, there is something here for everyone to like.
Top Three Tracks: "A Lot's Gonna Change" – "Movies" – "Andromeda"
Billie Eilish – When We All Fall Asleep,
Where Do We Go?
Billie Eilish, a.k.a. the other teen idol on this list I slept on until their debut album blew me away, has taken the world by storm in 2019. Her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go has been met with countless praise from critics and fans alike, and honestly, it's deserving of all of it.
Though the comparison is obvious by this point, it's hard to not see Billie's success story as similar with Lorde's story in 2013. Both being "dark and edgy" while having a smash debut album with hit singles that also happened to be rich with social commentary, teen angst and introspection beyond what you would expect of a seventeen-year-old; or maybe we should just stop doubting teenage artists' ability to produce quality content filled with depth and subtext.
Billie is, in my opinion, the most exciting artist playing through the airwaves today; this album just further reinforces it. Billie's soft voice floats and wanders through rich instrumentals packed with sinister bass-lines like on the track "Bury a Friend," and sweet guitar plucking on "I Love You." She's perhaps the biggest artist this year and I'm so excited to see where her career, music and identity as an artist will go.
Top Three Tracks: "Bad Guy" – "Wish You Were Gay" – "I Love You"
Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next
Thank U, Next is without a doubt Ariana's best album; it sees the pop princess at her most vulnerable, most in control and most creative. Released just six months after her 2018 entry Sweetener, and recorded within two weeks, Thank U, Next is a miracle of an album. Tragedy and heartbreak have often be cited as some of the best sources of inspiration and this album is proof of that. Fueled by her break-up with P*te Davidson, and passing of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, Ariana reclaims her confidence and discovers self-love while standing proud. She laments the passing of Mac, while detailing the impact it had on her relationship with Pete on "Ghostin'" and stops feigning happiness and innocence for the public eye on "Fake Smile".
This album isn't just a moment of bliss and release for Ariana, it also finds the popstar at the height of her power, becoming her most successful album to date and highest rated project as well. With two #1 singles, and multiple Grammy nominations, as well as, spots on many year-end publication lists, Thank U Next is the album Ariana Grande will be remembered for. It's a spectacular moment of growth, an act of self-love and good enough to turn any skeptic into a fan.
Top Three Tracks: "7 Rings" – "Thank U, Next" – "In My Head"
Lana Del Rey – Norman F**king Rockwell!
The second "cinematic" entry on this list, NFR! has been one of my most anticipated albums of the year since Lana dropped "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch" late last year in 2018.
I've always considered myself a moderate fan of Lana's. I was a massive fan back in the days of Born to Die, Paradise and Ultraviolence, but her later projects just really seemed to miss the mark for me. On Norman, Lana shows an evolution, working with the great Jack Antonoff, Lana has tuned into a new sound that's just familiar enough with her established style to keep serious fans interested, but new and fresh enough to excite those who may have been more warm on her recent material. Norman Flipping Rockwell! is Lana's masterpiece. It's a sprawling, epic love-letter to California, to Lana herself, to womanhood, to fame.
I had no doubt this album would blow me away based on the early glimpses we had, but I let out a howl on my first listen from the very first line on the opening title-track. The rest of its runtime is a sailboat ride set to the backdrop of Venice Beach through the lens of a 16mm film camera; the album is a collection of poetry, lush instrumentals and American nostalgia. It's Lana at her best, her most daring, and most powerful.
Top Three Tracks: "Norman F*cking Rockwell" – "Mariners Apartment Complex" – "Cinnamon Girl"
Charli XCX – Charli
When an artist uses their name for an album title, it's usually as: an introduction, a return to form or an attempt at being their most "vulnerable." Charli is all of these and more, it's everything.
Charli is maximalist pop at its best, it's Charli XCX's third album, first in almost four years. Her most recent releases were the two genre-bending mixtapes in 2017, Number 1 Angel and the incredible Pop 2 which found her pushing the limits of pop to the literal future. As a concept on paper, this album really shouldn't work; which is what makes the fact that it does so much more impressive. An album featuring such a wide array of artists should not be as cohesive and as well-oiled as it is. Charli is pop at its best and brightest.
