If you read the news, you'll see consistent coverage of polarizing topics and conversations that divide. Politics, government spending, inequality in the workplace, global warming, immigration. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion and divisiveness is the status quo. Marching, arguing, hating.
The thing is, you have more in common with your neighbour than you have differences.
If you've ever traveled to another country and spent time people-watching, you know a mother's love is universal. Laughter in a movie theatre or adoration for a sunset alongside strangers transcends which suburb you grew up in or what sort of car you drive.
Stand in line at a water park with thousands of other guests and you'll see that stretch marks don't discriminate. Shade cover is ubiquitously desired and over-priced burgers taste good after a long swim in sunshine. Everyone agrees.
Can you spend some time today focussing on what you have in common with your neighbours, rather than your differences? Pray you will be able to extend grace to those you might disagree with and smile despite your disparity.
Prayer opens your heart and eyes to the need around you. The Holy Spirit will show you how to bless those across the road and serve your neighbours, no strings attached. Meeting people where they are will diminish your differences and allow God to make his way onto your street and into your hearts. Love lessons the gap between us and that's something everyone can admit is more fun than fighting.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35 NIV).
We have the most adorable King Charles Cavalier who has stolen my heart over the last year and a half. He is kind, loyal, cuddly, obedient (mostly), and always so happy to see me. Cavies aren't known for being the smartest dogs on the planet, but he does few tricks we have taught him and he seems to know what's going on at all times.
I've never been one for lots of clutter with kids toys and I'm the same when it comes to Nolan, our dog. He typically only has one toy at a time and it gets replaced when he chews it up. The first toy he ever had was a rope with a ball attached to it and we trained him to "GO GET YOUR BALL!" whenever it was time to play. When we bought a new toy, it didn't have a ball attached to it, but we kept on saying, "GO GET YOUR BALL!" and he knew exactly what we were talking about.
Now, after about a dozen toys from stuffed chickens to a snorting pig, to various types of ropes, Nolan knows what we mean when we lie to him and tell him, "GO GET YOUR BALL!" He is now destined to look stupid in front of all his dog friends as well as ours when he mistakenly goes and gets his toy even though it rarely includes a ball. The only way this will change is if we take the time and energy to re-teach him, to work with him to show him the truth. We have no plans to do so; therefore, Nolan will live with this lie for the rest of his little doggie life.
How many of us are living with a lie each and every day? We walk around oblivious to its deception and sometimes even other people see us buying into its power. The Bible says that the enemy is a liar and that he is constantly prowling around trying to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). You may not be chasing a silly rope around the house, but you're chasing the approval of a parent or a boss because you believe their opinion matters more than it does (a lie). You aren't looking in the laundry room for a squeaky toy, but you're looking in the mirror believing you're not beautiful or that you need some work to be more valuable (a lie).
Oh, you're not a silly dog looking for a ball that's really a stuffed animal under the sofa, but you're reflecting on past mistakes believing you've missed your opportunity for success or that you'll never amount to anything. You're probably not wasting time running in circles and panting but you might be going around the same mountains in your failed relationships based on false pretenses.
You don't have to chase after a lie.
No matter what anyone has told you in the past or what you've even told yourself, you are made in God's image and you are worth everything. You're unique and lovely and have as much potential as anyone who has changed the world before you. You can chase after Jesus and find truth at every turn. You can run into hurdles, get locked out of opportunities or even make the wrong call with everyone watching.
Your owner is Jesus, who bought you with a high price, his very own life and blood. And, he finds you worthy enough to give you a clear path of second chances and unlocked doors. And that's no lie.
You are setting yourself up for a rewarding 2017 as you have given this first part of your year to God through prayer and fasting. You have experienced a form of pruning as you have denied yourself something over the last three weeks. Now, you will see a prolific harvest in your spiritual life as your fruitfulness multiplies.
You must abide in the vine in order to experience the fulness of what God has in store for you. His beautiful reminder in John 15 is that you must remain in Christ to bear fruit. As you rest in Christ's love and stay connected to him and his word, nothing is impossible.
Attach yourself to him like a child attached to a mother's breast. Hook up to his word as if your life depends on it. Let your church family be the fertiliser that enriches the soil of your life so that every area yields a by-product of Jesus.
A branch without a vine makes no sense. There's no life or fruit if we detach from our source. If we are cut off completely from Christ, we wither and die spiritually. We must remain connected in order to produce a harvest in our life.
One of the ways we remain connected to Christ is by connecting with a local church. The body of believers nourishes us like good fertiliser. It strengthens us by watering us regularly with the word and corporate worship. As we produce fruit in our lives, we are able to share it with anyone willing to partake. We bear fruit financially and it feeds those who come and find abundant life in Christ too. We bear fruit through stewarding the gifts and talents inside of us and we offer it up sacrificially to bless the whole church and serve others.
Ultimately, we blossom for the sole purpose of glorifying God and witnessing to others the goodness of God so they can come to know Him too.
Lord Jesus, thank you for being the ultimate gardener. I trust you as one branch among your great vine to prune me when necessary in order that I might bear more fruit. I pray that every area of my life would bring glory to you as I remain connected. I commit to connection to you personally and to your church. In Jesus' name, Amen.
As we take time to sit and ponder God's word, "abundance" takes on fresh revelation.
A very large quantity, amount or volume of something.
To have more than you need.
Excessive, liberal, an extravagant portion.
An extremely plentiful or over-sufficient quantity or supply.
Abundance isn't just for each one of us personally in various areas of our lives, but it is given to us because we are salt to the earth, flavour to the world, the fragrance of Christ in us and through us as the world cries out for his bounty.
Sometimes our heads can know this, but as we truly plant this word in our hearts, it comes more alive. No longer do we secretly think we don't deserve this abundance, but we now long to live in it and watch for it to unfold daily in our interactions with others, in our daily habits.
We don't have to hold back because we barely have enough for ourselves, but we have overflowing and surplus of whatever it is – love, mercy, compassion, finances, peace.
Jesus, I am so blessed that you came down from heaven to give us life abundant. I choose to see your excess everyday. I make agreement with it; I walk in it; I listen to it; and, I will look for it always. You are an awesome God of "more-than-enough." Whatever area in my life that feels lacking, I trust you are going to fill it up to overflowing. In your name I pray, Amen.
Within each of us lies a desire to be known, understood, and valued. God made us this way. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, emphatically states that he KNOWS US. The eternal God acquaints himself with every part of us from the inside out. He knows our very thoughts, fears, dreams and desires.
The fact that the creator of the universe knows us this intimately brings great joy, peace and security. It gives us the ability to approach today and everyday with a boldness and confidence knowing God is aware of our weaknesses, faults, and fears. It's in spite of them that he laid down his life for us. He did it so that we could have "life to the full" (John 10:10).
Jesus also reminds us that we know HIS voice. In order to discern the voice of God, we must spend time in his presence through prayer and reading his word. With so many distractions shouting for our attention, screaming at our inadequacies, and roaring at our faults, we have to listen carefully to hear our shepherd's voice. It takes discipline to push them out and if we aren't careful, those negative murmurs can define who we are, too easily drowning out his voice. We can find ourselves wandering aimlessly through life lacking purpose.
God has great plans and purposes for us all, however! And, like a "good shepherd" He leads us to pastures of fruitfulness, peace, and blessing. Concentrating on our shepherd's voice during this time of fasting reminds us of our worth and how much he cares and loves us all.
Dear God, I am so humbled and grateful for your voice in my life. You are truly a good shepherd. Help me to hear your voice more clearly as I continue to fast and seek your face. Show me your plans for me. Drown out the negative self-talk and other distracting voices that seek to pull me away from you. I only want to be guided by YOU. In Jesus' mighty name, amen.


Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was suddenly interrupted in her thoughts by a loud but yet distant rumbling.
Since the headquarter was in the middle of a bustling city, she first shrugged it off as being someone else's business. After all, it could be anything. A car crash, sounds from the training grounds, a gas leak gone out of control.
A second rumbling sound was heard. This time a little closer. Riza had been on enough battlefields to instantly be able to rule out some possible causes. It wasn't mortar fire, and it wasn't an explosion. It sounded more like the sounds one can hear in a quarry. Stones cracking and tumbling down.
At the third crashing noise, she gave up and rose from her chair, ready to go and investigate the mysterious sound.
"Don't worry, lieutenant. It's nothing dangerous." Roy Mustang sat at his desk, sorting through a pile of documents and apparently not being overly worried of the sounds coming from the living quarters of the HQ.
She looked again at the door leading out in the hallway, and then back at the calm colonel. Unsure about what action was appropriate.
"Have you ever been in a mood when you felt like you just wanted to raze a wall or two?" Roy asked calmly.
"The thing is, Ed's an alchemist. He's actually capable of doing it."
A fourth crashing sound echoed through the building. Seconds later followed by a softer, more wooden sound.
"Maybe we ought to have him study the concept of 'supporting walls' sometime soon then," Hawkeye said serenely.


text:
Q: Connecting AWS cassandra using c# I am trying to Connect to AWS Cassandra using this code:
       var pathToCAFile = $"{Directory.GetCurrentDirectory()}/AmazonRootCA1.pem";
        X509Certificate2[] certs = new X509Certificate2[] { new X509Certificate2(pathToCAFile, "amazon") };
        X509Certificate2Collection certificateCollection = new X509Certificate2Collection(certs);
        var options = new Cassandra.SSLOptions(SslProtocols.Tls11, true, ValidateServerCertificate);
        options.SetCertificateCollection(certificateCollection);
        Cluster cluster = Cluster
                            .Builder()
                            .WithCredentials("username", "password")
                            .WithPort(9142)
                            .AddContactPoint("cassandra.us-east-1.amazonaws.com")
                           .WithSSL()
                            .WithLoadBalancingPolicy(new DefaultLoadBalancingPolicy("us-east-1"))
                            .Build();

        // Connect to the nodes using a keyspace
        var session = cluster.Connect("system_distributed");

        // Execute a query on a connection synchronously
        var rs = session.Execute("select * from system.peers");

Here is the error that I'm getting:

"Cassandra.NoHostAvailableException: 'All hosts tried for query failed
  (tried 3.83.169.143:9142: AuthenticationException 'The remote
  certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.')'

