Kumaon and Garhwal are the two regions of the mountainous state Uttarakhand. The first thing that comes to our mind when we say Kumaon is Nainital. Nainital is one of the most visited hill station in India. However other than Nainital there are several other "Tals" (which means Lake), beautiful hamlets and forests in this region.
We started planning from Nov '15 when 2 of my school friends showed interest. We planned to stay in 7 different location, visit as many as we could and hoped to see some snowfall in Munsyari. Kumaon region is famous for outer Himalaya peaks and Panchachuli peaks. These peaks can be seen from places like Kausani, Almora, Chaurkori, Munsyari. After reading many travelogues in Team-bhp and going through road updates and weather updates the plan was finalized. There were lots of places we could visit, but we had only 8 days . Luckily GoIbibo was giving huge discounts on hotels which helped us reduce the overall trip budget. All the hotels were booked online (I will share hotel details and the end of the log).
Kolkata to Lucknow is mostly highway. Time takes to cover 900 km depends on what kind of traffic you are facing. Keep an eye on the Bihar-Jharkhand border in google maps for traffic situation, this particular border is notorious. Other than this the entire ok.
There are two reasons to stay in Lucknow. First it is the halfway to Utarakhand from Kolkata. There are good and cheap hotels in Lucknow. The city itself is very beautiful. But the second reason is important. "Biriyani" and "Tunday Kabab". We hired a local Auto to visit Aminabad. Aminabad is a market place in the heart of Lucknow where once can find lovely biriyani and kebabs and lots of chikan embroided garment shops. We kept the shopping part for our return journey and only had a lovely dinner this time.
Next day we woke up at 7, had our complementary breakfast and started around 9. Lucknow in the morning looked almost same as Kolkata, the only difference was Kolkata has frequent traffic signals than Lucknow. Lucknow to Kathgodam was simple and plain journey, nothing much to write about. We took the Lucknow > Sitapur > Bareilly > Haldwani > Lucknow. Lucknow to Sitapur is 4 lane highway, Sitapur to Bareilly was devastating dual carrigeway and had lots of diversions. After Barielly roads were good, and once you enter Uttarakhand roads become better. We reached Nainital and checked into the Hotel in the evening. Rest of the evening was spent doing nothing and most importantly we all needed rest after 2 days of driving.
Staying at Nainital the next day wasn't a bad idea. The entire day was spent roaming around the city and the entire evening doing little bit of shopping.
Initially we had plans to stay at Almora, but after reading few logs I changed my mind and planned for Kausani. Almora hardly 2-3 hours drive from Nainital, so instead of staying at Almora we planned to visit Jageswar and spend the night at Kausani. Both Almora and Kausani are beautiful place to stay and they have decent hotels and food outlets. But as we were planning to go further north staying at Kausani seemed to be more practical. I didn't expect the road condition to be so good.
I knew Munsiyari was very far from Kausani, but somehow the hotel boy managed to confuse me and I thought it was only 60 km away . So we slept very late and couldn't wake up before 8 am. After we started at Bageswar when I asked a local he confidently showed me the longer route. Google maps showed Kapot but we went via Chaukori. The road went alongside river Ramganga. At one point of time we saw complete turquoise blue color water and we couldnt resists ourselves to stop.
The entire road was brilliant. Few kms before Munsiyari there are hairpin bend where the road was broken and seemed to be under repair. The hotel we booked was the few kms before Munsiyari town. The reason we came so far to Munsiyari was to see snowfall and the Himalayas. Unfortunately we were out of luck. Munsiyari is a small town and possibly the best place to see the Panchachuli peaks. It is also a favorite sport for the trekkers as many high altitude treks starts from here. There are no public and derivable roads after Munsiyari. Both the hotels in Kausani and Munsiyari were located on the slop of a hill, naturally the Panchachuli was just in front, its just we came a bit early. I did really enjoy the drive all the way long but my wife was a bit disheartened.
This was the day we would start our return journey. The morning was very cold and cloudy, so we couldn't even get a glimpse of the Himalayas. Still I woke up before the sunrise with a very little hope in my heart. Ofcourse we couldn't see much but enjoyed whatever we saw. We expected snow but we got frost. Due to chilling temperature at night there were frost all over the place. The hotel manager told that we were at least a week early for snowfall and showed us few picture of snowfall.
While returning we stayed at Lucknow again to have biriyani. This time we asked few locals to find the best joint shop at Aminabad. They led us to Alamgir, a small biriyani counter opposite to Tunday kababi. Its a small restaurant compared to Tunday but I had the best biriyani of my life there. I would advise anyone who is visiting Lucknow to try this restaurant.
This was my longest road trip so far and yet there wasn't any fatigue any day during the trip. The EcoSport was a champ throughout, it never gave a single problem. Road trips are always fun, and when you have good co-travelleres road trip becomes amazing. People often ask why drive so much and take risks to travel when there are trains and planes available, I could never answer them and problem never can, The best way to make them understand I think is to take them with us in a road trip.
I have booked all the hotels from goibibo, as they were giving massive discount during off peak season. All the hotels except Nainital was fabulous.
3. Kausani- Nature's valley resort- 900 per room. Brilliant view.
4. Munsiyari- Milam Inn - 1300 per room. Brilliant view again.
Inspiring,exciting.well planned and structured and equally well presented. The travel writer prasanjet Nath.
I so agree with your feelings about the magic and pleasure of road trip...My husband and I have covered so many places in Maharashtra including Goa...and honestly nothing can match up the pleasure of enjoying the sunrise and sunset behind the mountains while driving.
Must say you have captured the whole trip in such a nice way that while reading I was feeling in the same journey. Awaiting for some more write ups in future!
Good to hear that..Road trips are always fun, its funny though that people think of road trips to be risky and difficult..
Keep enjoying. Nice blog writing.


text:
Q: TypeError: Cannot cast array data from dtype('int64') to dtype('int32') according to the rule 'safe' import seaborn as sns
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

df = pd.read_csv('C:\\Users\\prash\\Desktop\\DS_examples\\battles.csv')
sns.set_style('whitegrid')
df["major_death"] = df["major_death"].fillna(1.0)
df["year1"] = df["year"].astype('int32')
x = df["year1"]
y = df["major_death"].astype('int32')

example_one = sns.barplot(x, y)
#example_one = sns.barplot(x="year", y="major_death", data=df )

plt.show()

When I run the above code I am getting this error
TypeError: Cannot cast array data from dtype('int64') to dtype('int32') according to the rule 'safe'

In order to overcome the error I did typecasting. But it didn't help me. How can I resolve this?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Stunning reproduction multi-platinum discs by Fab Cool Stuff - made to the same high quality standards as those by the BPI and RIAA. On offer here is a stunning reproduction multi-platinum disc presentation featuring the original album - That's The Way It Is by Elvis Presley The ultimate award for any artist! This award is for worldwide sales, for which the album has achieved multi-platinum status. Only original vinyl records are used for platinum discs, which are professionally electroplated to the industry standard.
This presentation is professionally made to a very high standard using quality materials. The double mount is hand cut bevel-edged conservation quality mountboard. As well as the plaque, each presentation shows the album cover, the'Worldwide Music Awards' logo and three'floating' discs on top of the LP - all housed in a chunky 20" x 16" silver chome-fx frame. A certificate of authentication will be attached - your satisfaction is guaranteed.
Ready to hang, don't miss this opportunity to get you hands on the ultimate award for any artist - it's not available in the shops! We have been trading now for many years with thousands of 100% positive feedbacks. We are one of England's biggest memorabilia dealers and supply customers all over the world. Thank you for taking the time to pass by and be sure to search for us on Facebook for special offers.
The item "ELVIS PRESLEY THAT'S THE WAY IT IS LP MULTI PLATINUM DISC RECORD AWARD ALBUM" is in sale since Tuesday, July 01, 2014. This item is in the category "Music\Music Memorabilia\Artists/ Groups\Elvis".ltd" and is located in From Essex to all over the World. This item can be shipped worldwide.


