Why do Superman movies keep featuring the same old enemies?
We only just learned Zack Snyder is directing the Superman reboot, and already the word is that General Zod is coming back as the villain. Seriously, we have to ask: where the hell are some new Superman villains?
There's this pervasive myth that Superman only has three good enemies: an evil version of himself, Lex Luthor, or a crapload of kryptonite. It doesn't help that we're five movies in and the films have done absolutely nothing to dispel that idea – all five movies featured kryptonite and Luthor (or, in Superman III, his non-union Robert Vaughn equivalent). And between General Zod, drunken clone Superman, and Nuclear Man, the best the middle three movies could muster was some variation on an evil Superman. So yeah, I guess I can forgive the wider public for thinking those are the only worthwhile villains the Superman mythos has to offer.
Admittedly, there's a kernel of truth to this idea. Superman definitely doesn't have a rogue's gallery on par with Batman's or Flash's, and it's certainly a lot harder to pull off convincing Superman villains than it is for, say, Spider-Man. Just ask the creators of Superman: The Animated Series, who will freely admit they struggled to come up with enough villains and enough decent stories to tell about them. But we're not talking about an ongoing series here – we're talking about a movie franchise, which means a villain only has to have one great story to make that character a worthwhile adversary.
So here are five villains we believe would make fantastic cinematic foes for the Man of Steel.
Brainiac, Brainiac, a thousand times Brainiac. The fact that we're five, almost six movies in and we still haven't gotten so much as a mention of Brainiac is absolutely ridiculous. For those unfamiliar, Brainiac is a living, humanoid computer from the planet Colu, who has given himself the twisted task of acquiring all the knowledge in the universe…and then destroying the planets from where he collected his data. His only keepsakes of the worlds he's destroyed are miniaturized cities, including the Kryptonian bottled city of Kandor.
The animated series tinkered with his origin story a little, changing him to Krypton's all-seeing computer system and an accessory to the genocide of Kal-El's people. This gave him a more streamlined origin story, made him a more concrete threat for Superman, and it provided a better reason for why they so completely hated each other. All in all, it wasn't a bad alteration, but it isn't strictly necessary. The crucial thing is that Brainiac is just as strong as Superman (without just seeming like an evil Superman), he's much more intelligent than Superman (and he's the first to point that out), and his massive command ship is an extension of himself, which means taking on Brainiac involves fighting the whole damn ship.
And the classic Brainiac story is insanely cinematic. You get to tease a massive alien invasion in the first act, as Brainiac's mysterious ship approaches Earth. When he finally does show up, all of Earth's defenses – Superman included – are useless as the ship hangs motionless in the sky, collecting all of Earth's data. There's some room to play around with our internet age paranoia – for instance, one can imagine governments' terror as he effortlessly downloads all their most closely guarded secrets. And then, once his task is completed, he prepares to destroy Earth…but not before bottling Metropolis, with all of Superman's friends inside. But not the big guy himself, of course. He's busy saving the world from destruction in a way that doesn't involve flying around the Earth really fast.
And so, with the Earth saved from destruction, he has to head out into space in pursuit of Brainiac in a desperate bid to save Lois, Jimmy, and everyone else in Metropolis…assuming it's even possible to reverse the miniaturization process. For a little added emotional turmoil, Brainiac can reveal he also has the bottled city of Kandor in his collection, forcing Superman to save either his past or his future. There's a lot of different ways to resolve that thorny dilemma – most likely, Superman ends up only able to save Metropolis, but you could always keep Kandor around as well, just in case you want to have a bash at adapting the recent, reasonably successful "New Krypton" arc. I certainly wouldn't complain.
Parasite is pretty much the quintessential bread-and-butter Superman villain. He's not iconic or epic like Luthor or Brainiac, but he's probably the best of the second-tier adversaries, and one of Superman's better conceived villains. In both his original Raymond Jensen and later Rudy Jones incarnations, Parasite is a human transformed by exposure to biohazard chemicals into a being that can absorb the energy, intelligence, and even superpowers of anyone he comes into contact with. Here's the bad news for Superman – the more powerful Parasite gets, the weaker the Man of Steel becomes.
Parasite probably isn't quite a strong enough character to carry his own movie, but he would be a great secondary villain or one half of an evil duo, perhaps making him the Scarecrow to someone else's Ra's al Ghul. Of course, don't underestimate a character's potential – it could be interesting to see Parasite start out as, say, Lex Luthor's pawn, only to see him absorb Luthor's intelligence and take on Superman directly. As a fun bonus, such a scenario would place Superman in the awkward situation of having to save Lex Luthor's life by defeating Parasite.
If nothing else, Parasite could make for some amazing fight scenes. It's hard keeping Superman's power levels consistent anyway, and this is an opportunity to go nuts by throwing his powers all over the place, depending on his proximity to Parasite. It's a good way to see Superman lose his godlike status without resorting to the hoary old kryptonite cliché, and it could be interesting to explore how Superman acts when slightly depowered. Maybe bullets still can't kill him, but what if they can harm him? What if he can't fly anymore, but he can still, just to pull an idea out at random, leap tall buildings in a single bound? Even if this is all just the prelude to the real villain, Parasite would definitely make for compelling cinema.
I'm not absolutely sure, but I have the sneaking suspicion that, after Lex Luthor (and maybe Richard Pryor), Doomsday is the most famous Superman villain. After all, the death of Superman was the last time comic books (and not their movie adaptations) were the engine of a massive cultural event, and the public probably still retains some vague memory that the big pale blue dude with the white hair and spikes on his arms did the deed.
That's a bit of a double-edged sword, admittedly. Doomsday is famous for killing Superman, but he's only famous for killing Superman, so the audience kind of expects a fight to the death when Doomsday shows up. (Or you can do what Batman & Robin did to Bane, which took the man who broke the Bat and turned him into a mute sidekick to Poison Ivy, but I think we've all agreed that movie never happened.) Sure, you can bring audiences in with the promise of a fight so massive that even Superman himself won't survive, but what story do you tell once that's done?
Both the comics and the cartoons have had a crack at the rest of the story, and neither completely works. The original comic story is suitably epic, but it's knee deep in a lot of early nineties weirdness, including a shapeshifting Supergirl, a revived Project Cadmus, and a clone of Lex Luthor pretending to be his own Australian son…or something. The first DC DVD movie Superman: Doomsday tackled the story, but the writers were clearly still adjusting to their new format, and there's material that only seems to be in there to skirt the edges of their PG-13 rating, including some very odd psychosexual tension between Lex Luthor and his Superman clone.
And there's a more basic problem. Doomsday is, by design, the ultimate villain, so when you kill him off in the first half of the story, it feels like an anticlimax. There might be a better solution, though. The comics later expanded on Doomsday's origins, explaining he was actually the result of a rather shaky evolutionary experiment on ancient Krypton intended to create the perfect warrior. Although the scientists involved weren't Kryptonian, there's no reason why they couldn't be in a movie version.
Indeed, one could even make it a relatively recent experiment, one that involved Krypton's last generation of great scientists…including Superman's father Jor-El. (Although you'd want to be careful with that twist – it could easily take a turn for the cheesy.) What would it say about Krypton's legacy if its people had created both the ultimate protector in Superman, and the ultimate killing machine in Doomsday? At that point, Superman isn't just fighting because Doomsday punched him first, he's fighting because the memory of Krypton depends on it. That allows for a more complete storyline than the original "Death of Superman" comic, which is essentially one long (and, to be fair, epic) fight scene.
If you'd prefer to stick closer to the original "Death of Superman" storyline, then you're probably committed to going down the course mapped out in Superman: Doomsday, although I think there are better villains for the second half than Lex Luthor and a degenerate clone. I suggest you bust out Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, who's part twisted Reed Richards pastiche, part evil Superman, and literally unkillable, much as he actually desperate wants to die. He might not quite measure up to Doomsday, but he's still a hell of a villain with an awesomely iconic look. (I mean, he's Superman plus robot...what more could you want?) You can even tie together the space shuttle accident that turned Henshaw into the Cyborg Superman with the arrival of Doomsday from space, again allowing for a nicely streamlined story.
There are other cosmic conquerors out there – Mongul has had his moments, and Brainiac more or less fits this category – but when we're talking about the ultimate evil, accept no substitutes. Darkseid is pretty much the biggest bad in all of DC Comics, bar none, and the goal of him and and his various minions from Apokolips is a terrifying one. Darkseid doesn't want to destroy the universe, or conquer it militarily. He wants to unleash the anti-life equation, the control of which would allow him to rob everyone in the universe of their free will.
And, it has to be said, Superman: The Animated Series provides an amazing blueprint for how to realize Darkseid as a character. Some of what they did can't really be replicated in a movie – their slow reveal over several episodes of both his human and Apokoliptian servants wouldn't work in a movie, although you could have his human agents in Intergang show up in the movie right before the one starring Darkseid. But the series built two absolutely epic two-parters out of Superman taking on Darkseid, the first focusing on Darkseid's invasion of Earth and the second featuring Darkseid brainwashing Superman and briefly turning him evil, and either could serve as a great basis for a live-action Darkseid film.
There are parts of Darksied's Fourth World mythology that wouldn't really translate well to the screen. As much as Orion and Mr. Miracle are fun characters, it would be tough to bring in their side of the Fourth World within a single Darkseid movie, and even given two movies it could be tough to do the entire mythology justice. Some of the more superficially silly Darkseid villains, most obviously Granny Goodness (who, to be fair, isn't a silly character at all, but that name could give studio executives and casual moviegoers some pause), might need to be cut in order to focus on Darkseid as a singular force of menace, with little else of the world of Apokolips developed in detail.
With a track record like that, it's easy to assume that Superman and magic don't mix on-screen. And, frankly, I think the degree of difficulty is a lot higher here than it is for characters like Brainiac or Doomsday. But if the franchise ever creatively founders again and they need a last-ditch effort to save the series, I say it's time to break the glass and unleash Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Who is Mr. Mxyzptlk, you ask? He's a mischievous imp from the fifth dimension, a mildly malevolent being of unlimited power and endless free time. In his earlier appearances, he was a cosmic annoyance for Superman, who he saw as one of the very few lower-dimensional beings worthy of his time. Mxy, as he allowed himself to be nicknamed, rearranged reality and made Superman's existence literally impossible until Clark could get the imp to say his own name backwards, thus banishing him back to the fifth dimension. These days, even that one rule doesn't apply to him, and he serves more as a sort of unfathomable cosmic mentor to an unwilling Superman, offering bizarre lessons whether the Man of Steel wants them or not.
Now, writing Mr. Mxyzptlk isn't easy. The makers of Superman: The Animated Series say they could only come up with one wholly successful story for Mxy, and their later attempt to team him up with Bizarro proved to be just a bit too much forced wackiness. And, to be fair, Mr. Mxyzptlk is perfect for a cartoon, where the creators could mix their realistic style with Looney Toons inspired elements. Mr. Mxyzptlk couldn't be nearly as cartoonish in a live-action Superman movie, and would toning him down rob the character of what makes him interesting?
Perhaps producer Christopher Nolan's last film offers a way to realize him on screen. Inception explores at great length worlds where the normal rules of reality cease to apply, and Nolan and company managed to portray the dreamscape without getting lost in insane imagery. The same approach could work for Mr. Mxyzptlk – tone down the more out there magic while still presenting Superman with a world gone wrong. And let's not forget new Superman director Zack Snyder's next film, Sucker Punch, which looks like it's going to mix real and unreal to awesome effect.
One way to approach Mr. Mxyzptlk in a movie would be to make the first act all about him, then banish him and start up the more traditional plot with, say, Parasite. As the film progresses, Superman begins to suspect that things are still wrong, and Mxy is still hanging around somewhere, warping reality for his own unknowable reasons. Indeed, assuming this is meant to be the last Superman movie (or, more accurately, the last in the current franchise), one could even use Alan Moore's brilliant "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" as the basis for the story, bringing all the old villains back for one last appearance before the big reveal of the villainous Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Now, make no mistake: these aren't the only good Superman villains. I already mentioned Metallo, who is a very solid villain, and there's also Toyman, who could be a wonderfully disturbing villain if handled right, and Mongul, who brings in the same cosmic conqueror angle without some of the weirder bits that Darkseid brings to the table. And this isn't meant as a direct criticism of the new movie - Zod is a great villain, and he could make a good adversary, particularly if the film doesn't just remake Superman II.
This is a more basic point. Superman has some great, great villains that aren't Luthor, Zod, or some kryptonite. And the sooner the fimmakers (and with it, more general audiences) realize that, the better off we'll all be. Seriously, I'm tired of living in a world where Brainiac isn't a household name. He's way too evil to keep toiling in obscurity, and here's hoping the next, next Superman movie finally fixes that.


