Our garden has entered its summer phase with fewer bulbs in flower but still plenty to see and do. Summer is a time of pests and the 'Scottish flame flower' aka Tropaeolum speciosum is one of those in our garden. Coming from South America I can only assume it has picked up the common name 'Scottish flame flower' because it does so well in many Scottish gardens. We have to pull it out when it grows up through our smaller shrubs as it can kill them in one summer if we are not vigilant.
When it grows up through a bigger conifer like above it is a very beautiful plant worthy of all the praise it gets but beware; if it likes your garden it takes off with vigour, spreading both by seed and its fat probing root system.
Another of my annual challenges is to collect the seed from Trillium ovatum before the wasps get them. The trouble is that the wasps are even more impatient than I am. Driven by the sweet coating that surrounds the seeds, they break into the seed capsule before it is fully ripe and make off with the seeds. Yes I have witnesses; last night the Club Treasurer, Jim and his wife, Carol, dropped in and they saw for themselves the wasps flying off clutching my seeds. I quickly took a picture (a bit fuzzy as I had to hand hold at 1/13 of a second) then I collected the capsules before I was robbed of all the seed.
Still on the subject of pests I often find clutches of snail eggs when I am repotting the bulbs in the outside frames. These clutches of white round eggs are laid by the large snails that we have in plenty and I usually find them at around 2cms deep in pots and troughs.
Another pest that we find mostly under the pots and troughs is the New Zealand flat worm. I have read a lot about this introduced worm about how it quickly eats all our native worms which are very beneficial to the fertility and structure of our garden soils. I find it hard to believe that these flat worms can eat all our worms that quickly - going by the size of them one earth worm probably lasts them several days at least while I have watched a hedgehog eat 10 worms in as many minutes on a wet night. So I do not think that the flat worm is such a big problem. As an alien species it is undesirable but do not be overly alarmed if you find them in your garden just squish it under your foot.
Once Corydalis cashmeriana has flowered in spring the leaves die back for the summer and then the plant produces a second flush of leaves in late summer/autumn. I like to transplant or repot them between these periods of growth. The second flush of leaves you can see in this trough are emerging very early this year, due to our cold weather, but I will still repot these plants now.
Not all the rhizomes have produced their second leaves yet and I do not worry about damaging or losing a few leaves; it is much more important to split the plants and get them into fresh, humus rich well drained compost. If you do not split Corydalis cashmeriana on a regular basis they will stop flowering and then start to die out - whether in containers or the garden they just love being split up and replanted on a regular basis.
As I have said so often before the best bit about bulbs is so often hidden underground. Just look at the fantastic colour and form of these Tulipa humilis corms. Note how the withered remains of the old growth is to one side of the new bulb.
Crocus nudiflorus corms increase by stolons which extend from the base of the corm, expanding towards the end to form a small torpedo by the end of the first year and these in turn form a small corm in the next year. This small corm takes another two seasons of growth to reach flowering size.
I have almost worked my way through repotting most of our Narcissus and I have moved them all into square plastic pots this year. A brave move or stupidity I ask? Well no, it is a considered development that will use the limited space we have under glass much more efficiently, but it is not without risk and I have had to make several adjustments to my regime to take into account this change - more on that in next week's log.
The good side of this development is I have freed up some more space to hold our ever expanding collection of bulbs.
In the garden Lilium martagon album is still flowering, the white flowers looking at their best in the evening light.


How Much Do You Love Running? Take the Quiz!
Like any club or group you belong to, there are specific characteristics that define and speak to what you are collectively. For runners, a lot of those defining things are disgusting (snot rockets), inappropriate to share at dinner (relieving yourself in public) or just downright incomprehensible to the non-runner (spending the equivalent of a car payment on a race entry).
In a dream world, what super powers do you wish runners had? Maybe it's a GPS chip embedded into your brain that tells you the location of the nearest porta-potties on your run. Perhaps it's an ability to grow a new hair tie out of your wrist when you're in need. We asked you to tell us your ideas. Your responses were so awesome, we compiled 10 of them into an infographic! Enjoy!
Certain things happen before a race. It doesn't matter if it's a 5K or marathon, the pre-race rituals are always present. They begin with an announcer pumping up the runners with a passionate speech about the race.
It's never easy setting your alarm to get up before the sun rises to squeeze in a run, but it is always worth it. That being said, here are the 10 stages of grief getting up for an early morning run.
1. The night before: You set your alarm. For 5 a.m. That's 5 freaking a.m. You're sure you want to do this, right?
Have you ever been asked why you run? It appears that the non-running world simply does not understand why we are compelled to routinely tie up our shoes and head out for runs regardless of weather, time of day or how busy we are.


Yara Tours is tourist company and it's going to start the tourism work on June 2017 in Tbilisi. We are looking for dynamic Male/Female staff having sound experience for the position of Tourism Officer.
- Spoken Georgian & English or Georgian & Arabic.
We kindly request also that you indicate in your email and CV the title of the position you are applying for and the web-address of the website, where you found out this Job Announcement.
(*!*) Please refer to Georgia and World Job Market website [ www.job.market.ge ] as information source, when you contact the Employer.


text:
Q: Get a list of Images from an API and display every image in a list I'm using an API to fetch Json data, and i want to display every image from every card that i get from the collection, i can get the image URL from card.imageUrl, but the image source won't take a regular string. i tried to write card.imageUrl = String.Format(card.imageUrl) inside the foreach loop but it didn't work
XAML Code:
        <ListView Name="MasterListView" ItemsSource="{x:Bind MagicCards}">
        <ListView.ItemTemplate>
            <DataTemplate x:DataType="data:Card">
                <StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
                    <Image Source="{x:Bind ImageUrl}"/>
                    <TextBlock Margin="20,0,0,0" Text="{x:Bind Name}" Foreground="{x:Bind Colors[0]}" />
                </StackPanel>
            </DataTemplate>
        </ListView.ItemTemplate>
    </ListView>

Adding to the MagicCardsList
       public static async Task PopulateMagicCardsAsync(ObservableCollection<Card> magicCards)
    {
        var cardDataWrapper = await GetCardDataWrapperAsync();

        var cards = cardDataWrapper.cards;

        foreach (var card in cards)
        {
            if (card.Multiverseid.ToString() != null && card.Multiverseid.ToString() != "")
            {
                magicCards.Add(card);
            }
        }
    }

Main Page
    public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
    public ObservableCollection<Card> MagicCards { get; set; }
    public MainPage()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();

        MagicCards = new ObservableCollection<Card>();
    }
    private async void Page_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
    {
        MyProgressRing.IsActive = true;
        MyProgressRing.Visibility = Visibility.Visible;

        await MTGFacade.PopulateMagicCardsAsync(MagicCards);

        MyProgressRing.IsActive = false;
        MyProgressRing.Visibility = Visibility.Collapsed;
    }
}

Card Class
    public class Card
{
    [DataMember(Name = "imageUrl")]
    public string ImageUrl { get; set; }

EDIT:
http://i.imgur.com/yqQHdTp.png

A: While x:Bind requires exactly matching types of the source and target property, Binding benefits from built-in automatic type conversion (here from string to ImageSource).
So change
<Image Source="{x:Bind ImageUrl}"/>

to
<Image Source="{Binding ImageUrl}"/>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Far too often, homeowners don't realize there is a problem with their plumbing until a toilet backs up or a burst pipe floods the basement at 2 a.m. Dealing with an emergency situation or extensive repair is always a hassle. Scheduling an annual tune-up and inspection can ensure that problems are identified and dealt with when they are still minor, saving you time, money, and headaches in the long run.
Here are five hidden plumbing issues that are often revealed during tune-up appointments.
Leaks in the toilet bowl don't often go unnoticed since they cause water to spill out onto the floor. However, many toilets develop internal leaks between the tank and the bowl. This type of leak leads to a lot of wasted water, driving up your water bills.
There are several possible causes of internal toilet leaks. The gasket that seals the connection between the tank and bowl may be loose or the flapper that fits over the pipe in the back of the tank may not be sealed. Your plumber can figure out the exact cause. In many cases, the problem can be fixed quickly on the same day as your inspection.
If you ever do come home to a burst pipe, the first thing you'll want to do is turn off the water main valve to stop the flow. During your tune-up, your plumber will check this valve to ensure it opens and closes properly. If it is stuck or hard to operate, your plumber can lubricate it for you. He or she can also ensure you know where the water main is so you can operate it in case of an emergency.
If you have hard water, mineral deposits may begin to form inside your pipes. Often, you don't notice these deposits until they grow large enough to slow your water pressure down to a trickle. Eventually, if you don't address them, they'll block the flow of water completely.
Your plumber can use a special camera to determine the thickness of any mineral buildup in your pipes. If it's not overly thick, he or she may advise you to keep your current pipes but install a water softener to remove minerals from the water as it enters your home. If the deposits are large enough to reduce your water pressure, your plumber might recommend replacing the affected portions of your pipes. You'll still want to install a softener to protect your new pipes from suffering the same fate.
A complete blockage of your main sewer line causes overflowing sewage and backed up toilets. But a partial clog does not always cause these symptoms. Your plumber can send a camera down into your sewer line to detect any partial clogs before they become full clogs.
Tree roots are to blame for a large number of sewer line blockages. Tree roots grow towards moisture and nutrients, both of which are found in abundance in sewer lines. Other items like toilet paper may get stuck in the roots, contributing to the clog. Your plumber may chemically kill the roots or use a special spinning blade to cut them away. Either way, you're better off taking care of the problem now rather than waiting until it causes a full-blown backup.
Basement moisture is often blamed on poorly draining soil or improperly placed gutters. But sometimes, it's the result of a leak in the pipes that run under your home's foundation. Known as a slab leak, this type of leak can cause extensive damage over the years. If your plumber detects it during an annual tune-up, he or she can correct it either by patching the leak with epoxy or re-routing your pipes around the leaky segment.
A plumbing tune-up will only take a few hours of your time, and it may save you from a plumbing emergency in the coming months. If you have any specific concerns or worries about your pipes and plumbing system, be sure to bring them up to your plumber during the appointment.