In a large pot, combine the chicken broth and beans with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the duck legs and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and heated through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly, then coarsely chop or shred the meat. Set aside the crispy skin.
Add the shallots, carrots, garlic, thyme sprigs and herbes de Provence to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are caramelized and completely tender, about 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Discard the thyme sprigs. Stir the shallots and carrots into the beans, then stir in the duck and radicchio. Garnish with thyme leaves and serve topped with the crispy skin.
The stew (without the radicchio) can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently and add the radicchio just before serving.
Spiced, berry-scented Oregon Pinot Noir.


cm/hr and flux was found to be 8.64 μg/cm2hr. Similarly in vitro studies for in situ nasal gel were performed and percent cumulative drug release was 73.05±0.57% in 6 h.Transnasal drug permeation studies results in flux value of 7.04 μg/cm2hr and percent cumulative drug permeated across the membrane as 86.62±0.992%.The results from stability studies revealed that the prepared thermogel showed no significant decrease in drug content and no physicochemical change was observed upon storage in different temperature conditions resulting as a stable formulation.
system. Eur J Pharm Sci 2000;11:1-18.
the blood brain barrier. Indian J Pharmacol 2004;36:140-147.
Drug Delivery. United Kingdom: CRC Press; 2006. p. 355-72.
affecting nasal absorption. Int J Pharm 1995;127:115-33.
intranasal drug delivery system. Asian J Pharm 2008;2:201-15.
solvency approach. Indian Pharm 2009;8:81-4.
poorly water soluble drugs. Asian J Pharm 2010;1:60-3.
poorly water souble drugs. J Tech Eng Sci 2009;1:39-43.
solvency approch. J Pharm Res 2010;3:2732-3.
Zaki NM, Awad GA, Mortada ND, Abd Elhady SS. Enhanced bioavalibility of metoclopramide HCl by intranasal administration of a mucoadhesive in situ gel with modulated rheological and mucociliary transport properties. Eur J Pharm Sci 2007;32:296-307.
Pisal SS, Reddy P, Padarkar AR, Mahadik KR, Kadam SS. Nasal melatonin gels using pluronic PF-127 for chronobiological treatment of sleep disorder. Indian J Biotech 2004;3:369-77.
Maheshwari RK, Indurkhya A. Formulation and evaluation of aceclofenac injection made by mixed hydrotropic solubilization technique. Iran J Pharm Sci 2010;9:233-42.
and evaluation. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2009;57:388-392.
soluble drugs by hydrotropy. Indian Pharm 2006;70:22-30.


Every year I write a piece about my New Year's Resolutions.
Although many people tackle their fat, bad habits, or lack of productivity, my favorite resolutions have to do with my mind. Namely, reading.
Every year I set Reading Resolutions.
My first year, I set out to read all of Hemingway.
The next, I read C.S. Lewis.
Then it was E.M. Bounds.
Every year, I was successful. My mind was enriched.
I walked with the wise, and I believe I became wiser.
That's all well and good, but the last few years, I've been struggling.
I've set reading resolutions that are self-defeating…but I'm setting them again.
Why? Because I've decided that to fail at a worthy goal is better than to be successful at a smaller goal.
I like challenges. Motivators call the goal I've set a "stretch goal".
It's one that pushes me.
To be honest, my reading resolutions weren't pushing me.
I could honestly read all of Shakespeare's works and not break a sweat.
The reason that my goal is self-defeating is because I've decided to read everything in my library that's been unread to date.
The problem is that I keep buying books.
But, although I can't recount victory in these resolutions, they have kept me from buying books that I normally would have normally bought. It has slowed me down…and that's a good thing.
I now make wish lists on Amazon.com and come back to them on a rainy day…or a day when I've read everything in my library. My dream is to walk into a bookstore, pick up a book, and decide to read it right then and there because I have nothing else to read.
It's probably early onset OCD. I make lists. I have files of reading lists dating back 20 years. I have a digital subject log of every chapter in every book in case I need something for preaching. I have spreadsheets, and even files of quotes, and illustrations all connecting to my library.
I know you're probably not like me.
That's probably also a good thing.
But I love books. Therefore, my favorite thing to do is to read, think about reading, and because I'm an "Achiever" according to the Gallup StrengthsFinder Test, I like to tick off a list and get 'er done.
If you'd like to set a goal this year or be challenged to read more, start by tackling your own library, or maybe expand your reading by following somebody else's plan.


text:
Q: ¿Actualizar datos de la base de datos laravel? Estoy intentando actualizar un registro de la forma en la que se muestra en la documentación de laravel y también de algunos sitios web y vídeos que miré, pero no pude, no me sale ningun error pero tampoco se actualizan los campos.
Entonces pensé que de la manera como agregro un usuario a la base de datos,
public function store(Request $request)
{
    $usuarios = new Usuario();

    $usuarios->nombre = $request->Nombre;
    $usuarios->apellidos = $request->Apellidos;
    $usuarios->sexo = $request->Sexo;
    $usuarios->edad = $request->Edad;
    $usuarios->correo = $request->Correo;

    $usuarios->save();

    return redirect('usuarios');
}

también podría actualizarlo solo cambiando la primera línea de la función update
public function edit($id)
{
    $usuario = Usuario::findOrFail($id);
    return view('usuarios.edit' , compact('usuario'));
}

/**
 * Update the specified resource in storage.
 *
 * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
 * @param  int  $id
 * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
 */
public function update(Request $request,  $id)
{

   $usuario = Usuario::findOrFail($id);

    $usuario->nombre = $request->Nombre;
    $usuario->apellidos = $request->Apellidos;
    $usuario->sexo = $request->Sexo;
    $usuario->edad = $request->Edad;
    $usuario->correo = $request->Correo;

    $usuario->save();

    return redirect('usuarios');
}

cabe resaltar que de esa manera me actualiza los datos perfectamente , pero mi pregunta es: ¿está mal actualizarlo de esa manera? o si no es una mala práctica hacerlo de esa manera.

A: Es correcto actualizarlo de esa manera, aunque hay otros métodos que pueden ahorrar líneas de código y hacer más «profesional» el código, dentro de los estándares de Laravel:

*

*Route Model Binding
Consiste en «traer» el modelo directamente desde la ruta, asumiendo que estemos pasando su llave primaria como parámetro:
Route::put('actualizar-usuario/{usuario}', 'UsuarioController@update');

Y en el controlador recibes directamente el modelo que vas a actualizar:
public function update(Usuario $usuario, Request $request)
{
    // trabajar con los campos del request
    $usuario->save();
}

Puedes ver más información en: https://laravel.com/docs/5.7/routing#route-model-binding

*Utilizar el método fill
En caso que no necesites manipular los datos que recibes del request (según lo que veo en el código, es tu caso), no necesitas asignar los valores del request línea a línea a las propiedades del objeto, tan solo pasas el array del request al método fill y este se encarga de actualizar los campos permitidos:
public function update(Usuario $usuario, Request $request)
{
    $usuario->fill($request->all());
    $usuario->save();
}

El método fill acepta un array como parámetro.
Puedes ver más información en: https://laravel.com/docs/5.7/eloquent#mass-assignment

A: De acuerdo a la documentación de Laravel se puede partir de lo siguiente
Actualizar un solo registro
$app = ModelName::find($id);
$app->name = $request->name;
$app->email = $request->email;
$save();

Actualizar con base en una condición
$app = App\ModelName::find(1);
$app->where("status", 1)
    ->update(["keyOne" => $valueOne, "keyTwo" => $valueTwo]);

Como observas cuando haces una actualización masiva puedes establecer una o mas condiciones, entonces lo valores a actualizar se reciben en forma de array asociativo
Entonces si lo comparas con la respuesta de @Shaz no solo observarás mas de una opción, si no que puedes hacer uso de opciones que acorten muchísimo el código(como el mismo lo muestra)
(Referencia)[https://laravel.com/docs/5.7/eloquent#inserting-and-updating-models]


