text:
Glenmorangie launches new whisky
Glenmorangie has launched a new whisky in its Private Edition range. The Glenmorangie Finealta, pronounced 'Finalta', is Scottish Gaelic for 'elegant'. It is a recreation of Glenmorangie based on a recipe dating back to 1903.
The century-old recipe was uncovered in the distillery's archives. Dr Bill Lumsden, head of distilling and whisky creation, said: "Glenmorangie decided to recreate this recipe so that we, and whisky connoisseurs, could have a taste of this historic Glenmorangie expression. We followed the recipe meticulously, which included marrying whiskies of different ages and from different cask types. The final result is a whisky of such depth and distinction that we selected it as the second release in Glenmorangie's exclusive Private Edition."
Distillery archives show that during the early 1900's this Glenmorangie dram was served in the American Bar of The Savoy, London, during La Belle Époque and at the height of Art Nouveau, the first modern art movement of the 20th century. The packaging design for Glenmorangie Finealta is inspired by Art Nouveau, which had a style for incorporating elements from nature such as floral and plant motifs into artwork, architecture and home furnishings.
Daniel Baerntuther, manager of the American Bar at The Savoy, said: 'We are very excited with the creation of Glenmorangie Finealta, which was first enjoyed by The Savoy's guests at the turn of the 20th century. It is wonderful that the introduction coincides with The Savoy's reopening on 10.10.10 as this will allow our new guests to also experience this special Glenmorangie expression. In restoring The Savoy, we have been careful to preserve the atmosphere, elegance and unashamedly old-fashioned glamour of the hotel and Glenmorangie Finealta fits perfectly."
Bottled at a strength of 46% ABV, and non chill-filtered, Glenmorangie Finealta will be made available to global travel retail from early September.
Keywords: new, whisky, glenmorangie, abv, art, century, finealta, recipe, savoy, archives, 20th, glenmorangie finealta, art nouveau, american bar, 20th century, glenmorangie expression, home furnishings daniel, furnishings daniel baerntuther, daniel baerntuther manager, unashamedly old fashioned, special glenmorangie expression
Glenmorangie launches Finealta at The Savoy
Edrington unveils age-statement-free Macallan Gold
Pernod flags up possibility of new whisky distillery
Diageo plans a new malt whisky distillery
The Macallan unveils new range


text:
Artur Grottger (Ottyniowice, (Podólia), 11 de novembro de 1837 - Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda, departamento dos Pirenéus Orientais, 13 de dezembro de 1867) foi um pintor e designer gráfico polonês, um dos mais destacados artistas do início da década de 1800, apesar da sua breve vida.

Vida
Grottger nasceu na Galícia Oriental, filho de pai artista amador alemão, Jan Jozef Grottger, e de mãe polonesa. Estudou pintura como aprendiz de Jan Kanty Maszkowski e Juliusz Kossak em Lwów. Grottger recebeu uma bolsa de estudos imperal para freqüentar a Escola de Belas Artes da Cracóvia, onde estudou com os professores Władysław Łuszczkiewicz e Wojciech Korneli Stattler. Neste período ele conheceu um de seus futuros e maiores fregueses de arte e benfeitor, Aleksander Pappenheim.

Grottger pintou principalmente cenas épicas de batalhas. Mudou-se para Viena, em 1854, onde produziu algumas de suas mais famosas pinturas. Em 1865, retornou à Polônia e permaneceu em Cracóvia e Lwów, mas abandonou a Polônia definitivamente em 1866. Chegando a Paris, ficou gravemente doente e morreu. Sua última pintura foi seu autorretrato.

Bibliografia
Artur Grottger: Im Thale der Thränen [Erklärende Worte von H. M.]. Angerer, Wien 1875.
F. M. Aren (Karoline von Gizycka-Gosdowa): Arthur Grottger. Eine Reminiscenz. Rosner, Wien 1878.
Alfred von Wurzbach (Text): Arthur Grottger's Skizzen-Buch. Miethke, Wien 1875.
Frantisek Táborský: Arthur Grottger, jeho laśka a dílo; z jeho deníků a listů památníků jeho snoubenky (Arthur Grottger. Son amour et son oeuvre). Praha: Orbis, 1933 (Praće slovanského ústavu, 10).Lituania. Album Artura Grottgera. Szesc obrazow z objasnieniami. (Lituania. Album des Arthur Grottger.). Krakow, Latarnia 1904.
Mariusz Bryl: Arthur Grottger (1837–1867) between national and artistic identity''. Em: Art and national Identity in Poland and England (1996), S. 84–95.

Ligações externas

Polônia (1863)

Pintores da Polónia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
KillrVideo is a video sharing web application. As such, it's got a tiered setup that's
pretty common for web applications:
- **Web :** The web UI that runs in a browser and is interacted with by the user and
send requests to the backend
- **Microservices Tier:** A tier of independent services that house the data and the logic for the features and
functionality of the site.
- **Data Tier :** DataStax Enteprise server will persist all informations required by the application.

We'll get into the details of how these tiers are actually implemented in the [next section][next], but first
let's take a look to an overall architecture diagram. Each compoment is deployed as Docker container.

![KillrVideo Architecture](/assets/images/KillrVideoArchitecture.png)

| Name | Technology | Execution | Description |
| ----- | -------- | -------- | -------- |
| [WEB][killrvideo-web] | Node.js     | Docker | The web UI of the application.
| [STUDIO][studio] | ---  | Docker | The notebook-oriented developer tool provided by Datastax for developers
| [SERVICES](Microservices-Tier)  | [Node.js][nodejs], [Java][java], [Python][python], [C#][c-sharp] | IDEs for dev and Docker for production | Business logic of the application, provides services for the UI and sample code to use DSE (Cassandra, Search, Graph) in multiple use cases. Services are exposed via gRPC
| [GENERATOR][generating-sample-data]  | Node.js     | Docker | Job scheduled by vacation to collect some new videos from Youtube and saving them (through SERVICES)
| [INTEGRATION TESTS](https://github.com/KillrVideo/killrvideo-integration-tests)     | Java | IDE(s) | Cucumber integration tests call GRPC services and testing expected behavior
| [DSE][dse] | ---  | Docker for local development, DataStax Constellation for dev/live sites | Provides Cassandra, Search, Graph
| [KAFKA][kafka] | ---  | Docker | Some service implementations use Kafka for event, see [Pub-Sub Messaging][pub-sub] for
| [ZOOKEEPER][zookeeper] | ---  | Docker | Used by Kafka to store configuration data

## Web Tier

it's got a tiered setup that's pretty common for web applications:

- **Web Client:** The web UI that runs in a browser and is interacted with by the user. It
sends requests to a Web Server (via HTTP, web sockets, etc.)
- **Web Server:** Serves up static assets for the client (i.e. JavaScript, CSS, images) and
responds to requests from the Web Client by routing them to the appropriate service(s) on
the backend.

## Microservices Tier

KillrVideo uses a [microservices](http://martinfowler.com/articles/microservices.html) style architecture where
 the site is broken up into multiple smaller services where each service is responsible for providing the
 functionality for a specific feature. This is the current list of services and the functionality they are
 responsible for:

| Service Name | Description | Used Workloads |
| -------- | -------- | -------- |
| **Comments** | Allows users to comment on videos and keeps track of those comments. | Cassandra      |
| **Ratings** | Allows users to rate videos (on a scale of 1-5) and keeps track of those ratings. | Cassandra |
| **Search** | Indexes the available videos for searching by keyword and provides search suggestions (i.e. typeahead) support. | Cassandra,Search |
| **Statistics** | Keeps track of statistics for videos like how many times they've been played back. | Cassandra |
| **Suggested Videos** | Provides suggestions for videos similar to another video as well as personalized video suggestions for a particular user. | Cassandra, Search, Graph |
| **Uploads** | Allows users to upload videos to the site and handles converting uploaded video files to a format that's compatible with the site. | Cassandra |
| **User Management** | Manages user accounts including signing up and logging in/out. | Cassandra |
| **Video Catalog** | Keeps track of all the videos available for playback and the details of those videos (i.e. title, description, etc.) | Cassandra |

Each of these services is designed to be completely independent and not have a dependency  on any other service
 being available to do its job. What does this mean in practice? That the implementations of our services shouldn't
 be making calls to other service APIs in order to do their work when at all possible.
F
So if we don't want our services directly calling other service APIs, how will the services
interact with each other?

## Events for Service Collaboration

In KillrVideo we've chosen to use [events for collaboration][event-collaboration] between services rather than
having services calling each other directly. Each service is for publishing events about interesting things that
happen inside of them. Other services can then subscribe to any events they are interested in and react accordingly.

> #### An Example from KillrVideo
> Whenever a new YouTube video is added to the video catalog, the **Video Catalog**
> service publishes a `YouTubeVideoAdded` event. That event contains some of the details
> of the video that was added (like it's id, name, description, etc.). Other services can
> (and do) subscribe to this event if they are interested. For example, the **Search**
> service might want to add the video to its index so the video starts showing up in
> search results. Or the **Suggested Videos** service may want to figure out what other
> videos are similar to that one so it can offer suggestions.

If services are publishing events and possibly subscribing to them as well, this implies
that we'll need some sort of mechanism for doing [Publish-subscribe][pub-sub]
messaging. We'll cover the specifics of actually implementing pub-sub shortly.

