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Common Thread
2022 Common Thread Jeep Week cleanups:
April 9 through April 17
Contact us to get involved: 435.401.4685
Common Thread/Operation Cooperation - Overview
Volunteers with 399 lbs of recyclables, Apr. '11
Every spring, thousands travel to Moab for "Jeep Week" and Easter Jeep Safari: a tradition of off-road riding on the area's beautiful trails and rugged roads. While fun, events in some areas create a lot of garbage, and lead to soil erosion and native plant damage. Since 2005, Common Thread/Operation Cooperation has worked to maximize recycling and limit this damage, and to foster cooperation among different land users, especially at Potato Salad Hill.
"Jeep Week" Cleanups:
For ten days leading up to Easter, Moab Solutions volunteers join other volunteers each morning to remove trash and recycling from "Potato Salad Hill," a popular party spot. The recycling alone from one day weighed almost 400 pounds! Each year new people join us. We'd love to have you! Call us at 435.401.4685.
Common Thread is a cooperative effort between Moab Solutions and the Grand County Sheriff's Office, The Solid Waste District, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Grand County Trail Mix, (a Grand County sponsored committee), the State of Utah Schools and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, (SITLA), as well as the off-road group, Rocky Mountain Extreme. Its main goal is to get a variety of volunteer groups working together to help prevent damage to the land during large off-road events.
Together, we remove recycling and litter from a number of areas, share information with visitors about the special cryptobiotic soil crust found in this region, explain the value of the "Leave no Trace" philosophy, and provide other helpful information.
To learn more about Common Thread's recycling efforts during Jeep Week, please see the following articles:
Four Wheeler Magazine (bottom of the page)
Times Independent newspaper article
2018 Moab Easter Jeep Safari magazine (Page66)
Off-roaders shatter environmentalist perception in Moab, Utah. The National Advocate, Winter 2015.
Torchmate Racing Helps Keep Moab Beautiful. Offroadpress.com, 4/10/12.
We had the most success ever on Potato Salad Hill this year! Due in large part to Sheriff Steve White and his deputies, the land enjoyed the most protection it has seen in years. We barely had to rake out any tracks. The litter was minimal, but I did hire folks to work the Friday and Saturday before Easter. Carey Jones worked alone on Friday, keeping the recycling sorted and gathering up litter. On Saturday we hired two woman, Blake and Elle, who are interns with Community Rebuilds. They were fantastic. The two of them worked on Saturday, and then one of them helped me with the cleanup time on Monday, after the crowds were gone. It was a lifesaver.
I had mentioned to Blake that I used to go in the dumpster to rescue recycling, but was too tired to do so this year. I had to do all the set up and prep work alone. Unbeknownst to me, she decided to rescue the recycling, which was a wonderful surprise. I have a lot of hope when I meet people like Blake and Elle.
2020 Report:
There was no Easter Jeep Safari in 2020, nor any events on PSH. We were shut down for about 6 weeks after the serious nature of the pandemic became obvious. It would be a lie if I said it wasn't nice to have a year off after doing this yearly since 2005, but we are ready, able, and willing to get to it again this year. Come join us!
For the first year in many, Abby Scott, who did an incredible job staffing the recycle station and mixing with the crowds, was not able to work with us this year. Luckily, Stephanie Hamborsky and Haley Austin, two very talented women, were able to step up, in a big way, and keep things together this year.
They picked up lots of litter and recycling, kept the recycle station clean and organized, interacted with people as they enjoyed the area, and kept me informed about the status of things.
We collected loads of recycling from the PSH area recycle station, and from bins we placed at the Grand County Sheriff's Office Command Center.
We did have quite a bit of raking out to do, which I hired two incredible trail workers to do Easter Sunday morning. Getting the tracks out as quickly as possible stops others from following those tracks, and allows for some healing to begin.
We would much rather see vehicles kept off the recovering lands, but we have little say in the matter. All we can do is work to protect it all year, and try to give it a chance to recover after the one day of an entire year when vehicles are encouraged to park there.
We hope for a better situation in 2020, and invite you to volunteer with us!
Easter Jeep Safari was early this year, so nobody seemed quite ready for it! We did work to make sure the rock outlines were clear, that a recycle station was installed, and that the trash and recycling was picked up everyday. Staff reports a very mellow, family oriented feeling at the hill, a place that was once a drug-fueled mess.
One sad issue was that land that had been untouched for several years, and was self-seeding and very healthy, was used, for one day only, as a parking area. I raked and swept out tracks for about 4 hours during and right after the Easter weekend. Very sad to see crushed plants and healthy soil decimated for no real reason. Our shuttle service, free to users, was available to take people up to and down from PSH on Saturday. We hope next year will be better, as this whole project aims to get diverse groups working together to protect the land and allow the area to stay open, even thought it is an ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern) on BLM land. Let's all be good neighbors to each other and use common sense to guide us.
The photo above shows the recycle bins, with some new special signage, painted by Moab's own Pimo - Pete Apicella. Thanks Pete!
We faced several challenges this year, but we still ended up with a highly successful event. I did not receive any funding this year, so I had to scale back on advertising and do more of the physical labor than normal, but it worked! We barely had to rake out any tracks, and the staff had a wonderful time interacting with the crowds at the "hill". Thanks to Abby Scott, for volunteering her time to us. She is a bright and shining star.
We look forward to continued success with minimizing damage and maximizing recycling in 2018. Come join us!
We had the most successful year ever in 2016. A grant from ORBA enabled us to run a free shuttle on Friday and Saturday, place ads, hire staff, and buy pocket ashtrays to give away. Staff manned the recycle station and walked through the crowds collecting trash and recycling. There was minimal damage to the land, and maximum recycling. We appreciate ORBA's generosity and look forward to working with them again next year.
We really turned a corner in 2015. For the first year ever, thanks to the fund raising efforts of Jeff Knoll, we had funding sufficient to launch a free shuttle service to Potato Salad Hill, place ads in the paper to announce the shuttle, hire paid staff to work with volunteers collecting trash and recycling, as well as maintaining the recycle station, and gave away free reusable shopping bags.
We are looking forward to building on our 2015 successes in 2016!
2014 was a year of great successes at Potato Salad Hill. Volunteers did rock outlining of the trails and other prep work prior to the big weekend. We received a small grant from the Leave No Trace foundation, and a donation from Moonflower Community Cooperative to cover some of our expenses. We hired three people to maintain the recycling station we installed, displayed information about the native flowers, and walked through the crowds with buckets to collect trash and recycling for several hours on Friday and Saturday. The crowds loved it! The Solid Waste District donated some boulders and the manpower to install them in an area we were trying to protect.
Special thanks to Robin Zank, whose support in 2014 made this project possible. She made a beautiful display using photos donated by Linda Whitham, lugged heavy bins in and out of the truck, helped with drop-offs at the recycling center, and kept us on an even keel.
Thanks are also due to Solid Waste District Manager Tom Edwards, Grand County Sheriff Steve White, Canyonlands Community Recycling Program Director Abby Scott, and all the off-road enthusiasts who volunteered to do cleanups every day--especially Jeff Knoll.
Moab Solutions' volunteers Linda Whitham, Lenore Beeson, Frank Stewart and Abby Scott were also indispensable. They helped make rock outlines for months before the event and/or raked out stray tracks during and after.
Finally, our paid crew did a fantastic job too. Thanks to the mother-daughter team of Adrienne and Hanna for the work they did on Friday and Saturday evenings. Our community service worker, Kelvin, was a big part of the preparation and repair work.


Your children are everything to you, and so you do your best to provide for them and make sure they stay healthy and fit. And you also make sure that they regularly see a pediatrician, a physician who specializes in children's health and well-being.
But did you know that there are also dentists who cater to the specific oral health care needs of kids? That's right – these good doctors have undergone specialized training to ensure that they can address the sensitive nature of the oral health of younger patients.
Why pediatric and not general?
Although it's a smart move to maintain contact with a general dentist, Gentle Dentist still recommends that you work with a children's dentist, since they are more equipped – in more ways than one – to handle younger people.
As mentioned above, pediatric dentistry practitioners are specialists, which means that they belong in one of the nine types of dental specialists. Their education, combined with their experience and continued schooling, allows them to have a much better and more in-depth insight as to the specific needs of children – from infants to teenagers – when it comes to a healthy mouth.
Having a pediatric dentist in your team of family health care professionals prepares your kids' teeth and gums for the future changes they will undergo. In other words, they help reinforce and strengthen the overall oral health of your kids to give way for their permanent teeth that they will use for their lifetime.
In today's society where millions of children suffer from tooth decay and many adults having at least one missing tooth, this kind of preparation has become a necessity rather than a luxury. You want your children to enjoy smiling rather than hide it for fear of embarrassment, so as early as now, help them achieve optimal teeth and gum health.