text:
College grad sentenced for assaulting sleeping…
College grad sentenced for assaulting sleeping frat brothers
PUBLISHED: January 5, 2017 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: September 12, 2018 at 12:00 am
READING, Pa. (AP) — A graduate of a Pennsylvania college has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for sexually assaulting two of his fraternity brothers as they slept.
The Reading Eagle (http://bit.ly/2je6aih) reports Robert Convery Jr., of Williamstown, New Jersey, was convicted of assaulting the two Albright College students. Each attack occurred after the victim fell asleep after fraternity parties.
Prosecutors say Convery sexually assaulted one fraternity brother on separate occasions in 2013 and 2014. The second victim was assaulted in 2015.
Convery says he made a mistake.
Both victims testified at Convery"s sentencing Wednesday in Reading. Judge Paul M. Yatron also read a four-page letter from the victim who was assaulted twice. The 23-year-old Convery will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The New Barnard Housing Selection System: What Actually Changed And Where Did Everyone Pick?
By Betsy Ladyzhets	on Apr 17, 2018 1 Comments
This article is brought to you by Excel's pivot tables
While we were thoroughly covering every shout and tear of Columbia in-person housing selection, Barnard students were learning to use a new, entirely online selection system run through the StarRez portal. This system caused an uproar among rising seniors and faced a barrage of questions when it was announced in February, but how did it actually play out for Barnard students? EIC Betsy Ladyzhets took an in-depth look at the new system, backed up by the newly available data.
On February 10, 2018, the Barnard Residential Life & Housing office sent out an email to the Barnard student body announcing a new housing lottery system. Rather than an individually-based, in-person selection process, Barnard upperclassmen would pick their housing for the next year based on conglomerate group numbers in an entirely online system.
This new system immediately became a cause for concern, particularly among rising seniors who felt as though they had been cheated out of their chance to secure Barnard's best suites. But how much did this new system actually affect students' choices of rooms? What can be learned from this year's selection process to improve future rounds of housing selection? In order to answer these questions, I spoke to Mia Lindheimer, BC '19, the current SGA Representative for Campus Affairs (and a former Bwogger!), who has worked closely in liaising between students and Matt Kingston, Barnard's Associate Director for Housing Operations, throughout the new process, and also examined the data available from Res Life on where each group in the Barnard lottery picked.
What changed this year?
The primary changes implemented with the new housing system are in how students pick, and when. In the past decade, Barnard's housing lottery has been more individual; each student would be randomly assigned a lottery number based on their class year, and groups would take the highest number of all the students in that group. This led to stress and competition, Mia said, as students would try to team up with students who had higher numbers, rather than actually forming groups with their friends. This old system also made it easier for groups to split up, leaving students with higher numbers to secure high-demand rooms while their no-longer-suitemates were left with worse lottery numbers.
Another hallmark of the old system was that it took place entirely in person, over the course of about a week in the Brooks lounge. Similarly to Columbia's in-person selection, groups would go into a room when their numbers were called, pick their housing, sign their contracts, then go back out. Barnard's in-person selection was touted as more comprehensive than Columbia's, as all picks and still available rooms were easily viewable in real time on screens in the outer part of the lounge and online (while in the John Jay lounge, Columbia Res Life operated with a bit of a lag, and did not reveal where each lottery number had picked.)
However, Barnard Res Life was not as organized as it seemed, Mia explained. The old housing selection website was entirely coded by Matt Kingston, often suffered from bugs, and did not sync with the rest of MyBarnard. As a result, at the end of each day of in-person selection, Res Life staffers would need to take the screens displaying where each student had picked back to the office in Sulzberger and physically transcribe every single room choice, then re-upload all of this information onto the MyBarnard portal so that it could be accessed by students, as well as Financial Aid, Dining, and other Barnard offices. This process was extremely labor-intensive for Res Life workers, and led to potential for error in transcription.
Because of the technical issues involved in the old system, Res Life has been hoping to switch over to a housing portal developed by tech professionals for several years now. This switch finally happened this year as Barnard teamed up with StarRez, the world's leading housing portal system. StarRez is used by numerous schools around the country, including Columbia – although Barnard's system is set up differently from Columbia's.
Like in Columbia selection, groups now register together and are assigned a joint lottery number. Unlike in Columbia selection, all of housing selection now takes place online. This makes the process less labor-intensive for Res Life workers, keeps the Brooks Lounge free for student studying, and increases convenience for Barnard students, who now only need to take a few minutes out of their busy days to choose their housing rather than spending a stressful half-hour in Brooks. Many of the Barnard students on Bwog agreed that this online selection was a major improvement.
Also different from Columbia's process and the old system, Barnard students now pick their housing according to group size, not class year. The new system consists of four different lotteries: the 4-, 5-, and 6-person suite lotteries, and the 1/2/3 lottery for individuals, doubles, and small suites. Each day has students of all class years picking, although students of higher class standing still have better lottery numbers and earlier time-slots. It is also notable that these selection days are spread over several weeks: the 4-person lottery took place on Wednesday, March 21, while the 1/2/3 lottery only concluded this past Friday.
Mia explained that the new system of picking by suite numbers was designed because Barnard's upperclassmen housing options are primarily suites – different from most other schools, where the majority of housing options are corridor-style. Res Life assumed that most students want suites, and that it is easier to build up suites than to break them down – hence scaling up from 4 to 6 rather than down. The spacing out of selection days allows groups time in between lotteries to regroup, rather than the quick-and-dirty action of senior and junior regroup across the street. If, say, a 4-person group failed to get the suite they wanted and decided to drop to the 5-person lottery, they had a full 48 hours to find a person to join up, then another four days to re-prioritize where they wanted to live. Then, if that failed, the group could either scale up again to go into the 6-person lottery, or split for the 1/2/3 lottery.
The new system is certainly a bit confusing with all of these options for regrouping, especially as groups are assigned a new lottery number each time they register for a different lottery. Housing held several info sessions in order to explain all of these changes (most of which, Mia noted, were not particularly well attended.) But overall, the new system has the same goal as the old: enable all students to secure housing with roommates and suitemates of their choice, while prioritizing upperclassmen.
How were this year's room choices affected?
One significant advantage of an entirely-online system is that data on housing selection are easier to collect. Barnard Res Life has leaned into this advantage, as the office made spreadsheets with all remaining rooms and all lottery picks available to anyone with a barnard.edu email address. This is a huge step up from previous years, when Barnard students mostly had to guess which rooms and suites would go to whom based on past experience and hearsay; students can now access literally every single choice made by every single housing group of the 2018 housing selection process.
Such a wealth publicly available data offers a wealth of possibilities. Namely, the spreadsheet can be used to identify cutoff scores for each room and suite type, map out where students of each class picked, determine how many students dropped from one lottery to the next, and more. I used Excel to do these calculations, resulting in the colorful charts displayed in the gallery below:
All picks; note that Gua = guaranteed housing list and Can = cancelled
6 person lottery results
1/2/3 lottery results
Where all the rising seniors will live
Where all the rising juniors will live
Where all the rising sophomores will live
But what does this data actually mean? Well, mostly, that the trends in housing selection weren't too different from previous years. We can't compare directly because only data from this year is available, but the trends of each dorm are fairly common knowledge among Barnard students (as noted in Bwog's estimates during our dorm review posts); for the most part, data backs up the general assumptions, with a few notable exceptions.
In general, seniors opted for Sulz Tower, nicer suites in the 600s, and the best of Cathedral Gardens, 110, and Hewitt. Juniors went to Hewitt, Plimpton, the 600s, and 110. Sophomores went to… whatever else was available. When I talked to Mia, she noted that the order in which suites were chosen within dorms progressed similarly to her and her suitemates' predictions, based on their collective past experience. 620 and 616 suites were the top choices in the 4- and 5-person lotteries, progressing from top floors down and skipping floors with RAs (not unlike the progression of EC highrise choices at Columbia.) A few CG and 600 suites were chosen by rising seniors, and the vast majority of underclassmen in these lotteries dropped down to regroup, although a few picked into 110; see the large slices of "didn't pick" in those graphs. The 6-person lottery progression was also fairly predictable: first nicer 600s suites, CG suites, and renovated Plimpton suites were chosen, then the remainder of Plimpton progressed from top floors down.
In the 1/2/3 lottery, almost the entirety of Sulz Tower went to rising seniors – similar to previous years, and in spite of concerns from seniors that they would not be able to pick into this dorm after waiting three years to live there. However, it is notable that a few senior groups (23, or 9.8%) will be living in Hewitt, which is historically a sophomore and junior dorm. More senior groups picked into 110 (43, or 18.4%) and than is typically expected as well, and fewer went to CG. There are even a few seniors on the guaranteed housing list; although this is far fewer than the number of underclassmen (7 senior groups, 13 junior groups, and 28 sophomore groups dropped to the list; a total of 63 students.) Mia said that the number of students on this list is comparable to, if not fewer than, the number of students on the list in previous years, although Res Life has historically not released data about guaranteed housing.
All of the data referenced in this part of the article can be found in this spreadsheet, along with calculated cutoffs for each room and suite type. Please note that the numbers and percentages are numbers of groups who picked into each dorm/suite type, not numbers of students.
What might change in the future?
In my conversation with Mia, we also discussed common concerns among Barnard students regarding this new system, as well as potential changes or solutions. The most vocal have been rising seniors, who feel as though they were cheated out of their shot at top housing choices. Many seniors were successful in securing high-demand housing, but those who landed in Hewitt and other less exciting dorms are understandably frustrated. Rising juniors and sophomores are more content with the new system, though; students I spoke to praised the convenience of an entirely online selection process and the ease of checking availability on Res Life's spreadsheets.
Students who are assigned housing through ODS also expressed concern that the new system was announced after the deadline for special needs housing had already passed, causing their options to change after one option had already closed. Mia acknowledged this issue, but said that it will not be a concern in the future, as the new system is now simply the housing system. She also noted that Res Life worked with a few of these students who reached out individually to change their plans after the deadline.
Another source of frustration is that the numerous suite lotteries require many groups to regroup, opening the possibility for groups to be assigned poor lottery numbers multiple times. Why couldn't groups who, say, dropped from the 4- to the 5-person lottery be given priority in that second lottery?
"That would be unfair to the groups who really wanted 5-person suites," Mia explained. Plus, if every group that dropped from one lottery to another was prioritized the second time, groups that didn't really want suites of one size would join a lottery just to get a higher number in the next one. Perhaps Res Life can reconsider the randomization algorithm in future years, though, so that upperclassmen groups are less likely to be short-changed.
Another means of improving the regrouping process would be to put caps on the number of groups of a certain size that are allowed to form. In both the 4- and 5- person lotteries, over half of the groups did not pick. Perhaps only rising seniors and juniors should be allowed to form groups of these sizes? When I made this suggestion to Mia, she noted that many rising seniors would likely still drop to the 1/2/3 lottery (hoping for Sulz Tower) if they didn't get a great suite in 620, while only rising sophomores are interested in the small suites in 110.
Barnard's new, online, group-based selection system for housing is here to stay, despite all the anger and frustration that has accompanied it. Over time, Res Life will continue tweaking the process, and the progression of choices will become increasingly easy to predict, if data is still publicly available in the future as it was this year. No specific changes are planned for next year yet, but Res Life and the StarRez portal staff are both very open to student feedback on improvements. If any student wants to share ideas, the best way to do so would be emailing Matt Kingston or talking to the next SGA Campus Affairs Rep.
barnard housing
betsy isn't even living in barnard housing next year
fun with excel
housing coverage 2018
next time res life spends a big chunk of cash can they get more window AC units
next up: bwog tackles barnard summer housing - what the fuck is up with that
the new system doesn't let you miss class? who wants that?
we kinda miss the excitement of in-person housing selection though
:/ says:
@:/ I think that the main problem with this year's housing selection was that Sulz Tower (arguably the most popular dorm for rising seniors) was erroneously placed in the 123 lottery. Many seniors, driven by the compelling and yet fleeting vision of a single in Sulz Tower, took a risk, and chose to go 123. For some, the gamble paid off. For others, Sulz Tower was the sun to their Icarus, an unachievable and yet tantalizing goal. The Barnard housing lottery really is just en extended metaphor for the folly of man.


text:
European Democrat Union var en samarbetsorganisation för konservativa och liberalkonservativa partier i olika europeiska länder. Organisationen fusionerade så småningom med Europeiska folkpartiet, där de flesta av medlemspartierna också ingick.

