Co-sponsored by Estates Gazette and coordinated by Human Race, The Jones Lang LaSalle Property Triathlon is now firmly established as one of the UK's largest triathlons and the event has raised over £1 million to date for charity and the Samaritans.
Open to those associated in the property world Dempsey took part in the mens sprint distance race on Friday 4th July 2014 as Aston Knowles sponsored triathlete.
Dempsey raced across the finish line after a 750m open water swim in the clear waters of Eaton Dorney olympic rowing lake, a 20km bike made up of 4 laps around the lake and finally a 5k run in a fantastic time of 1 hour 3 mins 58 seconds.
Taking a respectable third place behind Knight Franks reigning champion Tom Wade and full time triathlete Sam Baxter.
Aston Knowles are immensely proud of their athlete who has been wearing an Aston Knowles branded kit when the 2014 season began. Having recently qualified for the 2014 Edmonton ITU Olympic Distance Triathlon World Championships Aston Knowles are backing the athlete all the way to bring home a success story. The Sutton Coldfield based premium property Estate agent will be following the triathlete throughout his summer of training and races prior to his World Championships in September.
Dempsey, from Aldridge near to Sutton Coldfield quotes 'I was pleased with my race on Friday, the weather conditions were a little windy which made the swim tough, but the pan flat course is a great ride especially with a TT bike. By the time I hit the run course temperatures were up to 28 degrees which made for a hot race. Im really pleased i made a podium position and thank Aston Knowles for coming along and offering me support throughout the day. Im looking forward to my next Olympic distance race at the Liverpool British Triathlon championships on the 10th August'.


With alcohol being the most common substance of misuse among older people, underdetection of alcohol problems is of immediate concern. Alcohol misuse in the older population may increase further as baby boomers get older because of their more liberal views towards, and higher use of, alcohol. A lack of sound alcohol screening to detect risky drinking may result in a greater need for treatment, longer duration of treatment, heavier use of ambulance services, and higher rates of hospital admission.
Two systematic reviews of both descriptive and analytical trials found that treatment programmes adapted for older people with substance misuse were associated with better outcomes than programmes aimed at all age groups.78Age adapted programmes resulted in less severe addiction, higher rates of abstinence, improved health status, and better aftercare. Assessment, treatment, and recovery plans require careful consideration of age specific clinical needs. Professionals need to consider the possibility of coexisting mental disorders such as cognitive impairment and depression (dual diagnosis), as well as complex physical presentations that may include the presence of pain, insomnia, or the non-medical use of prescription drugs. Older people with dual diagnosis use both inpatient and outpatient services more frequently than those with substance misuse alone.9 The management of substance use in older people can also be influenced by mental capacity, which may change with the onset of cognitive impairment.
Future healthcare for older people with substance misuse will continue to present challenges for service delivery, particularly with the growing influence of baby boomers. Some of the recommendations from the 2011 Royal College of Psychiatrists' report on substance misuse in older people (Our Invisible Addicts),10 such as examining safe drinking limits for older people, developing age specific skills in the assessment and treatment of substance misuse, and adapting services have been incorporated into an information guide for clinical practice.11 In the United States, the importance of better education for clinicians has already been noted.12 In the UK, a revision of Our Invisible Addicts is under way.
Guidance for service commissioners has begun to acknowledge the needs of older people with substance misuse, particularly in the context of dual diagnosis.14 The Drink Wise Age Well project in the UK has also started to evaluate interventions for alcohol misuse in older people.15 But there remains an urgent need for better drug treatments for older people with substance misuse, more widespread training, and above all a stronger evidence base for both prevention and treatment.
The clinical complexity of older adults with substance misuse demands new solutions to a rapidly growing problem. So far, there has been little sign of a coordinated international approach to integrated care.
Wu LT, Blazer DG. Substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidity in mid and later life: a review. Int J Epidemiol2014;358:304-17. doi:10.1093/ije/dyt173 pmid:24163278.
Kostadinov V, Roche A. Bongs and baby boomers: Trends in cannabis use among older Australians. Australas J Ageing2017;358:56-9.. doi:10.1111/ajag.12357 pmid:27730759.
Nadkarni A, Murthy P, Crome IB, Rao R. Alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders among older adults in India: a literature review. Aging Ment Health2013;358:979-91.. doi:10.1080/13607863.2013.793653 pmid:23659339.
Nicholas R, Roche AM. Grey matters. Preventing and responding to alcohol and other drug problems among older Australians. Information Sheet 3. The silver tsunami: the impact of Australia's ageing population.National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, Flinders University, 2014, http://nceta.flinders.edu.au/files/7014/1679/1083/EN559.pdf.
Moy I, Crome P, Crome I, Fisher M. Systematic and narrative review of treatment for older people with substance problems. Eur Geriatr Med2011;358:212-36. doi:10.1016/j.eurger.2011.06.004.
Bhatia U, Nadkarni A, Murthy P, et al. Recent advances in treatment for older people with substance use problems: An updated systematic and narrative review. Eur Geriatr Med2015;358:580-6. doi:10.1016/j.eurger.2015.07.001.
Bartels SJ, Coakley EH, Zubritsky C, et al. PRISM-E Investigators. Improving access to geriatric mental health services: a randomized trial comparing treatment engagement with integrated versus enhanced referral care for depression, anxiety, and at-risk alcohol use. Am J Psychiatry2004;358:1455-62. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.8.1455.doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.161.8.1455 pmid:15285973.
De Jong CAJ, Goodair C, Crome I, et al. Substance misuse education for physicians: why older people are important. Yale J Biol Med2016;358:97-103. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4797843pmid:27505022.
Evoy KE, Morrison MD, Saklad SR. Abuse and misuse of pregabalin and gabapentin. Drugs2017;358:403-26.doi:10.1007/s40265-017-0700-x pmid:28144823.


First, an accent check: How many soldiers here have served in Iraq or Afghanistan? Okay, so you'll be used to me speaking American. American soldiers – they're the ones who put the "oops" in "troops" and the "miss" in "missile".
Doug – soldier; Hester – teacher. I've married soldiers, and I've married teachers, but never the one to the other. It's an arrangement with promise. Doug, for instance, will be used to being under authority, and obeying orders even when they're daft; and Hester will be used to a person in uniform behaving badly, and muttering annoying comments under his breath. Hester, just remember that a husband is like a fine malt whisky: it will take him years to mature – though I wouldn't get your hopes up for more than a 12-year-old. Doug, I'm afraid for you I have no advice whatsoever.
This is a real, very personal pleasure for me. Of Hester – well, let's just say of Hester I am very fond. And since she spent a year in the US, even if in the Windy City (Chicago) rather than the Big Apple, add to fond a kind of bond. That's today's icing on the cake of preaching at any wedding. I'm now a retired minister, but I've been taking fewer and fewer weddings for years. And not just because we now live in a post-Christian society, but also because – well, why get married in a church when you can do it at a fashionable hotel, an atmospheric castle, or a sunny beach abroad?
Yes, today we are "doing" God, which is quite a counter-cultural thing to do. How so? Well, for example, the church's suggestion that while "following your feelings" may be the gospel of Hello magazine, a more superficial take on a serious relationship is hard to imagine. The suggestion that, in marriage, so-called "lifestyle choices" and even careers should recede in importance, while raising children should become a sacred possibility. And the suggestion that marrying the "right person" is actually a rather silly idea, as is demonstrated by how often Mr. or Mrs. Right so often becomes Mr. or Mrs. Wrong, and is replaced by Mr. or Mrs. Even-Righter.
A cynical take on marriage? Rather, I think, a candid and accurate assessment. And that's why it's not the chemistry, or even the "heart" but, finally, the promises that a couple make that are the crucial factor in a marriage – promises made hoping to God that we may keep them. For, in ourselves, how can we possibly know what promising lifelong fidelity means, not just for bad but for worse? I mean, it's all very well to assume we will be faithful through flu, flab, and flatulence, but what about MS or Alzheimer's, or unemployment shattering our precious plans, or our pensions turning to dust? How can we make such radical promises as "until we are parted by death" when we are young, healthy, and earning?
And the honest answer is: we can make them only if we are the kind of people who can be held to the promises we make when we do not really know what we are in for when we make them. Only if – only if Doug and Hester see that love is learned even more than it is given, that love is a skill, a practice; see that love is more the result of a good relationship than the cause of it; see that marriage itself creates the context in which they may discover what love really is and, in the process, who they really are. Only if they see that an enduring relationship is built on the virtues of attentiveness, patience, perseverance, and, above all, sacrifice and forgiveness, each giving more than they expect to receive. Only if they don't get so wrapped up in themselves that they lose touch with you, their friends, the ones who will keep them sane. And only if the resources on which they draw come not only from within and without, but from above, from the God we are "doing" today.
Finally, that Salley Vickers passage – here is how it ends: "Seldom, very seldom, do two people unite [in marriage] through sheer reciprocal joy in the other's being." Hester, Doug, my prayer for you is that you will experience this "sheer reciprocal joy", and experience it ever more deeply as you grow old together, such that, as wonderful as this day is, it will turn out to be the day in your marriage that you loved each other least.