[Next: Web Tier Implementation][next]

[next]: /docs/guides/web-tier/

[killrvideo-web]: https://github.com/KillrVideo/killrvideo-web
[studio]: https://www.datastax.com/products/datastax-studio-and-development-tools
[c-sharp]: /docs/languages/c-sharp/
[nodejs]: /docs/languages/nodejs/
[java]: /docs/languages/java/
[python]: /docs/languages/python/
[generating-sample-data]: /docs/development/generating-sample-data/
[event-collaboration]: http://martinfowler.com/eaaDev/EventCollaboration.html
[pub-sub]: /docs/development/pub-sub-messaging/
[kafka]: https://kafka.apache.org/
[dse]: http://www.datastax.com/products/datastax-enterprise
[zookeeper]: https://zookeeper.apache.org

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: adding the same object twice to a ManyToManyField I have two django model classes:
class A(models.Model):
     name = models.CharField(max_length = 128)    #irrelevant

class B(models.Model):
     a = models.ManyToManyField(A)
     name = models.CharField(max_length = 128)    #irrelevant

What I want to do is the following:
a1 = A()
a2 = A()
b = B()

b.a.add(a1)
b.a.add(a1)    #I want to have a1 twice
b.a.add(a2)

assert len(b.a.all()) == 3 #this fails; the length of all() is 2

I am guessing that add() uses a set semantic, but how can I circumvent that? I tried looking into custom managers, but I am not sure if this the right way (seems complicated)...
Thanks in advance!

A: I think what you want is to use an intermediary model to form the M2M relationship using the through keyword argument in the ManyToManyField. Sort of like the first answer above, but more "Django-y".
class A(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=200)

class B(models.Model):
    a = models.ManyToManyField(A, through='C')
    ...

class C(models.Model):
    a = models.ForeignKey(A)
    b = models.ForeignKey(B)

When using the through keyword, the usual M2M manipulation methods are no longer available (this means add, create, remove, or assignment with = operator). Instead you must create the intermediary model itself, like so:
 >>> C.objects.create(a=a1, b=b)

However, you will still be able to use the usual querying operations on the model containing the ManyToManyField. In other words the following will still work:
 >>> b.a.filter(a=a1)

But maybe a better example is something like this:
>>> B.objects.filter(a__name='Test')

As long as the FK fields on the intermediary model are not designated as unique you will be able to create multiple instances with the same FKs. You can also attach additional information about the relationship by adding any other fields you like to C.
Intermediary models are documented here.

A: Django uses a relational DB for its underlying storage, and that intrinsically DOES have "set semantics": no way to circumvent THAT. So if you want a "multi-set" of anything, you have to represent it with a numeric field that counts how many times each item "occurs". ManyToManyField doesn't do that -- so, instead, you'll need a separate Model subclass which explicitly indicates the A and the B it's relating, AND has an integer property to "count how many times".

A: One way to do it:
class A(models.Model):
    ...

class B(models.Model):
    ...

class C(models.Model):
    a = models.ForeignKey(A)
    b = models.ForeignKey(B)

Then:
>>> a1 = A()
>>> a2 = A()
>>> b = B()
>>> c1 = C(a=a1, b=b)
>>> c2 = C(a=a2, b=b)
>>> c3 = C(a=a1, b=b)

So, we simply have:
>>> assert C.objects.filter(b=b).count == 3
>>> for c in C.objects.filter(b=b):
...     # do something with c.a

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Chai! BBNaija housemate, Lolu quickly covers his erection after Anto stands up from his lap (Video)
There seems to be a lot of sexual tension in the Big Brother Naija 2018 house and partners: Anto and Lolu are in the spotlight this time.
The latter had a big erection that he quickly tried to hide with his hands after Anto stood up from in between his legs.[AdSense-B]
LOLU WILL KILL ANTO 😂😂😂😂 Can you see what I'm seeing #bbnaija pic.twitter.com/Z0x0sdlruA
— ⚓ Power Circles ⚓ (@BabyTeddypender) February 7, 2018
Also some viewers of the BBNaija show have condemned the show. According to some, the show might be profitable, but a cause for alarm.
BBNaija 2018, tagged "Double Wahala," commenced some weeks ago with 20 contestants competing for a N25 million cash prize, a brand new SUV and other incentives, all valued at N45 million.
Some of the viewers of the programme told newsmen that the show was "an insult to their intelligence as it promotes immorality among contestants."[AdSense-B]
They condemned how the housemates were kissing each other as if they had been legitimately being married.
Mrs Olabisi Afolabi, a mother of two teenagers said, "BBNaija becomes addictive when one indulges in watching it.
"I always engage my children in productive activities while the show is on. "My children are under eighteen. They should not be exposed to anything that is pornographic in nature."
READ ALSO: Comedian, Sydney Talker launches music label, unveils first artiste
For Abimbola Coker, BBNaija shows should be censored by government approved regulatory agencies to remove all obscene portions before transmitting it for public consumption.
"Obscenity and nudity become rampant in the show and such should not be encouraged in our society." According to Samson Ogunsunlade, "BBN has shaped the perspectives of youths to glamorize or embrace unethical and immoral scenes as if it is a convention. "It is an avenue to make fast money without meritorious cause and a perverse drama costumed with the facade called 'entertainment'."
Some viewers said that the organisers of the show should improve on its organisation to make it more educative because many teenagers were watching either legally or illegally.
"A balance should be created between fun and depth." They, while comparing the 2018 show with the 2017 edition with the theme " See Gobe", said that the 2018 show had not been entertaining enough.
This is the second week the show kicked off and many Nigerians had said that it was not entertaining enough.
Cassandra Smith, a banker, said that the housemates were not serious and it appeared that they were more interested in catching some fun in the house than winning the whopping prize money of N45 million.
She said they looked unambitious and were attending to issues nonchalantly referring to when the housemates lost their wager in their first week in the house. "The housemates are not serious, they are there to entertain us, and they are not doing anything serious that compared to the housemates from the 2017 edition. "They should be made to sit up and entertain the viewers because that is the essence of the show," she said.
Also, Hope Samson, an Accounting student of University of Lagos said that Biggy's voice which was one of the endearing factors to the show was not audible enough. Samson said that Biggy's voice was a brand on its own and wondered why such loud and baritone voice would be changed this year to such that was not audible enough.
"Biggy's voice should be as clear and audible as that of 2017 because we see that voice as an attraction to watch the show,'' she said.
Mr Alao Lawal said that the scrolling pad on the television screen was not clear enough for viewers to read comments. " To me, the show has been interesting, mostly at night during their daily task but the information pad on the screen has very tiny characters which make it difficult to read through except one moves closer to the television screen. "I expect that this should be improved on," he said.
Elizabeth Afolabi, a staff member with a courier service said that the show had been boring as only a handful of the housemates had been entertaining so far. Afolabi advised Biggy to work on them so that they would be themselves and stop being pretentious.
"In my own opinion, I am always finding the show boring each time I watch it because I feel the housemates are still pretending to be what they are not. " Biggy should think of more tasking activities that will force them to bring out their true persons," she said.
Mr John Ayilara said that the show should inculcate educative activities and minimise obscene scenes which could influence children negatively. "I see no sense in watching something that will not influence me positively and my children will not be able to come and join me to watch. "Indecent scenes should be avoided so that when children switch on the television set on their own, they should not be welcomed with immoral acts, " he said. NAN
Related Topics:BBNaija
Meet the 14 contestants of the first season of #BBNaija in 2006, checkout their profiles and how they look like now (photos)
DMW star, Mayorkun, Acquires His First House, Davido Reacts

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At the start of every school year, the Foothill PTO requests financial support from the parent community to ensure our school has sufficient funding to provide a high quality educational experience for our children. Foothill's Fund the Fox campaign is a long standing, successful program that provides the critical funding necessary for the staffing and resources that are not provided for by the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD).
Principal Schuba has taken a careful look at this year's school budget. To meet the goals of the school, the Foothill PTO is requesting that each family make a contribution of $275 per student. Some of you may recognize this as a slight increase versus last year. The increase is primarily due to the decrease in the student population (approximately 40 fewer students this year) as well as increased funding needs due to BVSD funding cuts.
Key Staffing Positions. There are a variety of positions that would not exist without Fund the Fox support and which are essential to promoting individual and small group learning and to making sure Foothill is a safe and inclusive environment that meets the needs of all learners. Such roles include office staff, health room personnel, para-educators and tutors, substitutes, community liaisons and staff for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program.
Classroom Resources. Many of the important activities that our students engage in on a daily or weekly basis and that are critical to their education would not be possible without Fund the Fox. The program provides funding for art, music, physical education and technology programs and services across all classrooms. It also provides for basic school resources like paper and cleaning supplies.
The generosity of our parent community makes it possible for Foothill to maintain a high standard for learning and safety despite educational spending cuts at the state and local level. Our goal is to achieve 100% participation in the Fund the Fox campaign from all Foothill families. While $275 per student is our requested amount, please give at a level that is appropriate for your family. Contributions can be made until September 29, 2017 by submitting a cash or check donation in the included envelope or by making a donation online at below. The Foothill Elementary PTO is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible.
Every year matching gifts from employers provide thousands of dollars to Fund the Fox. Please send any and all matching paperwork you receive to foothillpto.treasurer@gmail.com.
To learn more about this year's PTO budget in detail, click here.


text:
package it.randomtower.droneswarm;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

import com.badlogic.gdx.Screen;
import com.badlogic.gdx.ScreenAdapter;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.Color;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.g2d.SpriteBatch;
import com.badlogic.gdx.math.Interpolation;
import com.ixeption.libgdx.transitions.FadingGame;
import com.ixeption.libgdx.transitions.impl.ColorFadeTransition;

import it.randomtower.droneswarm.screen.MenuScreen;

public class Launcher extends FadingGame {

	private ColorFadeTransition colorFadeInTransition;

	public Launcher() {
		Path gameHome = Paths.get(G.GAME_HOME);
		if (!Files.isDirectory(gameHome)) {
			try {
				Files.createDirectory(gameHome);
				G.HOME_OK = true;
			} catch (IOException e) {
				System.out.println("Failed game home directory creation " + gameHome.getFileName());
				G.HOME_OK = false;
			}
		}
		System.out.println("Home dir found : " + G.GAME_HOME);
		G.HOME_OK = true;
	}