Peter has over 30 years' experience in not-for-profit governance with organisations working in employment, homelessness, housing, child and family support, acute health care and child care. He has worked in senior roles in aged care, health, politics, public service, business development and general management.
Peter is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the advanced company director's diploma. He holds a Masters degree in Public Sector Management and other qualifications in social science and business. Peter has just recently completed a Masters in Ethics and Legal Studies.


As more and more companies move to the cloud, log analysis and log management tools and services are becoming more critical. Some of the tools such as Loggly, Logstash, Graylog, etc., help you to analyze and monitor logs.
Overall, logging is certainly a fundamental practice that provides significant benefits during the lifetime of the application.
Let's look at some of Java logging frameworks and tools.
Apache Log4j 2 is an upgrade to Log4j that provides many of the improvements available in Logback while fixing some inherent problems in Logback's architecture. It provides asynchronous logging which significantly improves performance especially in multi-threaded applications.
Logback is an improved version of log4j. It is conceptually like log4j as both projects were founded by the same developer. If you are already familiar with log4j, you can pick up Logback faster.
Visit the official site to know about all of its benefits.
tinylog is a logging framework for Java and Android. The logger is static, so it is not necessary to create an instance of the logger before logging.
Logbook is a Java library to enable complete request and response logging for various client and server-side technologies. It provides support for Servlet containers, Apache's HTTP client, and other frameworks. It also has auto configuration for spring boot.
Logging is very important in application development, due to highly useful and actionable insights it brings during run-time of the application. Choose the framework as per your project needs and log wisely!
This entry was posted in Tools and tagged java. Bookmark the permalink.


If you are owner of any popular Facebook fan page one thing you will encounter on regular basis is link spam. Many people will comment along with their blog link or many people will try to advertise on your Fan page about their services.
Here is a quick tutorial post which will help you to report and ban such spammer.
This is the first thing which you need to do. Click on flag link in front of the comment and after that click on report.
On the next page you have an option to select the reason for reporting the user and you can permanently ban the spammer.
I usually permanently ban the spammer who tries to spam on Shoutmeloud Fan page. I would love to know your reaction. What do you do when someone tries to spam your Facebook Fan page?
Well some people always complains about attack by spammers on their FB Fan pages, good heck for them, nice writeup there.
Wonderful Information mate. Specially SEO guys who want to do Social Media and don't understand this kind of rules. They just want visitors by what ever ways. This will really help FAN Page Admin to stop this kind of activity.
Thanks for your comment Jaydip and your are right..more over links form Fb fan page are not counted as backlink and won't help such spammer in anyways..!!
It help social media marketer to improve their quality. Many people are using social media as link building….we can prevent from spammers.
True Kamal!! Thanks for your comment.
I am new to FaceBook and learning the trick and tips, this kinds of articles are a fall from heaven for all and new to FaceBook to secure from spammers.
That's true Akshay and especially on Facebook, Spammer are spreading with a great speed. That may be coz of wider audience and great traffic.
Thanks a lot Harsh & even I didn't knew this. These whatever product we design considerable amount of time is required to think on the great spammers or I shall say lamers.
Amazing! I will definitely try it. Thank you very much for sharing 🙂 But I don't have much fans on facebook.
Thanks Harsh for this info. Though my Facebook fan page is not as popular and not yet the target of many spammers, but this info will be beneficial to me in the future, I believe.
and also Can u provide information about how to block certain person who is spamming on our Wall?
We have a huge problem on our FB page from one particular spammer who likes our page, spams several times, then unlikes it. This makes the report button disappear. Unless I can catch her right at that moment I can not ban her. I have reported her personal page to FB but I know they don't really care. I just want her banned from our fan page. Any ideas?
This is one of the situation I have never faced myself.. I suggest report it again to Facebook team and they will take care of it.
I have a strange question. I have a facebook fan page for my metal music blog. and I've looked at some of my "fans" and some look like the last type of people that like metal music. so why did they "like" my page in the first place? for example, I have one fan, I looked at his profile, and under his fave music, he's got all rappers listed. I just find it odd.
I want to know how to *unblock* someone from my business page.


I coloured this gorgeous image with Copics and set it on a background made with Copic Refills on glossy photo card.
I made a simple layout by matting the image on coloured cardstock and added a strip of wash tape and a sentiment.
I am trying to do as many days as I can taking part in The Daily Marker's 30 Day colouring challenge - big thanks to Kathy for running this amazing project for us all.
amazing coloring and very beautiful card!
OOH Sue..... such stunning colouring here........ truly fabulous - particularly her skin and hair! You've managed to get the shine all the way down her twirl of hair... (it's not a plait I don't think). I would have thought this was post-workshop instead of pre!
And...... mehhhhhh........ I think I'll keep the diamonds!! hehe!
Ooh this is beautiful Sue! Such a fab image and you've colored it to perfection!
Beautiful card Sue, your colouring is amazing.
So pretty! Love that effective background! Gorgeous colour! My lovely Sue where have you been I've notice you've stopped visiting my corner of blog land :-( hope you're not sick to death of my blog lol the kettle is always on and I'll fluff up a pillow for you I promise lol!!
A gorgeous card Sue, the image looks fab and I love the background.
Beautiful colouring, really stunning honey. So pretty.
An adorable image coloured beautifully as always Sue. Love the background too.


Parish Nursing is a handbook on health promotion and care within faith communities. Sections of the book address the context for parish or congregational nursing; models, roles, and settings for practice; issues for parish nursing practice; the parish nurse's collaboration with other health team and spiritual care professionals; and international perspectives of parish nursing. While the project had its initial roots in the Lutheran General Care System, it has been written so that nurses of all faiths should find it an extremely useful shelf reference or advanced-level text. Parish Nursing will be of interest to scholars, students, and advanced practitioners in community and public health nursing, psychiatric/mental health nursing, and primary care nursing. Originally published as Parish Nursing: The Developing Practice.
"The major strengths of this book are a comprehensive compilation of chapters that address the developing practice of parish nursing; a useful guide that includes tools, experiences, and some research findings for the beginning, as well as the experienced parish nurse; chapters that focus on models of practice and diversity in the practice setting; and innovations that are unique to this specialty area. . . . I will purchase this book and request that our library order it. I will adopt it for my elective course in parish nursing and recommend it to students, faculty, and others who consult with me about this practice."


Free 1-On-1 Mindset Booster Call!
Awaken The Ultimate YOU & Take The Wheel Of Life!
"6 Steps to a Breakthrough"
Enter your information below to receive your free PDF of "6 Steps To A Breakthrough."
"Think On These Things" will give you your daily dose of meditative medicine. This book was designed not only to enlighten you, but to set a course for transformation. The journaling aspect has been added to further enhance mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Use the blank pages provided for "aha" moments, action steps, breakthroughs, or…whatever you choose.
Listen to "The Ultimate YOU with Coach Q" on Spreaker.
Quentin McCain AKA "Coach Q" went from dedicating his life to the streets to dedicating his life to mindset mastery. He is a bilingual Maximum Performance Trainer and speaker helping people wake up from mediocrity and take the wheel of life.
In The Ultimate YOU Podcast Quentin shares his knowledge on how to become "The Ultimate You" through Neuro-Linguistic Programming other personal development strategies. Coach Q also leverages the expertise of business leaders, self-help experts, athletes and others who have a track record of outperforming the masses.
This podcast will help you control your emotions, restructure your beliefs, be more productive and plow through fear. Join us and uncover "The Ultimate YOU."
Quentin McCain works with entrepreneurs, high-achievers, and organizations that want to maximize performance by breaking through mental barriers to success. Success begins in the mind and often stops there as well. Quentin McCain is a Maximum Performance Trainer and Master NLP Coach who knows that ultimate success cannot happen until we learn how to master our minds so our minds don't master us.
Quentin is the coauthor of "Think On These Things", an Amazon #1 Best Seller and knows what it takes to unlock innovation and build outrageous confidence. He utilizes his personal experiences and the proven principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming taught by business masters such as Tony Robbins. Quentin teaches entreprenurs, sales people, customer service representatives, and C-level executives how to reprogram their thinking and self-talk to re-engage the mission, renew passion for their work, and reinvigorate innovation to achieve greater success. Quentin is also passionate about using these NLP principles with burn and trauma related staff and survivors.
Quentin's story is proof that tragedy can awaken the power within us. Having little relationship with his father, he was raised as an only child by his single mother in Phoenix, Arizona. This environment coupled with his own anger lead Quentin to troublesome years as a teen. He was well on his way to becoming yet another statistic. That was until one night everything came to a crashing halt, literally, when he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home late one night and collided head on with a light pole at high speed! This near-death experience made him realize something had to change or his life might just end. Refusing to stay asleep at the wheel of life, Quentin dove deep into personal development, and is now committed to mastering the knowledge and skills necessary to transform his life and others.
What Is Your Booking Budget?


