After Konami hit upon a successful formula for basketball with Double Dribble, they went on to create a hockey game in a similar vein. The result was Blades of Steel, later released in Japan as Konamic Ice Hockey (コナミック アイスホッケー, Konamic Ice Hockey?), an ice hockey game released by Konami for North American arcades in 1987, and ported to the Famicom Disk System and NES in 1988. All teams are fictional but based out of real Canadian and American cities. In comparison to Nintendo's own entry of the sport, Ice Hockey, Blades of Steel focuses more on a less-cartoony look and more realistic presentation. The game is known for its fast paced hockey action and for the inclusion of fights that break out between opposing players.
Blades of Steel differs from the professional game in the NHL in the late 1980s in that it has no offside rule, and its interpretation of penalties is somewhat unique. The game's officials only call two penalties. Players who lose a fistfight are penalized for two minutes, an abstract reworking of the five-minute offsetting majors normally assigned in the event of a fight. Should a fight break out in front of one team's net, then the player on offense gets a penalty shot. The penalty shot is administered in the style of a soccer penalty shot, in that the shooting player must stand on the blue line, instead of moving towards the goaltender. The game also recognizes icing infractions, with an appropriate game reset and faceoff in the liable team's zone.
Blades of Steel has been well received by critics, regarded not only as a good hockey game for the NES, but also as one of the best hockey games ever created. The NES conversion remains faithful to the original arcade version, while also introducing some new concepts, including a mini-game based upon the boss battle in Gradius. The NES version was re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service on December 24, 2007. The arcade version was re-released on Microsoft's Game Room service on November 24, 2010.
This page was last edited on 18 December 2013, at 02:29.


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'Stars aligned' to bring WAMusic Week to Albany with night of live, local music at 6D
Camera IconAlbany musician Geoff "The Rev" Waldeck. Credit: Laurie Benson/Albany Advertiser
A 10-day celebration of WA music is scheduled to spread to Albany on March 26, when some of the region's finest homegrown talent joins seasoned rockers The Scotch of Saint James at Six Degrees.
For the first time, the State's peak music body, WAMusic, will host WAMusic Week from March 19-28, with more than 60 events across regional and metropolitan WA to showcase our contemporary music scene.
The festival will reach the Great Southern thanks to Six Degrees manager Geoff Waldeck, who secured a $1500 grant to curate a line-up of local acts for a live music event.
Perth indie rockers The Scotch of Saint James, featuring ex-Albany musician Michael Paver, have been booked as the headline act.
Waldeck said the "stars aligned" to secure the talents of The Scotch of Saint James, who shot to fame in the noughties after winning the Triple J Unearthed prize.
They have since performed alongside some of the world's biggest artists at Southbound, The Big Day Out, V Festival, and Groovin the Moo.
Albany alt-rockers Liz Dexic will launch their latest single at the show, followed by rising psychedelic-indie pop stars Spacedive.
Camera IconThe Scotch of Saint James will take to the Six Degrees stage next month. Credit: Jacinta Mathews/WA News
"I think it's awesome that we can highlight two local original acts, and especially one that is launching its new single," Waldeck said.
Waldeck said he hoped to see an even bigger focus throughout regional WA on the development and promotion of original music.
"WAMusic Week will definitely assist this," he said.
"We have some wonderful original musicians in Albany who don't really get a shot at a lot of live performance locally — primarily for financial reasons — beyond some of our live events, the encouraging efforts at Wilson's Brewery, and the Open Mic night at The White Star.
"I'd love to see this develop further."
The WAMusic Week funding follows a $25,000 Federal Government boost late last year to launch The Revelator Series at Six Degrees, which aims to give regional musicians the opportunity to perform their original work.
Six Degrees was among 100 venues across Australia to share in the funding from Live Music Australia, designed to help live music venues rebuild their capacity after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Waldeck has already held two Revelator Series shows, with the next show set to bring Denmark bands The Morsels, and General Admission — formerly Westy and the Benchwarmers — together on February 12.
"The support from the Albany community for original live music has actually been a little greater than I expected," he said.
"There are a number of local acts that have contacted me and have asked to be considered for a performance at a show, and though I'm pretty slow at getting back to some of them, I certainly do endeavour to."
Ladies season returns from festive slumber

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Wasp Suit is an advanced Pym Particle-based suit, similar to the Ant-Man Suit. The first suit was created by Hank Pym and his wife Janet van Dyne for the latter's heroics. A modernised version of the suit originally made by the two is currently being finalised by Pym and his daughter Hope.


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Foisy, Paul. "Myrtle Cook-McGowan". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 05 December 2013, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/myrtle-cook-mcgowan. Accessed 19 January 2021.
Foisy, P., Myrtle Cook-McGowan (2013). In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/myrtle-cook-mcgowan
Foisy, Paul, "Myrtle Cook-McGowan". In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published January 31, 2012; Last Edited December 05, 2013. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/myrtle-cook-mcgowan
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Myrtle Cook-McGowan
Article by Paul Foisy
Published Online January 31, 2012
Last Edited December 5, 2013
Myrtle Cook-McGowan , (born at Toronto, 5 Jan 1902; died at Elora, Ont 18 Mar 1985). Myrtle Cook was an athlete and journalist who participated in the 1928 OLYMPIC GAMES in TRACK AND FIELD.
Already as a teenager, Myrtle Cook-McGowan demonstrated strong athletic skills and practised several sports such as tennis, hockey, cycling and canoeing. Surprisingly, at the age of fifteen, this young lady was a member of the women's national track and field team. In July 1928, at the Olympic trials in Halifax, the sprinter achieved the spectacular time of 12 seconds in the 100 metre dash. She thus broke the world record by two tenths of a second, but for unknown reasons, this record time was never made official.
A few weeks later, in Amsterdam at the first women's Olympic track and field competitions, she was designated the favourite to win the 100 metres. Unfortunately, she was unable to prove her great speed as she was disqualified after two false starts. Still, she made a name for herself in the 4 X 100 metres with her teammates Jane Bell, Ethel Smith and Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld by winning the gold medal in a record time of 48.4 seconds. With Ethel Catherwood, gold medallist in the high jump, and Jean Thompson, these four athletes made up the "Matchless Six", a group of six Canadian women who made track and field history at these Games.
Returning to Canada, Myrtle Cook-McGowan successfully pursued her career, taking part in 60 and 100 metre competitions until 1931. In short order, she scored Canadian, American and international records.
During her lifetime, she was interested in the development of women's sports organizations. In 1923, she founded the Toronto Ladies' Athletic Club, the first athletic club for women in Canada. Several years later, she directed the Toronto Canadian Ladies' Athletic Club and soon founded a branch in Montréal. It was here that she created the Mercury Athletic Club along with Hilda Strike, the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic 100- metre silver medallist.
In 1929, Cook-McGowan moved to Montréal when she married the journalist Lloyd McGowan. She began a journalistic career at the Montreal Star with "In the Women's Sport Light", a column dedicated to women's sports, which she wrote for more than forty years. Cook-McGowan was a pioneer in the field, and this platform went beyond simple sports reporting enabling her to promote the cause of women's sports. With her presence in various activities she was an active advocate for female participation in all kinds of sporting events.
Following the 1928 Olympics, she was involved at the national level on committees for the COMMONWEALTH GAMES, the British Empire Games and the Olympics. During her long career, she took part in eleven Olympic Games as an athlete, trainer, manager and journalist with great enthusiasm.
In 1949, she was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. Six years later, in 1955, she was enthroned in CANADA'S SPORTS HALL OF FAME and in the TEMPLE DE LA RENOMMÉE DU PANTHÉON DES SPORTS DU QUÉBEC (Québec Sports Hall of Fame) in 1974. Athletics Canada awards the Myrtle Cook Trophy for Young Athlete of the Year.
Myrtle Cook-McGowan, known as the first Lady of Sports in Canada, passed away 18 Mar 1985.
Toronto Feature: Tom Longboat
Ethel Catherwood
Diane Jones Konihowski