	@Override
	public void create() {
		colorFadeInTransition = new ColorFadeTransition(Color.BLACK, Interpolation.exp10);
		setTransition(colorFadeInTransition, 1);
		batch = new SpriteBatch();

		Screen start = new ScreenAdapter();
		this.setScreen(start);
		this.setScreen(new MenuScreen(this));
	}

}


"It's new for us but it gives us more capacity on our campuses," he said.
After walking through a controlled entry that Hanks said is new to all campuses, the campus opens into three wings, affectionately called "mobs" to mimic what a group of kangaroos is referred to when together. Each of these wings represents a grade level, with the closest to the office being sixth.
"Some parents were concerned with the sixth graders moving in with the big kids so [them being closest to the office] should help with the concern," Hanks said. "Everyone will be fine."
Each mob has a teacher area (for conferences and other things), a student area (for studying or projects) and a collaboration space. There are about 10 classrooms and each also has monitors at the end for teachers to be able to keep an eye on students in that area.
The cafeteria doubles as the auditorium when the stage is in use. There is also an outside covered patio area that can seat about 40-50 students. Hanks said that area might be used as a reward but that hasn't been determined yet.
The tour finished in the gyms, both the competition and regular-use gym. Hanks noted that the one gym is part of the "old" Shirley Hall building and that they were able to use that section with refurbishments and "add" it to the new facility.
"Overall, it's a super nice facility for the community and for our kids," Hanks said, adding that the project came in under the $40 million budget despite having some obstacles in the beginning to overcome.
Hanks also thanked Pogue Construction, Huckabee Architects and the City of Weatherford for their help with the projects.
When the groups returned to the District Services Building for the meeting, Trent Smith with Templeton Demographics gave an overview of growth within WISD currently and what is projected over the next 10 years.
Smith discussed economic conditions in and around Dallas/Fort Worth including job growth, the unemployment rate and homes being built. He said Weatherford's unemployment rate is at 4 percent and that there were 868 listings for homes in May 2017. He said roughly 12 percent of new home sales in 2016 were in the WISD.
Smith then went through each of the housing developments in WISD and listed how many homes were currently built and if there were any lots yet to be developed. He said the Mary Martin Elementary and Curtis Elementary areas were most active for housing development. He noted that Westover Village in Curtis Elementary had 68 closings in 2016 and is building out but that Weatherford Heights has its first home sales underway.
Overall, WISD had 160 new students this year and can expect to see at least 600 more over the next five years. By the 2021-22 school year, WISD is projected to have 8,621 students. Over the next 10 years, projected enrollment at WISD is expected to be more than 9,100 students.
After Smith's presentation, Hanks went over some of WISD's past projects and spoke of the District's mission. He stated that WISD includes 254 square miles that stretches from Hood to Wise counties.
"We know [growth] is coming," he said.
He also mentioned that the average class size is smaller than some might think. He showed a graphic with some of the area schools that placed WISD at just about the same size of students per class or smaller.
"It's a misconception that just because we're larger, the classes are bigger," Hanks said.
Hanks noted also that the graduation rate in Weatherford is 98.1 percent which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the region and state averages (89.3 and 89, respectively). He was "very proud" to say that Weatherford's dropout rate is zero.
Finally, Hanks talked about the future and some of the projects the District is working on and looking at working on, either as part of scheduled maintenance or new construction. He said the WISD Board of Trustees will be looking at the possibility of a Multi-Purpose Activity Center (MAC) or a new Ag Science Center and possibly a new Career and Technology Center in the coming months.
The City of Weatherford then spoke about its General Plan and gave a transportation update.


text:
Electric Motors & VFDs
Equipment Packaging
Oil Production Equipment
Production Measurement System
Frac Flowback Services
Salt Water Disposal
Gas Well Dewatering
Optimize Production
Artificial Lift - Jet Pump
Beam Pumps
Hydraulic Jet & Triplex Pumps
Jet Pump Installation
Fluid Transfer Pumps
Oilfield Motors
Oilfield Production Consulting
Pumpjacks
Soft Start Panels
Rod Pumps
Oil Field Slang Guide
How Does Oil Drilling Work?
Partners/Links
Well Data Sheet
Fracking pioneer George Mitchell has passed away
Posted on July 29, 2013 by Erik Reissig
George Mitchell served his country as a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before he became the "father of fracking."
Although George Mitchell has passed away, his legacy will remain. As the hydraulic fracturing technology he pioneered has emerged as an increasingly critical tool for U.S. oil and gas producers, the man has received numerous honors for his contributions to the field of petroleum engineering.
In May, the Texas State History Museum Foundation honored the entrepreneur with its "History-Making Texan Award." State lawmakers later passed a resolution commemorating Mitchell's accomplishments. Governor Rick Perry joined the praise of Mitchell, calling him "beyond a visionary" and "one of our great Texans of not just our lifetimes but of the history of this state."
Measuring the impact of Mitchell's achievements
America's oil and gas production had been in a steady decline for years when fracking entered the public vocabulary during the last decade. By 2005, U.S. natural gas production had recovered to a level not seen in nearly four decades. However, the 19 million cubic feet produced during that year was topped shortly after. Last year, domestic companies produced about 25 million cubic feet of gas – an all-time record for the U.S. industry.
This boom in production has had a wide range of positive effects on communities across the country, driving economic growth by generating employment and investment opportunities. In a recent blog post, we looked at how this prosperity is expanding to more areas as a result of ongoing investment in new industrial facilities, personnel and production equipment.
Improving the rate of progress requires ongoing innovation
Producers have continued to make strides in improving the effectiveness of their operations over the years, but expanding the legacy of George Mitchell will require an ongoing commitment to implementing new technology.
The hydraulic jet pump can be a particularly valuable addition to any oilfield because it offers a level of versatility that other equipment simply cannot match. This solution can be used to effectively complete drill stem testing and initiate production at new sites or improve recovery rates at established wells.
The unit can be deployed in straight, horizontal or deviated wells and its streamlined design makes optimization simple, as it can be retrieved through manipulation of surface valves and reverse circulation of fluids, eliminating the need for a work-over or wire-line unit. Furthermore, with no downhole moving parts, maintenance needs are minimal.
Jet pumps can even be successfully used at sites where issues with the completion of well casing would limit the effectiveness of other solutions.
This entry was posted in Misc. Bookmark the permalink.
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text:
Beyoncé used Formation to spread the awareness of social injustice, police brutality and more…
Beyoncé surprised fans on Saturday by dropping a video to Formation, which features flood-ridden New Orleans and a line of white cops facing a hooded little boy.
'Let's get in formation… Prove to me you got some coordination,' she chants before the camera pans over graffiti that says: 'stop shooting us'.
The video opens with a warning: 'parental advisory… explicit lyrics.'
IMG: YouTube/ Beyoncé – Formation
It then cuts to Beyoncé croutching on top of a flooded New Orleans police car, seemingly pointing to the state of law enforcement in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. A row of police officers in riot gear also appears throughout the video.
Within minutes of the video's release, Twitter was awash with reactions to the fiercely political lyrics. It was still trending worldwide on Sunday as the Super Bowl – the most watched TV event of the year – approached.
Beyoncé is expected to perform Formation at half time – three years after sending shock waves around the world in her last Super Bowl performance with a backdrop sign that read: 'FEMINIST'.
Fans were also excited by the appearance of Blue Ivy, Beyoncé's daughter with Jay Z. The adorable four-year-old looked angelic in a long white dress as she danced around with two other young girls and posed for the camera.
Beyoncé's Formation can be downloaded and listened on Tidal.


I spoke to Surefire today and with the holidays, shipping is taking longer than expected. I should start receiving them next week.
They also said they ran 2000 rounds through with no problems.
The mags are 13.5" long and actually hold 13rds. They are still selling it as a 12rd because with the bolt closed it is hard to get the mag in the gun loaded with 13. With the bolt open it slips in easily loaded with 13. They are still calling it a 12rd mag.
They are in full production right now and we will start shipping the early pre-orders out next week and should be caught up on all orders to this point by the first week of Jan.
Yes the mag is long at 13.5", but can be cut down easily if you prefer it shorter using the existing floor plate and cutting below another ridge. I will post a picture as soon as I am able to.
Anybody that has ordered from me will receive an email when it is your turn for your order to ship.
Please hurry, Santa. The suspense is killing me!
I won't be able to get back and test mine out until the end of February...but I highly look forward to knowing all 4 of them will be home waiting for me, haha.
And how about the 10 rounders?
No date yet. I will take some time to fill all of the current orders from distributors on the 12rd mags.
will these be black or clear?
Santa came a little early.
I received 2 sample Surefire Saiga 12 mags today.
I am really impressed with them. They are very solid and smooth feeding. I inserted them into 6 different Saiga 12's and they fit very tight in 5 of the six. No movement at all. The 6th was extremely tight and after taking it in and out a few times it fit perfect.
They actually hold 13 rds. I had no problem inserting them with 13rds loaded on a closed bolt with my stock guns. Some people may have trouble inserting them fully loaded on a closed bolt and that is why they are still calling them a 12rd magazine.
They are a little long, but can easily be cut down to 10, 8 or 5 rds if desired.
Looks like it will be very easy to modify these to fit a magwell.
Here is a picture next to a 10 rd AGP. I will shoot 200 rds through them tomorrow and give a report.
Looks great! Can't wait to get my order.
WOW! Those things are huge! I have two on order, can't wait to get them.
do they take 3" shells?
NM, found a post where testing was done with 3" shells..
Greg, Just ordered a pair of them on your website! Looking forward to trying them out. So far I am very happy with my x39 Surefire mags, I'm sure these will have similar results!
PS. How is it looking for a shipping date on this order I placed today?
If everything ships in the way they are telling me, I should be caught up by the first week of Jan. You will get an email notice when it's your turn.
Can you load one of these new mags into your Saiga have the bolt locked back I'd like to see the feed angle, is it the same as OEM mags?
I took some pics earlier. I'll post them here in a minute.
John, the top round is aimed a little lower in the surefire, but as you know, the more shells you stack up the lower the front goes on the top shell.
Here it is with 8.
Thanks that's what I wanted to see, looks like they should feed fine, not too low or too high that first picture I have had jams where the end of the shell hits the front the guide up top and it sticks the shell. I have also had shells hit the bottom of the barrel and stop dead in their tracts.
Looks like the feed angle is a bit lower on the Sure-Fire mags that's fine. I just wanted to see that before I decied to buy a few.
awesome! heading over to CSS to order some now.
Woo hoo! Santa arrived today with 2 mags.
I ordered two this morning I can't wait till they get here.
Approximately what day's orders are being shipped now if you don't mind me asking?
I ordered on 12-23. I'm just trying to plan for a range trip in a couple weeks.
We are almost finished with the 12/19 orders. I am being told that we should have a large amount in next week and hope to have most of the orders caught up by the end of the week.
awesome, thanks for the update Greg.
My 20 mags arrived on Wednesday...I can't wait to head out to the range...thanks again.
We just started filling the orders of 1/1/09 today. Everything up to this date have been shipped. We should be close to caught up this week. There will be lots of orders being shipped Monday and Tuesday.
I received my mags and stock yesterday, looking to get to the range this weekend.
got my mags today. thanks gregg.
i only ordered 1 to start with, got to thinkin about it, and called back and gregg was nice enough to add ther rest to my origional order. fast shipping to--although i am only 1 state away.
had to file down the lip that locks the mag in (on the back of the mag) other than that it fits like a glove. i really like the fit of these mags.