The backend is the main process of DSS. It holds all of the configuration and the users, it handles the API and the UI of DSS and handles scheduling the scenarios.
Ample Java memory should be allocated to the backend. See Tuning and controlling memory usage for more information.
Each job in DSS runs in a separate process called a JEK. If you have 10 jobs running at a given time, there will be 10 running JEKs.
DSS will "pre-start" JEK processes so that jobs can start faster, so there will also be some JEKs that are not currently running jobs.
The Java memory of JEKs can be tuned (but doesn't often need to). See Tuning and controlling memory usage for more information.
From time to time, the DSS backend will "delegate" part of its work to slave processes called the FEKs. This is done mostly for work that may consume huge amounts of memory. If a memory overrun happens, the FEK gets killed but the backend is unaffected.
FEKs only run a single task at a time. When they are done with a task, the FEKs can be assigned another task. From time to time, DSS kills FEKs that have grown too much in size.
Logs for the FEKs appear directly within the backend log.
The Java memory of FEKs can be tuned (but doesn't often need to). See Tuning and controlling memory usage for more information.
All Jupyter (Python, R, Scala) notebooks are managed by a top-level server, the Jupyter server.
This process uses small amounts of memory.
Each time a user opens a notebook, a specific process is created (a Python process for a Python notebook, a R process for a R notebook, a Java process for a Scala notebook).
This per-notebook process holds the actual computation state of the notebook, and is called a "Jupyter kernel".
When a user navigates away from the notebook, the kernel remains alive. This is a fundamental property of Jupyter notebooks and kernels, which allows you to start a long running computation without having to keep the notebook open, and be able to retrieve the result of the computation at a later time.
An important consequence is that, left unchecked, you will generally, after a few days or weeks, have a huge number of alive Jupyter kernels consuming large amounts of memory.
Administrators can also automatically kill Jupyter kernels that have been left alive for too long using a dedicated macro.
When a job runs a Python or R recipe, a corresponding Python or R process is created.
Logs for these processes appear directly in the job logs.
When a job runs a Spark recipe (including PySpark, SparkR, sparklyr, SparkSQL, Spark-Scala, and "Spark" engine for visual recipes) or R recipe, a Spark driver process (a Java process) is created. A corresponding Python or R process is also created for PySpark, SparkR and sparklyr recipes.
For each model being trained using the "In-memory (scikit-learn, XGBoost)" or "Deep Learning" engines, a new Python process is created. This process is stopped at the end of the training session.
In-memory machine learning processes can be identified by the dataiku.doctor.server in their command-line. Logs for these processes can be found behind the "Logs" button in the machine learning session itself.
For each running webapp backend (Flask, Shiny, Bokeh), a corresponding Python or R process is created.


BackgroundWhat do you get when you combine a half-century of winemaking expertise, the dramatic landscape and terroir of northern Italy, and a profound enjoyment of the good things in life? The answer is simple: the CAVIT COLLECTION, source of Americas #1 Italian wine. Through the years, savvy wine lovers have come to depend on the CAVIT COLLECTION as their favorite go-to source for stylish, elegant and versatile wines, perfect for any occasion. This stellar range of high-quality, food-friendly wines is produced at the Cavit winery in Trentino, a picturesque landscape of mountains, lakes, apple orchards and medieval castles. Vineyards in this region enjoy the warming effects of the Ora del Garda, a dry, balmy breeze that sweeps across Lake Garda and protects the fruit from external moisture and disease. Contrastingly cool evenings promote rich, intense aromas and flavors in the grapes. Winemaking is overseen by Anselmo Martini, a 20+ year industry veteran and one of northern Italy's top enologists.
VinificationEach grape variety is harvested and vinified separately, as each ripens at a different time. The bunches are carefully selected prior to crushing.
Serving SuggestionsPairs well with grilled meats and spicy foods. Serve at a temperature of 64°F.
A lush wine with cherry and raspberry notes. Best served slightly chilled.
Medium-bodied and fresh, with well-delineated fruit, smooth tannins and a clean, graceful finish.


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YOUTHFUL REDS REIGN IN THE RAIN
Posted on April 10, 2016 by rostrevorgaa
ACFL DIVISION TWO – MATCHDAY ONE
ROSTREVOR 0-09 – 1-03 ANNACLONE
Kieran McNally
Rostrevor opened their league campaign with a hard-earned victory over Annaclone in a dour struggle at rain-drenched Pettit Park on Friday evening. The conditions more than played their part, as the young Reds held on in an anxious second half to hold off a spirited challenge from their visitors. Shane Mulholland must be credited with his faith in players that helped Rostrevor to two minor football championships in three years with eight of the starting fifteen being under 21, and a host of others also holding minor titles in their medals count. The manner in which the Reds held out for their victory will please the new manager, on a night on which the result was all that mattered.
In a contest that was littered with errors and wayward shooting; mostly as a result of the treacherous conditions, Rostrevor's wealth of possession in the opening half was perhaps the separating factor on the night. The Reds took six minutes to open the scoring with Caolan Mooney's searing pace garnering unlikely possession on the right side to feed Piaras Kane for a neat point. Annaclone were seemingly happy to use Brendan McArdle as a target man at full-forward in the initial stages, but James Rice curtailed him well for the most part. Mulholland will be pleased that his side's competent defending was able to limit their visitor's ability to progress deep into their territory and indeed the 'Clone had only one score from play across the hour, due to their necessity to shoot from unlikely areas of the pitch. Mooney strode forward to split the posts from the centre in the 8th minute, but Annaclone capitalised on the conditions to maximum effect to strike for the net, five minutes later.
Everything seemed to be going well for Rostrevor, as they had dealt with the initial delivery; however, an unfortunate slip allowed Owen Pyers to gain possession close to the Reds' end-line and he picked out Brendan McArdle who lifted the ball to past Jonathan Parr from close range.
It was an extremely unlikely lead at that stage and it was soon to be cancelled out, as Annaclone struggled for any real rhythm in the first half. Caolan Mooney levelled the scores with a 15th minute free to set Rostrevor up for a dominant and match-winning second quarter. Conor Doyle found space to put the hosts in front before Piaras Kane angled over a left-wing point in spectacular fashion to double the advantage on 20 minutes, 0-5 to 1-0. Kevin Anderson and Rory Simpson were impressively involved in much of Annaclone's attempts to compete, but the visitors rarely threatened in truth and were often poor in possession. Jordan Fegan punished a few 'Clone wides to extend the lead to three points with a deflected point in the 25th minute with Caolan Mooney sending over a fine point, as the Reds entered the break with a comfortable and largely deserved lead.
HALF TIME – ROSTREVOR 0-07 – 1-00 ANNACLONE
The second half of this encounter was an extremely turgid affair with neither side raising a white flag from play, but it must be said that Annaclone markedly improved after the interval. Rostrevor were guilty of a battery of wides in the early stages of the half with Annaclone finding two converted frees in fourteen barren minutes to narrow the gap to two points by the end of the third quarter.
As the underfoot conditions continued to deteriorate, both sides struggled to manage; however, the Clone's gradual growth into the contest would have unsettled Rostrevor. Owen Pyers and Kevin Anderson both placed over from the dead ball in the 32nd and 43rd minutes; and whilst both sides struggled to test scoreboard, it gave Annaclone some momentum and they did create some chances to close the gap further and even overturn the Reds. Perhaps, the pivotal moment in the second period arrived in the 52nd minute with Gary McArdle flashing a shot across the Rostrevor goalmouth; only for Jonathan Parr to produce a top-class fingertip save to divert the ball wide to keep the scores at 0-7 to 1-2.
Rostrevor needed a score to settle their nerves, as they were become frayed at this stage and Caolan Mooney's 55th minute free was most welcome for the Reds. Having said that, Annaclone's persistence continued to present problems for the Reds and they almost forced a late equalising goal, as a turnover in the Reds half saw an odd-man rush from the visitors. However, a desperate pull-down from Sean Cooper ending the break and resulted in a black card for the Reds' winger. Anderson drilled the free over the bar, but Richard Reynolds' left-footed free in the fourth minute of stoppage time was the insurance that Rostrevor needed to secure a nervy win in the end.
In a testing start to the season for the Reds, this was an important result with a trip to Pairc Tomas Ruseil and RGU Downpatrick waiting on Monday night, before a home clash against another title rival; Loughinisland, next Friday night. Annaclone will hope to respond to their opening night defeat in their hotly-anticipated contest with Liatroim Fontenoys.
← St Bronagh's club Summer bus trip
U14 Ladies Féile details announced →

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Throughout our lives statistics show that 2 out of 3 of us will at some point experience some form of depression. Depression is a disturbance in our mood where we may feel particularly unhappy, discouraged, lonely, or negative towards ourselves.
Depression may range from the very mild, moderate, to severe forms, depending upon the symptoms associated with each condition and the extent the condition interferes with our everyday functioning.
Some of the symptoms of depression include depressed mood, lack of interest or pleasure, hopelessness or thoughts of suicide, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, diminished motivation and ability to concentrate, and disturbances in sleep and/or appetite.
One productive step to take when coping with depression is to make an appointment with a trained counsellor to evaluate the nature of the depression and the most appropriate methods and strategies to help deal with it.


text:
Q: Groovy list sort on two criteria I have a list of objects which are all the same type and have two properties a 'uniqueId', and a 'secondaryId'. I want to sort this list first by 'uniqueId' and then by 'secondaryId' for each uniqueId so that this list:
UniqueID/SecondaryID
5/3
2/6
5/8
2/5
once sorted will look like:
2/5
2/6
5/3
5/8
I can't seem to get the syntax quite right:
return searchResults.sort{[it.uniqueId, it.secondaryId]}

is what I am trying to start with but that didn't work.

A: You can use the elvis operator for a second sorting criteria:
map = [[u:5, s:3],
 [u:2, s:6],
 [u:5, s:8],
 [u:2, s:5]]

sort = { m ->
  m.sort { e1, e2 ->
    e1.u <=> e2.u ?: e1.s <=> e2.s
  }
}

assert sort(map) == [[u:2, s:5],
 [u:2, s:6],
 [u:5, s:3],
 [u:5, s:8]]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Christchurch will today mark a week since the city was hit by a terror attack that left 50 people dead.
New Zealand will reflect on those killed in the Christchurch terror attack with two minutes of silence at Hagley Park, opposite the Al Noor Mosque in Deans Avenue.
It will follow a broadcast of the Muslim Call to Prayer at 130 pm on RNZ and TVNZ.
RNZ is the lead radio broadcaster for the event, and is working in partnership with TVNZ. RNZ will provide the feed for any other radio broadcaster that wishes to take it up.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and community leaders have been invited by the Muslim community to be part of the official proceedings.
The community leaders will include Dr Mustafa Farouk, President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Lisa Tumahai, Ūpoko of Ngāi Tūāhuriri Dr Te Maire Tau and Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel.
About 30 foreign dignitaries will attend.
Ms Ardern is encouraging people right around the country to join in reflecting on the events, one week on.
"I know many New Zealanders wish to mark the week that has passed since the terrorist attack and to support the Muslim community as they return to mosques.
"How we choose to reflect during the silence will be different for each of us. Everyone should do what feels right for them, wherever they are – at home, at work, at school," she said.
Ms Ardern said that planning was still ongoing for a National Memorial Service, which would be held next week.
"As a nation, as one, we will pay our respects to those who died in Christchurch," she said.
Ms Ardern yesterday announced a ban on all military-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and parts used to convert firearms into MSSAs.
As an interim measure, a wider range of semi-automatic weapons have been reclassified to ensure no one can buy MSSAs without police approval and preventing sale of MSSAs and assault rifles to people with a Category A gun licence.
The government will also be establishing a buyback scheme, with an amnesty to apply for those returning banned guns to the police.
The changes have the support of all three government parties and the National Party.
Last night, more than 18,000 people packed into Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium for a vigil to remember the victims of last week's terror attack.