For most appliance problems, repair is the most cost-efficient outcome. However, for some major repairs — like refrigerator compressor replacements — it may be best to look into purchasing a completely new appliance.
Remember to factor the cost of delivery and disposal fees into your considerations. After including delivery and disposal fees, a new appliance that costs $600 may end up costing $800.
Most appliances will require minor repairs prior to replacement, and for the vast majority of part failure scenarios, repair is the most economical option. Whether it's a cracked heating element, punctured drain pump, or fried control board, you're usually better off repairing rather than purchasing a brand new appliance.
If your appliance still has a few years left in its life, repair is usually the most economical option. If you have questions about whether to repair or replace your appliance, we would be happy to help walk you through your options and likely outcomes Give us a call at (770) 809-1055 or e-mail us!
Newer appliances tend to be more complex and have a greater emphasis on electronic components, and as such they often tend to have a greater incidence of part failure than older appliances. Certain newer refrigerators and washing machines can have as many as four circuit boards. Because of this, when our customers ask us what appliances we recommend, we typically suggest simpler, less flashy appliances as cost has little correlation with reliability.
Although there are many appliance brands, there are only a few appliance manufacturers. The below table demonstrates this.
To make things even more convoluted, some brands are essentially cocktails of parts made by various appliance manufacturers. Kenmore, for example, is a brand name used by the following appliance manufacturers: Whirlpool, Bosch, GE, Panasonic, and Electrolux. Korean electronic giants LG and Samsung manufacture electronic components which find their way into many American brands, including GE.
For customers on a budget, you should start with Whirlpool's most basic models. Remember that a more expensive appliance is not necessarily a more reliable appliance.
For customers with a bit more spending flexibility, we've found that appliances by Bosch, Sub Zero, and Thermador tend to be more reliable than average. To boot, these brands each feature two-year warranties.
If you decide to purchase a new appliance, we wish you the best of luck and hope that it lasts you many years. If you found this article helpful, we hope you'll consider ASAP for your future appliance repair needs!


We've confirmed that this was all staged as a "Social Experiment" by Paul Agabin. We're keeping the article up for posterity's sake but please do note that the enforcers were NOT really enforcers. They were wearing fake uniforms and badges and were being directed.
Remember the article yesterday that we posted about John Stewart roasting the MMDA for forcing their enforcers to wear adult diapers during the Pope's visit here in the Philippines? Well apparently it's coming to life because there are currently "traffic enforcers" (we're not sure if they're really MMDA or they're just people who want to make fun of the government) going around Manila wearing their adult diapers without pants on. The photo above and the photo below were taken by Tony Ahn (he posted it on FB).
We're hoping that this is just some sort of gag or a cosplaying stunt because if these are REAL traffic enforcers we have a serious issue (potential international PR nightmare) brewing. We already tweeted MMDA asking if the guys in the photos are their men. We will update this post once we get a reply (Note from editor: UPDATE already up at the top of the post).
Regardless what happens… you gotta admire the confidence of these guys. Lol.
Next articleThe Amazing Wedding Rumor: Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone may tie the knot soon!


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Hubert von Goisern, rodným jménem Hubert Achleitner (* 17. listopadu 1952, Bad Goisern) je rakouský zpěvák, harmonikář a skladatel řazený k folk-popu, folk-rocku, tzv. schlagermusik, neue volksmusik, alpenrocku či world music. Pro jeho texty je typické užívání dialektů a pro zpěv jódlování. Sedmkrát vyhrál rakouskou hudební cenu Amadeus. Roku 1988 vydal první album, v roce 1992 založil kapelu Alpenkatzen. Známé jsou jeho dlouhé cesty po světě, pobýval nějaký čas v Tibetu, v Kanadě, v jižní i východní Africe (na pozvání své přítelkyně Jane Goodallové) nebo na Filipínách. Umělecké jméno si zvolil podle svého rodiště. Věnuje se také módnímu návrhářství (spolu s přítelem Klausem Höllerem) a politickému aktivismu, zejm. na podporu Tibetu a Afriky.

Odkazy

Reference

Externí odkazy

 Texty písní

Rakouští zpěváci
Rakouští hudební skladatelé
Narození 17. listopadu
Narození v roce 1952
Žijící lidé
Muži

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Comprising a range of eye and base units, complementary worktop, in-set single bowl stainless steel sink, mixer tap and freshwater tap, tiled splash-back, extractor fan, power points, space for fridge-freezer. Recessed spotlights to ceiling, & laminate flooring.
A generous sized dual aspect room with views of the palm gardens from 2 windows and a further rear aspect window, coving, TV/FM, telephone and power points. Wired electric heater.
Rear aspect with a delightful view over the boules court and distant countryside, coving, TV/FM, telephone and power points.
Comprising, panel enclosed bath, pedestal washbasin, low level WC, wall mounted mirror, shaving point and light. Part tiled, extractor fan, coving, non-slip flooring, (can easily be restored as a shower cubicle if bath not suitable).
Beautifully landscaped grounds with palm garden, bowling green, boules court and croquet lawn, easily accessed via clear paths.
Supper delivered to property, unless evening event attended.
Cleaning programme agreed over 7 days.
5 Minute Pop in from a Carer.
Laundry service each week, personal and bedding.