This exception was originally thrown at this call stack:

Cassandra.Connections.Control.ControlConnection.Connect(bool)
    System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
    System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(System.Threading.Tasks.Task)
    System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(System.Threading.Tasks.Task)
    System.Runtime.CompilerServices.ConfiguredTaskAwaitable.ConfiguredTaskAwaiter.GetResult()
    Cassandra.Connections.Control.ControlConnection.InitAsync()
    System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
    System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(System.Threading.Tasks.Task)
    System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(System.Threading.Tasks.Task)
    System.Runtime.CompilerServices.ConfiguredTaskAwaitable.ConfiguredTaskAwaiter.GetResult()
      ...
      [Call Stack Truncated]

A: I assume you're using the DataStax C# driver. If that is the case there's this documentation section on SSL/TLS which also has links to a couple of examples: https://docs.datastax.com/en/developer/csharp-driver/3.15/features/tls/
If that snippet is accurate, you're not actually setting the SSLOptions on the Builder.WithSSL() method.
If that doesn't work and the code examples don't help you, please show us the ValidateServerCertificate method so we can see what might be going wrong on the certificate validation.

Edit (from my comment below):
On TLS/SSL documentation page there is a section that is relevant here: Enabling server authentication with a custom root certificate.
As mentioned in the documentation, you either have to install that certificate in the machine where the application is running or you have to provide a custom certificate validator similar to this one.
The SSLOptions.SetCertificateCollection() method is used for client authentication so it is not useful for your situation where you want server authentication.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Doto awapa is a species of sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Dotidae.

Distribution
This species was described from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Description
This nudibranch is transparent white with a diffuse, sub-epidermal layer of brown pigment which is concentrated into a line down the middle of the back. White spots or glands are scattered all over the body and concentrated in areas at the tips of the ceratal tubercles and other protrusions.

EcologyDoto awapa was found on a colony of the hydroid, Aglaophenia sp. (family Aglaopheniidae) on which it presumably feeds. Many other species of Doto'' also feed on hydroids of the family Aglaopheniidae and the other families in the superfamily Plumularioidea.