It's a throwback on "1999," it's a robot committing assault at the end of "Click," it's an anthem about partying the sadness out of a friend on "Silver Cross," a lamentful moment of lost love on "Thoughts," and a furious club banger about shaking ass on "Shake It." This album should be considered a miracle, but is actually a work of genius. The geniuses in question here are Charli herself and producer A.G. Cook who executive produced the whole thing.
Every song on Charli lives its own life, every song has its own identity, its own feeling. It's a collection of greatest hits that never were but should be because every song on here soars. From the nonstop electric opening "Next Level Charli" to the banger of the future "2099", Charli is a futuristic maximalist masterpiece of gigantic proportions. It's a call to party, cry, love your friends and go back to partying; a project that pushes that boundaries of pop to the future and back.
Top Three Tracks: "Gone" – "Silver Cross" – "I Don't Wanna Know"
Angel Olsen – All Mirrors
The final entry in the 2019 trilogy of cinematic albums is All Mirrors, an absolutely massive–sounding project. Though it's only 11-tracks, All Mirrors exists in a giant, echoing chamber of reflection. It's cinematic not just in how grand and elegant it sounds but also in how it feels like the soundtrack to a movie that is yet to be made. The album is bookended by what I consider to be two of the best songs of the Angel's entire discography.
"Lark" is a slow-building tale of a failed relationship that builds up into a hypnotic, immense climax of Angel near-screaming "dream on" over and over. You feel her rage, her pain. On "Chance", the album's closer, Angel sounds hopeful though saddened, the relationship is over, she just wants to move on to find happiness again. The sentiment is accompanied by a lush arrangement of strings and percussion, like the dark space from the earlier portions of the album have been reduced to a quiet bar as she utters the last few lines "it's hard to say forever love, forever's just so far". The end of a beautifully mystical journey of lost love. The songs in between serving as beautiful moments themselves, each adorned with a mix of synthesizers and strings. The title track is a dark, synth-heavy anthem that feels like a scene out of 2013's Under the Skin, while the songs "Spring" and "Summer" offer a brighter, more cheerful tone among the more heavy, somber moments. "Summer" in particular carrying themes of moving on and looking back and learning from past mistakes.
Though I'm a relatively new fan of Angel's music, I can comfortably say this is her most ambitious project to date. If there's anything else to say about All Mirrors, it's that Angel surely knows how to craft a masterpiece and with this album, she proves that she is on a path to be an all-time great, if she isn't one already.
Top Three Tracks: "Lark" – "Chance" – "Tonight"
FKA twigs – Magdalene
Album of the year. What does that even mean? It means an album that is not only significant for personal reasons, whether it be relatability or replay-ability; but also how good an album is on a technical level. I had a very clear pick in 2016 with Blonde and 2017 with Melodrama, last year was a bit of a toss up and this year was looking the same. That is until I was fortunate enough to see Magdalene live.
I get that it's unfair to count that as a reason to put an album above another (though I also saw All Mirrors live) but my moment of realization came as I was describing Magdalene to a friend; 'twas then that I realized just how impressive and significant it was, not just sonically, but also the story behind the album.
In short, Magdalene is twigs reclaiming her womanhood, life, and identity after a traumatic break-up, (a trend this year) and a surgery to remove ovarian cysts that left twigs on a long road to recovery. Twigs has described the inspiration for the album's title as her channeling the biblical woman of Mary Magdalene, the prostitute saved by Jesus turned into a figure of divinity and healing.
Magdalene is a symbol salvation and possession of one's body. It sees twigs giving herself permission to be sexual without shame; of being a companion and a healer as well. Sonically, it's experimental enough to be true to twigs' nature as an artist but softer and gentler than twigs' previous projects. The true star of the project is her vocal performance though, her signature falsetto is stronger than ever and on songs like "Home With You" and "Mirrored Heart" she's pushing metric tons of emotion through her voice. Magdalene is symbolic, it's artistic, it's grimy, smooth, beautiful. It's an experience unlike anything I've ever heard and it's one of my favorite albums this decade. Lead single "Cellophane" is the best song of the year and with this project, FKA twigs has become one of my favorite artists of the past ten years.
Top Tracks: "Cellophane" – "Mirrored Heart" – "Mary Magdalene" – "Home With You"
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Categories MüsicTags 2019, albums, angel olsen, ariana grande, billie eilish, charli xcx, lana del rey, Müsic, review, top ten
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As we discussed previously, premiums for workers' compensation insurance in Pennsylvania have been reduced for the second consecutive period. Apparently, all is not well for the insurance carriers in PA however. It appears a change in the law has made several insurance carriers refuse to cover fire departments in Pennsylvania.