text: Q: Can't sort the column alphabetically in excel I have a sheet in which I want to sort the email column alphabetically. The issue is that excel is sorting the column multiple times for example look in the image below. It sorts up to row 13 then some values start with numbers then start sorting again from A to Z. Even if I remove the values starting from numbers in between it stills sorts from A to Z then sorts again from row 15 as you can see in the 2nd image.


text:
Welshampton Panto Under Starter's Orders
A local village team is under starter's orders for its eleventh winter show in an original production involving all parts of the community.
Bullion's Bounty has been written for the Welshampton Bonfire Committee pantomime team by Oswestry playwright and actor, Shaun Higgins. It takes place at Welshampton Parish Hall, Welshampton, near Ellesmere on February 18, 19 and 20.
Each production involves more than 60 people from the small village and draws on the talents of local musicians, artists, performers and creators who have worked together to bring the production to the stage.
Shaun, who is directing Bullion's Bounty, said it was a fantastic explosion of family-friendly fun. It features a host of colourful characters in a rollercoaster race to defeat the evil Professor Ironclaw. The cast includes cops, robbers, a squad of baddies, plus a faithful equine companion with romance on his mind.
Shaun said "This playful parody of the Bugsy Malone/Gangsters and Molls genre is packed with fun and zany silliness and, after a year away, the Welshampton Bonfire Committee Pantomime Company is ready and waiting to delight audiences once again.
"As ever, many local people of all ages are involved both on stage and behind the scenes. We never cease to be amazed at the sheer wealth of talent there is across all parts of the production."
There will be four shows – Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at 7.30pm and 2.30pm. Tickets, which cost £9.50, £7.50 and £5.50 can be booked via the website or by contacting 01948710180
Details are available on Welshampton Bonfire Committee website www.welshampton.org.uk and on the 'Welshampton Bonfire Committee presents' Facebook page.
Pictured: Writer and director Shaun Higgins accompanied by pantomime horses Doom Biscuits and Felicity Fetlocks.
2021-12-09T16:16:37+00:00December 9th, 2021|Oswestry Life, People|

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


54 inch Wagon Wheels, Large Wood Heavy Hub Wagon Wheel. Click Image To View Complete 54 inch Wagon Wheel Information And Larger Image.
Click Image To View Complete Wood Cannon Wheel Information And Larger Image.


Home Can Facebook Help Me Grow My Business?
The answer to this question is a big YES..!! Facebook can grow your average/normal business to an opulent and ritzy one. Facebook offers unending ways to grow and expand your business. Just a simple but stout-hearted and gritty step towards Facebook marketing can take your business to new heights. The question which arises now is, "How can I grow my business on Facebook?" These are some easy treads you must consider to take for growing your business on Facebook.
Everything we read about Facebook marketing, the content word pops up, and yes that is correct, content is good and elevates the stature of your Facebook page, but community is what it's really meant for. Without a good and widespread community to entertain and keep hooked up, the content is really two penny – halfpenny, no matter how high calibre the content carries, we as a website development company, believe in forming a community, before we start promoting, it evangelises a feeling of trust and mutual dependency. So make sure your Facebook community is widespread and ever engaging and it will nurture your business.
Use promoted posts to gain benefits of promotions from your counterparts, on their Facebook accounts, this entertains people with similar interests from both accounts, causing the audience and community to develop a sense of trust for the promoted product as you have placed your firm trust in the product.
It might sound uneconomical but it is sometimes a good idea to send sample products to your community which creates a sense of loyalty customer-ism and make them feel that they are important to you and you're willing to provide your best service possible, a sample product which is and should be probably free, acts as a drop in the bucket.
Host giveaways, contests and rewarding quizzes games to amuse and entertain your community, this creates a sense of family bonding and inward trust among the community, also ask your community to promote your Facebook page to get their winning chances higher and higher, we as a website development company we believe in this bond of togetherness which will expand your business with fun.
Now that I have your attention, discounts are really a great asset to grow your business in a unique way. According to a survey, 40% people are attracted towards the Facebook pages which offer any decent discount offers. Generate coupon codes and tell your community members to promote the page and enjoy the benefits of coupon codes from every new visit to your page through their link, this idea is just a drop in the bucket, we as a website development company, believe and know many such ideas which can generate you more revenues and good traffic on your Facebook handle, which will ultimately add to your business growth in long run.
How a Web Development Company Can Enhance Your Online Business Revenues?


text:
A Banda do Pe. Simeão ou Banda da Babilônia  foi uma conjunto musical brasileiro que existiu na cidade de Pirenópolis, Goiás. Suas atividades começaram em 1873 para atender a demanda da Fazenda Babilônia , quando já se encontrava como propriedade do padre Simeão Estelita Lopes Zedes. Existiu por pouco mais de 10 anos, sendo José Gomes Gerais, seu maestro, que utilizava empregados, capatazes e vizinhos de outras fazendas da região .

Com a extinção da Banda do Padre Simeão, os entusiasmados alunos de Joaquim Propício de Pina, compraram uma clarineta, um cornetim, um trombone, um bombardino, um oficleide, um bombo e um par de pratos, para que, além de aulas passaram a ter aulas práticas. No aniversário de 26 anos de Propício, 23 de julho 1893, os alunos musicais fizeram uma apresentação surpresa surpreendendo o mestre, nascendo assim a Fênix que ressurgia das cinzas da velha Banda da Babilônia , nascendo assim a Banda Phoenix, a quarta Banda de Música criada em Pirenópolis.

Bibliografia

 JAYME, Jarbas. Esboço Histórico de Pirenópolis. Goiânia, Editora UFG, 1971. Vols. I e II. 624p.
 MENDONÇA, Belkiss Spencière Carneiro de. A música em Goiás. 2. ed. Goiânia: Ed. UFG, 1981. 385p.
 NASCIMENTO, Melkia Samantha Lôbo. Banda Phôenix: arte, música e turismo. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso. Tecnologia em Gestão de Turismo UEG/Pirenópolis, 2015. 40p.
 PINA FILHO, Braz Wilson Pompeu de. Antônio da Costa Nascimento (Tonico do Padre): um músico no sertão brasileiro. In: Revista Goiana de Artes. Goiânia: CEGRAF/UFG, 1986. pp. 1-24.

Bandas de Goiás
Orquestras do Brasil
Cultura de Pirenópolis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here's our take on a fill-your-own Advent Calendar. It's simple, reusable and uses our beloved mt washi tape. What more could we ask for this Christmas?
You'll need 24 small boxes. We chose white, but kraft would look wonderful too.
Place a small gift or candy or a slip of paper with a Christmas wish or activity into each box.
Cut 24 squares of card stock / art paper in desired colour. Cut 24 squares of white card stock / art paper slightly smaller than your coloured paper.
Write the numbers from 1 to 24 on the white squares. (You could also print your numbers).
Glue the numbered squares to the coloured squares. Glue to front of boxes.
Stack your boxes in whatever form you desired. When opening, if the tape is slit rather than removed, this calendar can easily be reused.
I like the perspective you brought to this subject. Its like you have an insight that most people havent seen before. So great to read a blog like this.


text:
Clathria anchorata är en svampdjursart som först beskrevs av Carter 1874.  Clathria anchorata ingår i släktet Clathria och familjen Microcionidae. Arten är reproducerande i Sverige. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Horn- och kiselsvampar
anchorata


