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Book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang Based on Verdi's opera, Aida. Music by Elton John. Lyrics by Tim Rice. The original Broadway production opened on 23 March 2000 and was directed by Robert Falls, with choreographed by Wayne Cilento. The production closed on 5 September 2004, running for a total of 1 852 performances.
Sherie René Scott, Adam Pascal and Heather Headley in the 2000 Broadway Production
The Egyptian wing of a modern art museum, where a man and a woman touring the exhibit catch each other's eyes. Amneris, a female Pharaoh, comes to life (EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY) and transports us to ancient Egypt. Radames, Captain of the Egyptian army, is returning from an expedition through the land of Nubia, Egypt's long-time enemy (FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE). When his soldiers capture a group of Nubian women, he finds himself captivated by the fierce and majestic Aida (THE PAST IS ANOTHER LAND). Brought to Egypt as a slave, Aida is saved from certain death in the copper mines by Radames, who sends her as a handmaiden to Princess Amneris, his betrothed.
Adam Pascal as Radames in the 2000 Broadway Production
Radames' father, Prime Minister Zoser, greets his son with news that Pharaoh is dying and Radames must prepare to become the next ruler of Egypt (ANOTHER PYRAMID). Radames' Nubian servant, Mereb, is a young man who has learned the tricks of survival in Egypt. Delivering Aida to the palace, he recognizes her as the daughter of the Nubian King (HOW I KNOW YOU). She commands him to keep her identity secret , lest the Egyptians kill her. Presented to Amneris, Aida perceives that the Princess' love of fashion (MY STRONGEST SUIT) only serves as a mask for her insecurities. At a banquet, Pharaoh announces that Radames and Amneris will wed in seven days, leaving the Captain distraught that his days as an explorer have ended. Together, he and Aida share their dreams and regrets (ENCHANTMENT PASSING THROUGH). Later that night, Amneris worries about her father's illness and finds Aida someone who understands and encourages her (MY STRONGEST SUIT – REPRISE). Bursting into his fiancées chamber, Radames steals a moment with Aida to share his growing attraction to her.
Toni Braxton as Aida in the third year of the Original Broadway Production (2003)
Taken by Mereb to the Nubian camp, Aida submits to her people's pleas to lead them (DANCE OF THE ROBE). Later, Radames finds Aida and declares his love for her (ELABORATE LIVES). Unable to fight her feelings any longer, she falls into his embrace. Their bliss is interrupted by news that Radames' armies have captured Amonsaro, King of Nubia and Aida's father. Unable to comfort her, Radames leaves Aida in distress. Rallying her dispirited people, Aida assure them that Nubia will never die (THE GODS LOVE NUBIA).
Aida, Amneris and Radames now find themselves entangled in conflicted loyalties and emotions (A STEP TOO FAR). Aida and Mereb bribe their way into Amonsaro's prison cell, where she is reunited with her father. Mereb hatches a plan to escape with the King during the commotion of Amneris' wedding. To save her father and nation, Aida must betray the man she loves (EASY AS LIFE). Zoser discovers Radames' affair and warns his son that it could cost him the throne, but Radames no longer shares his father's ambitions (LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON). Zoser orders his men to find Aida and kill her.
Adam Pascal and Heather Headley in the 2000 Broadway Production
At the Nubian camp, Aida receives an apology from Radames (RADAMES' LETETR) for the thoughtless way he acted upon hearing of Amonsaro's capture. When Egyptian soldiers arrive seeking Aida, Nehebka sacrifices herself so her Princess can live. Now even more determined to leave Radames forever, Aida goes to say good-bye to him over Mereb's objections (HOW I KNOW YOU – REPRISE). Radames informs Aida that he's calling off the wedding. She knows this would ruin her father's escape, but tells him he must go through with it (WRITTEN IN THE STARS). Radames agrees, on condition that she escape to freedom on a boat he will provide. The heartbroken lovers part, but Amneris has overheard their entire conversation and faces the fact that her upcoming marriage is a sham (I KNOW THE TRUTH). News of Amonsaro's escape disrupts Amneris' wedding. Radames learns the truth of Aida's identity when he arrives at the docks just as she is about to board his boat with her father. In the chaos, Zoser slays Mereb and Radames makes possible Amonsaro's escape. Radames and Aida are arrested for treason.
At the ensuing trial, Pharaoh sentences both Aida and Radames to be buried alive beneath the sands of Egypt. Amneris rises to her role as future Pharaoh by convincing her father to let the lovers die in the same tomb, an act of mercy for two people she has come to love. Facing death, Aida looks to Radames for strength (ELABORATE LIVES – REPRISE). As they are slowly deprived of light and air (ENCHANTMENT PASSING THROUGH), Radames swears he will search for a hundred lifetimes to find her again. Back in the contemporary museum, the spirit of Amneris watches (EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY – REPRISE) as the modern man and woman are strangely drawn to one another. They are the reincarnations of Aida and Radames, finding in each other a new beginning.
Want to discuss Aida? Read more about the show and participate in discussions on Musical Cyberspace here.


On the morning of Boxing Day, I explored the Amazon store for books where I could spend a newly acquired gift card. I chanced upon the fantasy novel whose cover is shown to the right, since that cover had me very curious. Look how shameless it is — how could I not buy it? As it was right up my alley, I opened my new e-book.
It turned out to be one of the most unique and entertaining reading experiences I ever had. Say hello to Morningwood: Everybody Loves Large Chests.
Let's start with the protagonist. This character isn't too smart — very mentally challenged — yet seeing the world through such eyes makes it feel fresh. It's amazing how a simple change in vantage point livens up a fantasy world that otherwise looks stale and cliché.
Speaking of which, the world itself behaves as if it were a video game, for this book is part of the "LitRPG" genre popular in Russia, Japan, and Korea. Characters openly acknowledge message boxes, level ups, and skill checks as if they were part of the natural world, and the numbers that make up one's stats actually determine how well one can perform tasks. In fact, any person can check their stat screen to see an overview of their abilities and what limits those abilities have. As with the protagonist's unique perspective, the game-like aspects give the story a feeling of strangeness, like you really are in a fantasy world that plays by different rules.
That being said, the game-like nature of the world is also a weakness. Combat sometimes feels too light and airy, and sometimes, damage is described in terms of game mechanics. However, the book does its best to keep combat or other actions from being entirely abstract, often describing the results of actions in concrete terms. Another weakness would be the story's episodic nature, but it makes up for this by just bei g so much fun; you want to know what crazy situation the main character would get into next, and how far it is willing to go to accomplish its goals.
In many ways, it captures the true spirit of a tabletop roleplaying game. Even though the book has a definite sequence of events, everything feels so free and open (in a good way), like you're exploring a new world for the first time. Thus, it engages the reader in a different way from large, tightly plotted epics. The main character's backstory also aids in this, since it isn't too elaborate. The sheer creativity this story has is a sight to behold.
Such a unique novel needs more love. I highly recommend this book.
It took me a moment to get the pun in the book's title.
Once you read the book, you'll see there's more going on there.
I'd call the litRPG *the* trend of 2017 fantasy, from Sword Art: Online/.hack clones to some really crunchy mechanics fests. It's even spilled into science fiction this year as well, with Space Knight and Star Warrior.
This was the first LitRPG I read. The book presented the concepts in a very satisfying way, always pairing abstract numbers with concrete effects.
Try the Play to Live series. Its probably about the best Litrpg. Also, in it, I rather enjoyed getting the Russian perspective on things…..American authors just don't say things like….you need to make sure you have skills so if you get an offer of a job in a foreign country you can speak the language, or if you see a cop harassing some innocent person you need to know how to shoot a pistol so you can shoot the cop. And the manner is calm about it….its not some crackpot fury in the West, but in the manner of good advice for ambitious guys. Casual kind of.
I looked up Play to Live, and it doesn't really appeal to me. What I liked about Large Chests was the fact that in spite of the game-like features, the world was treated as real and living, not a simulation. The game-like features were used to make the world feel fundametally different from our own, much like the main character's perspective is.
The Erfworld webcomic also uses this system. I recommend it pretty highly.
Glad to be back. I just had to give this book a boost however I could.