In 2011, the PA legislature passed Act 146. As we discussed on our blog, this law created a presumption that cancer in a firefighter was related to his or her employment for the purposes of workers' compensation benefits (meaning the burden of proof would fall to the employer to prove the cancer was not related to work activities). The period within which a claim can be reported was also significantly extended.
According to a recent article on Firehouse.com, these changes to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act made several insurance carriers drop the workers ' compensation coverage for fire departments in PA. Of course, communities or townships can self-insure for workers' comp, or they, like any employer, can turn to the State Workers' Insurance Fund (SWIF), a quasi-government insurance carrier which will offer coverage to any employer in PA.
While we, like any citizen, hate to see higher costs to a governmental entity, we also recognize the extreme dedication and sacrifice made, every day, by these brave men and women. We hope the legislature does not modify this law, to make the insurance carriers happy at the cost of the health and welfare of our courageous firefighters.


The Coen brothers could not have written this particular cluster. The purported facts make no sense, the actions of the various parties make no sense, this proffer and how it has been reported makes no sense. It's not even a train wreck because in this case I'm happy to keep my eyes covered.


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Dealer Fraud: Recalled Certified Vehicles
Dealers want to be able to sell vehicles as Certified even if they are subject to open recalls. I addressed this travesty in my last post. A Blogger, Joanne Doroshow, recently posted a very apt blog on the subject.
Ms. Doroshow starts by nailing the context and implications exactly.
With the nation so focused on polls these days, I thought this one might be of interest if you drive a car, drive in a car, are ever on the road with a car, i.e., pretty much everyone. The poll says 9 out of 10 Americans believe that car dealers shouldn't sell used cars with safety defects. Nine out of 10 also believe that if a dealer says a car has passed a "125-point inspection," the car should be safe and without safety defects.
Ms. Doroshow and I share the same concern. That the big bad powerful dealers may get exactly what they want: one more exception or one more loop hole.
Ms. Doroshow turns her guns and criticism on the FTC for shirking its responsibility – indeed its entire purpose for existing – by bowing to the dealers.
The FTC, whose tag line is "Protecting America's Consumers," has decided to side with the corporate lawyers and executives at General Motors and two used car chains, agreeing to a legal settlement regarding the sale of cars under safety recall. Specifically, the proposed settlement would not only allow them to sell used cars under safety recall, but also allow them to say these cars are "safe" and "repaired for safety" and passed a "rigorous inspection." (Sort of like permitting skydiving companies to assure customers that the parachute rig is safe even though there's no parachute.) Perhaps the FTC needs a new tag line.
You should go on the FTC Website and tell them what you think. Tell them that Certified and Open Recalls are mutually exclusive. A vehicle can be Certified, or it can have an Open Recall, but it cannot be both.
So what happened? Ms. Doroshow would like to know. And so would I. And I'm sure you would like to know too.
A lot of people would like to know, including five U.S. Senators. In a recent letter to the FTC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the senators made clear that allowing dealers "to sell used cars subject to open safety recalls …is a threat to public safety." But aside from that, the proposed settlement "would establish an anti-consumer, anti-safety precedent with far-reaching policy implications." More specifically, they say,
Car dealers would still be able to represent that a preowned vehicle is "safe," has been "repaired for safety issues," and has passed a "rigorous safety inspection" or to label a pre-owned car as being certified even when it is being sold with an unrepaired safety recall. A certified used vehicle with an unrepaired safety recall is inherently misleading. Perhaps more alarming, the proposed settlements would only require dealers to make a blanket statement that their rigorously inspected and certified used vehicles "may be subject to unrepaired recalls." Consequently, this "disclosure" arguably amounts to nothing more than a legal disclaimer that could absolve dealers from their responsibilities and would likely do little, if anything, to meaningfully convey to consumers the existence of an open recall and dissuade them from purchasing such vehicles due to their safety risks.
Meanwhile, leading safety advocates are appalled. Rosemary Shahan, president of Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS), notes:
By allowing dealers the option of selling unsafe vehicles advertised as passing a rigorous inspection and qualifying to be sold as 'certified' with a contradictory 'disclosure,' the proposed settlements would protect unscrupulous, reckless auto dealers instead of consumers. The settlements may also give unscrupulous dealers a new defense, in the case of injury or death, potentially shifting liability onto their victims, and allowing dealers to claim the used car buyers had 'assumed the risk….
