1 The first time I saw the farm it was winter. Bitter northern Alberta cold, with air that stings your cheeks and fingers and can feel sharp as a knife's blade.
I spent two years convincing Holly to let me come and see her. "It's important," I told her. "It's important people know the truth." Eventually she said yes.
I flew north to Grande Prairie, then left the city and drove across the Wapiti bridge, through the winding and rolling roads to the Crichton farm. When I arrived, we made soup together, chopping carrots and onions in the kitchen. I looked out the window at the pale winter land and sky while the heat and moisture of the soup filled the air.
We sat like that until we were ready to talk about that day. The day her husband Sandy died, and everything that led up to it.
2 The farm is a character in their story. Those sweeping fields and northern sky, the animals that feed and support and protect them, the friends and neighbours who live all around. That was their life and their home, and they loved it there.
Holly's eldest son, Jason, left when he was 18, but Holly and her youngest, Mat, didn't want to go. They couldn't imagine the life they would have somewhere else, without the things they knew and loved.
When Holly and Sandy met, she was a well-known jockey, racing fast and wild, and Sandy was a trainer. The horses, the racetrack, were a huge part of their lives. Even after she was paralyzed in a racing accident, they stayed part of the community. To leave, she felt, would be to lose everything. What would she do in the city? A paralyzed single mother whose life had been spent on the track and on the farm.
Through the years, they had learned to survive with Sandy. They did their best to stay away from him, to watch their backs, to deal with it as best they could when he did explode. Everything else about their lives on the farm was wonderful, except for him. They lived that way for a long time, and they were used to it. It was just life. Holly was scared about what he might do if she left. In a way it seemed safer to have him close. They left Sandy a few times, but they always went back home.
When Mat had his own accident, vehicles crashing on the highway on a dark winter night, Holly knew the farm was even more important. It gave Mat strength and work and place, and he needed it. Being somewhere else seemed worse, no matter how bad it got at home.
3 The thing you have to understand about Sandy is that he had that rage in him, always. He kept it hidden behind charm and charisma so you couldn't always see it from the outside, but there were glimpses. Flashes of temper he couldn't hide.
There were stories that went around, like the time he hauled Holly off by the hair at the racetrack, or how he would yell at Mat at the hockey rink. How he knocked out a dog's teeth with a stick, and beat a cow to death then left her calf to die beside. The longer you spent with him, the more likely you would see who he really was, because he could never keep it hidden for long.
But what could you do, even if you knew? Would you step in, or would that make it worse?
The thing you have to know about Sandy is that when the racehorse Gypsy Dancer veered off round the corner of the track in Grande Prairie in July 1996 and Holly became a paraplegic in the crash, what she feared most was not her injury but how she could survive Sandy without the use of her legs.
Through the years, Sandy drowned Holly until she blacked out. Choked her. Spit on her. Threatened to kill her. Left her with the deep crescent scar that runs across her cheek.
He hit Mat, berated him, pulled his hair, chased him in trucks or ATVs while Mat ran across the fields trying to get away.
The thing you need to know about Sandy is that his own brother wasn't upset he was dead. He was only upset that Mat had to be the one to do it.
4 The thing you have to understand about Mat is that he hung pictures of chickens in the coop to make his chickens happy and comfortable. That he loved the land and the farm life, and that he only ever wanted all of them, including his father, to live in peace. That there is something about him that connects deeply with people, that makes them care for him like he is a part of their own family.
When Mat almost died in a winter wreck on the road to their farm, the community surrounded him the way they had done with Holly after her accident. He came out of a 30-day coma with a serious brain injury, a shattered body that made him work slowly and more carefully, and everyone helped him to rebuild. Everyone except his own father. Sandy went after him harder than ever.
What you need to know about Mat is that he wanted to have a happy beautiful life on the farm, and in 2009 he met a nurse named Jenny, who always wanted the same thing. They moved into their own trailer on the farm. They married the next summer, and Jenny told Mat she was pregnant.
The thing you need to know about Mat is that he endured the name-calling and threats for himself. He could take being hit, insulted, running for his life. But he didn't want his son to grow up like that.
5 Father and son met in the doorway of Mat's shop. It was Sept. 3, 2010. Mat and Jenny had barely gotten home from their honeymoon when Sandy went after Mat in the field. Sandy was mad, crazed. His eyes flaring wild blue the way they did when he was in a rage.
Mat ran into his shop, and got the combination to the gun safe. He fired one shot, to scare his father. To show Sandy that he wouldn't stand for it anymore, and that his own son would not grow up in fear and pain like he had.
One shot, with Matti's poor eyesight and terrible aim, but Sandy fell. Like a tree, Mat said later. Like a tree falling to the ground. And then it was over.
6 Mat locked the gun back in the safe and phoned his mother and Jenny. Then he called the police and told them what he had done. He fed the dogs, and got a granola bar and a juice box. Then his brother Jason came to get him, and they sat together on a picnic table in the sun.
Mat surrendered to the RCMP who came to meet him at the end of the driveway. He talked to the police and told them everything that had happened. Holly and Jason did, too.
They all thought the police would understand once they knew who Sandy really was, once they knew what Mat and Holly had been living with, and what they had all endured from Sandy all those years.
They were wrong. The police charged Mat with first-degree murder.
7 The community surrounded them, held them, protected them. A place and its people looking after them again, just as they had before. Women came forward to speak the things Sandy had done to them when they were girls. Abuse they had carried in shame and fear for years, they shared to try to save Mat.
One of them wrote a letter to the court which said, "Is it ever the right time to say that you are glad that someone is dead?" Other people filed letters, too. Dozens, then hundreds, in support of Mat, offering that he could stay at their home if he got bail, talking about his kindness and character.
The defence had a good case, a strong one. An accidental shooting by a man with a brain injury, after a lifetime of severe, life-threatening domestic abuse. It seemed impossible to believe a jury wouldn't see the truth of what they were living with, and know that Mat hadn't meant to kill his father, that he only wanted it to stop. But the risks were exceedingly high. If Mat was found guilty of first degree murder, he would be in prison for life, 25 years before he could even ask for parole. It was too much of a gamble.
He accepted a plea to manslaughter and did his time, the shortest sentence the judge could give him under law. Then he went home to the farm.
8 Percy was born in March, 2011, while Mat was still out on bail. He was tangled in his umbilical cord, no heartbeat and not breathing for 12 minutes at least. The hospital staff did a cooling procedure they had learned a few weeks earlier, but had never performed before that day.
The baby survived, but the doctors warned Mat and Jenny of the troubles he would face. A litany of problems and potential disabilities, but none of them happened. Instead, a miracle among tragedies.
When I first went to the farm that winter and told their story, he was almost two, a toddler playing around us as we spoke. This month he started kindergarten. He is smart and funny, radiant as he climbs over hay bales in the sun, and rides his bicycle through the fall grasses behind his father.
Mat and Jenny had a baby girl, Emmalyn, last year. And she is already bold and brave and full of life. And they are happy.
9 For five years, Holly worked to write her story, putting her family's experience down on paper, to record and examine it. To close a chapter in her life.
Her book came out in September. It's called No Way to Run, and she dedicated it, "to everyone who believes that decency and dignity matter." There is a picture of Mat on the cover, his face in shadow, everything toned cold blue.
People lined up out the door at the new museum outside Grande Prairie for her book launch on Friday night. Many people bought two copies, or four, or 10. When the books were all gone, her friends started a list of orders and it filled a page and more.
People leaned in close and hugged Holly in her wheelchair, getting her to sign their books, telling her what she has meant to them, remembering races she ran and times they had, expressing their respect and admiration. Many people held back tears as they talked about what she and her family have been through, some remembering their own pain behind closed doors.
10 When Jenny's father asked Holly how she could still be positive after going through so much, she described herself like a balloon or a beach ball being bounced overhead, kept afloat by those around her. "There are so many times people kept me up," she said. "I've never, ever been alone."
Someone else asked her about the good memories from her life, and tears brimmed in her eyes. She said there were far too many to mention.
11 Holly was diagnosed in June, and had her mastectomy in July. She did one round of chemotherapy but stopped because she felt like it was killing her. She won't do any more chemo. The doctors want her to do radiation, but she is worried the treatment could cause problems with her arm.
As a paraplegic, her arms are everything to her. She is as fierce and independent as she was as a young jockey at the racetrack all those years ago. She takes care of herself. To lose strength or movement in her arm, even a bit, would be devastating.
She will not go to a nursing home and be dependent on others for her care. She will never do that. "It might have been different even three years ago," she says.
But things are good now. Her sons are safe and happy. She knows that Mat will be okay. He has Jenny and the kids, he has the farm. And she has peace.
12 A pot of soup is bubbling on the stove in Holly's kitchen, filling the air with its fragrant heat. It is a cool fall morning at the farm, with mist hanging in the air. The wheat is ready for harvest.
There is a chart taped on the cupboard, a graph entitled "Breast Cancer Survival." Holly studies the percentages and predictions, turns the numbers over in her mind as she decides what to do next.
Outside, the guardian dogs laze near the flock of sheep. The wind shakes the poplars, gold and orange in the sun, and the seasons start to change again.
This story was originally serialized on Oct. 2 on The Globe and Mail's Instagram account (@globeandmail).
Follow Jana G. Pruden on Twitter (@jana_pruden) and Instagram (@jana_pruden).
How the Vader case was clouded by missteps and mistakes A case that began with a serious mistake by the RCMP in 2010 was overshadowed by doubts about the verdict.


Remember this post? I let slip a little secret about a pregnancy that I was sworn to keep quiet about. I let you in on the entire secret – except who was pregnant. I've stayed quiet about it for weeks. Since I've shared this little secret, it has become one of the most popular posts on my blog.
Today, I am going to let you in on more of the secret. That post wasn't written by Laura the Mommy or Laura the Wife or even really Laura the Friend.
It was written my Laura the Aunt.
Or, Aunt Laura, if you prefer (which I do).
That has a nice ring to it, don't you think?!
So, without further ado, I must (re)introduce you to my sister Amy and let her do the rest.
My Sister, Brother-in-law, and my niece*.
* I actually have no proof that my sister is having a little girl, but my guesses are usually spot on.