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Home » Newspapers » #11: Why Brecht? » Aleksandr Skidan /// The Anachronism of Brecht
Aleksandr Skidan /// The Anachronism of Brecht
Posted in #11: Why Brecht? | 0 comments
The wind of history turns the pages of burnt-out books, flipping them open at the most appropriate place. Today, this place is Brecht. Why exactly Brecht? Because Brecht, without being a professional philosopher, exposed the logic of capitalism's escalation into fascism with sober clarity and sarcasm, and because this exposition still retains its heuristic strength? Yes, but not only. Because his critique of the bourgeois means of cultural production from within (the exposition of exposition) could not be any more current than here and now? That is certainly so. Because in developing his method, he combined critical theory with revolutionary praxis, becoming a founder of socialist art, along with Mayakovsky, Filonov, or Eisenstein? Oh, quite! Because his dynamic – and analytical – version of socialist realism (and socialist pedagogy) differs favorably from the official dogmata? Not exactly incorrect. Because, hand in hand with the newest scientific discoveries of his time, he gave the theater new meaning as a mode of cognition, and not emotional impact, paving the way for a semiology of the theater ("his theater is neither pathetic nor rational but well-founded." (Barthes))? It goes without saying. But also because he decisively connected the material form of the drama with a definite – Marxist – idea, revealing a model of politicized art (which Benjamin called for and oriented himself toward) that was, however, still art? This is probably what is most important. And the most difficult, if one wants to draw upon this (artistic) experience in practice. Because in the final analysis, and this is something we need to admit, the theatrical technique that Brecht developed aimed at interrupting (the illusion of) art. This interruption is epochal. Though it can hardly be reduced to the "end of art" declared by Hegel, it can be related to this idea nevertheless on one fundamental point, namely in that it effects an "epoch?" of sorts, a gesture in which the dialectic (of our epoch) comes to a standstill and freezes up in inaction.
The Spectacle As Theological Subterfuge
The Brechtian theater is based upon the "alienation effect" (Verfremdungseffekt), which is easily mistaken for Marx' notion of "alienation" (Entfremdung), since the two terms share the same etymology. To avoid confusion, it is most convenient to illustrate the alienation-effect with the example of theatrical production, where it is realized on several levels at once:
1) The fabula of the play contains two stories, one of which is a parable (allegory) of the same text with a deeper meaning.
2) The scenery presents a socially recognizable object or space (a factory, for example).
3) The play's plasticity provides information on the individual presented and his-her social habitus, his-her relationship to the world of labor (gestus, "social gesture").
4) Diction does not psychologize the text, but recasts its rhythm and texture.
5) In his-her performance, the actor does not impersonate one of the play's characters but demonstrates it, establishing a distance to it ("stepping out of role").
6) The classical division into acts is rejected in favor of a "montage" of episodes and scenes.
7) Further examples of how the scenic illusion can be interrupted include addressing the audience directly, songs, or changes of scenery in full view of the audience, as well as the introduction of newsreels, titles, and other "commentaries"
Individually, many of these devices can be found in the Greek theater or the Shakespearean theater, not to mention the productions of Brecht's contemporaries, such as Piscator (with whom Brecht collaborated), Meyerhold, Vakhtangov, Eisenstein (whose work Brecht knew), and in agitprop. Brecht's innovation lies in the fact that he used them consciously, turning them into his main aesthetic principle. Strictly speaking, this principle is valid for any artistic language that has gained "self-awareness." In application to the theater, it entails a purposeful "exposure of devices:" instead of maintaining the impression that the action on stage is reality, it serves to underline the artificiality of the dramaturgical construction or its characters.
Brecht did not arrive at the political implications of the "alienation effect" immediately, nor did he use the term right away. He was only able to grasp its full meaning after studying Marxist theory (with Korsch) and being introduced with the "estrangement" of the Russian formalists (through Sergei Tretyakov). However, as far back as the early 1920s, he had taken an irreconcilable position with regard to the bourgeois theater for its sedative, hypnotic effect of the audience, which turned it into a passive object. Brecht called this type of theater "a branch of the bourgeois drug trade." At this point, it seems appropriate to cite the memoirs of Stefan Zweig, in which he describes the predominant atmosphere in Germany at the time, the atmosphere that evoked Brecht's revulsion: "Every extravagant movement that eluded the critique of common sense enjoyed a golden age: theosophy, spiritualism, anthroposophy, palm reading, graphology, mystic doctrines from the Far East." On stage the same murky torrent spouted forth freely, providing fertile ground for National Socialism and its cult of neo-paganism, hysteria, magical passes toward Shambhala, until it was canalized into the torch processions of the faecal (processed, materialized, objectified) masses. Soon to be staged on an unprecedented scale, this spectacle fits the definition of Guy Debord to a hair's breadth (even if he actually meant its post-industrial variety or totality, to be more precise): "The spectacle is the existing order's uninterrupted discourse about itself, its laudatory monologue. It is the self-portrait of power in the epoch of its totalitarian management of the conditions of existence."
The search for an antidote leads Brecht to conceptualize the principal difference between two types of theater, the dramatic theater and the epic theater. The dramatic theater strives to take the emotions of the spectator by storm, so that he might give himself to the action on stage "with all his being", empathizing with its characters and melting into its illusion completely, losing any sense of the difference between the action on stage and reality. The result: an expurgation of affects (as if under hypnosis), reconciliation (with fate, destiny, the "lot of man", the eternal, and the unchanging). The epic theater, on the contrary, is meant to appeal to the spectator's analytical capabilities, arousing his surprise and curiosity, pushing him into an awareness of the historically conditioned social relations behind this conflict or that. The result: a critical catharsis, the desire to change the course of events (not on stage, but in reality), the desire to make history.
Critical catharsis differs from its classical Aristotelean version just as idealist philosophy, which only interpreted the world in various ways, differs from Marxism, whose point is to change it. Another analogy: the work of art in the age of its cult-value's dominance vs. art in the age of its transformation into a cultural product.
The Interruption of Art: Hegel, Marx, Benjamin
Marx did not leave behind any fully developed philosophy of art, but his analysis of the product is completely applicable to contemporary cultural production, in which "every product is a bait with which to seduce away the other's very being, his money." This state of affair corresponds to what Benjamin called the exhibition value of the artwork. This exhibition value takes the place of the artwork's cult value as a result of a historical process that free art from its ritual (and earlier on, from its magical) function. Benjamin describes this process of secularization in his famous essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" (1936), in which Brecht plays an important though unobvious role. In order to appreciate this role fully, we need to return to Hegel, who, in his "Lectures on Aesthetics" examined the dissolution of the romantic form of art, drawing the conclusion that art has already ceased to be the highest form in which truth comes into being. On the one hand, the "end of art", for Hegel, is due to the immanent logic of its development, the complete realization of its principle in romantic art, and on the other hand, the "prosaization" of the world, the dominance of rational (scientific) thought, which now also infiltrates the artist's reflections.
Benjamin turns to the "Lectures on Aesthetics" at a key point in his essay, whose goal, and this is something we should not forget, is to oppose and resist traditional notions such as creativity, genius, eternal value, and mystery whose "uncontrolled (and at present almost uncontrollable) application would lead to a processing of data in the Fascist sense" with new notions that would be impossible to use as a means to fascist ends. Having shown that the cultic foundation of art falls away with the emergence of reproductive technologies (first and foremost, photography), he decisively affirms: "But the instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the total function of art is reversed. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to be based on another practice – politics." (Section IV)
Directly after beginning the next section V, he quotes Hegel in a footnote. This reads as an oblique response to Heidegger, who reflected upon the same problem of the "death of art" in his "Origins of the Work of Art" (1935), making reference to the same verdict that Hegel passed: "We are beyond the stage of reverence for works of art as divine and objects deserving our worship. The impression they produce is one of a more reflective kind, and the emotions they arouse require a higher test…" But if Heidegger continues to search for the authentic essence of art, its "origin" in beauty, in the beautiful as an "event of the truth's dehiscence," Benjamin rejects this metaphysical language (fraught with sacralization and the return to magic) and prefers to speak of the radical change of art's function.
Just a little more, and Brecht will come on stage (again in a footnote). Before this happens, it once again makes sense to trace the logic that is keeping him backstage for now. In the age of technical reproducibility and the interpretation of data in the fascist sense, because of the absolute dominance of its exhibition value, art becomes something else, a new manifestation with completely new functions, one of which, the aesthetic, "later may be recognized as incidental." What follows is a gesture that invites us to lend an ear to Brecht. A gesture that interrupts the historical context and throws us straight into the resulting rupture: "If the concept of 'work of art' can no longer be applied to the thing that emerges once the work is transformed into a commodity, we have to eliminate this concept with cautious care but without fear, lest we liquidate the function of the very thing as well. For it has to go through this phase without mental reservation, and not as noncommittal deviation from the straight path; rather, what happens here with the work of art will change it fundamentally and erase its past to such an extent that should the old concept be taken up again–and it will, why not?–it will no longer stir any memory of the thing it once designated."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Google Service Account linked to Analytics Account, are there any limitations as to how many? We've been using a google service account linked to our clients Analytics API to retrieve data used in reporting. This has been working great until late when our clients started getting "Google-Internal Error, Resource has been exhausted (e.g. check quota)" errors when trying to add the user to their analytics account.