text:
← No campaign in denial over NHS
Labour's shaky grasp of history →
The All new Barça – A winning team?
The new La Liga seasons starts this weekend and Barcelona play their first match this evening. So time for a bit of reflection on the summer's transfer activity. It is not quite all change at the club, but this time around they have gone for more of a revolution than evolution. Luis Enrique, the new head coach, does have extensive Barcelona connections as a player and as B team coach. However he has been brought in to oversee some radical changes. Not so much in the way the team plays, which is expected to only show slight changes from previous years, but more in terms of discipline and fitness.
As regards the squad this had changed significantly, with a high turnover of comings and goings. Starting with the goalkeeper, both Valdés and his deputy José Manuel Pinto, have left the club. Two new keepers have been signed, Marc-André Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, while Jordi Masip has been promoted from the B team. Barça now have three very good goalkeepers, but we will have to wait to see if any of the three can reach the consistently high standard set by Valdés.
Finally we get to see some new faces in the centre of the defence. Two experienced and tall centre backs have been signed – Jeremy Mathieu and Thomas Vermaelen. The team now has four recognised centre backs, the two newcomers plus Piqué and Bartra. This may turn out to be five as Javier Mascherano has played in defence in most of the pre-season matches. Mathieu and Vermaelen will add much needed experience and solidity to the defence. But it has to be doubted whether either can reach the levels of commitment and leadership of the sadly departed Carles Puyol.
In midfield at first sight it looks like a straight swap of Ivan Rakitic for Cesc Fàbregas. But as Cesc was more often used in attack it looks like Rakitic has come to replace Xavi in the first team. At one stage it looked like Xavi was going to leave the club during the summer, but he has decided to stay and fight for a place in the first team. Presumably Rakitic has been bought to add a bit of physical presence to the midfield as well as his undoubted skill. Still it will be a very different Barça without Xavi controlling the midfield. Sergi Roberto is the fourth midfielder, but he as yet has shown little sign that he can become a first choice player. Sergi Busquets remains the first choice for the defensive midfield organiser. Everyone assumed that Alexandre Song would leave the club and that Mascherano would offer competition to Busquets in this role, but as yet this has not happened.
Quite a few changes in attack for this season. Alexis has gone to Arsenal, while Luis Suarez has come in. If he keeps his cool, Suarez with his prolific scoring record should provide Barça with a potent attacking trio, alongside Messi and Neymar. However Suarez is not available for another two months, which should provide another opportunity for Pedro to shine. Luis Enrique welcomed back two loan players, Deulofeu and Rafinha. Somewhat surprisingly Deulofeu has already been loaned out again, this time to Sevilla. Rafinha, the younger brother of Thiago Alcántara looks likely to become the fifth option for the attack. The biggest surprise of the pre-season has probably been the youngster Munir, who ended up the leading goal scorer. He is also likely get an opportunity or two to demonstrate his talents.
All in all, the squad has gained in experience and solidity compared to last season. Once Suarez is available the attack looks very exciting. However both Neymar and Messi missed lots of matches last season due to injury. If either or both succumb again, the cover is not very deep. The midfield should be at least as good as recent years, with Rakitic to provide fresh legs and Xavi still around to provide that extra touch of class. The defence including the goalkeeper is where most uncertainty lies. We do not as yet know who will be first choice either as keeper or as the two centre backs. This is the area of the team that most needs continuity of selection to build up the mutual understanding that is crucial to any title winning team.
Once again we should see lots of goals from this team, but it may take more than one season to build a team that can win titles. Much will depend on whether the midfield and defence can settle into a pattern and how quickly this can be achieved. Whatever happens it will not be easy to win anything either in Spain or in Europe. Both Real and Atlético remain formidable teams, while the challenges from England and Germany are getting even stronger. Let the games begin!
Tagged as FC Barcelona, football, La LIga


Before using an LED as a light detector, observe the light produced by LEDs.
Start with the red LED.
Connect one 1.5 volt battery to the LED. Battery's positive end connects to the LED's longest wire. Battery's negative end connects to the LED's shortest wire.
NOTE: LEDs may be damaged or destroyed by using more than one battery in series or by connecting them in reverse with the positive charge going to the longest wire of the LED. It is customary to use a red wire to connect to the positive end of a battery and a black wire to the negative end. When properly connected, light will be emitted from the LED'. Notice what part of the LED is brightest. See top photo on right.
Now the IR LED. Repeat the procedure above.
Do you see anything emitted? Does the LED get warm when hooked up? Did the Red LED? How can we see if it works?
Interestingly, a digital camera can detect IR. Use a digital camera with an LCD screen to detect IR. Turn the camera on, point it toward the top of the IR LED after the battery is connected. What do you see?
If you have a TV remote control handy, try pointing it toward the camera, press a button on the remote control. TV remotes work by sending out pulses of IR to an IR LED on the TV which converts the light pulses to electrical pulses. See bottom photo on right.
This picture was taken before we destroyed several LEDs (and warmed some fingertips). Use only one 1.5 volt battery!
Digital photograph of a near infrared LED lit by a battery.


Complex and alluring, we're really excited for this new hybrid. Expect colorful leaves, lots of teeth, and honestly, probably a few surprises. Only a few available at this time!
The full designation for this hybrid is Nepenthes (densiflora × spectabilis "giant") × (singalana × hamata). Click the "Grex Information" tab above for more information on this hybrid. See our Grex Index for more information on our breeding and naming program.


text:
Sur le chemin des dunes (flamand : ) est un film dramatique romantique belge néerlandophone coécrit et réalisé par Bavo Defurne, sorti en 2011. Il s'agit de l'adaptation du roman néerlandais  d'André Sollie (2004) et du premier long métrage du réalisateur.

Synopsis

Fin des années 1960, une ville oubliée de la côte belge. Pim vit seul avec sa mère, une ancienne reine de beauté devenue chanteuse de cabaret. Pim égaie ses journées en dessinant et en rêvant à des vies imaginaires. Il exprime ses désirs en collectionnant en secret des objets qu'il garde précieusement dans une boîte à chaussures.

À l'aube de ses seize ans, sa relation avec son meilleur ami, Gino, va prendre une autre direction. Quant à la mère de Pim, Yvette, elle a ses propres rêves. Fatiguée de son soupirant, Étienne, et de sa vie monotone, elle aspire à tout quitter pour partir à la découverte du monde. Gino fait découvrir à Pim les plaisirs de la chair, en le tenant au secret, puis il sort avec une jeune Française. Pim se sent trahi, et tente de l'oublier au contact de Zoltan, le nouveau locataire. Il continue de fréquenter la famille de Gino. La sœur de ce dernier, Sabrina, est amoureuse de Pim, et leur mère Marcella est de santé fragile.

Fiche technique

 Titre original :
 Titre international :
 Titre français : Sur le chemin des dunes
 Réalisation : Bavo Defurne
 Scénario : Bavo Defurne et Yves Verbraeken, d'après le roman  d'André Sollie (2004)
 Direction artistique : Kurt Rigolle
 Décors : Merijn Sep
 Costumes : Nathalie Lermytte
 Photographie : Anton Mertens
 Montage : Els Voorspoels
 Musique : Adriano Cominotto
 Production : Yves Verbraeken ; Guy van Baelen, Wilfried van Baelen et Luc Roggen (coproducteurs)
 Sociétés de production : Indeed films ; Eén et Mollywood (coproductions)
 Société de distribution : Kinepolis Film Distribution (Belgique) ; Outplay (France)
 Pays d'origine :
 Langue originale : flamand ; allemand, anglais, français
 Genre : drame romantique
 Durée : 96 minutes
 Dates de sortie :
 Belgique :
 France :

Distribution
 Jelle Florizoone : Pimmie « Pim »
 Mathias Vergels : Gino
 Eva Van Der Gucht : Yvette Mimosa
 Nina Marie Kortekaas : Sabrina
 Katelijne Damen : Marcella
 Thomas Coumans : Zoltan
 Luk Wyns : Étienne
 Ben Van den Heuvel : Pim, jeune
 Noor Ben Taout : Sabrina, jeune
 Nathan Naenen : Gino, jeune
 Ella-June Henrard : Françoise
 Patricia Goemaere : Simonne
 Daniel Sikora : Maurice
 Victor Zaidi : Julien

Production

La chanson thème du film  est interprétée par Little Auk.

Accueil

Sorties et festivals

Sur le chemin des dunes sort en avant-première mondiale le  en Belgique. En France, il sort le .

Box-office
En Europe, le film fait  dont  en Belgique.

Critiques
Selon le journal belge La Libre Belgique, , ce qui donne .

Le magazine américain Variety salue .

Le site italien Every Eye loue le travail de Bavo Defurne qui , . Le site italien Spietati conclut : .

Le critique du journal britannique Guardian est un peu plus mitigé : .

L'hebdomadaire  français Télérama remarque : .