Referenser

Europa
Konservatism

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Key Movies of My Life
Retro TV Review
Nickflix!
Scifi Tv Review
New Movie Review
The Bond Reviews (1962-2015)
Star Trek The Next Generation Reviews
Star Trek Deep Space Nine Reviews
Late to the Game Blog
October 22, 2020 October 22, 2020 S.R. Kheas Discovery, Mini TV Series Review, Reviews, Star Trek, Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek Discovery Reviews, TV Series Reviews
Scifi TV Review: Star Trek Discovery Season Three Episode Two: Far From Home
Last week we launched into not only a new season of Star Trek Discovery but also a new era of the Star Trek universe itself. Jumping ahead 900+ years into the future from the pre-TOS timeline, Burnham found herself literally a stranger in a strange, yet familiar, land. The thing was, she arrived separate from the USS Discovery itself and was now on a quest to find her crew and solve the mystery of the burn while possibly finding a way to restore the Federation to it's previous glory.
As expected, the second episode acts as a second premiere but this time following the USS Discovery and her crew as they find themselves in a strange new(ish) universe. If course, Saru and Tilly soon find themselves in the middle of a small conflict which inadvertently exposes them as Time Travelers and, well, things get hairy.
Be warned, from here on out, there be Spoilers.
Is it a 'Good' Episode?
I really dig the direction this series is going from these first two episodes. While it seemed that this third season would focus on the restoration of the Federation of the far far future while Burnham searched for her missing crew, it seems that the producers are going a slightly other direction with it.
We find Discovery crash landed and practically out of commission with little hope of escape as it begins to fall under the duress of Parasidic Ice. In fact the ice is not the only threat, as Saru and Tilly quickly discover, when it soon becomes clear that the universe is not the 'civil' place it once was. Meeting up with some rather ornery pirates, who are quickly dispatched by Georgiou, we find that the hope of the once great Federation is starting to grow. While it is interesting that the Federation is still an almost mythical entity of it's own, the reason for this might be because of the time that has passed between the first episode and this one. It's not exactly what we think it is.
At first Far from home seems to be taking place adjacent to the events of the premiere giving us the idea that we would see a fun story with the crew of Discovery and Burnham eventually meeting up in the later part of the season. This is, in fact, not the case. While it does take Burnham some time to find the crew of Discovery, one year in fact, we don't get a chance to see that time pass, instead we jump ahead along with Discovery who are just as shocked as we are to see Burnham arrive just in the nick of time only to inform them that she has been 'waiting for them'. What has happened to Spock's wayward sister in that year is now a point of mystery which, I am sure, will be explored through the course of the season. I mean, it seems she has been busy with her mission to 'rebuild the Federation' as word is getting out, but will we get a chance to see any of that? I sure hope so. If not, well, I sure hope they have a good reason for it as much has to have happened since she started her quest for Discovery.
Overall, this is a great episode that really does feel like the Premiere Part two even though it's not called That Hope Is You Part 2 like I thought it would be. It's a strange thing for sure but who knows, maybe that was on purpose? The crew of the Discovery are still the fantastic one we got to know better in season two with Saru acting as Captain, Tilly growing as a very strong character and Georgiou proving that she is , indeed, not one to mess with. Other great mentions include Stamets and his husband Culber with their loving and fun banter, the amazing Rachael Ancheril as Nhan, plus the incredible Tig Notaro as engineer Jett Reno who really has a good time torturing Stamets in their repair attempts. Frankly, I am still very excited for this season as it is shaping up to be something special.
Gleanings, Questions and cool bits: (slight spoilers here)
Apparently Time Travel rules still apply as Saru makes mention that they need to be carful what they divulge about the past.
We meet Zareh the Pirate who, while he was sent out to essentially die, I really dont think we have seen the last of him. In fact, how did he know that the device from Discovery was a communications device when one of the others mentioned they had never seen tech like that before? Is Zareh from the past as well or was he involved with the Temporal Wars maybe?
I have a feeling that Georgiou is going to strike out on her own at some point…maybe to form her own Section 31?
Saru taking Ensign Tilly under his wing is pretty great. I love the character arc that they both have gone through and this episode really shows how wonderful their characters have become.
We learn that the Tellarites still exist.
We meet some Cordinites who we haven't seen since Star Trek Enterprise. It's great to see that this race still exists this far in the future.
Also, what's going on with Detmer? She seems…shaken? Implant issues? Control?
One interesting speculation that has come up since my first episode review is the origin of The Burn. In talking with one of my friends, he pointed out something that crossed my mind but I didn't quite put together. What if The Burn was the result of someone experimenting with The Omega Particle that was seen on Voyager (and happened to be one of the reviews this week). We know that the writers of these new series have no problem diving deeply into the mythos of Trek, pulling some pretty deep cuts back into canon so it would be no surprise to see the return of The Omega Particle in some for or fashion. While this particle was not know to destroy dilithium it was known to disrupt subspace in a way that would make warp travel impossible. Sound familiar? If they don't take this path I will be shocked, but then again, this is a whole new galaxy.
As usual, a few shots of next weeks episode below.
Thanks for reading the SciFi TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you! Some teasers of next weeks episode below!
For more reviews: check out the weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and for more Trek goodness check out our Retro TV Reviews here.
As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences with these episodes as well. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don't Forget To Follow me if you like the blog!
Late To The Game 10/22/2020
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
"Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made production intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures."
Tagged Burnham, CBS, CBS All Access, Enterprise, prime directive, Prime Universe, review, Saru, Sci fi, science, scifi, ship, Spock, Star Trek, Star Trek Discovery, Trekker, Trekkie
3 thoughts on "Scifi TV Review: Star Trek Discovery Season Three Episode Two: Far From Home"
Just like last week, I will get back to this one, once I've seen it tonight😀
S.R. Kheas says:
of course!! I can already tell this is going to be a fun ride.
Well, you weren't kidding, and having now read your full post, I have pretty much the same questions as you. I love how Tilly is growing as a character. She already was one of my favorites, but in this season she's becoming even more fun. You are so right about Detmer though…..what exactly is going on with her. I thought we would get an answer to that question this episode honestly, but it seems that's going to be shrouded in mystery a while longer. Which of course is fine with me.
Overall this was yet another solid episode, and I do wonder now what's next. Where are we going, and what will be the focus of this season?🤔🤔 So many questions remain….which is part of the fun😊
Key Movies Of My Life: Child's Play 3 (1991)
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Voyager SSN 4 Episode Twenty-Two: Unforgettable
Follow Late to the Game Blog on WordPress.com
Follow Late To The Game Here too!
Blog Categories Select Category Asian Cinema (2) Board Games (1) exclusive (2) Kung Fu (1) Photography (4) Poetry and Prose (172) Cinquain (4) editorial (9) Haiku (73) Horror Stories (7) Humor (1) Interviews (4) Lost Lyrics (3) Memories (13) Poem (18) Press Release (2) Prose (24) Sonnet (1) Tanka (23) Those Certain Songs (46) Random Thoughts (8) Reviews (1,347) 1/6 scale review (3) Action Figure Review (8) Action Films (47) Animated Movies (5) best of (2) Best Of Reviews (5) Board Game Review (1) Collectible Review (5) Comedy Movie Review (24) Drama Movies (79) Family Movies (17) Fantasy Movies (94) Horror Movies (107) Friday the 13th (1) Nightmare on Elmstreet (7) Key Movies of My Life (218) James Bond (27) John Carpenter (1) Mini Movie Review (9) Mini Review (13) Mini TV Series Review (70) Mini Video Game Review (1) Music Reviews (174) Musical Reviews (4) New Movie Review (54) Tricoast Entertainment (26) Nickflix (Drunk) Movie Reviews! (3) Retro Review Series (705) Retro TV Review (689) deep space nine (198) Next Generation (204) Voyager (126) Science Fiction Movies (59) Stand Out Albums (123) Star Trek Discovery Reviews (47) Star Wars (9) streaming (40) CBSALLACCESS (23) Disney ÷ (8) Netflix Reviews (9) Superhero Films (5) The Orville Reviews (28) Toy Reviews (15) TV Series Reviews (736) Black Mirror (3) Netflix (3) Star Trek Discovery (43) The Mandalorian (10) The Orville (18) The Twilight Zone (10) Video Game Review (2) War Movies (2) Western Film Review (4) Scifi Tv Review (81) Star Trek (266) Discovery (45) DS9 (45) Lower Decks (2) Picard (10) Star Trek The Next Generation (40) Star Trek Voyager (126) Streaming Television (17) Things I'm Grateful For (505) Trailer Breakdown (2)
Recently on Late To The Game Blog:
Stand Out Albums: The Beatles 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964) January 19, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Voyager SSN 6 Episode Eight: One Small Step January 18, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek DS9 SSN Two Episode Two: The Circle January 17, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek DS9 SSN Two Episode One: Season Premiere! The Homecoming January 16, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Voyager SSN 6 Episode Seven: Dragon's Teeth January 15, 2021
Key Movies Of My Life: Friday The 13th (1980) January 14, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Voyager SSN 6 Episode Six: Riddles January 13, 2021
Stand Out Albums: The Beatles 'With the Beatles' (1963) January 12, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Voyager SSN 6 Episode Five: Alice January 11, 2021
Retro TV Review: Star Trek DS9 SSN One Episode Nineteen: In The Hands of The Prophets Season One Finale! January 10, 2021
What are people reading?
Key Movies Of My Life: Alice In Wonderland Part One (1985)
Sick and Twisted A Review of Violence Voyager (2019)
Retro TV Review: Star Trek Voyager SSN 6 Episode Eight: One Small Step
Stand Out Albums: The Beatles 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964)
Key Movies Of My Life: Tommy (1975)
Retro TV Review: Star Trek TNG SSN 5 Episode Twenty Five: The Inner Light
Stand Out Albums: Marty Robbins 'Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs' (1959)
Stand Out Albums: The Who 'Tommy' 1969
Please, Follow us!
If you like what you read today, please help us keep the site running.
Tips and Site Maintenance
Fair Use Act Disclaimer
Retro TV Review Episode Index: Star Trek The Next Generation
Retro TV Review Episode Index: Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Stand Out Albums Index
Other Blogs of Interest:
Becoming a warrior
Crow's World of Anime
The Girl Who Whispered
Dragons Codex
Crackdown Review
Best Kids Toys
(Metanoia)
NONSO'S WORLD
Handcrafted Pens & Unique Wooden Gifts
Patrick Walts
The Late To The Game Team
dreamforgernick
Nickflix Drunk Movie Review – Troll 2
Nickflix Drunk Movie Reviews presents: The VelociPastor
S.R. Kheas
Stand Out Albums: The Beatles 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964)
shannonforman
The Mandalorian: Chapters 13 & 14 Review
Raeldren
Game Dev Corner: Preparing for PAX South
My Top Board Games in 2017
PLEASE NOTE: ALL NAMES, TRADEMARKS AND IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. AFFILIATE LINKS USED WHENEVER AVAILABLE.
Original content is ©LateToTheGame and protected content.
Reviews and editorials celebrating amazing moments in anime.
Award-winning Multi-Genre Author, Blogger and Activist
Anime Reviews, Movie Reviews, Analysis, and Essay
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
Fan of GOD
The Feel Of Arts