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3 Tactics You Can Implement Today for Higher Email Open Rates
George Mathew
Posted on June 5, 2014 October 23, 2016
Budget for email marketing is on the rise. In fact, email marketing is one the top three investments in B2B marketing, according to the B2B email marketing trends report by CircleResearch.
But even with that increased budget, a lot of marketers are leaving conversions on the table.
How? By not targeting customers.
One size doesn't fit all and, as we go through this post, you will learn how to treat each customer in a way that elicits love and devotion from them. But to to that, you have to know what they want. And to know what they want, you should know how they behave and what makes them tick.
By collecting data on customer behaviors, you can find out what they're interested in. Then, you can use this data to send highly targeted emails, which could ultimately lead to more sales.
Why Email Personalization Matters
We love personalized service. It doesn't matter what type of business you run, personalization can make a difference.
For instance, by personalizing the service they offer, waiters can fetch 23% higher tips. And in business, personalization can yield 2% increased revenue. (source: Monetate)
The same applies to email marketing. This report by Experian Marketing Services reveals that including personalized product recommendations into transactional emails can generate a 20% increase in revenues.
In Hubspot's survey, 38% of the survey takers said that they signed up for a company newsletter hoping to receive information that is relevant to them.
If you're worried about data collection for personalization, don't be. A study by Accenture revealed that almost half of the people surveyed were open to data tracking by trusted brands if it meant they would get a personalized shopping experience.
It's time to get relevant and personal. Let's dive in to see how personalization can get you more email opens and conversions. In particular, we're going to look at list segmentation, behavioral targeting and triggered emails.
How to Personalize Email Marketing
Start with the email subject lines
The Experian study revealed that personalized mails had a 29% higher open rate and 41% unique click-through rate.
"Personalization is much like a matchmaking exercise with the ultimate goal of pinpointing the best product or service from your catalog that best satisfies your customers' needs," says Scott Brave of Baynote in his whitepaper, "The Human Need for Personalization: Psychology, Technology and Science."
However, according to Scott, that doesn't mean every individual should be sent unique content. There are smart little ways by which you can send personalized emails with the touch of a few keys.
When Feedback loop tested two different subject lines, one with the first name of the customer and a friendly tone and another with a generic one here's what they found.
Mailchimp's report, based on sending 24 billion emails and studying subject lines with over 20,000 distinct words, reveals some startling findings.
Even though the most common approach in sending mails is using the first name, mails with the last name had a slightly better open rate.
Mail subject lines with the first and last names had the highest open rates.
To send first-name or last-name personalized emails, you can use merge tags like the ones shown below.
But that's not the only way to personalize emails. If you're using a CRM system, there could be plenty of data that could be there in the database: the date they signed up, conversion event, the phone number, and more. You could potentially use all that data.
A few more personalization ideas
Subscribers can see who sent the mail, and that influences them in a huge way. Often, emails have the name of the company as the sender.
Including the name of a real person is one way to personalize the email. But an even better way to do that would be to include a personal name along with the company name.
Hubspot carried out a test to see if emails sent by a real person work better. While the control generated a .73% CTR the treatment got a .96% CTR.
Now let's dive into list segmentation.
Segmenting Lists
You may have already heard of campaigns where segmenting the lists led to sporadic rise in conversions. If not here's one which brought in 141% additonal revenue per campaign. If you need further proof of the value of list segmentation, here's what a Hubspot study says:
BustedTees used to send all its emails at the same time of the day, but changing it be delivered at 10 a.m. local time with respect to subscriber geography boosted revenues by 8%. (Here's a resource that will help you send emails based on customer's local time.)
Let's see one specific example. In the case of Doggyloot, email personalization led to a 759% higher CTR. They make use of "dog data" in the CRM system to send personalized emails to dog owners. A new visitor cannot use the site without signing up, and right at that page itself, the list segmentation begins.
Doggyloot has two fields: one that asks about the size of the dog and the other that asks for the email address. Why is this important?
In the case of large dogs like German Shepherds, a 3-foot duck chew mailer would make sense, but it would be insanity sending the same mail to the owner of a Chihuahua. The email targeting done for large dog owners works so well, they get a 410% higher CTR than average. It also accounts for 13% of overall revenue.
However, it wasn't always that way. To get the existing database of users submitting information about their dogs, Doggyloot added a new section to customer accounts called "My Dogs," which asked for dog name, breed, size, etc. They even offered a $5 credit to get the owners share the birthdays of their favorite pets.
While you can always segment subscribers based on their gender, demographics, sex, job, etc., there are more levels which you can add to segmentation. For example,
Segmenting Idea #1: Past Purchases
Send emails to customers based on their past repurchase times. Does it work? It did for one jewelry-making retailer.
ArtBeads saw a 208% increase in conversion rates for targeted emails. They segmented their lists based on what percent of the customers were the large spenders. Emails were sent to customers who had made at least one big purchase in the last six months. Here's how they did it.
The email was sent by the CEO of the company. That gives the impression that he cares about his customers.
It includes a picture of him, reinforcing the one-on-one feeling of this email.
It mentions the customer's purchase history, making it feel like he's paying attention to them.
Wording that adds to the personalization: "thank you personally," "we've noticed," and "your are among a very few select clients."
To make it more appealing, a 20% discount was added. The result? This campaign had a .71% conversion rate compared to the average of .04%.
It seems that people hugely appreciate the gesture of a CEO speaking to them on a first-name basis. And it's a good example of segmenting and targeting based on past purchases.
There are two good reasons for targeting customers this way.
You can send offers to a section of subscribers who are more interested in that offer.
The email disengagement rates, compared to sending batch and blast emails, are lower.
Segmenting Idea #2: Content topic
Sites like Copyblogger offer eBooks on variety of categories like copywriting, email marketing, marketing, etc. You can always offer different free products to see what makes your customers tick.
Segmenting Idea #3: Usage
Some of your readers will be power users who try everything on your site and try all the features of your software. There are others who don't catch up to the software and tools that easily. Tracking each visitor's behavior and usage can help you segment them into separate lists.
The power users can be sent advanced mailing, while the ones who are struggling can be helped with educational mails. You can further send personalized tracking: which emails were opened by which customers, which ones received higher click through rates, etc. The key is to keep on testing.
Now, what services can you use to send segmented emails?
Vero is an excellent service that can help you send mails based on what your customers do on your site.
Mailchimp's Mandrill is another option.
Other, more expensive options include Marketo and Eloqua.
Which brings me to my next topic: behavioral targeting.
Behavioral Targeting
Less than 45% of email marketers are sending emails based on behavioral data, according to Forrester Research.
According to Jon Miller of Marketo, "Knowing who your customers are is great, but knowing how they behave is even better." Let's look at a few examples.
Groovehq
Groovehqfound that some of their customers are highly active, logging in at least three times a day. Others were completely inactive, never logging in.
When reviewing their email strategy, they realize it made no sense to send each of these groups the same emails. So they changed their approach, sending different emails based on user behavior.
The result? End-of-trial conversions increased by 10%. Here is the email they send to someone who has already created the mailbox:
Here is the one that's sent to someone who hasn't started yet:
Another example is the behavioral targeting that Amazon executes to perfection. Well, almost to perfection.
Chris Schwarz found that casually browsing Amazon for "Point and Shoot" Cameras resulted in a follow-up email campaign from Amazon. The first one didn't work, so they sent another campaign 24 hours later, this time on DSLR cameras. 4 days later, Chris received an email offering a 50% discount on Canon PowerShot.
This continued until, in the 9th email, Amazon called Chris by name to show him some more cameras.
The lesson, don't sell your customers short. If one follow-up email doesn't get them engaged, keep trying. Just don't become a stalker in the process.
Even Twitter wants to sell. In this example Corey Eridon speaks of Twitter sending him personalized recommendations on restaurants located nearby after he searched for a local brunch's Twitter profile.
Twitter knows that getting people to follow businesses can help those companies see the value of advertising on Twitter. So it goes out of its way to send relevant emails based on user behavior. Smart.
Triggered Emails and Customer Onboarding Emails
Trigged mails are activated based on specific activity (or the lack thereof) by the customer. These emails, because they're based on real-time data, receive a 33% click through rate, according to Getvero.
Cart abandonment emails are one of the most common trigger emails, but there are other events that can also trigger mails. Let's look at some examples.
Doggyloot
Take the case of Doggyloot, which we discussed earlier. They went so far as to offer a $5 credit to customers who registered their dogs' birthdays. With this data, they can send birthday emails to the dog owners—which you can bet helps them stay top of mind with those customers.
Emails like this build rapport, largely because there aren't many companies who do all this.
Doggyloot's cart abandonment mails also include an element of urgency. Check out this email, stating that cart items are almost sold out. Notice also that the CTA was repeated twice in a big orange button.
Trigged mails have the power to convert leads to customers, especially if sent within the first few weeks of signing up or during the onboarding process.
When Dropbox finds that people who have signed up haven't installed the software yet, they send a visually enhanced graphic mail telling them about it.
Becoming a new customer is reason enough to send an email. Groovehq's current onboarding process resulted from a sincere desire to help their customers.
They used to send generic emails describing the various features of the products. Now they send this:
By asking users how they can help them achieve their goals, Groovehq streamlined the onboarding process and got better conversions—and got a 41% response rate in the process.
What's more, they learned where new customers were getting hung up. Some customers complained about the complicated steps involved while using Zendesk, so Groovehq sent them baby-step instructions to help them with the process.
Okdork
But there are other ways to engage new customers. This is the first email that I got from Noah Kagan after I signed up. The P.S.—"I read all emails"— was the comment that got a reaction from me.
Planoscope
This onboarding email gets some added personalization from its classy signature:
Emails can also be triggered by site activity. Take Facebook, for example. Facebook does a good job of engaging members with emails about activity on their wall. If a friend comments on your wall or tags you, they send you mails like these:
All these examples prove one thing: Your customers are willing to speak up, provided you're listening.
Personalization is the key to improve the bonds between you and the customer. Today, there are a lot of shiny object lying around, and there's always the risk that a customer will start chasing them if you haven't created a strong, personal relationship.
Personalizing emails, especially during the onboarding process, adds warmth to the relationship. That's something you shouldn't miss for the world.
Whether your business is big or small, you deserve to get more out of each email you send. Come to think of it, your customers should too.
Read other Crazy Egg articles by George Mathew
George has marketed million dollar startups with his skills and has contributed to ace Conversion Optimization blogs like ConversionXL. You can hire him for your content marketing needs.
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Mar 13, 2015, 08:41am EDT |
Is The Cost Of Cancer Care Killing Us?
Peter UbelContributor
I am a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University.
In 1987, my 3rd year of medical school, I sat in a morbidity and mortality conference listening to a senior oncologist explain that his patient "did not want to give up" despite suffering from incurable metastatic cancer. "So we offered him therapy with vinblastacancer and cytokilocure," he said. (I'm paraphrasing here, and making up some pretty horrific sounding medication names, because I wasn't taking notes at the time.) He then concluded by explaining that the patient's tumor didn't respond to further chemo, and he died in the hospital.
I raised my hand: "I'm just wondering why you thought you were doing this patient a favor by torturing him with useless treatments before he died." The room let out a collective gasp at the temerity, the out and out rudeness, of my question. The oncologist, to his credit, remained calm, explaining that the patient wanted the treatment and that the treatment was his only hope for slowing down the cancer. The conference concluded, and I walked into the hall where the chief medical resident chewed me out, quite appropriately, for asking the question in a disrespectful manner.
Photo Credit: Loans.org
Three years later, I was a medical resident (at a different institution: coincidence?). I remember finishing a month on the oncology service and wondering how anyone could survive as a practicing oncologist, when so many of their patients would not survive for very long. In my mind, cancer care was characterized by miserable treatments that yielded miserable results. So many patients suffered so much misery for so little chance of benefit.
My reaction was an overreaction. Even in the 80s and 90s, some cancer treatments brought substantial benefits to their patients. Lance Armstrong was cured of metastatic testicular cancer in the 90s even though, when diagnosed, the tumor had already spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain. But cases like Armstrong's were rare. Most adult cancers, once metastatic, were not curable at that time. And most treatments, treatments remember that were not expected to cure the cancer, were highly toxic – lose your hair; puke your guts out; and hope not to catch a life-threatening infection while your blood counts hover near indetectability.
My how times have changed. We are beginning to make major progress against many formerly hopeless cancers. And new therapies are usually far less toxic than old-fashioned treatments. These new targeting treatments are designed to be more selective – to target tumors while sparing normal body parts. We are beginning to see progress treating diseases like metastatic melanoma, an illness that took away my favorite aunt.
But this progress has come at a steep financial cost. According to experts, cancer care accounted for 5% of US healthcare spending in 2010 to the tune $125 billion. A decent chunk of that money went toward cancer drugs, especially toward wonderful new target-specific specialty drugs. Rena Conti, an economist at the University of Chicago estimates that the use of "oral oncologics" – basically cancer pills that people swallow rather than IV treatments like most of the chemo that Lance Armstrong received – grew 10% between 2006 and 2011, but the amount spent on specialty oncologics grew a whopping 37%:
Spending On And Use Of Oral Oncologics Available In The US Market, First Quarter 2006 Through Third... [+] Quarter 2011
At a time when overall healthcare spending rose about 3% per year, spending on specialty drugs grew three-fold faster. In fact, targeting agents have gone from accounting for 35% of oral oncologics in 2006 to 59% in 2010 and 2011:
If I were still a smart-mouthed judgmentally-challenged medical student, I would probably be disrespectfully asking some pharmaceutical executive why these drugs have to be so expensive: "You just want to torture our economy before killing it?"
I'm a bit wiser now (if still too smart-mouthed for my own good, at times). I recognize that we won't make progress treating awful illnesses like metastatic melanoma if we are not willing to pay the price of developing and testing new treatments. I realize that pharmaceutical companies are not charitable organizations.
We need to scrutinize the cost of cancer care, however. We should push back at companies when their staggeringly expensive treatments yield only modest benefits. But we should also remember that progress and the fight against cancer doesn't come cheap.
Peter Ubel
I am a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University. My newest book, Sick to Debt (Yale University Press), explores the challenges of shared decision making
I am a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University. My newest book, Sick to Debt (Yale University Press), explores the challenges of shared decision making between doctors and patients. My research and writing explores the quirks in human nature that influence our lives — the mixture of rational and irrational forces that affect our health, our happiness and the way our society functions. (What fun would it be to tackle just the easy problems?) I am currently exploring controversial issues about the role of values and preferences in health care decision making, from decisions at the bedside to policy decisions. I use the tools of decision psychology and behavioral economics to explore topics like informed consent, shared decision making and health care spending. My books include Pricing Life (MIT Press 2000) and Free Market Madness (Harvard Business Press, 2009), and Critical Decisions (Harper Collins).