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Damon sylviae is een soort zweepspin (Amblypygi). Hij komt voor in Namibië en mogelijk Angola.

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DNS, the Domain Name System, is a standardized series of records that every domain has which let various programs and services interact with the domain. Specifically, it is a collection of records which direct the domain to function in certain ways.
The Address record (in IPv4 format), which is where the domain points to. This is typically used to point domains to web hosts and make a visitable website. It can also be used to forward a domain.
The Address record (in IPv6 format), also called Quadruple-A or simply Quad-A. IPv6 is a new and forthcoming protocol for DNS that has more possible addresses than the limited IPv4 format, which is quickly being depleted.
The Canonical Name record, used for when a domain is an alias of another domain (the canonical domain). While A Records can be used to forward to another domain, using the CNAME record allows you to present the whole website with a "masking" domain; that is, the URL does not update to the forwarded website – it stays as the domain with the CNAME record.
The Mail Exchange record, used for configuring email communication. MX Records allow email servers to identify the sender and recipients of email messages.
The Service Location record, a new alternative to MX records. SRV records define the location of servers for specific services.
The Nameserver Record, for identifying the nameservers the domain is using. Nameservers act as publically accessible directories to identify the domain, so while many DNS records are optional, have an NS record is mandatory for the purposes of establishing the owner and "home" of the domain.
The Text record, for leaving human-readable notes about the domain. Especially in the early days of domains, it was beneficial to leave notate bene about the domain for other administrators. TXT records are also sometimes used by programs to read specialized information, such as when using some Google domain services.
The Sender Policy Framework record. Sender Policy Framework is a system to validate email and prevent spamming. SPF data could alternately be stored in a TXT record.
To manage the DNS records of your domains, access your DNS via the domain details on any domain in your Domain Manager.


This plant belonging to family Araceae can grow up to 6 feet, and has a fleshy, waxy stem with large, smooth leaves that are generally green on the periphery and mottled white in the center (Fig 10.1).
It is a popular ornamental houseplant. While most houseplants are non-toxic (Table 10.1), dumbcane is among the few exceptions.
■■ The leaves and stem contain high amounts of insolublecalcium oxalate in the form of needle-like crystals packaged in raphides and bundled into elongated idioblasts. The idio-blasts are cigar shaped structures with specialised nozzles at each end, capable of firing the needle-like raphides in the form of projectiles when force is applied (e.g. chewing). Thus when a leaf is bitten into, thousands of idioblasts fire the needle-like calcium oxalate crystals which penetrate mucous membranes and deposit proteolytic enzymes. The latter stimulate a cascade of events leading to release of bradykinin and histamine.
■■ Studies on Dieffenbachia picta in guinea pigs demonstrated the most toxic part of the plant was the stem juice, which, when dropped into the mouths of the animals, caused lip and tongue oedema, nasal secretions and progressive respiratory difficulties.
· Most cases of dumbcane poisoning involve oral exposure causing immediate and severe symptoms of pain and local swelling. Patients often describe the intense agony as akin to chewing powdered glass. There is severe swelling of the lips, mouth, and tongue, with salivation. There may be interference with swallowing and breathing. Oral paraes-thesia, with severe pain and numbness in the perioral area may occur.
· Ocular exposure to expressed sap may cause immediate pain, lacrimation, photophobia, corneal abrasions, and deposition of calcium oxalate crystals on the corneal epithe-lium.
· Systemic toxicity due to calcium oxalate is rare. Bloody emesis and diarrhoea may occur. Vomiting may be profuse. Following large ingestions, oxalic acid is formed in the stomach and subsequently absorbed into the systemic circulation. There it binds with calcium, and may cause hypocalcaemia. This could lead to weak, irregular pulse, bradycardia, hypotension, and cardiac dysrhythmias.
1. In patients with severe poisoning, examine the urine for calcium oxalate crystals. Also, monitor calcium and renal function (BUN, creatinine).
2. Local treatment with cold milk or ice cream as a demulcent is sufficient in most cases. Cold water or sucking on crushed ice will also relieve oral pain. Remove all visible evidence of plant debris from the oropharynx.
3. In severe cases, parenteral opioids, corticosteroids, IV fluids, and endotracheal intubation may be required. Tetany should be treated with intravenous calcium gluconate.
4. Ocular exposure to sap resulting in chemical conjuncti-vitis and corneal abrasions must be treated with copious irrigation, systemic analgesics, and expert ophthalmologic consultation.


Top row left to right: Maria, Kou, Gail, James, Benjamin, Barry, Deb F., Denise, Stephanie, Betty, Beege, Judy, Cindy.
There are many reasons why we spin here at Schacht. I could go on for pages on why each of us on team Schacht Spindle sit down at our wheel and spin.
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At Interim Capital Lending Solutions, we want to do everything we can to get you the working capital you need to thrive. Learn more about how a merchant cash advance works and how we can help you apply for one.
The biggest difference between a cash advance and traditional loans is the way they are repaid. Instead of making monthly payments, a small percentage of your credit card sales are taken. This means seasonal companies or businesses with inconsistent income benefit from having the amount repaid reduced during slower months. If you think your business would benefit from a cash advance, contact and work with our financial team to figure out what your best options are.