Discussion in 'eLocity Tablets' started by klown07, Sep 10, 2010.
At first I was very interested in getting an Archos 70 or Archos 101. But now I'm wondering if I should go with an eLocity A7. The specs for it look super SWEEEET. A lot more expensive but still. I want to be set for awhile. I don't know, this is tough.
Starting to look like it should be filed under "Too good to be true."
UPDATE (11:15 pm EST): And NOW it's back up at $370! Weird indeed.
Not sure why you said that. Amazon still says "You may pre-order it now and we will deliver it to you when it arrives.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com". Don't see "Currently unavailable" anywhere on the page!
Yeah, I apologize for the false alarm. It was viewing that way for a few hours. Next time I'll take a screen shot.
In the meantime please take a look at my first post and see if you can spot the UPDATE. If not, then I must be seeing things, and will try to cut back on my coffee consumption!
The unit looks good to me. I pre-ordered. I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
One thing I really like is that the price includes a wireless keyboard.
OK, I don't mind if you guys yell...scream...call me dirty names. But didn't you think...just for a second...that the eLocity looks a little too good to be true? I dunno, but I get a funny feeling when I see it.
OF COURSE I want it. It's sitting in my cart right now (admittedly, on preorder). But something tells me...no-name company...unbelievable specs...suspiciously decent price. I would love to wait and see what the first 100 users have to say about it.
Im pretty sure this this is a 800x480 res screen. That holds the whole tablet back from having "unbelievable" specs. This screen resolution is officially supported by android, and thus it would make sense that it would be one of the first tablets out on the market.
Nvidia has been holding back the bandwagon for a while with their delays.
Im pretty sure this this is a 800x480 res screen.
With a high-resolution 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen and the fastest mobile processor ever – NVIDIA's Tegra 2, Dual Core 1Ghz CPU – eLocity's A7 Internet Tablet was made for multimedia. Watch HD films in the palm of your hand or output them in 1080p for a big screen experience with a quick and easy HDMI connection.
Which has me thinking: why put 1080p (or is that only through the HDMI out) on a hand-held screen? Really, what I'm asking is what is the limit of visual acuity such that smaller pixels don't matter? I've seen great tables that pit HD pixel densities versus viewing distances (for flat-screen TVs). I should probably get out the old calculator and extrapolate the acuity relations for small screens and close viewing distances!
Looking at the pictures of the eLocity A7 I am wondering if the SD card would go in all the way or that it would stick out.. I presume this is just to show that it has an SD card slot and that it will not stick out!!
i like the resolution of the elocity a7. I like the fact that it will work well with the android apps we all enjoy.
On the other hand some of the units with a higher resolution are going to have issues.
The question is how big of an HDTV can you use with an elocity a7 before it looks grainy?
Maybe some of the community here that have similar units as the elocity a7 (like the HeroTab rk7 that has the same resolution and HDMI) can tell us if the image looks grainy when the tv is bigger than a 23 inch?
Maybe it's some kind of inventory error?
Interesting. I went to Amazon, did the word search on "elocity" and at the top was an box advert for pre-ordering and then 15 items listed available for elocity. But, none of them were Elocity A7. So I clicked on the little come-on link. It took me to the same result as yours.
I am not in the know, but have heard through my sources. There are some rush to market quality issues on some of the newer (but not yet delivered) units. This may be an example.
But it could just be the Chinese Holidays.
I have a feeling there's no malice here, just automated inventory system silliness. Something very similar happenend in 2007 when I bought my Archos 605...drove the prospective buyers nuts!
My first impression of the eLocity was that it was vaporware, but something tells me it's legit. I'd just like to see a more solid shipping timeline. And some trusty expert reviews!


Last year in 2016 we decided to look at property in Bocas del Toro and so contacted several Realtors. Anne-Michelle was the most proactive in responding to e mails and then lining up suitable properties for us to see while we were staying in Bocas del Toro. She listened to our wish list and was able to find us exactly what we wanted, we could not believe how lucky we were. All through the process of completing the purchase Anne-Michelle again was so helpful and was in contact with us to let us know how things were going and what needed to be done. She was also able to put us in contact with a great lawyer.
We would certainly recommend Anne-Michelle as a true professional!!