References

Dotidae
Gastropods described in 2001

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Justia › US Law › Case Law › Federal Courts › Courts of Appeals › Seventh Circuit › 2017 › Roake v. Forest Preserve District of Cook County
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Roake v. Forest Preserve District of Cook County, No. 16-2976 (7th Cir. 2017)
In 2013, Roake, an off-duty Forest Preserve District of Cook County police officer, took champagne to a department police station to celebrate the New Year, allegedly with permission from a sergeant. In January 2014, the department initiated disciplinary proceedings against Roake for his participation in the New Year's Eve gathering. Roake alleges that hearing officers "upheld the charges" against him, and that he saw the "handwriting on the wall," so he resigned his job. Roake claimed that his involvement in the party was a pretext for disciplining him because he had previously reported official misconduct within the department: an October 2013 incident involved racial profiling; the other, around February 6, 2014, involved a fellow officer whom Roake believed had been unjustly disciplined. Roake alleges that officials of the Forest Preserve department told certain prospective employers that he had consumed alcohol while on duty, damaging his professional reputation and making it difficult for him to find work. The Seventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of his retaliation action under 42 U.S.C. 1983. Roake did not show that he was disciplined for engaging in constitutionally protected speech, or that he was deprived of a constitutionally protected liberty or property interest without due process.
In the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit ____________________ No. 16 2976 BRIAN ROAKE, Plaintiff Appellant, v. FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY, et al., Defendants Appellees. ____________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. No. 15 cv 08949 — Harry D. Leinenweber, Judge. ____________________ ARGUED JANUARY 5, 2017 — DECIDED FEBRUARY 17, 2017 ____________________ Before WOOD, Chief Judge, and MANION and WILLIAMS, Cir cuit Judges. MANION, Circuit Judge. Brian Roake, a former police officer for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, was ostensi bly disciplined for drinking alcohol at work. He responded with this lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging unlawful retaliation under the First Amendment. He also asserted a Fourteenth Amendment due process claim based on reputa tional harm. The district court dismissed Roake's action under 2 No. 16 2976 Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a plausible claim to relief. We affirm. I. BACKGROUND Plaintiff Brian Roake was a police officer for the Forest Pre serve District of Cook County, Illinois. His troubles began on December 31, 2013, when he brought some champagne to a Forest Preserve police station to celebrate the New Year. Roake says that he was off duty at the time and that he got permission from a sergeant (who was present at the celebra tion) to bring the champagne. Roake and others drank the champagne at the station. In January 2014, the department initiated disciplinary pro ceedings against Roake for his participation in the New Year's Eve gathering. When Roake was interviewed about the inci dent, the interviewing officer assured him that he would not lose his job but "might be suspended for one or two days at the most."1 On February 7, 2014, the disciplinary proceedings culminated in what Roake calls a "pre disciplinary/pre termi nation hearing." Roake alleges that the hearing officers "up held the charges" against him, though he does not say what the charges were. At that point, Roake says he saw the "hand writing on the wall" and so resigned his job. He also states, with no supporting facts, that he "would have been termi nated" if he had not resigned. 1 This is consistent with Roake's allegation that the other employees involved in the New Year's celebration generally received only a written reprimand or a one day suspension. Only one employee—apparently the sergeant who gave Roake permission to bring the alcohol—was termi nated. No. 16 2976 3 Roake claims that his employer used his involvement in the New Year's Eve party as a mere pretext for disciplining him. The real reason he was disciplined, according to Roake, was because he had previously reported to his employer two instances of official misconduct within the police department. First, in October 2013, he reported that a fellow officer had engaged in racial profiling. Roake mentioned the matter again during his disciplinary proceedings in January 2014, when he complained that it wasn't fair that he was being investigated while the officer who engaged in racial profiling was not. Roake's second report, made around February 6, 2014, in volved a fellow officer whom Roake believed had been un justly disciplined. Earlier that month, the officer had con tacted Roake about a woman and children who were in the Forest Preserves after hours in below freezing weather. Roake responded that the officers were "mandated reporters" to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), so the officer called DCFS to report the situation. The officer was later written up in connection with the incident,2 and Roake complained to his employer that the write up was unlawful. After resigning in February 2014, Roake applied for jobs in other police departments. He alleges that officials of the Forest Preserve department told certain prospective employ ers that he had consumed alcohol while on duty and was not welcome to reapply there. Roake claims that this damaged his professional reputation and made it more difficult for him to find work. 2 Roake alternately alleges that the officer was disciplined for report ing to DCFS and "for contacting Roake." 4 No. 16 2976 In October 2015, Roake filed this § 1983 action against the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and several officers who were involved in the disciplinary proceedings against him. He claims that the defendants violated the First Amend ment by disciplining him in retaliation for reporting police misconduct. He also claims that the defendants violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights by tarnishing his reputation among prospective employers. The district court concluded that Roake failed to state a plausible claim for relief and granted the defendants' motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).3 Roake appeals. II. DISCUSSION We review the grant of a motion to dismiss de novo, con struing all well pleaded facts in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Huri v. Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Ct. of Cook Cty., 804 F.3d 826, 829 (7th Cir. 2015). To survive a motion to dismiss, the complaint must "state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). "A claim has facial plausibility when the plain tiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the mis conduct alleged." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A. First Amendment Retaliation Claim To prevail on a First Amendment retaliation claim, a plain tiff must show that the government took an adverse action against him because he engaged in constitutionally protected speech. George v. Walker, 535 F.3d 535, 538 (7th Cir. 2008). A 3 Roake also brought a state law claim under the Illinois Whistle blower Act, but that claim is not before us on appeal. No. 16 2976 5 public employee's speech is constitutionally protected only when he speaks "as a citizen" on matters of public concern. Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410, 417 (2006). A public employee does not speak "as a citizen" when he speaks "pursuant to [his] official duties." Id. at 421. Thus, public employees have no cause of action under the First Amendment when they are disciplined for speaking pursuant to their official duties, even if the speech is on a matter of public concern. Spiegla v. Hull, 481 F.3d 961, 965 (7th Cir. 2007) ("Garcetti made clear that pub lic employees speaking 'pursuant to their official duties' are speaking as employees, not citizens, and thus are not pro tected by the First Amendment regardless of the content of their speech."). The "determination of whether speech is con stitutionally protected is a question of law." Kubiak v. City of Chic., 810 F.3d 476, 481 (7th Cir. 2016). Roake alleges that the defendants retaliated against him for complaining about racial profiling and unlawful discipli nary action within the police force. But Roake has not plausi bly alleged that he made these complaints as a citizen rather than as a public employee speaking pursuant to his official duties. On the contrary, Roake shared the complaints only with his employer, and the complaints focused exclusively on official misconduct by his fellow officers. As we have previ ously recognized, a police officer's duty to report official po lice misconduct is a basic part of the job. See, e.g., id. at 481– 82 (rejecting an "overly narrow" description of police job du ties and concluding that officer's reports of police misconduct were closely connected with the broad professional duty to protect the public from harm); Vose v. Kliment, 506 F.3d 565, 571 (7th Cir. 2007) (police officer was "merely doing his job," and thus not engaged in protected speech, when he reported 6 No. 16 2976 suspected misconduct by his fellow officers); see also Hous kins v. Sheahan, 549 F.3d 480, 491 (7th Cir. 2008) (public em ployee's "internal complaint" about official misconduct was "an obvious form of speech made pursuant to official duties under the Garcetti standard"); Spiegla, 481 F.3d at 967 (no pro tected speech where correctional officer internally reported official misconduct but "did not make a public statement, dis cuss politics with a coworker, write a letter to newspapers or legislators, or otherwise speak as a citizen"). Cf. Kristofek v. Vill. of Orland Hills, 832 F.3d 785 (7th Cir. 2016) (finding pro tected speech where part time officer reported official mis conduct both to his fellow officers and to an outside agency, and where the reported misconduct extended beyond the po lice department and included higher level political corrup tion in the mayor's office). As a police officer, Roake had a duty to protect the public from harm, including harm resulting from illegal activity by law enforcement. So when Roake internally reported that his fellow officers were abusing the public trust by acting illegally on the job, he was speaking as a public employee pursuant to his official responsibilities, and not "as a citizen contributing to the civic discourse." Spiegla, 481 F.3d at 967 (internal marks omitted). Consequently, even assuming Roake was disci plined in retaliation for his speech, he has failed to state a plausible claim under the First Amendment because he has not shown that his speech was constitutionally protected. The district court properly dismissed Roake's First Amendment retaliation claim under Rule 12(b)(6). No. 16 2976 7 B. Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Claim To prevail on a procedural due process claim under the Fourteenth Amendment, a plaintiff must show that the gov ernment "'deprived him of a constitutionally protected liberty or property interest without due process of law.'" Hinkle v. White, 793 F.3d 764, 767 (7th Cir. 2015). Mere injury to reputa tion, even if it seriously impairs one's future employment pro spects, is not a constitutionally protected liberty or property interest under the due process clause. Id.; Willan v. Columbia Cty., 280 F.3d 1160, 1163 (7th Cir. 2002). Instead, to state a due process claim based on reputational harm, a plaintiff must show that the government distinctly altered his legal status in addition to tarnishing his good name. Hinkle, 793 F.3d at 768; Santana v. Cook Cty. Bd. of Review, 679 F.3d 614, 621 (7th Cir. 2012) (explaining that defamatory statements are actionable under the Fourteenth Amendment only if they "'alter or ex tinguish a right or status previously recognized by state law'"). Hence, we conduct a "'stigma plus' analysis to deter mine whether there was an 'injury to reputation along with a change in legal status.'" Hinkle, 793 F.3d at 768. Roake alleges that the defendants sullied his reputation among prospective employers by reporting that he drank on the job and was not eligible for rehire. In addition to alleging injury to his reputation, however, Roake has not plausibly al leged that the defendants did anything to alter his legal status. Roake counters that the defendants did change his legal status by effectively removing him from the police force. Specifi cally, he argues that he was constructively terminated when certain "charges" were upheld at his disciplinary hearing in February 2014. 8 No. 16 2976 Roake's pleadings do not support this argument. Roake plainly states that he resigned his position, and he alleges no facts suggesting that the defendants constructively termi nated his employment or otherwise changed his legal rights or status in any way.4 See Lifton v. Bd. of Educ. of City of Chic., 416 F.3d 571, 578 (7th Cir. 2005) (explaining that constructive discharge for due process purposes is "limited to egregious cases" and "occurs when an employee resigns because work ing conditions are so intolerable that a reasonable employee would feel compelled to quit"); see also Witte v. Wis. Dep't of Corr., 434 F.3d 1031, 1035–36 (7th Cir. 2006), partially over ruled on other grounds by Hill v. Tangherlini, 724 F.3d 965 (7th Cir. 2013) ("Working conditions for constructive discharge must be even more egregious than those that would support a finding of a hostile work environment."). In short, even assuming the defendants spoke about Roake in a way that impaired his future employment prospects, Roake has not plausibly alleged a due process violation be cause he has not shown that he was deprived of a liberty or property interest requiring the protections of due process. The district court properly dismissed Roake's Fourteenth Amendment due process claim under Rule 12(b)(6). III. CONCLUSION Roake failed to state a plausible claim to relief under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. He did not show that he 4 Roake's conclusory and hypothetical assertion that he "would have been terminated" had he not resigned is pure conjecture; it is not a well pleaded factual allegation entitled to a presumption of truth on a motion to dismiss. See Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 680–81; McCauley v. City of Chic., 671 F.3d 611, 616 (7th Cir. 2011). No. 16 2976 9 was disciplined for engaging in constitutionally protected speech, or that he was deprived of a constitutionally protected liberty or property interest without due process. The district court properly dismissed Roake's action, and we AFFIRM.
of Seventh Circuit opinions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Paint Valley cruises past Clay in season opener
Paint Valley had little trouble with Clay in its season opener.
BAINBRIDGE — Two minutes and seven seconds into their season opener, Paint Valley coach Bobby Williams had to call a timeout with his team trailing 7-0.
Paint Valley's Dax Estep scored 21 points in Friday's win over Clay.
On the opposite end, Clay's Shaden Malone had scored each of the Panthers' seven points and was having his way with the Bearcats' defense.
"They came out and smacked us in the mouth with a 7-0 run," Williams said. "We had to regroup. That was kind of our shifting point. That's true even in last season. A lot of times, we'd go the other way and not answer that call. I think today, we answered that call."
Did they ever.
Throughout the rest of the first half, the Bearcats (1-0) outscored Clay by a 33-7 margin. That was more than enough to pull away before Paint Valley put away a 75-38 victory.
"We can go 10 deep. That helps. We knew the Malone kid was really good. But I think our defensive intensity was a lot better and we're a lot quicker than we were last year. Definitely more athletic," Williams said.
Coming into the game, Cordell Grubb was a known scoring commodity for the Bearcats. But on Friday, sophomore Dax Estep quickly established himself as a bonafide number two option.
Estep was active on the glass and managed to give his teammates second looks on multiple possessions. He finished the game with 21 points and nine rebounds.
PHOTOS: Images from Paint Valley's win over Clay
"That's what we're expecting this season," Williams said. "We've got some guards that can knock down shots, too. Cordell is going to see a lot of defense this year and we're trying to run an offense through him. He's a great passer as well. But Dax stepped up tonight."
After Malone gave Clay (0-1) a 7-0 lead, Estep, Grubb and Cole Miller all logged scores to cut the lead to 7-6 with 3:50 left in the first quarter. After Clay Cottle gave the Panthers a 10-6 lead, Miller hit a 3 and Blaine Parker scored to put PV ahead at 11-10 with 2:04 remaining.
The Bearcats never trailed again.
After entering the second quarter with a 14-10 advantage, Grubb hit two consecutive 3's with 7:48 and 7:21 left, capping an 8-0 run and pushing the lead to 22-10. By halftime, the advantage was 33-14 and by the end of the third, it was 57-34.
Nothing changed in the fourth as Paint Valley won it by an 18-4 margin.
Grubb led all scorers with 23 points, followed by Estep's 21 points and nine boards. Miller finished with 12 points and six rebounds while Trent Mettler tallied six points and two assists.
Take a look at ? (via @dw1509) from @PVBearcatsBball's season-opening win over Clay.
FULL GALLERY: https://t.co/jgsqBsMKbw pic.twitter.com/9FHRvUwiQz
— Southern Ohio Sports Authority (@ohio_authority) November 28, 2020
Malone led Clay with 17 points and six rebounds while Cottle finished with 19 points.
Paint Valley is back in action on Tuesday, traveling to Fairfield, while Clay plays the same night, hosting Oak Hill.
"We can get better defensively. Our rotations are a little slow right now," Williams said. "We made a point to try and keep kids out of the lane. But we're a young team. Most of the starters are sophomores and juniors. So there's a lot of things we can still improve on. But it's going to be a fun year."
Clay: 10-4-20-4 — 38
Paint Valley: 16-17-24-18 — 75
Clay: 14-47 FG, 8-12 FT, 2-8 3pt., 19 rebounds (Jessee 5), 14 turnovers, 0 assists. Scoring: Cottle 19, Malone 17, Jessee 2.
Paint Valley: 32-64 FG, 1-4 FT, 10-19 3pt., 40 rebounds (Estep 9), 10 turnovers, 16 assists (Mettler 4). Scoring: Grubb 23, Estep 21, Miller 12, Mettler 6, Parker 4, Brauner 3, Blanton 2, Byrd 2, Jeffers 2.


Objective: Laparoscopic repair of large, complicated hiatal hernias is associated with a high risk of recurrence. Biologic mesh decreases recurrence and prevents complications associated with synthetic mesh; but its safety profile has not yet been fully determined. To answer this question we analyzed the outcomes of biologic mesh used to repair these "high risk" hiatal hernias.
Methods: All patients (n=125) who had biologic mesh (Surgisis®, Cook Medical Inc.) implanted and who had a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included in this study. We recorded all complications and sent all patients a standardized symptom questionnaire.
Results: Median follow-up was 37 months (6- 103 months). Repairs were performed for para-esophageal hernia in 86 (69%), large sliding hiatal hernia with obesity in 6 (5%) and redo Nissen fundoplication in 33 patients (26%). There were no perioperative complications related to the mesh. Thirty day mortality was nil.
Completed questionnaires were collected from 49 patients (40%), of these three patients (6%) developed a symptomatic recurrent hiatal hernia, one required reoperation. No patient has had an erosion, stricture, or complication directly related to the mesh.
Conclusions: We experienced no immediate or long-term complications associated with the mesh, thus conclude that the use of biologic mesh for laparoscopic repair of large, complicated hiatal hernias appears safe.