text:
He's 87, but Frank's not ready to jack in his jet ski
Frank Nelson pic by Che Chapman
THE name on Frank Nelson's jet ski says it all: GOLD.
"Growing Old Living Dangerously," Frank explained.
Most people slow down as they get older but Frank is speeding up.
At 87, he is possibly the oldest jet skier in Australia – certainly the oldest he knows.
Frank traded up to his third jet ski, a Yamaha FX SHO capable of going from zero to 60kmh in three seconds, about a year ago.
"I've been jet skiing for seven years and each jet ski has got to be bigger, of course," he said.
"If you've had boats, whenever you're buying a boat, it's never a smaller boat," he said.
Frank got into jet skiing after moving to the Coast from Sydney.
"I've had boats over the years but I didn't want another boat so I thought I'd try one of these jet skis," he said.
"I bought one and I went out and thought, 'That's all right'.
"You're so close to the water and in hot weather, it's cool. You get a breeze off the water."
Frank did not want to disclose how fast he goes but suffice to say he is well-acquainted with the speed limit at Golden Beach.
He sometimes rides 40 minutes to Bribie Island to get a coffee. The grandkids, Kai and Ursula, 11, sometimes benefit from a spin with grandad.
Frank usually heads out a couple of times a week.
"I don't come out in May, June, July, August – I leave that – but all the rest of the time.
"I go to a lot of dams. The ones that have got cabins. I don't camp. Bugger that. The last time I had a tent, it fell on me."
Frank tows his jet ski behind another boy toy – a 2015 Holden XF ute with personalised plates.
A mechanical engineer by trade and former General Motors Holden representative, he used to own three Jaguars but had downsized to a top-of-the line Hyundai hatch when he stopped in to see a mate at a Burpengary dealership earlier this year and drove away in the ute.
The joke at the IRT retirement village where he lives was that he would be cruising the Esplanade "picking up chicks in his Sandman" but Frank grabbed the punchline.
"With the windows down and the radio up," he said.
PURE GOLD: Frank Nelson, 87, is the envy of blokes half his age when he's on his super-charged jet ski. Che Chapman
Younger blokes just have to look on with envy.
"When they see the jet ski behind it, that fixes them right up," he said.
A passer-by who saw Frank on his jet ski stopped and asked his age recently.
"I said, 'I'm 87.5'," he said.
"She said, 'You shouldn't be driving that, you should be relaxing'.
"I said, 'I am relaxing when I'm driving'."
Frank does not believe being a certain age means having to act in a certain way.
"As long as I'm fit enough, I'll do what I want to do," he said.
"When I stop, I'll stop, but until such time, I'll do as much as I possibly can, and I'm fortunate to be suffering good health."
Article by the Sunshine Coast Daily
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text:
ABCQuotes.net
The Bible says forgive your debtors, the world says 'sue them for their dough.'
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1737 - Thomas Paine
1843 - William McKinley
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1949 - Tommy Ramone
1880 - W. C. Fields
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A girl's modesty is first noted by her external presentation, but if it's not followed by the confidence of internal modesty, she still forfeits the power of her virtue.
Dannah Gresh
You can get the oldest drum machine out and whack out four sounds like a kick, snare, and two types of high-hat, and try and come up with the freshest thing on the spot. The gear can guide you - you can choose one bit of gear and it's obviously got its restrictions and its limitations, but at the same time, you've got to exploit what it's capable of and what it's best used for.
Rob Brown
I have a lot of mental scars from being brought up Catholic and being sent to Catholic school for 13 years!
Mat McNerney
On domestic policy, Donald Trump agreed with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the Wall Street bailout, the TARP bailout of big bank. I think the government ought to be standing with mainstream, with working men and women. And then you put on top of that the ethical issues, whether it is refusing to release his taxes. And that's a real problem.
If you go through the list of things that are not possible you're left with a very finite amount of possibilities. The fancy name for this is constraint theory. It's a nonquantitative model, but it's a field of mathematics.
George Friedman
One of the great things about having been on Lost is people coming up and feeling so enthusiastic about the show and saying, 'Oh it provided us so much entertainment,' or 'It inspired conversations.'
William Mapother
I was afraid of being judged too harshly. But I'd let those fears overwhelm me for far too long.
The couple of years before I was declared bankrupt were the roughest. The bank letters, the pressure, the stress was awful. You're in this twilight zone of not knowing where your life is going, and yet you're in Westlife. Everything was great with the band. I was earning money, and it looked good.
Shane Filan
Awful Band Bank Bankrupt Before Couple Earning Everything Going Good Great Knowing Letters Life Looked Money Not Knowing Pressure Stress Twilight Were Where Years You Your Zone
The Kingdom suffers violence and the violent take 'IT' by force! I believe the Lord is requiring our worship to become more violent. Kingdoms are clashing. We, a people of God, will take the earth by forceful worship. Violent worship overcomes violence in the natural, because the atmosphere around us changes.
Chuck Pierce
Being able to see an activity log of where a kid has been going on the Internet is a good thing.
A Good Thing Able Activity Been Being Going Good Good Thing Internet Kid Log See Thing Where
We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country, or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia.
Our whole civilization rests on the fact that men have always succeeded in beating off the attack of the re-distributors.
At the bottom of all our fears is simply the that we can't handle what life hands us.
Let science tell us what and how. Let religion tell us who and why.
For all riches come from iniquity, and unless one were to lose another could not gain. Hence the common adage seems to me to be very true: The rich man is unjust or the heir of an unjust one.
Maybe the most important teaching is to lighten up and relax. It's such a huge help in working with our crazy mixed-up minds to remember that what we're doing is unlocking a softness that is in us and letting it spread. We're letting it blur the sharp corners of self-criticism and complaint.
I feel like a lot of people involved with celebrity journalism have interesting ideas about the people they want to write about going into the interview. Then as soon as they actually sit down with that person, they basically ask the questions they think journalists are supposed to ask, and they start viewing themselves almost as a peer of the subject. Like they're going to become friends. That's why most celebrity journalism is so terrible.
Adults need more complex narratives. They have their own narratives. The main characters are themselves.
Ahimsa is the eradication of the desire to injure or to kill.
What the world needs today is a definite, spiritual mobilization of the nations who believe in God against this tide of Red agnosticism. ...And in rejecting an atheistic other world, I am confident that the Almighty God will be with us.
© ABCQuotes.net 2020