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A Nerd-Interest Magazine for World Domination
About Nerd Empire
By ByJ.R. Darewood
Do you play games that involve multisided dice?
Can you sing the theme song to your favorite video game?
You might be a nerd.
Maybe you're great at math, maybe you're an artist, or maybe you just have this feeling of being somehow apart from the world. Don't feel alone—join us! Read an short story, wordsmith a comment, or even pitch an article of your own.
Welcome to Nerd Empire.
Hi, I'm J.R. Darewood
I got called a nerd quite a lot growing up, in a world that felt like a prison. Writing was an escape that took me ever farther than running away ever could have. I made this site for my fellow nerds and I to share our passions– take a deeper look inside for interviews with concept artists and cosplayers, articles on the virtues of virtual reality, or fresh short fiction! But most importantly, know that you're in good company.
In addition to Nerd Empire, here's some other places you can find fun stories I've written about a serial killers, psychotic sorceresses, and people who are into donkeys.
When a metrosexual man with a desperate need to shit encounters a serial killer along the 10 freeway, all bets are off! The Killer 10 is here on this site, but it also appeared in Gifts from the Dark: A Miscellany of Dread. All proceeds from the book are donated to an organization helping homeless people with mental illness.
If a bitter distrust of romance is more your thing, try Hearts and Other Dead Things. It's an anthology guaranteed to make you glad you're single, or wish you were. There you can find my short stories "The Number" about a man who calls a number scrawled on a toilet stall and gets more than he bargained for, "Sex in Santo Domingo" about… errr… donkeys… some twisted poetry, and a black comedy I co-wrote with romance author Catherine Lenderi "Romantics Anonymous". The proceeds for this book go to an organization that supports women who have been trapped in indentured servitude in Singapore.
In the short story "The Forbidden", Nyssa is driven to brave every taboo she's ever known, while the voices of dead beg her to stop. The Forbidden won a creative writing competition on Fantasy Faction in which writers had to blend technology and magic.
My largest project is a novel-in-progress, an epic fantasy-horror-comedy that I'd put in the "grim-lite" genre. I'm in the editing stages, but I hope to be submitting to publishers soon. I'll have excerpts and promotional materials out soon. If you're interested in beta-reading, please reach out!
CategoriesAbout
Author: J.R. Darewood
J.R. is a connoisseur of all things nerd, but his greatest love is writing. Check out his work for fun stories about a serial killers, psychotic sorceresses, and people who love donkeys. Read his offsite stuff here! View all posts by J.R. Darewood
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Every year 4th February is observed globally as World Cancer Day to raise awareness of Cancer and how to cure it. 2019 campaign theme is 'I Am and I Will'. According to World Health Organisation estimates, 9.6 million cancer deaths were reported globally in 2018. The number is going up due to several reasons includes changing lifestyles and improved diagnostics.


text:
Vision Express is a British company established in 1988 that sells spectacles and contact lenses.