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'I was meant to have three babies'
By Jessica Rapana| 3 years ago
New mum Megan Overton shares her miscarriage heartbreak in the hope of dismantling the existing stigma.
Megan Overton had barely recovered from the "devastating blow" of being told she could never have kids, when she found out she was pregnant with triplets.
The 29-year-old was told by doctors two years earlier she was going through early menopause and her "only chance" of children was to do IVF and freeze her eggs.
When that didn't work, she and her partner, Jesse, were told there was less than a five percent chance they could conceive naturally and they needed to "come to terms with being a childless couple".
"It was really quite devastating," Overton tells 9Honey. "I know young girls always dream of their wedding but I had always dreamed about having babies. So it was a very difficult time for me."
However, the Sydney couple, who were newly engaged, were determined to make the most of the hand they'd been dealt.
"We just decided that's what we were going to do. We were just going to love our nieces and nephews and be those cool aunties and uncles who get them really expensive presents at Christmas and travel the world," says Overton, who works as a head buyer at a fashion website.
This new plan was promptly thrown out the window just over a month later though, when Overton had a prophetic dream.
"I had a dream I was pregnant. I told Jess and he thought I was crazy. And I just thought, for laughs, I'd go and take a pregnancy test and when I did, it came back with a very dark line.
"Jess ran out and got a digital test while I sculled water, he came back and we did it. It said we were one to two weeks pregnant and then we did it again every few days to make sure. It was pretty surreal."
This wasn't the couple's only surprise — the first ultrasound revealed not just one heartbeat. There were three.
"Who plans for three kids? Who even plans for two kids in one go?" Overton recalls out loud the thoughts racing through her mind that day. "Going from having no babies to three babies, it's crazy. We lived in a one bedroom apartment with two dogs. We were going to have to move and buy a new car and all that."
Still though, the couple began excitedly brainstorming names for their new additions, settling on: Milo and identical twins Estelle and Georgie.
When they found out they were having three girls, they "didn't have the heart" to change Milo's name, Overton adds.
But the couple's nervous excitement was cut short.
A subsequent scan revealed Estelle had developed "fatal defects that were incompatible with life". The couple were faced with a gut-wrenching decision — to continue with the pregnancy or to medically terminate Estelle.
After discussing the matter with an ethics committee and acting on medical advice, the couple decided to proceed with the latter in the hopes of lowering the risk for Georgie and to save Estelle from weeks of pain in palliative care.
Recalling the torturous decision, Overton says: "I never thought that I'd be the one to have to terminate a baby or I'd never wanted to have to terminate a baby. The whole time I was flicking back and forth.
"It also affected Georgie and Milo. Because how are we going to tell Georgie that she was an identical twin? And that they were actually triplets? And every time we saw Georgie we would think, 'There's another one of you out there that's meant to be here but isn't here, that was meant to look exactly like you'."
Overton had the surgery on July 5 but shortly afterwards, Georgie's heart started to fail and Overton was rushed in for an emergency C-section at just 28 weeks.
Georgie was delivered without a heartbeat and doctors tried to resuscitate her for almost half an hour, unsuccessfully, while Milo was taken to ICU.
"I remember waking up and asking where the babies were. I asked if Georgie died and Jesse just started crying," Overton says, struggling to recall the next two weeks in hospital. "It wasn't until I left hospital that it really sort of hit me."
Describing the mental toll of losing two of her daughters, Overton says: "I was meant to have three babies and then I was meant to have two and now I've got one and I was leaving her at the hospital and coming home to nothing."
"It sounds weird but the hardest part for me was walking through the shopping centre. I wasn't pregnant anymore but I didn't have any babies with me. I felt really horrible that no one knew that I had babies."
But the couple also knew they had been given a "miracle": Milo Grace Mathot, who — despite being born three months premature — made a full recovery.
"She is actually a miracle," the new mum gushes. "She's the best thing in the world, I'm so addicted to her. I could just sit there and stare at her all day."
But Overton admits the family's joy has been bittersweet, revealing both she and Jesse, who runs a carpet cleaning business in Dural, are both in counselling to help them come to terms with their losses.
"It's really conflicting emotions. We're still trying to come to terms with it — that you can be so happy to have a brand new baby but you're also really devastated because you don't have your other two babies. It's really hard.
"I feel guilty for being happy but then I feel guilty for being unhappy because I'm not happy for Milo. We still haven't found a happy medium for that really."
"I feel guilty that my body had failed Estelle and that I couldn't save her — it is guilt that your body has failed you for this baby."
Overton says she is also grappling with how she will tell her daughter about the sisters she will never know.
"I don't know how to make it normal for her. I don't want to just spring it on her when she's older. I kind of want it to be an organic thing that she knew and then when she's ready she can ask me questions."
Overton says she is sharing her story in the hope of dismantling some of the existing stigma sourrounding miscarriages and stillbirths.
"It's not a dirty word," she says, emphatically. "There's so many people who have miscarriages who don't tell anyone, I don't know why people don't talk about it. I guess people just hide their grief and it's just easier not to talk about it."
Talking about their own decision to keep their painful journey hidden — until now — Overton says the couple were worried they would be judged by others. "We didn't want to be dinner party conversation, 'that poor girl that couldn't have babies and then she had three and now one's going to die and then it ended up that two died'. We also hold a lot of guilt about Georgie and we didn't want people validating that guilt."
"There's a huge stigma behind miscarriages and stillbirths and whilst for other people they were just an idea, a thought in a head, for Jesse and I they were real and for Milo they were real."
For this reason, she is now urging others not to shy away from the conversation and to reach out to people you know who are going through this.
"Most people want to talk about it," she says. "People don't bring it up with me because they think I don't want to talk about it but I want to talk about it."
"It doesn't matter what you say," Overton says, "No one can say anything to make you feel better, you just have to say 'I'm so sorry for your loss, I'm here for you'."
This month is infant loss awareness month. If you feel depressed or suicidal or are concerned about a friend or family member, to chat to someone please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline for ages 5-25, 24/7 phone counselling on 1800 55 1800, or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
Pregnancy And Fertility

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Chrissy Teigen took to Twitter yesterday to admit that she thinks she could tackle an NFL player and that hubby John Legend had told her that she couldn't so she wanted to prove him wrong.
Twitter users started sending her links to YouTube videos on how to tackle and offering their advice.
And then the conversation took a turn when the USA Rugby team jumped in and said that they would teach her how to "rugby tackle" and that with that skill she will be able "to take down anyone".


With Christmas season here again, you must be at a loss on what to gift to your dear ones? Allow our assistive article "Best 100 Christmas Gifts" to come to your rescue and provide you the tips on the Christmas gifts that you can buy for your close ones. Check these 100 gift ideas to choose the right Christmas present for your loved ones. If you want to share this article with those you know, just click here and forward this page to them.
Copyright © 2017 www.happychristmasday.com. All Rights Reserved.


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Tony Fadell Is Leaving Nest
After six years and a $3.2 billion acquisition by Google, Nest founder Tony Fadell is leaving his company.
By Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan 1 minute Read
After months of rumors (and a few scathing memes from anonymous employees), Nest founder and CEO Tony Fadell announced on Friday afternoon that he will leave the company he founded in 2010 and built into one of the first success stories of the connected home.
According to a post Fadell published Friday on the company's blog, he'll still be involved with Alphabet–acting as an advisor to CEO Larry Page. "He's a true visionary and I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role as advisor to Alphabet," Page said in a statement. And though "it may seem sudden," Fadell writes in his post, the exit has been planned since the end of 2015.
In Fadell's place will be Marwan Fawaz, an executive with past experience in telecom companies like Motorola and the cable company Charter Communications, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Over the past several months, Nest has been the subject of a number of reports about problems within the team, which was acquired by Google in 2014 for a staggering $3.2 billion in cash. In March, The Information published a report about Nest company culture that included blistering comments from sources including Greg Duffy–the co-founder of DropCam, which Nest acquired in 2015 for $555 million–who called Fadell a "tyrant bureaucrat." At an all-hands meeting, reported Reed Albergotti, "Mr. Fadell went on to urge employees who have a problem with the way Nest is run to step up, rather than take on a 'victim mentality.'"
What Fadell's departure means for Nest still remains to be seen, but it seems likely that Fawaz will focus on launching new hardware products–something the company has been reticent on since it was acquired. Nest recently announced it would permanently shutter Revolv, a home automation hub whose maker Google acquired just a year prior. The move rankled fans of Revolv; as one user put it, "Google is intentionally bricking hardware that I own. They don't even dance around it…"
Fadell's new position as an advisor to Alphabet will give him "more time and flexibility to pursue new opportunities to create and disrupt other industries," he writes in a statement, "and to support others who want to do the same–just as we've done at Nest."
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan is Co.Design's deputy editor.
NBCUniversal's Netflix-killer Peacock features ads, Spotify-like playlists—and a lot of 'Law & Order'
Happiness doesn't always mean what we think it means