The day my life started changing and accelerating was the day I started learning meditation. I borrowed the book 8-Minute Meditation from a friend. I also started listening to Kosmic Consciousness by Ken Wilber. I have never looked back and my smile is still growing.
Spiritual practices like meditation, mindfulness and yoga have a profound effect on our mood. We can attribute much of this mood-enhancing effect to brain chemicals like serotonin [1,2,3], dopamine  and GABA . Almost all anti-anxiety drugs target these chemicals .
These ancient spiritual techniques are starting to enter scientific treatment of anxiety. In 2014, mindfulness was compared to "normal" treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It was the first randomized controlled trial of this type .
The 93 participants were randomly assigned to one of two programs. One was a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. The other, the control, was a Stress Management Education (SMM) program. The programs lasted for 8 weeks.
The researchers found that the mindfulness based program worked a lot better than the stress management program. Mindfulness performed better on four out of five anxiety measurement scales. On the fifth scale both programs performed equally well. It was speculated that they were equal on the fifth scale because it focused on physiological symptoms. It ignored psychological symptoms. Mindfulness also led to the greatest increase in positive self-statements.
 Arita, H. "Anterior prefrontal cortex and serotonergic system activation during Zen meditation practice induces negative mood improvement and increased alpha band in EEG." Rinsho Shinkeigaku, 2012.
 Elias A. N., et al. "Ketosis with enhanced GABAergic tone promotes physiological changes in transcendental meditation". Medical Hypotheses, 2000.
 Hoge, E. A., et al. "Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Effects on Anxiety and Stress Reactivity". Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2014.


Spectacular second floor one bedroom apartment with 9 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, and open floor plan. Features a beautiful entry way, bright and sunny living room, formal dining room with non-working fireplace, eat-in kitchen leading out to private deck, spacious bedroom with large closet, and washer/dryer hook-ups in basement. No pets, no smoking and 2 year minimum lease. Credit check, first month's rent and security deposit required.


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Biggest Threat
"What Little Chen said is right. The reason why the Barbarian World deployed such a large army must be because of the Ancient Elephant Bloodline. The Ancient Elephant Blood within my body is the symbol of the Barbarian Divine and it's very important to their race. When Little Chen was in the Miniature Fengchi World, he encountered an expert from the Barbarian World who purposely came to fight for the bloodline. Even though the war has just begun, they've already sent such an army here, this only showed that they are here for the bloodline," said Heaven Sovereign.
The barbarian army flooded into the sky, and boundless black gales were rolling here and there. It is imaginable that the Immoral Court would become a hellish warzone once the great war started.
The eight Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereigns were standing in front of Jiang Chen. From their yellow clothes, Jiang Chen could recognise that they were the people of Wu Huang Family.
The leader was a fit elder who has a pair of glittering but sunken eyes. His eyes were searching for something in the crowd and finally, he fixed his gaze on Heaven Sovereign.
"The Ancient Elephant Bloodline is in his body."
The elder pointed at Heaven Sovereign and said.
The other seven Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereigns' gaze fell on Heaven Sovereign as well at the same time. Their eyes were filled with blaze. They were here today for a mission, they must bring the Ancient Elephant Bloodline back to their world. Once they obtained the bloodline, the Barbarian World would be close to the existence of the divine spirit, and that time would be truly the Judgement Day of the Immortal World.
"You, take the Ancient Elephant Bloodline out from your body and you will become our honored guest. If you do so, you can enjoy endless glory and prosperity."The elder spoke to Heaven Sovereign.
"From the beginning of time, the people of the Barbarian Race has been fond of killing, they are no different from savages. Unexpectedly, their intelligence is so low. How could they say something like this without using their brain?"
Heaven Sovereign snorted and turned up his nose at the elder's words. He really did not know why the old man threatened him to hand out the bloodline and surrender to the Barbarian Race.
"Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Since our army is here confronting against you guys right now, your world will struggle with death and defeat in our hands anytime. If you choose to surrender now, we will spare you a life and you can still live well in the future. If you reject this offer, we will take action immediately and eradicate everything here. With your current strength, you are not our match. You better think twice!"
The elder continued to say.
"You've thought too much about invading our world. If I were you, I would escape back to Barbarian World as soon as possible. If we really start fighting, I am afraid none of you would be left alive," Heaven Sovereign said loudly.
It's indeed stressful to face eight Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereigns, yet Jiang Chen was on their side, and most probably he could kill all of these Barbarian Sovereigns by himself.
One should know that Jiang Chen had a way to suppress the Barbarian Race. When he was just a Second Grade Great Sovereign, he had already managed to kill a Six Grade Great Sovereign, not to say he's a Third Grade Great Sovereign now. Killing a Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign was a piece of cake for him.
Based on Nangong Wentian's understanding of Jiang Chen, he can say with confidence that even if more Sixth Grade Barbaran Sovereigns appeared here, that would still be of no avail.
"Elder, let's save our time and take action immediately and kill everyone here, then take the Ancient Elephant Bloodline away. There's no need to talk too much with the people of the Immortal World," one of the Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign said. His killing intent was towering, which revealed the Barbarian Race's bloodthirsty disposition.
"Everyone, listen up! Get ready for a fight."
Heaven Sovereign shouted out loud to the people of the Immortal Court.
"Yes, Lord Sovereign."
The people of the Immortal Court shouted in unison with their powerful imposing manner. Since Jiang Chen and Heaven Sovereign were with them, they had no reason to fear the Barbarian Race.
"Kill!"
On the other side, the elder of Barbarian Race gave a loud shout, then hundreds and thousands of them rushed out in their battle mode. In a flash, they were in a fierce fight and a bloody war finally broke out.
At the same time, the eight Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereigns had also taken action to attack the Immortal Court. Feng Jingyang was confronting one of them while Ling Liqun was also blocking one of them. The other six were all targeting Heaven Sovereign as they were here for the Ancient Elephant Bloodline. There was no morality or justice in their mind and nothing could negatively affect their dignity as they only lived for their own interest.
Their only goal here was to kill Heaven Sovereign to get his bloodline. That's all.
They did not care about using what kind of method in order to achieve their goal.
"Little Chen, it seems that they don't put you in their eyes at all."
Heaven Sovereign smiled at Jiang Chen.
"That's their loss."
As soon as Jiang Chen finished his words, he casted the dragon transformation technique and the valorous Heavenly Dragon Sword appeared in his hand. Jiang Chen then waved the sword, and released thousands of layers of sword Qi, slashing one of the Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereigns.
"A Third Grade Great Sovereign is courting death."
The Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign snorted and tried to lay Jiang Chen out.
Jiang Chen did not respond with words, but immediately counterattacked with his sword. It was an extremely aggressive strike filled with all of his strength. The first ever sword Qi was strong enough to exterminate all of the opponent's attacks.
In the next moment, Jiang Chen's long sword destroyed everything and fell on the head of the Barbarian Sovereign.
That barbarian shouted in fear as he knew that he had terribly underestimated his enemy. Jiang Chen's sword strike had brought him a sense of danger and the threat of death. At the same time, he learnt that the most terrifying one wasn't the three Sixth Grade Great Sovereigns, but the Third Grade Great Sovereign whom they had severely underestimated.
Ahhhhhh……
However, it was already too late. Jiang Chen's long sword carried a boundless fire wave. The enormous sword Qi was interwoven with fire, creating a web that instantly besieged the Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign. The Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign failed to resist it. He was torn up by Jiang Chen's sword and died on the spot.
Needless to say, Jiang Chen did not forget to absorb all the divine Qi released by the death of the Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign. The Ancestral Dragon Pagoda was opened up, devouring the Sixth Grade Barbarian Sovereign completely.
These barbarians were nourishment to Jiang Chen. He needed all of them as nourishments to advance his cultivation realm. This was the only way to help him to fight until the final confrontation.
Just a moment ago, the other five Barbarian Sovereigns had just besieged Heaven Sovereign, but they were soon alarmed by what had happened at Jiang Chen's side. Each of them cried out in alarm. They looked at Jiang Chen like they were seeing a ghost. Their eyes were filled with astonishment because they had never expected that the strength of a Third Grade Great Sovereign of the Immortal World could be so formidable.
"Hahaha. I have already warned you. As you did not leave earlier, I am afraid that none of you can't escape anymore."
Heaven Sovereign laughed.
"I am going to restrain this guy, the four of you join hands to kill that dragonman."
The elder of Wu Huang Family changed their battle strategy immediately as there was an unexpected lapse of judgement just now. They had neglected the biggest threat, that's why they must focus on eradicating this threat first, and that was Jiang Chen.


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Katja Iversen Sets Equality and Purpose-Driven Leadership on the Sustainability Path
In gender equality, Human Rights, Publisher Channel, womensempowerment by Mary Kurek 9th January 2022
Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 26:24 | Recorded on 6th January 2022
Katja Iversen fills several roles under the titles of influencer and leader that include author, speaker, consultant, board member, and policymaker. Her work over the course of 25 years has been significant in making a difference to girls, women leaders, and politicians worldwide, thus pulling her from her UN work to the private world into board rooms, serving on presidential committees, and sitting on advisory councils, like that of Unilever. This Dane of the Year has a mission that is, in itself, clearly sustainable.
Katja talks with Frontrunners Innovate Producer and Host, Mary Kurek, about how she is accomplishing her work and the connections it takes to create progress. Meet Katja Iversen. (27-minute video)
Katja's Bio:
Katja's Contact:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Katja_Iversen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katjaiversen/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katja.iversen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katja_iversen/