Every child is wonderfully creative. So let's give them the power to colorfully express what they're thinking as they discover, explore and dream.
At Crayola, we're committed to providing safe, high-performance products that allow kids to engage in worry-free creative play. When kids have the right tools to create, they are free to turn their dreams into visible form! Nuture and celebrate the colorful creativity in every child!
Creativity is the ability to come up with original ideas, possibilities and alternatives used in everyday life. For kids, it is a skill critical to school and life success. Here are a few tips to help bring creativity into your home.
Creativity is a way of thinking that encourages children's original thoughts. Parents can do simple things to expand their child's creative thinking. To get started, check out our guide to 52 ideas for 52 weeks.
We need to encourage their curiosity, use common everyday experiences to inspire new ideas, build their confidence and use their art to spark conversations. Spark their creativity here.
From blowout bashes or everyday occasions – there are many suggestions to celebrate all of your memorable moments.


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Jesse H. Jones' impact on the Houston landscape
The Hayden is adding a second San Antonio restaurant
Talk of WNBA expansion should always start with Houston
By Missy Evans On May 15, 2022
How nice would it be if that were the city of Houston's tagline in the next year or two, as we prep for the return for the WNBA?
Keep hope alive.
Galveston-born Mike Evans, a Texas A&M legend and the greatest wide receiver in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, enthusiastically replied to a social media message about the potential expansion of the WNBA.
"Bring the Houston Comets back," Evans said. "I love the WNBA."
He's not alone. Certainly not in Houston, even though the Comets were disbanded in 2008.
Twenty-five years ago, I joined a raucous crowd at Autry Court at Rice University to see the debut of big-time women's basketball in H-Town.
The "unbiased" journalist in me couldn't help but become a fan.
With three of the best players in the world on the same team, a dynamic point guard who would become as beloved as any sports figure in the city's history, and a coach whose folksy charm rivaled that of Bum Phillips, it was obvious from the very Beginning that the Comets were special.
Sheryl Swoopes was out on maternity leave the night of that first scrimmage, but Cynthia Cooper, no. 1 draft pick Tina Thompson and Kim Perrot put on quite the show.
From the get-go, the Comets were more interesting, more fun and flat out better than any team in town.
Astros, Rockets, Cougars… all of them.
Four straight subsequent WNBA championships — the first four in league history — proved that.
But love for the Comets came before the titles were won.
Beauty wasn't just for those who came after winning, but was in the eyes of those first beholding.
And once the Comets started playing and winning, the game experience was the most enjoyable we have seen with the possible exception of the "Luv Ya Blue" Oilers and "Heart of a Champion" Rockets.
I know, I know, Cooper, Swoopes, Thompson and company will not be walking through the door again, but it would be so sweet were the Comets, or the WNBA by any other name, returned.
Talk of expansion of the WNBA should always start with Houston.
"We wanted to make sure that as we think about expansion and adding teams to our 12-team league that we do it in cities that would be highly supportive of a WNBA team," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.
Houston is such a place.
Texas is the home of arguably the best women's amateur basketball.
The competitiveness at the high school level is unsurpassed, as the best players in the state are always among the best in the country. And four Texas schools have won NCAA women's championships, twice as many as any other state.
There was a three-year stretch in which the WNBA's No. 1 overall draft picks were all from Houston.
Despite the high caliber of play, the WNBA is not a strong league financially. It doesn't compare to the NBA.
While every team in the NBA is making money, with team values growing quickly, estimates are that the WNBA loses $10 million a year.
In 2019, Joseph Tsai bought the WNBA's New York Liberty for as little as $10 million. Two years later, he spent $3.3 billion on the Brooklyn Nets.
Of course, one league has been operating for 75 years, the other for 25.
Same sport, different businesses.
We're talking about a minor league sport compared with the Big Three of the NFL, MLB and NBA.
"We want to have the right economic model so when we bring new owners in, which is a significant commitment by those ownership groups, that they're not inheriting an economic model that won't make them successful," Engelbert said.
Still, if there is a profit to be made in the WNBA, Houston is a place where it could be done, needs to be done.
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Dashboard-Chief-Judges-Why
Efficiency: Consolidation and Coordination
Chief Judges Serving More Than One Court
Traditionally, each trial court - even those with only one judge - had its own chief judge. In many counties, a single chief judge could preside over the circuit, probate, and district courts and provide strong, central leadership. In 2011, only nine chief judges presided over two or more courts. As of 2014, 46 out of 146 chief judges, representing nearly one-third of all chief judges, preside over more than one court.
Chief Judge Resources


Kotchaphan Mai-on, dubbed "The Thaitan" has been selected by the Irish Powerlifting Federation to represent Ireland in Calgary, Canada in June of this year.
The female powerlifter who trains at the Strength & Conditioning Centre in Tullamore was selected following a phenomenal showing at the National Powerlifting Championships. Kotchaphan managed to break nine national records, five in the Junior (18-23 years) category and four in the Open (23 years+) category.
As the strongest female in the country Under 47kg ever, Kotchaphan hopes to bring home a medal for Ireland and continue the impressive performance of the Irish squad internationally.
"It's my first big competition but I am hoping I can hold my own against these strong girls. If I can get a place on the podium even better," Kotchaphan Mai-on said.
Kotchaphan competes for ABS Gym (Advanced Barbell Systems) under the supervision of Jay Farrant, the Head Coach of the Irish National Squad, and is coached by James O'Brien at thr DCU Powerlifting Club.
"Kotchaphan is by far and away the hardest working in the club, and it has been a pleasure to have worked alongside her. When she first started two years ago she was unable to lift the barbell, but now is deadlifting almost triple her body-weight," James O'Brien said.
The next competition for her will be the IPF University Championships, April 14 in ABS gym Glasnevin where she hopes to continue her unbeaten streak alongside fellow lifters from the DCU Powerlifting Club.


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Corrie Star supports Charity Quiz raising money for EDP
Dorset resident and Coronation Street star Thelma Barlow, who played Mavis in the soap opera, is supporting a charity quiz and auction organised by James Smith Funeral Directors in Swanage to
raise money for EDP.
The much loved actress is supporting the quiz as a final thank you before she moves from Dorset to Kent. The main auction prize is lunch/dinner for four with Thelma at the Isle of Purbeck Golf Club. Other prizes include gift vouchers for Fontwell Park racecourse, a family pass for Swanage Railway, chocolates, photography, wine and a studio tour of Hot Radio.
EDP are extremely grateful for the ongoing support given to our work by both Thelma and James Smith Funeral Directors which is part of Douch Family Funeral Directors.
Nick Douch, managing director, said: "We have supported EDP before and they do excellent work. Derek has been involved with the charity's branch in Swanage over a number of years and we hope lots of people will turn up on the night to support the event and bid generously for the prizes. We are of course very grateful to Thelma for supporting the event and offering to pay for dinner for four at the Isle of Purbeck Golf Club."
Thelma said: "It's an opportunity to support a very good cause before I say goodbye to Swanage."
The quiz will take place at the Swanage Conservative Club on Friday 6th May at 7pm. More information about how to get your tickets is available at http://www.funeraldirector.co.uk/ta-ra-chuck/ and on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/610610459095501/.
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On Monday I was chatting via email with Duck-Tale extraordinaire, whistle blower, Caracas and Florida-based analyst and it turns out regular visitor Alex Dalmady and was telling him how surprised I was at the little impact in Venezuela of his piece in the monthly Veneconomy on Stanford International Bank, despite the fact that it was reprinted practically in its entirety by Descifrado.
He noted that we all have a friend, relative or acquaintance who has or had an account in it and thus this may be limiting the spreading of the news. And while we were watching inside Venezuela, the whole thing exploded outside. That night I finally wrote my piece on it, not because I was delaying it, but simply because I finally had the time to write it!
And then the whole thing exploded, not here, but abroad. What I had probably not understood is that while the victims of SIB may be located mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, the wounds and noise of Madoff have set off a race to find new Ponzi/Pyramids/Madoffs wherever they may be. Funny, when Venepiramides first appeared I thought the topic was somewhat narrow, maybe its owners now regret not doing it Enlish rather than in Spanish. They were on the right track and have kept up their great job, but the Venezuelan blogosphere has yet to catch on to the subject.
My post was noted by Inca Kola News (hey! I don't hate Chavez, I just don't want him as President!). Soon after a post appeared in portfolio.com written by Feliz Salmon, which was clearly noticed as Seeking Alpha picked it up and then Business Week and the ball started to roll (and then gave Alex and Veneconomy credit).
But in some sense, it did, because Alex Dalmady had a very specific prediction or smoking gun to watch in his Duck Tales article: SIB was supposed to provide financing to Health System Solutions to acquire Emageon by Feb. 11th. and it just failed to do so, suggesting that SIB was indeed having liquidity problems if it was unable to come up with the funds and incurr in a US$ 9 million loss. And SIB failed to do so, pushing Emageon shares down as much as 56% that day. I had earlier found a similar failure for SBI to deliver financing to Elandia, which cost SBI control over the company. That makes two separate smoking guns that liquidity is just not well a the US$ 8.5 billion institution.
But still, what the hell is going on at the Duck?
Funny, all the accusations by Dalmady are based on the Antigua based Stanford International Bank, why should that entity get anything?
Visits all over the country have a different purpose than looking into the sale of CD's issued by Antigua-based Stanford International Bank to US citizens.
Once again, why should SIB even aspire to receive US taxpayers dollars?
And then, if as reported in the December 17th. letter in its website, things were peachy and the bank had not incurred in any losses, why did SIB had to inject US$ half a billion in capital and "is considering a number of other steps are needed"?
There were very simple questions which were not answered in this letter, like: Where are the assets that generated the wonderful results SBI claims in a year when equities were down 4-0-50% across the world and the bank claimed to have started the year with a 50%-plus allocation to Equities? Why did the bank fail to provide financing to Emageon and Elandia? Are withdrawals being promptly met? Or even why did Sir Allen really withdraw his funding from the 20/20 cricket challenge in December?
But in the end, the strangest aspect of the whole story is that there is total silence in Venezuela. Nothing in the news in the country that gave SIB its initial push, with as much as US$ 3 billion in deposits from Venezuelans. Stanford even purchased a local bank "Stanford Bank" to give some semblance of legality to the sale of SIB products, which is a gray area in my country. Stanford's reach is so wide, that I am sure that many of the new Boli-bourgeois, have accounts there, after all, it was probably the bank with local presence with the lowest compliance requirements in the market and the most aggressive sales force.
As I said, everyone in Venezuela either knows or is related to someone with money at SIB. In fact, I have been warning people I knew about this for years. And I must say, while some listened to me partially, not a single one of them withdrew all of its savings from SIB. Not one.
This entry was posted on	February 13, 2009 at 2:41 am	and is filed under Stanford Bank.
There is an old rule in finance, as well as life: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is". The stories about Madoff and Stanford all seem to be repeats of the same story; and all such stories seem to end the same way- the investors/depositors get screwed.