Distinctions

Récompenses
 Festival international du film de Montréal 2011 :
 Silver Zenith pour un premier film
 Prix Fipresci

 Festival international du film de Rome 2011 : Prix du jury jeune

Nominations
 Festival international du film de Montréal 2011 : Golden Zenith pour un premier film
 Camerimage 2013 : Meilleur film débutant

Notes et références

Lien externe

Film belge sorti en 2011
Film dramatique belge
Film sur les enfants et les adolescents LGBT
Film romantique belge
LGBT au cinéma en Belgique
Homosexualité masculine au cinéma
Bisexualité au cinéma
Premier long métrage
Film en flamand

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
polski	Polish	pl
North America and United Kingdom: Private Equity
Central Europe: Private Equity
Opportunities for Executives
Management Testimonials
You are here: Home » News Posts » Jeff L. Hull Joins Highlander Partners as Operating Partner
Jeff L. Hull Joins Highlander Partners as Operating Partner
Dallas, Texas, June 2, 2009 – Highlander Partners, L.P., an investment firm focusing on private equity investments in mid-market companies, today announced that Jeff L. Hull, a seasoned executive with experience in manufacturing, services and distribution, joined the firm in May as an Operating Partner.
Coming from both operations and private equity backgrounds, Mr. Hull brings a broad array of hands-on operating skills and extensive M&A expertise that will further solidify Highlander's unique approach to private equity investing and broaden its industry scope to include value-added distribution and services companies. Highlander Partners is excited to welcome Jeff Hull to its investment team and continue its successful track record as a growing investment firm.
Jeff will focus his efforts on sourcing and executing private equity investments in his areas of expertise and will also advise the current portfolio companies on strategy, acquisitions and growth opportunities. Mr. Hull most recently served as Vice-Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Equipment and Supply Corporation, one of the largest providers in the United States of design services, equipment and supplies to the foodservice industry. Strategic operated 10 facilities in 6 states with approximately $300 million in annual revenues.
Previously, Mr. Hull was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atrium Companies, Inc., one of the largest building material manufacturers in the United States. Atrium was a very successful buy and build platform that included various private equity investors over its 10 year growth plan, including Heritage Partners; Hicks, Muse Tate and Furst; Ardshiel, Inc.; GE Investments (General Electric's pension arm) and most recently Kenner and Company, Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity and UBS Capital Americas. Under Mr. Hull's leadership, Atrium grew to be the largest window and door manufacturer in the United States, increasing sales from $100 million to over $800 million from 1996 to 2005, and reaching 7,000 employees and 56 operations in the United States, Mexico and China. During his tenure, he spearheaded 18 acquisitions and raised over $2 billion in debt and equity for the company. In 2003, Mr. Hull led the sale of Atrium to Kenner, Merrill Lynch and UBS in a transaction valued at approximately $760 million.
Jeff currently or previously served as a director for Diagnostic Management Group, Shelter Distribution, Inc., Strategic and Atrium. He is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ottawa University and previously served as Trustee at Greenhill School. Mr. Hull holds a Master in Business Administration with honors from Emporia State University and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Accounting from Ottawa University.
"I am delighted to join such a marquee investment company as Highlander Partners and I look forward to contributing my experience and strong network of relationships to continue Highlander's successful investment record," stated Hull. "I think Highlander's flexible transaction structuring approach, proprietary capital and long term investment philosophy are distinctive strategic advantages, and I believe that the firm is well positioned to capitalize on the great opportunities that I see in the private equity arena."
in News Posts /by Highlander Partners
mblanchat@highlander-partners.com
← Highlander Partners Makes Investment in Martin Fletcher, Facilitates Launch of Martin Fletcher's Allied Travel and RPO Divisions (previous entry)
(next entry) Highlander Partners' Portfolio Company Acquires Non-Dairy Creamer Business from ACH Food Companies →
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text:
Life in the Thirteen Colonies All Study Guides Homework Help Lesson Plans
Life in the Thirteen Colonies
What were American colonial schools like?
"What were American colonial schools like?" eNotes Editorial, 3 Apr. 2019, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-were-american-colonial-schools-like-1757071. Accessed 27 Jan. 2023.
Doug Carroll, Ed.D.
Professional Writer, Professional Researcher
B.A. from Armstrong State University M.S. from Georgia Southern University Ed.D. from Georgia Southern University
Early colonists were more interested in survival than education, and a majority of the settlers in the colonies had little or no formal education. Education was not always a priority, as matters of growing food, construction of homes, and establishing a framework for governance took precedence. Depending on the region, colonial schools were small and usually housed in the local church. In the earliest times, the minister would have been the best educated in the community and would also serve as the schoolmaster or teacher. Females did not attend school, as the schools were all-male. The schools had a traditional British curriculum with emphasis on the teaching of apprenticeship, basic economic skills of the trade, and a spattering of history, reading, and rudimentary math. Math and reading were generally taught at home and were not part of the earliest curriculums.
By the 18th century, schools were two-tiered, consisting of private academies and common schools. Wealthy landowners had the choice of a private academy education, while other families were educated in small colonial schools. An example is the Boston Latin School, established in 1635. It is the oldest public school in America, but the definition of public is somewhat of a misnomer, as only the wealthiest, elite students could take time from their farming duties in order to attend. Five of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, as well as many of the prominent leaders of the early colonies, were alumni. The school was unique in that the curriculum was classical with an emphasis on the humanities and Classical Greek culture. The Boston Latin School continues in operation today.
Common schools and church schools were often the choices of most colonists who sent their children to school. Children of any age could attend common schools. The age ranged from nine to seventeen years in the same room. Common schools were funded by parents who could supply goods and financial support. These schools taught a practical curriculum, including math and reading.
By the eighteenth century, girls attended schools, but after completion of what we think of as middle or high school, their choices for education were very limited, if available at all. Women were schooled in what was termed the domestic arts, or managing the household. The education of males was much broader; the opportunity to attend universities existed for males, but in general this was not true for females.
If you have wondered why schools in the United States take the summer months off, you can thank colonial America for that! Schools were organized around key dates related to agriculture—students did not attend school during harvest and planting seasons, which occurred from late spring through August.
Students sat on benches and wrote on boards with charcoal or chalk. Textbooks did not exist, and few educational resources were available. Most of the learning was done by memorization. In most of the colonies, education was not compulsory, meaning students could be absent without penalty. For the most part, students attending colonial schools were taught from the Bible, as it was the one book most of the colonial families likely owned.
The move to improve public education began in the late 1700s when some leaders became concerned that young people were not sufficiently educated to carry on the business and traditions of the original settlers. Though public education was mandatory in some of the northern colonies, there was a broad interpretation and uneven implementation of what public education should focus on. It was not until the 19th century that many of the academy education facilities began to be replaced with publicly-funded schools.
Discuss the demography, economies, and politics of the Spanish, French, Dutch, and English colonies in North America in the years 1500–1700.
What are some similarities between the Colonial times and now?
What is the difference between colonies and colonists?
How did Benjamin Franklin change the world? how would the world be different without his discovery?
What major factors contributed to the demographic changes in the English colonies during the eighteenth century?
Compare and contrast the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.
Latest answer posted March 08, 2019 at 2:16:07 PM
What were the thirteen original colonies and their capitals?
Latest answer posted November 09, 2019 at 3:44:34 PM
In the 1600s, which English colony would have been the best place to live?
What are Daniel Boone's major accomplishments?
Latest answer posted March 28, 2019 at 12:20:30 PM
Describe the regions of the 13 colonies.


text:
import { localize } from 'vs/nls';
import { dirname, basename } from 'vs/base/common/resources';
import { ITitleProperties } from 'vs/workbench/services/title/common/titleService';
import { IConfigurationService, IConfigurationChangeEvent } from 'vs/platform/configuration/common/configuration';
import { IEditorService } from 'vs/workbench/services/editor/common/editorService';
import { Disposable, DisposableStore } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
import { EditorResourceAccessor, Verbosity, SideBySideEditor } from 'vs/workbench/common/editor';
import { IBrowserWorkbenchEnvironmentService } from 'vs/workbench/services/environment/browser/environmentService';
import { IWorkspaceContextService, WorkbenchState, IWorkspaceFolder } from 'vs/platform/workspace/common/workspace';
import { isWindows, isWeb } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
import { URI } from 'vs/base/common/uri';
import { trim } from 'vs/base/common/strings';
import { IInstantiationService } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/instantiation';
import { template } from 'vs/base/common/labels';
import { ILabelService } from 'vs/platform/label/common/label';
import { Emitter } from 'vs/base/common/event';
import { RunOnceScheduler } from 'vs/base/common/async';
import { IProductService } from 'vs/platform/product/common/productService';
import { Schemas } from 'vs/base/common/network';
import { withNullAsUndefined } from 'vs/base/common/types';
import { getVirtualWorkspaceLocation } from 'vs/platform/workspace/common/virtualWorkspace';

export class WindowTitle extends Disposable {

	private static readonly NLS_USER_IS_ADMIN = isWindows ? localize('userIsAdmin', "[Administrator]") : localize('userIsSudo', "[Superuser]");
	private static readonly NLS_EXTENSION_HOST = localize('devExtensionWindowTitlePrefix', "[Extension Development Host]");
	private static readonly TITLE_DIRTY = '\u25cf ';

	private readonly properties: ITitleProperties = { isPure: true, isAdmin: false, prefix: undefined };
	private readonly activeEditorListeners = this._register(new DisposableStore());
	private readonly titleUpdater = this._register(new RunOnceScheduler(() => this.doUpdateTitle(), 0));

	private readonly onDidChangeEmitter = new Emitter<void>();
	readonly onDidChange = this.onDidChangeEmitter.event;

	private title: string | undefined;

	constructor(
		@IConfigurationService protected readonly configurationService: IConfigurationService,
		@IEditorService private readonly editorService: IEditorService,
		@IBrowserWorkbenchEnvironmentService protected readonly environmentService: IBrowserWorkbenchEnvironmentService,
		@IWorkspaceContextService private readonly contextService: IWorkspaceContextService,
		@IInstantiationService protected readonly instantiationService: IInstantiationService,
		@ILabelService private readonly labelService: ILabelService,
		@IProductService private readonly productService: IProductService
	) {
		super();
		this.registerListeners();
	}

	get value() {
		return this.title ?? '';
	}

	get workspaceName() {
		return this.labelService.getWorkspaceLabel(this.contextService.getWorkspace());
	}

	private registerListeners(): void {
		this._register(this.configurationService.onDidChangeConfiguration(e => this.onConfigurationChanged(e)));
		this._register(this.editorService.onDidActiveEditorChange(() => this.onActiveEditorChange()));
		this._register(this.contextService.onDidChangeWorkspaceFolders(() => this.titleUpdater.schedule()));
		this._register(this.contextService.onDidChangeWorkbenchState(() => this.titleUpdater.schedule()));
		this._register(this.contextService.onDidChangeWorkspaceName(() => this.titleUpdater.schedule()));
		this._register(this.labelService.onDidChangeFormatters(() => this.titleUpdater.schedule()));
	}

	private onConfigurationChanged(event: IConfigurationChangeEvent): void {
		if (event.affectsConfiguration('window.title') || event.affectsConfiguration('window.titleSeparator')) {
			this.titleUpdater.schedule();
		}
	}

	private onActiveEditorChange(): void {

		// Dispose old listeners
		this.activeEditorListeners.clear();