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7 public spaces in Chicago will each receive $1.5 million in upgrades as winners of the Chicago Works Community Challenge – CBS Chicago
By Mitzi Trainor Last updated Jan 18, 2022
CHICAGO (CBS) — Seven public rooms in Chicago are getting millions worth of upgrades.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the winners of the Chicago Works Community Challenge Tuesday. Four parks, two Chicago Public Schools facilities, and a Chicago Public Library branch were each selected for projects valued at $1.5 million each.
CONTINUE READING: Another Chicago woman comes forward and says Apple AirTag was used to track and trace her
Community members sent in suggestions for upgrades.
One of the winners described why a facelift of the racquetball court at Rainbow Beach Park on the lakefront in South Shore will be a game changer.
"The revitalization of court facilities will help us, and it will begin to empower the youth we see — the investment initiative to refurbish an aging building that will eventually provide a safe place to house youth, and programs like racquets at Rainbow," said Carolyn Vazquez, a racquetball advocate and volunteer coach at the park.
The winning proposals were selected in each region of the city. They include:
Matthew Gallistel Language Academy, 10347 S. Ewing Ave. (Far South)
This proposal was submitted by Rogelio Lopez, Gallistel's school counselor. It will upgrade an antiquated playground with contemporary climbing equipment, landscaping and recreation areas, and also create new spaces for outdoor instruction and community socializing.
CONTINUE READING: 3 people shot dead, 2 critically injured in West Woodlawn
Rainbow Beach Park, 3111 E. 77th St. (South)
This proposal was submitted by Vazquez. It will repair an outdoor handball and racquetball complex with new playing fields, seating areas, and landscaping. The clubhouse will also be upgraded with improvements to the roof, plumbing, windows, ADA accessible entrances, and artwork.
Claremont STEM Academy Playground, 2300 W. 64th St. (Southwest)
This proposal was submitted by Layla Treuhaft-Ali, a middle school teacher at the school. It transforms the school's dirt lawns into a playground with recreation structures for students and neighbors – and outdoor learning opportunities.
Columbus Park, 500 S. Central Avenue (West)
This proposal was submitted by Samantha Jordan, an Austin resident and artist. The plan includes an outdoor stage in the park for performances and films, improvements to basketball and tennis courts, landscaping and accessibility improvements, and natural space improvements.
Warren Park, 6601 N. Western Avenue (North)
This proposal was submitted by Pamela Stauffer on behalf of the Warren Park Advisory Council. It calls for improvements for activities like cricket, horseshoes, bocce ball and pickleball.
Kelvyn Park, 4438 W. Wrightwood Ave. (Northwest)
This proposal was submitted by Casey Guerra on behalf of the Kelvyn Park Advisory Council. It requires repairs to the roof of the field house and auditorium in the park, overdue building improvements like ADA accessibility.
dr Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 3436 S.Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Dr (Central)
This proposal was submitted by Douglas/Bronzeville mother Janell Nelson. The plan calls for a refurbishment of the library's children's section, with a greater focus on Dr. King's legacy in Chicago. The plan also includes beautifying the public spaces both outside and inside the library.
MORE NEWS: Boy, 15, shot dead in West Town
Work on the projects is expected to begin late this year or early next year.
Group Endorses Baltimore Deputy for Evanston City Manager Job
$355,000 McCormick Foundation grant to fund veterans in need of justice
Once conjoined twins return home to Chicago area after separation surgery – NBC…


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Commentary | Shaping Redundant Response U.S. Military Space Capabilities
by Robbin F. Laird and Ed Timperlake — June 27, 2012
In a recent report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the evolving threat to U.S. space capabilities was highlighted. "China is pressing forward with an ambitious counterspace program, including a ground- and space-based space surveillance systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and kinetic kill vehicles," the report said.
As the United States shapes an Asian pivot, the ability to network U.S. and allied forces is growing in importance. The Chinese understand this, and their counterspace program is designed precisely to degrade such U.S. and allied capabilities and to undercut confidence in what the U.S. and its allies can do to deal with threats in the Pacific and beyond.
The answer to such a challenge is clearly robust and redundant space-enabled C5ISR(command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities. But the response is not simply in terms of space platforms, it is about building from the recognition that air breathing systems being deployed and about to be deployed into the Pacific provide crucial building blocks for robust redundancy.
"No platform fights alone" is a key point in understanding the design of the attack and defense enterprise of the 21st century. Space platforms are not being tasked to provide the only response to a Chinese counterspace threat. Rather, the entire C5ISR enterprise built into a honeycomb is the correct response and approach.
The Pacific capability of the U.S. military can be built around three principles: presence, economy of force and scalability. Presence refers to having U.S. forces present and interdependent with allied forces in the Pacific. Economy of force is built around not having to bring overwhelming force to presence. But that only works if the force is scalable and has the capability to reach back and up to a surge of capability to provide for overwhelming force as necessary.
The key linchpin to do this is the C5ISR enterprise in the Pacific. With robust and redundant ISR, the enterprise enables a distributed force presence to be honeycombed. That is, the network is not about hierarchy and the ability of an adversary to whack the head of the hierarchy; it is about a honeycomb of deployed and distributed capability that no adversary can cripple with a single or easy blow.
A key element for shaping a robust and redundant ISR system in the Pacific is the F-35, a tactical aircraft with strategic impact. The new aircraft is a flying combat system that has C5ISR built into the cockpit. As a fleet, the F-35s provide a critical layer in shaping a robust and redundant ISR system, which is both synergistic with space systems and complementary to those systems.
A deployed fleet of F-35s — allied and U.S. — provides a powerful deterrent to any Chinese thought of a first strike on U.S. military space systems. It makes such a strike significantly less effective and useful to Chinese military planners. From the outset, the deployed fleet and space systems forge a powerful deterrent capability.
To understand how the F-35 can intersect with the deployed C5ISR systems and provide robust redundancy for military space, it is important to understand briefly what the F-35 actually is. The F-35 is often simply referred to as a tactical aircraft, and a replacement for fourth-generation or legacy aircraft. It is really something quite different.
It represents a dramatic shift from the past. Individual F-35 pilots will have the best database of real-time knowledge in the history of combat aviation. And all of this is internal to their cockpit and enabled by advances in computer processing and sensor information fusing.
Each F-35 pilot combined with human sensing (seeing visual cues outside the cockpit) will be enabled by machine-driven sensor fusion to have combat situational awareness better than any opponent.
Concurrent with their ability to look-see, which is limited by physical realities, the F-35 pilots will be able to "see" using cockpit electronic displays and signals to their helmet allowing them not to just fight with their individual aircraft but be able to network and direct engagements at more than 1,200 kilometers in 360 degrees of three-dimensional space out to all connected platforms.
A fleet of F-35s will be able to share their fused information display at the speed of light to other aircraft and other platforms, such as ships, subs, satellites and land-based forces, including unmanned aerial vehicles and eventually robots. Tactically, "Aegis is my wingman," "SSGN is my fire support" will be developed for conventional warfare.
This enables a "tactical" aircraft to evolve into a key technology for strategic operations and impacts.
The F-35 is known as a fifth-generation player in the state-of-the-art for both the air-to-air fighter and air-to-air attack combat roles. It also adds an electronic warfare component to the fight.
Electronic warfare is a complex subject with many discreet but also connected elements. It was designed inherently into the F-35 airframe and C5ISR-D (for decision) cockpit.
Electronic warfare can include offensive operations to identify opponents' emissions in order to fry, spoof or jam their systems. In successful electronic war, often-kinetic kill weapons can be fired. An F-35 can be a single sensor/shooter or offload its track to other platforms such as planes, ships and subs and eventually unmanned aerial combat systems.
The kinetic kill shot is usually a high-speed missile designed to home on jam. It has been said on the modern battlefield — air, sea or land — if not done correctly,
"you emit and you die."
Defensively in electronic warfare there are a lot of other issues, such as electronic countermeasures, electronic counter-countermeasures, and all things "cyberwar," which is a subject unto itself, extremely complex and not well understood.
Electromagnetic pulse concerns, infrared sensing, always protecting "signals in space" of the friendly info being transmitted and, as mentioned, jamming opponents' signals, all are key considerations in electronic |warfare.
What is necessary to succeed in evolving capabilities to fight in the age of electronic warfare?
In taking a lesson from history, before World War II, AT&T long lines research found that in order to build and keep operational a U.S. phone system, the key to success was the need for "robust and redundant" systems.
Two generations later, the F-35 was designed as both inherently robust and redundant with many sensors and systems built into the airframe structure from initial design forward. All the F-35 systems designed and developed sent electronic information into the aircraft cockpit "fusion engine." Trusted fusion information generated by inherent aircraft systems, queued up electronically by threat, will send to the cockpit displays and the pilot's helmet battle-ready, instantaneous situational awareness.
The ability of the deployed F-35s — again owned by allies as well as U.S. forces — presents a diversified and honeycombed presence and scalable force. This baseline force is significantly enhanced by reachback to space assets, but the space assets now receive redundancy by being complemented as well by a deployed fleet of flying combat systems. This joint capability means that the value of space-based targets goes down to the Chinese or whomever, and diversification provides significant enhancement of deterrence as well.
In short, in rethinking the way ahead with regard to military space — notably in a period of financial stringency — getting best value out of your entire warfighting enterprise is highlighted. Reorganizing the space enterprise within an overall C5ISR approach enabled by a honeycombed fleet of F-35s is a strategic opportunity of the first order.
And this re-enforces an American and allied advantage in facing competitors like China. In countless articles on the People's Liberation Army and its way of war, author after author refer to the brilliance of Sun Tzu and his "Art of War." The point they often make is always be alert to advantages accruing to the side that creates an "asymmetric war" advantage.
The evolving capability described above actually foreshadows U.S. and allied asymmetric robust and redundant strategic technologies. It is the beginning of a new level of deterrence against proliferating 21st century threats.
However, one of the best examples of the American "Art of War" was forcefully stated by William Tecumseh Sherman, a West Point-trained officer who arguably was one of the most visionary and capable generals in history. His words 150 years ago cautioning the South not to trigger a war still ring true to this day: "You are rushing into war with one of the most powerful, ingeniously mechanical and determined people on Earth — right at your doors. You are bound to fail."
Robbin Laird is the co-founder of Second Line of Defense and an analyst of defense, space and security issues, based in Paris and Washington. Ed Timperlake is editor of the Second Line of Defense Forum and a former director of technology assessment, international technology security for the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Policy & Politics militaryMissionsU.S.