History

The company opened its first store in 1988, at the MetroCentre, Gateshead, quickly followed by several other stores. In October 1993 US Shoe Corp Cincinnati sold the seven of its LensCrafters' superstores in the United Kingdom to Vision Express. In 1995, the first store operating on a joint venture basis was opened.

The company had grown to over 220 stores across the United Kingdom by 2007. In May 2008 Batemans Opticians was acquired, which comprised a seventy-five store chain in Southern England. The majority of these stores have since been rebranded as Vision Express.

There are currently 575 stores throughout the United Kingdom, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland.  Of these stores approx. 195 are fully company-owned, with the remainder being under joint Venture partnerships.

Vision Express is also in Poland, where it has over 110 stores. It has recently opened a series of stores in India in partnership with Reliance.

On 1 May 2013, Vision Express announced that it had acquired twelve optical stores from Crown Eyeglass Ltd. The stores, situated in the North West of England, will become part of the Vision Express portfolio, bringing its total number of outlets in the United Kingdom and Ireland to 331.

Eight of the properties currently trading as Crown Optical Centre and Direkt Optik will transfer optical services to nearby Vision Express premises and Vision Express will seek to retain the valued experience of the Crown Eyeglass Ltd personnel within the Vision Express store network. The remaining four stores will trade from their existing locations, with their existing teams under Vision Express branding.

On 1 February 2014, the high street retail business of Rayner & Keeler Opticians was bought by Vision Express from JBR1910 Limited.

On 1 December 2014 Vision Express announced the acquisition of the business of Liverpool-based Conlons Opticians for an undisclosed fee. It was stated that ten of the nineteen stores purchased would continue to trade from their current locations, with the existing store teams as part of the Vision Express portfolio, with the remaining eight stores transferring services to their nearest Vision Express store.

The following day, it was announced that the store in Millom (which was due to be transferred to the nearby location of Barrow-In-Furness), would remain open following a review from local residents, bringing the total number of Vision Express stores to 390 by the end of 2014.

Following a further announcement on 9 December 2014, Vision Express decided to continue to trade from the Conlons store in Annan as part of its portfolio. This increased the total number of stores to 391 by the end of 2014.

December 2017 saw Vision Express announce the completion of the deal to incorporate 209 Tesco Opticians into their portfolio.  This increased the Vision Express store count (in the UK) to 600. By June 2018, all the Tesco Optician stores had been rebranded to VE@Tesco.

In late March 2020, Vision Express closed non-essential branches indefinitely in a nationwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Onur Köksal, (CEO) began to initiate the furlough of all non-essential staff. A small number of clinics are said to have remained open to offer essential, emergency clinical care.

From the end of 2020, to present times, the company began to resume routine testing in line with government guidance. Extra efforts followed to ensure that patients with critical care needs were prioritised over non-essential interactions. Patients were called before attending their appointments to confirm that they had not developed any symptoms of COVID-19 and nor had anyone in their household.

Takeover by Grand Vision
Grand Vision acquired Vision Express in 1997. The French parent company Grand Vision has stores under various brands across Europe, and the rest of the world. Under franchise agreement there is a strong Vision Express brand present also in Latvian and Lithuanian markets. These shops were acquired from GrandVision by Latvian entrepreneurs of "LU Optometrijas Centrs SIA". Currently "Vision Express" brand in Latvia and Lithuania is operated as a part of OC VISION group.

References

External links

 Vision Express website
 Vision Express India
 Vision Express Poland
 Vision Express Lithuania
 Vision Express Latvia
 Vision Express Philippines

Eyewear companies of the United Kingdom
Retail companies of the United Kingdom
British companies established in 1988
Retail companies established in 1988
Eyewear retailers of the United Kingdom
Companies based in Nottinghamshire
1988 establishments in the United Kingdom
Ruddington