Checking the quota we're not even close to exhausting it. I'm not aware of any limitations regarding how many analytics accounts a service account can be linked to so I'm not really sure whats causing this error. Anyone else had this problem or can assist in resolving the issue? Thanks!

A: Although I'm not able to find any source to this fact, it does seem like there is a limitation with regard to how many analytics account a service account can be linked to. The solution we chose was to create an additional service account which we had our new clients add to their analytics account:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Join the fantastic team at Caringbah! We are looking for an experienced Early Childhood Teacher (ECT) and passionate Diploma Assistant to support the learning and development of children in the 2 - 3 years room.
If you are seeking a fulfilling career in Early Years Education, then we would love to hear from you. Apply online today!


My work is fueled by empathy, endless curiosity, a burning desire to explore the world, an unrelenting drive for creativity, and a little spark of madness.
My inspiration comes from logging lots of running miles (road, trail or beach), paddling on the water, my wild-spirited little boy, and my beautiful, beachside city.
By day, I'm a product strategist, UX designer and researcher, and I have a background in marketing, branding, content strategy, and interaction and visual design.
I've also got a Master's degree (MFA) in merchandising (product development, design and e-commerce), and I used my grad school experience to refine my market, product, and user research skills as well as my design skills (it's an MFA, after all!).
As you can tell, I do some things beyond my day job, including UX consulting for companies and career-seekers, creative services for small to mid-sized businesses (including start-ups), jewelry design, blogging, and photography (mostly pet and rescue work).
You can learn more about those businesses (and their names) here.
By evening and weekend (or when I can find a free minute - ha!), you can find me running, paddleboarding, going to yoga, barre or F45 or Orangetheory classes, riding my bike, chilling at the beach, creating art, taking pictures, ruining (i.e., not following) recipes in the kitchen, and taking classes.
And of course, I spend a lot of time with my husband, our sweet spunky little boy, and four crazy fur kids.
Our family circus lives at the beach and loves the coastal life in Charleston, South Carolina.
© Copyright 2013-2019. Christine Esoldo / Ocean + Market™. All rights reserved. Please don't steal my stuff.


Learn to Activate Spiritual Magic in Your Daily Life!
In this 1-day workshop, you will learn how to co-create with the magical realm of the elemental kingdom, which is an important part of nature. You will learn how to create by using your magical power of imagination and connecting to realms of angels, faeries and natural elements.
We all are connected with each other and the whole universe; we are part of this (natural) "world wide web". It is our birthright to be in deep connection with the earth and the elementals and therefore to receive healing and transformative support.
You will learn how to effortlessly use the power of your imagination through the connection with the spiritual realms and therefore activate spiritual magic in your daily life. You will learn and experience how to be open to the fullest potential of your life and therefore create a new version of reality.
"Boundaries between past, present and future dissolve once we reach the expanded shamanic state of consciousness."


SAMUEL LISTER Autograph LETTER Signed.
Samuel Cunliffe Lister was a British inventor and industrialist. He was the inventor of the wool combing machine, the velvet loom and the railway air-brake.
ALS. 2pp. Lister & Co., Manningham Mills, near Bradford. September 22nd 1865. To "Dear Sir".
"I have given some thought to the idea of using silk for the cable and I am positive it is the by far the best thing yet thought of, as you may obtain enormous strength with little bulk, and I am quite satisfied that no cable of importance will be made of any other material. You can say that I am quite willing to take a patent and pay all expenses. Yours truly, S.C. Lister. P.S. I should very much like to see your friend. I shall not be at home on Saturday but on Monday."
8vo. Approx 8.25 x 5 inches. The LETTER is written on the two outer sides of a folding sheet and so is ideal for framing without losing any part of the text. Mounting damage to the blank versos, resulting in small hole and tear. Some very light foxing and age toning. All else very good.
An interesting letter. Samuel Lister began work on finding a way of utilising the fibre contained in silk waste in 1855 and, eventually, perfected the silk-combing machine. The cost of development, however, almost bankrupted him. It appears from this letter that he was also experimenting with using silk fibres in the construction of a cable. Possibly, this was in connection with the Trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable, as the old cable had failed in 1858. Efforts to lay a new cable in 1865 had been hampered when the patent steel wire cable broke after 1,186 miles of cable had been laid by the steam ship, the Great Eastern. Samuel Lister revolutionised the textile industry in the North of England in the 19th century. In 1891 Samuel Lister was ennobled as Baron Masham.


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DiagnosisRisk FactorsLiving WithTestsRelationshipsSymptomsTreatmentFive Questions
https://www.healthcentral.com/article/catch-up-hpv-vaccine-effective-up-to-age-20
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)Vaccines
'Catch-Up' HPV Vaccine Effective Up to Age 20
Diane Domina Aug 8, 2018
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is effective in women up to age 20 who had not received the vaccine at the recommended age of 11 or 12, but it's unclear whether this is true for women 21 to 26, according to a study conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Currently, the CDC recommends routine two-dose HPV vaccination for adolescents (11 or 12, or as young as 9), and three doses in females 13 through 26 years and males 13 through 21 who were not previously vaccinated (called catch-up vaccines).
Results of the Kaiser study, which involved 25,000 people, suggest catch-up HPV vaccines effectively reduce cervical cancer risk in women vaccinated by the age of 20, but didn't confirm protection against cervical cancer in women 21 to 26. HPV vaccination rates are relatively low in the U.S. compared to other developed countries, and fewer than half of American girls 13 to 17 are up-to-date with the vaccine series.
Women in the study who received at least three vaccine doses, with the first dose before the age of 20, had the strongest protection against precancerous changes in the cervix. The researchers found no significant protection against cervical cancer in women who received their first HPV dose after the age of 21 or didn't receive the full vaccine series.
Sourced from: The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
Diane Domina
Diane is a Senior Content Producer at Remedy Health Media. She wrote the Daily Dose for HealthCentral for a number of years and is the editorial director at HealthCommunities. Her goal is to contribute to a valuable, trustworthy, and informative experience for people who are searching for health information online.
Tags: Vaccines