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Each movie listed includes:
(1) Title (2) Rating (3) Genres (4) Starring (5) Synopsis (6) My Personal Review (7) Scoring 1-5
Click on the pictures to pin them on Pinterest for later.
Rated: TV-Y
Genres: Animation, Fantasy
Starring: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jenna Elfman, David Hyde Pierce, Tom Bosley, Howie Mandel, Marlon Wayans, and Trisha Yearwood
Synopsis: A teddy bear who goes unpurchased for Christmas makes friends in a second-hand store.
Review: I found this to be absolutely delightful. There's an underlying message that we are all valuable and the things that make us different make us more special, not less. The characters have human issues that are very relatable. This is one I believe children will love and adults will enjoy watching with them.
A Taste of Christmas (2020)
Starring: Anni Krueger, Gills Marini, and Nia Vardalos
Synopsis: When Natalie learns her cousin Francesca must cancel the Christmas Eve opening of her new Italian restaurant, Natalie's heart goes out to all of the guests who were planning on attending.
Review: For all the talk of Christmas and decorations everywhere, it really feels more like a movie about a restaurant than it is about Christmas. It has got its charm and some humor but still falls a little short. They don't delve enough into any one story and the characters are superficial and expected. My favorite part was the teens. It's still worth watching once.
Starring: Jayne Eastwood
Synopsis: The trucks are just digging holes but then Christmas is being attacked, now it's up to them to save Christmas.
Review: This is borderline mind numbing. I think children that like trucks will really enjoy it. It's also got just enough silliness for them. For adults, save yourself and skip it.
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Deroy Lindo, Idris Elba, Loretta Devine, Chris Brown, and Regina King
Synopsis: A Christmastime drama centered around the Whitfield family's first holiday together in four years.
Review: This was like watching every family say the things they often think and don't say at family gatherings. There's some humor to lighten the drama. It's a nice variety of character backgrounds and personalities and with a cast like this it's executed well.
Rated: NR
Starring: Chris Mulkey
Synopsis: Friends come together to do the right thing after everything becomes chaotic.
Review: First off, this isn't rated but it should be an R. Yet another awful film. The premise was okay but they didn't even begin to do it justice. The beginning had no backstory on the overwhelming number of characters. Because of this it was hard to care. The characters were unlikable and a mash up of people. They went from scene to scene with no transition or apparent reason making the story, or lack thereof, too much work for something that wasn't good.
This Is Our Christmas
Genres: Family
Starring: Aaron O'Connell, Nancy Daly, and Donna Spangler
Synopsis: In a sequel to "Beverly Hills Christmas", a spoiled Beverly Hills teenager finds the true meaning of the holidays. A father tries to help his daughter overcome the loss of her mother while helping the failing business of a country style bakery.
Review: Wow. Seeing O'Connell was in this movie made me think it might be an improvement on the first. Unfortunately, the bad acting and wishy-washy plot just overwhelmed it. Daly has a sometimes southern, sometimes Glinda totally stoned accent and it's just too much.
Thomas Kinkade's The Christmas Cottage
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Jared Padalecki, Marcia Gay Harden, Aaron Ashmore, Richard Burgi, Chris Elliott, Richard Moll, Jay Brazeau, Charlotte Rae, and Ed Asner
Synopsis: A look at the inspiration behind Thomas Kinkade's painting The Christmas Cottage, and how the artist was motivated to begin his career after discovering his mother was in danger of losing their family home.
Review: I'm aware that this is based on Kinkade's life and I was looking forward to learning about him. However, despite the star-studded cast, I was quite bored. I found it hard to sit through.
The Three Bears And The Perfect Gift (2019)
Genres: Family, Fantasy
Starring: Maile Flanagan
Synopsis: Baby Bear sneaks out on Christmas morning to find the perfect gift for his parents only to cross paths with a wicked witch who transforms him into a human.
Review: It seems almost like a stage production brought to the screen. At first it may seem a little silly but I recommend sticking with it. It's a lovely story and would be good for family viewing. The message of being together and loving each other being so important is really brought home.
Rated: G
Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Religion, Romance
Starring: Kristin Davis, Reed Diamond, and Tim Meadows
Synopsis: Ten years ago, Andrew married his childhood sweetheart, Beth. Now Andrew's a high-powered literary agent, but his relationship with his wife has not fared as well. When Beth is tragically killed just days before Christmas, an angel gives Andrew the chance to relive the last three days his wife was alive. But he can't change fate and Beth will still lose her life. However, Andrew can still discover the gift Beth needs most from him.
Review: A movie that will have you grabbing for the tissues and hoping for a miracle. Just as enjoyable the second time even when you know the ending.
The Three Gifts AKA The Christmas Gift (2009)
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family
Starring: Dean Cain, Jean Louisa Kelly, and Mimi Kennedy
Synopsis: Jack Green inherited a Californian horse ranch and an all-natural toy factory in the barn. With his wife, Cherie, he accepts taking in the three 'holy terrors' from his bossy aunt Rita's orphanage during renovations, until the holidays. Resourceful Mike and his buddies, Henry and Ray, prove handfuls, but Jack proves father-potential. The trio even goes on best behavior after overhearing the couple considers adopting, but that also means rivaly, resulting in trouble for everyone.
Review: This is a darling movie. The relationships between the boys and Jack and Cherie are sweet. It's a reminder that not all children have a home at Christmas and that love is important to us all.
The Three Wise Guys (2005)
Starring: Eddie McClintock, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Judd Nelson, Tom Arnold, and Katey Sagal
Synopsis: This Christmas movie is a comedy about the mistress of the owner a casino in Las Vegas and her boyfriend who had stolen a disc containing financial irregularities in the Casino. Murray Crown, the owner of the casino, hires three murderers to find Stella and her boyfriend and retrieve the disc.
Review: Picture the Nativity story meets comedies about the mob. It's corny and silly but that's the best part of it. If you want warm and fuzzy Christmas, skip it. If you want a fun time this is for you.
Three Wise Women (2010)
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Starring: Fionnula Flanagan and Amy Huberman
Synopsis: A woman set to get married on Christmas Eve must make a life-changing decision.
Review: A woman's guardian angel is trying to help her get back on track. How? By uniting her teenage, middle age, and older selves to guide each other. It seems as far-fetched as it sounds and it can be really silly at points. However, I still enjoyed it. There's a lot of entertainment and I found myself rooting for her. Imagine being able to guide your younger self to a happier life. It's definitely a different concept and worth watching.
Genres: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Starring: Jennifer Freeman
Synopsis: Jacqueline is living an unfulfilled life in a doomed marriage. After a chance encounter with a former classmate, she rethinks her life's choices and wishes she could go back to high school for a do-over. Like a Christmas miracle, Jacqueline awakens to find herself as a high school senior again with the ability to change everything.
Review: While it takes place during the season, there's very little Christmas in this movie. I think everyone has wondered, what if I could go back and do it again knowing what I know now. While the changes she makes are predictable, it's still fun to watch. It's not as good as Eve's Christmas but it's different enough.
Starring: Megan Park, Josh Henderson, Paul McGillion, and Eric Keenleyside
Synopsis: A businesswoman and a country music star who are strangers, are both booked on a flight to Tulsa before the holidays, but it ends up getting canceled due to a snowstorm. They decide to try to get to Tulsa together and share their secrets along the way.
Review: The pace is like a stroll in the park. It's very relaxing. It's a sweet story of two people slowly falling for each other. There are special moments, like the boy in the airport. Watch for them.
Genres: Drama, Family, Romance
Starring: Brendan Penny, Jessy Schram, Brendan Zub, Lochlyn Munro
Synopsis: During the holidays, a woman with amnesia catches a ride with her handsome nurse to investigate the only clue to her identity.
Review: Wonderful movie. It starts with the mystery of who Jane Doe is then adds the mystery of Paul's reluctance to go home and the trauma he experienced. The mysteries unravel at the perfect pace and are worth the wait. The story has lots of warm and lighthearted moments to keep it from getting too dark. Of course, we have a happy ending.
Starring: Lacey Chabert and Stephen Huszar
Synopsis: Five guests are mysteriously invited to an inn to celebrate Christmas. With the help of the owner Ben, Sarah discovers that an event from the past may connect them and change their lives forever.
Review: In a world of Christmas movies that have the same feel, and I'm not saying that's bad, the beauty shines. I didn't even suspect the answer until at least half way through. I love the way the guests' storied intertwine. The movie managed to keep my full attention watching for every detail. There's so many types of relationships, loss, healing, and love. It's amazing. I'm hoping for a sequel if they can recapture the magic of this one.
Starring: Lucas Bryant and Alison Sweeney
Synopsis: When Katherine returns home after her husband passes away, she meets a veteran who is on his own holiday journey. As Christmas nears, they learn of a bond that may be the miracle they need.
Review: This movie had so many unexpected moments. It was emotional, yes, I needed a tissue at one point. But there's so much Christmas and so much joy. It all works so well. This one is definitely worth watching.
A Timeless Christmas (2020)
Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance
Starring: Erin Cahill and Ryan Paevey
Synopsis: A man travels from 1903 to 2020, where he meets a tour guide at his historic mansion and gets to experience a 21st century Christmas.
Review: I will say in advance that I love science fiction so the time travel part really spoke to me. Beyond that, I knew that it being a Hallmark movie everyone would have a happy ending but I was still on the edge of my seat. I wondered if he'd go back, if going back was possible, if he'd take her with him, if he'd stay with her, or if it was something I wasn't even considering. I won't give it away but I will say their kiss was magical. I loved this movie.
Starring: Sarah Lancaster and Brendan Penny
Synopsis: A small town girl who moved to New York to pursue her dreams returns home for the holidays, only to realize that maybe her dreams aren't miles away, but right in her hometown.
Review: I think we've all been at a crossroad in life and don't know which way to go. That makes this movie relatable. I adored the town and their traditions. The characters and the story are enjoyable.
'Tis The Season To Be Merry (2021)
Starring: Rachel Leigh Cook and Travis Van Winkle
Synopsis: Looking for a fresh angle on her new book on relationships, Merry heads to snow covered Vermont. She finds a new perspective and Christmas cheer with charismatic aid worker Chris.
Review: I loved this movie. It had the perfect balance between emotion and levity. The characters are likable, and the romances are varied and relatable.
To Grandmother's House We Go (1992)
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family
Starring: Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Rhea Pearlman, and Cynthia Geary
Synopsis: When the twins feel like their mom is tired of them, they take off on an exciting adventure to grandmother's house and encounter a pair of villains along the way.
Review: It's a typical cutesy twin adventure. Children should love it and adults may like it. I found it cute but I was over it after about ten minutes.
Too Close For Christmas (2020)
Genres: Family, Romance
Starring: Chad Michael Murray and Jessica Lowndes
Synopsis: A woman reluctantly spends Christmas with the man responsible for ending her last relationship.
Review: The combination of Hayley, who is afraid to move or make changes, and Paul, who is afraid to stay in one place, makes for an interesting dynamic. It has a lot of obvious moments and an expected ending but there's lot of Christmas and funny moments in between. Murray gives the perfect performance for this character.
Too Cool For Christmas AKA A Very Cool Christmas (2004)
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy
Rated: TV-14
Starring: George Hamilton, Brooke Nevin, and Donna Mills
Synopsis: 16-year-old Lindsay decides to give Santa Claus an extreme makeover.
Review: Yes, it's a little corny but it doesn't take itself too seriously. I really like watching George Hamilton as Santa as he underwent his makeover. Good for lighthearted fun.
Starring: Lauren Holly and Rock Roberts
Synopsis: On his way to a luxury resort for the Christmas holiday, banker Charles Benson's car breaks down, so his family gets stuck in Nowhere, Colorado, a sleepy town which seems to be dying since its mine closed. Son Nolan befriends the grumpy old former toy shopkeeper, and pushes the charmed grump to become the naturally perfect Santa in the Christmas pageant his mother helped organize despite the disheartened mayor. Charles gets stuck in the mine with the mechanic, whom he befriends, and ends up as the real Christmas benefactor.
Review: While I am rooting for the townspeople of Nowhere, the rest of the movie is so slow and a little boring. I found it hard to sit through.
Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Religion
Starring: Patricia Heaton, Rick Roberts, Ernie Hudson, and Peter Falk
Synopsis: A television reporter and an aspiring writer join the search for a missing boy who wrote a disturbing letter to Santa Claus.
Review: Peter Falk plays a guardian angel who leaves clues to guide M.J. and David to find the missing boy and each other. Very interesting turns as the story progresses.
Toying With The Holidays (2021)
Starring: Cindy Busby and Chad Michael Murray
Synopsis: Danielle returns to her hometown for the holidays with her young son Paul hoping to introduce him to some beloved holiday traditions, in particular the town's North Pole Express train.
Review: It's a standard sweet holiday romance and family story. Things never get too heavy and resolve too easily. Busby and Murray are as fabulous as always. Liking trains is a plus for enjoying this one.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I loved this book and I really want another! Cass's best friend is a ghost. When she almost drowned he helped save her and now he seems to reside in the living world with her. However Cass can also peel back the veil to the afterworld and see ghosts that haven't yet crossed over but are lingering around with unfinished business.
When Cass and her parents go to Scotland for a TV show about the worlds most haunted places Cass meets another person like her who may have some insight into why she is the way she is and what the purpose of her being able to do what she does is.
Everything about this book was fun, interesting and new. It was a refreshing read and a refreshing take on seeing ghosts. I like the mythology around how Cass can help ghosts cross over and why being beyond the Veil is getting harder and harder to pull back from. Great read!