text:
Easley Tennis Lessons
All About Tennis
How Long Does a Tennis Match Last?
by MuhammadPosted on October 20, 2020
As for a tennis game, there is actually no particular or standard set duration for the match. The duration of the match is largely influenced by the number of sets of the game (for instance, there might be three or five sets involved)and if it is a women's or men's tennis game.
However, generally, the average length of a tennis match is about two hours and thirty minutes, especially for men. This might seem quite long, but a greater part of that time is spent on breaks. There are many breaks injected into a tennis match that takes most of the match time. These breaks as many as they are are however as important since each has its own purposes. For instance, there are breaks set to challenge seemingly unfair rulings, or in determining the actual scores of the players.
The set of a game is a major determinant of how long a tennis game will last. In a tennis game, there are a number of sets that must be played to win the match. A good question now might however be what a set is. Well…, a set is a sequence of tennis games where the players rotate their servicing between different plays until six games are won with a difference of two or when they get to the seventh game after a tie-break. This sure might lead to asking what number of points is needed to win a tennis game. The answer to this would be – whether the player has got difficult and experienced player to battle with or not, a total of four points is needed to win a tennis game without the opponent have a draw or an equal point.
As a result of this, the scoring process of a tennis game could go as follows.
15: 0 or a draw.
30: 0, 30: 15, or a draw.
40: 0, 40: 15, 40: 30 or a draw.
When the players hit a draw at the 40: 40 tie, one of the players must win two-game servicing after. Therefore an A or advantage plus another point.
Now to the question of how many set is to be played and won in a tennis match. It is two set-type in a tennis game. There could be the best of three sets as common in many professional tournaments like the ATP Tour 250 or 500 tournaments. Another set type is the best of five sets such as the Davis Cup or the Grand Slam Open.
As for the best of three sets, during a tennis match as such, the players of all game will be on the court until either of them wins two if the three sets since two sets might not be enough for as both might win a draw. For this tennis set type, the duration would usually range from 2 to 3 hours before the game end. An example of the game here is 6-4, 4-6, and 6-3.
However, as for the best of five sets such as the Grand Slam open, either of the players would play must win at least 3 sets to be celebrated as the winner of the game. The loser might win two or lesser number of the sets then. Also here, there can't be a four-set type since it is possible that both players of the game might hit a tie leading them to win two-game sets each. An example of a five-set win could be 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, and 10-2. Here, the duration of the game here could last from around 5 to about 6 hours.
Again, it is difficult to give an exact game duration when it comes to a tennis match. And apart from the sets number, the duration of a tennis match can also be determined by the gender involved in playing the tennis game. Male tennis games are however generally much longer than the female match. For instance, for a male grand slam tennis game, the duration can last up to 3 hours and a few minutes if a player easily wins 3 of the sets at a go. However, the duration would be much longer if there is a tie-breaker or a close win. It could last for as long as five hours. In a female match, however, a three-set duration would last from 1 and a half hours to around 3 hours if the game is a close one. The duration however could be as short as an hour or two, if it is a double best of 3 sets. This because the win points for such games are much shorter as well as the breaks.
This unpredictability of its duration makes the tennis matches generally longer than many similar sports matches. In fact, the longest tennis game (for men) yet was confirmed to have lasted up to eleven hours. The match was in 2010 at Wimbledon between a French and an American. Nicolas Mahut versus John Isner with John emerging as the winner. The final score ended as 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 9-7, 6-7, 3-7, and 70-68. The longest tennis game for women, however, was for six and a half hours. The match was in 1984 at Virginia between two Americans, Jean Hepner versus Vicki Nelson with Vicki emerging as the final winner. Most female tennis game is however not as long as the male. The final score ended as 6-4 and 7-6.
It is really difficult to give a direct answer to how long a tennis game lasts because the duration is largely determined by the number of sets played in the game and the gender type involved in the gameplay. There might also be other conditions related to the duration of a tennis match because, for instance, a two-set game on clay could last as long as ninety minutes while a two-set game on grass could be as short as sixty minutes. Despite the unpredictable duration tennis games are however very interesting to watch and in the end worth every second spent around the court.
Posted in INFORMATIONAL
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© Copyright 2020 – Easley Tennis Lessons


I spend a lot of time doing homework at my dining table these days, and when I plant in the spring I'm very aware of what I see when I look up! I've crafted the view out the kitchen door too. It lifts my spirits and makes me smile to see the blooms and birds and wee creatures darting about!
Sounds lovely, Kathy! You would love my garden, too. Blossoms most of the year. I am so fortunate.
A few years ago, I did the research for a real-life movie about three young men who died on a plane crash after they played their final college football game. During that effort, I met and held the three mothers…and filled in the blanks with details of their final wonderful moments before losing their lives. The love provide the bridge and they will be forever remembered. November 14, 1970 marks the date of the greatest sports tragedy in American history.
Thank you for sharing, and for the wonderful gift you gave those mothers. As a mother, I know it is priceless.
I imagine other factors played into your current health improvement. Glad you are doing so well!
80 percent of milk protein is casein and most people react negatively to casein, but there is a type of casein some cows produce which do not cause the traditional problem. Those other 20% of milk proteins include a protein hormone (insulin-like growth factor-1) which has been identified as the KEY factor in the growth and proliferation of every type of human cancer. As a human cancer begins its growth it is silent and painless. When the tumor becomes large enough, it becomes its own endocrine gland, secreting internally an abundance of IGF-1 which promotes its growth as it metastisizes.
Good thinking, Lori. Thanks for contributing to the conversation!


text:
El Campeonato femenino sub-20 de la CAF de 2015 fue el VIII torneo que decidió que naciones Africanas participarían  de la Copa Mundial Femenina de Fútbol Sub-20 de la FIFA.

Eliminatorias

6 equipos fueron elegidos para participar en la ronda preliminar.

Ronda preliminar

Primera ronda

Segunda ronda

Fase final

Clasificados a la Copa Mundial Femenina de Fútbol Sub-20 de 2016

Véase también
 Copa Mundial Femenina de Fútbol Sub-17
 Campeonato Sub-17 Africano
 Fútbol femenino
 Copa Mundial de Fútbol Sub-20

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 CAF Femenino Sub-20
 CAF Noticias
 Fútbol 24
 RSSSF

Competiciones de fútbol de la CAF
Campeonato femenino sub-20 de la CAF


Even after loading [email protected], I was still having a problem. Turned out to be a compilation problem with Asterisk that was causing the problem.
The system I am using is an VIA EPIA Min-ITX motherboard. The OS seems to think it's a i686, but it's really a i586. This apparently causes Asterisk to crash with this motherboard. A change in the makefile and a recompile later, Asterisk is starting again.


Here is a new part of funny Facebook fails and wins.
And regarding the "friendzone" in #12... Buying a girl expensive presents will never win her over. If you think this is a good idea, hit yourself in the nuts until you realize it is a bad idea. If she DOES "fall" for you because of the gifts, she only wants your money and will dump you the second she finds someone with more. Tell her, if she isn't interested, walk away and find someone who will like you for you. Maybe she'll find that she really misses you. If not, then you are in the same boat but with your money still in your wallet.


HD 6/15 G Classic 11879000 https://www.kaercher.com/ae/discontinued-machines/hd-6-15-g-classic-11879000.html Easy to service and mobile: the HD 6/15 G. With combustion engine, intelligent accessories concept and robust crankshaft pump. Ideal for construction and agriculture. Water flow: 600 l/h.


It's an interesting position Keith Gretzky will find himself in Monday's NHL trade deadline day, in a dozen different directions.
First of all, it's an experience.
It's something to add to his education and background and to put on his resume as a hockey executive.
It's also an opportunity to show his competence to this organization, and others.
As the individual most responsible for the dramatic draft and development side of the organization, the Edmonton Oilers interim general manager is also in an interesting position of trying to make moves to help for today, for next season and for the big picture. To do so with an eye to what he believes is coming from the farm where the AHL's Bakersfield Condors went into the weekend on a 15-game winning streak, may be the most interesting part of it.
And then, there's also the quirky aspect that if he does well and helps create a better situation here to attract a new general manager, it might be somebody who will want to bring in his own assistant GM and, effectively, end Gretzky's employment in Edmonton.
There are those who expect vice-chairman and CEO Bob Nicholson to find a new GM of some status in a search he promises will be exhaustive, this time. But some are beginning to wonder if Wayne's Younger Brother shouldn't be considered a candidate right under his nose.
Being in the room on deadline day is nothing new to Gretzky.
"I've sat in on a lot of these trade-deadline days now, probably eight to 10 of them," he said, recalling his first one. "I was with Cliff Fletcher in Phoenix. We were on the road and it was kind of amazing thing to experience that year because we were a big-time seller.
While the Oilers are in Nashville on Monday, Gretzky and his group will remain in Edmonton to conduct proceedings here.
Gretzky, who has already succeeded in deducting about three-million dollars from the Oilers salary cap structure, says it's already been interesting.
The especially interesting aspect of Gretzky running deadline day, to me, is the way his previous role relates to the one that's seeing him replace fired Peter Chiarelli in the interim.
Having the knowledge and belief in the talent that's being developed for Edmonton adds the interesting perspective for Gretzky as he proceeds with one eye on what's coming and the other on what needs to be going.
Gretzky, who was with Chiarelli in Boston and joined him here as assistant GM in August of 2016, was mostly charged with making dramatic improvements to the draft and development side.
And that job isn't done in the sense that most of his guys aren't here yet.
While everything else was going wrong in the organizations, the forever flawed draft and development has been exceptionally successful since Gretzky took over.
"What I tell the scouts is that they have to believe these guys will play for you one day and that these are the element we like — skill, speed, hockey sense, compete and character," he said.
Interesting. His boss came in extolling the elements of size and toughness.
"Those are the things I believe in, and not just in the first round," Gretzky explained of the philosophy he brought to the organization. "The guys you take in the rounds after that are the bread and butter. That's one thing that's changed. You have to be excited about drafting them. Everybody can find the first-rounders but it's the second-rounders, third-rounders and even seventh-rounders that can have a chance to play. It's hard. And I really believe the guys have done a great job when you look at the guys who are coming.
"It's good to see we have players down there in Bakersfield and elsewhere that we're excited about and are also playing well.
"Tyler Benson. Caleb Jones. William Lagesson. Ethan Bear. Dmitri Samorukov, who has been excellent in Guelph and in the world juniors for Russia. Joel Perrson, who we got as a free agent. John Marino, who was a late-round pick. Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod, Kirill Maksimov, who was a fifth round pick. These guys, we believe, can play.
"It'll take time. We all want them to play yesterday. But the reality is that you have to learn to be a pro.
"I just think you can't race them. Go ride the bus in the pro leagues. Practise every morning. In junior, kids go to school and practice in the afternoon and are billeted with families. You need that experience in the pro world to become a pro and hopefully we'll reap the rewards of the success they're having down there.