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New Line Will Ease Water Crunch
By Christopher Dunagan, cdunagan@kitsapsun.com — Oct 11th, 2005
Silverdale Recent road work on Newberry Hill Road includes a little-known project that could be the key to future water supplies in North Kitsap and elsewhere in the county.
As the road was rebuilt, contractors for two water utilities installed a jumbo 16-inch water line. That line, now complete and fully tested, provides a connection between Silverdale Water District's pipes and reservoirs and a smaller water system serving Klahowya Secondary School and the surrounding area.
The "intertie" will be able to provide emergency water supplies to the Klahowya area if the local reservoir is taken out of service. A few years ago, the Klahowya reservoir, operated by Kitsap Public Utility District, was shut down and the water tested for chemicals after suspicious containers were found nearby. To keep the school in operation with less-than-adequate water pressure, a special "fire watch" was posted in and around the school.
If the intertie had been in place, water from Silverdale could have maintained the pressure, said Bob Hunter, assistant manager for the public utility district.
Silverdale operates a million-gallon reservoir off Dickey Road. Likewise, the KPUD reservoir could serve Silverdale in time of emergency.
The new intertie also represents a major step in what could become a new way of managing water in Kitsap County.
KPUD has conducted extensive studies of water supplies in the Seabeck area near Hood Canal. As a result, the utility has been granted state water rights to pump up to 5,400 gallons per minute from an underground aquifer, provided streams are monitored and flows are not impeded. More wells must be drilled to capture all that water, but it's nearly four times the peak demand of KPUD's North Peninsula Water System, which serves 5,100 people in the Kingston-Hansville area.
North Kitsap has been identified as an area with limited water resources, Hunter said, and it is only a matter of time before the growing area needs more water supplies.
Those needs may be fulfilled by "wheeling" water through Silverdale Water District.
A second 16-inch intertie has been built to connect Silverdale's water system with the KPUD's Vinland water system along Clear Creek Road north of Silverdale.
Under the wheeling scenario, KPUD will add water to Silverdale's system at Newberry Hill Road and take out an equal amount of water at Clear Creek Road. KPUD would pay Silverdale a fee for using its pipes to transmit the water. Negotiations are under way to determine the appropriate rate.
The interties at Newberry Hill Road and Clear Creek Road are "a show of good faith" that both utilities wish to cooperate in managing water, Hunter said.
On Newberry Hill Road, Silverdale Water District built 4,000 feet (three-quarters of a mile) of water main, while KPUD connected to its system with another 1,000 feet. On Clear Creek Road, Silverdale Water District went 500 feet north, while KPUD built nearly 22,000 feet (about 4 miles) of water main. A final connection on Clear Creek is about a month away, Hunter said.
Over the years, other emergency interties have been established between neighboring utilities, including Bremerton with North Perry to the north and Port Orchard to the south. Each water system has remained independent for decades, but a time will come when water systems may need to share their resources, Hunter said.
The water systems have been working together to develop the Kitsap County Coordinated Water System Plan.
"We're all building a trust that we're here to take care of each other," Hunter said.
That kind of coordination could be especially valuable if a major disaster, such as an earthquake, were to damage reservoirs in some parts of the county but leave others intact.
Nobody knows all the ways cooperation may prove useful.
"A lot of groups say that this (extra) water will all go for new growth," Hunter said. "That is not necessarily true. If we have climate change, the resources may not be there for the existing population."
Elected officials need to direct new population growth to appropriate areas while protecting places where rainwater filters down through soils and recharges underground aquifers, Hunter said. Appropriate land use and resource management can ensure water supplies for years to come.
Water District will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Monday
In 1929, Silverdale was a sleepy town at the edge of Dyes Inlet with a water system operated at the whim of its private owners, according to Morgan Johnson, manager of Silverdale Water District. "In dry years, the owners would shut off the water ... [Read More...]
Connecting Districts Could Aid Streamow, Salmon
Seabeck The future of water management in Kitsap County may be playing out at Lake Symington west of Bremerton, where shallow groundwater supplies are giving way to deep aquifers. Kitsap Public Utility District recently purchased Frog Pond Water System, which serves 530 homes around ... [Read More...]
• SILVERDALE: Newberry Hill project to begin -- at long last
The often delayed project to create a full climbing lane up Newberry Hill and put a traffic signal at the bottom at Provost Road will begin Monday. The $2.04 million job is expected to have intermittent severe impacts as it proceeds through the summer. ... [Read More...]
Water planning helps keep it flowing
Kitsap County residents expect clean, fresh water when they turn on their kitchen faucet — and most people are glad to leave it to experts to make that happen. But with nearly 80 major water systems in Kitsap County and another 1,000 smaller ones, nobody should ... [Read More...]
Silverdale Pollution Probe Begins
silverdale Kitsap County Health District, which has been investigating pollution sources for years, is about to take on one of its biggest challenges yet — Silverdale's complex stormwater system. "It is a very different project for us," said Mindy Fohn, a water-quality specialist for ... [Read More...]


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Prix CIRCOM
How to Enter Prix 2020
Meet Antony Dore, commended, Prix CIRCOM, News Magazine Category
Editor of BBC London TV News Antony Dore gives us an insight into the programme about migrant workers and the conditions they work in, which is the commended entry in the Magazine and News Magazine category.
Tell us about your Prix entry?
Our programme was based around an investigation into Romanian migrant workers who were being paid very low sums of money to work in dangerous conditions around London and other parts of the UK. We put a lot of effort and investment into this type of journalism and it's great when it pays off. After that we had a good combination of decent on the day stories and some interesting features which we hope captured the excitement and variety of what, we always boast, is the greatest city in the world!
Tell us about yourself?
I've been editor of BBC London TV News for seven years. It's always a very exciting job and i am very lucky to have a committed and talented team of reporters, producers, directors, camera crews, editors and other craft TV professionals. I wanted to be a journalist since I wrote to a national newspaper when I was 15, outraged by their coverage of a story, and was very surprised when they printed it. I've worked in newspapers, for radio, the BBC news website and also been a TV reporter. But running a programme that we know means a lot to millions of Londoners is the best job I'm ever likely to have.
What is next for you?
We move into a new studio next month, with a new look and design.
Tell us one thing you're putting in your suitcase for Cavtat?
My camera. Having been on holiday last year to Istria in northern Croatia I can't wait to see another side of this beautiful country.
You can follow Antony Dore on Twitter


Hello guys! I hope all of you are doing great. As of now, I am also feeling a bit better. Earlier I was very ill due to my heart disease. I have recently recovered to some extent. But sadly it is a fatal disease. It can take even years to completely get out of my heart. Until then I cannot get pregnant. I cannot wait so much. I am already 28. Medication is not working for me. No, I have decided to do something else for my situation. But I do not know what to do. You ladies have a lot of experience. It is you that I find reliable. I am seeking for as many advices as you people can give. I also pray for others who are fighting the infertility problems. Support and love are needed.
Hey Dear, suggestions are only to consult a good doctor. If you find any issue in conceiving for the whole life you might opt IVF or can go surrogacy. Decisions are only up to you and of your husband better get a cure time so you will not face consequences for the whole life. Stay blessed hun.
Hi there! I hope you're doing well. I'm so sorry for your situation. I know it must be tough. Can't imagine what you're going through right now. I think it'll be great for you to have a kid of your own. It'll take much stress off of you. KKids are such a blessing. It's definitely not recommended to conceive during this condition. I think you should go for surrogacy. I went for it myself and I had a great experience. I went to a clinic in Europe due to the economic reason. I have a little girl now, making me so happy. I wish you the same happiness. Good luck with it. Keep us updated!
Hi dear! Glad to see you here. I hope you have been doing great in your life. Do not be sad in your life you cannot produce a child. People have made use of the scientific researchers. Surrogacy is a new and advanced process which has given happiness to many people. They now have their own babies. My friend who was also infertile is now a mother of a child. She went to a clinic in Ukraine. They have the best facilities and doctors. She was very much satisfied with them. She is now happier than ever. I hope you do the right thing for you. Best of luck for your future.
Though, it is a tough state for you to handle!
You might be worried these days as just like others you also want to conceive naturally.
All that you need at this stage is complete patience and after that seeking the best medical treatment procedures.
Or whatever that looks to be favorable in your case.
Just get going. Don't stop.
You will have a baby soon.
Ashley dear May you recover soon from your heart problem. But don't be dishearten. Life is the name of challenges. Just face the challenges with such a strong power that everyone appreciates you. If you can't conceive naturally. Then don't worry. There are many other ways too. Today, many ladies are facing the problem of infertility. Those who keep strong will get something good in future. And those who lose heart remain empty handed. I am also an infertile lady. I am also a heart patient, thus can't get pregnant naturally. But now I am considering surrogacy. You also search about it. And have faith on God. My advise is that whatever decision you are gonna take, do proper research on it. Then consult with doctors. Good luck!
Hello dear IP in depression, it is stressful every time I come across such posts. It is tough to be called an infertile woman. It not just leaves a bad impact on the mental health but prolonged stress can be really disastrous for the physical health. It is a real challenge dealing with infertility. It is not an easy task to accomplish. Life changes upside down. The willingness to move ahead is almost zero in this situation. Thos majorly happens because we are unaware of the alternatives. If there is some problem in the natural conception this does not mean that your journey of parenthood has come to an end. There are certain successful options in your way that can really make life happier. You have the option of going for adoption. If you still wish to have a genetic relationship between you and his child, it is time to try going for surrogacy or IVF. Both have excellent benefits for those who are in a deep depression for being unable to conceive. Medical science has done a great job in this regard. Instead of getting disappointed it is better to make a scientific choice and go for it.
As a matter of first importance, I will state you are the most fortunate ladies who have the best spouse who encourages you underpins you in each period of your life. It is extremely miserable to perceive what you have experienced yet the good thing is you confronted this with the positive personality and now you got the products of your understanding. I have additionally observed numerous couples out there who never searched for different choices and it's extremely baffling to see them carrying on for as long as they can remember without youngsters. Much gratefulness for a spouse who bolsters you and continued searching for different alternatives like surrogacy. When I heard these sorts of stories I think about surrogacy as the best accomplishment of Science. Surrogacy is the best alternative for barren moms.
Hello! I trust you're doing admirably. I'm so sad for your circumstance. I know it must be intense. Can't envision what you're experiencing at the present time. I think it'll be incredible for you to have your very own child. It'll take much worry off of you. KKids are such a gift. It's unquestionably not prescribed to imagine amid this condition. I figure you ought to go for surrogacy. Good fortunes with it. Keep us refreshed!
Yeah dear, you have come to the right place. It's really very disappointing and heartbreaking. Believe me, you are not alone here. My heartiest sympathies are with you. You are facing infertility issues due to heart disease. I would be hard for you to have pregnancy for the next time. so, you should go for surrogacy option. It will work best for you!
Whatever you are experiencing isn't a major ordeal by any means. All that you require right now is add up to persistence and following the best restorative treatment systems. In my life, I experienced such and I was exceptionally bothered with myself. I couldn't summon the bravery to brag about parenthood. Times wound up confused and I was completely irritated. Yet, I am extremely happy that at last joy and bliss filled my home. I don't know your following stage. Be that as it may, myself I went for IVF. I would recommend you a similar method which I took after. good fortunes dear.