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Monaco Bucket List: Top 15 Best Things to Do in Monaco
MonacoTravel Guide
What are the Top Tourist Attractions to Visit in Monaco
By Team Out of Town On Aug 10, 2020 Last updated Aug 9, 2020 1,591 0
Monte-Carlo Casino and Opera House, Monaco photo via DepostPhotos
Popular Activities, Best Tourist Spots, and Amazing Places to Visit in Monaco
Visit a historic cathedral
Try your luck at Monaco's luxurious casino
Attend an open-air cinema
Discover the Moneghetti District
Attend the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix
See Fort Antoine theatre
Visit a circus
Tour the exotic garden of Monaco
Chill in a Japanese garden
Spend at least a day at Larvotto Beach
Go on a shopping spree
Indulge at the Monte Carlo Opera House
Experience life under the water
See the changing of the guards at Monaco's famous monolith
Visit a contemporary museum
Monaco Travel and Tour Packages
The principality of Monaco is a phenomenal destination in Western Europe. Its borders are graced by France and the enthralling Mediterranean Sea. Although Monaco is relatively small in size, it has an unending list of beautiful sights to see and fun activities. Its cultural scene is especially interesting. You'll see snippets of medieval Europe around this city-state-country as well as modern and state of the art facilities.
Best Places to Visit in Monaco
Although the official language in Monaco is French, there are many English, Italian, and Monégasque speakers. Wondering about the remarkable activities that will take you to movie-scene like destinations? Here's the perfect list:
The Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate in Monaco
If you're fond of impressive and intricate churches, the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate in Monaco will amaze you. Besides looking stellar, this church has a long history that started in 1875. This beautiful cathedral is the venue for Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly's marriage in 1956.
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Prince Rainier III reigned in Monaco for 56 years, and his tomb, as well as other princes, lies here. This beautiful cathedral continues to be a venue for traditional weddings were the bride and groom are thrown confetti of rice for good luck.
Casino Monte Carlo in Monaco
Monaco is stunning and wealthy, the perfect venue for a blackjack game and some roulette rounds. With one-third of its population being millionaires, you can expect world-class casinos from Monaco's premises.
One of the most astonishing places to play is Casino Café de Paris. If you're a beginner, they have many slot machines you can start with. Their website also has a quiz you can take to determine which of their available games best suits you. Don't forget to bring any luck charms for an even better play!
The Monaco Open Air Cinema photo via FB Page
If you love watching movies with a bunch of people, Monaco's open-air film showing is the largest in Europe. It takes place in Le Rocher de Monaco from mid-June until the first week of September. In this open space cinema, different films of varying genres are showcased every night.
You get to watch on a 200m2 screen, sit on a comfy chair, under the light of several starts, and overlooking the sea. The film is played at 9 p.m., but doors open 30 minutes earlier. If you find this the idyllic setup for a great film viewing, this activity is a must-experience for you.
Les Moneghetti By Timothy Titus at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, CC
This fascinating destination is home to many private villas established in the 20th century. Here, you can find peace and relaxation through luxurious lodging and fine dining.
It is also by this district, the les Moneghetti, where you can find the famous Parc Princesse Antoinette. This park sits on top of a hill and is a sought-after destination among families. If a century-old olive tree piques your curiosity, you'll find one here too.
If you're a racing enthusiast, this 260-kilometer race track is a must-see. It features a Formula One race every May on the Circuit de Monaco. Its racecourse is famous for the abrupt elevations, tight corners, tunnels, and challenging tracks. This is one of the most glamorous and prestigious automobile races in the world, making this a must-attend activity for you.
Fort Antoine Theatre
This 18th-century fortress-turned theatre is ecstatic to look at. It features a pyramid of canon balls at the center and an exquisite industrial aesthetic, which is a great contrast to the surrounding vibrant blue waters.
Apart from the theatre, you will also see the magnificent watchtower as well as learn about this landmark's history.
International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo By GeorgePrikkel – Own work, Public Domain, CC
Magic is just around you, and the performers of Monaco will show you exactly that. In Monaco's circus, prepare to have your hearts captivated while you get entertained beyond measure. Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival's team of entertainers has mastered the art of happiness, and their show can uplift a whole city's mood.
Apart from the wonderous stage, the admirable skills, incredible talent, and phenomenal showmanship of these performers are worth witnessing. If you are yet to attend a circus show, this got to be your first.
Jardin Exotique de Monaco By Georges Jansoone (JoJan) – Self-photographed, CC BY 3.0, CC
In the 1860s, some succulent plants were brought from Mexico to Monaco, and this set of plants grew to what would be the Jardin Exotique de Monaco. It is an alluring botanical garden that's beautifully located on a cliffside.
The location is breathtaking, just like the set of plants it gives shelter to. If you want a natural, invigorating view, this is a must-see for you.
Japanese Garden in Monaco By User:Parisette – Own work, Public Domain, CC
Nestled in beautiful Monaco is The Jardin Japonais, a Japanese garden that's 0.7 hectares in size. It features a beauteous mountain and hill that makes an exhilarating view. It also has a waterfall and beach, which is often the highlight of many trips.
If you prefer a quiet and peaceful environment, its garden is such an oasis! The beauty of this garden can be credited to the designer Yasuo Beppu who wonderfully created a landmark representing Shinto principles.
Larvotto Beach in Monaco photo via Depositphotos
If you want an ultimate pampering experience, Larvotto beach is the holiday getaway for you. You can bask under the sun as you get consumed by the exhilarating seafront. You'll have Monte Carlo on one side and France on the other.
This beach is one of the most glamorous in the world and is frequented by the rich and famous. Spend some time here, and the emerald green waters will surely amaze you.
Luxury Shopping in Monaco
Glamorous cities are always home to luxurious shopping. If you're interested in exquisite high-fashion brands and designer pieces, the Le Metropole Shopping Center should be your go-to place.
The shopping experience is elevated by the stunning marble floors, expensive staircases, and magnificent ceiling fixtures. Having a million-dollar shopping experience in the high-end boutiques of Monaco is certainly one for the books.
Immerse into Monaco's wonderous culture through the arts. This opera house has been showcasing stellar talent and creativity since 1879.
It is located inside Monaco's grande casino in Monte Carlo, making this place a must-visit if you want to have fun.
Oceanographic Museum of Monaco By Stanimir Stoyanov – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC
Every year, The Musee Oceanographique is visited by over 650,000 people. In this museum, you will have exceptional encounters with accommodating humpback whales, carpet sharks, vibrant barracudas, and fascinating fluorescent corals.
The facilities here will make you experience diving as if you're at the world's best diving spots. The amount of marine life in this breathtaking museum is so bountiful, and the atmosphere here is perfect. Be prepared to witness the colorful and diverse life underwater during your visit.
Rock of Monaco
The Rock of Monaco is a famous monolith that's 203 feet tall. From this fascinating landmark, you can see the vast Mediterranean Sea and the calming view of the Port of Hercules.
What makes this scenic spot extra special is it's being situated in the oldest part of the city. Apart from the glorious views, visitors look forward to viewing the changing of guards, which is fascinating.
Nouveau Musée National de Monaco is the French term for the New National Museum of Monaco. Often referred to as NMNM, this museum houses many varieties of contemporary visual art. It regularly displays exhibitions that are worth seeing, including an extensive collection of Kees van Dongen's work.
Also known as Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen, he is a Dutch-French painter famous for his work on fauvism. This style emphasizes strong colors and hints impressionism. View more of his art in Monaco's contemporary museum.
Monaco City Tour Bus
To help you plan out your visit to Monaco, we listed places to visit and other amazing activities to do in Monaco. We also listed some of the best travel and tour packages, as well as excellent flight deals and accommodation.
Searching for the best hotels, resorts, and affordable flights in the nearby Cities? Check out our list of affordable Monaco hotels and resorts via Agoda, or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.
Want more updates about new tourist attractions in Monaco? Follow #TeamOutofTown, on Facebook, and Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for more travel ideas.
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Timeline for first summons? I have a paralegal hired.
Thanks to this forum ive taken in alot of advice.
I require a drivers license for my job, and livelihood. If my license is revoked I have my back against the wall.
I was quoted 2-6 months for this process. Is it usually this long? My biggest concern is ensuring that I don't get my license suspended. With a fine, I can work weekends and take care of it that way. Without a car, I have no means to make money.
does anyone have advice, or past experience for this situation?
Re: Timeline for first summons? I have a paralegal hired.
The process will typically take a few months, longer if you go to trial versus working out a plea deal. Your only hope of avoiding the suspension is to either be found not guilty or have your representative work out a deal to a lesser offence.