text:
Writer/Directors
Guy and Matt are Emmy Award-winning writers, directors and performers. They created and wrote their debut children's television series HARDBALL which premiered in 2019 as ABCMe's number one show. The series has won multiple awards and sold throughout the world. Season Two of HARDBALL starts shooting in November 2020, on which they will also direct. They have several new television projects in development in Australia and overseas.
In addition to winning the 2020 International Emmy Award for Best Children's Live-Action Series, HARDBALL won Best Children's Fiction Program for 7-10-year-olds in the Prix Jeunesse International Awards, the world's largest competition for outstanding children's television. The series also won at BANFF Rockies, The Remis, and others, as well as being nominated for the AWGIES and AACTA's in Australia.
Their first children's book series ZOO CREW is being published by Scholastic and will be released early 2021. They've directed and written the NIDA Graduating Actors Film Scenes since 2017.
Matt and Guy also work as actors, with over eighty credits between them on both stage and screen including HOLDING THE MAN, UNDERBELLY: RAZOR, HARDBALL, A MOODY CHRISTMAS, HOME AND WAY and SECRET CITY to name a few.


text:
Couple says beloved Chihuahua was killed at day care, cremated while they traveled
Posted 8:14 am, August 23, 2018, by Tribune Media Wire, Updated at 09:32AM, August 22, 2018
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. – A couple is grieving the loss of their beloved dog Peanut after another dog allegedly attacked and killed him at a boarding facility.
But the circumstances surrounding Peanut's death at a Windsor Locks dog day care are the subject of a police investigation.
Ana and Arturo Rodriguez say Peanut was like a child to them.
"I don't have any children of my own so I've invested 9 years of emotions in Peanut. He was my world," Arturo Rodriguez said.
Family dog dies at boarding facility after being left outside in the heat
The couple told WTIC they had to fly out of state to take care of a sick loved one and decided to board Peanut at the Flying Fur near Bradley Airport. They called to check on Peanut during their trip and said they were told he was fine and getting along with the other dogs. But when they arrived home July 20th, Peanut was dead.
According to a statement by Flying Fur owner Sandy Brengi, another dog that "had previously been playing nicely" with Peanut turned on the pint-sized pooch and killed the Rodriguezes' pet.
"There's just nothing but unanswered questions," Ana Rodriguez said.
The Flying Fur declined an on-camera interview.
"Now that he's gone, it's devastating," said Arturo. They posted their story on Facebook where it's been shared nearly 800 times. They never saw Peanut's body, and say the Flying Fur only handed the an urn with his ashes.
Dog that survived in woods alone for 3 years reunited with long-lost family
"I just want some closure," said Arturo. "I want to make sure this is actually my dog."
WTIC obtained a handwritten letter from the attending veterinarian. But the date says Peanut was cremated July 17th, as does the cremation certificate. That's three days before the Rodriguez family arrived home with no word of any incident.
Flying Fur owner Sandy Brengi said in a statement that due to stress the family was going through on their trip, she thought the news of Peanut's death would, "add stress to an already very emotional situation."
"It was offensive that they cremated him and did not tell us about the incident," Ana Rodriguez said. "It leads us to believe that there were underlying reasons why they weren't telling (us) about it."
Video of Groomer Abusing Client's Dog Goes Viral
The letter from the vet also described Peanut, a male Chihuahua, as a female Jack Russell terrier.
"In no way was this done to cover up any evidence of wrongdoing," Brengi told WTIC.
The attack apparently happened in the Flying Fur's outside play area. Staff admit the dogs were left unattended for a time while their indoor space was being cleaned.
Helpless and heartbroken with only Peanut's collar, the urn of ashes and his dog tags, the Rodriguez family is turning to their anger into action. They are advocating to change the Connecticut statute which says, "all dogs are deemed to be personal property."
The statute prevents owners from being compensated for pain and suffering.
"The laws need to change so no one ever has to go through this again and if it does happen, that they have proper legal recourse," said Ana.
The allegations against the Flying Fur are being investigated by the Windsor Locks Police Department, animal control and the state Department of Agriculture. Lt. Paul Cherniack of the Windsor Locks Police Department said, "If something falls under the statute of cruelty to animals we have to look at that and see if these circumstances do apply in the this case. We are keeping everything open."
The Flying Fur said they've adjusted their existing procedures, but didn't elaborate specially how. The Flying Fur has been in business since 2012 caring for nearly 60,000 pets.
Statement from the Flying Fur owner Sandy Brengi:
On behalf of the entire Flying Fur family, I would like to address the recent accident that occurred at our facility.
The accident that occurred was not the result of gross negligence, but an isolated accident between 2 boarding/daycare guests, that had previously been playing nicely together. I would also like to clarify the confusion regarding the breed of the other dog involved.
This dog was not a pit bull, as has been reported, but rather a mixed breed dog, that weighs between 25 – 30 lbs. We group our daycare guests together by size and temperament and at no time was there a dog larger than 30lbs in this play group. Additionally, there were no more than 8-10 dogs in that weight group the day this accident occurred.
At my direction, my daughter Alexa took the injured pet to the hospital immediately. He was not presented to the attending veterinarian as a stray dog or as property of The Flying Fur. In fact, his cremation certificate listed his full name. He sustained one fatal bite to the back of his neck and was in no way mauled by the other animal.
As principal owner, it was my decision not to contact his family as it was my understanding they were traveling out of town for personal matters. I thought the news would add stress to what was already a very emotional situation for them. It was also my decision to have him privately cremated and placed in a decorative urn.
That decision was based on my own choice of privately cremating some of my personal beloved pets. In no way was this done to cover-up any evidence of wrongdoing.
We would like to assure our community and our customers, that we are not taking this situation lightly, and we are truly sorry the accident occurred. Since the accident we have adjusted our existing procedures. We believe these steps will further insure the safety of the pets entrusted to us.
The Flying Fur has been in business since 2012. Since our opening, approximately 55,800 pets have passed through our business, and we have never experienced an accident such as this.
We are a proud and active member of the Windsor Locks community. We have deep ties to the town and the area. Windsor Locks has been my home for 30 years & my husband is a lifelong resident. We would like to thank all our loyal customers, family, and friends for their years of continued support of our family-owned business.
Topics: Animals, Dogs, Weekday News, Weird News
Abused and shot dog gets second chance at life as taco-eating internet sensation
Texas man with terminal cancer seeks homes for his 11 rescue dogs
'I need to check on some other people.' Shooting victim helped 7 coworkers hide, then went to look for more
Man offers to sell car to save his dog's life before community comes to the rescue
38 dogs found in home of woman suspected of dumping puppies at Coachella put up for adoption
College fraternity suspended after video shows puppy being forced to drink from keg
Abused dog dies 5 days into recovery at Ohio shelter
Multiple cases of disease that can be transmitted from dogs to humans confirmed in Iowa
After 71 years of marriage, a husband and wife die on the same day
Another American tourist died in her hotel room in the Dominican Republic