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Bet The Bus
Donnie Does
Rundown
The Celtics Now Find Themselves Just One Win Away From Advancing
Greenie4/27/2017 4:42 PM
What a difference a week makes. This time last week things could not have looked worse. The Celtics were down 0-2 and it might as well have been 0-5000 based on the way they played. They were out coached, out hustled, out played, the whole nine yards. Hot takes flew around the internet calling for Stevens' job, that this group of players just couldn't get it done in the playoffs, worse number 1 seed of all time, frauds, the works. And frankly it was all warranted based on how they played. Fortunately, we can all look back at that time and laugh.
The Celtics got to this spot because they woke up. The areas that plagued them in the first two losses didn't really show up in the latest three wins. Now let's all refrain from counting our chickens before they hatch, they still need to actually you know, close it out, which hopefully will come on the road, and you can almost guarantee this team won't make it easy on us. In terms of last night, that was an important win not just because it gave the Celts a 3-2 lead, but we saw them pull a game out in which they were outshot. In both of their prior wins it mostly came down to their role players making their open looks and the Bulls coming back down to earth. Well last night was different. The Bulls shot 50% and put the pressure on the Celtics to continue to execute down the stretch in order to pull it out.
They responded.
The team we've seen over the last three games looks so much more like the team we saw all season, inconsistency and all. But for a team that looked like it had no fight and was primed for another quick exit, here we are with the first series lead of the Brad Stevens era and an opportunity to close out a series for the first time since 2012 (only now Lebron won't shake his dick on us!!)
Tons to get to, let's get started
– Tough competition for today's top spot. By the narrowest of margins we start with a Tacoma Twin, but not the one you probably thought I'd go with. Enjoy.
Before this series started I went on record saying the most important player for this team not named Isaiah was Avery Bradley. From the secondary scoring, to the defense, to the rebounding, I still think we're at the point where not everyone correctly values what Avery brings to this team. Well last night his 24/6 on 11-19 shooting combined with his incredible defense on Jimmy Butler will finally put that to rest. Games like this are why you see fans apprehensive to put Avery in trades or be in the pro extend Avery camp. Remember, he's just 26.
It could not have been a more welcomed sight the way Avery started this game. Mr. First Quarter legit carried the Celtics in his 12 opening minutes, shooting 4-6 for 9 points. Those four makes would be HALF of what the Celts would make that first quarter. Is it any surprise that he got off to such a great start because he attacked the basket early which helped his confidence, so by the end of the quarter he was knocking down big momentum threes to change the momentum? Remember Avery had shot the ball like dick in GM4, and mostly because he started outside/in, instead of the other way around. I mean look at his shot chart from last night
Any time Avery makes a conscious effort to not just become an outside shooter, his offense looks so much better. But we can't move on before we dive a little bit deeper into his defense in this game. THAT was All NBA defender Avery Bradley folks. Just an absolute monster.
It is extremely hard to make a player of Jimmy Butler's caliber a non factor, but that is exactly what Butler was. Defense like this is what makes all of us start to think irrational thoughts and with good reason. The Celtics perimeter defense while legit, took a step back this year, so to see it get back to that lockdown level at the perfect time, led by their best on ball defender, was great to see.
– In the first half, Al Horford had 2 FGA and basically never touched the ball. As a result the Celtics offense stalled, they weren't getting good looks, and to anyone with a brain it made no sense. They then adjusted in the second half and what do you know, the big guy showed up. In fact, he's showed up every game this series
I'll add his 50/50/90% splits just for good measure. In this game, in a close fourth quarter, you know, the time where Horford I guess disappears, he threw in 11 points on 3-3 shooting. He had 19 points in 18 second half minutes. This is what drives me literally insane about this team at times. I despise when all the sudden they freeze Horford out. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? It's so frustrating because the evidence is right in front of their face. Just watch how they used him in the 3rd quarter as a prime example. There was motion at the top of the key to get the Bulls defense moving, Horford rolled hard to the rim and established good position and he converted. They gave him the ball on the wing and cleared out for cutters which Horford naturally found for easy baskets. They actually ran an offense!! And when it came time for him to make big open threes, he did. This is the Horford I believe the Celtics envisioned when they brought him in this summer.
Many people still think Horford isn't worth the money, but isn't the playoffs what really matter? Not what he did against the Grizzlies in some random game during the year, but in the biggest games of the season? This doesn't mean he wasn't inconsistent at times, but at the end of the day you have to give credit when credit is due, and Horford has been fantastic so far.
– The Bulls did a good job of collapsing their entire team whenever Isaiah got to the paint early in the game. Isaiah did a better job of finding the open man (even if they didn't always make the shot). Sort of like this
On a night where Isaiah couldn't shoot in the first half (more in this later), I thought his passing was much improved. Unlike other certain point guards in this year's playoffs, it's clear that Isaiah trusts him teammates. He very well could have forced shots at the rim but instead made the correct basketball play despite the chaos.
What's great about Isaiah though is he can snap out of his funk at any moment. He went 5-11 in the second half for 17 points, and 3-5 for 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. No surprise that success in the fourth came when he attacked the basket. Getting Isaiah back on track is pretty simple, just give him a one on one matchup with Lopez from 30ft
– I asked on Twitter when the last time the Celtics held an opponent under 100 points in three consecutive games. A stoolie dug it up and it hasn't happened since late November. The biggest reason the Celtics were able to climb back into this series has to be the fact that they actually played defense.
It came from everyone on the roster. EVEN ISAIAH! The switching, the timely rotations, the communication, the help, this was one of the better defensive efforts we've seen from this team. If you want to get excited about their potential advancement, start with their ability to defend. During the year the Celtics held a team to under 100 points 23 times. They are 23-0. Sometimes it's just that simple.
– If they are going to defend like that, and turn the ball over just 6 times good luck beating this team I don't care how they shoot. Once again the Celtics were able to keep the rebounding close (42-38), actually had more OREB than CHI, killed them in the paint 56-42, murdered them in second chance points 15-4, and fastbreak points 12-4. Everyone wants to make this about Rondo, but perhaps the Celtics have just done a better job at addressing and fixing the issues that plagued them early. Weird, I know.
– Few things bring me as much joy as seeing Summer League Terry Rozier in a big playoff game. Even though it's coming at the expense of Jaylen's minutes, when you do shit like this
you win the minutes. Really Terry did a great job of setting the tone for the second unit, which Olynyk then took to another level. It's awkward, it makes no sense, but Olynyk has had a pretty good series. I'll take 14/5 on 55% shooting in just 20 minutes wouldn't you? For the series Olynyk has 52/40% splits, and for the most part his defense hasn't been terrible.
– What the fuck was with that shot selection to start this game. Always a great idea when you have success going to the basket to immediately stop that approach and take eight consecutive threes. None of which you made. I fully understand that this team loves to jack it up, they live by the three and die by the three but come on. I don't care if you're taking open looks. I care if you're doing shit like what Jae did and you're taking stupid stepback threes like Marcus did. It is maddening that the Celtics clearly had a gigantic advantage when they take their time, run an offense, and get to the paint, so to see over 50% of the shots in the first half be threes was a tad annoying.
– I had hoped before this series started based on how he was shooting the ball that Jae would have a good series. He's healthy and was in a rhythm. That has not happened. Another 2-11 performance, he's struggling right now. His threes aren't just short, they're wide, he's not getting calls when he attacks the basket and I think that's starting to mess with him a little bit, just overall he's leaving a lot more to be desired. Coincidently, he was a +9 so it's not as if he isn't making an impact, but if you're wondering why the Celtics haven't been able to truly blow this team out, I'd start with the fact that Jae hasn't really hit his open looks yet.
– I was also not a fan with Isaiah's shot selection in the first half either. Of anyone on the team obviously he has the longest rope, but that doesn't excuse what we saw. I would call his first half approach a situation where he was clearly forcing things, and his second half approach playing within the offense. Which do you think he did better with? His three point shooting has been no where close to what we saw during the year, and I think it's because right now he's caught up in making FUCK YOU threes. We've seen him make them before, but when he gets a little happy with this approach it doesn't always work. The pass out of the post into the wide open three? That he'll make with ease.
– It is absolutely ridiculous that Lopez turns into an offensive powerhouse whenever he is in this building. Him, Wade making threes, Zipser making shots, Anthony Morrow coming out of no where, you can't tell me this didn't feel like the first two games. Guys who cannot shoot were hitting big momentum threes which I was told only happened cuz Rondo was on the floor but I digress.
– Jump for another Wade pump fake. Do it. It'll work out this time I'm sure.
– Terry Rozier HAS to foul Butler at the end of the third. Not a great presence of mind to not realize they had a foul to give, and even worse that he didn't listen to his coach because we could all hear Brad yelling for it on TV. Was it a prayer that Butler hit the shot? Sort of, but that isn't really the point. In the playoffs mental lapses like that will end up in losses more often than not,
– It's really getting ridiculous how boned the Celtics are continuing to get by the officials. NOW they call a goaltend on a clean Avery block? Isaiah Canaan throws down Isaiah and it's an offensive foul? I'm not saying they have been great for CHI either, but come on be less blatantly terrible.
– I've seen on Twitter since this game went final that "Big deal the Celtics are maybe going to beat the 8 seed in 6 games. That's terrible, they should have swept" which is a weird stance to have considering almost everyone thought this was going to be a 6 game series before it started. So they lost the first two games at home and looked like shit. That happens. I've been seeing a lot grasping for straws now that the Celts have appeared to turn it around and frankly I'm gonna need the Celtics trolls to be a little better.
You can almost bank on Rondo playing tomorrow night. I don't know the history, but if the Celtics were able to pull this out, winning all three road games has to be pretty rare. They've been the best road team in the East all year, CHI seems ready to call it a day (they are not practicing today) and it's looking like a BOS/WSH second round which is going to be must watch stuff. Lose Friday and anything can happen in a Game 7 so I'd prefer to avoid that stress all together.
What a week, what a series, what a response. Say it with me…
3 down 13 to go
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text:
Kirk Battles Serpents in the Garden
Star Trek: The Original Series -- Serpents in the Garden, the latest Star Trek novel by Jeff Mariotte, is available today from Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books as a mass-market paperback and eBook. Here's a synopsis, straight from the publisher:
"Early in his five-year mission commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise, Captain James T. Kirk found himself caught up in a growing conflict on the planet Neural. To maintain the balance of power against a force being armed by the Klingons, he provided weapons to his new friends, the Hill People. Years later, Admiral Kirk learns that the Klingon presence on Neural has grown considerably, and in possible violation of the Treaty of Organia. Did his impulse as a young captain turn out disastrously wrong? Could he have done more to eliminate the Klingon threat? To find out, Kirk must embark on a secret mission back to Neural—where he might just be the only person who can prevent an interstellar war..."
Star Trek: The Original Series -- Serpents in the Garden runs 368 pages and costs $7.99. Visit Amazon.com to purchase and keep an eye on StarTrek.com for news about upcoming Star Trek adventures from Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books.


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text:
Округ  Монро () — округ (графство) у штаті  Пенсільванія, США. Ідентифікатор округу 42089.

Історія
Округ утворений 1836 року.

Демографія

За даними перепису
2000 року
загальне населення округу становило 138687 осіб, зокрема міського населення було 71719, а сільського — 66968.
Серед мешканців округу чоловіків було 68490, а жінок — 70197. В окрузі було 49454 домогосподарства, 36459 родин, які мешкали в 67581 будинках.
Середній розмір родини становив 3,16.