text:
Analysis|Monitoring
Anti-Belarusian Propaganda in January-March 2020
Author: Andrei Yeliseyeu
Download .PDF (284,42 Kb)
January theme: The price of visa facilitation with the EU: more gays, civil war, and loss of independence
February theme: Pro-Kremlin media send Lukashenko to Rostov
March theme: EU as a pest house, Russia is doing great
TOP 5 other quarterly propaganda publications
The first quarter was full of regular publications in pro-Kremlin media aimed at a Belarusian audience promoting classical propaganda narratives aimed at discrediting the West and Ukraine, the Belarusian language and culture, and promoting the Russian world.
In January, the tone was set by articles on visa facilitation between Belarus and the European Union, in connection with the long-awaited signing of the coinciding agreement. In February, propaganda efforts focused on a short visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Minsk and a meeting in Sochi between Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin. In March, the main theme was the coronavirus epidemic and the Western countries' unsuccessful struggle and institutions against the background of the "outstanding successes" of Russia and China.
In this quarterly issue, we systematically describe the key topics of pro-Kremlin propaganda in each of the three months followed by a series of striking examples of propaganda publications in the first quarter of 2020.
Visa problem, on account of the small number of gays and women with "balls"
During 2019 and the beginning of 2020, many propaganda articles were published with various crazy interpretations of the protracted negotiations on visa facilitation between Belarus and the EU. For example, the pseudo-Mogilev site "Podneprovie," part of the pro-Kremlin regional propaganda network, provided the following explanation of the guilt of the Belarusian opposition:
"The high cost and the problem of issuing Schengen visas is primarily due to the slander of the opposition. Moreover, slander not only has a political character – it is unrelated to the essence of the matter. For example, a ban on holding gay pride parades in the center of Minsk. European politicians see that minority rights are being violated, that in Belarus rates of gays are too low per capita, and therefore they do not let our citizens in."
Podneprovie-info provides an additional parameter from which the EU moves forward in its visa policy:
"Have women grown balls yet in Belarus? Then that means it does not belong in the ranks of the European Union. It is along such lines that Europeans make decisions on whether their attitude to our citizens will warm or not. And well, of course, the opposition is the main bookkeeper here – if it does not come up with a couple thousand gays in their reports, which are sent to Western customers quarterly, then do not expect any warming over the next ten years. This is the reality of the 'zmagars' (trans. note – subset of Belarusian opposition)."
Free Schengen visa for international sporting events for gays
The pseudo-Grodno website GrodnoDaily went further in tying together the European Union, visas, and the Belarusian opposition. It slipped into an even more ridiculous conspiracy theory. Apparently with the goal of inflating the number of Belarusian gays in the eyes of the EU, and in parallel to divert Belarusians from the European Games in Minsk in the summer of 2019, the opposition allegedly began to lure the population into «international sporting events for gays and lesbians in Madrid».
"Moreover, the 'holer' opposition began to sell tickets to international games for gays and lesbians, and even promised to provide free visas, if only to lead people away from the country's main event. It is good that it's not yet compulsory, but only so far", as GrodnoDaily described the horror.
Regarding the involvement of children in various patriotic events in Belarus, the site writes, "you have to agree that it is much more pleasant to see our well-kept guys in red ties laying flowers at the eternal flame than to watch demon-possessed children with phalluses and strapons at European gay parades".
The immoral, decaying West – a classic pro-Kremlin propaganda narrative.
The price of "visa-free travel" – civil war, war with Russia, and loss of independence
In turn, the pseudo-Brest website BerestjeNews claimed that in return for Schengen concessions the EU is counting on Belarus for no more or less than «rampant democracy in the form of 'peaceful processions' of the opposition», cooling relations with Russia, and the full development of all kinds of European programs. And that is still putting it lightly!
"That is, for a miserable 60 euros, Europeans want the Belarusian government to surrender the country and lose its independence… It seems they are confusing our government with the Ukrainian one, which is ready for a civil war and war with Russia for a visa. When will naive Europeans understand that for us Belarusians their visas are just a blot – that we are not so poor that we are not willing to pay 60 euros to save our independence?…"
However, the absence of visa relaxations with the EU is not a big loss, the pseudo-regional site reassured:
"The Belarusian government now needs a Schengen like a bald man needs a comb. The issues of close cooperation with Russia are much more important now for us… At the very least, we have had a visa-free regime with the Union State for many years. In this regard, we receive many more benefits from the Union State represented by Russia. This says something about our loyalty to our Russian brothers and that this loyalty is not for sale for European sausages".
In reality, Moscow has never linked its relationship with Belarus to the specifics of its visa relations with the European Union. But what difference does it make if the goal is to lay out a classic propaganda narrative that contrasts the Russian brothers with the insidious and immoral EU-ers?
Tax maneuver over killing for Schengen visas
The pseudo-Grodno website GrodnoDaily painted the pros and cons of Schengen simplifications in a similar vein. If the European Union is interested in Belarus, then it is only "for the implementation of the Ukrainian scenario, where zealous activists are ready to kill for the 'multis' (trans. note – "multis" here refers to "multiple-entry visas) with ninety-day stays in the EU".
And again, it is an overdrawn reference to Russia as the antithesis of a decaying Europe, although visa negotiations have nothing to do with Belarusian-Russian economic relations:
"We do not need these kinds of Schengen 'multis.' We would be better to pay sixty euros and go on trips to other countries as tourists rather than humiliating ourselves, begging for 'visa-free.' Much more important are tax maneuvers for oil, gas at preferential rates, and the export of our products to the Russian market than the continual promises of a rotting Europe".
Talking titles
A brief visit by the U.S. Secretary of State to Minsk and a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi in early February became a catalyst for dozens of articles about the unenviable stake of the latter. And if usually the network of propaganda sites discredits the Belarusian opposition, history, and statehood, then in early February Lukashenko himself became its main target.
A selection of titles of publications of one of the internet resources (Politnavigator.net) in the first week of February gives an idea of their content:
"Lukashenko has burned all bridges" – The time has come to act (03.02)
Moscow doubts that Lukashenko will win the presidential election (03.02)
Lukashenka makes everyone sick domestically and throughout the world (02.02)
Ukrainian politician warned Lukashenko: Everything will end in grief (04.02)
Lukashenko leads Belarus to disaster (06.02)
The last of these describes extremely gloomy prospects for Lukashenko (the fate of Yanukovych) and Belarus (grief, fascism, and Nazism). However, a bit earlier Politnavigator admitted that even the «path to Rostov» is an extremely optimistic scenario.
A dozen sites refer to Rostov
An article entitled "Lukashenko today is the Yanukovych of yesterday" was republished by a dozen internet resources. Without a hint of diplomacy it reports:
"Rather, he awaits his road to Rostov to join his friend Yanukovych. Unless, of course, he has time (like the other, who also jumped out of his seat to show loyalty to the U.S. and Europe) to reach the Belarusian-Russian border."
"Starting the game with alternative oil, Lukashenko also set his foot on the path to Rostov". These are Rostov companions to the publication on the Ukraina.ru site.
This and several other internet resources published in the same period even more radical forecasts. One article on the Ukraina.ru website claims that when "it comes time to pay the bills for European integration, he, like Allende, may die with a gun in his hands, protecting his residence from a pro-Western coup, or, like Yanukovych, retire to Rostov".
It is possible, Ukraina.ru mentions in another article, that "Belarusian elites can arrange Lukashenko's death (or he can die by chance), appoint an acting president and set the elections in which the candidate they need to win must win".
Another online resource resorted to even more obvious threats:
"At a meeting in Sochi, Lukashenko was clearly told that he should not count on the fate of the traitor Yanukovych, whom Moscow ultimately kept warm on its territory. If he now turns to the West, then he can forget about security guarantees from Moscow. The fate of Gaddafi and Hussein is his edification. Think, Alexander Grigoryevich! Do not rush or get excited. The life and well-being of your children are at stake…"
It is no accident that upon returning from Sochi, Lukashenko admitted that he raised the issue of misinformation and propaganda on Russian internet resources at a meeting with the Russian president. "As for the Russian media, the Russian media are free media. These are all issues for their editorial policy", Putin's press secretary retorted.
In March, pro-Kremlin media published a long list of materials on how the European Union and the West as a whole are ineffectually coping with the coronavirus epidemic and that they will die and go into oblivion. And all this against the background of Russian and China's successful fight against the coronavirus.
"The crisis with the coronavirus uncovered the fact that in the realities of the 21st century the European Union will simply cease to exist", RuBaltic.ru online publication writes. The Sputnik's commentator disagrees: «The EU has in fact already collapsed because there is no leadership». Ukraina.ru echoes this: "The West is psychologically broken. It agrees with its defeat. The single powerful structure has broken apart".
A selection of aphoristic descriptions of the inferiority of the West is impressive:
"Europeans are increasingly viewed by the world as plagued";
The EU is "falling into a new feudalism";
«Europe is recognized by the world as the 'sick person' of the planet«: The European Union as 'an unhealthy aging organism,' 'a symbol of failure, catastrophe, stupidity, irresponsibility, and laxity'»;
The West "plunges into the classical Middle Ages";
"The coronavirus will become for NATO and the EU what Chernobyl became for the Soviet Union".
The explanations for the failure of the West are painfully familiar.
Firstly, of course, Russophobia. "Europe, in the last 6 years, has prepared not for the threat that has come. A significant part of the European political class fell victim to Russophobia and did not critically accept the situation, let us call it Crimean, that was in 2014", said one of the commentators for Sputnik Belarus.
Secondly, the EU, in principle, was doomed from the point of view of professionalism and responsibility of the ruling elites, and it had previously shown that it "is unable to adequately respond to the geopolitical and military challenges of our time". The coronavirus only confirmed "the monstrously low level of managerial culture and responsibility of European elites and their strategic carelessness".
Thirdly, the moral degradation of the West, which was expressed in mutual betrayal. Western leaders, RuBaltic claims, are the last-generation Soviet communist nomenclature of the U.S.S.R. in its advanced years. The conclusion is implacable: "The moral catastrophe that shook the collective West because of the coronavirus launches the process of its actual breakdown".