text:
Q: Why kubernetes keeps pods in Error/Completed status - preemptible nodes, GKE I have an issue with my GKE cluster. I am using two node pools: secondary - with standard set of highmen-n1 nodes, and primary - with preemptible highmem-n1 nodes. Issue is that I have many pods in Error/Completed status which are not cleared by k8s, all ran on preemptible set. THESE PODS ARE NOT JOBS.
GKE documentation says that:
"Preemptible VMs are Compute Engine VM instances that are priced lower than standard VMs and provide no guarantee of availability. Preemptible VMs offer similar functionality to Spot VMs, but only last up to 24 hours after creation."
"When Compute Engine needs to reclaim the resources used by preemptible VMs, a preemption notice is sent to GKE. Preemptible VMs terminate 30 seconds after receiving a termination notice."
Ref: https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/how-to/preemptible-vms
And from the kubernetes documentation:
"For failed Pods, the API objects remain in the cluster's API until a human or controller process explicitly removes them.
The Pod garbage collector (PodGC), which is a controller in the control plane, cleans up terminated Pods (with a phase of Succeeded or Failed), when the number of Pods exceeds the configured threshold (determined by terminated-pod-gc-threshold in the kube-controller-manager). This avoids a resource leak as Pods are created and terminated over time."
Ref: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/pods/pod-lifecycle/#pod-garbage-collection
So, from my understanding every 24 hours this set of nodes is changing, so it kills all the pods running on them and depending on graceful shutdown pods are ending up in Completed or Error state. Nevertheless, kubernetes is not clearing or removing them, so I have tons of pods in mentioned statuses in my cluster, which is not expected at all.
I am attaching screenshots for reference.

Example kubectl describe pod output:
Status:           Failed
Reason:           Terminated
Message:          Pod was terminated in response to imminent node shutdown.
Apart from that, no events, logs, etc.
GKE version:
1.24.7-gke.900
Both Node pools versions:
1.24.5-gke.600
Did anyone encounter such issue or knows what's going on there? Is there solution to clear it in a different way than creating some script and running it periodically?
I tried digging in into GKE logs, but I couldn't find anything. I also tried to look for the answers in docs, but I've failed.

A: While using the node pool with Preemptible mode the clusters running GKE version 1.20 and later, the kubelet graceful node shutdown feature is enabled by default. The kubelet notices the termination notice and gracefully terminates Pods that are running on the node. If the Pods are part of a Deployment, the controller creates and schedules new Pods to replace the terminated Pods.
During graceful Pod termination, the kubelet updates the status of the Pod, assigning a Failed phase and a Terminated reason to the terminated Pods. When the number of terminated Pods reaches a threshold, garbage collection cleans up the Pods.
You can also delete shutdown Pods manually for GKE version 1.21.3-gke.1200 and later
Delete shutdown Pods manually:
kubectl get pods --all-namespaces | grep -i NodeShutdown | awk '{print $1, $2}' | xargs -n2 kubectl delete pod -n

kubectl get pods --all-namespaces | grep -i Terminated | awk '{print $1, $2}' | xargs -n2 kubectl delete pod -n


The NBDC-supported national platform on land and water management has convened two meetings (in April and in December 2011). During the second meeting, it was agreed that the national platform should see to the establishment of thematic working groups that would flesh out a series of activities to fulfill the platform's mission to 'Ensure a healthy, sustainable, and equitable use and management of natural resources for improved productivity, livelihoods and ecosystem services in Ethiopia'. These thematic working groups are now formed and developing their agenda and activities.
Resilient ecosystems and climate change.
The second national platform meeting report introduced the original rationale and suggested some activities, members etc. for these working groups.
In late June and mid-July, the four thematic working groups have gathered for the first time, under the auspices of a reputable chair. Each of the working groups has worked on a similar program for their first meeting: What is the rationale of this group, and desired outcomes? What specific issues will it focus on, how will it organize its activities to address this agenda? How will the group communicate, coordinate and document its work, how will it share it with other thematic working groups? What funding mechanisms could it tap into in order to develop additional activities?
Notes of the thematic working groups are currently available on the innovation platforms page of the NBDC wiki (under 'National platform and ThWG meetings').
What does hydrological modeling offer when analyzed together with human land and landscape interventions? Where does it lead and how practical can it be? This was the focus of a podcast on spatial analysis and modeling work undertaken mainly in the Nile Basin Development Challenge.
As part of the Challenge Programme for Water and Food, Peter Casier interviewed Catherine Pfeifer, a post-doctoral scientist working for the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In this podcast (3'42''), Catherine explains that, as compared with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial analysis and modeling (SAM) work does not limit itself to being a useful tool – it actually focuses on what is planned with the data collected and how to analyze it for what purpose. In addition, it is not just hydrological modeling but it works in combination with emergent understanding of how human systems define and shape their landscape and land interventions. The combination of biophysical and human perspectives adds the richness to the work of the SAM topic working group.
In practice, this work can prove very useful for predicting the impact of a given landscape intervention to it hydrology. Pfeifer mentions the case of terraces where spatial analysis and modeling helps estimate how terraces might impact water flow and the potential benefits to the farmers in the future (improved productivity, reduced erosion etc.).
In other settings too, spatial analysis and modeling should help inform extension services and farmers about the potential benefits and drawbacks of different interventions for water and land management, placing the work of the CPWF SAM group at the centre of the rationale behind the Challenge Programme for Water and Food.
One of the cross-basin exchange and learning tools used by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) is 'Topic Working Groups' on different issues of interest to all the Basins.
A new Topic Working Group has just been established on Modeling and Spatial Analysis, led by An Notenbaert (ILRI Nairobi) and Charlotte MacAlister (IWMI Addis).
Many modelers and spatial analysts engaged in the Mekong, Ganges, Andes, Volta, Limpopo and Nile basins are grappling with similar issues: how do we get hold of and share quality information, how do we integrate bio-physical and socio-economic data, what are the best methods to fill data gaps and move across scales, how do we link different models and build feed-back loops…?
Informal discussions and ad-hoc data exchange have already added value to the development of conceptual frameworks and the initial implementation of basin level analyses. With a little extra effort and resources, these issues could be taken to the next level. We want to continue to share information, compare methods, examine and critically appraise each other's work. We therefore propose to establish a Topic Working Group focusing on biophysical and spatial modeling.
The Group will kick-off with a meeting later this year in the Blue Nile. We envision an initial field visit followed by in-depth cross-basin discussions on issues of common interest, possibly with input from invited experts from our wider research and development networks. In this first get together we'll focus on hydrological models, optimization and spatial analysis. Whilst we don't intend to streamline approaches across basins, we hope to cross-fertilize and learn from each others' varied experiences in the different basin contexts.


text:
Caratteristiche tecniche
È un esterno destro.

Carriera
Cresciuto nel settore giovanile dell', ha militato nel club rossonero dal 2007 al 2016 esclusi quattro prestiti ad , ,  e , collezionando 71 presenze fra campionato e coppe. Nel luglio 2016 è passato a titolo definitivo al  con cui ha disputato 169 incontri fino al 2020, anno del suo passaggio al .

Collegamenti esterni


Primary Research is the process of gathering information directly from individuals who have access to it. Unlike secondary research, primary research does not focus on published information. Primary research sources could include competitor employees and former employees, competitor vendors and suppliers, competitor clients and customers, etc. While primary research can address questions about past and current activity, the goal is to learn about what the competitor is going to do; 'what are the intentions and plans of the company?' This is why Primary Research CI is the only way to really know what your competitor, and therefore the market, is going to do next.


The YSB's Youth Action Council is proud to present the second Sweet Heart Dance for kids in grades K–2 and a beloved adult. Join us on Sunday, Feb. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Senior Center for an afternoon of dressing up, dancing, games, crafts, snacks and prizes. Awards will be given to the prettiest pair in pink, the most outrageous in red, the most over the top Valentine attire, and more. Tickets are sold at the door and are $10 a pair with a $20 family maximum. Please call 860-844-5355 to register so we have a rough head count for craft and food items.


text:
Q: Add the text to the second line using pseudo element I am trying to add text below an existing div id. How ever the white-space: pre-wrap; or adding html tags such as content:"\
 Lorem ipsome." does not move the text to the next line.
HTML and CSS part:

div.brand-amenity-value.economy.YV span.amenity-value:lang(en)::after {
    margin-left: 0px;
    white-space: pre-wrap;
    content: '
 (One date change free)
';
}

Yes

AED 100

Screen-shot of the text that needs to be on second line:

A: You don't need
 or
 tag. The pseudo-element ::after itself can be styled. In this case set display to block would work:

div.brand-amenity-value.economy.YV span.amenity-value::after {
  margin-left: 0px;
  white-space: pre-wrap;
  content: '(One date change free)';
  display: block;
}

Yes

  AED 100

Or if this solution is not an option somehow, you can use \A to add a new line:

div.brand-amenity-value.economy.YV span.amenity-value::after {
  margin-left: 0px;
  white-space: pre-wrap;
  content: '\A(One date change free)';
}

Yes

  AED 100

Reference: https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/generate.html#content

A: You can consider position:absolute

div.brand-amenity-value.economy.YV span.amenity-value::after {
  content: '(One date change free) ';
  position:absolute;
  top:100%;
  left:0;
  white-space:nowrap;
}
div.brand-amenity-value.economy.YV  span.amenity-value{
  position:relative;
  display:inline-block;
}

Yes

  AED 100


text:
Q: Byte.decode("10") and Byte.valueOf("10") - what is a difference? Java 6 API primitive type wrappers have pairs of static methods decode(String s) and valueOf(String s). Both of them return a new object of wrapper class type and none of them are annotated as deprecated. Does someone know the difference between them? For example:
Byte b1 = Byte.decode("10");

and
Byte b2 = Byte.valueOf("10");

A: According to the documentation (http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/lang/Byte.html#valueOf%28java.lang.String%29), valueOf only takes Strings that can be interpreted as signed decimal values, while decode takes decimal, hex, or octal Strings (prefixed by 0x, #, or 0) - though valueOf is overloaded to also take the radix explicitly.