		// Calculate New Window Title
		this.titleUpdater.schedule();

		// Apply listener for dirty and label changes
		const activeEditor = this.editorService.activeEditor;
		if (activeEditor) {
			this.activeEditorListeners.add(activeEditor.onDidChangeDirty(() => this.titleUpdater.schedule()));
			this.activeEditorListeners.add(activeEditor.onDidChangeLabel(() => this.titleUpdater.schedule()));
		}
	}

	private doUpdateTitle(): void {
		const title = this.getWindowTitle();
		if (title !== this.title) {
			// Always set the native window title to identify us properly to the OS
			let nativeTitle = title;
			if (!trim(nativeTitle)) {
				nativeTitle = this.productService.nameLong;
			}
			window.document.title = nativeTitle;
			this.title = title;
			this.onDidChangeEmitter.fire();
		}
	}

	private getWindowTitle(): string {
		let title = this.doGetWindowTitle() || this.productService.nameLong;
		const { prefix, suffix } = this.getTitleDecorations();
		if (prefix) {
			title = `${prefix} ${title}`;
		}
		if (suffix) {
			title = `${title} ${suffix}`;
		}
		// Replace non-space whitespace
		title = title.replace(/[^\S ]/g, ' ');
		return title;
	}

	getTitleDecorations() {
		let prefix: string | undefined;
		let suffix: string | undefined;

		if (this.properties.prefix) {
			prefix = this.properties.prefix;
		}
		if (this.environmentService.isExtensionDevelopment) {
			prefix = !prefix
				? WindowTitle.NLS_EXTENSION_HOST
				: `${WindowTitle.NLS_EXTENSION_HOST} - ${prefix}`;
		}

		if (this.properties.isAdmin) {
			suffix = WindowTitle.NLS_USER_IS_ADMIN;
		}
		return { prefix, suffix };
	}

	updateProperties(properties: ITitleProperties): void {
		const isAdmin = typeof properties.isAdmin === 'boolean' ? properties.isAdmin : this.properties.isAdmin;
		const isPure = typeof properties.isPure === 'boolean' ? properties.isPure : this.properties.isPure;
		const prefix = typeof properties.prefix === 'string' ? properties.prefix : this.properties.prefix;

		if (isAdmin !== this.properties.isAdmin || isPure !== this.properties.isPure || prefix !== this.properties.prefix) {
			this.properties.isAdmin = isAdmin;
			this.properties.isPure = isPure;
			this.properties.prefix = prefix;

			this.titleUpdater.schedule();
		}
	}

	/**
	 * Possible template values:
	 *
	 * {activeEditorLong}: e.g. /Users/Development/myFolder/myFileFolder/myFile.txt
	 * {activeEditorMedium}: e.g. myFolder/myFileFolder/myFile.txt
	 * {activeEditorShort}: e.g. myFile.txt
	 * {activeFolderLong}: e.g. /Users/Development/myFolder/myFileFolder
	 * {activeFolderMedium}: e.g. myFolder/myFileFolder
	 * {activeFolderShort}: e.g. myFileFolder
	 * {rootName}: e.g. myFolder1, myFolder2, myFolder3
	 * {rootPath}: e.g. /Users/Development
	 * {folderName}: e.g. myFolder
	 * {folderPath}: e.g. /Users/Development/myFolder
	 * {appName}: e.g. VS Code
	 * {remoteName}: e.g. SSH
	 * {dirty}: indicator
	 * {separator}: conditional separator
	 */
	private doGetWindowTitle(): string {
		const editor = this.editorService.activeEditor;
		const workspace = this.contextService.getWorkspace();

		// Compute root
		let root: URI | undefined;
		if (workspace.configuration) {
			root = workspace.configuration;
		} else if (workspace.folders.length) {
			root = workspace.folders[0].uri;
		}

		// Compute active editor folder
		const editorResource = EditorResourceAccessor.getOriginalUri(editor, { supportSideBySide: SideBySideEditor.PRIMARY });
		let editorFolderResource = editorResource ? dirname(editorResource) : undefined;
		if (editorFolderResource?.path === '.') {
			editorFolderResource = undefined;
		}

		// Compute folder resource
		// Single Root Workspace: always the root single workspace in this case
		// Otherwise: root folder of the currently active file if any
		let folder: IWorkspaceFolder | undefined = undefined;
		if (this.contextService.getWorkbenchState() === WorkbenchState.FOLDER) {
			folder = workspace.folders[0];
		} else if (editorResource) {
			folder = withNullAsUndefined(this.contextService.getWorkspaceFolder(editorResource));
		}

		// Compute remote
		// vscode-remtoe: use as is
		// otherwise figure out if we have a virtual folder opened
		let remoteName: string | undefined = undefined;
		if (this.environmentService.remoteAuthority && !isWeb) {
			remoteName = this.labelService.getHostLabel(Schemas.vscodeRemote, this.environmentService.remoteAuthority);
		} else {
			const virtualWorkspaceLocation = getVirtualWorkspaceLocation(workspace);
			if (virtualWorkspaceLocation) {
				remoteName = this.labelService.getHostLabel(virtualWorkspaceLocation.scheme, virtualWorkspaceLocation.authority);
			}
		}

		// Variables
		const activeEditorShort = editor ? editor.getTitle(Verbosity.SHORT) : '';
		const activeEditorMedium = editor ? editor.getTitle(Verbosity.MEDIUM) : activeEditorShort;
		const activeEditorLong = editor ? editor.getTitle(Verbosity.LONG) : activeEditorMedium;
		const activeFolderShort = editorFolderResource ? basename(editorFolderResource) : '';
		const activeFolderMedium = editorFolderResource ? this.labelService.getUriLabel(editorFolderResource, { relative: true }) : '';
		const activeFolderLong = editorFolderResource ? this.labelService.getUriLabel(editorFolderResource) : '';
		const rootName = this.labelService.getWorkspaceLabel(workspace);
		const rootPath = root ? this.labelService.getUriLabel(root) : '';
		const folderName = folder ? folder.name : '';
		const folderPath = folder ? this.labelService.getUriLabel(folder.uri) : '';
		const dirty = editor?.isDirty() && !editor.isSaving() ? WindowTitle.TITLE_DIRTY : '';
		const appName = this.productService.nameLong;
		const separator = this.configurationService.getValue<string>('window.titleSeparator');
		const titleTemplate = this.configurationService.getValue<string>('window.title');

		return template(titleTemplate, {
			activeEditorShort,
			activeEditorLong,
			activeEditorMedium,
			activeFolderShort,
			activeFolderMedium,
			activeFolderLong,
			rootName,
			rootPath,
			folderName,
			folderPath,
			dirty,
			appName,
			remoteName,
			separator: { label: separator }
		});
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Grayling's Song (Paperback)
By Karen Cushman
Clarion Books, 9780358097488, 224pp.
Grayling doesn't want to be a hero, but to save her mother from a dark enchantment, she seeks out the few second-string magic makers who haven't been immobilized by the spell and goes off in search of her mother's grimoire, or book of magic. Obstacles both natural and supernatural block their way, and friction within the group delays the journey. Surprising herself, Grayling finds the strength and decisiveness to move the group forward and reach her goal. Eccentric witches and wizards plus a shape-shifting mouse provide moments of high comedy, as do odd practices that date back to the Middle Ages, such as divination with cheese.
Karen Cushman's acclaimed historical novels include Catherine, Called Birdy, a Newbery Honor winner, and The Midwife's Apprentice, which received the Newbery Medal. She lives on Vashon Island in Washington State. Visit her online at karencushman.com and on Twitter @cushmanbooks.
Praise For Grayling's Song…
* "The eventual revelation of just who unleashed the destructive power manages to be simultaneously unexpected, plausible, and thought-provoking. Despite her self-doubt, Grayling is cut from the same cloth as the author's other sturdy heroines, but she is also an entirely original and endearing character that readers will cheer on as she seeks to save her mother and return her world to rights."
—Kirkus, STARRED review
"The language gives the book the atmospheric flavor of historical fiction, and the land itself is wild and mysterious, exactly the type of place where magic could happen, children could wander around trying to fix the world, and tiny mice could shapeshift into mighty protectors if fed the right potion. Cushman offers a complete story with clear resolutions, a memorably complex villain, and a sweet protagonist who becomes far more than background by the end; fantasy buffs and Cushman fans alike will be well pleased."
"Young fans of magic will revel in delving into this new world with its cast of unique characters."
"Like all Karen Cushman's gorgeous novels, Grayling's Song delves into the past to let us know what we must ask of our future. I want Cushman's books to raise my children for me: that way I can be assured they'll grow up witty, vastly knowledgeable, and tough as nails." —Lena Dunham (Girls)
"In this world, magic is commonplace but no less enchanting. This adventure story has the feel of a classic fable, and Cushman's writing brims with grace and warmth."
"Anyone who has a fondness for fantasy or medieval historical fiction will love this book. Author Karen Cushman delivers a refreshing spin on magic that any aspiring witch or wizard will appreciate."
—TIME for Kids, Kid Reporter


text:
Prince George Receives Shark Tooth as Gift But Malta Wants It Back
September 28, 2020 [email protected]_84
Whoops! Sir David Attenborough may have given Prince William and Duchess Kate 's son Prince George a shark tooth, but Malta's culture minister wants it back.
"There are some artifacts that are important to Maltese natural heritage and which ended up abroad and deserve to be retrieved," Jose Herrera told the Times of Malta on Monday, September 28.
Herrera went on to tell the outlet that the tooth should be in a local museum, and he planned to "set the ball rolling" to get it back.
Prince George Photo by The Duchess of Cambridge/Shutterstock
His comments came two days after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 38, shared photos from their visit with Attenborough, 94. Not only did the historian screen his upcoming film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, but he gave the couple's eldest son a present as well.
"When they met, Sir David gave Prince George a tooth from a giant shark, the scientific name of which is carcharocles megalodon ('big tooth')," the royals' Saturday, September 26, Instagram post read. "Sir David found the tooth on a family holiday to Malta in the late 1960s, embedded in the island's soft yellow limestone which was laid down during the Miocene period some 23 million years ago. Carcharocles is believed to have grown to 15 meters in length, which is about twice the length of the Great White, the largest shark alive today."
The 7-year-old held the tooth in the social media upload, excitedly showing it to his dad and little brother, Prince Louis, 2.
Kensington Palace/Shutterstock
George, who looked enthralled with the fossil, is also a big fan of tractors and sports. William said his son was "obsessed" with the vehicles in an October 2019 documentary, then joked that George was destined to be Aston Villa's "all-time leading goal scorer" in a July 2020 "That Peter Crouch Podcast" episode.
William and Kate are also the parents of daughter Princess Charlotte, and the 5-year-old is "extremely confident," a source exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2019. "[She] loves attention. Although Charlotte's much bossier than George, she looks up to him. They squabble over small things like toys."
GeorgeGiftMaltaPrinceReceivesSharktooth
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text:
Птах, или Пта ( — «Скульптор»; возможно, произносилось в древности как «питах») — древнеегипетский бог, творец мира и бог мёртвых, бог правды и порядка, особенно почитался в Мемфисе, где его храм находился у южной стены; по его имени и сам город назывался Ha-ka-ptah («храм духа Птаха»), откуда греческое слово «» (Египет). Его культ сделался общеегипетским, сохраняя обе функции (творца и бога мёртвых) и в сочетании с именами «Татенен», «Сокар» и «Осирис».