In a local political career that's spanned more than three decades, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia has been a close ally of a mayor only briefly, during Harold Washington's administration.
But years later it took the full force of then-Mayor Richard M. Daley's political machine to hand Garcia his only defeat at the polls.
By opposing the University of Illinois-Chicago's expansion plans, Garcia became a target of Daley's anger before Garcia's 1998 run for re-election as a state senator from the Southwest Side.
Daley deployed what was the biggest cog in his machine — the patronage armies of the Hispanic Democratic Organization — to work for Garcia's Democratic primary challenger, Tony Munoz.
"I was HDO's first major trophy," Garcia says.
Garcia stayed in the Little Village neighborhood, where he's lived since he was 13, and finally began his second act in politics four years ago. Taking advantage of HDO's demise in a corruption scandal, he won a Cook County Board seat in the 2010 election and now is Board President Toni Preckwinkle's floor leader.
Now, Garcia says he's ready to become the ultimate local political insider.
He's running in the Feb. 24 election as the standard-bearer for the Chicago Teachers Union and others who accuse Mayor Rahm Emanuel of embracing the rich at the expense of regular folks.
While light on formal policy plans so far, Garcia's late-starting mayoral campaign has sought to create a narrative that he's the classic neighborhood guy who can help the rest of the city to thrive as much as its gleaming downtown.
Garcia readily admits he's Plan C for the left-leaning segment of the local political scene he long has identified with.
Garcia then helped CTU President Karen Lewis' exploratory committee. When she withdrew from the race after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Lewis asked Garcia to take on Emanuel.
Born in 1956 in a village in the northern Mexican state of Durango, Garcia moved to Pilsen at age 9. His father worked in Chicago and sent money home to Garcia's mother before bringing the family north to join him.
His teenage years coincided with the heyday for both activism and Democratic machine politics in Chicago.
"I'm sort of fortunate to have grown up in the '60s in Pilsen, to witness the social movements of those times," he says, citing the United Farm Workers, Black Panthers, anti-war movement and liberation theology among his influences.
After Garcia graduated from St. Rita High School and the University of Illinois at Chicago, he became politically active in Little Village, the working-class area where Mexican immigrant families were supplanting eastern Europeans.
The liberal optimism of the era clashed in the 22nd Ward with the machine's man, an alderman named Frank Stembark, best known for once offering a $1-a-rat bounty and a Çhicago Sun-Times expose of his principal residence being in the suburbs.
Garcia's first big role was managing labor organizer Rudy Lozano's narrow defeat of Stembark in 1983. Lozano was murdered months later. A gang member was convicted of Lozano's murder, but his family said the authorities did not pursue leads that could have led to antagonists of his political and labor activism.
At 27, Garcia became the leader of the ward's political rebellion.
Two years later, after working in a high-level water department job for Washington, Garcia was elected alderman and, in 1993, he began the first of two terms as the first Mexican-American state senator.
Asked to name his biggest accomplishments as an alderman or state legislator, Garcia doesn't describe any legislation that he sponsored. Instead, he says he is proudest of changing the political culture in a community where the Chicago way was much like what people expected from old-country politicians.
In other words, Garcia says, he had to spurn a lot of bribe offers.
"You have to explain you are insulted and they should never do it again, because it's wrong," he says.
But he didn't turn down all the spoils of power. State records show Garcia gave a legislative scholarship to a state university to the daughter of close allies, and he voted to preserve the program, which was eventually dismantled because of rampant political favoritism.
Garcia says he had set up a committee to fairly select recipients of the scholarships, which were highly valued in his low-income district.
Having toppled the old Democratic machine's vestiges in his ward, Garcia saw the rise of a new group that was organized to help Daley enforce loyalty from Latino elected officials. His March 1998 primary loss to an HDO candidate who had been plucked from obscurity shocked him.
HDO members lured by the promise of jobs and promotions at City Hall flooded into Garcia's district, knocking on doors and offering city services in exchange for support.
During his 12-year exile from elected office, he founded a non-profit community development group in his neighborhood, chaired the Woods Fund of Chicago, agitated successfully for a new high school for Little Village, got a master's degree in urban planning and worked for about a year for Gov. Pat Quinn's administration.
He won re-election to his County Board seat unopposed last year and had little money in his campaign fund when Lewis asked him to run for mayor.
Garcia's mayoral bid is relying heavily on the CTU and a couple of other unions for funding. He has only a fraction of Emanuel's record-breaking war chest but more external support than any of the other three challengers.
Campaign help also has come from Cook County Clerk David Orr, an old ally from Washington's coalition of blacks, Hispanics and liberal whites.
Much of his campaign rhetoric centers on his modest lifestyle. Garcia drives a 10-year-old Dodge van. He and his wife, Evelyn, raised two sons and a foster daughter in a brick English Tudor home they still live in, next to a Catholic church and across from a boarded-up home with gang graffiti.
In the Garcia home's basement, on the mantle above the fireplace, are photos of Lozano and Mexican revolutionaries Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. Probably the most valuable item in the house is a painting by Pilsen's Marcos Raya that Garcia bought for $500 long ago.
Evelyn Chinea Garcia was a CTU member when she was a teacher's aide at CPS. She says she and her husband never gave Christmas or birthday gifts to their kids because she wanted their focus to be on the moments and meals they shared with family.
Chuy Garcia says he nevertheless sees himself as an embodiment of the American dream.


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package com.example.gameservices.clusters;

// [START cloud_game_servers_cluster_update]

import com.google.api.gax.longrunning.OperationFuture;
import com.google.cloud.gaming.v1.GameServerCluster;
import com.google.cloud.gaming.v1.GameServerClustersServiceClient;
import com.google.cloud.gaming.v1.OperationMetadata;
import com.google.protobuf.FieldMask;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;

public class UpdateCluster {
  public static void updateGameServerCluster(
      String projectId, String regionId, String realmId, String clusterId)
      throws IOException, InterruptedException, ExecutionException, TimeoutException {
    // String projectId = "your-project-id";
    // String regionId = "us-central1-f";
    // String realmId = "your-realm-id";
    // String clusterId = "your-game-server-cluster-id";
    // Initialize client that will be used to send requests. This client only needs to be created
    // once, and can be reused for multiple requests. After completing all of your requests, call
    // the "close" method on the client to safely clean up any remaining background resources.
    try (GameServerClustersServiceClient client = GameServerClustersServiceClient.create()) {
      String parent =
          String.format("projects/%s/locations/%s/realms/%s", projectId, regionId, realmId);
      String clusterName = String.format("%s/gameServerClusters/%s", parent, clusterId);

      GameServerCluster cluster =
          GameServerCluster.newBuilder().setName(clusterName).putLabels("key", "value").build();

      FieldMask fieldMask = FieldMask.newBuilder().addPaths("labels").build();
      OperationFuture<GameServerCluster, OperationMetadata> call =
          client.updateGameServerClusterAsync(cluster, fieldMask);

      GameServerCluster updated = call.get(1, TimeUnit.MINUTES);
      System.out.println("Game Server Cluster updated: " + updated.getName());
    }
  }
}
// [END cloud_game_servers_cluster_update]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians and you can learn more about herpetology with this great course. Herpetology as a scientific study and as a hobby can have positive impacts on the conservation of threatened reptile and amphibian species.
This course is suitable for anyone interested in amphibians and reptiles.
You may be an amphibian or reptile owner who wishes to increase your knowledge.
You may wish to work in the field of herpetology.
This course will help increase your knowledge and skills in this field.
Increase your employment opportunities with this fantastic herpetology course.
Why do we need to study Reptiles and Amphibians?
These animals are an integral part of the same ecosystems that man occupies. Disturbing the ecology of the world can impact upon other plants and animals in ways we don't even understand. Understanding herps can help us understand how their existence impacts upon our own well being; and the well being of environments which we may need; or at the very least, may value in other ways.
There are many conservation programs in place to protect reptiles and amphibians all over the world. These can range from habitat protection to relocation, captive breeding and genetics research.
Conservation Genetics is the combination of the studies of ecology, genetic variation, molecular biology, mathematical modelling and evolutionary taxonomy. At the centre of this study is the knowledge of population genetics. Genetic variation is essential to the breeding success and future existence of populations. Some species have high genetic variation whilst others have low genetic variation.
The knowledge of a population's genetic variation is important in conservation biology to help manage endangered populations of reptiles and amphibians. There can be three causes of low genetic variation – inbreeding, genetic drift and genetic neighbourhoods (the size of an area in which mates can be chosen at random). Reduced genetic variation can greatly inhibit the growth of a population and can threaten the recovery of endangered species.
With advances in molecular technology, genetics studies can now be undertaken with minimal interference with reptiles and amphibians. This technology can help conservation geneticists identify populations which can help in their management. They can also help identify conservation priorities based on distinct evolutionary lines.
With regards to trade in reptiles and amphibians, genetic markers can be used to trace the location from which an individual originated.
Freshwater turtles are under threat due to habitat modification, pollution, and capture for food, medical reasons and incidental trapping. Many countries have lost a large proportion of their freshwater turtles due to these impacts. There are many programs running around the world to protect freshwater turtles such as the Red River Giant Softshell Turtle, the Bog Turtle, the Southeast Asian Giant Softshell Turtle and the Mary River Turtle of Australia. These conservation programs involve monitoring of individuals and populations, habitat enhancement and in some cases, captive breeding programs.
The Komodo Dragon of Indonesia is highly endangered due to habitat loss from increased pressure on forest and water resources. To aid its conservation, Komodo National Park was established to protect both the dragon and its habitat. This conservation of habitat works in conjunction with careful monitoring of individuals in the population to ensure their survival.
The Corroboree Frog is native to the sub-alpine region of Kosciuszko National Park, Australia. Threats to the frog include damage of breeding sites by feral animals, disease infection such as the Chytrid Fungus, weed invasion and habitat destruction through forestry practices. The Department of Environment is working in conjunction with Taronga Zoo to increase population numbers of the frog. They have a captive breeding program in place, put in place measures to protect breeding sites and have initiated a weed control program.