A: The decode method allows you to specify the radix (hex, octal) in the string itself using "0x", "0X" or "#" for hex and "0" as a prefix for octal numbers, while valueOf allows you to pass the radix as a number (e.g. 8 or 16) as an optional parameter. decode("0x10") is equivalent to valueOf("10", 16). Your example valueOf("0x10") will fail with a NumberFormatException.


Looking for Desert View High School Tucson, AZ alumni not listed? If so, check out Classmates.com® - hundreds of more DVHS alumni have posted their profiles.
Check out all of the names of the Desert View High School alumni that attended high school in Tucson that are listed above. Registering will allow you to join the directory.	You can also find out what other graduates are doing now, share memories with other alumn, upload pictures from Desert View High and find other alumni.


text:
Watered Down: How Much Influence Will Zach Snyder Have On The 'Aquaman' Movie?
Posted March 30th, 2016 by Nicholas Graff
Well, we have good news and bad news for those who feel Zack Snyder is a terrible influence on the DCEU. The good news is that it seems that he has given the other directors such as James Wan (directing 'Aquaman') a lot of freedom in their own movies to have the visual style and stories that they want to tell (which is most likely why 'Suicide Squad' looks awesome – little involvement from Snyder). The bad news is that the man truly is the defining vision behind the DCEU, and most of the characters that will be spun off into their own movies will first be appearing in a Snyder film ('Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,' 'Justice League Part 1,' or 'Justice League Part 2') which means he will be the one to set up their distinctive visual look and set their stories in motion, leaving the directors/writers of the solo movies the hard task of trying to make sense of the insanity that Snyder throws into his movies.
However, James Wan, at least, is perfectly fine with Snyder setting up 'Aquaman,' as he stated:
"Well, I think the story that I would like to tell is still at the end of the day my story. And that's what's cool with Zack, is that he's actually very respectful of that. He's actually helping me out in some ways with certain things that he's doing with his [films] so that I can have better groundwork with the standalone Aquaman story."
I personally hope that Warner Bros, after seeing the results of this past weekend and the reviews of 'BVS' will reconsider the kind of freedom they give Snyder, and allow filmmakers like Wan the ability to operate almost entirely without Snyder's direction, as the man clearly is not in tune with a lot of the fans, and has yet to deliver a quality movie based on the DC characters that we all know and love. (even if you do not hate 'Batman V Superman,' you know it's not even close to being one of the best movies ever made about comic book characters. And those characters deserve a quality film). What are your thoughts on Snyder's reign of terror over the DCEU? Do you think he deserves a third chance to prove himself, or should he be reigned in? Share your opinions in the comments below!
Source: CBM
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to 'Lost.' For more of Nick's thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
Nicholas Graff
A Southern California native (which seems to be a rarity as everyone seems to migrate here from outside the state, and everyone else born here ends up leaving for less crowded spaces), but for Nick, he loves it here. Nick has been writing since he was a teenager, self-published his first book trilogy, 'The Legacy of the Roras' back in 2011, and in 2014 published the inaugural issue of his first comic book, 'The Shadow of Aquaterra.' While not working on my own projects, he is working as a technical film editor at a major television network in their digital media division and recently began writing news and recap articles for ScienceFiction.com, a position which he has found extremely rewarding.
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In this prequel to the popular Tenzing Norbu Mystery series, we meet Ten as a confused 13-year-old boy—before his life as an ex-Buddhist-monk, ex-LAPD-officer, turned private eye. The Broken Rules of Ten invites readers to join Ten as he navigates his first brush with mysticism, mystery, and maybe even murder. Like most teenagers, Ten's life is rife with change and emotional upheaval. In addition to his newfound fascination with girls and some unexpected bodily sensations, he's been spending less time with his Parisian mother and more time in his Tibetan father's Dharamshala monastery. This, in conjunction with the fact that his best friends, Yeshe and Lobsang, aren't having the same revelations about the world around them, leaves Ten feeling puzzled and isolated. When the brilliant 17-year-old scholar Lama Nawang, already a legend and a star, takes the lonely boy under his wing, Tenzing senses that his luck is about to change—and it does, but not in the way he expects. He becomes entangled in a dark web of intrigue including the theft of a secret teaching, the betrayal of a community's trust, and the mysterious death of a local Indian boy. Tenzing breaks almost every rule in the monastery, along with a young girl's heart, as he struggles to recover the Buddha's sacred text and uncover the real reason behind Lama Nawang's cascading series of seemingly wrong actions.


Are sick day policies making us sicker?
This year's flu season has been particularly nasty. In primary care, this has meant months of waiting rooms teeming with influenza and an array of different viruses. However, relatively few of these patients actually benefit from further assessment and treatment. In many cases, it's not patients' health concerns driving them in, but an archaic approach to sick workers in Canada that unnecessarily burdens the health care system.
In many similar countries, when a worker becomes ill, they are provided some form of paid sick leave. The benefits of this are backed by evidence: an article in the International Labour Review identified many studies that showed that providing paid sick-leave reduces duration of illness, reduces risk of worsening minor conditions, is correlated with a higher return to work rate following heart attacks, and an overall lower burden on health care resources. Research involving long-term care facilities showed a significant reduction in the frequency of outbreaks when comparing sites with and without paid sick leave policies. A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health found workers with access to paid sick leave are 28 per cent less likely to be injured on the job than workers without such a benefit, and reduction of productivity losses associated with 'presenteeism' – when sick workers continue to show up at work despite their illness.
There are other benefits to paid sick leave policies that are not so immediately obvious. Authors of a study in BMC Public Health found that rates of preventive screening for breast, cervical, and colon cancer were significantly lower for individuals without paid sick leave, even after controlling for sociodemographic and health-care-related factors. This is likely because attending medical appointments require taking an unpaid sick day, an unaffordable option for many.
In Canada, we have a confusing collection of provincial legislation, none of which mandate pay for days missed while ill – only a guarantee that there will be a job to go back to. Quebec is well ahead of the pack with six months of job-protected leave per year. Saskatchewan provides up to 12 weeks of protected leave for serious illness, and both Saskatchewan and Yukon provide up to 12 days for non-serious illness. Ontario provides up to 10 days, Newfoundland up to seven, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories up to five, and Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island permitting only three days of job-protected sick leave a year. British Columbia, Alberta, and Nunavut do not have any legislation addressing sick leave.
Of course, provincial regulations represent the bare minimum and many businesses provide paid sick leave as a benefit. It's the employees without such benefits – people at the bottom of the wage spectrum who are dependent on every day's income and who have the highest job insecurity – who are dependent on stingy provincial minimums. This situation is similar to that in the USA, where access to paid leave has been shown to be lower in low-income families. As expected, members of low-income families were less likely to take time away from work to care for themselves or others.
Canada's current sick leave policies are not supporting the health of individuals and communities. First, employees are forced to choose between staying home when ill (losing income and potentially placing their job at risk) or to go to work (worsening their health and potentially infecting others). A CDC study of nearly 500 food service workers revealed that more than 50% had worked while knowingly ill. When asked why, half of the workers reported they did not want to lose income and a quarter did so for fear of losing their job. Obviously, those working in the food industry have a clear potential to transmit pathogens.
Second, sick workers are driven to clinics or emergency rooms: not for medical care but merely for proof they are ill – a paternalistic custom enshrined in business and many provincial sick leave rules. In delegating physicians into a policing role, clinical hours get chewed up by administrative tasks. When these illnesses are due to larger outbreaks, physicians are doubly burdened – by the sick who need treatment and the sick who need notes. The Ontario Medical Association discourages requiring sick notes for this reason, and also because of the real risk of transmission to others in the health care environment. Forcing infectious people into our waiting rooms who won't benefit from treatment is burdensome for the patient and risky for all of those in the office.
Third, a comprehensive paid sick leave policy in Canada is economically sound. Missing work is costly, estimated to be $16.6 billion dollars annually in lost productivity, but research is beginning to show that being sick at work (presenteeism) is incredibly costly as well – up to three times as much as absenteeism for depression and pain.
Ultimately, it's a matter of equity. All workers should have access to sufficient paid, job-protected sick leave to help them recover from illnesses without losing income and to reduce the risk of infecting others. As well, it's a matter of respect: having an employee 'prove' an illness is nonproductive and onerous for all.
Mike Benusic is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine resident, Chantel Lutchman is a nurse, Najib Safieddine is a thoracic surgeon, and Andrew Pinto is a family physician and Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialist. All practice in Toronto and all are members of Health Providers Against Poverty (HPAP).
It's called a GANFYD – Get A Note From Your Doctor, these can be discouraged in Britain, for example where there are definite laws to protect workers, and I agree that in Ontario, where I practice, patients present with a self-limiting illness, only because they require a note.
Thank you for clarifying the situation in Canada.
Who are the experts on the topic of private and public paid sick leave in Canada?