Both the London Coliseum and this website are run by English National Opera Limited, a charity registered in England and Wales (charity number 257210) (VAT number 539 3482 20) at London Coliseum St Martin's Lane London WC2N 4ES ("ENO").
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text:
H.R. 5334 (113th)
H.R. 5334 (113th): Open Our Democracy Act of 2014
We don't have a summary available yet.
The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.
7/31/2014--Introduced. Open Our Democracy Act of 2014 - Requires all candidates for election to the House of Representatives to run in a single open primary, regardless of political party preference.
Limits the ensuing general election to the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the single open primary.
Gives candidates the option, at the time of filing to run for office, to declare a political party preference, which does not constitute or imply endorsement of the candidate by the party designated.
Treats the general election day in the same manner as a legal public holiday for purposes of federal employment.
Expresses the sense of Congress that private employers should give their employees a day off on the general election day in November 2016 and each even-numbered year thereafter to enable them to cast votes in elections held on that day.
Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to study the feasibility and desirability of enacting national standards and criteria for congressional redistricting.


text:
Moyashimon – 07
Posted by mewmew on November 23, 2007	 July 10, 2010 First Impressions / Moyashimon
Home First Impressions Moyashimon – 07
Kodomo no Jikan – 07
Ghost Hound – 06
Sirens ring and an army of students wearing black tights and armed with a paper fan (ハリセン/harisen) have locked the school gates shut. These same students are surrounding the gates and preventing anyone from entering and leaving the university campus.
Sawaki and Hazuki, who are still in one of their classes, wonder what the sirens could possible be for. The sirens are followed by an announcement indicating that the 7th Annual Spring Festival will now commence, and that the university has entered a state of school lockdown. The announcement reminds the students of the university's slogan, self-efficiency (自給自足/jikyuujisoku), and ends.
The two are able to find Misato and Kawahama after class, who explain just what exactly takes place during the spring festivals. Noticing that Kei has still not returned, the sophomores begin to explain the "rules" of the festival, which include:
Using the university-issued monetary unit, nou (農) for purchasing food and other miscellaneous items
Yen can be traded in for nou at the exchange booth(s) at the rate of 1 yen = 1 nou
Nou cannot be traded back for yen once the festival is over (lol)
Set rules are made for every festival, and the festival will not end unless a condition is made
The members of the 農士会 (noushikai), or the Agricultural Committee are wearing black spandex; their faces are wrapped around in cloth
The sophomores explain that the rules are gradually revealed by the students, and that the festival normally lasts for around three days. The four undergraduates receive paper balloons and paper fans to adorn (this year's rule), before stopping by a stall run by Professor Itsuki. Itsuki tells Hazuki that Aoi received strawberries from one of the different seminars, and has her depart for the microbiology lab.
Itsuki now addresses the three male students remaining ("moustache, fatty, and midget") and reveals the products he has for sale in his booth. These products include a specially prepared box of chocolate, liquor, traditional Chinese medicine, and burnt newt – all supposedly to help with "establishing relations with the opposite sex." The professor throws in a notebook of the "predicted effects" these products will have on every single female on campus as a bonus, and shows a photo of him with an attractive woman in a hotel as "proof" of how effective these specially formulated items are. Oh dear.
This suspect collection of Itsuki's aphrodisiacs is being offered for 100,000 nou, though, so the guys have no choice but to leave the professor's stall. They are still interested in trying to get their hands on these probably-phony items, though. A lighthearted discussion on who should go for which girl in the case that they do come up with the money (e.g., Sawaki and Hazuki) takes place in the shared baths.
By the time Sawaki, Misato, and Kawahama exit the dorms, they find their dormmates' paper balloon smashed by Agricultural Committee members – they are no longer able to purchase anything from the booths now, and had their precious nou taken away.
The second day of the festival continues as more students fall victim to the Committee. This is a good thing for Sawaki and the two sophomores, however, as they find out that they could also ambush the people wearing black tights – and confiscate their money as well.
This conversation ends as they are quickly surrounded by Committee members (who are still in their horrible outfits), but safely escape to the second floor of the microbiology lab and shut the balcony windows. Two of the tights-wearers have broken a rule (attempting to enter a campus building) and are deemed disqualified. One of them turns out to be Aya, the bartender and agricultural economics student. She hands them their 20,000 nou, and hints that the best time to strike the Committee members is when the sun is out.
Misato and Kawahama observe that the battle royal for cash is prohibited around the merchant stalls. Some students have also started to sell their own belongings out of desperation as their paper balloons have been popped and are unable to purchase food, while others (especially male students) have gradually collected nou from "hunting" Committee members in the hopes of purchasing a product from Professor Itsuki's booth.
Nighttime falls, and the students over at Misato and Kawahama's dorm greet them and Sawaki. They share some information they discovered, including the fact the Committee members can only move around in shadows or risk getting disqualified. They believe that popping the balloon of the leader of the Agricultural Committee may lead to a nice reward and end the festival…
Microbe Theater: A. oryzae listens to a pair of bacteria explain the benefits of having staphylococcus epidermidis on your scalp. These benefits include consuming any fat the scalp releases, and keeping the scalp slightly acidic to ward off most species of harmful microorganisms.
Converting real cash for university-issued monopoly money. Smacking other people's paper balloons with a paper fan to confiscate their cash. Committee members running loose in spandex, riding on horses and pole-vaulting around for more victims. Oh, and none of the students can leave the university grounds. This is without a doubt some of the more nutty school festivals out there, even in the anime world. Most of the people whose paper balloons aren't flattened yet – including Sawaki, Misato, and Kawahama – are all in it for Itsuki's set of love potion-esque
goods. I'm fairly positive their quest to purchase this 100,000 nou commodity will fail in one way or the other, but they'll probably do it in a hilarious way, so I can't wait. The festival ends when the university's front gates are opened up again, and that'll more or less take place next episode.
Next time: The latter half of the Spring Festival. I wonder if anyone will actually get Professor Itsuki's bogus and overpriced merchandise? More importantly, just what will it take for this year's festival to end?
looks good…kind of short preview though 🙂
Diabolikul
November 24, 2007 at 9:32 am	13 years ago
KaminaLives
Everyone's speechless because this show is so good!
Rembr
November 26, 2007 at 12:14 am	13 years ago
this episode seems like mad fun
hope the subs will catch up soon~
krumel
November 26, 2007 at 5:00 pm	13 years ago
It's "志", not "芯"
svld
@svld:
Thanks for the correction. The official website is calling the committee 農士会 instead of
農志会 though, which adds to the confusion -.-;
mewmew
ahahahahaha midget? was that referring to Sawaki? reminds of a similar-looking blond-haired State Alchemist…*cough*
yoruko
December 10, 2007 at 1:28 am	13 years ago