Iron Fire was riding the wave of European power metal until the release of on The Edge, which encountered criticism leading to Noise Records predictably dropping the band. In the meanwhile, the band was rocked by defections leaving only founder/singer Steene standing.
The band had actually started as a power metal band in 1995 playing covers of acts like Rage and Manowar. Steene also played guitar in the early days. The band recorded a demo in 1998 and soon signed with Noise Records. Iverssen left and rejoined the band.
A new line-up signed to Napalm Records in 2006. Iron Fire again chose Tommy Hansen as the producer for its next album, entitled Revenge. The band and drummer Jens Berglid went their separate ways in August of 2007. The new man's name was Fritz Wagner. A Finnish tour in support of Primal Fear was cancelled when Iron Fire was replaced by Sinamore. Guitarist Johan Jacob left however in 2008 ostensibly after falling out of love with metal. The band would release a new album called To The Grave through Napalm Records in January. The band picked guitarist Marc Masters (Forcentury) to join in early 2009. The band's latest album, To The Grave, was released through Napalm Records.
Be it plain curiosity or interest on the part of the fans many people were waiting to get wind of the sound, direction and quality of Revenge given the group's near-complete line-up overhaul, change of record company and time gap between this album and 2001's On The Edge. While that album's name might have proven prophetic, Revenge's title is no less appropriate. Clearly named to reflect singer Martin Steene's stance towards his former band-mates - as if the lyrics to the album's opener were not clear enough - the disc makes for a compelling listen. The singer has slightly altered his vocals to sing in a higher pitch, undoubtedly to distance him from the kind of criticism hurled his way in the past.
Adorned with one of the better album covers in some time Revenge is apparently a dish best served heavy, loud and well produced. On a song-by-song basis, Ironhead has a rather folksy melody, while Metal Messiah slows down to sound like Dream Evil's tributes to the genre. The title might be corny, but obviously gets the point across. Savage Prophecy is another slow and dramatic song, which is nestled in the middle of the album. It reminds one of Hammerfall's ballads. Oddly, one of the album's better songs is tucked towards the disc's end. Mindmachine has breathtaking vocals, mighty backing vocals and superb lead guitars In contrast, Icecold Arion is a letdown and features some odd percussion. This one does that Hammerfall thing lyrically.
The guys at the record company describe the new Iron Fire album as "100% genuine heavy metal" and they are almost right. A 95% genuine rating would probably be closer to the mark. This is it. Glorious metal hymns, guitars, soaring singing and ripping solos packaged in an artwork depicting warriors, sword and fantasy.


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Norma R. Minta
Norma R. Minta, 84, of Jacksonville, FL and formerly of Fort Myers, FL and Naperville, IL, passed away on Sunday, November 14, 2021 in Jacksonville, FL. She was born on September 5, 1937 in Lafayette, IN. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 57 years, Thomas Minta, who passed away in July 2013. She was also preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Catherine Leaman, her sister Delores Hicks, and her daughter-in-law Moira Minta. She is survived by her sister, Kay Garing of Thorntown, IN. She is also survived by her 3 children, James Minta of Jacksonville, FL; Susan Taylor (Dave) of Highlands Ranch, CO; and Paul Minta (Patty) of Naperville, IL. Norma has also been blessed with 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Norma loved spending quality time with her family and friends. She led a selfless life of always putting her family's needs ahead of her own. Norma's greatest joy in life was her children and grandchildren who adored her and relished the time that they spent with their mom and grandma. She and her husband, Thomas, owned and operated Lee County Blueprinting in Fort Myers, FL for over 20 years (1981-2005) where Norma handled all of the accounting functions associated with the business. They grew the business into a thriving enterprise before selling it in 2005 to enjoy their retirement together. Norma enjoyed playing golf with her many friends at The Forest (Fort Myers) and Cress Creek (Naperville) as well as playing various card games; she was a ringer when it came to Rummy, Bridge, and Bingo. She even taught her grandchildren how to play "Shanghai Rummy" during the countless times that they would visit grandma and grandpa's home in Fort Myers. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 9800 Baymeadows Rd, Jacksonville, FL, with a visitation beginning at 12:00 noon (one hour prior to the Mass). A private interment for Norma to rest beside her husband, Thomas, will take place at Jacksonville National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Norma's memory be made to Community Hospice and Palliative Care of Jacksonville.
Norma R. Minta, 84, of Jacksonville, FL and formerly of Fort Myers, FL and Naperville, IL, passed away on Sunday, November 14, 2021 in Jacksonville, FL. She was born on September 5, 1937 in Lafayette, IN. She was preceded in death by her loving... View Obituary & Service Information
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How ASU Plans To Make Downtown Mesa A Media Creation Mecca
With the new ASU @ Mesa City Center campus, ASU President Michael Crow and Mesa Mayor John Giles are promising to put the once-sleepy downtown Mesa on par with media giants like Hong Kong, Sydney, even New York City.
What Role Will Lesko Play In The Impeachment Trial?
Arizona Congresswoman Debbie Lesko is one of eight Republican members of Congress named to President Trump's impeachment team. "I will continue to fight against this corrupt and unfair process and look forward to assisting President Trump as a member of his impeachment team," Lesko says.
Hobbs, Election Officials Work To Ensure Arizona Election Security
A new NPR poll found widespread worry from voters that the elections won't be fair and accurate. Americans feel uneasy about disinformation and voter suppression. In Arizona, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs says she's working to build partnerships across the state to improve election security.
Listen To KJZZ's Regular Programming
The U.S. Senate is holding an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. During the trial, KJZZ News is streaming an alternate broadcast online. Hear all the latest news and information from NPR's Here and Now, BBC Newhour and more. To listen, click on the audio bar below.
Goldwater Institute Takes On Attorneys' State Bar Dues
Conservative think tank the Goldwater Institute of Arizona is backing litigation about legal requirements to pay union dues. They argue that a Supreme Court ruling on public sector unions also applies to bar associations.
Phoenix Office Vacancies Hit Record Lows
Office vacancies hit record lows last year in the Phoenix metro area, a sign that population growth is not spreading out but piling up. Population growth and a growing labor pool are the main reasons, according to analysis by Kidder Mathews real estate.
WATCH: Senate Impeachment Trial
The Senate is holding an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, who is accused by the U.S. House of abusing his power and obstructing Congress. Watch live video from NPR.
→ Reporter Describes Scene In D.C.
Phoenix Prepares For 'Most Disruptive' Freeway Project
A critical corridor for commuters, freight and Sky Harbor Airport will undergo a major reconstruction. Physical work on the Interstate 10-Broadway Curve project is still more than a year away, but planners want to alert travelers early and often.
AZ Court Halts 'Serial Pyramid Scheme Promoter'
A federal court in Arizona has temporarily shut down a multilevel marketing company after a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission.
How Grasshoppers Can Stay Upside Down So Long
Insects spend a lot of time upside-down and sideways, but scientists know surprisingly little about how their bodily fluids handle the pull of gravity in these awkward positions. A study sheds new light on the topic.
Exhibit Showcases Stories Of Historic Black Families In The Southwest
More often than not, when you think about African American history in this country, you probably don't think about them here in Arizona. But there's an exhibition showing now in Phoenix's Heritage Square that highlights the stories of African Americans here in the Southwest.
Glendale Workers Support NASA Mission To Send First Woman To Moon
Some Honeywell employees in Glendale will play a role in the next generation of human space exploration. Lockheed Martin awarded a contract to Honeywell to support production of NASA's Orion spacecraft fleet.
Miscalculation Left Rock 'N' Roll 1/2 Marathon Short
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and half marathon took place Sunday — as anyone trying to get around town will know. Due to an error in calculating the course the half marathon came up almost 940 feet short.
FBI: Hate Crimes In Arizona Lowest In Five Years
The latest statistics on hate crimes indicate a positive direction as Arizona's numbers, according to the FBI, are at their lowest in five years. The 2018 figures were down 39% from 2017. But there are concerns that the numbers are inaccurate since victims may be afraid of actually reporting a hate crime — or they may not view an incident that way.
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy During Phoenix March
On this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're celebrating the civil rights leader's legacy and reflecting on what it means today. In Phoenix, residents can do this at the annual MLK March. That's where we find KJZZ's Bret Jaspers.
Meth Production, Trafficking Has Tripled Since 2017
DEA reports indicate the production and trafficking of methamphetamine has increased nearly threefold since 2017. Las Vegas-based journalist John L. Smith recently broke down the spike in meth trafficking in the region and he joined The Show to discuss the causes.
Taliesin West Takes Unique Approach To Preservation
Last summer, Taliesin West in Scottsdale and Taliesin in Wisconsin were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. That's led to more visitors to Frank Lloyd Wright's properties, which officials welcome. But more visitors also means more upkeep and maintenance.
UA Researcher Working To Cut Off Citrus Disease Before It Spreads To AZ Crops
There is an outbreak that's killing California's citrus trees. Earlier this month, that state's orange growers expanded a quarantine zone to cover more than 1,000 square miles. But now one researcher at the University of Arizona is working to cut off the disease at its knees — before it can spread it to the ever-valuable citrus crop here in Arizona.
BBC Look-Ahead: International Community Trying to Get A Handle On Libyan Civil War
A significant remembrance centered in Europe and the Lunar New Year in China are among the biggest international stories in the coming days. For more on that and other international stories coming up this week, The Show was joined by BBC's Rob Hugh-Jones.
As Housing, Food Costs Increase, Are Wages Keeping Up?
The cost of a typical basket of groceries in our state has risen about 23% since last year, from around $46 to nearly $5. At the same time, a new report found that rent in Phoenix has increased by nearly 7%. But as costs increase, are wages keeping up? The Show sat down with Jayson Matthews with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to find out.


text:
Betel quid: Its tremor-producing effects in residents of Araihazar, Bangladesh
Mov Disord. 2006 Apr;21(4):567-71. doi: 10.1002/mds.20754.
Danella Hafeman 1 , Habibul Ahsan, Tariqul Islam, Elan Louis
1 Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
DOI: 10.1002/mds.20754
Betel quid consists of a betel nut (Areca catechu) and other additives. It is chewed throughout Asia and is the fourth most commonly used addictive substance in the world. Its stimulant properties are mediated by arecoline and other toxins. The neurological effects of betel quid use have not been studied extensively. To assess tremor, 100 residents of Araihazar, Bangladesh, were asked to draw spirals, which were rated by a blinded neurologist. The average tremor rating was 50% higher in exposed versus unexposed individuals. Betel quid use can produce clinically evident tremor. Population-based epidemiological studies of tremor in Asia should begin to take the effect of this stimulant into account.
Copyright 2005 Movement Disorder Society.
Areca* / chemistry
Bangladesh / epidemiology
Tremor / chemically induced*
Tremor / epidemiology*
NS39422/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States
P42 ES10349/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States