Another thing is Russia and China, which show everyone a managerial example and moral guidelines. "The Old World, which has swallowed its pride, humiliatingly copies the Chinese experience in fighting the pandemic and accepts humanitarian aid from Russia, Cuba, Egypt, and China", RuBaltic.ru says. According to one of the commentators from Radio Sputnik, "or Russians, coronavirus is like scaring them with cockroaches, as we have already been through so much".
In any case, there are pluses in the epidemic, Sputnik broadcasts:
"It seems that the overlapping of the systemic crisis, the crisis of hydrocarbon prices, and the coronavirus pandemic can take the place of a new world war for us, serving as 'nature's cleanup crew' and rejecting non-viable political entities".
This opinion is not unique: "Nobody needs a world war – they decided to reset alignments with the help of an epidemic".
One publicist even predicts the disappearance of some European countries due to the pandemic. True, he does not specify which ones, however, one of the Ukraina.ru commentators makes it clear that at least Ukraine is on this list:
"It's just that the West rejected the function of colonial administration that it had entrusted to itself because it was useless. The native compradors brought to power by the West turned out to be incapable of anything themselves (also, by the way, not news), instantly lost control of the processes, and fell into a panic".
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are also obvious candidates for extinction, like minded colleagues add. It is maintained that with the nullification of their "post-Soviet development model", the Baltic countries asked for such a severe shock from the effects of the coronavirus epidemic such that "they may not survive it".
The U.S. outlives the population of the Baltic countries in order to prepare for attack on Belarus
The bad West would not be so bad if it would encroach only on the statehood of Belarus and Russia. In reality, pro-Kremlin outlets claim, the U.S. throws even their allies, including the Baltic countries, under the bus in planning to establish their world order.
"The Baltic has been assigned the role of the U.S. NATO bridgehead from where military operations against Russia and, of course, against Belarus are set to begin to establish a unipolar world", the site of the Coordinating Council of the Leaders of the Belarusian Public Associations of Russian Compatriots (KSORS) in Belarus, supported by the Russian Embassy, writes.
Apparently, the United States inherited its colonial policy directly from Nazi Germany, the article continues:
"It must be understood that the original Baltic quasi-states were not considered by the Yankees to be some kind of 'independent states,' but as a NATO bridgehead of aggression against Russia. The logic here was purely colonial – the liberation of the territories of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia from the population to create a NATO shock fist for movement to the East. An American 'Drang nach Osten,' so to speak".
The author explains the specific ways the Baltic governments clean their territories from the population that NATO does not need. Firstly, the inclusion of "resident Russians by their mentality" in the category of non-citizens. And in order to create particularly unbearable living conditions for them and force them to leave for Russia, the U.S., and the European Union, the Baltic states, in the author's opinion, "inspired and launched [in the Baltic countries] a large-scale Russophobia policy".
"There are no citizens, no residents – such is the slave-owning philosophy of NATO and their Baltic puppets… Americans in the Baltic states do not need Russians, Latvians, Estonians, or Lithuanians, but only territory cleared from the Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian populations", the author explains. Hence the "policy of maximally pushing out the most mobile part of Baltic society… to other European countries".
The Baltic quasi-governments keep the rest of the population, the publication continues, "in constant fear of the imaginary threat from the East, which will increase stress levels and accelerate the death of people from this»:
"As a result of such a NATO policy, the territory of this region will quickly be completely cleared of the population and will turn into a clean field where NATO troops can safely deploy their offensive forces without fear of a negative reaction from local residents".
This conspiracy thesis hits several key narratives of pro-Kremlin propaganda at once:
A bad, aggressive, colonialist West / U.S., which in preparing its attack on Belarus and Russia is not squeamish about the survival of the population of allied countries;
Discrediting the United States through a parallel with Nazi Germany;
Baltic countries completely dependent on and controlled by the U.S.
All neighboring states (except Russia!) threw in with Hitler
"The regimes that rule in the Baltic states, Warsaw, and Kyiv, raise up their pedigree to the pre-war regimes of Poland and the Baltic states, and to Banderites in Ukraine. All these regimes threw in with Hitler", Sputnik Belarus reports.
"The fact is that in the same way that the memory of the mythical 'Soviet occupation' unites Polish, Baltic, and Ukrainian Russophobes professing a radical nationalist ideology, the Holocaust unites people and states that honor the true memory of the war", the author's publication says. It concludes that 'Russophobia and anti-Semitism go hand in hand, organically complementing each other".
Parallels with Nazi Germany, accusations of fascism / Nazism and their support is a classic propaganda technique for discrediting Western states. Once modern Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine have joined up with Hitler, Belarus has only one clean neighbor. Roger that.
Belarusian opposition plans corona-genocide at the direction of Soros
Pseudo-Belarusian sites belonging to the regional network of pro-Kremlin propaganda published a series of conspiracy theory reports about the opposition's criminal plans for mass infection of the population with coronavirus. In March, the pseudo-Mogilev site passed the baton to its pseudo-Vitebsk and pseudo-Brest counterparts.
They allege that the powerful Soros finances various programs aimed at the extinction of mankind, in the implementation of which the Belarusian opposition also takes part. The pseudo-Vitebsk website goes on to say:
"Oppositionists do not need the people to vote for them. They need to gather a dozen "scumbags" in every corner of Belarus in order to organize a bloody revolution where the genocide of the people will come first".
In addition to hatred of humankind, another motivation for criminals is monetary. According to a propaganda resource, the opposition has managed to fatten itself well with Soros's money:
"They bought houses abroad, took lovers to resorts, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in Las Vegas, paid for prostitutes and had fun with them".
Soros launched the coronavirus as a biological weapon and it was personally transferred by U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in test tubes to the Belarusian opposition, activists, and bloggers in February, the publication claims. From now on, their bank accounts do not depend on ratings and slogans, but on the "number of victims of the Belarusian people".
All this can give rise to a true apocalypse, warns another pseudo-Vitebsk online publication. And finally, yet another piece from the same resource claims that a number of Belarusian politicians and bloggers advocate broader quarantine measures "to ensure that stores will run out of food supplies and pharmacies will run out of necessary medicine" so that people would then come out onto the streets.
By the way, Soros is just one of many other «creators» of the coronavirus. Other online publications by pro-Kremlin outlets in March demonstrated Rockefeller and Bill Gates's involvement.
The pseudo-Brest site shares the concerns of their "Vitebsk" colleagues regarding the apocalyptic plans of the opposition:
«They will use the pandemic as a political tool to influence the government, and more importantly the people, urging them to panic – to buy up buckwheat, grains, pasta, and toilet paper».
Therefore, the article concludes, "it is time to recognize and declare the Belarusian opposition a pandemic and begin to fight it as in Wuhan". This completely contradicts another article appearing on the same website that represents the opposition as being opposed to no one and uninfluential.
Russophobia as an idea saving the EU from collapse
The KSORS website continues to publish articles that draw absurd parallels between the modern European Union and the West as a whole and Nazi Germany and uses Russophobia as a universal explanation for the various decisions and actions of Western countries.
First, the article states, "On June 22, 1941, united Europe attacked our country with the Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler at the head". This is because Hitlerite Germany at that time was supported by the economies of occupied France, Czechoslovakia and other European countries in its aggressive plans, the author explains.
If we develop such flawed logic, the absurd statement can be made that in the fall of 1941 not only the Hitler armada in the person of united Europe, but also in the form of the Nazi-occupied BSSR broke through to Moscow. Indeed, until August 1941, BSSR's economy was also under the control of the Third Reich.
Nazi aggression finds a continuation in our times in the form of NATO military operations in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya, as the article makes clear. Their consequences were the migration crisis in the EU, which gave rise to Euroscepticism and the real threat of the spread of the EU. And the collapse of the EU is preempted by nothing more than Russophobia, the article continues:
"And since most EU countries are not connected to each other, except for economic benefits, the Eurocrats from Brussels have thought of playing with connecting ideas… Russophobia, that is, an unreasonable fear of Russia and a hostile attitude towards everything Russian".
In general, Russophobia has always been inherent in the West, though it has simply acquired especially cynical forms in recent times. And this is due to the UK's exit from the EU, as the article paradoxically concludes, saying:
"Only those countries that during the war years or together with Hitler's Reich officially participated in the war against the U.S.S.R., or those that supported the Nazi war machine economically, remained in the EU".
The "Judah's nature" of people and organizations popularizing the Belarusian language
Several pro-Kremlin sources in the worst propaganda traditions have long equated the love of the Belarusian language and culture and their promotion with Russophobia / fascism. Mixing Ukrainian events and politics with Belarusian realities in a heap and sprinkling them with speculation and absurd generalizations, Teleskop's online publication says:
"And the fact that in Belarus the so-called "civil society"(represented by purportedly independent media and all kinds of "Belarusianizing" supporters, rallying around language, Russophobia, praising Polish nationalists, and denigrating Belarusian partisans) did not notice the obvious violation of the rights of the Ukrainian people and heroization of Nazism by «servants of the people», once again proves its Judah's nature – its ideological and political kinship with Bandera fascism".
The KSORS site in Belarus, whose domain is maintained by the Russian Embassy, practices similar manipulations and absurdities – the promotion of the Belarusian language is presented as nothing short of Polish chauvinism:
"It is no coincidence that modern Philomaths work in exactly the same way as their ideological predecessors. They advocate for Belarusian independence, the Belarusian language, and our homeland, but in reality they reanimate the ideology of Polish chauvinists, for whom Belarus is the Polish "Kresy Wschodnie" (Eastern Borderlands)".
It got to the point where the Editor of the KSORS website has already started to proclaim which words are Belarusian and which are not. In particular, the online publication insists that the Belarusian words for "socks" and "tea" should be replaced by their Russian counterparts.
Andrei Yeliseu × 04.05.2022
Western machinations and «denazification» problems
Olga Aleshko-Lessels, Andrei Yeliseu × 01.05.2022
Storylines of Belarusian state television channels, January-March 2022
Maria Avdeeva × 30.03.2022
Pro-Kremlin Disinformation in Ukraine: Five Key Messages
Andrei Yeliseyeu × 23.03.2022
Together with Russia against Western aggression
Latest in «Monitoring»
Narratives of Belarusian state TV channels, October-December 2021
If tomorrow there is war