Віковий розподіл населення поданий у таблиці:

Суміжні округи
 Вейн — північ
 Пайк — північний схід
 Сассекс, Нью-Джерсі — північний схід
 Воррен, Нью-Джерсі — схід
 Нортгемптон — південь
 Карбон — захід
 Лузерн — північний захід
 Лекаванна — північний захід

Див. також
 Список округів штату Пенсільванія

Виноски


text:
/**
 * Created by akersten on 10/8/17.
 */

/**
 * The DynamicLabel can have a list of objects - in order for this to work, an object needs to be able to uniquely
 * identify itself with an ID and also have a display name.
 */
export interface IDynamicLabelListSelectable {
    name: string;
    id: string;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Panda Models seems to have discovered the rest of the world outside of China in 2018 and they also appear to have been chided by competition into developing their own Airbus A321 casting, presumably in response to HYJLwings. It was always a surprise that they had an A319 and A320 but no A321 so it is a logical step and with NEO deliveries ramping up likely to be a fertile ground for them to explore. Already their releases are looking interesting and although there is overlap with HYJLwings there is also overlap with Phoenix, who probably have more to fear.
It has done so by focusing on efficiencies and its premium products whilst successfully keeping a stranglehold on domestic markets and being ruthless in cutting loss making regional routes. Although ostensibly the national airline of New Zealand it is first and foremost a heavily free market-oriented airline working for its own ends rather than the nation's. That is perhaps as it should be but its own aims should not necessarily be swept up with those of the country it hails from.
Even so it has impressively soaked up competition across the Tasman and in Asia, especially from Chinese airlines. It has also been able to finance a modern and well-balanced fleet with 777s and 787s forming the backbone on longer sectors and A320s across the Tasman, domestically and to the Pacific Islands. The entire A320 fleet has consisted of ceo variants until recently. In 2014 the airline announced a $1.6b deal for 7 A321neos and 6 A320neos.
The A321neos will no doubt be helpful in making up for lost capacity from the retirement of the last 767-300s and have been touted as providing annual fuel savings of 15% that would save the airline $1.9 million a year.
The first Pratt & Whitney powered 214 seat A321, ZK-NNA, left Hamburg on November 3 for its four-day transit to New Zealand via Oman, Kuala Lumpur and Cairns and was put into revenue service neo November 23 as NZ739 flying AKL-BNE. As of February 2019, Air New Zealand now has three of its seven A321neos in service and the type will surely take the strain on high density medium range routes for years to come.
I had been keen to compare the new Panda mould with its closest competitor, the HYJLwings A321, ever since I saw them first announced. The HYJLwings is close to perfection so I guess in theory the Panda should look and feel very similar. In fact, it is very hard to distinguish them from each other. Ignoring any accusations of plagiarism, that isn't a bad thing obviously since it means the moulds are both excellent.
The shape of the nose is perfect as is the rest of the fuselage. You have to get really into close-up to notice any real differences and they come down to tiny things like the HYJLwings sitting a tiny fraction taller at the nose and having tiny bit taller sharklets. The most obvious distinguishing point between the moulds is the position of the stand hole, which is a lot further forward on the Panda (at the front of the wing line rather than in the middle of the wings).
Of course, as I have pointed out a few times previously when reviewing A321s the type is more than just a stretch A320 since the wing is equipped with double-slotted flaps. Only JC Wings and HYJLwings have got this correct until this Panda mould. The wing is effectively impossible to tell apart from the HYJLwings, which once again is a good thing as it immediately makes this a superior model to the recent Phoenix release in the same livery.
The undercarriage is very nicely done and the forward gear leg has the characteristic slight tilt forward of the real thing. Another difference between this and the HYJLwings is at the maingear where the inside struts are not individually partitioned but have connecting material between them. I have another Panda A321 and it shows this to a lesser degree as well so in fact I think it may be a QA problem and I'll deal with it in that section.
Considering the size of the LEAP engines ground clearance is pretty decent. The engines themselves are accurate and introduce the final difference between this Panda and the HYJLwings A321. The HYJLwings has see-through engines whereas this model does not. It actually probably looks better for the solid fans as reproducing the correct number of fanblades in a see-through engine at this scale is very difficult.
On the aerials front the model has all the major aerials (3 on the roof and 1 on the rear belly) and is only missing the very small one on the forward belly. All the aerials are well placed and sized. The Wi-Fi dome is also on the model although it may be slightly too small.
Given they are so incredibly similar I think this Panda A321 is tying with the HYJLwings for first place amongst A321s. It is certainly a country mile ahead of the Phoenix A321.
Air New Zealand's new identity had been delayed for several years, during which aircraft were progressively stripped of their Pacific Waves, but was finally unveiled in June 2013 and featured a new 'fernmark' logo in addition to the Koru. For those of us not endeared with Rugby the choice of black as the main colour was vaguely annoying but there is no doubting the livery is eye catching and following on from the All Blacks Rugby scheme several members of the fleet have been painted into a modified Rugby-less all black version of it, including ZK-NNA (both her sisterships wear the standard white and black scheme).
It is hard to make a mess of the colours when they are black and white and Panda does not. The new title font wordmark is easier to get wrong as it is subtly quite complicated. I've been looking closely with the magnifying glass and it is about as good as it can get in my opinion. The letter positioning and serifs are present correctly.
The positioning of the Koru on the tail and the swirling fernmark are excellent and other little details (Koru on winglets, white door outlines, Star Alliance logo) are beautifully placed and printed. Lastly all the aerials and Wi-Fi dome are correctly white, along with the engines.
The printing is excellent right across the model. I'd be stretching to say it'd be nice to see some panel lines on the engines. Everywhere else the level of detail is very high.
This model arrived in a box from China and it is well known that EMS like to put their parcels to the test, however the model was inside a box within a box and its own box (the third layer) was undamaged. So, I am not especially keen to prescribe the QA failure the model has to postal concussion. The issue was that the model arrived with one wing off and the other just sitting in the hole. Fortunately, the wings have been easily attached and there is no damage to the aircraft. However, it would be nice to have enough glue to keep the wings attached.
I'm also going to knock a point off for the connecting material between the rear gear legs, which I'm convinced is just the filler material that hasn't been removed.
This Panda A321 displays an excellent mould, exceptional artwork and printing, and looks a million dollars. But that is due to me being able to reattach the wings. I haven't previously had these kinds of issues with Panda Models so I will assume it is a one off but loose components risk damaging the model, which when it is this good is a crying shame.


text:
Pantar continues to progress amidst the crisis
Pantar, Lanao del Norte – Provincial Governor Imelda 'Angging' Quibranza Dimaporo recently attended the Ribbon cutting and Turnover ceremony of four significant undertakings in the Municipality of Pantar on December 23, 2021. Mayor Jabar Tago of Pantar, warmly welcomes Governor Dimaporo along with Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members, Board Member Marivic Ramos, Board Member Achmad Taha, Board Member Reinario Bihag and the two SP Members aspirants, Hon. Sidick Dibaratun and Hon. Grecille Matalines.
The activity marks the start of the (1) construction of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Building of Pantar and the (2) construction of a Multi-purpose Hall in Barangay Punod. The projects also include the (3)expansion of Level II Portable Water System in Barangay Pantao Ranao and Lumba Punod as well as the (4) rehabilitation/improvement of Box Culvert in Barangay Cabasaran.
In his message, Mayor Tago extends his heartfelt appreciation to the Provincial Government and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the constant support given to him with his pursuit in changing Pantar while sustaining its peace and order.
Meanwhile, Pantar new administrator Dr. Binaneng Omacaan, highlights the history of Pantar and the vital role of the late Governor & Congressman Mohammad Ali Dimaporo in attaining peace and said, "He has always been specific in paying attention to the total populace of this municipality, and we thank you Governor Dimaporo and Congressman Abdullah for continuing it."
The projects are the joint effort of the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte, the Local Government Unit of Pantar, and especially the DILG led by Provincial Director Bruce Colao. The projects are under the Assistance of Municipalities (AM) Program of the DILG, which seeks to assist all municipalities in delivering essential services.
"This project is from the national government, which is also significant to us because you identified and sought for these plans. I have personally seen the development of Pantar, and we hope you can sustain its order for with peace there is development", PD Colao stated.
Governor Dimaporo also expressed her felicitations to the Local Government of Pantar, spearheaded by Mayor Tago with its evident growth and development.
"These projects are proof of the dedication of all employees and the unity of everyone. Hoping that this project will soon be realized so that people here in Pantar can already use it", Governor Dimaporo said.
Aside from the employees of LGU Pantar, present also in the event were all the Sangguniang Bayan Members and Barangay Capatains of Pantar. Col Rey Alemania, the Brigade Commander of 2nd Mechanized Battalion, and Lt Col Marlon Famoso, Battalion Commander of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Batallion, were also present to give peace and development updates.
"Peace, development, and good governance must come along the way, and this remarkable event is one of its significant results. We hope that we can uphold this order for the next year, especially in the coming election. An honest election is in your hands, but we in the security sector will only help you ensure a safe one", Col Alemania said. PIO-LDN