В форме «Птах-Татенен» — это «отец богов, творец людей, бывший изначала, создавший небо, основавший землю, море, бездну и дыхания». Как «Птах-Сокар-Осирис» он был главным образом богом преисподней и изображался в форме мумии с открытой головой и жезлом в руках, стоящей на иероглифе правды.

Женским дополнением Птаха была богиня Сехмет (Сехет), их сыном был Нефертум; вместе они составляли в Мемфисе божественную триаду. У греков Птах назывался Гефестом, — скорее по своему образу, чем по значению, как демиурга и создателя форм.

Изображение
Птах изображался в виде обёрнутой белым льном мужской мумии, держащей в руках посох «уас», с зелёной или жёлтой кожей и синим головным убором. Как отметила Сэндман-Холмберг, Птах — единственный из египетских богов с прямой, а не с загнутой фараонской бородой.

Мифология
Согласно богословскому произведению мемфисских жрецов «Памятник мемфисской теологии», фиксирующему, по видимости, более древнее предание, Птах — это демиург, бог-творец, создавший первых восемь богов (первичных качеств творения, или проявлений Своей божественной сущности), составлявших четыре пары:
 Нун и Наунет (бездна), само же употребление пары имён, мужского и женского — символическое указание на способность рождать жизнь;
 Хух и Хухет (неисчислимость, обнимающая всё, бесконечность),
 Кук и Кукет (тьма, также обладающая потенциями творения);
 Амон и Амонет (безвидность, отсутствие определённого образа — не путать с именем Творца Амон), из которых Он творит мир и всё в нём существующее (животных, растения, людей, города, храмы, ремёсла, искусства и так далее) «языком и сердцем», задумав творение в своём сердце и назвав задуманное языком (произнеся Словом).
От Птаха произошли Свет и Правда, также Он — создатель царства (царственности как принципа организации жизни).

В 647 речении «Текстов Саркофагов» содержится речение от имени Птаха}:

«Я Тот, Кто к югу от Моей стены, повелитель богов, царь небесный, творец душ, правитель обеих земель (неба и земли — прим.), творец душ, дарующий душам венцы, существенность и бытие, Я творец душ и жизнь их в руке Моей, когда Я желаю, Я творю и живут они, ибо Я творящее слово, которое на устах Моих и премудрость, которая в теле Моём, достоинство Моё в руках моих, Я — Господь».

К имени Птах часто прилагался эпитет «Тот, Кто за южной стеной» (юг в египетской символике — образ вечности), иными словами, Птах — это бог по ту сторону творения, Тот, Кто в вечности, Бог Сам в Себе, Творец за пределами Своего творения.

Имя Птах практически не встречается в ритуальных текстах (текстах пирамид), где употребляется в основном имя Ра или Амон Ра (Незримое солнце). Зато от имени Птах производится множество личных имён людей (например, имя известного древнеегипетского мудреца Птаххотепа).

Культ
Центром почитания Птаха был город Мемфис. Само название «Египет» восходит к одному из названий Мемфиса — «Храм души Птаха» (вавилонское hikuptah, , а́йгюптос). Своеобразным образом таинственного и непостижимого бытия Птаха было само расположение мемфисского храма Птаха — вне стен города, за южной стеной. Культ Птаха имел общеегипетский характер, был распространён также в Нубии, Палестине, на Синае.

См. также
 Верховный жрец Птаха

Примечания

Литература

 Зубов А. Б. Религия Египта (лекции 2011 г.)
 Солкин В. В. Мемфис: ступени к спасению. В кн.: Солкин В. В. Столпы небес. Сокровенный Египет. — М., 2006. — С. 112—157.

Древнеегипетские боги
Боги по алфавиту
Фараоны династии богов
Боги-творцы
Боги справедливости и правосудия
Мемфис


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The Anomaly of Joe Flacco's 2012 Postseason Run
Posted by Zach Weiss | Oct 30, 2020 | NFL
It came as a surprise to many when the Ravens won the 2012 Super Bowl. They rallied late in Denver to knock off Peyton Manning. They became the first team to beat the Patriots in Foxboro when trailing at halftime. They overcame a halftime power outage to hold off the 49ers in the Super Bowl itself.
So, how did this 10-6 team manage to beat two all-time great QB's on the road, and then beat the mighty 49ers? Because some 6'6 quarterback named Joe Flacco turned into the thing he has never been in his career. A Pro-Bowl caliber player.
Flacco's Career Numbers Prior to Super Bowl
Joe Flacco always prided himself on limiting turnovers. But, other than his exceptional arm strength to throw the deep ball, he was mediocre. He took the Ravens to the playoffs in each of his first four years, never throwing for more than 3700+ yards or 26+ touchdowns.
He threw 12 or fewer picks every year, and had an average completion percentage of 63.0. Not exactly world beating. And in the 2012 season, he posted totals of 3,800 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Not what you expect from a Super Bowl-caliber QB.
Flacco entered the season with a 5-4 playoff record, and a completion percentage around 57.0. He had thrown eight touchdowns, seven interceptions and was averaging around 220 passing yards per game.
See, Flacco wasn't somebody you expected to serve as an X-Factor. He was a game-managing quarterback who connected with speedy receivers down the field from time-to-time. That's it.
The 2012 Playoff Run
As soon as the postseason began, everything clicked for Joe Flacco like it had never had before. It had been announced right before the playoffs that Ray Lewis would be retiring. So maybe that news prompted Flacco to become elite, to help deliver one last ring to the all-time great linebacker.
Flacco's totals against the Colts in the Wild Card game were crazy. He completed just 12 passes, but threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He took just one sack, and had a passer rating of 125.6.
Against the Broncos, he did it again. With the Ravens down by seven late in the game, Flacco connected with Jacoby Jones on a deep ball for a 70-yard score to tie things up. The defense stepped up and forced a turnover, setting up Justin Tucker for the winning kick. Flacco was 18-34 for 331 yards and three touchdowns, passer rating of 116.2. This was his first ever 3-TD game in the playoffs.
Against the Patriots, Flacco helped the Ravens to several long drives in the second half to keep the ball away from Brady and co. He went 21-36 for 240 yards and three more touchdowns in a 28-13 win. Flacco added 12 yards on three carries and had a passer rating of 106.2.
And on the biggest stage of all, Flacco had himself a game. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and had his third straight game with three touchdown passes. He had a passer rating of 124.2 as the team captured its first Super Bowl title in 12 years. He promptly received the Super Bowl MVP award.
11 touchdowns. 0 interceptions. 4 wins. 0 losses. A magical run for Flacco, a QB that was never known for his takeover ability.
Since The Super Bowl
Joe Flacco threw 19 TD passes and a career-high 22 interceptions the following year. It marked the first time the Ravens missed the playoffs with him at QB. He guided Baltimore back to the 2014 postseason though, as the team went 10-6. Flacco threw a career-best 27 TD passes and just 12 interceptions.
They would lose in the divisional round to the Patriots, who they blew two 14-point leads against, Flacco couldn't do it there. He wasn't the same.
He had led the team to a 3-7 record in 2015 before he got injured. And his numbers aren't even worth mentioning. In 2017, he helped the team to a 9-7 record, throwing 18 TD's and 13 INT's. But a late week 17 blunder by the defense lost them a must-win game to the Bengals and they missed the playoffs again.
In 2018, Flacco had the team at 4-5. He got hurt, and Lamar Jackson came in. Flacco had played his final snaps in Baltimore. He led them to the playoffs as the starter just one time after the Super Bowl.
And as the team was being blown out by the Chargers and fans on social media clamored for John Harbaugh to pull Jackson in favor of Flacco… he didn't. The Flacco era was finished.
Post-Baltimore
Flacco latched on in Denver, where he started the team's first eight games in 2019. He posted a 2-6 record, with just six touchdowns and five interceptions. He averaged just over 200 yards a game.
And with the Jets this season, he has looked horrible. Flacco has 397 yards, one touchdown and one interception in parts of three games. He has completed just 41 of 79 passes.
Flacco's 2012 run with Baltimore was one for the ages. But, it's appreciated more (rightfully so) given how the rest of his career has panned out.
We'll continue to enjoy the miracles of the Ravens playoff run, and that one period of time when Joe Flacco seemed to be the best QB in the world. It's just incredible that his career could be what it is before and after, and for the Super Bowl run exist.
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Charlize Theron Compares Googling Herself to Rape
By Larry Putzgerald May 30, 2014
Celebrities love dealing in hyperbole. Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow who said being trolled is like going to war. Today we have Charlize Theron who says she doesn't Google herself because it's tantamount to being raped.
"I don't do that, so that's my saving grace. When you start living in that world, and doing that, you start I guess feeling raped."
Asked if she felt that strongly about the issue, Theron said: "Well, you know when it comes to your son and your private life. Maybe that's just me. Some people might relish all that stuff but there are certain things in my life that I think of as very sacred and I am very protective over them.
Rape connotates something really extreme so in that regard, she's totally right. When I read stuff people write about me online, I curl up into the fetal position in the shower and rock back and forth crying all the time.
Now let's rape her with her Vogue shoot.
#charlize theron
Charlize Theron's 7-Year-Old Is Transgender
Angelina Jolie Tries to Win Shiloh's Love
Charlize Theron Got Depressed After Gaining 50 Pounds for 'Tully'


Club 77 is located in 77 William St Darlinghurst . It's a small and cute basement club that Friday nights mean hard house and techno. It's filled with a very non-pretentious crowd who enjoy the cheap drinks and good music which makes for a very enjoyable experience.