Here we have two popular choices for Kiwi new car buyers, sorry, we mean new SUV buyers, in the Sportage and the Qashqai. Which should you buy in order to join the hatchback-on-high brigade?
The land of SUVs is a diverse one with all manner of options. Want something with a few bells and whistles, a bit of space but nothing huge to get town and around in? Here we line up two popular choices in the market, the Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage, both in top-spec, front-drive guise to see where you should spend your 40-ish thousand dollars.
Qashqai is one of Nissan's best sellers; only Navara tempts more people. There are three variants offered, starting at $36,270, while the top Ti is $44,990, as tested here. Sportage is Kia's best mover, and the company has a plethora of variants to lure customers. All up there are nine to choose from with petrol and diesel, front- or all-wheel drive and four model grades. The majority of buyers opt for a 2.0-litre front driver, and the new GT Line Urban is the top 2WD offering, going for $45,990.
So there is just $1000 separating these two, prior to negotiations for those who like to haggle but which is the better buy?
Sportage received a mild makeover last year, the looks polished and safety gear added, with all models gaining autonomous emergency braking and a lane keeping and departure warning system. The grille has undergone yet further evolution, the bumpers front and rear are new and the front light clusters have been reformed with the GT Line gaining LED headlights along with a sports body kit and new 19s.
There are no changes under the bonnet for the 2.0-litre model, the atmo four still coughing up a mild 114kW and 192Nm, rigged to a conventional six-speed auto. Kia has tweaked the suspension tune of the Sportage, each model grade gaining a unique character, with the GT Line given a sportier set-up for 'agile and athletic handling'.
Qashqai was also tweaked last year with the usual titivation of lights, wheels and bumpers on the outside, while the cabin was treated to new seats, a steering wheel and gear knob, and AEB and collision warning have been added across the range. QQ's suspenders were also rejigged to shore up the handling. It too uses a 2.0-litre atmo four, with a quota of 106kW and 200Nm, which is manipulated via a CVT.
While each of these is around the $45k mark, with similar mechanicals and features, Sportage is a little bigger all round and this manifests into better rear accomodations and a larger, more useful boot. The Qashqai is more of a four seater with not much room left over for a fifth body in the middle of the second row, but two adults fit okay with enough leg and head room, despite the lower roofline.
Sportage however offers more legroom and width in the back seat, and a bigger door opening. The GT Line gains a powered tailgate, and opening it reveals a deeper, wider and longer hold. The rear seats fold over easily to lie flat-ish and Sportage offers a full size spare. QQ has a variable floor system in the boot that's a little fiddly, but the split folding is more straightforward, while beneath is a space saver spare.
Up front Sportage wins the poke test with a better mix of trims and a more robust build quality although the QQ has soft bits where they are most needed. The GT Line gains soft leather trim with perforations for the seat ventilators but bits of muck can infiltrate said holes and are hard to remove. The Qashqai has the better seat however, with superior support and comfort, the fancy Nappa leather softer, and it's powered and heated, like Sportage's. Kia adds a Qi charge pad and a few more USB ports, while most of its storage holes are larger and lined.
Although the dash design is getting on, some of its old fashioned buttons make the infotainment system easy to use (as they do in QQ as well) while it's compatible with both phone types. It also has a bigger, more vibrant screen, the QQ's on the small side. Both have nav. While Nissan adds it's handy surround view camera tech to help with parking, the Sportage gets a wide angle reverse camera, plus sensors.
Both companies have added more safety helpers to each model and they come with AEB, high beam assist, blind spot warning and lane keeping tech, while the Qashqai Ti adds a driver alertness system, a self parking feature and it has active cruise, operational at low speeds. It can also bring you to halt in traffic. As fitting for top models, expect extras like dual zone climate air, a smart key, privacy glass and flashy 19s, while the QQ adds a glass roof and adaptive front lighting.
As to practical bits, Kia offers a five-year/100,00km warranty, Nissan with the usual three-year/100,00km deal. Neither has a service plan, both with 15,000km/12 month maintenance intervals.
As the model name of the Kia suggests, these are better suited to urban environs. Each is commuter friendly with light steering, easy-to-park dimensions and good turn arounds. Helpers such as cameras, sensors, and blind spot minders ease daily running further.
Without induction assistance, each 2.0-litre four needs to spin its crank to summon any real verve, peak torque registering at a relatively high 4000rpm in the Kia and 4400rpm in the Nissan. Each needs at least 3000rpm, sometimes 4000 to sneak the gap in traffic, your foot lingering longer on the throttle to get up to pace.
Their autos are smooth on the uptake while the CVT in the Nissan is good at quickly settling the Qashqai to simmer along at 1500rpm at an urban pace. Thanks to this and a slight advantage on the scales, it's a little better on gas. Nissan quotes fuel use at a rate of 6.9L/100km though we registered closer to nine, while the Sportage's average is listed at 8.2L/100km whereas we saw ten for the usual mix of city and highway running.
While the Qashqai Ti doesn't have the creamiest of urban rides, it's smoother than the GT Line, which detects more of the smaller bumps along your route. The QQ is also a mite more compliant over highway dips and dives.
On the flip side, the Sportage has a more positive turn in when heading into the bends. It's steering has a dab more feel at the wheel, it carries a more confident line around the bend and is a little more engaging to drive as a result. Each holds its own in the curves though as the Nissan has decent treads to assist further, although they generate more of a din on coarse chip.
The Kia's engine is more vocal, particularly when pressed. There are no drive modes to fiddle with in the Qashqai (apart from an Eco one which went untouched) and the CVT will 'change up' around 4000rpm on a middling throttle to keep it in the torque zone. It responds well enough to a liberal amount of right foot pressure to kick things along when needed and performs faux upshifts around 6000rpm to reduce excess engine noise.
In its Sport mode, the Kia's auto is more enthusiastic if you want to get moving and, like the QQ, keeps the engine spinning up above 3500rpm. Neither is a greyhound however; passing manoeuvres are best reserved for dedicated lanes (if one ever appears on your route travelled) and the 2.0-litres need to be whipped along to get it done.
It's hard to pick a standout winner here, though if you're after more space in your small SUV, the Sportage would do nicely.
However, the Qashqai is the better town car, smoother riding, a touch more economical with more convenient features at a slightly reduced price.


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Divided by Night () — четвёртый студийный альбом американского электронного дуэта The Crystal Method, выпущенный 12 мая 2009 года. В 2010 году Divided by Night был номинирован на премию «Грэмми» в категории «Лучший электронный/танцевальный альбом».

Об альбоме
После релиза альбома Legion of Boom участники The Crystal Method Кен Джордан и Скотт Керкленд решили начать работу над новым материалом в студии Crystalwerks. К работе над пластинкой The Crystal Method привлекли множество известных музыкантов, например Питера Хука, Матисьяху, Илла Билла и других. Но настройка оборудования новой студии занимала много времени и тормозила запись альбома.