Captain William John Decent (S S Gitano) is killed at age 57 when his ship is lost probably after striking a mine off the coast of Denmark. Her entire crew of 38 is lost.
Lieutenant Albert Victor Hawker (Gloucestershire Regiment) dies of influenza at age 26. His brother died of wounds during the Somme offensive in July 1916.
Private Alistair Cameron (Gordon Highlanders) dies on service. He is the last of three brothers who lose their lives as a result the Great War.


The staff were rude & confrontational. From the minute we pulled in, to the minute we left we were yelled at & berated for everything from pulling over before entering to walking in to the campground in the wrong direction. We were walking in & out to meet family because they did not want to drive in & have to listen to the tirades. It went from annoying to unacceptable our final morning when my husband stopped at the booth & asked where the dumpster was located. Instead of simply answering she started shouting at him for blocking the drive. He pulled on through & as he was reentering she waved at him to stop. He ignored her. Her husband then followed him in a cart & confronted my husband asking if he "got a map & knew how to read it". Never have we met such angry people. I believe the staff do a work for stay type arrangement which explains why some people have good staff experiences & others don't. The campground needs to do a better job of vetting the staff. We camped at Indian Point COE in a Fifth Wheel.


text:
'I couldn't help thinking of Harper Lee's great American novel To Kill a Mockingbird while reading The Reckoning . . . [Grisham] knows how to spin a yarn' – Chicago Sun-Times
'May be his greatest work yet' – David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon
In his unforgettable new novel, John Grisham tells the story of an unthinkable murder, the bizarre trial that followed it, and its profound and lasting effect on the people of Ford County.
Pete Banning was Clanton's favourite son, a returning war hero, the patriarch of a prominent family; a farmer, father, and a faithful member of the Methodist Church. Then one cool October morning in 1946, he rose early, drove into town, walked into the Church, and calmly shot and killed the Reverend Dexter Bell.
As if the murder wasn't shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete's only statement about it – to the sheriff, to his defense attorney, to the judge, to his family and friends, and to the people of Clanton – was 'I have nothing to say'.
What turned Pete from a pillar of the community into cold-hearted killer? And why won't he confide in anyone? All his closest family knows is that it must have been something devastating- and that the fallout will haunt them, and the town, for decades to come . . .
Further praise for The Reckoning
'Beautifully constructed . . . weaves a truly magical spell' – Daily Mail
'In this saga of love and war, John Grisham has given us a sprawling and engrossing story about a southern family, a global conflict, and the kinds of secrets that can shape all of us. From the courtrooms and jails of rural Mississippi to the war-torn Pacific, Grisham spins a tale that is at once entertaining and illuminating' – Jon Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of America
'John Grisham is the master of legal fiction, and his latest starts with a literal bang – and then travels backward through the horrors of war to explore what makes a hero, what makes a villain, and how thin the line between the two might be' – Jodi Picoult, internationally bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things
'When a master of storytelling and suspense takes on one of the most wrenching stories in history, the result is a book that will break your heart, set your blood pumping and your mind racing, and leave you gasping for breath by the final page. I'm still trying to recover from The Reckoning' – Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author of The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic
THE INNOCENT MAN by John Grisham is now a major six-part documentary series on Netflix
Genre: Fiction & Related Items / Thriller / Suspense
On Sale: 23rd October 2018
Beautifully constructed, [The Reckoning] captures the racial tensions of the Deep South and weaves a truly magical spell
In this saga of love and war, John Grisham has given us a sprawling and engrossing story about a southern family, a global conflict, and the kinds of secrets that can shape all of us. From the courtrooms and jails of rural Mississippi to the war-torn Pacific, Grisham spins a tale that is at once entertaining and illuminating
Jon Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of America
John Grisham is the master of legal fiction, and his latest starts with a literal bang - and then travels backward through the horrors of war to explore what makes a hero, what makes a villain, and how thin the line between the two might be
Jodi Picoult, internationally bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things
When a master of storytelling and suspense takes on one of the most wrenching stories in history, the result is a book that will break your heart, set your blood pumping and your mind racing, and leave you gasping for breath by the final page. I'm still trying to recover from The Reckoning
Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author of The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic
A murder mystery, a courtroom drama, a family saga, a coming-of-age story, a war narrative, a period piece: The Reckoning is Grisham's argument that he's not just a boilerplate thriller writer. Most jurors will think he has made his case
I couldn't help thinking of Harper Lee's great American novel To Kill a Mockingbird while reading The Reckoning . . . [Grisham] knows how to spin a yarn


If you're a fan of offense, Sunday's game against the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics wasn't for you.
The Celtics won Game 1 of their first round series against the Pacers by a final score of 84-74. Both teams shot under 37 percent from the field and Indiana only scored eight points in the third quarter.
Pacers center Myles Turner said guys were just missing shots they normally make. The defensive stopper thinks Indiana played a great defensive game overall and just couldn't buy a basket.
The Pacers' eight-point third quarter in Game 1 was the worst performance from an Indiana team in franchise playoff history. The Celtics have a good defense, but they aren't that elite. There was just a lid on the basket for Indiana.
Myles Turner finished with only five points in 30 minutes. He needs to be more aggressive, especially in the paint. A 7-footer like him should be feasting down low instead of venturing out to the perimeter.


Resume built for oil and gas job opportunities by a jobseeker with experience in Derrickman, roughneck, & roustabout with training & supervision skills - Global Santa Fe - would you like to offer this candidate a job/contract employment?
As an experienced and successful derrickman, roustabout, and floorhand, I am seeking a challenge in the oil field industry where my experience, education, and certification training can be utilized. I am willing to work on land, offshore and/or overseas. I would like the opportunity to continue my job as derrickman or assistant driller with the desire for future advancement.
My certifications in the oil field industry include the following: Competent Shipyard Person (Confined space, testing, and entry certification), Well Control School – Drilling, Completion, Work Over, and Subsea, Fire Fighting School (Texas A&M), Safety Management Leadership, Advanced Safety Auditing, Environmental, Team Leadership, Focus I, II, and III, and Well Control School.
•	Worked at various levels of the derrick assisting the driller, centering, raising and lowering casing, drill pipe and tubulars through the drill floor rotary table.
•	Assured the smooth operation and support function of the sack room, pump room, and mud pit rooms including preventative maintenance to mud pumps and other equipment including valves, valve maintenance, charging pumps, and mixing pumps.
•	Assisted the driller in supervising floorhands and roustabouts on and around the drill floor.
•	Supervised floorhands and roustabouts on assisting derrickman on day to day operations.
•	Successfully trained three assistant derrickmen to become competent derrickmen and roustabouts to become floorhands.
As evidenced in completion of numerous certifications, it is a career goal of mine to continue my education in the oil and gas industry.