text:
Political commentary from the LA Times
« Previous Post | Top of the Ticket Home | Next Post »
Sunday shows: Brennan, Giuliani, Adm. Allen, Holder
ABC This Week with Jake Tapper: Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., Rudy Giuliani, John Podesta, Shelby Steele of the Hoover Institution, Robin Wright and George Will.
Bloomberg's Political Capital with Al Hunt: Carol Browner, White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy.
CBS Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer: Assistant to the President John Brennan, Sens. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Adm. Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant.
CNN GPS with Fareed Zakaria: Martin Wolf of the Financial Times; Richard Clarke, former deputy assistant secretary of state; Fawaz Gerges, London School of Economics; Irshad Manji, New York University; Bernard-Henri Levy, French philosopher.
CNN State of the Union with Candy Crowley: Brennan, Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace: Brennan, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-ConnT), Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), Jennifer Griffin and a panel with Bill Kristol, Mara Liasson, Liz Cheney and Juan Williams.
NBC Meet the Press with David Gregory: Holder with David Brooks, E.J. Dionne, Katty Kay and Wes Moore.
-- Andrew Malcolm
Why wait until Sunday for politics? Click here for Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. Our Facebook FAN page is over here.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images


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Happy New Year! Let's Stamp!!
If you are in the San Antonio area and want a diversion on New Year's Day, stop by my studio!
If you have a project to work on, bring it!
If you have a stamp set you don't know what to do with, bring it!
If you want, you can pick from some projects that I have and make one or more (a small fee will apply).
Come anytime after 10:00 AM and stay as long as you like!
Stampin' Up! has added new products to the Clearance Rack - I'm not sure which are the new items but you HAVE to check it out! Go to my ONLINE STORE and then where is says "Show", click the arrow and select "All". Now you can see everything - over 130 items! Something for everyone!
You like fabric? It's there - as low as $1.99!
You like paper? There are solids, Designer Paper, and Core'dinations - some retired, some current!
Ribbon, trim, and buttons? OMG - so many!!
Plus stamps and punches and dies!!! - Oh My!
Remember, these deals are only good while they last, so go check them out now!!!!
This Week's Weekly Deals - Great Prices! You can order at my Online Store and the order will be shipped direct to your house! Click HERE. But you might want to wait until tomorrow because that is when Stampin' Up! will add new items to the Clearance Rack!!
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the merriest of Christmases!!!
There are only 10 days left to order from the Stampin' Up! Holiday catalog. If you haven't bought everything on your wish list, you should check out this list. The Carryover List includes those seasonal items that will still be available after the sales period for the catalog ends.
If the item(s) on your wish list aren't on the Carryover List, then be sure to order them now so you are not disappointed later! You can order at my Stampin' Up! store or email me!
Here are the Weekly Deals for December 17 - 23. Great stuff!! Check it all out at my Stampin' Up! store.
Oh Christmas Tree - Handmade!
This year, I decided to put my Christmas tree in the studio instead of my house because I was going to have 2 parties there plus my December stamp club. I made a lot of angel ornaments using the Bow Die as well as some snowflake ones using the Snowflake Ornament Kit.
Friday the 13th, But No Fears!
And I don't like to go empty-handed - today I took in a bunch of these cute little coffee cups filled with kisses - they went nuts over them! I wonder how I will top that the next time?
Starting today and for as long as supplies last, the Clearance Rack is full of wonderful retired product, some very hard to find! All prices are discounted, up to 80% off! All of it is amazing and no longer available anywhere else! Check it out now at my Stampin' Up! Store!
You can order from my online store or you can email me or you can call me at 210.684.5800, but whatever you do DO NOT WAIT TOO LONG!!! Based on past history, some of these will sell out VERY quickly!!
With the twine held firmly in place it was a snap to tie a bow!
If you placed an order with me in the last year or so, be watching your mail next week for your 2014 calendar magnet!


The Dönnhoff family first came to the Nahe region over 200 years ago, and after establishing a modest farm slowly evolved into a full-fledged wine estate. Helmut Dönnhoff has been making the wine since 1971, and now his son Cornelius works alongside in the winery and in their 25 hectares of Erste Lage, or grand cru vineyards. Their holdings represent some of the best in the Nahe and all of Germany.


text:
Q: Postgresql: denormalize JSONB with nested key/values and arrays If needing to denormalize a nested JSONB structure into a flat table, can it be realistically done in a single SELECT if I'm mixing key/values and arrays like the following? I have table containing two columns - repository and data and an example data column value is like the following:
{
    "branches": {
        "master": {
            "type1": {
                "files": [{
                    "filename": "a.txt",
                    "contents": [{
                        "identifier": "foo",
                        "value": "bar"
                    }]
                }]
            }
        }
    }
}

My goal is to have a query that flattens this structure e.g. into the following CSV pseudocode:
repository,branch,type,filename,identifier,value
a/b,master,type1,a.txt,foo,bar

I have kept the JSON example as simple as possible, but would ultimately end up with around a million lines.
Although the need for a single data JSON column is fixed, the format of it can be refactored if it would make the denormalization easier or more efficient. e.g. instead of branches and types being keyed off their unique identifiers, these could be converted into arrays with identifiers instead.

A: Assuming the elements of contents array should be returned as rows and a valid JSON structure like this:
{
  "branches": {
    "master": {
      "type1": {
        "files": [{"filename": "a.txt","contents": [{"identifier": "foo","value": "bar"}, {"identifier": "a2", "value": "a value"}]},
                  {"filename": "b.txt","contents": [{"identifier": "id2","value": "something else"}]}]
      }
    }
  }
}

Then you can use this:
select b.branch,
       t.type,
       f.file ->> 'filename' as filename,
       c.content ->> 'identifier' as identifier,
       c.content ->> 'value' as value
from the_table tt
  cross join jsonb_each(tt.the_column -> 'branches') as b(branch, branch_value)
  cross join jsonb_each(b.branch_value) as t(type, type_value)
  cross join jsonb_array_elements(t.type_value -> 'files') as f(file)
  cross join jsonb_array_elements(f.file -> 'contents') as c(content)

With the corrected JSON above, this returns:
branch | type  | filename | identifier | value
-------+-------+----------+------------+---------------
master | type1 | a.txt    | foo        | bar
master | type1 | a.txt    | a2         | a value
master | type1 | b.txt    | id2        | something else

If contents isn't actually an array, so something like this:
{
  "branches": {
    "master": {
      "type1": {
        "files": [{"filename": "a.txt","contents": {"identifier": "foo","value": "bar"}},
                  {"filename": "b.txt","contents": {"identifier": "id2","value": "something else"}}]
      }
    }
  }
}

Then you can use this query:
select b.branch, t.type, f.file ->> 'filename' as filename, f.file #>> '{contents, identifier}' as identifier, f.file #>> '{contents,value}' as value
from the_table tt
  cross join jsonb_each(tt.the_column -> 'branches') as b(branch, branch_value)
  cross join jsonb_each(b.branch_value) as t(type, type_value)
  cross join jsonb_array_elements(t.type_value -> 'files') as f(file)

which returns:
branch | type  | filename | identifier | value
-------+-------+----------+------------+---------------
master | type1 | a.txt    | foo        | bar
master | type1 | b.txt    | id2        | something else

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Q: How to fix a nonworking "echo" PHP search result link? I will try to be more specific.
Search Results from an php/mysqli query are put into a table.
This is the code for the table:

       <td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="padding-right:7;" id="Photo1<?php echo $uid ?>">
          <a href="../view_profile/view_profile.php?id=<?php echo $uid; ?>">
             <img src="../../users/<?php echo $gender; ?>/<?php echo $email; ?>/Profile/<?php echo $img; ?>" style="height:70; width:70;">

       <td onMouseOver="serched_name_over1(<?php echo $uid;?>)" onMouseOut="serched_name_out1(<?php echo $uid;?>)" width="500" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" id="Name_bg1<?php echo $uid; ?>">
           <a href="../view_profile/view_profile.php?id=<?php echo $uid;?>" id="Name_font1<?php echo $uid;?>"><?php echo $name; ?>

I run the query and results are shown on website.
Source Code:

                Jonny Cash

Now, the info I want is shown on the website, however...
THE LINK  does not work on the website (i click on the img and nothing), but on the Source Code it does (i click on the link and it takes me to page).
I have tried echoing in parts to construct the path, but no use.  I tried   and also, nothing.  I tried using the htmlspecialchars and htmlentities.  And nothing.  I have even tried doing a regular html code inside the table along side the results... and nothing.  It does not link.
What am I doing wrong?
If you need to see more code, please let me know to attach more.
Please help.