text:
Editorial June 19th 2020
Welcome to this week's editorial, When you think it isn't possible for the opinion polls on the Mayor and most of her Councillors to fall any lower.. they do.
This week has seen the revelation that Council staff have used ratepayer contact information stored on Council servers to intimidate and threaten for their own private purposes. So much so that a formal complaint was even lodged with the police. But will there be any action against the council staff member? … we will never know as it is deemed 'confidential'. So confidential in fact that for over a year the General Manager and her staff have even failed to advise the councillors of this serious privacy breach. This week we also learn that Council elections have been officially deferred until September 2021 which means that our present councillors will remain on, unchallenged for another 15 months. With such long term employment it is small wonder that next week will see them considering if councillors should receive superannuation on top of their attendance fees. The Mayor also remains unchallenged as she is the 'popularly' elected mayor, and, unlike Bega Shire for example, remains mayor for the whole for year period of tenure. In Bega they do not have a popularly elected mayor requiring their councillors to re-elect a new mayor each year from their number. The fact that our Mayor is considered a 'Popularly Elected Mayor' is in conflict with the opinion polls that indicate that she has fallen from popularity across the shire as a consequence of the continued secrecy and subterfuge around most Council matters and the Mackay Park project that has taken on a distinct odour of stinking fish and pork as a result of the revelations of the NSW State Government Arts Rort that saw the proposed Arts centre announced as the recipient of an $8m Regional Cultural Fund grant before the Grant Round had even opened. Adding to the plummet in trust and reputation held by the community of Council will be the inevitable decision next week by Councillors to endorse the General Manager's intent to raise rates by 2.6% The Council meeting, the first in a month and the second in 11 weeks, will be held via Zoom. Can Council slip any further into disrepute? All we need do is wait and see. Until next—Lei


Before becoming a senior partner, Ray served as the Radioactive Materials and Explosives Safety and Compliance Officer for Schlumberger, the largest oilfield service company in the world. Ray directed and managed the compliance programs for these materials in all phases of the business cycle, from research and development, to manufacturing through operational use and obsolescence.
In this job, he provided forecasts on developing regulations and was routinely entrusted with developing and implementing new Schlumberger programs to satisfy the evolving worldwide requirements following 9/11. Ray conducted complex internal investigations, managed government enforcement actions, and directed overall corporate compliance. He routinely served on industry committees and joint industry and government advisory panels.
Before this, Ray was the explosives safety and compliance manager for Schlumberger's explosives research, testing and manufacturing facility, one of the largest shaped charge manufacturers in the world. He was also the manager of Schlumberger's oilfield services on the North Slope of Alaska and a decorated Air Force Officer.