There is no other consumer product where a federal agency explicitly allows retailers to sell the product subsequent to the issuance of a safety recall unless the product has been repaired to make it safe.
You can see the entire blog by pointing your browser here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanne-doroshow/ftc-may-make-it-easier-fo_b_12589356.html
If you or someone close to you has been the victims of consumer fraud or Dealer Fraud, then you or they should contact a qualified attorney right away.


We're all familiar with these famous stories of the Bible, but what do they all mean? Where do they fit in the larger picture of God's plan of salvation for His people?
In The Real Story, Curtis Martin and Edward Sri break open the Word to examine how all these pieces fit together into one cohesive narrative—a story of how, little by little, God has drawn His people into closer union with Himself, culminating at last in the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Church. Through a closer study of the key characters and events in the biblical narrative, Martin and Sri show that the Bible isn't merely a collection of disjointed stories, but an epic saga of God's infinite love for us and His perfect plan for our salvation since the beginning of time.


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EntertainmentFeaturedGadgets
This is the Ingenuity mission, which, after several years of tests and technological developments, will allow it to fly over the surface of the planet Mars at a maximum height of 5 meters.
Engineers from the United States Space Agency, NASA, are finalizing the details to carry out, for the first time in history, the flight of a helicopter on another planet.
"These days we have been deploying the systems and doing the necessary tests to make sure that everything is going to work out well. It will be very simple: it will fly between 3 and 5 meters, but it will also help us to verify that we can fly on Mars ", explained Elio Morillo, NASA systems engineer, in an interview with the Voice of America.
The Ingenuity helicopter, which was baptized with this name due to the "genius" of the project and because it uses a technology never seen before, is part of the Perseverance mission that left in July for the red planet with the aim of analyzing and finding remains of life in that place.
"The helicopter was installed on the underside of the Perseverance robot, inside a shell. In the last weeks we dropped that shell on a sufficiently flat surface of Mars and we deployed it ", he detailed about the processes.
This test flight is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 11, 2021. This mission is especially relevant because it could mark a before and after in the development of the next missions in space.
"The aspect of this flight on Mars will allow us in the future to send a more complex helicopter or even a series of helicopters that can do science, with tools and instruments, to do local analysis," said Morillo.
"At the same time when astronauts arrive on the red planet, (those helicopters) can accompany them to take images and help them understand what is around them," he added.
The test flight will also serve to "look for those important samples" that can help scientists understand "whether there was life on Mars at some point or not."
Morillo, a native of Puerto Rico and with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in space systems engineering, assures that "there are all the ingredients (to understand) that at some point microbial life has existed on the planet", but he acknowledges that much more thorough research is needed on this.
"We have to confirm it. There are hypotheses that yes, it may exist. We have the necessary instruments to see if there really is some kind of trace of microbial life and with the more complex system that we have sent to Mars, samples are going to be collected and stored for a mission within the next decade to collect and return them to Earth to make more conclusive tests ", he concluded.
China imposed a record 18 billion yuan ($ 2.75 billion) fine on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Saturday after an antitrust investigation found that...


I know you're feeling really optimistic about your work and excited about the possibility of becoming a published author. I'm excited for you. The passion you bring to your work makes it a real pleasure to work with you and others like you.
I hate to sound a negative note, but I feel I must be realistic and warn you that the path to publication is, as they say, a bumpy ride. You are about to face a big challenge, and a lot of rejection. Is your skin toughened? Are you ready to persevere, and not to take rejection personally? OK, then, let's begin.
I ran my own literary agency for eight years. Over that time, I received hundreds (maybe thousands) of queries from writers like you, people who want to get a book published, be it a first book or just a new book. You've been instructed that you need an agent to help you. And while once I would have told you that an enterprising author could go it alone, now I would say that obtaining the representation of an agent is the wisest course. A good agent will make the process easier, and most publishers prefer to work with agents.
Before you even begin to contact agents, you should know something about the process of getting published. The more informed you are, the better you will be able to negotiate this course, and the better an impression you will make.