In today's' economy there are so many resumes and people out there--especially in a growing field like medicine.
You can barely get a word in edgewise, because there are so many people jockeying for position. This is the time to get creative and work out a way to get your resume in front of the right people at the right time. It's not easy, but it can be done. Let's start thinking about we can make you stand out AND not look like a desperate person at the same time.
Your resume is the only thing most people will ever see of you. They might assume you're a nice person, but they haven't met you and all they have is this piece of paper to go by. What do you put on that stupid thing? How do you make it "not boring". Well, I would suggest something--let's be smart!
You need to talk about everything you can in one page. Sometimes a resume that's too long is off-putting and that's because the person who has to read it is getting drowned by all the other work they're doing BESIDES hiring folks.
Make sure your resume is BOLD. Don't use a font that's too cute. As lovely as the font may be there is no way in the world someone is going to get out a microscope to decipher the print when they don't have time to eat their lunch.
Make sure your resume is relevant. You can talk about community service-type things--but let's keep everything that seems irrelevant to a minimum. If you made All-State Band--good job--but an HR Manager just can't care right now.
If you graduated with distinction or did any kind of training on anything--that's good. Schooling is always good. There's no problem with telling someone you are academically distinguished--but don't put your GPA on your resume. It will make you seem a little "uppity". Lots of people didn't have the best GPA but they are great workers.
Also, don't be afraid to put a purpose statement on there and be HONEST. If you're looking for gainful employment, but you're going to work your hardest--then write it down. Be real with people. Saying something flittery isn't going to cut it. Everybody's heard that crap. They want to know if you aren't going to mince words when you're on the job.
Oh, and one more thing--make sure you understand that you are IMPORTANT. Be polite and professional, but when you go to hand someone a resume you need to make sure it gets put somewhere where it will get read. It only take 5 seconds to at least HAND the document to the right person. At least that way they would have to TRY to avoid it. Dropping it off means it will get lost and signals that you don't think you're important enough to have your resume even considered.
In the end, just be smart about your resume. Write it up the way I've shown you and be cool about how you handle it. Doing those two things in tandem should REALLY help you!


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"Kimera Koffee is honestly, the best coffee I have EVER come across and I have been searching for a long time. Every time I have it, every person I give a try, absolutely loves it.
There are a few coffees you can buy with absurd amounts of caffeine, which I'm sure would wake you up but Kimera Koffee does everything and never too much of anything. My mood, attitude, anxiety and energy levels are all great. The science behind the amino acids added to Kimera Koffee is solid and proven.
Smart Coffee NZ have also been VERY helpful with my orders and have brought this amazing coffee to New Zealand.
"I was so excited to try this.. after having worked as a barista previously I've had my fair share of coffee, I never 'got it' as far as people saying I 'need' coffee and that it makes them happy. So i figured maybe I'm just drinking the wrong coffee, I've always been a milk with two kinda guy, but with this stuff even with no milk or sugar I'm enjoying it. I feel I'm getting everything I want from one cup per day rather than the 3 or four that I was having, and the no sugar has always been my downfall.
So thank you. Loving it! "
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This year will be filled with discovery, engagement, and opportunities to learn! I hope that you are excited to become the BEST version of you as we get ready to tackle and conquer the 2018-2019 school year. Please be reminded that everyday is an opportunity to do better than the day before! Let's get started!!!!!


This is a special selection program. Your portfolio will be evaluated and assigned a score that reflects your potential for success in the program. If your portfolio score is within acceptable range you will be invited to attend a mandatory information session. If your portfolio score does not fall within the acceptable range, your application will be cancelled.
Offers of admittance will be made to qualified applicants based on portfolio scores in descending order until all available seats are filled. This means not all applicants whose portfolios scores fall within acceptable range and who attended the mandatory information session will be offered a seat.
Applicants not offered a seat may reapply for a future intake by submitting a new application, application fee, and new portfolio based on the portfolio specifications for that application year.
*Students will also require a letter of recommendation from the AEPUCE instructor to meet the English language requirement.
Due within 30 days of applying.


he final step to a perfect semi-permanent manicure; the new top coat takes nail colour performance to the maximum. It provides that dazzling gloss shine, smooth finish and long-lasting result up to 10 days. The even gel coat dries in less than 60'' to lock in colour' intensity and shine without using a UV lamp.
MEK, ETHYL ACETATE, NITROCELLULOSE, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL DIBENZOATE, ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, TOSYLAMIDE EPOXY RESIN, ETOCRYLENE, AQUA/WATER/EAU, CI 60725/VIOLET 2, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE.


text:
TechVirtual Reality
Your next hotel could offer a virtual reality experience
Daniel Roberts
Marriott's "VRoom Service" case.Courtesy Marriott Hotels
The next time you're bored in a Marriott room, you might be able to simply call down to reception for a quick virtual reality fix.
On Wednesday, Marriott Hotels will launch an experiment with virtual reality headsets in two of its premium properties: the New York Marriott Marquis and the London Marriott Park Lane. The program, called "VRoom Service," allows guests at the two hotels to order a Samsung Gear VR headset brought up to their room for 24 hours. The devices, which run on Samsung's Milk VR platform, come pre-loaded with three videos that Marriott is calling "VR postcards."
Each of the three videos shows a different traveler on a trip, narrating their feelings to an unseen camera. The three travelers include a woman in Chile, a woman in Rwanda, and a man in Beijing. The videos are in full 360 3D, and are meant to be "holistic and experiential," says Michael Dail, Marriott's VP of global brand marketing.
"A lot of people have never thought of virtual reality outside of gaming, so to put it inside a trip, what does it feel like to take a virtual trip?" says Dail. "That starts a conversation. Are you really traveling if you just have the virtual sensation? And a lot of people who tried it said, 'Yes, this reminds me of what travel is, it makes me feel like I'm there.'"
Fortune got an exclusive advanced look at the technology and the content. Guests need to strap on the headset (a pair of goggles attached to a Samsung smartphone that works as a display) and put on headphones. It all comes packed carefully in a steel briefcase that looks like something a James Bond villain would tote.
The videos are simple, subdued, and impressively devoid of marketing for Marriott, though the woman in Rwanda is the owner of a popular ice cream shop in Brooklyn and does plug her business. (The man in Beijing is a gallery owner; the woman in the Andes works for "a well-known social network.") In each video, the traveler quietly discusses how they feel about traveling.
Guests will also have access to the rest of the Samsung Milk VR platform, which is sort of like a YouTube for virtual reality video content.
Marriott has been continually adding new tech goodies to its rooms as amenities over the past year. In June, it rolled out Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora streaming in select rooms. One year ago, it offered a virtual reality booth in New York City that surrounded people in a 360-degree, immersive virtual trip to a beach in Hawaii. The company called it "Get Teleported" and used the Oculus Rift DK2 headset for the demonstration.
This new initiative is a sequel of sorts. But Dail says it takes the fun further. "I'd say last year leaned more toward marketing because it was off-property," he says. "So by using the technology in the rooms, we're bringing the experience to guests inside. It's a property renovation. And this time, with Postcards, we're offering the content piece, we're telling the stories now. We're sharing how travel has changed the lives of these three people."
Why is Marriott doing all of this? Millennials. Dail acknowledges that the brand "realized a few years ago that it was not attractive enough to millennials. So we launched a rebrand in 2013 and started rolling out these innovations."
Of course, VR fans may wonder when they'll be able to upload their own content to the platform. There are obvious risks in allowing that, but Dail doesn't rule it out eventually. He also says that while it's unlikely the headsets will be in every single Marriott hotel, the company has hopes of rolling it out in specific new markets.
The only potential downside: What if guests don't like it, or worse, don't even care to try it?
"If there's not as much engagement at the hotel level as there was off-property, then it'll help us adapt," Dail says. "So this is as much about behavioral feedback as how excited people are about it. And for some people if it's just a cool one-time VR experience, that's fine too."
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