During the mid-to-late 1700's, wars dominated the New World and the Old World over control of the North American territories. Under King Carlos III's reign, Spain emerged as the victor and gained control of nearly one million square miles of North America. This area, known as the Louisiana Territory, consisted of the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. The heart of Spain's new holding was the port of New Orleans. This port was the main gateway for shipments to and from the New World. Unfortunately, the economy in Louisiana was already in trouble when Spain acquired it. Unreliable and devalued paper currency, as well as counterfeit bills, made it difficult to finance foreign and local trade. The weakened monetary system had to be stabilized. King Carlos III decided to replace the existing paper currency with silver coinage. Spain's attempts to locate the ship were unsuccessful and in June 1784, El Cazador was officially listed as missing at sea. The loss of this treasure was devastating to Louisiana's economy and Spain's ability to profit from its key holding in the New World. Even though Spain dispatched more silver, the economy never recovered and further efforts to stabilize the currency failed.
Once again, Spain found itself facing war – this time with France. Unable to capitalize on its North American territory, Spain (now under the control of King Carlos IV) ceded Louisiana to France in 1800. Just three years later in 1803, Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson for $15 million (approximately 3 cents an acre). This became known as the "Louisiana Purchase" and it double the size of the nation and opened the door for westward expansion.
The shipwreck of El Cazador was discovered in 1993 by a fishing boat named Mistake in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat's fishing net caught on a "hang" 300 feet down on the ocean floor. When they brought the net up to check for damage, they found silver coins instead.
Upon reaching Vera Cruz, El Cazador was loaded with over 400,000 "pieces of eight" in denominations of 8, 2, 1 and ½. All the coins bore the date of 1783 and the Mexican Mint mark.


text:
Springsteen to appear on Jimmy Fallon's show
By Chris Jordan;
Asbury Park Press;
Bruce Springsteen will make a "High Hopes" appearance Tuesday on NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."
The news came Wednesday afternoon via a tweet from Fallon's account and was retweeted by Springsteen's rep, Shore Fire Media.
The appearance will coincide with the official release date of Springsteen's 18th studio album, "High Hopes." The album has been available via a stream at cbs.com as part of a "The Good Wife" cross-promotion.
It is not clear if the E Street Band will accompany Springsteen on the show. He's been backed by the house band, the Roots, previously on "Fallon."
Speaking of the E Street Band, saxophonist Jake Clemons was scheduled to appear Wednesday on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Clemons will headline the Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Saturday.
Saturday is the first official day in New Jersey honoring the late E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011.
Jake Clemons is Clemons' nephew.
Reach Chris Jordan at (732) 643-4060.


This microfiber padded jacket is beautifully designed with vertical stitching on the front and back. It features an elasticated waistband which goes from the sides of the jacket and around the back; nipping you in at the waist which is extremely flattering. It has a zip closing and detachable faux fur hood which can be taken off in lighter weather. This style looks great with a pair of jeans to run around in during the day, keeping you warm and looking good at the same time.


text:
Q: Is there a way to conditionally compile wasm_bindgen attributes when compiling rust? I've been reading the Rust Wasm Book lately. In it, it utilizes wasm_bindgen through #[wasm_bindgen] annotations. In section 5.5 "Debugging", the following is mentioned:

Note that in order to run the #[test]s without compiler and linker errors,
  you will need to comment out the crate-type = "cdylib" bits in
  wasm-game-of-life/Cargo.toml.

It similarly recommends commenting out the #[wasm-bindgen] attributes on methods/structs in the next section while running bench tests.
To add an even more complicated portion to this, there are sections like this in complicated wasm applications:
#[wasm_bindgen]
extern "C" {
#[wasm_bindgen(js_namespace = performance)]
    fn now() -> f64;
}