text:
RTA announces revised service timings of public transport, happiness centres, paid parking and shared transport as of Wednesday
Photo: WAM
Dubai Media Office
Published Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has modified the service timings of public transport (metro, tram, buses, marine transport), taxis and shared transport as well as customers happiness centres, service provider centres, and paid parking zones as of Wednesday 27 May.
The revised timing is in line with the Resolution of Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, taken in coordination with the Command and Control Centre for Combating Covid-19 to allow movement in Dubai from 06:00 am to 11:00 pm.
RTA will apply all preventive and proactive health measures highlighted by physical distancing onboard public transport means, and at the entry of transport stations and service centres. Riders and clients will be obliged to wear face masks for their safety and the safety of staffs and operators. RTA will continue with the existing procedures in taxis where the number of riders is restricted to two at the rear seat and using plastic isolators for higher safety levels.
Dubai Metro Red and Green Lines will operate from Saturday to Thursday from 07:00 am to 00:00 (midnight), and on Friday, the service timing will be from 10:00 am to 00:00 (midnight). The last journey on the Red Line from Rashidiya Station to the UAE Exchange Station will start at 10:54 pm, and the last journey from the UAE Exchange to Rashidiya Station will start at 10:53 pm. The last journey on the Green Line will start from the Creek Station to Etisalat Station at 11:21 pm, and the last journey from Etisalat Metro Station to the Creek Station will start at 11:20 pm.
RTA will operate 54 trains on the Red Line and 17 trains on the Green Line during peak hours to serve 46 stations. The service frequency during peak time will be 2:38 min on the Red Line and 5 min on the Green Line.
Dubai Tram will be in service from Saturday to Thursday from 07:00 am to 00:00 (midnight), and on Friday the service timing will be from 10:00 am to 00:00 (midnight). RTA will operate six tram-trains to serve 11 stations with a frequency of 8 minutes between journeys.
As for the city bus, 902 buses will start services on 142 routes starting from 06:00 am to 11:00 pm, and the intercity bus service will continue to be suspended until further notice. During the national disinfection programme, 74 buses will be operating on 13 routes namely: 8, 10, 12, A13, 17, C01, C07, F18, F21, F34, F43 and X23. These routes will serve 19 public and private hospitals.
Marine transport means will be operating on seven lines from 07:00 am to 10:00 pm. Tourist lines, Dubai Water Canal lines as well as Al Ghubaiba-Sharjah Aquarium Stations line will remain closed.
The taxi fleet, comprising 10,936 vehicles, and limousines amounting to 7000 vehicles will be in service from 06:00 am to 00:00 (midnight). The Taxi service will be operating during the national disinfection hours on-demand. Customers can book their taxi rides via smart apps. Shared transport (U drive and Ekar), Careem Bike service offering 780 bikes at 78 docking stations for rent, will be available from 06:00 am to 11:00 pm.
As for customers happiness centres (Umm Ramool, Deira, and Barsha) and 21 out of 27 service providers centres will be open for customers from 08:00 am to 04:00 pm. The regular tariff will apply to paid parking zones from 08:00 am to 10:00 pm.
RTA has taken all precautionary measures for the safety of riders, clients, staffs, and drivers. It has put in place a comprehensive disinfection system for daily sanitization of trains, buses, vehicles, stations and centres. RTA is making every effort to foster a safe and secure environment for all riders and customers.


text:
Climate Change Is Already Affecting the West's Water
Huffington Post via AlterNet
by Bob Burnett
By 2020 Glacier National Park will be "Puddles National Park" and the rest of the west won't be much better off. So where's the concern?
It's said our primeval ancestors had a simple arithmetic system: "One, two, three, many." That describes the focus of many 2008 voters, whose concerns are the economy, energy prices, Iraq, and "those other problems." As we get closer to the presidential election, most Americans aren't worried about global warming. Maybe they will be when they turn the tap and no water comes out.
In early August we toured Glacier National Park with the Sierra Club, catching a glimpse of several of the humongous ice fields. In 1910 there were 150 glaciers in the park; now there are 25, which are losing 9 percent of their mass per year. Sometime between 2015 and 2020 they'll disappear. Locals joke the 1.4 million acres will be renamed "Puddles National Park."
Worldwide, most glaciers are diminishing. So is the ice pack in places like the North Pole and Iceland. While ice loss is generally regarded as compelling evidence of global warming, most Americans aren't losing any sleep over it. An April Gallup Poll found that "while 61% of Americans say the effects of global warming have already begun," only 37 percent are worried about it, roughly the same percentage that were concerned when Gallup first began asking the same question, nineteen years ago.
Why isn't global climate change seen as a more important issue?
Many observers believe the typical American is too busy to be bothered by more than a couple of national problems -- it's the "one, two, three, many" phenomenon. Social scientists report that average voters don't have a lot of leisure time; they're too busy struggling to make ends meet. Most Americans are worried about the economy -- paying their mortgage and health insurance -- and gasoline prices. The little news most of us have access to either comes from talk radio -- cultural issues -- or cable TV -- Iraq and terrorism. While we're aware of the threat posed by global climate change, we're too harried to be able to consider the consequences.
Unless it slaps them in the face, the typical American can't be bothered by an abstract threat. If there's a global warming event -- a mammoth hurricane, tornado, or forest fire -- in our neighborhood, then we get concerned. From this perspective, the loss of a few thousand acres of ice in a remote corner of Montana hardly seems significant. Most of us don't see it as a danger sign.
But it is. Disappearing glaciers is a harbinger of huge problems. In the West, the most obvious is drought.
During our tour of Glacier Park, local scientists explained the systemic effects of global warming. In addition to glacier melt there is less snow, more rain, and longer growing seasons. Over the past fifty years the average Montana temperature has risen six degrees Fahrenheit. This has caused longer dry periods, which have resulted in a massive loss of timber due to an infestation by the Mountain Pine Bark Beetle. This in turn, has fed catastrophic forest fires -- like hurricanes and tornadoes, it's not that these disasters happen more frequently, but that when they do they have greater impact. Warmer water coupled with loss of foliage threatens much of Glacier's wildlife. And, Montana's stream flow is decreasing; a state that used to have an abundance of water now has areas that don't have enough: eastern Montana suffers from a prolonged drought and last year Montana filed suit against Wyoming arguing the state was taking more than its fair share of water from the Yellowstone river.
If you live in an area with lots of water, you probably don't care about the west's water problems. But out here on the left coast, drought is an ominous fact of life. As the southwest was populated -- an area stretching from Los Angeles to Albuquerque -- water had to be transported from the north, because annual rainfall wasn't sufficient to supply local needs. The water problems in Montana illustrate an ominous reality for the west: global warming is reducing our regional water supply. If you live in the Los Angles basin, most of your water comes from the Owens River in the Sierras and the Colorado River; both are diminishing.
As the name suggests, the Colorado River is fed by Colorado mountain snow melt, which has dramatically decreased in the past few years. The 1400-mile-long river is the primary water supply for seven states. By 2012, due to increased demand and diminished supply, the Colorado River will no longer be able to meet it's contractual commitments. Meanwhile, there are signs of impending disaster all along the watercourse: Lake Powell has already gone dry and experts predict that Lake Mead will be disappear by 2021.
If Montana, a state with a population of one million, is beginning to run out of water, what does this suggest lies ahead for Southern California, an area inhabited by 23 million? Citizens of the southwest may have other concerns today, but at the end of the decade their collective cry will be show me the water!
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The Government Is Pushing GMO Deregulation at Breakneck Speed
Lawmakers Rush To Introduce Bills Cracking Down on 3M Chemicals So Cancer Victim Can Testify
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A Hard-Edged Rock: Waging Economic Warfare on Humanity


Tesla's head of global security, Jeff Jones, who reported directly to Elon Musk, is no longer working for the company after just eleven months.
Sources familiar say Jones was dismissed, but reasons why were closely held. Tesla only informed Jones' colleagues that his "position was no longer needed."
During Jones' tenure, a former Tesla employee filed a complaint with the SEC alleging that the company hid theft of raw materials worth tens of millions of dollars from investors and others in the first half of 2018.
Tesla Chief Executive Office Elon Musk speaks at his company's factory in Fremont, California.
Tesla's head of global security, Jeff Jones, is no longer working with the company after just 11 months on the job, according to one current and one former Tesla employee.
These people said that Jones was dismissed from the electric vehicle maker in mid-November, but the circumstances around his departure were not publicized. Tesla told employees only that Jones' "position was no longer needed," they said.
In September, Tesla hired Karl Wagner, a former executive manager and senior CIA operations officer, as a senior director of global security, according to his LinkedIn profile. It's not clear how Wagner's and Jones' jobs overlapped, or if Wagner replaced Jones.
The company declined to comment on Jones' departure. Jones did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
As a senior director and head of global security, Jones joined Tesla after a tumultuous couple of years at Uber. He reported directly to Elon Musk, and managed security teams at Tesla's major facilities including its Fremont, California car plant and battery factory near Reno, Nevada (Gigafactory 1).
During Jones' eleven-month tenure, a former Tesla employee named Karl Hansen filed a whistleblower complaint with the SEC alleging, among other things, that the company suffered and hid the theft of raw materials, worth tens of millions of dollars, from investors.
Tesla embarked on broad restructuring back in June, slashing its work force by at least 9 percent. In addition to those it has fired or laid off, a string of executives have moved on from Tesla in 2018, including former engineering leader Doug Field, supply chain vice president Liam O'Connor, and legal vice president Phil Rothenberg, among others.


This week's Produce Derby entrants were Richard Rittel with three 2-pound cucumbers from his home garden; Matthew Holub, 5-year-old-son of Mr. and Mrs. Pat Holub, with a giant squash weighing 8¼ pounds that he found in his grandmother's garden; and a 10½-pound cantaloupe brought in by Wanda Richmond that was grown in the greenhouse at Conyers Flowers.
Meggan Silhan, four-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Silhan of Pilsen, was chosen as first place winner in the 3- to 4-year-old category in the Tri-Rivers Fair Baby Beauty contest Aug. 4 in Salina.
Ern Hett and his brother, Russ, are pictured as they install attractive wrought iron signs over the two walk-in entrances to Central Park during a rainy Monday morning while Randee Loomis and Margaret Pickering watch from the protection of an umbrella. Sponsored by Twentieth Century Club, of which Loomis is president and Pickering is project chairman, the signs were constructed at Ern Hett's Copper Shed.
Doug Kjellin, Marion High School FFA officer, recently attended a week-long leadership conference in Washington, D.C. He also visited Mount Vernon, the National Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Arlington National Cemetery, and the office of Congressman Dan Glickman. Doug is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kjellin.