Today marks day four and counting without power in my house. Hurricane Irene passed through early Sunday morning and tore up the area's electrical grid. Initial reports were that over 850,000 customers were without power in the immediate aftermath of the storm. I'm not sure how customers are counted. Is a customer just the account holder, or the actual number of people using that account? In our household we have one account holder, but a total of five persons living in the house. If on average each account holder represents about three electricity users than 3 x 850,000 or 2.55 million people are without electricity. That is almost half of Maryland's 5.5 million people, and there is no firm timetable for complete restoration of services.
The primary causes of the power outages are fallen trees and tree limbs. For the most part the electric poles and wires withstood the winds. But the wires cannot withstand trees being dropped on them. Maryland, including Baltimore County and City (where I live and work) is heavily forested, so almost all power lines have nearby trees. Several years ago Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E) decided to be "proactive" about the hazards that trees pose and sent crews out to trim back tree branches along their right-of-ways. However, as is often the case, the corporate policy makers don't think through the real-world consequences of their policies. On my property, BG&E's policies have increased, rather than reduced, the hazards to their power lines. I'm certain that my property is not unique.
The back edge of my property is along a BG&E right-of-way for power lines that feed many of the houses in my neighborhood. Several years ago, I returned home to find BG&E workers high up in the large mature oak trees at the end of my yard, cutting off the branches jutting out in the direction of the power lines. I asked them immediately to leave which they did, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
The tree trimmers insisted that lopping off branches would not harm the trees. That might be true if the trimmers took proper precautions, but it was clear to me that was not the case. The workers simply moved along the right-of-way, from one tree to the next, and did not stop and clean their cutting tools after each tree. There is a fungus in the area that attacks oak trees, and I had already lost several large oak trees in my yard to the fungus. I had to have the remnants of these trees cut down and removed, which is very expensive. A sure way to spread the fungus would be to do exactly what these tree trimmers were doing.
I'm sure that when trimming thousands of trees it would be tedious and time consuming to thoroughly clean cutting tools after every tree. I'm sure that my dentist finds it tedious and time consuming to clean dental instruments after every patient. However, not doing so is guaranteed to spread disease. The large oak trees, clearly many decades old, that BG&E trimmed, caught the fungus and died within a couple of years.
The trees are far from my house and no threat to anything but BG&E's power lines. I have left them up because it would very expensive for me to have them removed (thousands of dollars), and they were perfectly healthy trees before BG&E mangled them. Through the years the wind and rain have stripped off most of the branches and bark.
Early this summer I called BG&E to explain that the trees are likely to fall on their power lines and recommended that a crew be sent out to remove them. The person answering the phone asked if the trees were touching the power lines. I said no, but I explained that when the trees do fall the power lines would be brought down. The BG&E employee told me that the trees have to be touching and putting tension on the wires before action would be taken. That is BG&E's policy for dead trees that pose a serious threat to power lines. In contrast, when these same trees were alive and healthy and little threat to the power lines, BG&E had work crews out hacking away at them.
The morning after the storm the first thing I looked at outside were the dead trees. They withstood Irene's onslaught and are still standing. It will not be Irene, but some other storm in the future that will eventually take them and BG&E's power lines down. However, thousands of trees throughout the area did fall. I can't help but wonder how many of those fallen trees were victims not of the storm, but of BG&E's inane tree trimming program. I also wonder if the tree trimming actually prevented any power outages. With so many people without power due to fallen trees, it is hard for me to imagine that BG&E's tree trimming programing accomplished much of anything.
Trees are an important part of the environment in Maryland. Even if it were not prohibitively expensive, it would still be undesirable to remove every tree that threatens a power line. However, healthy trees are far less of a threat than dead trees. If BG&E wants to be better prepared for the next storm, they should focus removing the dead trees along their right-of-ways instead of creating more dead trees through careless tree trimming practices.
One year ago I purchased a used 2005 Suzuki Verona with about 40,000 miles on the odometer. Because of the low mileage and less than seven-year age of the car, many of its parts remained under the power train warranty. However, I have discovered that getting Suzuki to perform a needed warranty repair is extremely difficult, very expensive, and has left me wondering if Suzuki is manipulating their customers in order to cover up serious safety issues arising from design flaws.
A risk in buying any used car is being saddled with someone else's lemon. My Verona is certainly a lemon. I understand now why Suzuki stopped making Veronas. The car has been nothing but trouble since I bought it. Over the past year, there has not been a period of longer than two weeks without the check engine light coming on and staying on for several days at a time. During those intermittent periods of engine trouble, the car hesitated when I stepped on the gas and then either suddenly accelerated or stalled. Needless to say it was challenging and dangerous to drive.
However, diagnosing and fixing the problem proved difficult. My mechanic did the obvious-replaced the spark plugs, located and replaced a defective ignition coil, changed an O2 sensor-but nothing solved the underlying problem of hesitation followed by either a sudden acceleration or a stall. My mechanic eventually realized that the problem was with the on board computer that controlled the operation of the engine. Every time the check engine light came on the diagnostic codes from the computer were different and contradictory.
His recommendation to replace the computer was both good news and bad news. The bad news: it is a $1000 part. The good news: it is still under warranty. However, my mechanic cannot perform warranty repairs, those can only be done by Suzuki dealers. My trip to a Suzuki dealer turned into an expensive and time-consuming odyssey that raised troubling questions about the company and its products.
The closest Suzuki dealer to my house in Reisterstown, Maryland, is Adams Suzuki, located in Fallston, Maryland, about 40 miles away. After a hair-raising drive-the car stalled at most of the red lights along the way-I arrived and explained that my mechanic had recommended a new computer installation to solve the engine problems. The service manager received the car and told me that I would be called after they did their own diagnostics.
The next day I was told that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. This is an expensive part ($597.15) and labor-intensive repair ($227.50), for a total of $876.38 after taxes and waste disposal fees were included, and the warranty does not cover the parts and labor. The engine and computer are warranted, but conveniently for Suzuki, not the wires connecting them. The dealer said the computer worked properly. I asked the service manager how she knew that the computer worked. She said that the computer would not generate diagnostic codes at all if it didn't work, an assertion my mechanic says is false. However, the dealership provided me with no other option but to replace the wiring harness. I reluctantly agreed, although I said that if a wiring harness replacement did not fix the car's problem I would expect my money back.
In the mean time I rented a car so that I could commute to work. Two days later on a Thursday, the dealer called me back to say that Suzuki had sent them the wrong wiring harness and that the repair would be delayed another two days. I said that I would be out of town for the next week, and I would pick up the car on the next Thursday morning (one week later).
The following Thursday morning I called, only to find out the repaired had just been started. The car would be ready Thursday afternoon, which forced me to spend more money on a rental car so that I could get to work. I asked for a 10% discount on the repair to offset the added expense. The service manager's reply was no. She said that it was not her fault that Suzuki shipped the wrong part the week before.
I picked up my car that Thursday evening and paid the $876.38. The car continued to hesitate and then lurch forward, although no stalls occurred. The check engine light came back on before I arrived home. I returned to complain. This time the computer diagnostic codes indicated a vacuum leak that the dealership claimed to have repaired about 30 minutes later. I again asked about the reliability of the computer, and I was assured that it worked. I was not charged for the repair because the manager said moving parts around during the wiring harness repair could have caused the leak.
I drove away and traveled about 3 miles before the check engine light came on again. I returned and this time the computer diagnostic codes indicated a problem with an O2 sensor, a part that I knew had been recently replaced. This time I spoke directly to the service technician who told me that O2 sensors fail frequently on Veronas, even relatively new ones. But, when I asked what was wrong with the O2 sensor, he discovered that the computer codes kept changing. First the O2 sensor was completely dead, then it was good, then it was sensing a "lean" mixture, then a "rich" mixture. I argued that a computer spitting out bad codes was a more likely explanation for the problem than an O2 sensor cycling between all four possible states.
But, the service technician told me that Suzuki's instructions were not to replace computers, even when that appeared to be problem, but instead to replace wiring harnesses. I asked why Suzuki was so convinced that the wiring harness was bad. He explained that the original wiring harness had design flaws that caused the wires to corrode and form intermittent connections that could cause the same kind of problems as a malfunctioning computer.
The technician said that the service department would provide an estimate for a new O2 sensor. But, I said I wanted the computer replaced before I agreed to spend any more money. If the computer spits out bad codes, I could replace parts one at a time forever. After all, there are hundreds of possible diagnostic codes the computer can generate. Reluctantly, the dealership agreed to order a new computer and replace it under the warranty agreement.
I returned a fourth time when the new computer arrived to have it installed. I have not had any problems with the car since the computer was replaced. The O2 sensor appears to work fine. Needless to say the $876.38 I spent on the wiring harness repair has not been refunded. The dealership argues that it was still necessary, and since the car did not stall afterward, the new wiring harness resulted in some improvement.
However, the experience raises some deeply troubling questions about Suzuki. If the original wiring harness design is indeed defective, it should be recalled. There is no question my car was dangerous to drive given its propensity to either lurch forward or stall when pressing the gas pedal. It appears that rather than issue a recall, Suzuki is instructing its dealers to replace the wiring harness and bill the customer for the expense, before doing needed warranty repairs.
I would not have traveled to a dealer 40 miles away for a non-warranty repair. My mechanic could have replaced the wiring harness cheaper, faster, and closer to my house. I would not have had to make four round trips (320 miles total) to the dealer and spend a total of $235.55 on rental cars to get to work. But my mechanic correctly diagnosed the problem as a bad computer and recommended that I have it fixed under the warranty. Between the repairs, rental cars, and travel expenses, I spent over $1100 on what should have been a no-cost warranty repair.
The car definitely needed a new computer. I still don't know if the car needed a new wiring harness, but if Suzuki is correct that it did, that raises deeply troubling questions about the safety of Suzuki products and integrity of its management. If it did not need a new wiring harness I should get my money back.
The sequence of events leads me to believe that I was a victim of a bait and switch. I brought the car to a Suzuki dealer for a needed warranty repair. But, before Suzuki would honor the warranty, the company insisted on selling me an expensive non-warranty repair. If the wiring harness repair was necessary because of possible design flaws, the part should be recalled. Suzuki should not be insisting that customers pay for its replacement before agreeing to do necessary warranty repairs.
The ability to assert two mutually exclusive statements, as both being true, has been a requirement in politics for some time. But the cognitive dissonance within the Republican Party has gone off into the twilight zone.
The Republicans have threatened to not raise the federal debt limit unless the Democrats agree to substantial cuts in spending. This is equivalent to threatening to end a hostage standoff with a nuclear weapon. Obviously the United States government cannot default on its debt obligations because the worldwide economic catastrophe that would result would make the 2007-08 financial crisis look insignificant in comparison. A threat that can never be executed isn't much of a threat at all.
Actually, it's interesting to track where the federal largess that the Republicans so bitterly complain about goes. A USA Today article on April 25 ranks states in order of government benefits received. Heavily Republican states that voted for McCain in the 2008 presidential election tend to rank high on this list, meaning that they receive more government benefits than most states. For example, West Virginia ranks number 2. Some followers that voted Republican, with their rankings in parenthesis, are Kentucky (8), Mississippi (11), Arkansas (12), Alabama (14), and Louisiana (17). Why are the Republicans in those states so opposed to the benefits that they receive? Maybe they should be careful what they wish for.
On that note, I wish Ayn Rand were alive and giving interviews on her economic and philosophical theories. She is a cult figure in the Republican Party, especially among the Tea Party wing, for her advocacy of unfettered capitalism and ethic of rational self-interest. A new movie has just been released based on her novel Atlas Shrugged in which the capitalists are the heroes.
Actually, Ayn Rand, a Russian Jew who emigrated to the United States at the age of 21, was a committed atheist who opposed all forms of religion. To her, valid knowledge arose only from sense perceptions and human reason. She rejected all claims of knowledge obtained outside of the senses, such as divine revelation. It's hard to imagine her going very far in today's political climate as a Republican or a Democrat.
Although, some Republicans simply ignore inconvenient historical facts about their heroes. Maybe Republican Congresswoman and Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann could re-write Rand's biography in the same way that she re-wrote American history in a recent speech. She stated in regards to the U. S. Constitution that: "the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States." Actually, many of the founders, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, owned slaves. Not until after the Civil War, nearly 100 years later and long after the founders were dead, was slavery abolished.
On the other hand, if Ayn Rand did endorse Republicans her religious views might not matter. The Reverend Franklin Graham in an interview with Christine Amanpour says that Donald Trump could become his "candidate of choice" for president because "the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, you know, may be the guy's right." This was said in the same interview that Graham questioned Obama's Christian faith. There was no discussion of Trump's faith. Franklin Graham has since been clarifying his comments. I would advise him not seek help from John Kyle's press agent for issuing clarifications.
The upcoming presidential contest should be a great event for comedy writers. Unfortunately it's going to be a very bad contest for the electorate who will have to listen to all this nonsense.
"Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But because he couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!' The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
I thought about this parable from the Gospel of Matthew as I closed my Bank of America account at the start of the New Year. I had a long-time checking account (for more than a decade) in which I had dutifully kept the $750 minimum balance to avoid a monthly maintenance fee. In December I received a statement that showed $14 missing. At that point I read more carefully the letter I had received from Bank of America on new fee structures. It explained that to avoid a $14 monthly fee I now needed a $1500 minimum balance. I did not like either choice-paying the $14 per month or adding another $750 to the minimum balance.
It is bad enough that the interest banks pay on deposited money is negligibly small. Now you must provide the bank with large amounts of free capital or your deposited money will be appropriated. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, institutions such as Bank of America generated large amounts of revenue from usurious interest rates on credit cards and hefty fees for overdrafts and late payments. However, new laws forbidding some of the more egregious practices have sharply curtailed that revenue stream, so banks are instituting new fees to make up the difference.
I decided to shop for a new bank and I was struck by some advice given while conversing with a local businesswoman. "Never do business with a bank that has more than three branches. Banks with three or less branches are too small to be of much value to bigger banks, so there is little risk of a buyout." On hearing this advice, I remembered that I had never opened an account at Bank of America. I opened an account at a large regional bank that was bought by Bank of America. The same is true of another bank I do business with-M & T. I originally opened an account with First Maryland Bank, which was bought by All First, which then disintegrated in a currency trading scandal and was acquired by M & T.
I went to Farmers and Merchants, a small community bank with only three branches, all in northwest Baltimore County. They offered me totally free checking with no minimum balance. I opened a new account and the next day went to Bank of America and closed my account before any additional fees could be assessed.
There are, of course, some tradeoffs with switching to a small local bank. I can only visit the bank when I'm near my house, not anywhere in the country, which was the case with Bank of America. I can only have free use of an ATM machine at one of those three branches, anywhere else I have to pay a transaction fee. But, with proper planning and use of the Internet-even small banks offer online banking-these inconveniences should not be much of an issue. I have to ask myself, is $14 x 12 months, or $168 per year worth it for the additional accessibility Bank of America offers. I would never have the need to use ATMs far away from my house often enough to justify paying $168 per year to access Bank of America's nationwide ATM network. If I have to do that occasionally, I'll pay the $2 transaction fee.
When I closed my account at Bank of America, the manager noted that I had been a long-time customer and asked my reason. I told her that I was unhappy with the new fees being imposed. I said that it reminded me of the parable of the ungrateful servant. She didn't seem to understand the biblical reference. She handed me the cash for the remaining funds in my account and had me sign for it. No counter offer or apology for the new fee structure was made.
Bank of America and the other large banks created an unsustainable business model that generated revenue from high fees and usurious interest rates on high-risk loans. When the model failed they were shielded from the market consequences with billions of dollars in taxpayer bailouts on the condition that they end many of the practices that caused the failures. But it appears that rather than comply with the intentions of the new law, Bank of America is looking for loopholes in order to revive their old business model.
Of course, the large banks insist that even though they are exempt, all their customers should abide by the rules of the market place. That being the case, I think we the customers need to shop more for banking and ignore much of the slick marketing. We also need to overcome our inertia and be willing to change banks when market conditions change. It is easy to close an account and open a new one at another institution.
Ask yourself, if I were shopping for a bank today and considering all the available options, would I choose the bank that I currently have? If the answer to that question is no, then it is time to change banks. Look around and you will find many community banks and credit unions that offer excellent services at fair prices.
When I think about it, there is really no reason for Bank of America and its ilk to even be in business. In fact, if not for the billions of dollars in bad debt forgiven by the taxpayers, they would not be in business. But, Bank of America was not about to forgive the new fees they were imposing on me. It is time for customers to stop paying for all the lunacy and take their business elsewhere.
I've written a lot about misdirection with numbers in consumer advertising. But, the political posturing seen in Congress over the past two months takes misdirection with irrelevant numbers to a whole other level.
Consider all the indignation mustered on the Senate floor last month over the $8 billion in earmarks in a proposed bill. Let's put that number into perspective. The federal budget deficit hit a record $1.4 trillion last year. Eliminating the $8 billion in earmarks trims the deficit by 0.6%. While earmarks might be an unseemly practice, the dollar amounts are insignificant.
President Obama's federal pay freeze will save $60 billion. It's great political theater to require federal workers to tighten their belts along with the rest of the citizenry. But, that number is only 4.3% of the deficit.
In the mean time, Congress reached a painful "compromise" with a bill in which each side got what they wanted and no one had to pay. Republicans got their tax cuts while Democrats got their spending programs. In other words, voters have a choice between tax-and-spend Democrats or borrow-and-spend Republicans. It is no wonder that voters are angry. Most of us think that the word "compromise" means that each side has to give up something. This isn't a compromise at all.
To solve the government's fiscal problems will require looking at the numbers that matter, in particular the large numbers. As large it might sound, $10 billion is no longer a large amount of money in Washington. In fact $100 billion is no longer that large an amount. The significant amounts are measured in trillions of dollars and saving that kind of money requires overhauling programs that no one wants to touch.
These are just a few examples from a long list of recommendations, but what they all have in common is that no politician would ever dare support any of these actions. Unfortunately, these are the programs that soak up most of federal expenditures. I think Peter R. Fisher said it best in a 2002 speech when he was Under Secretary of the Treasury.
"Think of the federal government as a gigantic insurance company (with a side line business in national defense and homeland security) which only does its accounting on a cash basis - only counting premiums and payouts as they go in and out the door. An insurance company with cash accounting is not really an insurance company at all. It is an accident waiting to happen."
Meaningful deficit reduction can only occur if we make an honest appraisal of where the bulk of the money actually goes. It isn't spent on the programs that Congressmen complain loudest about. In Peter Peterson's book Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It , he wrote: that the parties have mortgaged our future "with reckless tax cuts, out-of-control spending, and Enron-style accounting." He wrote that warning in 2004- six years ago-and the problem has only gotten worse.
In Peterson's moral structure, it is unconscionable to leave this enormous debt to our children. Each generation should pay for its own expenses and excesses. Actually, I find it the height of hypocrisy that the attitude of our political leaders towards money goes against everything financial principle we seek to instill in our children. Lessons on delaying gratification in order to save and invest, so that resources will be available for unforeseen problems, are apparently lost on politicians.
The real problem is the constant framing of political debate in terms of absolutes. In today's hyper-partisan climate you are either for or against Social Security, for or against Medicaid, for or against taxes. Actually you can be for and against all of these things. There is no reason that we can't have Social Security, Medicaid, and taxation, as long as all the costs are within reason. In other words, we need to make real compromises, not fake compromises for the sole purpose of political theater.