В августе 2008 года The Crystal Method сообщили, что запись новой пластинки окончена. Первоначально музыканты планировали выпустить альбом в конце августа, но релиз был передвинут к началу 2009 года. В октябре 2008 The Crystal Method анонсировали концертный тур по городам Северной Америки. В начале 2009 года во время одного из интервью, участник The Crystal Method Кен Джордан объявил, что альбом будет выпущен весной.

В марте 2009 музыканты обнародовали название нового альбома — Divided by Night, а 14 апреля выпустили первый сингл — «Drown in the Now». 28 апреля вышел второй сингл «Black Rainbows». Релиз альбома Divided by Night состоялся 12 мая 2009 года.

В интервью газете Boston Herald Скотт Керкленд сказал:

Этот альбом необычный. В нём есть большие, органические живые барабаны, и дисторшн, и множество басов и всяких разных громких звуков, которые мы создаём уже много лет. Но сотрудничество [c другими музыкантами] позволило вобрать ему [альбому] множество различных музыкальных направлений. Я думаю, слушатели останутся довольны этим.

Композиция «Sine Language» была включена в саундтрек к видеоигре Need for Speed: Nitro.

Список композиций

Позиции в чартах

Примечания

Ссылки

 Официальный сайт The Crystal Method

Альбомы The Crystal Method
Альбомы электронной музыки
Альбомы стиля трип-хоп

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Ad Agency storage/file server +backup needed (NAS or something else?) Looking for a "this is all you need" recommendation.
We're a small ad agency with both mac & pcs that access and share files from a 3 yr old Windows 2000 box (no server software). We currently have 1TB on the "server" and back it up to 2 different Seagate Free Agent Pro 1TB external drives. But we're low on space and are looking for something that's bigger, that we can still access from Mac & PC, EASY backup system, secure from viruses, firewall enabled. Not sure if a NAS will work or if we should have a real server. We don't really get on that box except to restore files, or run Norton on it. I hope I've provided enough for a general recommendation. Thanks.
Rob
Phx

A: Most NAS's are real servers, running a form of Windows or an embedded Linux :-)
Sounds like you're looking for general CIFS support and the ability to add storage. Since you have a backup solution in place, I'd consider getting a beige box with several large drives in it and running something like FreeNAS to configure with RAID. Shouldn't be too hard to get increased storage capacity from that and it will be compatible with anything that can mount Windows shares, and you can administer it from a web page.
The server itself will be immune to common viruses. You should still run something on the clients to check that there aren't viruses on the shares, though. I don't remember if FreeNAS has the ability to run Clamscan or not. On the plus side, a generic system running FreeNAS should be inexpensive and easy to get parts for.
If you don't have budgeting concerns I'd otherwise look at a Dell NAS. Our system is a little on the older side, but it's basically a Windows appliance, and you can install an antivirus of choice on it.
At any rate keep in mind what RAID you want to use and get a decent network card. You don't say what kind of files are copied to and from it, but if they're big, you'll want to use a RAID level and disk controller (and drives) that can handle high speed transfers. It's not hard for a NAS to get overwhelmed with several large data requests if the network is a gig in speed and the drives aren't high-quality and high speed.


View latest updates for tropical storm Betty (Bavi) from weather central.
MANILA, Philippines - 'Bagyong' Betty (international name Bavi) has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), state weather bureau PAGASA officially announced Tuesday night, March 17, 2015.
At 5:00pm today, PAGASA said that ridge of High Pressure Area (HPA) is affecting Northern Luzon. Meanwhile at 4:00 PM, the Tropical Storm Betty was estimated based on all available data at 1,435 km East of Casiguran, Aurora (15.5°N, 135.5°E), with maximum winds of 65 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. It is forecast to move West NorthWest at 17 kph.
The Tropical Storm Betty is expected to weaken into a Tropical Depression within the next 24-36 hours.
The whole country will experience partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Northeast to East will prevail over eastern Luzon. The coastal waters along these area will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate blowing from the Northeast with slight to moderate seas.


This is the story of Animal Behavior College employee Kimberly's dog, Max.
I'm Max and while roaming the streets of Georgia a rescue found me and brought me to California. I had mange, mites, worms, and a double ear infection but my mommy Kimberly adopted me and after a few months, nursed me back to health…now I'm a senior dog living the good life. She said I had won the lottery… but now she says that she did!! I like to sit in my wagon for long walks and I enjoy relaxing on my own chase lounge when we are camping.


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directly from their pharmacists, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.
The action removes limits that had restricted prescribing authority to health care providers and Test-to-Treat sites.
"The FDA recognizes the important role pharmacists have played and continue to play in combatting this pandemic," Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director for the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release announcing the change. "Since Paxlovid must be taken within five days after symptoms begin, authorizing state-licensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients who are eligible to receive this drug for the treatment of COVID-19."
Paxlovid, made by Pfizer Inc., is meant to treat mild-to-moderate cases of COVID in people who are at high risk for severe COVID. It is approved for adults and for children ages 12 and up who weigh at least 88 pounds.
Patients who test positive for COVID-19 should still consider reaching out to their regular healthcare provider for Paxlovid first, the FDA noted.
Community pharmacies not already participating as a Test-to-Treat site can decide if or how they will offer this service to patients, the FDA added.
The American Medical Association (AMA) expressed reservations about the broader prescribing authority.
"Paxlovid is an important treatment and critical tool in the fight against COVID-19," AMA President Dr. Jack Resneck said in a statement issued Wednesday. "While the majority of COVID-19 positive patients will benefit from Paxlovid, it is not for everyone and prescribing it requires knowledge of a patient's medical history, as well as clinical monitoring for side effects and follow-up care to determine whether a patient is improving – requirements far beyond a pharmacist's scope and training."
"In the fight against a virus that has killed more than a million people in the United States and is still extremely present and transmissible, patients will get the best, most comprehensive care from physician-led teams – teams that include pharmacists," Resneck added. "But, whenever possible, prescribing decisions should be made by a physician with knowledge of a patient's medical history and the ability to follow up. To ensure the best possible care for COVID-19 patients, we urge people who test positive to discuss treatment options with their physician, if they have one."
Under the new authorization, patients are considered eligible for the medication if they are in the population authorized to get the medication and have a positive at-home rapid antigen test or a positive PCR test. It is not required to confirm a positive at-home test with a PCR test, the agency added.
Despite the move to expand the use of Paxlovid, the paperwork required to get it is still significant.
This includes electronic or printed health records that are less than 12 months old, including the most recent reports of laboratory blood work for the state-licensed pharmacist to review for kidney or liver problems, the FDA said.
In lieu of this, the pharmacist could receive this information through a consult with the patient's health care provider.
Patients should also provide a list of their current medications, including over-the-counter drugs they take, so that that pharmacist can screen for potentially harmful drug interactions.
The pharmacist should refer patients for a clinical evaluation with a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant licensed to prescribe drugs if there is not sufficient information for the pharmacist to assess patient safety. This includes if there is not enough information to assess the patient's kidney and liver function. Paxlovid isn't recommended for patients with severe kidney or liver problems.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 treatments.
SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, July 6, 2022
A Gene Therapy for Hemophilia That Costs $3.5 Million Gets FDA Approval