The Warboys affair, in which the Parole Board recommended the release from jail of a London taxi driver who had been convicted of a number of rapes and who was suspected of involvement in other offences, caused public outcry in January 2018. It lead to the resignation of the Chair of the Parole Board, Prof Nick Hardwick. And the Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke, was clearly anxious that there should be changes to the ways in which the Parole Board worked (somewhat disingenuously, as the Parole Board itself had for sometime been arguing for change).
The Government has made a number of important announcements which will affect the ways in which the Parole Board undertakes its work going forward.
In particular, Rule 25 of the Parole Board Rules – which currently prohibits publication of details of parole board decisions – will be amended in favour of much greater transparency.
In addition, the Government has announced that it will make immediate changes to how it communicates with victims, as well as looking at how more victims can be offered the Victim Contact Scheme (VCS).
A more fundamental change proposed is that there should be created, within the Parole Board itself, a mechanism for the reconsideration of decisions taken by the Board, that would remove the necessity of parties having to launch expensive proceedings in the Courts for judicial review. The precise ways in which the reconsideration process should work have not yet been finalised, but a Consultation Paper setting out various options and suggestions has been published with views sought by the end of July 2018. It is anticipated that reconsiderations would in general be chaired by judges who are members of the Parole Board.
There has also been published the terms of reference for a full review of the Parole Board Rules, with the specific object of trying to improve the transparency of the work of the Board.
The speed with which these first decisions have been taken is an indication of the political pressure to respond to the outcry created by the Warboys case. Further details, in particular on the proposed reconsideration process, will be considered here in due course. It is worth observing that the Secretary of State's strategy can be delivered entirely through changes to regulations, which will not require parliamentary time.
Lawyers might think that a government research report with the above heading would/should have been published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Would this not be a central theme in the Transforming the Justice System programme that is currently underway?
It may therefore come as a surprise that this is the title of a report commissioned and published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). In it consultants have looked at a number of contexts in which consumers may seek to obtain redress for problems they have with traders or other service providers.
The report seems to have been written with no account taken of the not inconsiderable body of work already done on the use of ADR in England and Wales (e.g. the reports by Professor Dame Hazel Genn). There is no reference to the court transformation programme. There is one reference to the Civil Justice Council (though not to its relatively recent paper on ADR). It is as though BEIS and MoJ are living in separate if not parallel universes, with no communication between them.
This may of course be deliberate. It is possible to imagine that BEIS – who have responsibility for promoting business and protecting consumers – have become fed up with the slow place of change in the use of ADR in the court system and want to charge ahead with their own initiatives.
What is interesting, however, is to see just how pervasive the use of ADR mechanisms are in the UK. The report sets out a list of 95 bodies who offer differing forms of ADR for the resolution of complaints and disputes. And there is an intriguing footnote citing more recent research, undertaken by Citizen's Advice, which reveals that the total number of such schemes is approaching 150.
From the data they collected, the researchers suggest that ADR is quicker and cheaper than the courts; that those who use either the courts or ADR are in general, older, better off and better educated than consumers taken as a whole; and that these groups are in general better informed about the existence of different forms of ADR.
It is not the function of this report to argue that either use of ADR or use of the courts is to be the preferred method for resolving consumer disputes. But the researchers do, at the end, list a number of 'indicators' that could be used for ongoing monitoring of the use of ADR. This suggests to me that BEIS might hope to find over the years greater consumer awareness of and use of ADR schemes for the resolution of consumer disputes.
What the policy outcomes of this study will be are hard to discern from the present document. One may guess that, for modest-value disputes, use of different forms of ADR will steadily grow. What is surprising is the apparent lack of contact with others working on the reform of civil justice.


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New Girl Scout badges focus on cyber crime, not cookie sales
The Girl Scouts are going to be offering 18 merit badges in cybersecurity, to scouts as young as five years old.
A Girl Scout works on a laptop computer, in a photo released June 21, 2017.
Cookie sales may take a back seat to fighting identity theft and other computer crime now that Girl Scouts as young as 5 are to be offered the chance to earn their first-ever cyber security badges.
Armed with a needle and thread, U.S. Girl Scouts who master the required skills can attach to their uniform's sash the first of 18 cyber security badges that will be rolled out in September 2018, Girl Scouts of the USA said in a press release.
The education program, which aims to reach as many as 1.8 million Girl Scouts in kindergarten through sixth grade, is being developed in a partnership between the Girl Scouts and Palo Alto Networks (PANW.N), a security company.
The goal is to prevent cyber attacks and restore trust in digital operations by training "tomorrow's diverse and innovative team of problem solvers equipped to counter emerging cyber threats," Mark McLaughlin, chief executive officer of Palo Alto Networks, said in the release.
The move to instill "a valuable 21st century skill set" in girls best known for cookie sales is also aimed at eliminating barriers to cyber security employment, such as gender and geography, said Sylvia Acevedo, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Women remain vastly underrepresented in the cyber security industry, holding just 11 percent of jobs globally, according to a recent study by (ISC)2, an international nonprofit focused on cyber security.
"In our increasingly tech-driven world, future generations must possess the skills to navigate the complexities and inherent challenges of the cyber realm," Acevedo said in the release.
"From arming older girls with the tools to address this reality to helping younger girls protect their identities via internet safety, the launch of our national cyber security badge initiative represents our advocacy of cyber preparedness," she said.
via: reuters
« 3 Real Life Ethical Hacker Stories About #PasswordFails
Get Hacked and Your Cybersecurity Company May Pay »


Flat gravelled parking close to the city centre on one of the busiest roads in the city. Bus station right in front of it, well known Pecs sports stadium accross the road. Suitable for fast food, retail, etc., high visibility. All utilities on site. Total area 5 000 m2.
Fazekasboda - Pecs 20 km.
Farm-house, barn and press-house with two small cellars for sale in Pecs area. The 93 m2 farm-house is renovation needed. The 110 m2 barn is partly renovated, three phase current (3x50 A) installed. The press-house is 62 m2 big, with two small cellar-arms. There is a brook close to the 2200 m2 site. Calm, sparsely populated surrounding (1 neighbour), clean air, nice view. There are riding-hall, hunting and fishing possibilities close to the property. 80 % of residents of the settlement are Swabian people with more and more foreigner owners. The property is suitable for industrial (e.g. joiner-workshop), touristical (e.g. rustic entertainment) or any business goals.
Guide price: 10.8 M HUF / 40200 EUR (pe090818) More images: 2 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5 Contact: Pending.
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Farm-house property, site for sale - Real estate in Pecs and its area.


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Senhora da Hora ↔ Fânzeres
Nome popular: Linha de Rio Tinto
Tempo de viagem: 39 minutos
Melhor frequência: 12 minutos

A Linha F, ou Linha Laranja conhecida por linha de Rio Tinto, é desde janeiro de 2011, a sexta linha a operar pela Metro do Porto, em Portugal, que liga Fânzeres (Gondomar) a Campanhã e que efetua serviço no tronco comum até à Senhora da Hora. A abertura da linha acrescentou 10 novas estações à rede existente.

História

Com a consignação da empreitada de construção da Linha F ao consórcio Somague/Soares da Costa/Mota Engil/Monte Adriano/Efacec, arranca a Segunda Fase do sistema do Metro do Porto. O troço Estádio do Dragão – Fânzeres da Linha F é o primeiro de um conjunto de investimentos programado para os próximos anos e que virão praticamente duplicar a atual extensão da rede do Metro do Porto.

A construção da Linha F, adjudicada àquele consórcio pelo valor de 97,5 milhões de euros, tem um prazo de execução de 560 dias. O valor total deste investimento, incluindo projeto e expropriações, ascende a 135 milhões de euros.

Esta nova linha de Metro, servindo a zona Este da Área Metropolitana do Porto, tem um comprimento aproximado de 7 quilómetros e integra 10 novas estações de superfície.

O traçado definido entre a Estação Estádio do Dragão e a Estação Fânzeres, serve zonas de elevada densidade populacional. Entre aquelas duas estações, a linha descreve um «V» invertido: partindo da freguesia de Campanhã, ainda no Porto, segue para Norte até Rio Tinto e Baguim do Monte, descendo depois até Cabanas. Cerca de um quilómetro do trajeto faz-se em túnel – cruzando a fronteira entre o Porto e Gondomar e evitando conflitos com as linhas da CP e com a Estrada da Circunvalação.

À superfície, a integração do Metro na paisagem é feita de um modo ambientalmente harmonioso e seguro. O relatório de conformidade ambiental aprovado pela Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente valida todas as opções do projetista em matéria de inserção urbana.

Todas as estações do Metro construídas no concelho de Gondomar vão ser servidas por parques de estacionamento. Cada qual terá uma capacidade média de cem lugares, promovendo a intermodalidade e facilitando a entrada no sistema.

Veículos
Esta Linha é servida pelos Flexity Outlook Eurotram da série 001-072 da Metro do Porto.

Entrada ao serviço
A abertura comercial da linha laranja até Fânzeres foi a 2 de janeiro de 2011.

Durante 2 dias, a Metro do Porto ofereceu viagens entre Contumil e a estação terminal, Fânzeres, para que a população pudesse conhecer a nova linha.

Serviço
Durante a fase de projeto, o troço Estádio do Dragão - Fânzeres era uma extensão da já existente linha A . No entanto, poucos meses antes da inauguração foi anunciado que seria criada a linha F, que passava a ligar, sem transbordo, as estações da Senhora da Hora e de Fânzeres, sendo que o seu serviço poderia ser assegurado por qualquer um dos serviços das linhas já existentes . Apesar de tudo, nos primeiros meses de funcionamento, as viagens foram realizadas de forma alternada apenas pelos serviços das linhas A e E.