text:
Creme Exposure, Food Safety and Nutrition Conference 2012
Recognised world experts in their respective areas gave a range of high quality talks across the following themes:
Food Safety, Exposure and Risk Assessment
Exposure, Food Safety and Regulation
Aggregate Exposure Assessment
In the first session on Food Safety, Exposure and Risk Assessment theme, Bob Safford (Independent Consultant with 40 years experience in Unilever SEAC) talked about toxicology risk assessment and defining the safe dose for humans.
Cian O'Mahony from Creme then expanded on risk assessment describing dose response models focussing in particular on Microbial growth modelling software that Creme has been working on.
David Tennant introduced the upcoming ILSI GUIDEA initiative. The GUIDEA system will provide a valuable online resource for exposure assessment professionals with information and links to best practice methodologies and up-to-date data sources.
After a lively discussion around the posters and the Creme demo machines over coffee, the conference moved on to the Exposure, Food Safety and Regulation theme.
This session illustrated the extremely large data sets that regulators process and analyse in order to make the best possible decisions.
Fanny Heraud from EFSA showed the amount of data EFSA has to handle and process to carry out exposure assessments across Europe. EFSA runs their assessments for each country in Europe individually which takes very large scale data management and computing power.
Christina Tlustos from the FSAI showed some detailed analysis carried out for Ireland. The graphs were very impressive and answered the question we commonly hear "how many iterations should be run?" The answer that I have always used, since my time in Trinity College, is to run enough iterations so that the graphs of the statistic of interest are smooth. Christina illustrated this perfectly with the nice smooth graphs she presented.
Mike Bolger from the FDA gave the keynote speech which was one of the highlights of the conference. Mike demonstrated the level of detail and the high quality of science that the FDA requires before making any public announcement or decision. Mike explained how the FDA carries out detailed risk / benefit analyses of all issues before making any decision. For example, they have issued advisories for particular demographic groups (e.g. expectant mothers) regarding consumption of certain foods, rather than set an MRL limit which would potentially curtail the supply of healthy and beneficial foods for the population as a whole.
In the nutrition and health theme we had three excellent speakers: Mary Gilsenan from Leatherhead Food, Sandrine Pigat from Creme and Eileen Gibney from UCD.
Mary Gilsenan's talk educated us on the complex area of health claims and novel foods. Mary discussed the legalities and the level of science and evidence that is now required to have health claims granted in the EU.
Sandrine Pigat emphasised the high costs of nutrition-related, non communicable diseases. For example, strokes in the Republic of Ireland alone are estimated to cost more than €1BN annually, and cardiovascular disease in the US is estimated to cost more than $444BN each year. This shows the significant economic impact of nutrition and health matters to economies and how improved policy decisions could have a significant beneficial effect. Sandrine went on to show how validated scientific models and data can be used to better understand the issues and demonstrated how the Creme Nutrition models on food reformulation, food replacement and portion size control scenarios can be used to get the data needed to make better policy decisions.
Eileen Gibney from UCD took us through the fascinating future applications of personalised nutrition and the impact that it can have on health. Eileen showed how personalised nutrition is most practically applied at the level of clusters of similar people rather than the individual level. Eileen also went on to show how studies have shown that targeted nutritional interventions that are targeted based on genetic information (such as "super-tasters") can have a significant impact on the outcome of the effectiveness of diet plans.
The final session of the day was on Aggregate Exposure Assessment. First up was E.J. Daly from Creme who gave an excellent overview of the problems of combining distributions of exposure and the fact that summing percentiles does not give a clear picture of the exposure.
E.J. quoted the former CEO of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Dr. Richard Pike who said that "Merely adding arithmetically the proven reserves reported by each of the oil-rich countries of the world significantly underestimates the true figure. These data, instead need to be added probabilistically rather than arithmetically, with the result that the true reserves for the world may be nearly twice the conventional figure".
Because of the uncertainty around how much oil will be recoverable, reserves are calculated with a certain probability. A reserve estimate is given with for instance the 'P90' which means that there is a 90% chance that there is at least as much recoverable oil as the reserve estimate claims. The analogy was then made to reporting of P90's of population exposure from individual products, which cannot be easily combined to find the P90 of exposure from all products for the population (aggregate exposure).
E.J. went on to explain how the P90 aggregate exposure for the population can be calculated by combining exposures at the subject level, taking all relevant habits and practice data, probabilities and correlations into account in a robust model.
Sarah Tozer from P&G continued the aggregate exposure theme. Sarah outlined the need to address aggregate exposure and discussed the efforts being invested in this area including collaborations that are in place to develop a consistent, industry-wide approach.
Sarah outlined two aggregate exposure projects:
RIFM total exposure to fragrance materials used in consumer products
P&G project to assess the aggregate exposure for a broad spectrum antimicrobial in personal cleansing products.
Both projects have used the aggregate exposure methods and models developed by Creme and explained by E.J. in the previous talk.
The conference then closed and was followed by an enjoyable evening in the Unicorn restaurant followed by drinks in O'Donoghue's pub.
To read about day 2 of the conference, the demonstration day, see Creme Exposure, Food Safety and Nutrition Conference – Day 2 – Demonstration Day.
For more pictures from the conference click here.
Written by Cronan McNamara on April 26 2012


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text:
Cheryl Burke Teases Possible End to Dancing With the Stars Career
In a new podcast interview, Cheryl Burke teased her future with Dancing With the Stars. Find out why she may "hang up those shoes."
By Mike Vulpo Nov 02, 2020 7:07 PMTags
Reality TVDancing With The StarsPodcastCheryl BurkeCelebritiesEntertainment
Kelsey McNeal/ABC
All good things must come to an end.
As Dancing With the Stars continues with another must-see season, fans can't get enough of Cheryl Burke and her partner AJ McLean.
But while appearing on the Nov. 2 episode of Barstool Sports' Chicks in the Office podcast, Cheryl revealed that her time as a professional dancer on ABC's long-running series won't last forever.
"My hips don't lie and I'm starting to get tendonitis," she shared. "For a woman, as far as ballroom dancing competitively goes, normally in their 30s [you retire]—I'm 36—so it's time to hang up those shoes."
"I also don't want to be like that oldie that's like, 'Oh here comes Cheryl doing the same choreography, just going slow but in her head, she thinks she's going that fast,'" Cheryl continued while laughing. "I also don't want to I guess be a dancer and have my partner having to be like, 'Can't lift.' There's a time and a place for it all."
We Ranked Dancing With the Stars' Professional Dancers—All 47 of Them
With season 29 going full steam ahead, Cheryl expressed that there is one possibility she would like to experience.
Watch: Cheryl Burke & Matthew Lawrence on Reconnecting 11 Years Later
"I would love to sit at the judges table," the co-host of iHeartRadio's Pretty Messed Up podcast said. "It would be really great for me just to use my mouth and not my body."
"Four judges? It's fine," she joked. "Just give us each five seconds."
During her long career on Dancing With the Stars, Cheryl has won the mirror ball trophy with partners Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. She also was the runner-up in other seasons when dancing with Rob Kardashian and Gilles Marini.
Ultimately, every season brings new challenges and surprises and this year is no different. In addition to following strict COVID-19 guidelines on and off set, Cheryl recently suffered a head injury during rehearsal.
"I took a hard fall while rehearsing for #VillainsNight. It's one of those things that can happen in a split second," she wrote on Oct. 26 "Thankfully, I have the best partner I could ask for that was there to pick me up off the ground."
Spoiler alert: She's recovered and ready to dance on an all-new Dancing With the Stars airing Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC.


text:
Q: How can alter this poker script so that I can pick cards myself? There's this poker repo: https://github.com/fedden/poker_ai
In the README.md file there is a section titled "Playing a game of poker"
In this section the author provides a short script to play a round of poker using his repo:
from poker_ai import utils
from poker_ai.ai.dummy import RandomPlayer
from poker_ai.poker.table import PokerTable
from poker_ai.poker.engine import PokerEngine
from poker_ai.poker.pot import Pot

# Seed so things are deterministic.
utils.random.seed(42)

# Some settings for the amount of chips.
initial_chips_amount = 10000
small_blind_amount = 50
big_blind_amount = 100

# Create the pot.
pot = Pot()
# Instanciate six players that will make random moves, make sure
# they can reference the pot so they can add chips to it.
players = [
    RandomPlayer(
        name=f'player {player_i}',
        initial_chips=initial_chips_amount,
        pot=pot)
    for player_i in range(6)
]
# Create the table with the players on it.
table = PokerTable(players=players, pot=pot)
# Create the engine that will manage the poker game lifecycle.
engine = PokerEngine(
    table=table,
    small_blind=small_blind_amount,
    big_blind=big_blind_amount)
# Play a round of Texas Hold'em Poker!
engine.play_one_round()

This short script seems to work, but I would like to be able to play a round of poker but choosing each player's cards and the community cards myself. Currently this script only allows me to play a round of poker with random players doing random actions getting random cards which I cannot even see.
Solution I have tried
I've tried implementing card picking by making a small change in the repo.
I changed the pick() function in the deck.py file and the deal_card() function in the dealer.py file slightly, but it did not work for me, don't know why. Where I implemented input('Pick a card:') doesn't seem to work because I do not get prompted to pick cards when I run the round (and, in theory, the python inbuilt function input() should prompt me to type something when called). The small changes are shown below.
    def pick(self, random: int = 0) -> Card:
        """Return a card from the deck.