1. The killer smothered the victim ……………………… a pillow.
We use with to refer to the instrument used by somebody.
2. You have an ink smudge ……………………….. your shirt.
We use on to indicate position on the surface of something.
3. She snapped ……………………….. me when I tried to comfort her.
The words snapped, yelled, shouted etc., are followed by at.
4. The professor was sparing ………………………… his praise.
5. He demonstrated a staunch belief …………………………… human rights.
Belief is followed by in.
6. My feet ached …………………………… the two-hour stand.
From can indicate the cause.
7. He stormed …………………………… the waiter and embarrassed everyone at the table.
We use at after some verbs to indicate the target.
8. I can't believe you would stoop ……………………….. such nonsense.
9. He struck me ………………………….. his fist.
10. She stretched the clothesline …………………………. two trees.
Use between to speak of two things.
11. The region has long been stricken ……………………………. poverty.
12. All hands were rescued ………………………….. the stricken ship.
1. The killer smothered the victim with a pillow.
2. You have an ink smudge on your shirt.
3. She snapped at me when I tried to comfort her.
4. The professor was sparing in his praise.
5. He demonstrated a staunch belief in human rights.
6. My feet ached from the two-hour stand.
7. He stormed at the waiter and embarrassed everyone at the table.
8. I can't believe you would stoop to such nonsense.
9. He struck me with his fist.
10. She stretched the clothesline between two trees.
11. The region has long been stricken with poverty.
12. All hands were rescued from the stricken ship.


Found here on this page of VegasWatch.net you'll find older news that was added to our site on: December, 2013.
Although it was a while ago, we didn't get a chance to report on Microgaming's latest online slot machine, which was a Christmas themed slot called Secret Santa. This new slot was launched towards the beginning of the month, on December 6th, and it is now widely available.
Ladbrokes recently became one the latest online casinos to launch a collection of games developed by Net Entertainment (NetEnt). William Hill Games was the other most recent gambling portal which also followed a similar move.