A beautiful area in southwest England, situated adjacent to popular Cornwall, Devon can give their neighbour a run for their money. With gorgeous sandy beaches, medieval towns, fossil cliffs and national parks, this part of the English Riviera is a must see.
Woolacombe holds the 'England for Excellence Gold Award' for best family resort and Woolacombe Beach is also an award winning beach for two years running! No wonder with 3 miles of golden sand offering fantastic facilities and there are life guards on hand in the Summer making it a great choice for family swimming. There is plenty here to do for all ages with many superb places to eat and they host different festivals throughout the year, such as the Beer, Cider and Music festival. Not only is there excellent surf facilities at the beach, you will also find a cinema and the Golden Coast Holiday Park which includes adventure golf, bungee trampoline, high ropes course, climbing wall and much more.
The outstanding food and drink on offer is renowned, all helped with using its excellent local produce. Devon is a key place to visit to enjoy their food with so many producers in the County. You will find dairies, micro-brewers, vineyards, coffee roasters, chilli farmers and even blueberry farmers, all featured at the many delis, farm shops and cafes in the area. And you can't leave Devon without enjoying a Devonshire cream tea!
For all animal lovers out there, how can you resist the naturally sad face of a Donkey? With hundreds of donkeys awaiting your arrival, there's so much to see here at the sanctuary. It is a working farm housing not only donkeys but mules and hinnies, large and small. Settled in the East Devon serene countryside, discover the character of the donkeys that are settled here in their home. Even our other four legged doggy friends are welcome here as long as they are kept on leads. So no need to leave them behind.
There is even a welcoming restaurant, the Hayloft Restaurant on site serving delectable cakes as well as a lunch menu, all sourced from local producers and farmers and all profits do to the Donkey Sanctuary. Dogs are even welcome to accompany you in the restaurant.
Although donations are very welcome, admission and parking is FREE!
Referred to locally as the Hoe, it is situated next to and above the cliffs that form Plymouth seafront. Commanding views over Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island and even across to Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall it is a lovely open space to visit with luscious green lawns. Tinside Lido is open to the public for bathing through the summer months and you can also explore Smeaton's Tower, a lighthouse standing tall at 72 feet high offering amazing views of the city from its lantern room.
Plymouth is home to many festivals throughout the year including the popular British Firework Championships held by the waterfront in August.


The top 10 most often rated and reviewed teas on RateTea are all tea bags, but the top 10 highest-rated teas are all loose leaf, reflecting a disparity in tea culture between mainstream brands and connoisseurs.
In February, RateTea launched a new tea rating system, intending it to be easier to understand and more fun. Now, with three months of data under the new rating system, the rate of new reviews has more than tripled over last year.
Geopath, the not-for-profit organization that generates audience location measurement on behalf of the out of home advertising industry (OOH), announced today that RealityMine joined the membership.
By Readyviews software labs pvt. ltd.
Only website which shows verified product reviews from all leading online stores in India.


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Despicable Me 2 2013
Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.
Stars: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand
Director: Tom Johnson, Christopher Meledandri, Carter Goodrich, E.J. Holowicki, Robert Taylor
District 13: Ultimatum (2009)
Role Models (2008)
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006)
The Pornographer (2001)
The Land Before Time: The Great Valley Adventure (1994)
Monsters vs Aliens (2009)
A Goofy Movie (1995)
Bratz (2007)
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)
Up (2009)
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Despicable Me (2010)
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Monsters University (2013)
Minions (2015)
Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Madagascar (2005)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
Tangled (2010)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
The Croods (2013)
Finding Nemo (2003)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)
Copyright © 2023 moviesfun.cc | All rights reserved


Limiting sodium consumption can reduce arterial stiffness, according to a study published in the Journal of Hypertension. Researchers from Federico II University of Naples Medical School in Naples, Italy conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis on salt restriction and arterial stiffness.
The researchers reviewed randomized controlled trials that reported on salt restriction and arterial stiffness.
Arterial stiffness is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and sodium consumption could be a factor of arterial stiffness.
A total of 11 studies with 431 participants in total were included in the review.
The intervention period in all of the studies lasted for one to six weeks.
The results revealed that an average reduction in sodium consumption of 89.3 millimoles (mmol) per day reduced arterial stiffness.
In conclusion, the findings of the study suggested that limiting the intake of dietary sodium can reduce arterial stiffness.
To read more stories on ways to take care of the heart, visit HeartDisease.news today.


If you are planning on demolishing part of your home for a renovation project, you should think about engaging qualified demolition contractors. In general, demolition can be overwhelming and time consuming even if you are planning on knocking down a small section. However, if you have some time and intermediate construction skills, you might be able to handle the work without professional assistance. This choice will allow you to reduce your total renovation expenses. Here are practical tips for handling partial house demolition.
You should not begin your demolition before obtaining the appropriate permits from the relevant local authorities. Typically, demolition and renovation are intrusive structural processes which will generate a lot of noise and debris. In addition, the work will change the original structure of the house significantly. Therefore, the project cannot proceed at you own discretion. You should inquire about the permits required through an experienced contractor, or you can simply contact the local council.
You should remember to turn off your utilities before beginning the demolition. This process is necessary even if you feel certain that the utilities will not be affected by the work. This precaution can prevent disasters from occurring in your home. Ideally, you should disconnect the water supply, the electrical connections and the natural gas. Remember, a simple oversight can lead to major problems such as gas or electrical fires.
You should avoid using your sledgehammer for the entire demolition process. It can be tempting and exciting to swing your heavy tools and knock down everything on your path to renovations. However, the satisfaction will be short lived. Where possible, you should deconstruct instead of demolishing. This process involves taking the structures and features in the house apart carefully without damaging them. This choice will allow you to salvage some construction materials for reuse. You can also sell the items for recycling.
The demolition process will generate a lot of debris and general waste. Simply speaking, you will need to handle the old and damaged building materials even if you choose to deconstruct the house. Therefore, you should make arrangements for the collection and disposal of the waste. If the volume of the materials is low, you can obtain a bin from a waste management company. Alternatively, you should hire a suitable dump truck for the handling of the rubbish.
If you are uncertain about any issue during the partial demolition, you should consult a demolition contractor for expert advice.


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Share owner relations
Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404
Going concern
Responsibilities in respect of the preparation of financial statements
Substantial share ownership
Profits and dividends
Parent company charitable donations
Significant agreements and change of control
Authority for purchase of own shares
Supplier payment policy
Home | How we behave | The Board of Directors | Significant agreements and change of control
In addition to the financing agreements to which the Company is a party details of which are given in note 10 in Our Finanacial Statements Section, the Company is a party to an agreement with Asatsu-DK Inc dated 3 August 1998 pursuant to which WPP subscribed for 20% (at that time) of the share capital of Asatsu and Asatsu subscribed for approximately 4% (at that time) of the issued share capital of WPP. The respective shareholdings may only be transferred following a procedure set out in the agreement. WPP and Asatsu are each entitled to nominate a non-executive director to the board of the other subject to retaining its shareholding in the other.
Each of the €600 million 4.375% bonds due in December 2013, £400 million 6% bonds due in April 2017, €500 million 5.25% bonds due in January 2015 and the £200 million 6.375% bonds due November 2020 contains provisions which are triggered on a change of control of the Company. The holders of such bonds have the right to repayment at par if the Company is non-investment grade at the time of the change of control or becomes non-investment grade within 120 days of the announcement of the change of control.
In addition the Group has a $1.6 billion Revolving Credit Facility due August 2012 the terms of which require the consent of the majority of the lenders if a proposed merger or consolidation of the Company would alter its legal personality or identity.
The impact of a change of control on WPP's incentive plans is dealt within the How we're rewarded section.