I've needed to comment out these sections, as well, in order to get the code to run natively.
This, of course, seems super tedious. My question is whether there is a way to do this work automatically, via the compiler (or via a cargo script), so that I can specify a command such as cargo build or cargo test, which will compile natively (with the attributes disabled), and perhaps something like cargo build --feature=wasm to build with wasm_bindgen enabled.
I thought about writing a separate build.rs script that copies over all sources and Cargo.toml files to an intermediate directory (so your source code isn't modified in place), does the commenting itself, and then builds from this source. Of course, the problem here is that 1) the build script is editing your source, so the line numbers will be off, and 2) it seems unclean - a hacky way to get around this problem.
I was wondering if others had suggestions I could use or things they have used, as this seems like pretty desirable behavior.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The documentary, which was released in 2010, states:
Since 1998 we have given the mandatory anthrax vaccinations to over 600,000 of our young men and women serving in the military. Extensive research has revealed that many of them have died. Reports are that thousands more are ill.
Doctors say that these people suffer from Gulf War syndrome; the military tells us that is an emotional ailment.
We do know that the vaccine given them was not approved by the FDA and we do know that refusal to take the shots has resulted in dishonourable discharge, fines and prison. We do know that mandatory anthrax vaccinations are set to continue.
This documentary leaves us in no doubt, that hundreds of thousands of US servicemen and women have been used by their government as part of an ongoing human experiment and a large number of personal testaments, outlined the pain and suffering that this experiment has caused.
Technical Sergeant Jeff Moore, Air Force Reserve, stated:
I didn't know about the anthrax shots during the Gulf War. In September 99 President Clinton sent executive order 13139 that allows DoD (Department of Defense) to experiment on us without our signed consent or knowledge.
The crew were pulled aside and told to march into this tent, they were told that they were going to be given a shot, it was classified, they had to do it livestock and they were not to talk about it and there were not supposed to be any side effects from it and the shot would not be entered in their shot records.
Sergeant Moore was one of the many who suffered an adverse reaction from this vaccine.
Dr. Garth L. Nicolson's Research into Vaccine Gulf War Syndrome Link
Dr. Garth L. Nicolson is the President, Chief Scientific Officer and Research Professor of Molecular Pathology at the Institute for Molecular Medicine in Huntington Beach, California. He is also a Conjoint Professor at the University of Newcastle (Australia). He was formerly the David Bruton Jr. Chair in Cancer Research and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Tumor Biology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and he was Professor of Internal Medicine and Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He was also Professor of Comparative Pathology at Texas A & M University. Professor Nicolson has published over 640 medical and scientific papers, including editing 20 books, and he has served on the Editorial Boards of 30 medical and scientific journals and was a Senior Editor of four of these. The complete resume of his academic career up to this point is 74 pages in length.
Dr. Garth L. Nicolson's expertise in the area of vaccine contamination was enhanced by being a medical investigator in over 1000 cases of Gulf War syndrome. He was appointed Chairman of the Medical-Scientific Panel for the Persian Gulf War Veterans Conference. He served as authority to the United States House of Representatives, and for his service he was conferred honorary Colonel of the US Army Special Forces and honorary US Navy SEAL.
Dr. Nicolson, in a lecture in 2008 which can be found on YouTube, stated that the number one source of Gulf War illnesses were the microbes that military personnel received as contaminates in the vaccines they were given prior to being deployed to the Persian Gulf.
Most military personnel received 20 to 30 vaccines during a 2 to 3 day period prior to being deployed for the first Gulf War. He explained:
"It was very wrong to do this. It is very immunosuppressive to give all those vaccinations in a short period of time. It makes people very susceptible to super infections or to being infected by a contaminant in the vaccine."
To read more about Dr. Nicolson's research see:
As Enterovirus D68 Deaths Increase, Are Vaccine Contaminants to Blame?
President Clinton Executive Order 13139 Revealed
Sure enough, meticulous research has revealed that President Clinton did indeed authorize and sign a document on September 30, 1999, titled Executive Order 13139, which stated:
Section 1. Policy. Military personnel deployed in particular military operations could potentially be exposed to a range of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons as well as diseases endemic to an area of operations. It is the policy of the United States Government to provide our military personnel with safe and effective vaccines, antidotes, and treatments that will negate or minimize the effects of these health threats.
The document indicated that many of the vaccinations, antidotes and treatments that were to be given to the servicemen and women were not only unapproved by the FDA but were also classified as "Investigational New Drugs."
Executive order 13139 – page 1 of 4.
If this is true, then these vaccinations, antidotes and treatments were far from safe, and what we found to be even more shocking was the fact that, section 3 of the document did indeed give the DoD permission to use these "so-called preventions" without the signed consent of military personnel.
What is Gulf War Syndrome?
The symptoms reported by veterans and listed on the Environmental Illness Resource (EIR) website are as follows:
muscle aches/pains
neurological symptoms e.g. tingling and numbness in limbs
cognitive dysfunction – short term memory loss, poor concentration, inability to take in information
mood and sleep disturbances – depression, anxiety, insomnia
dermatological symptoms – skin rashes, unusual hair loss
respiratory symptoms – persistent coughing, bronchitis, asthma
gastrointestinal symptoms – diarrhea, constipation, nausea, bloating
cardiovascular symptoms
menstrual symptoms
Interestingly, the EIR also stated that:
6. Vaccinations – Troops sent to the Gulf were given a large cocktail of vaccinations in a short period of time. In total, US servicemen may have received as many as 17 different vaccines, including live vaccines (polio and yellow fever) as well as experimental vaccines that had not been approved (anthrax, botulinum toxoid) and were of doubtful efficacy. In the UK, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has declared only 10 vaccines given but reports from veterans and official documents seem to tell a different story.
A large 2002 study of 900 veterans found a strong correlation between the anthrax vaccine and subsequent ill health. The study indicated that those who received anthrax vaccines reported more adverse reactions than those who did not receive the anthrax vaccine. It also found that the more severe any initial reaction to the vaccine was, the more severe long term health effects were.
A lot of recent research has involved studying the effects of vaccines that use pertussis, the bacteria responsible for whooping cough, as an adjunct. It has been proposed that the use of pertussis as an adjuvant could trigger neurodegeneration by increasing secretion of certain immune chemicals, such as interleukin-1beta, in the brain. In turn, brain lesions may be sustained by stress or neurotoxic chemical combinations Pertussis vaccine was used in the gulf "off-label," which means it wasn't approved to be used on servicemen as it was. Its use in the Gulf War can thus be classed as experimental. The manufacturers of pertussis were not advised of this unlicensed use.
Dr. Philip F. Incao of Denver, Colorado provides what may be an explanation of why some people given this cocktail of vaccinations remained healthy while the health of others was sent into decline resulting in chronic illness. Dr. Incao explains that the immune system and mechanism by which vaccinations work, is much more complicated than was thought until recently. Rather than stimulating the whole immune system against a certain pathogen, vaccinations only stimulate the humoral, or Th2, branch of the immune system which is responsible for producing antibodies that recognize pathogens as invaders. Over activation of the Th2 mediated immune response leads to allergic and autoimmune disease. Dr. Incao suggests that giving vaccinations to people whose immune systems are already Th2 dominant will exacerbate exiting conditions and may lead to what we know as Gulf War syndrome. A large body of research seems to confirm this, showing that those veterans with Gulf War syndrome tend to have an immune system shifted towards a Th2 response.
Read a full explanation from Dr. Incao here.
It is clear from all of these reports that large numbers of military personnel, both in the UK and in the US, were given a large quantity of unlicensed and untested vaccinations by their governments, which has ultimately resulted in many of them suffering from long term illnesses, disability and, in some cases, death.
For more information, please read Vaccination Policy and the UK Government: The Untold Truth by Research Journalist Christina England and Lucija Tomljenovic Ph.D., available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.
Whistle-blower says VA hid data that could have helped suicidal, sick veterans
Health Impact News Editor Comments
As Christina England was writing this expose the past week, Polly Tommey, one of the producers and part of the VAXXED film team, filmed an interview with Sherrie Saunders, a former military medic and now whistleblower regarding military vaccines.
Sherrie discovered that the animal protein in the anthrax vaccine was causing Gulf War syndrome in some soldiers, some who even died. When she reported it to her commander, she got a visit from someone in Washington, D.C. and was told to keep quiet about it.
She is no longer keeping quiet. Listen to this interview which is going viral on the Internet:
Producer of VAXXED Speaks Out: "This is Bigger than Watergate"
Leaving a lucrative career as a nephrologist (kidney doctor), Dr. Suzanne Humphries is now free to actually help cure people.
In this autobiography she explains why good doctors are constrained within the current corrupt medical system from practicing real, ethical medicine.
One of the sane voices when it comes to examining the science behind modern-day vaccines, no pro-vaccine extremist doctors have ever dared to debate her in public.
Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?
eBook – Available for immediate download.
One of the biggest myths being propagated in the compliant mainstream media today is that doctors are either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that the anti-vaccine doctors are all "quacks."
However, nothing could be further from the truth in the vaccine debate. Doctors are not unified at all on their positions regarding "the science" of vaccines, nor are they unified in the position of removing informed consent to a medical procedure like vaccines.
The two most extreme positions are those doctors who are 100% against vaccines and do not administer them at all, and those doctors that believe that ALL vaccines are safe and effective for ALL people, ALL the time, by force if necessary.
Very few doctors fall into either of these two extremist positions, and yet it is the extreme pro-vaccine position that is presented by the U.S. Government and mainstream media as being the dominant position of the medical field.
In between these two extreme views, however, is where the vast majority of doctors practicing today would probably categorize their position. Many doctors who consider themselves "pro-vaccine," for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual.
Many doctors recommend a "delayed" vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children, such as the suspect seasonal flu shot.
These doctors who do not hold extreme positions would be opposed to government-mandated vaccinations and the removal of all parental exemptions.
In this eBook, I am going to summarize the many doctors today who do not take the most extremist pro-vaccine position, which is probably not held by very many doctors at all, in spite of what the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government, and the mainstream media would like the public to believe.
on your mobile device!
Dave March 13, 2020 at 9:26 pm - Reply
Admin—Orissa said:
Are today's military personnel lab rats for new and untested vaccines? As evidence continues to unfold regarding military experimental vaccines and Gulf War Syndrome, it appears that many military personnel have given up their lives for their country not in battle, but in support of pharmaceutical vaccine agenda.
In this article we will reveal formerly classified documents along with testimonies, including a recent interview with a military whistleblower that is going viral on the Internet.
I was in the gulf in 91 and had injections we knew nothing about. We just lined up in our boxer shorts and went from door to door being injected at each one. Now my health is poor and I am recovering from breast cancer and as a man I find it hard to believe that all this had no effect on me. Mod dont want to know
Brian Chambers March 7, 2020 at 5:35 pm - Reply
Hi, just read an article and they told of yet another unadorned issue is that the drugs that were used to combat malairia pills that we all had to take in any country were it was deemed as a problem, the pills were found to mimic Gulf war illness and ptsd!!
We are human medical subjects and we are being watched to see all the issues that arise!!
Michelle Bowie March 24, 2019 at 1:23 pm - Reply
It isn't just those who deployed. Even those in a mobile readiness status had to get vaccinated and those of us in that group are largely ignored even though we suffer all the same symptoms.
I am a former AF MSGT been suffering for over 28 years now, but didn't find out what was really the cause until 2013. Would love to connect with other vets for support.
It's almost impossible to find any local support groups in our area.
mbowie02@verizon.net
Dan March 1, 2019 at 1:10 pm - Reply
So us vets who seem to have these issues. Who do we contact?
paula August 30, 2017 at 12:41 pm - Reply
I have GWS I have been fighting with the VA for 27 yrs. I new immediately in IRAQ when myself and others got terribly sick we had been exposed to something especially after THE SHOTS. after I reported my local VA for numerous violations to different congressman and the Obama admin. they laid off now with the trump admin. they r once again trying to take my benefits away knowing I will be homeless BUT I WILL NOT BE QUITE if I go down I'm going down fighting. all GWV need to organize and protest in BIG NUMBERS ESPECIALLY THE WOMEN. we r not getting the same ratings and benefit yet we r becoming homeless at alarming rates WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AND FIGHT.
david mccoy September 23, 2016 at 5:34 pm - Reply
I have started going to the VA just recently since I realized why I was having a lot of medical problems. All the symptoms that were laid out pretty much I have. I was forced to take two shots and two pills when I was onboard the U.S.S. Midway CV-41 during dessert storm/shield we were based out of Japan. Many of my friends have had difficulties in this matter.  Its sad to see that we cant get the help that we need as Vets. I have battled years with asthma and respiratory problems, bronchitis and pneumonia among some other metal illness problems. I just tried so long to ignore the problem best I could, but now as I get older it is hard to cover up/manage. It's hard to hold down a real job, since I'm out sick quite a bit, and I thank God my company understands, but for how long. It has been a real challenge for me and like other Vets who really don't know what is going on in their bodies.
We are taught to be tough and suck it up, but that doesn't work forever. So most of the Vets that experience problems wont come forward. I had the same pride problem, but you got to take care of yourself, because no one else will. Also the exposure to biological agents that we were exposed to doesn't help either. If You think that you might have been affected by this, say something to your local VA and get tested.
FormerMarine September 23, 2016 at 7:49 am - Reply
I have Gulf War Syndrome and it took me 25 years and a change of VA Primary Doctor's and a LOT of noise to my Senator's and anyone else I could think of before I started being taken seriously.  The VA recently has come a long way in their attitude toward our illness even though I meet Dr's at the VA all the time who still have never even heard of the illness. The discussion over the many vaccinations and secret untested drugs has been going on for many many years.  It makes me hopeful that this article with it's hard proof may be a start to this knowledge being disseminated wider to blow the lid off the Government and the DOD cover up.  Many veterans have died because of this secret Executive Order and the following cover up. When more and more Desert Storm veterans got sicker and sicker and many died, the VA, Government and DOD choose to try to cover up the truth instead of them fessing up and doing everything in their power to help.  So it took nearly 25 years of us getting worse and dying to get any real recognition and any effort to try to figure out how to treat our illness.  Meanwhile 250,000 or more of us who haven't died have suffered and have lost a huge chunk of our lives.  I beg of you to forward this article to everyone you know and especially every Government Official and Media Outlet you can.  Let it be known that true Americans will not stand by and let the Government and the DOD treat our military as lab rats. Why is this being allowed to continue after what they did to Vietnam Vets?  Moderators at Presidential Debates bring this issue up to see what each candidate will do to help.  Make them pledge that they will overturn this Executive Order and hold those responsible for this unconscionable act.  This is not a small issue and I have never understood why this isn't a bigger story than the issues at the VA.  They are Still doing this to our brave women and men right now.


Last week was CRAZY busy! But it was fun, for sure!
We did a little bit of painting with Duplo blocks and Q-Tips.
We did a little end-of-the Halloween candy snacking.
We did a little playing outside no matter how cold it is... We have these things call jackets and hats and extra layers! (Hey, it was 40-something one day. Another day, I think, it was only 30...). By the way, I have no idea what they are talking about. But they were laughing up a storm about something hilarious! After a while they went off to play some soccer. Love those guys!
We did a little hot chocolate drinking to warm up those little tummies. Also, sprinkles make everything better.
We made some crayons. That's all the rage on Pinterest anyway. Maybe that was last year.... Well, we did it last week anyway!
And while all that was going on, Mama baked some cakes! A 6-layer chocolate and red velvet Cat in the Hat cake. Complete with Thing 1 & 2 "smash cakes" for our sweet little twin friends! It was so much fun baking and decorating those cakes. I'll have another cake to share soon. It gets delivered today! Woot!
Thanks Lori for the photo!!
We even did a little fox trotting! Ha! Don't you love that hat?!
It was a great week at the House! Now, off to take an awesome cake to a little princess!!