This Saturday marks the start of the County Championship Finals. It's been a rough ride but we lost no enthusiasm and we're finally here after 4 tough qualifiers that left us with eight County teams that will be battling for the prize pool this weekend.
The format for the Finals weekend will be optimized so that players get the most out of the weekend and play as many games as possible.
County Championship Update – New Format!
As some of you already know if you follow the Steam Group, I asked for some help from players of the County Champs in regards to the format.
You may remember when we originally planned the County Champs we were going to use a 128 team double elimination bracket over 2 weekends. There were multiple problems with this format, for example: teams got one real chance to prove themselves, if they lost 2 Bo1's they were out and that's not fun for anyone, especially in a tournament you've been waiting months for.
Alright people, it's pretty obvious we tried to rush the start of the County Championship because 2016 is slowly slipping away, and for some reason we have an iSeries in December – MADNESS! This has caused me to relook at the current plan and decide to scrap the current schedule, and come up with something more defined so everyone knows exactly what's going on so they can plan accordingly. The tournament will still be a 128 team double elimination. There are currently 93 teams created so still a lot of space to add new teams for existing and new counties.


text:
Wandering Thoughts
From Amazons to Glamazons
By Quinn Van Valer-Campbell
The media is an undeniable force that changes and shapes our feelings and persuasions at will. Since the presence of women in war is pervasive, one would think that it is high time for countries in conflict to actually recognize this fact and include women.
There has been some recent progress: Women, War, and Peace premiered on PBS in October, the organization Women Make Movies is present throughout much of the world, and the movie Miss Representation premiered this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Furthermore, awareness is at an all-time high with NGOs and other organizations working toward the inclusion of women at the peace table and in societies emerging from conflict. Articles abound on the dire necessity and importance of the roles of women. Keeping these contemporary examples in mind, how are women's roles in the media, conflict, and peacebuilding not changing?
Unfortunately, the media as a whole has been misleading and two-faced. Take a look at war movies, television shows, and video games, as examples. Then, look at women and what they are (not) wearing. Amazon women from ancient Greece were some of the most renowned and feared women warriors in history, known for their skill and ability to carry out a "man's" job with ease. But look up Amazon women today, and skimpy Halloween costumes and Glamazons are invariably the first items to appear. This is in stark contrast to the historical Amazons, who allegedly would remove one of their breasts so as to better use a bow and arrow. The media has taken the quintessential warrior woman and sexualized her to the point of pornography.
Xena the Warrior Princess and Lara Croft are further examples of women in war who have been sexualized by the media. With their skintight clothes and huge breasts, these women are supposed to be fighters but end up only serving the fantasies of men. While these two women are not necessarily real or realistic examples of women in war, they are indicative of popular Western perceptions and attitudes. The only place for women in war may be on the frontlines, but they will all be glamorized to the point of ineffectiveness and humiliation.
To take the example of the Amazon women further, they were able to maintain their role in society as warriors but this did not diminish their femininity. They may have even taken it a bit too far with some marriage laws requiring young women to have killed someone before being eligible to marry. However, they were not sought after as glorified sexual objects, but rather were desired in marriage because they were strong, fearsome, and respected.
In a society like ours and the rest of the Western world, where we cannot even accept women in combat roles without adding sex to the mix, it is not surprising that women are not taken seriously either during war or during peacebuilding.
This entry was posted in Archives, Quinn Van Valer-Campbell, WT on March 27, 2012 by Editor.


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<section version="5.0"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook http://www.docbook.org/xml/5.0/xsd/docbook.xsd http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink http://www.docbook.org/xml/5.0/xsd/xlink.xsd"
         xml:base="../../" xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
         xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
         xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"
         xmlns:ns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook">
  <title>REST API</title>

  <para>The Execution Server supports the following commands via the REST API. </para>
       <para>Please note the following before using these commands: </para>
       <para>
              <itemizedlist>
                     <listitem>
                            <para>The base URL for these will remain as the endpoint defined earlier
                                   (for example:
                                          http://SERVER:PORT/CONTEXT/services/rest/server/
                                   )</para>
                     </listitem>
                     <listitem>
                            <para>All requests require basic HTTP Authentication for the role
                                   kie-server as indicated earlier.</para>
                     </listitem>
              </itemizedlist>
       </para>

              <title>[GET] /</title>
              <para>Returns the Execution Server information</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="KIE Server info">
  <kie-server-info>
    <version>6.2.0.redhat-1</version>
  </kie-server-info>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[POST] /</title>
              <para>Using POST HTTP method, you can execute various commands on the Execution
                     Server. E.g: create-container, list-containers, dispose-container and call-container.</para>

              <title>[GET] /containers</title>
              <para>Returns a list of containers that have been created on this Execution
                     Server.</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="List of created containers">
  <kie-containers>
    <kie-container container-id="MyProjectContainer" status="STARTED">
      <release-id>
        <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
        <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
        <version>1.0</version>
      </release-id>
      <resolved-release-id>
        <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
        <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
        <version>1.0</version>
      </resolved-release-id>
    </kie-container>
  </kie-containers>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[GET] /containers/{id}</title>
              <para>Returns the status and information about a particular container. For example,
                     executing
                            http://SERVER:PORT/CONTEXT/services/rest/server/containers/MyProjectContainer
                     could return the following example container info.</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="Info for container MyProjectContainer">
  <kie-container container-id="MyProjectContainer" status="STARTED">
    <release-id>
      <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
      <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
      <version>1.0</version>
    </release-id>
    <resolved-release-id>
      <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
      <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
      <version>1.0</version>
    </resolved-release-id>
  </kie-container>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[PUT] /containers/{id}</title>
              <para>Allows you to create a new Container in the Execution Server. For example, to
                     create a Container with the id of <emphasis role="bold"
                            >MyRESTContainer</emphasis> the complete endpoint will be:
                            http://SERVER:PORT/CONTEXT/services/rest/server/containers/MyRESTContainer.
                     An example of request is:</para>
              <example><title>Example Request to create a container</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><kie-container container-id="MyRESTContainer">
  <release-id>
    <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
    <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
    <version>1.0</version>
  </release-id>
</kie-container></programlisting>
              </example>
              <para>And the response from the server, if
                     successful, would be be:</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response when creating a container</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="Container MyRESTContainer successfully deployed with module com.redhat:Project1:1.0">
  <kie-container container-id="MyProjectContainer" status="STARTED">
    <release-id>
      <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
      <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
      <version>1.0</version>
    </release-id>
    <resolved-release-id>
      <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
      <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
      <version>1.0</version>
    </resolved-release-id>
  </kie-container>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[DELETE] /containers/{id}</title>
              <para>Disposes the Container specified by the id. For example, executing
                            http://SERVER:PORT/CONTEXT/services/rest/server/containers/MyProjectContainer
                     using the DELETE HTTP method will return the following server response:</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response disposing a container</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="Container MyProjectContainer successfully disposed."/></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[POST] /containers/{id}</title>
              <para>Executes operations and commands against the specified Container. You can send
                     commands to this Container in the body of the POST request. For example, to
                     fire all rules for Container with id MyRESTContainer
                            (http://SERVER:PORT/CONTEXT/services/rest/server/containers/MyRESTContainer),
                     you would send the fire-all-rules command to it as shown below (in the body of
                     the POST request):</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Request to fire all rules</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><fire-all-rules/></programlisting>
              </example>
              <para>Any valid command (of the type org.kie.api.Command) with
                     correct attributes can be used.</para>

              <title>[GET] /containers/{id}/release-id</title>
              <para>Returns the full
                     release id for the Container specified by the id.</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="ReleaseId for container MyProjectContainer">
  <release-id>
    <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
    <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
    <version>1.0</version>
  </release-id>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[POST] /containers/{id}/release-id</title>
              <para>Allows you to update the release id of
                     the container deployment. Send the new complete release id to the Server.</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Request</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><release-id>
  <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
  <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
  <version>1.1</version>
</release-id> </programlisting>
              </example>
              <para>The Server will respond with a success or error message, similar to
                     the one below:</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting><response type="SUCCESS" msg="Release id successfully updated.">
  <release-id>
    <artifact-id>Project1</artifact-id>
    <group-id>com.redhat</group-id>
    <version>1.0</version>
  </release-id>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[GET] /containers/{id}/scanner</title>
              <para>Returns information about the scanner for this Container's
                     automatic updates.</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="Scanner info successfully retrieved">
  <kie-scanner status="DISPOSED"/>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>