        Parameters
        ----------
        random : int
            If this is 0, return a completely random card, else return the
            next card in the deck (1), else you pick (2)

        Returns
        -------
        card : Card
            The card that was picked.
        """
        if not len(self._cards_in_deck):
            raise ValueError("Deck is empty - please use Deck.reset()")
        elif 0:
            index: int = np.random.randint(len(self._cards_in_deck), size=None)
        elif 1:
            index: int = len(self._cards_in_deck) - 1
        elif 2:
            index: int = self._cards_in_deck.index(input('Pick a card:'))
        card: Card = self._cards_in_deck.pop(index)
        self._dealt_cards.append(card)
        return card

    def deal_card(self) -> Card:
        """Return a completely random card."""
        return self.deck.pick(2)

After this change I tweaked the "Playing a game of poker" script printed above, and got this:
Script:
from poker_ai import utils
from poker_ai.poker.random_player import RandomPlayer
from poker_ai.poker.table import PokerTable
from poker_ai.poker.engine import PokerEngine
from poker_ai.poker.pot import Pot

# Seed so things are deterministic.
utils.random.seed(42)

# Some settings for the amount of chips.
initial_chips_amount = 10000
small_blind_amount = 50
big_blind_amount = 100

# Create the pot.
pot = Pot()
# Instanciate six players that will make random moves, make sure
# they can reference the pot so they can add chips to it.
players = [
    RandomPlayer(
        name='player 0',
        initial_chips=initial_chips_amount,
        pot=pot),
    RandomPlayer(
        name='jaime',
        initial_chips=56700,
        pot=pot)
]
# Create the table with the players on it.
table = PokerTable(players=players, pot=pot)
# Create the engine that will manage the poker game lifecycle.
engine = PokerEngine(
    table=table,
    small_blind=small_blind_amount,
    big_blind=big_blind_amount)

# Play a round of Texas Hold'em Poker!
table.pot.reset(), pp.pprint(players)
engine._assign_order_to_players(), pp.pprint(players)
engine._assign_blinds(), pp.pprint(players)
table.dealer.deal_private_cards(table.players), pp.pprint(players)
engine._betting_round(first_round=True), pp.pprint(players)
table.dealer.deal_flop(table), pp.pprint(players)
engine._betting_round(), pp.pprint(players)
table.dealer.deal_turn(table), pp.pprint(players)
engine._betting_round(), pp.pprint(players)
table.dealer.deal_river(table), pp.pprint(players)
engine._betting_round(), pp.pprint(players)
engine.compute_winners(), pp.pprint(players)
engine._round_cleanup(), pp.pprint(players)

Output:
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=10000 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56700 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=10000 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56700 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09950 n_bet_chips=00050 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56600 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09950 n_bet_chips=00050 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56600 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09900 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56600 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09900 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56600 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09900 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56600 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09900 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56600 n_bet_chips=00100 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09800 n_bet_chips=00200 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56500 n_bet_chips=00200 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09800 n_bet_chips=00200 folded=0>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56500 n_bet_chips=00200 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09800 n_bet_chips=00200 folded=1>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56500 n_bet_chips=00200 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09800 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=1>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56900 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=0>]
[   <Player name="player 0" n_chips=09800 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=1>,
    <Player name="jaime" n_chips=56900 n_bet_chips=00000 folded=0>]
(None, None)

As you can see, my attempt did not work, since at no point was I prompted to pick a card.
What should I change exactly in order to get this short script to allow me to pick the cards?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Harbor Advisory Committee is a citizen advisory body created and appointed by the Alpena City Council. It is a seven-member committee comprised of individuals with an interest in the operations of the City Marina and the navigable waters of the City of Alpena.
The mission of the Harbor Advisory Committee is to provide guidance and input on the operations, policies, and development of the City Marina and all navigable waters within the City of Alpena. The Harbor Advisory Committee meets on an as-needed basis, but usually once each spring prior to the start of each boating season and once each fall after the end of each boating season.
Don Gilmet, Building Official, oversees the operations of the City Marina and serves as the staff liaison to the Harbor Advisory Committee. The day-to-day operations of the City Marina are contracted to Thunder Bay Shores Marine by the City of Alpena. These Marina Managers also attend the meetings and provide consul to the Harbor Advisory Committee.


During a briefing at IDF this morning, Intel has started to outline its plans for deploying Intel Solid-State Drives to the market en-masse.
There will be two different options that are designed to cater for different markets and each option has a slightly different schedule for deployment to the market.
The higher-performance model, the Intel X25-E Extreme SATA Solid State Drive, will come in two capacities—32GB and 64GB—in a 2.5in form factor and is targeted at servers and high-performance computing markets. It is based on Single-Level Cell NAND Flash Memory technology and uses a ten parallel channel architecture. This enables some incredible performance, with sustained read and write speeds of up to 250MB/sec and 170MB/sec respectively.
Read latency is an impressive 75 microseconds, while Intel claims that the drive can deliver approximately 35,000 IOPS when reading and 3,300 IOPS when writing with 4KB blocks. Power consumption is also pretty good too, with peak power usage quoted at 2.4W and typical idle power drain quoted at 0.06W.
The Intel Mainstream SATA Solid State Drives come in both 1.8 and 2.5in form factors (and are known as the X18-M and X25-M respectively); they're based on Multi-Level Cell NAND Flash Memory using the same ten parallel channel architecture as the SLC-based Extreme drives. As a result of this, Intel is able to increase the storage capacities up to 80GB and 160GB.
However, because the mainstream drives use the slower Multi-Level Cell NAND technology in order to keep costs more reasonable, performance isn't quite as good. Read speeds are still rated at up to 250MB/sec, while the sequential write speed has taken a hit – it delivers just 70MB/sec, or half the throughput of the X25-E.
Read latency has also dropped to a still impressive 85 microseconds, but the good thing is that this has resulted in a reduction in power consumption. With a typical PC load, Intel claims that the drives will use just 0.15W of power at load, while idle power consumption remains at 0.06W. This, Intel claims, will result in up to 30 minutes of extra battery life—along with higher system performance—in notebooks.
Intel also talked briefly about MTBF and also why its drives are 'better by design'. The X25-E's MTBF is rated at two million hours, while the mainstream X25-M and X18-M models are rated at 1.2 million hours. Intel said it achieved these high MTBF values with its Advanced Dynamic Wear Levelling technology, which is designed to smooth the IO load across the drive's ten NAND chips for higher reliability and longevity.
In addition, Intel says that there is an extremely low Write Amplification Factor, which basically means the drives are able to deliver higher performance (with both SLC and MLC NAND flash) and also improve the drive's lifetime.
Availability of the drives is staggered, with the first drives being the 80GB X25-M and X18-M – both will enter volume production within 30 days, says Intel. The next drive to hit the market will be the X25-E 32GB drive, which Intel expects to enter volume production in the next 90 days. Finally, both the 160GB version of the mainstream drives and the 64GB X25-E are expected to start shipping in early 2009.
Are you excited by the prospects served up by Intel's SSD drives? Tell us in the forums.


Nottaki tek başına oynanabilir kısmı yukarıdaki soruya yönelik bir cevap mı? You are free to choose each land. During battle, you have the ability to not only lead an army full of hundreds of warriors and mythological creatures of all types, but you can also call on your God to lend a helping hand for a short period of time. New to the series is a full 3D graphics engine, increasing the level of detail to include certain weather effects and the ability to play during any time of the day or night. . Many elements of the Age of Empires series feature here, including the many economic options, an epic battle system and random maps.
If you play story mode, You will travel to each one by passing time. These powers would be limited. Other empires will try to attack you. Uyumluluk modunu windows 8 olarak deneyin, yemezse 7 olarak deneyin bakalım. It has also got great reviews by the critics. All of the soldiers have to obey you.
Eski sürüm 600 mb iken 2014 extended sürüm 2 gibidir. Oyunu normal kurup çalıştırdım ve bir sıkıntı fark etmedim şimdilik oyuna aşağı yukarı 10 defa girmişimdir. The graphics are acceptable but the gameplay is really amazing. Özet olarak eski bir sistem kullanıyorsanız ilk halini, oyunu ek paketsiz istiyorsanız 2. Kolay gelsin; Turbobit linkinden indirdiğim oyunu rar dosyasından çıkardığımda aşağıda ki hatayı alıyorum 2 defa indirmeme rağmen aynı hatayı alıyorum zaten diğer 2 link ise ölmüş vaziyette. For start, Build your palace at the center of city.
Hi, I keep trying download full game and when i click the link of mega it shows me only part1. Bu arada win 10 pro kullanıyorum. Zeus is one of them which has unbelievable powers. After choosing it, You have to defeat all the other lands with your powers. One of the greatest strategy games in the history! Yönetici-Cevap : Merhabalar Eski oyunları oynayacaksınız windows 7 veya windows 8. Try to be the best at the area or obey them until the end.
Resmi olarak windows 10 desteği yok görünüyor. Özellikle eski sistem sahibi arkadaşlar bu sürümü indirsin. Dosya boyutu olarakta farkları vardır. Age of Mythology have got many awards in 2002. So use them at the best situation. Bir de konuda ki age of myhtology yazan extended versiyonu değil herhalde? Windows 7 ve altı işletim sistemleri ile çalışır.
But be wary of the evil that lives around your kingdom, as they wish to destroy you and your God. Never be afraid of the other kingdoms. Players will be the god of the land. Increase the population with obtaining facilities. Choose your scenario from three, the ancient Greeks, the Norse or the Egyptians, and build your new world into a true kingdom fitting for the Gods that you follow. All of the story is based on the legends. Get ready for the fights between ancient gods! So there will be magical powers too.
How can i get the other parts so i can install teh game because is requesting me part2 during instalaion? Yine onların altında yer alan güncelleme paketleri bu sürüme ait. İlk oyunun bir nevi güncellenmiş, iyileştirilmiş hali. Because they want resources like yours to increase their power. It means that we are facing a masterpiece. Ayrıca konuda uyumlu sistemler yer almaktadır, onlara dikkat etmek gerekiyor, dikkat edelim onlara : gerçekten önemli.
Players have to hire some workers to do it. Multiplayer maps are also included, allowing all-on-all or ally battles. Bu ek paketin çıkış tarihi ise 2016'dır. . . .