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ORTOM VISITS OTUKPO DIOCESE, PROMISES TO ENSURE RELEASE OF KIDNAPPED PRIEST
<<< By Terver Akase >>>
Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday assured the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo that the State Government has intensified efforts to secure the release of the Vicar General of the Diocese, Reverend Father John Adeyi, who was kidnapped recently.
Governor Ortom who gave the assurance when he paid a solidarity visit to the Bishop of Otukpo Diocese, Most Reverend Dr. Michael Apochi, said the State Security Council had met and directed that everything lawful should be done to ensure that Reverend Father Adeyi regains freedom.
He expressed worry that after two weeks of the priest's abduction, he is yet to be freed, describing the situation as unfortunate and condemnable.
Governor Ortom who was accompanied by his Deputy, Engineer Benson Abounu, said they were at the Bishop's house to identify with him and the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo and to reassure them that the State Government will not relent in its efforts to ensure the unconditional release of the Vicar General.
He stressed the commitment of his administration to the security of lives and property, disclosing that part of the measures taken was the introduction of the anti-kidnapping law which will soon be enacted in the state, adding that he had intensified talks with the Federal Government towards ending frequent attacks and killing of people by herdsmen in the state.
Responding, the Bishop of Otukpo Diocese, Most Reverend Dr. Michael Apochi, thanked Governor Ortom for the visit and his prompt action to have Reverend Father Adeyi released by his abductors. He said the Church will continue to pray for the safe return of the Vicar General.
May 8, 2016 By adminNewsLeave a comment
ORTOM EXPRESSES DISSATISFACTION WITH PACE OF DAUDU-GBAJIMBA ROADPRESS FREEDOM DAY: ORTOM URGES JOURNALISTS TO UPHOLD TRUTH


I'm delighted to welcome you to the A.I.C Cheptebo Rural Development Centre website. We are located in the beautiful southern Kerio Valley, in Elgeyo Marakwet County of Kenya, the county now proudly entitled 'The Home of Champions'.
As a programme of Africa Inland Church our mission is to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Christ and to serve the local community by encouraging appropriate and sustainable development through Christian based, holistic development activities. We are grateful to God for the transformation we continue to experience in this community.


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Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle Kindle Edition
by Geoff Le Pard (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 2 customer reviews
It's summer 1976 and hotter than Hades
Harry Spittle, nineteen, is home from university, aiming to earn some money to go on holiday and maybe get laid. He expects he will be bored rigid, but the appearance of old family friend, Charlie Jepson, his psychopathic son, Claude, and predatory wife Monica changes that. As his parents' marriage implodes, Harry's problems mount; before he knows it he's in debt up to his ears and dealing in drugs. Things go from bad to worse when he is stabbed. He needs money fast, but now his job is at risk, his sister is in trouble and he has discovered a family secret that could destroy all he holds dear. The only way out appears to require that Harry joins forces with the local criminal mastermind. Can Harry survive to see out the summer? Can he save his family? Can he regain some credibility and self-respect? Most importantly will he finally get laid?
Length: 324 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled Language: English
Kindle Daily Deal: Save at least 70%
Each day we unveil a new book deal at a specially discounted price - for that day only. See today's deal or sign up for the newsletter
Geoff Le Pard saw the light in 2013, left the law and began writing seriously. He focuses on novels but blogs, writes flash fiction, short stories and the occasional poem. When not writing he wishes he was.
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Geoff Le Pard (19 October 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
ASIN: B00OPDDQU4
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Screen Reader: Supported
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars 2 customer reviews
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,551,708 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#14493 in Coming of Age Fiction
#13559 in Humour Fiction
#18490 in Humorous Fiction
Raymond Mathiesen
5.0 out of 5 starsHarry struggles in a more and more complicated web…
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Harry Spittle is home from first year at university with not exactly spectacular exam results. But that's the least of his worries. Stephen McNoble, a violent bully-boy from university, is holidaying in Harry's home town. Even worse Stephen's father knows Harry's parents. Things seem to be going better when Harry gets a holiday job at Hemmingway's, the local upmarket hotel, but things get very complicated and go from bad to worse.
This novel is full of entanglements, confusions and disasters, but light heartedly romps along, endearing the reader to Harry, despite all his weaknesses and faults. It is not a short read, but is entertaining all the way. One of the important themes is the values of family and friends, and the idea that we don't necessarily cope if we feel we have to be totally self-reliant. But don't get the wrong idea: this is not at all a 'heavy' read. Humour certainly runs throughout the book and you can expect the odd chuckle as you read.
Although this could certainly be described as a 'guy's book,' Dina, Penny and Natalie, among others, represent the female perspective. There are plenty of capable women here, although not all are 'good,' indeed femininity in its many and varied forms are well represented.
There are a few mildly spicy scenes and some violence, but as I said this is mostly a light entertaining book.
I'm certainly glad I read this.
4.0 out of 5 starsThis book is a fun read with much to intrigue and keep the reader ...
This book is a fun read with much to intrigue and keep the reader guessing (and laughing at the antics and misadventures) until the end when all is explained. The protagonist is nineteen year old Harry Spittle, home from university for the holidays. While Harry expects to be bored, the reader cannot as one misadventure and complication follows another. Whether Harry will survive long enough to return to uni after the holidays is often in question. I recommend this book as a light fun read!
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5.0 out of 5 starsHilarious, Complex, and Sophisticated
4 May 2015 - Published on Amazon.com
I've been waiting to read a book like Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle for almost twenty years, or perhaps longer. How to describe Geoff Le Pard's sense of humour is not an easy task. It reminds me of Townsend's Adrian Mole, and yet it's more sophisticated and complex, more like Greene's Travels With My Aunt, but more bawdy, although certain moments, especially the slapstick final scenes remind me of Monty Python's Life of Brian, 'Free Brian', Dear God, I cried, 'Free Harold!' Unique.
Harold Spittle's first person narration of his unforgettable summer holidays is hilarious. I'm still in stitches after reading about his eccentric family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, and vicious cat, causing havoc throughout the chaotic weeks, while he inadvertently and naively barges into a hazardous world. It all takes place in an unsuspecting and quiet village in the English countryside, whose inhabitants have seemingly turned crazy (perhaps due to the unusual heat-wave?!?) and become inexplicably teeming with drugs, crooks, rapists, voyeurs, adulterers, adolescent pregnancies, pumpkin thieves, family feuds and secrets.
Warning: Don't read it on the bus or train, people will stare as you burst out laughing.
Lori S.
5.0 out of 5 starsA great story, and wonderfully told. I can't wait to read more books by this author
18 December 2014 - Published on Amazon.com
Geoff Le Pard's debut novel Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle is pure solid entertainment. That's the best word for it – entertainment. There's no standing at the edge of the pool, wondering whether you want to get your feet wet; instead you dive right into the story and don't come up for air until you reach the end of it. It's an engaging tale, and deftly told, spiced generously throughout with a sense of humor that can only be described as witty. Le Pard excels at clever and unique turns of phrase that will make you laugh but also make you think.
The characterization is realistic and in-depth; the bad guys aren't all bad, and the good guys aren't all good. Indeed, in Harry Spittle's world, people are rarely what they seem, which is what makes his life so darned complicated. But it's our hero himself who is the most complex character of all. He's the ideal kind of character for a coming-of-age novel because when we see him behaving stupidly or behaving badly, it makes sense to us; he does the same sorts of foolish things that we did when we were nineteen. And oftentimes, like us, he pays the price for his errors – but in a funnier fashion.
The story unravels in the same manner in which Harry's life unravels, thread by thread, and string by string, so that we follow along with Harry, experiencing his consternation as he uncovers the truths behind a series of mysterious events. Indeed, it is not until the very end that the suspense is lifted, on numerous fronts, drawing the reader into a full and satisfying conclusion. The structure, too, of the novel lends itself well to maintaining reader interest – you can literally feel "the bad guys closing in" as the book progresses.
It's a great story, and wonderfully told. It's rollicking entertainment at its finest. I can't wait to read more books by this author!
5.0 out of 5 starsRollicking Fun Read
27 November 2014 - Published on Amazon.com
Debut author, Geoff Le Pard, serves up a book you'll not soon forget. With sharply detailed, memorable and quirky characters you'll be turning the page to read what happens next. Harry Spittle is the most fun I've had with a book character in a long time. Set in 1976, there's enough nostalgia to keep you warm, yet the writing is fresh with a modern edge. If you've ever had to take a summer job, work in the food industry or worry about your family while simultaneously wanting to escape them--you'll find the story one you can relate to and laugh about. Witty, well-written and fast-paced and this is a book you'll want to share with friends and read again.
5.0 out of 5 starsDelightful! I've followed this writer's work for a couple ...
18 September 2016 - Published on Amazon.com
Delightful! I've followed this writer's work for a couple of years and he is so versatile! There's no second guessing Geoff La Pard.
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I loved this book! Quirky British humor!
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Where Were You When You Fell in Love – With GOOGLE?
Most of us remember where we were on significant days of our lives or our nation's life. I am sure you remember this event in your life as well, particularly if you're over twenty-five. For me, it will always be remembered as the day I cheated on Jeeves. You might remember it differently.
"Well, A.J., remember I already told you about Jeeves". It never dawned on me that his professor could have told him about any thing other than Jeeves. I decided to indulge A.J. and let him bring up Jeeves himself on my computer screen. Instead, he went to the browser window and typed in "g-o-o-g-l-e". What a ridiculous name, I thought. It reminded me of that stupid pre-World War II song my father would sing around the house, "Barney Google," with his goo-goo-google-y eyes.
A.J. then went ahead and searched for something on this Google thing, but I still held fast to my love of Jeeves and showed him that Jeeves came up with almost the same information as this Google guy. "Plus," I added, "Jeeves has a lot more listings under 'cached.'" And he did, actually.
Days passed, and I refused to be disloyal to Jeeves and the marvelous search engine he drove. I simply refused to have anything to do with Google. And then came the day that Jeeves failed me. It wasn't some enormous failure, just some little task that he couldn't to fulfill. (I do admit that there was some purely physical reason that bothered me about Jeeves as well. That stuffy pinstriped suit that he wore everyday and his balding head just weren't my style. He looked 60, and I was only in my late 40s at the time.) Yes, I'll admit it, it was then and there that I threw myself into the arms of the Google and his unsurpassed algorithmic search engine. The die was cast; the course taken. It should be noted that Jeeves is the only man I've ever cheated on, but like some cold-hearted, ex-spouse, once I closed the door and walked out on Jeeves for my new love Google, I never looked back.
And that's how it's been. Google and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary together soon, and I continue to grow more in love with Google very day. I've been faithful to him all these years. Well, yes, there was that other guy, Bing, who tempted me but that was for about fifteen minutes one day, so surely it doesn't count since I immediately went right back to Google and vowed to never stray again.
I'm sure you remember the day you first met Google as well. I realize now that many people love Google – millions really, but that's ok. I've come to accept that. So don't be afraid to tell me, in your comments below, how you first met Google . Google belongs to the world. That's what makes it so valuable and what makes every person's first encounter with the Google search engine a personal, yet collective memory that we all share.