              <title>[POST] /containers/{id}/scanner</title>
              <para>Allows you to start or stop a scanner that controls polling for updated
                     Container deployments. To start the scanner, send a request similar to:
                            http://SERVER:PORT/CONTEXT/services/rest/server/containers/{container-id}/scanner
                     with the following POST data.</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Request to start the scanner</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><kie-scanner status="STARTED" poll-interval="20"/></programlisting>
              </example>
              <para>The poll-interval attribute is in seconds. The response from the server will be similar
                     to:</para>
              <example><title>Example Server Response</title>
                     <programlisting language="XML"><response type="SUCCESS" msg="Kie scanner successfully created.">
  <kie-scanner status="STARTED"/>
</response></programlisting>
              </example>
              <para>To stop the Scanner, replace the status with DISPOSED and remove
                     the poll-interval attribute.</para>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Amanda Lear – francuska piosenkarka, autorka tekstów, malarka, prezenterka telewizyjna, aktorka, była modelka i pisarka. Swą karierę rozpoczęła jako modelka w latach 60. Wtedy też poznała hiszpańskiego malarza Salvadora Dalí, którego przyjaciółką i muzą była przez następne ponad 15 lat. Szczyt popularności osiągnęła jako piosenkarka disco pod koniec lat 70. dzięki przebojom takim jak m.in. "Blood and Honey", "Tomorrow", "Queen of Chinatown", "Follow Me", "Enigma (Give a Bit of Mmh to Me)", "The Sphinx" i "Fashion Pack". W latach 80. stała się jedną z najpopularniejszych osobowości telewizyjnych we Włoszech dzięki wsparciu magnata mediowego i przyszłego premiera Silvio Berlusconiego. Prowadziła program rozrywkowy Premiatissima w nowo powstałej stacji Canale 5, następnie W le donne, we Francji zaadaptowane jako Cherchez la femme, a później talk show Ars Amanda dla Włoskiej telewizji publicznej RAI. Od lat 90. kontynuuje jednocześnie działalność muzyczną, telewizyjną, aktorską i malarską. Choć wydawane przez nią regularnie albumy muzyczne nie spotykały się już z sukcesem komercyjnym, Lear nadal cieszyła się dobrze ugruntowaną pozycją w telewizji, prowadząc popularne programy głównie we Włoszech i Francji, m.in. Il brutto anatroccolo i Cocktail d'amore. Lear pojawiła się też w licznych serialach telewizyjnych oraz produkcjach filmowych i nagrała dubbing do kilku popularnych filmów animowanych.

Programy telewizyjne

Seriale

Filmy

Dubbing

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne
 Oficjalna strona Amandy Lear
 Amanda Lear w bazie Filmweb
 Amanda Lear w bazie IMDb
 Amanda Lear w bazie AllMovie

Lear, Amanda


text:
Ein Laser-Scanning-Mikroskop (seltener Laserrastermikroskop; , LSM, auch ) ist ein Lichtmikroskop, bei dem ein fokussierter Laserstrahl ein Präparat abrastert (Laserscanning, englisch  = 'rastern'). Die Abrasterung kann mit einem Punkt geschehen, durch mehrere Punkte gleichzeitig oder durch eine Linie.

Die punktweise Rasterung des Präparats kann beispielsweise erreicht werden, indem der Laserstrahl durch sogenannte Scan-Spiegel waagerecht und senkrecht abgelenkt wird, bevor er durch das Objektiv auf den Anregungspunkt im Präparat fokussiert wird. Wenn ein dreidimensionales Bild aufgenommen werden soll, so geschieht dies, indem Bilder verschiedener Fokusebenen nacheinander erstellt werden. Dazu wird entweder das Präparat oder das Objektiv in der Höhe verschoben.

In den meisten Fällen wird erzeugte Fluoreszenz aufgenommen, die entsprechenden Geräte gehören also zu den Fluoreszenzmikroskopen. Das Fluoreszenz-anregende Laserlicht bewegt sich kontinuierlich über das Präparat, die räumliche Auflösung entsteht dadurch, dass das Fluoreszenzsignal eines bestimmten Zeitabschnitts einem Bildpunkt zugeordnet wird. Es kann sowohl die Fluoreszenzintensität, als auch die Fluoreszenzlebensdauer zur Bilderzeugung benutzt werden, wobei bei letzter zusätzliche Messtechnik erforderlich ist (siehe auch: Fluoreszenzlebensdauer-Mikroskopie, FLIM). Als Detektoren kommen bei der Abrasterung mit einem Punkt meist Photomultiplier oder Avalanche-Photodioden zum Einsatz, bei den anderen Verfahren CCD-Kameras. Im Mikroskop selbst entsteht zu keinem Zeitpunkt ein vollständiges Bild. Dieses wird bei Punktdetektoren erst durch die Steuerungssoftware zusammengesetzt, bei CCD-Kameras auf dem CCD-Chip.

Varianten
Verschiedene Typen von Laser-Scanning-Mikroskopen werden unterschieden:
 Die historisch ersten Laser-Scanning-Mikroskope waren Flying-Spot-Mikroskope, die ab den 1980er Jahren von konfokalen Laser-Scanning-Mikroskopen abgelöst wurden.
 Diese konfokalen Laser-Scanning-Mikroskope (engl. , CLSM) sind heute am weitesten verbreitet. Das Abrastern geschieht meistens Punkt für Punkt, es gibt aber auch Varianten mit mehreren Punkten (Spinning Disk) oder mit einer Linie.
 Ein 4Pi-Mikroskop ist eine Variante des CLSM mit verbesserter Auflösung, die unter anderem dadurch erreicht wird, dass statt einem zwei Objektive eingesetzt werden.
 Ein STED-Mikroskop ist ebenfalls eine Variante des CLSM, bei dem die Auflösung dadurch verbessert wird, dass der Anregungspunkt durch Sättigung von Farbstoffübergängen stark verkleinert wird.
 Multiphotonenmikroskope erlauben Multiphotonenfluoreszenzmikroskopie und .

Je nach Abgrenzung des Begriffs "Laser-Scanning-Mikroskop" können auch Mikroskope hinzugezählt werden, bei denen Streifen im Präparat beleuchtet werden, um jeweils Teilbilder aufzunehmen, und diese Streifen dann ihre Position verändern. Anders als bei den zuvor beschriebenen Varianten ist die Bewegung des Anregungsbereiches jedoch nicht kontinuierlich. Hierzu gehören 3D-SIM-Mikroskope und die Lichtscheibenmikroskopie (SPIM bzw. ).

Siehe auch
 Heidelberg Retina Tomograph

Literatur
 James B. Pawley (Hrsg.): Handbook of biological confocal microscopy. 3rd Edition. Springer Science and Business Media – LLC, New York NY 2006, ISBN 0-387-25921-X.

Lichtmikroskop-Art oder lichtmikroskopisches Verfahren
Optisches Instrument
Laseranwendung