text:
NAPSNet Daily Report 14 October, 2009
You are here: Home » Mailing lists » NAPSNet » NAPSNet Daily Report 14 October, 2009
"NAPSNet Daily Report 14 October, 2009", NAPSNet Daily Report, October 14, 2009, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-14-october-2009/
Contents in this Issue:
I. NAPSNet
1. DPRK on Nuclear Talks
2. DPRK Missile Program
3. US on DPRK Missile Program
4. ROK on DPRK Missile Program
5. PRC on DPRK Missile Launch
6. DPRK Economy
7. Inter-Korea Relations
8. ROK Defense
9. ROK Space Program
10. ROK Climate Change
11. ROK Civil Society
12. Japan Self-Defense Force
13. Japan-US Military Relations
14. Japan-US Relations
15. Japan International Relations
16. Japan Climate Change
17. PRC Public Health
18. Sino-British Relations
19. Sino-India Disputed Region
20. Sino-Russia Relations
21. Sino-Pakistan Relations
II. PRC Report
22. PRC Environment
23. Civil Society and PRC Public Health
Preceding NAPSNet Report
Agence France-Presse ("NKOREA SEES PEACE PACT WITH US AS KEY TO DISARMAMENT", Seoul, 2009/10/14) reported that called the DPRK Wednesday for a peace pact with the United States. "A peace accord should be concluded between the DPRK and the US if the nuclear issue on the peninsula is to be settled," the Rodong Shinmun said. Such an accord is "one of the most reasonable and practical ways" to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, it said. US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Wednesday his country was ready for an "initial interaction" with the DPRK "that would lead rapidly to a six-party resumption of talks".
Reuters (Jack Kim, "NORTH KOREA MAY FIRE MORE MISSILES AHEAD OF TALKS ", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that the DPRK was preparing to fire a fresh barrage of short-range missiles, a report said on Tuesday, in a move seen as an attempt to boost its bargaining position ahead of expected talks on ending its nuclear weapons program. Analysts say the missiles serve as a reminder of the North's ability to rattle regional security, but were not enough to halt growing momentum for dialogue after the reclusive state announced it was willing to head back to the negotiating table.
United Press International ("MISSILES MAY HAVE IMPROVED RANGE", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that short-range missiles test fired Monday by the DPRK may have improved range over previous missiles, the ROK naval chief of staff said Tuesday. Speaking to ROK lawmakers during their visit to military headquarters, Adm. Jung Ok-keun said the KN-02 missiles "are estimated to have a range between 130 kilometers (80.7 miles) and 160 kilometers (99.4 miles)," Yonhap news agency reported.
Agence France Presse ("'NO INTENTION' OF RELAXING N.KOREA SANCTIONS: CLINTON", Moscow, 2009/10/13) reported that the United States has absolutely no intention of relaxing sanctions against the DPRK over its nuclear drive, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday after talks in Moscow. "We have absolutely no intention of relaxing or offering to relax North Korean sanctions at this point whatsoever," Clinton said.
Korea Herald (Kim Ji-hyun, "SEOUL UNFAZED BY N.K. MISSILE TESTS", 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK yesterday dismissed the DPRK's latest testing of missiles, refusing to issue an official response. "We have no desire to react every time North Korea does something," said one high-ranking Foreign Ministry official, requesting anonymity. The ministry accordingly declined to issue an official statement. "We reiterate our calls for North Korea to uphold the resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council," the ministry said.
Kyodo News ("CHINA SAYS MISSILES WON'T AFFECT 'SOFTER' TREND ON KOREAN PENINSULA", 2009/10/13) reported that the PRC said Tuesday the DPRK's test-firing of short-range missiles will not affect the "softer" trend on the Korean Peninsula and urged relevant parties to exercise "restraint" and work toward the resumption of the six-party talks on the DPRK's denuclearization. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said at a regular press briefing that he noted that "North Korea had fired short-range missiles" and does not feel that this would affect the "progression toward a softer trend on the Korean Peninsula."
Chosun Ilbo ("N.KOREAN FINANCIAL REFORM 'COULD SAVE TRILLIONS", 2009/10/13) reported that hundreds of trillions of won costs could be saved by financial reform in the DPRK before reunification, claims Kim Byung-yeon, a professor of economics at Seoul National University.?? "If North Korea is to move to a market economy, it's essential to reintroduce financial brokers that turn savings into investment, so financial reform must come before reunification."??Kim says the unitary bank, which carries out functions of central and commercial banks, should be separated into two entities, followed by restructuring and privatization of the commercial bank as a way to get rid of bad debts.
Chosun Ilbo ("SEOUL TO RESUME FOOD AID TO N.KOREA", 2009/10/13) reported that the government has decided to resume food aid to DPRK and is considering when to start and how much to give.?? A senior government official told the Chosun Ilbo, "It's the government's consistent policy to continue humanitarian aid to the North, so the government is considering giving it some food aid. But no decision has been made about how much and what kinds of food to give."?? Another government official said the government is considering giving "10,000 to 30,000 tons" of food. If Seoul were to resume food aid on the scale of previous administrations, which was between 300,000 and 400,000 tons, it "would need a strategic decision taking progress in the North Korean nuclear issue into consideration," a senior government source said.
Yonhap News (Kim Hyun, "BUDDHISTS FROM SOUTH, NORTH KOREA CALL FOR REOPENING OF MOUNT KUMGANG TOUR", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that Buddhist leaders from the ROK and DPRK on Tuesday jointly pressed for the reopening of tours to a scenic mountain in the DPRK, a project suspended by Seoul last year after a shooting incident. The call came during a service at Singye Temple, a 6th-century worship house perched at the foot of Mount Kumgang, to mark the second anniversary of its restoration, said the DPRK's Korean Central News Agency. After the worship, the Buddhists issued "a joint prayer statement that conveyed the resolutions of North and South Buddhists to open the way for Mount Kumgang tourism and the pilgrimage to Singye Temple and to proactively work for the reunification, peace and prosperity of the nation," the report said.
Yonhap News ("S. KOREA TO BUILD 6 'MINI' AEGIS COMBAT DESTROYERS BY 2026: NAVY", Gyeryongdae, 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK Navy said Tuesday it plans to build and deploy six "mini" Aegis combat ships by 2026, using them as the backbone of its defense against the DPRK. The ROK currently operates one Aegis combat destroyer weighing 7,600 tons and plans to have two more by 2012. Aegis, a high-tech naval defense system, enables ships to monitor and shoot down targets hundreds of kilometers away.
Yonhap News (Sam Kim, "S. KOREAN DEFENSE FLAWED AGAINST N. KOREAN ARTILLERY: LAWMAKER", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK military may fail to strike back at the DPRK's border artillery as swiftly as needed in the event of a conflict because its internal communications equipment is obsolete, a lawmaker warned. Citing testimonies from retired officers, Rep. Kim Dong-sung said it could take up to an hour and a half for ROK counter-artillery forces to receive coordinates on DPRK guns.
JoongAng Ilbo (Kim Min-seok , "TROOPS TO GET NEW HIGH-TECH TRACKING DEVICE", Gyeryongdae, 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK Army is in the process of equipping units with an electronic system that tracks units' location in real time, according to a report submitted during the National Assembly audits yesterday. The Army said by the end of this year, ROK army units on the front line, down to company level, will be armed with the positioning reporting equipment, or PRE. A PRE is a handheld device with global positioning system and can send text messages protected by passwords. The PRE also displays locations of opposing forces and costs up to 4 million won ($3,420) each.
Yonhap News ( Lee Joon-seung, "S. KOREA COULD BECOME VITAL PARTNER FOR SPACE EXPLORATION: NASA CHIEF", Daejeon, 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK has the potential to become an important partner in efforts aimed at advancing exploration and technology for the peaceful use of space, the head of the U.S. aerospace administration said Tuesday. National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) chief Charles Bolden Jr. said at the International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, located 164km south of Seoul, that the country has made noticeable strides with its robust space program by building various satellites and launching a rocket into orbit.
Yonhap News (Lee Joon-seung, "EUROPE SEEKS COOPERATION WITH S. KOREA ON SPACE EXPLORATION: ESA CHIEF ", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that Europe is seeking closer cooperation with the ROK in the fields of space exploration and earth observation, the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) said Tuesday. In a news conference at the 60th International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, 164km south of Seoul, ESA director general Jean-Jacques Dordain said future cooperation could take place in two main areas. "One would be to use South Korean ground stations to monitor some of our launch vehicles taking off from the Kourou space center in Guiana, and the second would be to exchange data collected from orbital satellites," he said.
Korea Herald (Song Sang-ho, "LEE STRESSES SPACE TECH COOPERATION", 2009/10/13) reported that President Lee Myung-bak yesterday underscored the importance of international cooperation in sharing achievements in space development and research to enhance the quality of life for all mankind. He also said that the government is considering participating in the international lunar exploration program. "Many countries have cooperated to successfully carry out large-scale space projects such as the lunar exploration program, and there have been attempts to address global problems such as climate change and natural disasters by jointly utilizing satellite information," Lee said. "Korea hopes to join such efforts. I hope that through this congress, concrete progress will be made regarding joint utilization of space technology and international cooperation."
Bloomberg (Shinhye Kang, "SOUTH KOREA MAY TARGET 4% CUT IN EMISSIONS BY 2020″, 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK may target a 4 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the environment minister said, overriding the view of most companies that the plan will drive up costs and threaten investment. "Industries want a low target with a slow pace of reduction, but we need to show our commitment to global society," minister Lee Maanee said in an interview at his office near Seoul. "A 4 percent target may also help stimulate other developing nations' efforts to cut the heat- trapping gases and gain support from developed countries."
Donga Ilbo ("BILL PASSED ON TOUGHER ENERGY STANDARDS FOR HOUSES", 2009/10/13) reported that the Cabinet passed a revised bill on standards for energy conservation and eco-friendly housing standards, and the bill will be immediately implemented after presidential approval. The Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Ministry said the bill will require construction companies to reduce energy consumption more than 15 percent for a house covering more than 60 square meters and more than 10 percent for one under 60 square meters to get an apartment construction permit. If a single unit in an apartment complex fails to meet such standards, construction will not be permitted.
Yonhap News ("S. KOREA TO BUILD LOW-CO2 THERMAL POWER PLANT", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that the ROK plans to develop technology to build a thermal power plant that can drastically cut back on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2020, the government said Tuesday. The plan calls for extensive research and development into so-called carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in the coming years with the aim of slashing CO2 levels by more than 90 percent by the target year, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
Yonhap News (Byun Duk-kun, "CIVIL SERVANTS FIRED FOR JOINING ANTI-GOV'T RALLY", Seoul, 2009/10/13) reported that the government said it has dismissed 14 head members of three civil servant unions and disciplined a dozen others for participating in anti-government rallies in July. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security said a total of 105 unionized government employees belonging to the three unions, which recently merged into one, had been referred to its disciplinary committee for taking part in the July anti-government rally.
Kyodo News ("2 JAPAN DESTROYERS LEAVE FOR ANTIPIRACY MISSION OFF SOMALIA", 2009/10/13) reported that two Japanese destroyers left Japan on Tuesday for antipiracy operations off Somalia to take over duties from two other destroyers operating since July. The 4,650-ton Takanami and 3,550-ton Hamagiri were the first to be sent to the Gulf of Aden under the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. In Tokyo, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa told a news conference that Japan's new government plans to continue the Maritime Self- Defense Force antipiracy operations off Somalia as they have deterred piracy there.
Yomiuri Shimbun ("ROOS FAVORS RELOCATION PLAN AS IS", ) reported that U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos stressed his hope Tuesday that the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Okinawa Prefecture to Nago in the prefecture would go ahead as planned in the existing Japan-U.S. accord. In an interview Roos said, "We're optimistic that in the end, the realignment road map [for moving the air station's operations to Nago]…will go forward." Roos said he thought it unlikely that the plan would be substantially changed, saying, "The realignment road map is something that both countries agreed to as something that is the next phase of the strategic alliance."
United Press International ("AGREEMENT UNLIKELY BEFORE OBAMA VISIT", Tokyo, 2009/10/13) reported that any U.S.-Japan resolution on the U.S. Marine air station in Okinawa is unlikely before President Barack Obama's visit next month, it was announced. President Obama is scheduled to visit Japan Nov. 12-13 but Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said it would not be possible to resolve the relocation of the Futemma Air Station by then, the Kyodo news agency reported.
Kyodo News ("U.S. AMBASSADOR INTENDS TO SPEAK TO OBAMA ABOUT VISIT TO HIROSHIMA", Tokyo, 2009/10/13) reported that U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos said Tuesday he intends to speak to President Barack Obama about a possible visit to Hiroshima and to convey the impression he had when he recently visited the city that was devastated by an atomic bomb dropped by the United States in World War II. While noting that a visit to Hiroshima by Obama is ultimately "up to the president," Roos stressed during an interview with Kyodo News that Obama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize after calling for a nuclear-free world in a speech in Prague in April, was deeply committed toward realizing nuclear disarmament and ending nuclear proliferation, leaving some room for a possible visit by him to the symbolic city.
Xinhua News Agency ("JAPAN TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH ASEAN, BOOST INVESTMENT IN INDONESIA", Jakarta, 2009/10/13) reported that Japan would strengthen its relation with ASEAN and increase investment in Indonesia, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada as saying on Tuesday evening. The Indonesian foreign minister told a press conference, after a meeting between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono and the Japanese foreign minister at the State Palace, that Japan would strength ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with the help of Indonesia. "Japanese foreign minister sees the relation with ASEAN in recent years has weakened, (so that) Japan wants to step up Japan-ASEAN ties through the help of Indonesia, which is considered as a leader of ASEAN," Wirajuda said.
Seattle Post Intelligencer ("JAPAN JOINS GREEN-AVIATION INITIATIVE", 2009/10/13) reported that Japan has joined the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions, which aims to make aircraft operations more efficient, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday. "This is an important milestone in our collective effort to lessen aviation's environmental footprint," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a news release. "We have all pledged to adopt and promote best practices that will benefit the environment."
Bloomberg (Ben Richardson, "LEAD SICKENS ALMOST 1,000 CHILDREN IN CENTRAL CHINA, XINHUA SAYS", 2009/10/13) reported that almost 1,000 children have tested positive for high levels of lead in Henan province, central PRC, Xinhua News Agency reported. The health bureau of Jiyuan city carried out the tests after a lead poisoning scandal in neighboring Shaanxi province, the state-controlled news agency said. The government tested 2,743 children under the age of 14 who lived near three of the province's biggest smelters, it said, and 968 showed excessive levels of the metal.
New York Times (Andrew Jacobs, "BRITISH TRY TO HALT EXECUTION OF BRITON IN CHINA", Beijing, 2009/10/13) reported that diplomatic officials and rights groups in Britain are waging a campaign to save the life of a British man who has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling by a PRC court despite apparent signs of mental illness. If the sentence is carried out, consular officials say he would be the first British citizen to be executed in the PRC in recent memory.
Agence France Presse ("CHINA ANGRY OVER INDIA PM VISIT TO DISPUTED REGION", Beijing, 2009/10/13) reported that the PRC on Tuesday expressed anger over a recent visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to a border region at the core of a long-standing dispute between the neighbours. "China is strongly dissatisfied with the visit to the disputed region by the Indian leader, who disregarded China's serious concerns," PRC foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement. "We demand the Indian side address China's serious concerns and not trigger disturbances in the disputed region so as to facilitate the healthy development of China-India relations." Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh on October 3 to campaign ahead of state elections, but refrained from saying anything on the PRC or the border dispute.
Agence France Presse (Anna Smolchenko , "RUSSIA, CHINA SEAL TRADE TIES WITH $3.5 BLN IN DEALS", Beijing, 2009/10/13) reported that the PRC and Russia on Tuesday cemented their burgeoning trade relationship with billions of dollars in new deals as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met his PRC counterpart Wen Jiabao. The leaders will sign several agreements, officials said, including one committing each country to notifying the other of the launch of ballistic missiles from its territory. The head of Russian gas giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said a massive gas deal would be signed in the presence of Wen and Putin that would see 70 billion cubic metres of natural gas sent to the PRC annually. "A framework agreement has been initialled. This document will be signed today," Miller said.
Agence France Presse ("PAKISTAN PM GILANI MEETS CHINA'S HU", Beijing, 2009/10/13) reported that Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with PRC President Hu Jintao Tuesday as part of a four-day trip to ally PRC. "Over the years… you have been committed to the traditional friendship between our two countries and to growing Pakistan's relations with China," Hu told Gilani in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters Tuesday that the PRC and Pakistan would "exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern," giving no other details.
Jinghua Times ("PETROCHINA LEADS PARTICIPATION IN VOLUNTARY MARKET", 2009/10/13) reported that according to Tianjin Carbon Exchange Center, PetroChina and nearly 20 other energy giants in the PRC have participated in "Enterprise's Joint Action in Voluntary Markets" organized by Tianjin Carbon Exchange Center. The Joint Action will create a large domestic carbon-emission reduction market for the PRC.
Sina.com ("KRAFT FOOD LAUNCHES TASTY FOOD WEEK", 2009/10/13) reported that over 150 Kraft Food staff from Kraft companies in Beijing ,Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangzhou and so on came to the local migrant children schools and welfare houses and carried out the Tasty Food Week Activity, to sharing tasty food with children, telling stories about tasty food, and sharing wishes about tasty food.
Nautilus Peace and Security (NAPSNet)
Daily Report Archive
Print this article Download this article as a PDF
To print or save translation as PDF, first scan to end to translate whole text, then hit icon to save as PDF file.
Subscribe to NAPSNet
Interested in receiving information about:*
Policy Forums and Special Reports
John C. Humphreys, CW3 retired
My names John Humphreys and I was on Johnson Isla...
Oct 31 2021 on Cleaning up John...
William Grubb
Operation Team Spirit .. spring 1976 .. totally f...
Oct 26 2021 on THE AUGUST 1976 ...
Steven Starr
Regarding Perimeter, you state: "This is an aut...
Oct 15 2021 on RUSSIA'S NC3 A...
View this online at: https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-14-october-2009/