text:
Topics:Content moderation, Facebook, Government, Internet, Mobile, Policy, privacy, Social Media
Facebook roundup: UK Parliament, location tracking, content takedown and more
Trisha Jalan
Facebook tracks location data of users as potential threats
Facebook is able to track the user data of individuals who may pose a threat to the company or its executives, reports CNBC, citing several former Facebook employees. The company maintains a log of who Facebook's security team must be "on the look out for", a "BOLO" list. The list includes everyone who makes threatening remarks against Facebook's services or employees. Facebook tracks such people by using their IP addresses or looking through their usage of other services to ascertain a location, which they may later hand over to the police. BOLO contains "hundreds" of names, and enlists situations under which a name can be added to the list.
Facebook & YouTube take down animal bloodsports videos from the UK
Facebook and YouTube have taken down content promoting illegal bloodsports after the BBC conducted an investigation into the spread of graphic videos and photos showing banned cockfighting and hare coursing in the UK. Facebook removed one user, and said that the content must "respect local laws". YouTube said that it had removed all material highlighted by the BBC that broke its guidelines. However, the material largely remains online on private and public groups, the BBC said.
The BCC investigated YouTube and Facebook users/accounts over several months, including 2 private groups which had 31,000 members altogether. The content included:
Images and videos of hare being caught and mauled by dogs, cock-fighting, and people mocking the ban on such activities
Underage kids are featured in some of the content
Police forces across the UK said that the organisers used social media apps to share and livestream material
UK lawmakers say Facebook violated privacy and competition law
UK lawmakers have said that Facebook was violating privacy and competition laws, and singled out CEO Mark Zuckerberg, stating that he showed "contempt" towards the UK Parliament by not appearing before it. The statements came in a report published by the UK Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. The report reviews internal emails and documents obtained as a result of a lawsuit filed by 'Six4Three' against Facebook. (see more here)
According to the committee, Facebook was "willing to override users' privacy settings to transfer data" to app developers.
"Companies like Facebook should not be allowed to behave like 'digital gangsters' in the online world, considering themselves to be ahead of and beyond the law."
Facebook said that the documents has been selectively leaked" to tell "only one side of the story."
Facebook suspends video channels connected to the Russian government
Facebook has suspended three video channels – which have raked up 30 million views – over the lack of disclosures that the pages were backed by the Russian government, reports Gizmodo. The pages are run by Maffick Media, whose majority stakeholder is Ruptly, an RT subsidiary, which is funded by the Russian government. Disclosures were not made even on Maffick Media's politically leaning pages like Soapbox and Backthen.
Facebook suspended the company account saying that it would require the company to disclose where the pages are run from – Germany – and their affiliation with their parent company for their pages to become active again.
In this article:Content moderation, Facebook, Government, Internet, Mobile, Policy, privacy, Social Media
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Aroon Deep15 hours ago
Facebook, Twitter to depose to Parliamentary IT Committee on Jan 21
The Standing Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology, headed by Congress politician Shashi Tharoor, has called on representatives of Facebook, Twitter, and the Ministry of...
With 750 million monthly visits, India is Wikipedia's fifth largest audience
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Signal faces global outage following 'technical difficulties'
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Soumyarendra Barik4 days ago


Facebook tracks all users as part of its program to send them targeted adds. It places tracking cookies on your computers and mobile devices to snoop out your location and your online activity.
Once these tracking markers are buried in your computer or mobile device, Facebook can track even those who have turned off their Facebook app. Every time you click a like button or a link in your web browser, Facebook snags your activity and adds it to your advertising profile.
Facebook uses this stash of information about you to send targeted ads to the webpages you visit. Other internet advertisers buy lists of tracked data from numerous suppliers, including social media outlets and websites whose users must log-in.
Facebook recently modified its user settings so you can block much of this tracking activity. You can not turn off ads, but you can stop the flow of targeted ads and just be annoyed with generic advertising.
Click here to see your advertising preferences. You can remove a topic by clicking any x button. Be sure to edit every option. Select NO wherever possible. Otherwise, select the least invasive choices. Remember, your goal is to minimize the flow of data Facebook gets about you as much as possible.
You can go beyond Facebook settings to control how websites use your browsing activities. The Digital Advertising Alliance lets you opt out of the tracking programs that the internet's most determined trackers use.
You can also register on Do Not Track, as well as using the same setting in your web browser. But Facebook and other social network entities do not recognize that protocol.
Mobile devices offer similar options in their web browsers. Your best bet is to turn off the Facebook app and use a web browser to access that and other social network sites. The Facebook app is a resource hog on top of being a tracking magnet. Be sure to vigilantly set all the privacy and security settings available on your smartphone.
Do not make it easy for your digital details to become available to digital dumpster divers. Block as much of the information sharing as you can. For example, when you link your sign-in to a social media site such as Facebook or an internet services company like Google, you hand over lots of information about yourself to other advertisers who then can track you.
Linked log-ons open a side door to your social media profiles. This gives trackers your email address, phone number, school location and work history. If you keep your mobile devices' location services turned on, you also hand over your current and regular locations.
Who cares? You should. Your shared data spreads to apps your contacts use. That widens the circle of details in your advertising profile.


text:
Unwrapped Stories: Clean water in a time of crisis
by oxfamcanada | December 8, 2015
Background media: gia_senegal_safe_drinking_water.jpg
When Jean Bassette first visited communities near Kolda, Senegal, people were struggling to find enough food following a bad harvest the previous year. A specialist in emergency response working for Oxfam in West Africa, Bassette knows from experience that in a food crisis, clean water is essential to help people avoid waterborne diseases and get the most nutrition possible out of what food they can find.
In one Senegalese village called Fafacourou, he said the chief brought him to see the wells from which the residents got their drinking water. The wells were in poor condition, and the water was very cloudy. "He was very conscious that the level of malnutrition there was directly linked to the water, sanitation, and hygiene situation," Bassette said months later. "It was really sad, particularly when he explained the effect of the food crisis on the community, and particularly the many children affected by malnutrition and diarrhea."
Bassette and his team were determined to improve the quality of drinking water around Kolda. They decided to try an idea previously used in Haiti during a cholera epidemic: chlorine dispensers. These consist of a small container with a ball valve that releases a measured dose of chlorine solution into containers of well water before villagers carry them home.
Oxfam worked with a local partner organization, FODDE, to position 98 chlorine dispensers at 49 water points so that 1,951 families could treat their own water. FODDE and Oxfam held meetings to train people how to use the dispensers, and promoted their use in radio programs. FODDE trained local public health promoters to maintain and stock the dispensers, and to encourage families to use them. "This project had an unbelievable level of community participation," said Bassette. "Local management committees, mostly women, took responsibility for filling the dispensers with the chlorine solution, and they were involved in all aspects of the project."
A few months later, a survey found that the majority of families were successfully treating their water with chlorine. As one woman told Bassette, "Before the project, our community had a lot of cases of diarrhea and malnutrition, and people spent a lot of money at the hospital, despite their modest means. Sometimes we would lose our children. Since this project started, there have been significant changes in our community.'"
this holiday season, give the gift of saFe water to those who neded most:


text:
Q: Avoiding $onlyActive boolean parameter I recently started using phpmd to detect bad coding practices and fix them. My project uses the Laravel 4 php framework and I implement a repository pattern.
So I have a class called EloquentProductRepository which interacts with the product tables in my database. Some methods like the all() method have a boolean parameter called $onlyActive. When true it only fetches the active products, otherwise all are returned.
Phpmd tells me that boolean parameters are a certain sign of violation of the single responsibility pattern. So I did some reading and agree that booleans should probably be avoided. Now my question is how should I refactor this with regards to maintainability, readability and extendibility?
The method is rather simple and looks as follows
/**
 * Fetches all products
 *
 * @param boolean $onlyActive Flag for only returning active products
 * @return Collection
 */
public function all($onlyActive = true)
{
    if ($onlyActive)
    {
        return $this->model->where('active', true)->get();
    }

    return $this->model->all();
}

I see 2 options. One is using an $options array instead with a key 'include_inactive'. The other option is creating 2 methods. all() and allWithInactive(). I currently have 3 methods using the $onlyActive boolean so the last option would add 3 methods to my class which might make the class rather large on methods. (phpmd prefers classes to have no more than 10 public methods)

A: You basically have two different functions - so this is how I would do it
public function getAll()
{
    return $this->model->all();
}

public function getOnlyActive()
{
    return $this->model->where('active', true)->get();
}

Note the function names - getAll() does exactly that - ALL records, no exceptions. The getOnlyActive() does exactly that - only active records - there is no "all" in that function name, because it doesnt get "all".