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text:
Kalgoorlie MinerRegional WAGoldfields
Our Perri Oxide slays it in drag
Tegan GuthrieKalgoorlie Miner
Sun, 3 November 2019 4:38PM
Email Tegan Guthrie
Camera IconPerri Oxide loves performing. Credit: Kalgoorlie Miner / Kelsey Reid
It may have been a little bit hard to recognise Kalgoorlie-born Phillip Toia-Johnston when he returned to his home town dressed in several layers of sheer stockings, hip pads, red bodysuit, knee-high red boots and a double stacker blonde wig.
Toia-Johnston, 24, took to the stage as Perri Oxide, one of four talented drag queens who tore up the stage at the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Racing Club for the Kalgoorlie Drag Show last week.
Having left the city at age nine, you could be forgiven for not seeing a resemblance between Toia-Johnston and Oxide, with her make-up on point, legs on show and attitude at 100.
But thinking back to his time in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, there were some key giveaways that drag could be in his future.
"I remember several times I would go to the races and be in some outfit I picked myself at age of two, it would be a pair of slippers, overalls with some type of headpiece, a glove on or something around my neck," she said.
"I always wanted to be in a look that would turn a head.
"When I got a little bit older I told Mum I wanted a suit so she bought me a small suit and I went into Fashions on the Field and I actually won. I got this little gold nugget necklace that eventually got robbed from our house, you know, the joys of Kalgoorlie."
The family moved to Bunbury, where Toia-Johnston attended high school and went through all the trials and tribulations of a young flamboyant gay, which Oxide said were some of the most difficult years.
It wasn't until he made his way to Perth to pursue a graphic design degree at 18, which turned into a diploma, advanced diploma and bachelor degree through the WA Academy of Performing Arts, that the thought of doing drag crossed his mind.
Camera IconKalgoorlie born-and-raised drag queen Perri Oxide. Credit: Kalgoorlie Miner / Kelsey Reid
"A friend took me to The Court and there was this show called Drag Factory and there were these two awful drag queens just throwing their bodies around," Oxide said.
"One did Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus and she had a wife-beater on and she was a bit portly and had a sledgehammer and it just wasn't great.
"And I thought 'oh my God I could do that', you know, what everyone thinks. So you go off and buy a couple things and your friend gives you some clothing and make-up and you go to Target and buy a $10 pair of shoes.
"I worked on my face for like two or so months before I stepped out and I went back to Drag Factory confident I was going to crush it, and I came last.
"So it was not as easy as it looked, even for someone like me with performance training."
Oxide said she wanted to just ease her way in there, but then she caught the "sickness".
"We call it a 'sickness', it's like 'oh yeah, she's got the sickness, she's a sicko'," she said.
You do one number and see you have that sickness and now the want and need to perform and be a gorgeous woman is running through my veins
Perri Oxide
Oxide said she was not questioning her identity, and was not transgender, but just loved dressing up as a woman and slaying a lip-sync.
"I always wanted to be a female pop-star when I was a young boy and I was like 'oh, that's silly', but now I'm living it," she said.
"I get to lip-sync to every single song I used to lip-sync to in my bedroom when I was like 13 and now I just get paid for it, and I'm gorgeous."
Oxide admits she was not always this gorgeous, having gone through a gothic stage during the early years of her career.
"I was this bruised, bloodied beauty and I would wear blood noses, black eyes and white or grey hair," she said.
Whenever someone starts doing some type of weird project, like art, drag, music or acting, they are trying to cover something, correct something or make up for something, and I was definitely like not happy in general, even when doing drag
"I had a rough start with, like, older queens giving me s..t about me being a mouthy little brat, it is a classic tale retold a thousand times, but I was just that generation," she said.
"But I ended up getting like really down on myself and thought about quitting at one point in the early years but kept going and ended up winning Queen of the Court and opportunities came from that which saw me meet up with the girls which run this lovely regional tour."
Camera IconPerri Oxide. Credit: Kalgoorlie Miner / Kelsey Reid
Oxide performed at the inaugural Kalgoorlie Drag Show last year and said last week's audience seemed to be in higher spirits than at the first event.
It was also the first time Oxide's father had seen her perform a full drag show, having previously only seen her stand still and lip-sync.
"He was thoroughly impressed, he had never seen me throw my body around and have a good dance, shake my ass and skid along the floor or do a handstand on the wall, but he has now," she said.
Oxide will now go back to her usual performances at The Court and Connections in Perth as she prepares for upcoming Fringe shows.
She said she had no intentions of quitting drag anytime soon, but if something took her fancy, she might not be able to say no.
"I am the type of person who gets very excited very quickly and it's like 'oh my God, I have to do this'," she said.
"Early on I was really content and set on being a fashion designer, then I grew out of that and wanted to be a chef, then grew out of that and wanted to be a singer and performer, then grew out of that and wanted to be a graphic designer.
"So looking at my past, one could probably guess that I would throw in the wig in the next couple of years. But like I said, I feel like I've gained the sickness."
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text:
Dante's Inferno Canto V: AP Analysis
January 18, 2019 January 18, 2019 liamcgJudy, Liam
Read the following poem carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze how the speaker uses the varied imagery of the poem to reveal his attitude toward the nature of love. (1995)
Dante's Inferno explores the sin of lust as a sin stemming from human incontinence: the refusal to choose what is right over what is immoral. Lust is a sin that Dante must contend with, and not in the sense of him having committed it, but in the sense of his need to understand it, which is imperative to his survival of the Inferno.Throughout Canto V, the extent to which Dante's perception of the sin is warped and manipulated is expressed visually by the metaphor of a hurricane. Initially, Virgil attempts to impart the severity of the sin to Dante, displaying to him the punishment the sinners must face: doomed to contend with a passionate and violent hurricane that is irresistible, just as lust was apparently irresistible for the sinners. However, Dante's naivety prevents him from seeing reality, and he becomes skeptical as to whether or not the sinners deserve the severity of their punishments. This uncertainty is demonstrated through the hurricane's apparent shift–decrease– in intensity. This uncertainty allows Dante to become misguided and mistaken regarding the deservedness of the sinners punishment, leaving him with a need to speak to the sinners, making him vulnerable to manipulation Finally, through allowing Francesca, a soul who in life committed the sin of adultery, to convince him that her actions were motivated by love rather than lust, Dante's perception of the hurricane shifts from an intense destructive wind, to a light breeze carrying the lightest of expressions. Dante no longer sees lust as a malicious choice, but as an innocent force that one cannot resist, hence cannot be faulted for. This failure to properly perceive lust is the ultimate failure of Canto V, and one that Dante must rectify if he is ever to make it through the Inferno.
Virgil tells Dante of the dangers of love and lust, giving him direct examples (Cleopatra, Achilles). Virgil is attempting to teach Dante a key lesson by delineating between love and lust. The primary imagery Virgil impresses on Dante is of the unstoppable hurricane chasing the sinners, forcing them to contend with in death what they chose not to resist in life. "The hellish hurricane, which never rests, drives on the spirits with its violence: wheeling and pounding, it harasses them." The violence and relentlessness represents Dante's initial perception of the severity of the sin, and sinners inability to resist the not-unstoppable force that is lust. Virgil explains that lust is an unstoppable force of nature — unstoppable to all but humans — and that love is unable to control someone's actions unless they allow it– at which point it is their own actions regardless. This means that anyone who claims to be innocent and claims to be have been under the influence of love is being deceitful, as love cannot control your actions. Dante for a moment takes onto Virgil's word and heeds cautious against the violent and irresistible hurricane. For now, Virgil has secured Dante's understanding of lust.
However, the Dante the Pilgrim, becomes skeptical, being naive and inexperienced. He allows this skepticism to confound within him an insatiable deisre to speak with the tormented souls, not wanting to bear their suffering without consolation. "Poet, I should willingly speak with those two who go together there and seem so lightly carried by the wind." At the same moment that his skepticism gets the best of him, the hurricane becomes softer wind, representative of his compromised understanding of the severity of lust. As Francesca speaks, further luring Dante into a state of empathy and pity, she twists her story to make her look like the victim. Dante's imagery of the harsh winds and hurricane, an irresistible temptation, shifts, becoming a soft, light carrier of the poor forsaken souls. This internal downplaying of the sin is what allows him to be so weak and vulnerable to deceit and manipulation. At first Dante was told of the severity of the sin of lust, and he saw the great winds and hurricane, representing the sin of lust, that tormented the sinners likewise. However, when he begins to doubt the divine judgement cast upon the the sinners, and allows pity to corrupt his heart, he sees the hurricane as a mere soft wind that "seems" to carry the souls of the damned so lightly, making the sin of lust seem almost forgivable, and not at all worthy of such cruel punishment, setting the stage for Dante's final failure that the whole of the Canto has built up to.
And fail he does. Dante allows himself to be fooled by the charming but deceitful Francesca, and ultimately faints outright of pity. This pity is important to Francesca, as coming from a mortal, to pity a sin is an affront to God. In Dante's mind, the soft wind, that was once the hurricane of lust, becomes representative of love, something far more forgivable and far less punishable, something that Francesca recognizes and doubles down on. The imagery here of the hurricane shifts further from the soft wind, and becomes more of an entity of itself, a swift, graceful, and hopelessly powerful force that is impossible to resist: "Love, that can quickly seize the gentle heart, took hold of him because of the fair body, taken from me-how that was done still wounds me, Love, that releases no beloved from loving, took hold of me so strongly through his beauty, that, as you see, it has not left me yet, Love led the two of us unto one death. Caina waits for him who took our life. These words were borne across from them to us." Love is being personified here as a being capable of influencing human actions of its own accord, which is a total subversion of Virgil's depiction of love being a powerless influence which operates under the dominion of man. Francesca not only paints her sin in the coat of love, of a soft wind that carries innocent connotations, but she further defines it in tones much less harsh and more euphemistic. All of which serves to forward Francesca's rhetoric, placing the responsibility of her sin away from herself, and on the false pretense of this "love" that tricks Dante into becoming pitiful. This illustration that Francesca gives of love as a gentle undeniable influencer is slowly adopted by Dante himself, and that is what causes him to become pitiful. Dante, in this false epiphany, allows himself to be overwhelmed with pity, and falls to his knees and faints, falling "as a dead body falls." completing Dante's most crucial failure in The Divine Comedy.
Despite Virgil's best attempts at guiding Dante away from deception, Dante fails for the first time, allowing himself to fall pity to the souls who know no repentance for their actions. Dante does not understand that love and lust have no control over people's actions, and that sin is a choice. Dante's perception of what Francesca is being punished for goes from Virgil's imagery of horridly powerful hurricane, representing lust, to a soft wind, which Dante's inexperience makes to be love. This incorrect shift in perception allows Francesca to make her actions seem as if they were not only reasonable, but beyond her control entirely, both of which are untrue. Soon Francesca shifts the blame for her actions away from her, from the imagery of a violent hurricane that she brought onto herself, then into the imagery of a soft wind, and finally, into something entirely different, into a graceful, powerful, and unfair force to which she had no power in resisting.
Tagged critical, Dante, imagery, Inferno, love
the corruption of love.
Happiness is a Chance: Polished Critical