There's nothing I appreciated more than an intelligent query letter and a knowledgeable potential client. There are many good books available about getting published. Familiarize yourself with some of these books and learn the steps a book takes from manuscript to publication. You'll find some of my favorite books in the WriteDirections.com book store: http://www.WriteDirections.com/bookstore_wd.html.
This step takes a lot of time and work. What you submit to an agent has to be good. Once I received a query letter that said: "I know my book needs more editing, but I wanted to show it to you and see what you thought." Not! If you know your book needs more work, do the work before you take up an agent's time. Send it out when you think it's perfect. Which is not to say you won't then receive editorial critiques, but at least the agent will be reading a polished work.
If you are submitting fiction, your proposal is your manuscript, or several sample chapters, along with a good cover letter and perhaps a synopsis. If you are submitting nonfiction, your proposal includes an overview; a section on marketing and competition; a section on you, the author; a brief chapter-by-chapter outline; and some sample chapters. Again, consult some of the many good books on proposal writing, as you'll find in the WriteDirections.com bookstore (http://www.WriteDirections.com/bookstore_wd.html).
How do you classify what you are writing? Is it genre fiction: romance, mystery, science fiction? Is it narrative journalism? Self-help? Try and fit your work into a general category for the purpose of identifying the appropriate agents to approach.
Start by taking a careful look through several of the books that list agents. In most of these books, the listings include a description of the type of book agents are seeking. Pay attention to this, and only send them what they say they want. I rejected 50 percent of the proposals I received because they were for types of books I didn't represent. You could be the next Julia Child, but I'd probably have rejected you because I didn't represent cookbooks.
Add to your list of possible agents by networking. Ask for referrals from other writers you know, or find names from other sources like writers' conferences and Web sites. Another great technique—look at published books that are in your category and that you admire. Check the acknowledgments page and see who the agent is—they're usually thanked! When you write to them, be sure to mention the book in which you found their name and why you admire it.
You've got your proposal ready, along with your list of agents. Time to get it in the mail!
Most agents prefer mail queries. Most also strongly dislike telephone queries. (My least favorite were authors who deliberately called after hours, so that I would have to call them back on my dime. I didn't!) I liked to sit down on my own schedule with a pile of queries, and a letter gave me an immediate sense of how a potential client wrote.
There's some question about whether a query letter should go alone or with a proposal/writing sample. A letter alone is quicker and saves postage. That way, if the agent isn't interested, he or she can tell you immediately not to bother shipping a whole lot of paper. But if I liked an idea, I wanted to see the proposal immediately. If I had to wait for it in return mail, I sometimes lost my enthusiasm. Therefore, I always preferred getting a proposal and samples as part of the initial query.
In any case, always write an intelligent, realistic cover letter. Tell concisely what you are writing and what your qualifications are in relation to your topic. Don't tell an agent you're sending me "a guaranteed bestseller" (spare them!), or tell me that all your family and friends think you're a great writer (of course they do!). Just be straightforward, and tell the agent what you think is distinct about the book.
And always, always, include a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope). If agents are giving you their time and trained editorial judgment for free, the least you can do is pay the postage!
Of course you don't have to be concerned about postage and SASEs if you are planning an electronic submission. I think e-mail query letters are a good thing—faster and more efficient. No paper and less time wasted. And an agent can write you back quickly with an informal note, making it a friendlier exchange.
However, I know many people who are unwilling to download anything from strangers because of fears of viruses. Because of this, I'd still recommend, when it comes to submitting your lengthy proposal or manuscript, going the old-fashioned snail mail route.
After a period of time has passed after submission (1 month to 6 weeks), I think a follow-up phone call is appropriate. Keep it brief and polite. Call to say you're following up to find out the status of your submission. A polite call from an author often caused me to elevate a proposal to the top of the stack (and do keep in mind how tall this stack was!).
Unless you're very lucky, it's going to take a while. You'll get a bunch of rejections and maybe some agents won't respond at all. Many who are considering your submission may take longer to do so than you would like. But if you believe in yourself and your work, and persevere, you will ultimately prevail.
Once you've succeeded in finding an agent, the process will begin all over again when your agent makes submissions to publishers. However, you'll then have your agent as your advocate, to guide you successfully through to publication.
Lynn Rosen is a book producer with The Stonesong Press in New York. A former agent, she has also worked as an editor and creative director for several Big Apple publishing houses. She can be contacted via admin@WriteDirections.com.