No other car marked a generation like the Volkswagen Beetle.
Charismatic, simple and unconventional, the Beetle exploded across international markets due to its economical reputation. With its air-cooled engine and efficient fuel consumption, it suited developing countries down to a tee and became a global success, providing an apt symbol for the regeneration of West Germany.
The Beetle earned its reputation from a winning marriage of reliable engineering and smile-provoking style, that made it so iconic. It had a social effect like no vehicle before it. Carrying its own mythology, people wrote books about it and issued magazines featuring it. It even became a movie star.
Over the years The Beetle went through several alterations to adapt to the changing world. Bigger engines, better headlights and upgrades all over. However, it never lost its charm. During its golden years, The Beetle stood for simplicity, it was a vehicle packed with character that the public fell in love with. Today, not much has changed. It still retains its charm but has become a cult hit and a classic that will always be remembered.
Valentine's Day was a very special day at the Volkswagen Headquarters. A rare right-hand drive Beetle was unveiled as a museum gift for fans and staff.
The 'love-fest' continued in what became an emotional moment, as the original owner's son relayed the Little Car's family history. His father had the Beetle made in Stuttgart for the Australian roads 1951, and shipped over when his family emigrated.
The classic Love Bug is permanently on display in Volkswagen's headquarters in Chullora, NSW for all to see.


text:
Kurier in den Bergen (Originaltitel: Trzecia Granica, dt.: Die dritte Grenze) ist eine polnische Fernsehserie, in deren Mittelpunkt die Erlebnisse des Ski-Sportlers und Bergführers Andrzej Bukowian stehen.

Inhalt
Nach dem Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges verschlägt es den Goralen Andrzej Bukowian aus Zakopane, ehemaliger Abfahrtsläufer, Olympia-Teilnehmer und Bergführer bei der Bergwacht, als Soldat der Polnischen Armee nach Ungarn. Tausende seiner Kameraden werden dort interniert. Andrzej allerdings beschließt, in seine Heimat zurückzukehren.

Gemeinsam mit Antek Wichniewicz begibt er sich auf einen abenteuerlichen Weg durch die Berge der Tatra. Zurück in seiner Heimat schließt er sich dem Widerstand an und übernimmt Kurieraufträge in den Bergen.

Folgenübersicht

 Der Goralenweg
 In der Nähe des Himmels
 Verwischte Spuren
 In der Falle
 Die Unbekannte aus der "Bolero"-Bar
 Der Verdacht
 Falsche Fährte
 Die Abrechnung

Hintergrund

Die Serie wurde 1975 vom polnischen Filmstudio "Illusion" für das Polnische und das Ungarische Fernsehen produziert. Literarische Vorlage war der gleichnamige Roman von Adam Bahdaj, der für die Serie auch das Drehbuch schrieb.

Regie führten Wojciech Solarz (Folgen 1, 2, 6, 7 und 8) und Lech Lorentowicz (Folgen 3, 4 und 5), Kameramann war Sándor Kocsis.

Das DEFA Studio für Synchronisation in Berlin-Johannisthal stellte die deutsche Synchronfassung für das Fernsehen der DDR her. Die Dialogbücher stammten von Klaus Marschke und Eberhard Richter, Dialogregie führten Dagmar Nawroth und Arno Wolf.

Die deutschsprachige Erstausstrahlung der Serie erfolgte ab dem 16. November 1979 jeweils freitags um 17.45 Uhr im 1. Programm des DDR-Fernsehens.

Besetzung

Weblinks

Fernsehserie (Polen)
Fernsehserie der 1970er Jahre
Zweiter Weltkrieg im Film

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Escaping special character when generating an XML in Java I am trying to develop an XML export feature to give my application users to export their data in an XML format. I have got this feature ready and working until it started failing for some cases. Then I realized that it was because of some special characters that needs to be encoded. for example the data might contain & or ! or % or ' or # etc. etc. and this needs to be escaped properly.
I was wondering if there is a generic utility available that can escape all of the special characters as per the XML specification. I couldn't find anything on Google.
Is there something like that already there? or Is there any other way to do it?
Here is the code I am using to generate XML

Document xmldoc = new DocumentImpl();
Element root = xmldoc.createElement("Report");

Element name= xmldoc.createElement((exportData.getChartName() == null) ? "Report" : exportData.getChartName());
if (exportData.getExportDataList().size() > 0
    && exportData.getExportDataList().get(0) instanceof Vector) {
    // First row is the HEADER, i.e name
    Vector name = exportData.getExportDataList().get(0);
    for (int i = 1; i  value = exportData.getExportDataList().get(i);
        Element sub_root = xmldoc.createElement("Data");
        //I had to remove a for loop from here. StackOverflow description field would not take that. :(
            // Insert header row
            Element node = xmldoc.createElementNS(null, replaceUnrecognizedChars(name.get(j)));
            Node node_value = xmldoc.createTextNode(value.get(j));
            node.appendChild(node_value);
            sub_root.appendChild(node);
            chartName.appendChild(sub_root);
        }
    }
}
root.appendChild(name);

// Prepare the DOM document for writing
Source source = new DOMSource(root);

// Prepare the output file
Result result = new StreamResult(file);

// Write the DOM document to the file
Transformer xformer = TransformerFactory.newInstance().newTransformer();
xformer.transform(source, result);`

Sample XML:

<Data>
    <TimeStamp>2010-08-31 00:00:00.0</TimeStamp>
    <[Name that needs to be encoded]>0.0</[Name that needs to be encoded]>
    <Group_Average>1860.0</Group_Average>
</Data>

A: You can use apache common lang library to escape a string.
org.apache.commons.lang.StringEscapeUtils

String escapedXml = StringEscapeUtils.escapeXml("the data might contain & or ! or % or ' or # etc");

But what you are looking for is a way to convert any string into a valid XML tag name. For ASCII characters, XML tag name must begin with one of _:a-zA-Z and followed by any number of character in _:a-zA-Z0-9.-
I surely believe there is no library to do this for you so you have to implement your own function to convert from any string to match this pattern or alternatively make it into a value of attritbue.
<property name="no more need to be encoded, it should be handled by XML library">0.0</property>

A: public class RssParser {
int length;
    URL url;
URLConnection urlConn;
NodeList nodeList;
Document doc;
Node node;
Element firstEle;
NodeList titleList;
Element ele;
NodeList txtEleList;
String retVal, urlStrToParse, rootNodeName;

public RssParser(String urlStrToParse, String rootNodeName){
    this.urlStrToParse = urlStrToParse;
    this.rootNodeName = rootNodeName;

    url=null;
    urlConn=null;
    nodeList=null;
    doc=null;
    node=null;
    firstEle=null;
    titleList=null;
    ele=null;
    txtEleList=null;
    retVal=null;
            doc = null;
    try {
        url = new URL(this.urlStrToParse);
                    // dis is path of url which v'll parse
        urlConn = url.openConnection();

                    DocumentBuilderFactory dbf = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
        DocumentBuilder db = dbf.newDocumentBuilder();

        String s = isToString(urlConn.getInputStream());
        s = s.replace("&", "&");
        StringBuilder sb =
                            new StringBuilder
                                    ("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>");
        sb.append("\n"+s);
        System.out.println("STR: \n"+sb.toString());
        s = sb.toString();

        doc = db.parse(urlConn.getInputStream());
        nodeList = doc.getElementsByTagName(this.rootNodeName);
        //  dis is d first node which
        //  contains other inner element-nodes
        length =nodeList.getLength();
        firstEle=doc.getDocumentElement();
    }
    catch (ParserConfigurationException pce) {
        System.out.println("Could not Parse XML: " + pce.getMessage());
    }
    catch (SAXException se) {
        System.out.println("Could not Parse XML: " + se.getMessage());
    }
    catch (IOException ioe) {
        System.out.println("Invalid XML: " + ioe.getMessage());
    }
    catch(Exception e){
        System.out.println("Error: "+e.toString());
    }
}

public String isToString(InputStream in) throws IOException {
    StringBuffer out = new StringBuffer();
    byte[] b = new byte[512];
    for (int i; (i = in.read(b)) != -1;) {
        out.append(new String(b, 0, i));
    }
    return out.toString();
}

public String getVal(int i, String param){
    node =nodeList.item(i);
    if(node.getNodeType() == Node.ELEMENT_NODE)
    {
        System.out.println("Param: "+param);
        titleList = firstEle.getElementsByTagName(param);
        if(firstEle.hasAttribute("id"))
        System.out.println("hasAttrib----------------");
        else System.out.println("Has NOTNOT      NOT");
        System.out.println("titleList: "+titleList.toString());
    ele = (Element)titleList.item(i);
    System.out.println("ele: "+ele);
        txtEleList = ele.getChildNodes();
    retVal=(((Node)txtEleList.item(0)).getNodeValue()).toString();
    if (retVal == null)
        return null;
            System.out.println("retVal: "+retVal);
    }
return retVal;
}
}

A: Use the below code to escapes the characters in a String using XML.StringEscapeUtils is available in apche commons lang3 jar
StringEscapeUtils.escapeXml11("String to be escaped");