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National Data | Bad news for American students, workers - massive H-1b Increases rise from dead in "SKIL Bill"
Edwin S. Rubenstein
The good news: the Senate immigration bill will probably not be acted upon this year. The bad news: The House and Senate may disagree on big immigration issues like border security, but they apparently share the same vision on H-1b visas—high tech "guest workers."
Hence the new "Securing Knowledge, Innovation and Leadership," or SKIL Bill, which resurrects the high tech industry's H-1b and green card reform wish list embodied in the Senate bill.
The new bill would raise the H-1b cap from 65,000 to 115,000. If the higher cap is fully subscribed, next year's cap would automatically increase by 20 percent. Et cetera, et cetera.
After ten years of such compounding there theoretically could be a nine-fold increase in the number of H-1bs entering the U.S. annually. And this doesn't include the separate 20,000 H-1b cap for persons with advanced degrees in science and engineering. The SKIL bill would exempt foreign students with degrees from U.S. universities from the cap, effectively doubling the number of foreign-born MAs and PhDs permitted to remain in the country.
Implication: By 2016 the high tech labor-force could be swelled by as many as 640,000 foreign-born workers each year.
An absurd extrapolation, you say? Perhaps. But no more absurd than the current situation. Even at 65,000 annually, the H-1b influx represents an overwhelming share of high-tech employment growth in the U.S. For example, according to AeA, the trade association representing the high-tech industry, total high-tech employment rose by 61,000 positions last year—or 4,000 less than the number of H-1bs admitted.
Displacement of U.S.-born personnel by their foreign-born counterparts is strongly suggested by year-to-year changes in high-tech employment and H-1b visa issuance. (Table 1) They move in decidedly different directions:
High-tech employment H-1b Visas Issued
2001 -53,259 +163,600
2002 -612,024 +79,100
2004 -44,738 +65,000
2005 +61,111 +65,000
Further evidence: When the supply of oil falls short of the demand for oil, the price of oil rises. It has. When the supply of housing can't keep up with demand, housing prices rise. They have.
So what's been happening to the wages of high-tech personnel?
Data compiled by AeA show real wages are still below levels reached during the bubble years. The decline is especially pronounced in the software industry, which employs about half of all H-1bs admitted. (Table 2.)
Here are average wages (in 2004 dollars):
1999: Total high tech: $74,222 Software: $101,717
2004: Total high tech: $72,440 Software: $80,637
% decline: Total high tech: -2.4% Software: -20.7%
Starting salaries of high tech personnel with bachelor's degrees have declined by even more than average salaries, according to a Business Week column. [The New Global Job Shift, February 3, 2003] This is the niche most likely to be filled by incoming H-1bs.
The last refuge of H-1b advocates: the alleged incompetence of U.S.-educated personnel. High tech gurus routinely malign the ability of U.S. public schools to produce students competitive with their foreign counterparts in science and engineering.
But the average test scores upon which this perception rests conceal more than they reveal. As the editors of The Ethics and Public Policy Center's The New Atlantis reported recently:
"Two University of Pennsylvania researchers recently aggregated scores from a number of cross-national studies and found that white students in the United States, taken alone, consistently outperform the predominantly white student populations of several other leading industrial nations. 'There is compelling evidence," they write," that the low scores of [black and Hispanic students] were major factors in reducing the comparative standing of the U.S. in international surveys of achievement. If these minority students were to perform at the same level as white students, the U.S....would lead the Western G5 nations in mathematics and science, though it would still trail Japan.'"[ Is the United States Really Losing the International Horse Race in Academic Achievement? Erling E. Boe and Sujie Shin, 2005]
Americans can do these jobs. But by breaking down the market and discouraging students from entering these fields, our promiscuous importation of H-1bs is creating the very shortage the policy is allegedly designed to fill.
Edwin S. Rubenstein (email him) is President of ESR Research Economic Consultants in Indianapolis.
Those Goshen, CA Hispanic Killings: Why Won't MSM Ask If It's Immigrant Mass Murder?


The PorterTron is our take on the "tron" pickups. Both the neck and bridge pickups feature AlNiCo 5 magnets with laser cut fiberboard top piece. Tones are thick and full with the right ammount of chime for that distinct Tron sound. The neck pickup is well balanced and great for a variety of styles ranging from chords, blues, jazz and rock. Combine the neck and bridge to create a glassy tone with crystal clear notes. The bridge tron works well with some medium to heavy overdrive for a nice cut through sound in a band setting. These pickups work well in combination with other models or as a set of two.
NOTE: These are "tron" sized and will not fit in regular humbucker routed guitars. If you are looking for a dual polepiece row humbucker, check out our PorterTron Humbucker.
You need a clean sounding tron.
you need more note response and tighter mid range.
you like to play a variety of light to medium gain or delay.
Spec info: A5 magnets, available in a neck or bridge position with cover options. Typical neck resistance is high 5k range with the bridge at just about 6k.
Try these in: Great as a set of 2 or a neck position in a T style.


As per this study the Global Chicken Sausage Market was valued USD 32.7 BN (by revenue) in 2018 and is anticipated to reach USD 42 BN by 2025 with a CAGR of 3.7%.
Chicken sausage is a prepared food item made from minced chicken meat with spices and herbs. The minced meat is salted and stuffed in a tubular casing that gives it a characteristic cylindrical shape. Traditionally, a casing is made up of the cleaned chicken intestine but nowadays, synthetic casing to stuff the meat filling. Some of the commercially available sausages are precooked, processed and then the casing is removed. Preservation of sausages is done by curing, drying in cool or smoking the chicken meat.
The market is expected to gain rapid growth owing to the shift in consumer preference towards preserved and processed food products. Growing demand from the millennial and young population owing to easy to cook product is fueling the market growth. Rising demand for organic sausages is again contributing the market growth. However, an increasing obese population is likely to restrain the market growth. Nevertheless, the shift in focus of manufacturing of low fat and calorie sausages is likely to spur the market growth in the forecasting period.
This detailed market study is centered on the data obtained from multiple sources and is analyzed using numerous tools including porter's five forces analysis, market attractiveness analysis and value chain analysis. These tools are employed to gain insights of the potential value of the market facilitating the business strategists with the latest growth opportunities. Additionally, these tools also provide a detailed analysis of each application/product segment in the global market of chicken sausage.
The broad chicken sausage market has been sub-grouped into product and application. The report studies these subsets with respect to the geographical segmentation. The strategists can gain a detailed insight and devise appropriate strategies to target specific market. This detail will lead to a focused approach leading to identification of better opportunities.
Furthermore, the report comprises of the geographical segmentation, which mainly focuses on current and forecast demand for chicken sausage in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The report further focuses on demand for individual application segments in all the regions.
The report also covers detailed competitive landscape including company profiles of key players operating in the global market. The key players in the chicken sausage market include Aidells Sausage Company, Al fresco Al Natural, Applegate, Blue Goose, Dietz & Watson, Hillshire Farm, Johnsonville Sausage LLC, Saags, Shuanghui, Venkys and W.B.L.D.C Ltd. An in-depth view of the competitive outlook includes future capacities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial overview, partnerships, collaborations, new product launches, new product developments and other developments with information in terms of H.Q.


Charity runners in search of a post-game party.
Over the last 10 years, many charities have recruited their supporters to combine fundraising for the mission and completing a long-time fitness goal such as running a marathon, or even a 5K. These charity runners who are devoted to the mission and who raise funds have contributed greatly to the great work by many charities. Altruism has several rewards. For one, your sense of accomplishment of crossing the finish line is enhanced by being part of something larger. Your apprehension can be enhanced as well, because you feel more accountable to the charity, the team, and your donors.
If you are a charity runner, here are three recommendations to make your experience great.
1. You can't get to the finish line if you don't get to the start line. Pick a training plan that is not too aggressive. Many charity runners feel added pressure to train hard because they've engaged so many others in their quest. In some cases, this desire to satisfy the donors leads runners to train too hard or to ignore the beginnings of an injury. You should pay attention to signs of injury and overtraining before reaching the point where you are forced to stop training. The good news is that many charity runners are likely to follow a designed training program offered through the charity of choice. The guidance of the appropriate training plan and guidance from your coach helps you stay the course and have success on race day.
2. Start early in training and fundraising. Just as you plan the steps it will take to ensure you run a great race on race day, plan the steps it will take to raise the money you pledge for the charity of your choice. You will get support and advice from the charity, but it is up to you to follow through. You are going to be able to engage those close to you, likely your friends and family, in this quest to better yourself and your community. This can be an enjoyable part of the journey. Like your training plan, the best results happen when you start early in the season and build throughout the season. Don't try to cram training or fundraising in the last few weeks.
3. Spread the word. Engage your family, friends, co-workers, and everyone you come in contact with in your quest. Tell them what you are doing – AND WHY! Share the mission of your charity and the great work it does. Don't forget to thank them – engage them in your celebration! Many charity runners use the post-game party as a cherry on top for their fundraising efforts. And if you are very pleased with your running coach you've had for the race, be sure to invite the coach to the post-game festivities. Hint.
Does being a charity runner sound like a course you'd like to take in your running efforts? Does your organization want to provide professional training to your charity runners? If so, click on http://www.coachbrendan.com/charity-partners/ to see a list of my charity partners and for more information.