No verão de 2011, dada a necessidade de aumentar a frequência da linha nas horas de ponta, a maioria das viagens passaram a ser asseguradas pelo serviço da linha A. Apenas no período noturno, quando o serviço da linha A terminava na Trindade, é que este era assegurado pela linha E.

No verão de 2019, com o encurtamento da linha E à Trindade, todas as viagens da linha F foram asseguradas pelo serviço da linha A, incluindo no período noturno. Ainda assim, existiam alguns veículos a partir do Aeroporto com destino a Fânzeres, particularmente no fim da ponta da manhã e no início e fim da ponta da tarde. Apenas aos domingos, era possível ver o serviço Linha F, de facto, a ser realizado. Como a frequência era de 20 min na Linha F, depois das 15:00, não era possível enquadrar todos os veículos da Linha A no troço da Linha F, dado que a frequência desta era de 15 min. Com isto, aparecia nos veículos a bandeira F - Senhora da Hora e F - Fânzeres.

Em março de 2020, devido à pandemia de COVID-19, a linha F viu a sua frequência reduzida para 30 minutos e em maio para 15 minutos nas horas de ponta.

Atualmente
Todas as viagens da linha F são asseguradas pelo serviço da linha A, com a exceção da última viagem no sentido Fânzeres, que é assegurada pela linha E. Ainda a sentir os efeitos da pandemia, a frequência da linha F é agora de 12 minutos nas horas de ponta.

Linha F
Fundações em Portugal em 2011
2011 no transporte ferroviário


Inlays and onlays are two types of restorations that your dentist can suggest if you have a cavity in your tooth that needs to be filled. An inlay is a small filling that fits into the biting surface of a tooth while an onlay covers a larger area of the tooth and is better suited to bigger cavities. Traditionally gold had been used to make inlays and onlays because it is a hard material and lasts for a long time.
With modern dentistry, tooth-coloured porcelain is used and gives the restored tooth a more natural look, which many patients prefer.
Inlays and onlays can be made in a dental laboratory by a technician. With the dentist taking impressions of your teeth . While these are being made, you will wear a temporary filling. When your inlay or onlay is ready your dentist will remove the temporary filling and glue the piece into it's place using a special adhesive glue.
Thanks to advances in digital technology called ( CAD/CAM) porcelain inlays can be made at the dental practice using a special milling machine known as CEREC.


Edward Franklin Albee (born March 12, 1928) is a leading American playwright, for many the most important one alive.
He was born in Washington, DC and was adopted two weeks later and taken to Westchester County, New York. Albee's father owned a chain of theatres, where Edward would hang out, but he only began writing plays when he was 30.
Edward Albee's plays are decidedly unique; one of his main influences has been Samuel Beckett and he is credited with being one of the first American playwrights of the school of thought known as Absurdism. His style is not as surreal as many Absurdists, but Albee's plays reflect the philosophy that life is inherently absurd.
Albee is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council, and President of the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Inc. He received the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.


Protect you eyes and your pocket book.
In may cases you don't need an expensive pair of safety goggles.
Why spend the money on those stylish goggles when you're not going to wear them long or if you're more interested in price rather then style.
When you're more interested in function and price rather then fashion!


Amy Adams - "Nowy początek"
Hugh Grant - "Boska Florence"
Jonah Hill - "Psy wojny"
Simon Helberg - "Boska Florence"
"Can't stop the feeling" - "Trolle"
"Faith" - "Sing. Zostań gwiazdą"
"How Far I'll Go" - "Vaiana: Skarb oceanu"
Keri Russell - "Zawód: Amerykanin""
Rachel Bloom - "My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"
Sarah Jessica Parker - "Rozwód"
Tracy Ellis Ross - "Black-ish"
Riz Ahmed - "Długa noc"
John Turturro - "Długa noc"
Courtney B. Vance - "American Crime Story: Sprawa O.J. Simpsona"
Sterling K. Brown - "American Crime Story: Sprawa O.J. Simpsona"
John Travolta - "American Crime Story: Sprawa O.J. Simpsona"
Lena Heady - "Gra o tron"


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You are here: Home / Film Reviews / Downsizing
Downsizing 3 stars☆☆☆☆☆
29th January 2018 by Sarah Leave a Comment
Downsizing could have been a burning satire on social save-the-planet activism being twisted to support the newly idle, newly rich. But instead it becomes an apocalyptic tale about the power of love.
Which is all very well but has nothing to do with being small, apart from only needing an ark from Toys 'R' Us.
An hour long four-star movie followed by an hour long two-star movie, Downsizing is initially corruscatingly biting, then fizzles out.
Initially it has a magnetic pull, its premise comfortingly familiar (who hasn't weighed up the practicalities and romance of miniaturisation when reading The Borrowers or Gulliver's Travels?) yet scarily out there. But then come a whole new batch of questions and answers, spinning in different directions.
There's still a lot to recommend it. But Downsizing can't maintain that initial excitement, wonder, and indeed cruelty.
Norwegian scientists have discovered how to reduce animals and people to only a few inches. And with the breakthrough coming from socially-aware Scandinavia, this isn't one of those experiments they do because they could, without ever thinking whether they should.
The scientists, led by Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen (Rolf Lassgård), very much think they should, after their institute decides that overpopulation poses the biggest threat to Earth's survival.
Announcing their discovery at a conference, they introduce the first tiny pioneers to loud applause. But almost as exciting to the audience is the third-full bin liner, representing all the tiny colony's waste from four years. (Something my recycling-obsessed local council is probably planning, but without shrinking us first.)
Several years later, occupational therapist Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) are discontented and unfulfilled. Audrey is a bit of a moaner: "let me take all the weight" says Paul, massaging her neck, and that seems to be his entire marital role. With no chance of affording her dream house, and after a heart-to-heart with a 5-inch friend perched on a cereal box on the kitchen counter, Paul pushes for them to downsize.
The (irreversible) process already has a coldly clinical, conveyor belt feel, as hair is shaved off, tooth fillings are removed, and bodies on white trolleys are lined up in a white room by white-clad orderlies and nurses. After treatment and a few hours' recovery, they are ready for Leisureland, their new luxury community.
I say they, but Audrey has got cold feet and remains full-size, phoning Paul from the airport as he recovers. Her determination to play victim in the face of his fury is one of the funniest scenes, though to be fair Paul's railroading of her into shrinking was obvious. She then disappears, never to be seen again.
The downsizing process is fascinating; it can be hard to prevent that kind of set-up detail becoming the most interesting aspect of a sci fi film, and it's fair to say that Downsizing's story doesn't really match up to the why and the how.
Once Paul gets to Leisureland, his new home town, there are some lovely background details – a woman perches on a Rubik's cube at a party; a single yellow rose requires both hands to carry it. But then it becomes less interesting as – apart from the rose and the Rubik's cube – everyone and everything is in proportion.
There's something deeply unpleasant about Leisureland. The original point of the downsized settlements was to reduce consumption and save the world, a noble aim driven by the bravely altruistic.
But instead this highly disruptive technology has been used to recreate a parasitic class of people who feel they deserve the high life, whatever the cost to society, exploiting poorer people (particularly immigrants) to service their needs.
Despite the pioneering scientists' original aims, Leisureland's new world has built in the same inequalities that beset the old. It's hardly sustainable, relying on spending rather than creating. And it depends on the full-sized to keep the economy going and Fedex those tiny yachts round the world.
Resentment is rising; small people deserve "a quarter of a vote at most", says one antagonistic drinker after Paul and Audrey's goodbye party.
Life for the newly miniaturised Paul is dull despite the luxury of his new environment, until he spends an evening with upstairs neighbour Dusan (Christoph Waltz), a man who is hedonistic, amoral, untrustworthy and throws a damn good party. The next day Paul meets Ngoc Lan Tran, there with her team to clean Dusan's flat.
Ngoc (Hong Chau) is a force of nature; a dissident from Vietnam who was downsized against her will by her government. She's disabled (she lost her foot during a terrifying escape to the US) and is supremely driven to get on in life and help other people.
Paul is initially a bit of a white saviour, helping Ngoc deliver meals and assistance to those forced to live on the margins of this sparkling but empty society. Though this trope is rather inverted when he tries to help her with her false foot, only for him to damage it so badly it's unuseable.
She speaks in broken English, but her loud, stocatto delivery, and minimal words, just serves to highlight how, unlike more privileged people, she simply doesn't have time for waffle.
Ngoc doesn't appear until about half-way, but from then she carries the movie, adding emotional depth and humour (who knew there were so many types of fuck? I've only ever needed to know about love fucks and pity fucks, but apparently there are lots more).
And then – with a group trip to the original Norwegian settlement – Downsizing gives up on sci-fi satire and gets very end-of-the-world.
Unfortunately the move from science fiction satire on the way a capitalist society uses altruism as its cover for spending and exploiting, to doomsday scenario, is too much of a tonal leap.
Damon is a pleasantly chubby everyman, gamely trying to come to terms with his miniaturised, single state, without offering anything new. Though at least we get to make jokes about Matt Damon always having to be rescued in movies, even if this time it's the emotional kind.
So it falls to Hong Chau, with her warmly touching performance, to singlehandedly buoy Downsizing up through the second half.
buy / rent downsizing on vod or buy the dvd / blu-ray / 4k from amazon.com
buy/ downsizing on vod / dvd / blue-ray / 4k from amazon uk
Watch the tailer for Downsizing:
Alexander Payne
Christoph Waltz | Hong Chau | Kristen Wiig | Matt Damon | Rolf Lassgård
Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: downsizing, miniaturisation, shrinking