In proportion to trend per-capita GDP, the Eight Capital Cities house-price index rose in Q2 and Q3 of 2012, although the rise is barely perceptible in the following graph (red curve). Meanwhile the seasonally-adjusted number of private-sector building approvals (black) was at mid-2011 levels, notwithstanding interest-rate cuts in November & December 2011, and May & June 2012.
If the number of house and unit sales recorded by RP Data (green curve) was responding to rate cuts in Q4 of 2011, the rally was short-lived, even if we allow for a seasonal slump in the following quarter (the sales figures are not seasonally adjusted). The current effort to rise off the canvas, presumably in response to the later round of rate cuts, is more convincing, and has lifted turnover distinctly above the "GFC" trough. Be warned, however, that the last quarterly point plotted in the graph is based on only two months' data and that the last eight months' figures (at least) are subject to revision.
The two rallies in the number of sales have not been reflected in ABS figures on value of lending (which are seasonally adjusted). In the above graph, the value of lending for "owner occupation (secured finance) - purchase of other established dwellings", aggregated quarterly and scaled to (seasonally adjusted) GDP, is shown in blue. The aforesaid rate cuts seem to have produced two upward steps superimposed on a gradual downward trend. The value of lending for "investment housing - purchase for rent or resale by individuals", similarly aggregated and scaled, is shown in purple. It has risen slightly since early 2011, but again the rises seem to coincide with interest-rate cuts. Both lending curves are still below their GFC minima.
Consistent with the recent upturn in the number of house and unit sales, the average time taken to sell a home has declined over the year to September and over the two months to September, as shown in the following graph (from RP Data's Australian Housing Market Update, November 2012). If we ignore the summer peaks, we see that the time to sale is historically high, but slightly below the GFC peak of September 2008.
The number of properties advertised for sale likewise declined in the year to October, but rose in the last few months to October, and is above the GFC peak of late 2008, as shown in the next graph (from the same RP Data update).
For comparison, the national "Stock on Market" graph from SQM Research was flatter over the 15 months to October and just slightly below the GFC peak. By RP Data's measure or SQM's measure, stock levels have been elevated for a long time.
According to the following graph from the Housing Industry Association (Media release archive, Oct.18, 2012), the median lot value in June 2012 was just slightly below the peak of March 2011 (red line). Both values, however, should be regarded with caution in view of the widespread "incentives" offered to buyers. The same graph shows that the quarterly number of residential land sales (green bars), like the number of house and unit sales, has risen above the GFC trough.
The overall impression is of a market remaining in an almost GFC-like state in the teeth of repeated cuts in the cash rate, which has fairly been described (e.g. by Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey) as an emergency low. While mortgage-servicing costs are comfortable for home owners who have accumulated a sufficient margin of equity (not to be confused with the 2007-8 cohort or the 2009-10 cohort), the numbers still don't add up for negatively-geared investors. For example, if their (nominal) interest paid and forgone is 6% per annum while their rental yields are 4% per annum, they need (nominal) capital gains of 2% per annum just to cover the interest, to say nothing of rates, land tax, maintenance, and (if applicable) agents' fees, body-corporate fees, and looming retirement from paid employment. To justify their positions, they need either a convincing run of rising prices or further cuts in interest rates. The likelihood of the latter will be discussed in the next post.


text:
Watch 'The Lover's Lies' with our fast and smooth mobile player, optimized for your phone and tablet
The Lover's Lies
爱人的谎言
Mainland China, Drama
A young woman who has had a tough life tries to find happiness with the man she loves.
Tong Si Ji (Jia Qing) lived under difficult circumstances when both her parents passed away, and she was left to take care of her younger brother and sister by herself. She takes on every odd job she can find in order to raise them.
One of Si Ji's part-time jobs is at the Yuan Xian Department Store. There, she meets Yi Yi (Zhang Xiao Long), whose family owns the department store, and the two fall in love. But when Yi Yi's mother learns of Si Ji's true identity, she does everything in her power to keep Si Ji away from Yi Yi.
Are the ill-fated lovers destined to be apart?
"The Lover's Lies" is a 2016 Chinese drama directed by Yu Zhong He Lin Hong Jie. It is a sister production to the popular 2015 drama "The Wife's Lies" with the same cast.
Ai Ren De Huang Yan
The Wife's Lies 2
Gone with the Shirt Team
ZJSTV, SZTV
Mainland China Drama Melodrama Romance
EN 99% • Mainland China
EN 100% • Mainland China
Wang Zi
Jia Qing
Zhang Xiao Long
Esther Chen
German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Romanian and 1 more languages
Trailer: The Lover's Lies


text:
Q: If Value is Null Then Return Values [Error] I am trying to figure out about null where I need to return a default value it contains null. Here is the code (Please check the comment in the code)
class BundlingSpecification extends StatelessWidget {
  final DataAd object;
  BundlingSpecification({required this.object});

  List toCheck = ['lt','lb','bedroom','bathroom'];
  Map specification = {};
  Map<String,Widget> icon = {
    'bedroom':Icon(Icons.bed), //Icon to Display
    'bathroom':Icon(Icons.bathtub_outlined), //Icon to Display
  };

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    if(object.data!=null) {
      final data = object.data!['additional'];
      for (var u in toCheck) {
        if(data[u]!=null && data[u]!=''){
          final Map result = {
            'type':u,
            'show':data[u],
          };
          specification[u] = result;
        }
      }
    }
    return Row(
      children: specification.map((key, value) => MapEntry(key, Row(
        children: [
          if(icon[key]!=null)...[ /// WHEN IS NOT NULL (Displaying Icon)
            icon[key]!,
          ] else ...[ /// WHEN IS NULL RETURN TEXT ONLY
            Text(key),
          ],
          Text(value['show']),
        ],
      ))).values.toList(),
    );
  }
}

The problem, I received this following error

lib/class/adClass.dart:452:18: Error: A value of type 'List'
can't be assigned to a variable of type 'Widget'.

*

*'List' is from 'dart:core'.

*'Text' is from 'package:flutter/src/widgets/text.dart' ('../flutter/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/text.dart').

*'Widget' is from 'package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart' ('../flutter/packages/flutter/lib/src/widgets/framework.dart').
] else [
^

A: You aren't destructuring the array for the else part.
else ...[
  Text(key),
]

This should fix your code ideally.


POLIURETANOS CAMARASA SL SPECIALIST IN THE INJECTION OF POLYURETHANE PIECES.
Policam, a company founded in 1999, is located in the Olerdola Industrial Estate, 1 km from Vilafranca del Penedés and only 50Km from Barcelona.
Policam has its roots in composite expertise which later developed into the field of high performance polyurethanes (PUR).
Based on the vision of working with the highest standards of quality technical polyurethane, Policam contacted Bayer. Validation of our equipment and technical expertise has resulted in a regular supply of Bayer´s materials and technical support required for the implementation of the productive process. Technological support is provided from the start of new projects.
Aiming for quality, Policam invests in technology, purchasing high precision machinery capable of high outputs as well. The two foam machines available and owned by Policam can produce a broad range of weights, from small parts of only a few grams to larger ones of up to 20 kg with only one injection of material. With this aim, we have 5 presses, 2 of 70tns, 2 of 30tns and a smaller one of 10tns.
Furthermore, we adapt the PUR polyurethane characteristics to the needs of our customer´s final product regarding elasticity and densities. Densities from 1.200 Kg/m³ with Baydur 110 (meeting V0 fire standard) to 600 Kg/m³, and more recently 200kg/m³, with Baydur 60 are possible. A wall thickness of 3 to 20 mm is feasible as well depending on the technical and aesthetic requirements.
The aim of our company is to serve those companies requesting small to medium series for a part, with high technical and mechanical demands plus excellent finishing.
We are specialized in medical and cosmetical casings, working for big representative firms in this sector such as Diagnotics Grifols SA, Ancar SA, Sorisa SA, Enco, SA., etc.
The automotive industry has also showed interest in our products. Inmesa S.L. and Nissan, among others, trust our technical materials for different applications.
Technical office (externalised for the main part of the products).
Mould production (controlled from our technical department).


Not even a week into his presidency, Donald Trump began making good on his campaign promise of "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" by instituting his Muslim Ban, starting with seven Muslim-majority countries. After the executive order was successfully challenged in courts across the country, the administration came out with revision after revision of the Ban—yet despite any cosmetic changes, the bigoted and racist intent behind it remains.
On October 18th, the latest iteration of the Ban goes into effect. This is an important moment for us to organize a strong, loud, mass mobilization that sends a clear message to this Administration: Muslim communities are organized, and our allies have our back. We will not be silent and we will stand up for our communities in the face of any and all discriminatory policies.
We will continue to resist this immoral and unconstitutional Muslim Ban and any new bans in all forms, in all venues, and in all ways—no matter how long it may take to achieve justice.
Note: By participating in this event, you agree (i) not to engage in any act of violence or violation of any applicable law, and (ii) to obey the orders of authorized event marshals and law enforcement authorities.