When they keep telling you no, about incorporating healthier options, such as for drinking and eating, in order to not have to make the change, when you are making all the other changes, how long before you notice we are gone.
It's just an effing insult, if you are not trying to offer what we need, and are in a position to do so, without having to ask. Take off with the right vision, not just for us, but because it is the right thing to do, when you have a second chance.
You might still be alive, and I be around somewhere, to force to help you?
No, I will be so in debt, no time, and you never helped me, I won't have the money or the time to invest in pulling you out of the hole, whatever survived the assault you subjected your own body too.
Even if I could help you, you still wouldnt like it, and be able to change in time, and respect, without the total insult of your own self. Having to stoop, your pride will get you.
You want to get busy towards a progressive path, but if you don't put health food health drinks, on the menu, you are just as much of a low life, of whoever you will attract.
Change that is slow is equally as slow of saving you, such as from cancer. It makes you wonder what your true goal is.
It isn't worth it for me to wait around, if the plan is not going to let me save myself. So once again, it is crunch time and a lesson learned.
Some things are worth the time you invest to be supportive, when they make ALL the right changes, and others are not, and so you have to do everything you can to save time, and in the process move on without them.
Some people will just never appreciate they could have had it all. Get the right message.
Next postIs it an update?


text:
Obama Space Waste Continues at NASA – Billions Blown Commercial Cargo and Crew Contracts
04.28.2017 | News | Cloakroom Confidential |
One of the Obama Administration's most duplicative and expensive examples of crony capitalism waste is NASA's Commercial Cargo and Commercial Crew programs. Companies that were supposed to cheaply deliver supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) under the false narrative of competition to curb costs, have blown up rockets yet only to be compensated for failing to deliver, are years behind schedule, destroyed taxpayer funded payloads without consequence and are twice as expensive as originally promised.
NASA began funding Commercial Cargo capsule development in 2006 to 2 providers. In 2008, before either company even flew and instead of downselecting to 1 company, NASA awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract for 12 launches and Orbital and $1.9 billion contract for 8 launches. In October 2014 and June 2015, respectively, both Orbital and SpaceX blew up a rockets delivering NASA hundreds of millions of dollars in critical NASA cargo, further delaying their already lagging schedules. Despite these failures, both companies were paid for delivery, and let off the hook without having to pay for the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Cargo they destroyed. That bill was sent to the taxpayer. And in what is one of the worst examples of crony capitalism, Obama's NASA sole-sourced SpaceX and Orbital 3additional launches each to their original contracts after their failures. NASA then sole-sourced SpaceX an additional 5 launches to their original contract no announcement, and the Obama administration went on to hide it in the 2015 budget request with no competition or justification.
But it doesn't stop there. Now keep in mind, the 11 additional launches are enough to keep Cargo going to the ISS well past 2020. Yet, a few weeks after SpaceX received their extra sole-source missions, NASA awarded 3 new Cargo contracts with a minimum of six launches apiece (yes, 18 more launches) to Sierra Nevada, SpaceX and Orbital-ATK – [all which were more expensive than the first round of contracts] and while SpaceX and Orbital had only fulfilled half their contractual obligations and blew the two up. How does NASA justify this dismal performance by noncompetitively sole-sourcing more flights to these providers just weeks before the next competitive awards were announced? And where is the Obama-appointed NASA IG?
This means NASA now has three companies with 5 multibillion dollar contracts all performing the same service and the fake competition hasn't saved the taxpayer dime. NASA has partnerships with Japan and Russia who also deliver Cargo, meaning there are 7 Cargo providers in all. And to top it off, these "cheaper" systems are actually twice the cost per pound of supplies delivered by the now retired space shuttle.
While this sad story was going on, one equally or more wasteful program is NASA's space taxi Commercial Crew program which will carry astronauts to the ISS. NASA started development in 2010 with 5 providers and in 2014, downselected to 2 and awarding Boeing a $4.2 billion contract and SpaceX a $2.6 billion contract, both for 6 launches apiece, 12 total, to begin launching in 2017. Both companies are at least 2 years behind schedule and won't launch until at least 2019.
After Congress finally forced a partial downselect, Obama's NASA awarded parallel developments to SpaceX – yet again – and Boeing, while we depend on Russia to fly us to the ISS. While it is important for the U.S. to fly our own astronauts, it will not be cheaper as these companies can't price below the Russian cost and the jury is still out on whether they will succeed or pass safety requirements because before the ISS life extensions have elapsed. NASA and Congress have failed the taxpayer in both fiscal and technical and accountability.
Also, NASA is already building a deep-space capsule which is the backup ISS taxi. We also have an agreement with Russia to get our astronauts to the ISS so this means NASA will have access to four capsules that wastefully and duplicatively perform the same service. NASA also has an unfunded agreement with Blue Origin working on a 5thcapsule which very well could fly before Boeing and SpaceX.
Competition may decrease cost but wastefully subsidizing multiple companies does not. How is it cheaper to pay for 3 vs 1 or 2 vs 1? And how has a Republican Congress allowed this to continue? Instead of having a guaranteed capability, the taxpayer will now pay more and more to subsidize multiple cargo and crew capabilities by private companies that will only fly occasionally.
The real loser in all of this is the taxpayer who is on the hook for what would be in excess of $15 billion. In an agency that consistently breaks new ground on multiple fronts, this massive waste erodes opportunities for new achievements.
If President Trump and Director Mulvaney are serious about getting rid of duplication and draining the swamp, there's no better place to start than NASA's swamp of Cargo and Crew.
Cloakroom Confidential
Cloakroom Confidential was a longtime Capitol Hill staffer and insider who has contacts in the House and Senate at the highest levels.
← Previous Story Commentary: Mr. Sessions – Don't Undermine the Tenth Amendment
Next Story → COMMENTARY: Donald Trump: Crazy as a Fox
From A-Z: The Complete Guide To Obama's Scandals, Lies, And Blunders
Joe Biden's Latest Gaffe Is As Stupid As You Might Imagine
Pay Attention: What Many Critics Miss About Donald Trump/King Cyrus Comparisons
Questionable School Survey and 'Clubs' Raise Concerns – as They Should


Trumpeter and SUNY New Paltz music teacher Rebecca Coupe Franks has lead an active career, releasing several albums and recording with jazz greats Joe Henderson, Kenny Barron, and Buster Williams. She's also written a musical, Hubert's Block, which she'll premiere locally with performances on May 28 and 29.
Rebecca Coupe Franks will perform Hubert's Block at the Rosendale Café in Rosendale, New York, at 8pm on May 28 (admission is $10; for more information, visit http://www.rosendalecafe.com/) and at the Falcon in Marlboro, New York, on May 29 at 3pm (donation requested; for more information, visit http://www.liveatthefalcon.com/).