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Hello everyone, today I have a video of another 2013 calendar. I'm calling this a "Junk Calendar." I used Pink Paislee's Spring Jubilee paper collection.
This calendar was lots of fun to create! Let me know what you think!
Love your calendar! Thanks for the inspiration to use our stash. I love how you combined digital downloads with the Pink Paislee paper line.
Love your calendar. What did you use for the base (black), did you just use cardstock or is it chipboard. I want to make this and make sure it is sturdy enough to stand up.
Thanks, I used black chipboard as the base of the calendar.
Really great calendar!!! I love the look!


text:
Lax Privacy Standards Expose Consumers' Personal Information
By Kim Tong-hyung
In technology-obsessed Korea, a land seemingly fascinated with everything electronic, it seems as if there are no secrets anymore.
Whatever one does or wherever one goes, it appears that no action is left unrecorded. Online verification systems confirm our identity at every turn on the Internet; chip-embedded transport cards and cameras mark our way through subways, buses, tollbooths and airports; photo IDs and sign-ins are required at many buildings; and there just might be a surveillance camera every 10 meters on the way from office to home.
So, apparently, in a country where government agencies, employers, telecommunications providers and Internet companies are intending to check and validate every move of everyone, the amount of personal data they handle is becoming enormous.
This is a growing concern, critics say, as the organizations, who have quite a zeal for collecting information, are putting less thought and effort into protecting it.
A recent report by the National Human Rights Commission exposed public organizations and private companies for their lax security standards regarding private information.
In a survey of 76 government agencies, state-run companies, financial service firms and Internet companies that require users to submit their personal information, 46 said they don't have any employees charged with protecting such data, the commission said.
Twenty-six of them were public organizations, while the remaining 20 were private firms. Of the organizations that did have at least one employee assigned to the protection of personal data, only eight had hired specialized experts to do so.
The country's 23,652 administrative organizations are currently handling more than 322,000 files containing personal data of registered residents, the commission said. According to the survey, conducted over the last seven months, some 15 percent reported having transferred data from their files to other administrative units without completing the relevant legal procedures, the commission said.
The National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) was pointed out as having lax standards, as it has provided more than 100 million files of personal information to other organizations since 2008.
Law enforcement authorities were criticized for their lack of care with criminal investigation records.
The National Police Agency currently holds more than 2.03 million files concerning interrogation records, and has been providing the data to other organizations even after the closure of the criminal cases, or after the indicted individuals have served their sentences.
The police's management of its crime information management system (CIMS), which currently contains the investigation records of more than 45 million criminal cases, also came under fire.
The commission claimed that the information contained in the CIMS is being used by investigators randomly, with the police failing to establish self-regulation standards.
And although the law requires CCTV footage to be deleted after 30 days, the police have been rendering the rules irrelevant by making copies of the videos, the commission said.
"The legal restrictions regarding the movement of personal information between public organizations is vague, as you can see by the absurdly large number of personal files moved by the NHIC," said an official from the commission.
"There is a huge amount of personal information being used in the country, but we still lack a system to protect the data and regulate its use. The survey will provide the base material for our draft plan for the rewriting of the Personal Information Protection Act, which we plan to announce next year."
Internet sites such as Naver and Daum, each having more than 30 million subscribers, have been providing the personal information of their users, including resident registration numbers - the Korean equivalent of social security codes - for marketing purposes, without consent.
Banks and credit card companies also need to beef up their security of personal information, the commission said.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr


Insurance Networking News (June 2011) just reported the nine most common distractions observed in conjunction with a risky driving maneuver. The study released by SmartDrive Systems, a company specializing in a fleet safety and operational efficiency, examined distracted driving rates in the commercial fleet during the past year.
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If you are unhappy as a result of the service or advice you receive and believe that you may have lost money, you may wish to make a complaint and attempt to recover your losses.
The complaint process may involve a number of steps in order to get a result that you're satisfied with.
Your first step is to contact the firm about your complaint. Start with the person or firm that you dealt with and put your complaint in writing as soon as possible.
Be clear about what went wrong, when the issue occurred and the outcome you expect in order to resolve the issue (for example, an apology, getting your account corrected or getting your money back).
Once you have made your complaint with the firm, the firm has up to 90 calendar days to respond. You will receive the firm's response in writing and it should explain how the firm dealt with your complaint which may include: the firm's offer to resolve the complaint or a denial of the complaint with reasons outlined and next steps or asking for more information. From there, you can choose to accept the firm's response or, if you are not satisfied with the response, you can take steps to escalate your complaint.
Gather your facts – Think about the problem and the result that you want. Write down the main points in the order that they occurred.
Put your complaint in writing – If you have everything in writing, you can easily keep a record of events. Without this record, the complaints process may be more difficult.
Document everything – Make sure you document all the steps you take to get your complaint resolved, including telephone conversations with dates and names of employees, emails, and faxes.
Act quickly – It's important to act quickly and to respond promptly to any requests for more information, especially if you want your money back.
If your complaint involves a firm that is a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), you also have the option to use IIROC's arbitration program.
OBSI is a free, independent service for resolving banking and investment disputes between participating firms and their clients. All registered firms and advisors in Ontario are required to make OBSI's dispute resolution services available to their clients.
any steps you took yourself to mitigate the financial harm.
your firm gave you its final response but you are still unsatisfied with the outcome. Once you receive the final response, you have 180 calendar days to bring your complaint to OBSI.
For a complaint to be within OBSI's mandate, you must have raised your complaint with your firm within six years of when you first became aware of the issue.
If OBSIOBSI See Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments.+ read full definition reviews your complaint and determines that it would be fair for the firm to compensate you for any financial losses you sustained, OBSI will issue a written recommendation to the firm that summarizes the facts of the case and the reasons for its recommendation, including the amount that OBSI recommends the firm provide you in compensation. The OBSI recommendation is not binding but will try to settle the dispute between the client and firm through a facilitated settlement.
If either you or the firm decides to not accept OBSI's recommendation, you can still take legal action. To the extent permitted by law, the time limit that you have to start legal action is suspended while OBSI reviews your complaint.
Learn more about OBSI's dispute resolution process.
Some firms have an internal ombudsman to review complaints if you are not satisfied with the response you received from the firm. However, an internal ombudsman is employed by the firm or is an affiliate of the firm and, unlike OBSI, is not an independent dispute resolution service.
If you are not satisfied with the firm's response you may use the services of an internal ombudsman, but you are not required to do so before you file a complaint with OBSI. You may submit your complaint to OBSI immediately after receiving the firm's response or if the firm has not provided a response within 90 days.
If your complaint involves a firm that is a member of IIROC and you have not been able to resolve your complaint through the firm directly or through OBSI, you can use the IIROC arbitrationArbitration An alternative of resolving disputes outside of the civil courts. It puts your case in front of an impartial arbitrator. You must accept the decision as final. Available to all clients of firms that belong to the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).+ read full definition program. Arbitration is a legal proceeding in which a qualified arbitrator — selected with input from you and the firm — issues a final, legally-binding decision regarding your complaint.
Arbitration is less formal than a court and can lead to compensation of up to $500,000 (plus interest and legal costs).
There is a cost to use the IIROC arbitration program. When you file your case, you can decide whether the arbitrator should have the power to award legal costs to the successful party.
You are not required to hire a lawyer, but arbitration is a legal proceeding and decisions are final. Firms are always represented by a lawyer.
Learn more about IIROC's complaints process.
You can take legal action to recover financial losses from your firm.
In Ontario, you have a two year time frame during which you can initiate legal action before you lose your right to a claim (though the time limit is suspended if your complaint is being reviewed by OBSI). You may wish to obtain legal advice on your rights and options at any time during the complaints process.
To get help finding legal assistance in Ontario, contact the Law Society of Upper Canada's referral service.
You can also seek help from the Investor Protection Clinic that provides free legal advice to people who believe their investments were mishandled and who cannot afford a lawyer.
If you suspect a person or business has broken securities laws, acted fraudulently or otherwise improperly, report it to the Ontario Securities Commission. The Ontario Securities CommissionOntario Securities Commission An independent Crown corporation that is responsible for regulating the capital markets in Ontario. Its mandate is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices, to foster fair and efficient capital markets and confidence in capital markets, and to contribute to the stability of the financial system and the reduction of systemic…+ read full definition can investigate potential wrongdoing and can impose sanctions on those that break the rules.