The St. Joe Company (NYSE:JOE) (the "Company") announced today that Susan Mermer is joining the Company as Chief Accounting Officer ("CAO") effective March 28, 2016.
"With past experiences that include oversight and responsibility for accounting and finance functions, including financial reporting, internal controls, tax and audit work, Susan brings many valuable skills to our team," said Marek Bakun, the Company's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Ms. Mermer was most recently employed with Lighting Science Group Corporation in Melbourne, FL, as its Vice President and Corporate Controller, with responsibility for the company's global accounting and finance activities, including financial reporting. Prior to joining Lighting Science Group, Ms. Mermer served in various accounting roles at The Goldfield Corporation in Melbourne, FL, an electrical construction and real estate development company and at the technology company, eMerge Interactive, Inc., located in Sebastian, FL.
Ms. Mermer began her career in public accounting at KPMG, where she worked for eight years providing audit services to multiple companies, including SEC reporting companies and real estate entities, and ending her position with KPMG as Audit Manager. Ms. Mermer earned a Bachelors degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
"The St. Joe Company has an exciting future, and I am looking forward to contributing to its success in significant ways," said Susan Mermer.
The St. Joe Company together with its consolidated subsidiaries is a real estate development, asset management and operating company concentrated primarily between Tallahassee and Destin, Florida. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.joe.com.
© 2016, The St. Joe Company. "St. Joe®", "JOE®", the "Taking Flight" Design®, "St. Joe (and Taking Flight Design)®" are registered service marks of The St. Joe Company.


text:
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Review: The Impostor
January 25, 2002 00:50:09, by malducin
The long delayed The Impostor finally opened early 2002. Directed by Gary Fleder and based on a Philip K. Dick short story, it's a story of a man suspected of being an alien "impostor" with an internal bomb. The FX were done by a wide variety of FX houses, though ILM features as the lead facility, with George Murphy supervising.
The movie was a long time in the releasing. Originally it was set to be a segment of the Light Years Trilogy movie, an anthology movie. That was scrapped (the Alien Love Triangle segment was done as a short film) and The Impostor segment was extended to be a full feature. But the studio delayed the project from the Summer of 2000 till January 4, 2002. In the meantime George Murphy not only finished his FX duties on the film but went on to co-supervise Planet of the Apes.
The movie stars Gary Sinise as weapons scientist Spencer Olham who is married to a doctor played by Madeleine Stowe. The story is set in 2079 and Earth is at war with aliens from Alpha Centauri (who are never shown). The aliens have destroyed a great deal of Earth's cities and now the remaining ones are protected under energy shields domes. One day Spencer Ohlam is suspected of being a genetically engineered alien impostor carrying a powerful undetectable bomb in his chest, set to kill Earth's Chancellor (Lindsay Crouse). He is arrested by agent Hathaway played by Vincent D'Onofrio, bent on preventing a disaster. But Olham escapes and the chase is on as he tries to prove his innocence.
The film sports an ensemble cast of many character actors. Tony Shalhoub stars as Ohlam's best friend, Mehki Phifer as Cale, a resident in one of the destroyed areas who helps Ohlam along the way, Gary Dourdan as a police captain, Elizabeth Peña as a midwife and even cameos by Kimberly Scott, Tracey Walter and Rosalind Chao. Unfortunately most of the talented is wasted. Gary Sinise is good as the scientist going paranoid and Vincent D'Onofrio proves a strong nemesis without being cartoony or over the top villain. But besides those there is little to go around, there is not much for Stowe to do except on a few scenes, and Tony Shalhoub's character is barely in the film to develop the characters. Mehki Phifer has a few good spots but we get to them until the film is winding down.
The film plays like an action/chase movie and it's a bit apparent that it was stretched in length. The beginning and premise are setup very quickly and afterwards the film turns into a chase film until close to the end. The direction is regular sometimes overusing the hand held camera, dark environments and escapes through tunnels and vents. Besides Gary Sinise's character there is not much character development and many aspects of the story are not explored, like what that future society is like, the war, or even the Olham's relationship. On the plus side the story did stick to the short story finale instead of trying to Hollywoodize it. Some people might find it anti-climatic, but personally I liked that it stuck with it's more non traditional ending. Even with all it's shortcomings the Philip K. Dick element survives and makes the movie more enjoyable than many other higher budget sci-fi extravaganzas. It might not be a classic like Blade Runner or even well accomplished like Total Recall, but it's enjoyable enough to pass some time.
The FX
The FX can be categorized in two main areas: the depiction of the futuristic city, and the high tech displays. Many houses worked on this film besides ILM, including The computer Cafe, yU+co, Netter Digital, Digital Firepower, OCS/Freeze Frame/Pixel Magic and many others. For the most part the different FX fit together except for 3 instances.
The film starts with a prologue narrated by Sinise about his childhood and the start of the war. Here is where we have the first mismatch. The sequence uses footage from Starship Troopers which is also very recognizable. Also there is one shot from Gattaca. As part of the prologue we have a few shots of the space battle between Earth and the Alpha Centauri There is one nice shot of a Centauri ship firing towards Earth, but the shots with the fighter spaceships are less convincing. Even in the quick shots you can see an apparent lack of detail on the ships and also the animation is too smooth. You don't get the feeling this are real ships, they don't have that more real combat film feel like in Star Wars.
The action quickly turns to Earth where we get the bulk of the FX. The main ones include views of the domed cities, and are very reminiscent of the Coruscant shots in Episode 1. We have towering buildings with flying cars all over the place leaving heat distortion and landing all over the place. They are establishing shots so we never see a person looking out into a balcony but they serve well their purpose. On the other hand we also have many shots from the destroyed parts of the city at night where we can see the energy domes in the distance. The scenes are very dark so it's difficult to see any details but they do extend the sets nicely. Actually many of the FX like the matte painting to set the various locales are in very dark places which helps them blend in and give a broader scope to the film. I'm sure there were quite a few there that I didn't detect. One notable albeit brief FX sequence which was nicely done involves Gary Sinise and Tony Shalhoub looking through a window to the mega-weapon Sinise's character has created. It involves a slight pan down and we see technicians.
The other notable pieces of FX are the high tech displays, in walls,and screens, PDA, medical equipment and many more. Two notable uses are present in the film: an X-ray type of scanner and a medical body scanner. The first one is used when the agents track down Sinise to an old building and are trying to locate him. The effect is similar to the one used in Eraser and there are a few shots from the POV of the operator nicely tracked into the plate. The medical scanner is a scene where Sinise is trying to prove his innocence by scanning himself and comparing it to a previous scan. The display is holographic and we see the image being constructed while showing the different layers and tissues, bones, muscles and organs, almost reminiscent of Hollow Man.
The climax of the film involves an explosion occurring at night in a forest. Except for a brief shot of the start of the explosion, which whites out the frame quickly, the resulting shockwave and destruction looked very flat, involving a few fire elements with black silhouettes of trees and people getting wiped out and a couple of shots of people being burned done as more 3D FX. Considering that it's the climax of the story it definitely doesn't fit in well with the more polished work on the rest of the film and almost looks like it was added at the very end.
The Final Verdict
While many of the FX involved are fine, the mismatch between different sequences is sometimes too apparent. This is probably due to the troubles of the production towards the end and the restructuring of the story. Too bad the studio didn't invest a bit more to have the FX work polished. There are enough interesting scenes to be an FX curiosity, but it's too bad the story wasn't further developed, and being a Philip K. Dick inspired project, not only the story could have been handled better but probably the FX work would have been more extensive and interesting. Many things are a bit too dark but the cityscapes are Coruscant-like enough to provide interesting details to look for. Most FX are good to excellent but the mismatched styles brings the production down unfortunately. Overall I would give it a ** and a half out of 5.
Post last modified: January 25, 2002 00:50:09
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text:
<< tracey moberly (sanderswood)
[press]
[<<<]  [>>>] click on image to enlarge
© tracey moberly 19990502.pulp1.jpg
PULP magazine -Tracey Sanders-Wood- Tracey Sanders-Wood May 1999 Text: Emily
Who are you? Tracey Sanders-Wood, Moss Side Community artist. Where are you? 3rd Floor, Sankey Soap, Beehive Mill, Ancoats, Manchester. What do you do? I'm currently writing and coordinating the SOAP project here in Manchester to promote the students and graduates from M.M.U. who've had an effect on our culture; firstly in Manchester, then nationally, then internationally. It's about the people who have, and are, changing trends socially, politically, economically and artistically. For this, I've been organising exhibitions and club nights across Manchester all linked to the Soap project. i also lecture part-time at M.M.U. in all five art and design departments: architecture, history of art; communication media design; fine art and textiles. I'm putting in work for the upcoming 'Give Battle in Vain...' exhibition at the Cube gallery on Portland Street (this April), as a show based around nuclear warfare. the main job I'm doing in this studio right now is a big mosaic for Miles Platting Park. The next SOAP in your eyes is 9th April '99 - "VIOLET CLUB" NIGHT at V night spot, Deansgate, Manchester 10pm - 3am £5/£3 conc. Set to go with a blast, "VIOLET CLUB" (a British nuclear warhead) follows on from CUBE opening night with Doria Hemming (aka Prof John Hyatt; Tracey Sanders-Wood and Dr. Stephen Twigge) plus MUMBO JUMBO'S resident art lovers, Mr. and Mrs. McClung-Oakes, take a violet perspective into Mumbo space. Mumbo Jumbo's dj's Barney Doodlebug, Daniel Dwayre and Steve Cato bringing you latin, cha cha, bump and grind . . . . .


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Massive 3 Family in Allston with two units that has 5 bedrooms and 2 full baths each and a 3rd unit with 4 bedrooms plus 1.5 baths and parking for 6 cars. Great for investors or owner occupants! This property is convenietly located close to Harvard Business School, shops, public transportation, restaurants and more. 1ST SHOWING AT OPEN HOUSE ON SATURDAY JANUARY 12TH 2019 FROM 12PM TO 2PM AND SUNDAY JANUARY 13TH FROM 12PM TO 2PM. Please see disclosures about OH/showings.


text:
https://apnews.com/article/iowa-ap-top-news-elections-donald-trump-politics-6dca04808d45ff6b809cb0361fb4291a
Spiritual guru Marianne Williamson ends 2020 White House bid
By ALEXANDRA JAFFEJanuary 10, 2020 GMT
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson speaks at a the Faith, Politics and the Common Good Forum at Franklin Jr. High School, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, the spiritual guru and bestselling author, ended her campaign on Friday, weeks before voting begins, saying she did not want to make it tougher for a progressive to win.
She also said she did not believe she would be able to gain enough support in the upcoming contests to make a difference in the race to challenge President Donald Trump.
Full Coverage: Election 2020
In a post on her website, Williamson said "we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now." Williamson has barely registered in the polls and struggled in fundraising since launching her bid for president last January.
She laid off her entire staff from her campaign at the end of last year, but continued to appear at campaign events in Iowa and New Hampshire in recent weeks. Her decision leaves 13 candidates remaining in the primary.
– Marianne Williamson lays off 2020 campaign staff nationwide