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News + Opinion » Education
Vermont Could Be a Test Site for McCardell's Drinking-Age Experiment
by Kevin J. Kelley
Looks like Vermont legislators may be moving from one controversy to another. Lobbying firm Kimbell Sherman Ellis, which has been working on the campaign for marriage equality, is now nudging lawmakers to consider another hot-button issue: lowering the drinking age to 18.
The lobbyists have been retained by a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that got started in Vermont a few years ago. Choose Responsibility, headed by former Middlebury College President John McCardell, is returning to its roots as it seeks to build state-by-state support for revisions in the federal drinking-age law.
Congress and the Reagan administration agreed in 1984 to withhold 10 percent of highway funds for states that refused to raise their drinking age from 18 to 21. No state has since dared to sacrifice money for roads by making its legal age for drinking the same as that for marrying, voting and joining the military.
Choose Responsibility wants the Vermont legislature to call on Congress to grant exemptions from the highway-funding penalty for states that lower their drinking age on a conditional, temporary basis. The resolution to be pushed by Kimbell Sherman Ellis contains provisions requiring 18-, 19- and 20-year-old Vermonters to attend anti-alcohol abuse classes and obtain a license before being able to drink legally. The initiative would also be framed as an experiment to be conducted over a projected 6-year period.
Vermont has been chosen as the likeliest laboratory because of its "willingness to look at difficult issues and to act as a leader in progressive policy ideas," says Choose Responsibility Executive Director Michael Giuliani. The group's origins in Vermont also factored into the decision. McCardell, who serves as Choose Responsibility's president, "does know a lot of people in the state," Giuliani notes.
About 15 Vermont House members have expressed initial interest in the resolution, says Nick Kimbell, an associate in the lobbying firm and the son of one of its founders. Kimbell declined to supply any of the lawmakers' names, however, saying the effort is just getting underway. The lobbyists have yet to pitch the proposal to Vermont's three-member congressional delegation, he added.
But Kimbell and Giuliani nevertheless suggest that the legislature could approve the resolution before its scheduled adjournment next month. That appears to be more a wish than a forecast, given lawmakers' past performance on the issue.
A bill introduced in 2005 to lower Vermont's drinking age went nowhere. A similar measure offered in the current session has attracted five sponsors in the 150-member House. And a proposal simply to set up a study group on Vermont's drinking age failed to make it out of a Senate committee.
Chittenden County Democrat Hinda Miller, sponsor of the study-group measure, says the new resolution could find some support in the Vermont Senate. But because "we're so wrapped up in the marriage equality debate," it's impossible at this stage to gauge the number of potential votes for the drinking-age resolution, Miller adds.
Legislative initiatives of this sort do not need the approval of the governor in order to be adopted. Gov. James Douglas could, in any event, prove less hostile to lowering Vermont's drinking age than to permitting same-sex marriage. Douglas said through his spokesman in 2005 that he "can see the logic" of returning Vermont to the age-18 standard if it the state doesn't face the loss of highway funds as a result of such a move.
Kimbell Sherman Ellis will still have to overcome powerful forces on the other side of the issue. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which was instrumental in enacting the 1984 federal law, would be sure to campaign vigorously in Vermont against any move to roll back the drinking age to 18. But Choose Responsibility has some powerful counterarguments, which McCardell makes persuasively. Two weeks ago, he held his own on "The Colbert Report."
Miller says she's "absolutely" willing to help lead the fight for the resolution. She notes that legal drinking is the only one of the coming-of-age eligibilities that doesn't take effect at 18. And it's foolish to believe the 21-year limit effectively discourages underage drinking, she adds.
"I have teenage kids and I know what they and their friends do," Miller says. "I'm a believer in education. Let them take courses in high school on responsible drinking just like they do on driving. We really need to come to terms with reality on teenage drinking."
Middlebury College Rescinds Rudy Giuliani's Honorary Degree
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"Orlando" Returns: Sally Potter and Tilda Swinton interview
Melissa Anderson • 07/28/2010 4:00 am
Tilda Swinton as Orlando
Almost unthinkable now, 18 years ago, a writer-director and a performer made career breakthroughs with a film based on a 1928 novel by a titan of modernism about a character who changes genders and lives through four centuries. In her nimble adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Orlando, Sally Potter — who had previously made avant-garde shorts and the feature-length The Gold Diggers (1983), an experimental gloss on Busby Berkeley — created one of cinema's finest page-to-screen transfers, which played at Venice in 1992 and opened New Directors/New Films the following March before its U.S. release in June 1993. Orlando also introduced Tilda Swinton — until then known almost exclusively to art-house cognoscenti for her work with the fiercely uncompromising Derek Jarman — to a larger audience. As the titular poetry-loving nobleman of the very early 17th century who becomes, some 100 years later, a noblewoman, Swinton gives one of the bravura, protean performances that have come to define her career: Her gender metamorphosis was the first of many audacious onscreen transformations, including her speaking Russian-inflected Italian in the current I Am Love.
Just before its updated release on DVD, with Swinton more popular than ever, Sony Pictures Classics is taking the unusual step of rereleasing a new print of Potter's masterpiece in theaters. This, after Potter's latest, Rage, had the dubious distinction of being the first film to debut on mobile phones last September, leading one to wonder: Was it possible to make more daring films in the early '90s than it is now? Potter is reluctant to generalize: "Before Orlando was released, it met with absolute resistance — just as much resistance as anything I've tried to do subsequently," she says, reminiscing with Swinton at the Bowery Hotel about their sole collaboration the day after MOMA kicked off its Potter tribute. "This particular project was an impossible one and ridiculous to take on."
Undeterred by industry professionals who sniffed that the film was "unmakable," Potter, who wrote her first treatment for Orlando in 1984 and began working with Swinton on the project in 1988, would eventually shoot not just in England but also St. Petersburg, Russia (re-creating Woolf's icy winter on the Thames scenes), and Uzbekistan (a stand-in of sorts for Orlando's journey as an ambassador to Constantinople, condensed in Potter's film). Swinton notes that the very outrageousness in tackling Woolf's gender-bending, time-traveling novel, which she and Potter had both read and adored as teenagers, was "liberating": "Existentially, there's something about a very loved book — there's something about that experience that is very solitary, very private. And the idea of shining a light on it and attempting to render that somehow collectively viable is weird."
Although certainly loyal to the bold spirit of its original source, Potter's Orlando is also distinguished by the director's own interventions: adding characters like Jimi Somerville's singing angel, upping the gender-play by casting Quentin Crisp as Queen Elizabeth I, giving Orlando not a son but a daughter, and ending the film not in 1928, when Woolf's novel concludes, but 1992. "You can't be overreverent when you're doing an adaptation," Potter says. "It doesn't serve the original author well, because you're moving into a different medium. But [all changes] have to be done on the basis of knowledge. You can't just hack at something. The thing with Virginia Woolf is, you can't dilute her. So I really studied not only the book, but everything that Virginia Woolf had ever written. The ending had to be done because the novel was so much about ending in the present moment, when she put down her pen. To be true to that principle, we had to take the story up to the moment of finishing the film in 1992. To be true, you have to change things."
Changing is precisely what Swinton worked hard to avoid when her male character wakes up a woman. "Transformation is not about changing," she laughs. "It's about a sustainable spirit." Or, in Potter's equally heady words, it's "looking for a state of being-ness through time and space and genders." As Orlando herself says while looking into the camera: "Same person, no difference at all. Just a different sex."
This direct address to the audience, occurring several times throughout the film, became crucial to establishing what Potter refers to as "a state of absolute complicity" and what Swinton calls "personal connection." "I think, cinematically, we had this task, which was to break the picture," Swinton continues. "One goes into a frame, and it's possible to get lost in the picture. And we were continually wanting Orlando to break" — she snaps her fingers here — "out of the picture and make contact with the audience."
Leaping across centuries, Potter's film, while visually opulent, remains free of the obsession with surface detail that weighs down so many historical epics. "The thing I said again and again and again to the design crew was, 'This is not a period film. This is a film about nowness,'" Potter says. "It's this skip and a hop through an imagined history that is rooted in an eternal present. And I think that's what makes it look, at any point, fresh."
Did the film, with its deft approach to gender fluidity, strike these two as being ahead of its time? "It didn't feel like it was particularly new," Swinton says. "It felt like it came out of something." Both women mention the importance of the legendary director Michael Powell, who died two years before the movie's premiere but who, as Potter explains, "personally put his support in private behind the project when others were saying it's impossible." Swinton continues: "He told us there was a time when he considered making a film of Orlando. So one can imagine making this film in the 1950s. I don't know whether it ever felt like it was ahead of anything."
Essentially, years — whether 1600, 1928, 1992, or 2010 — are meaningless. "By definition, [the film] is out of time because of what it does," Potter says. "It hasn't gone away." She turns to Swinton, laughs, and adds, "Here we are — we're still talking about Orlando. It'll never end." Then they head off to a photo shoot, walking side by side, their arms around each other's waists.
Tags: Film, Orlando (Movie), Sally Potter, Tilda Swinton, Virginia Woolf


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