text:
"Resonance Is a Very Personal Thing": Hillary Leftwich Chats with Teague von Bohlen, author of the flash fiction collection FLATLAND
Heavy Feather February 13, 2020 May 11, 2021 Feature Interviews
Teague von Bohlen is a Midwestern man at heart, and his latest collection, Flatland, represents, both verbally as well as visually, the heartbreak, trauma, and desolation that embody the Midwest region where von Bohlen was born and raised. A Colorado Book Award winner, professor, and editor, von Bohlen and I had a week-long email conversation where I dug for the root of his inspiration, heartbreak, and what his hopes are for the future.
Teague von Bohlen is an associate professor of fiction at the University of Colorado Denver, where he serves as one of the fiction editors for the national literary magazine Copper Nickel. He works the literary, pop-culture, and commentary beats for the alt-weekly Westword, and his short fiction has been seen in venues like Hobart, Saranac Review, and Split Lip. His first novel, The Pull of the Earth, won the Colorado Book Award for Fiction, and his most recent book, Flatland, a collection of flash fiction and photography with Britten Leigh Traughber, is available to preorder now. Find out more here.
Hillary Leftwich: People know you from The Denver Westword, as a professor at University of Colorado Denver, and from winning The Colorado Book Award for fiction in 2007. But your latest book, Flatland, seems to dive into something completely different than what we're used to seeing from you artistically. Tell me how you got the idea for Flatland and what direction were you wanting this newest collection to go?
Teague von Bohlen: The idea for Flatland came from two sources, the first being my growing affection for the flash fiction form. Flash seemed interesting to me in terms of scope, but it won me over with its minimalism. As a fan of Raymond Carver from way back, I appreciated saying big things in small ways. I started playing with the form little by little, telling the stories of the people in the heartland of the country where I grew up.
I was working in flash fiction here and there, and my cousin Britten Traughber was graduating from her MFA in Photography from Illinois State. She was doing these breathtaking pieces of Midwestern landscape. Puzzle pieces were matching up between those images and what I was doing with these flash stories, also set in rural Illinois. I made the trip to go to her master's show, and the idea for me was born on her porch drinking Blueberry ale until the wee hours of an April morning.
I'm still a little obsessed with the place where I grew up. Call it the Midwest, call it America's breadbasket, call it flyover country—we have lots of names for that part of the nation, and not nearly enough stories about it. So, it's something I keep coming back to, not only because the place and the people are important—though they are—but also because it's so universal. I do readings, and people from all over the country talk about how much they recognize their own small-town experience in the stories, no matter where they're from in terms of simple geography.
There's also some selfishness to it all too—I want my kids to understand the world I knew, this world that's falling away in pieces. It does everywhere, of course, but so much of the rest of the world is mapped, marked, noticed. So much changes so quickly. So, there's a part of me that wants to capture these lives and these places in print, to ensure their legacy in some small way.
HL: It sounds like both a selfish as well as an unselfish endeavor. I'm curious, tell us more about growing up in the heartland. Who was the biggest influence on your writing? How did you wind up in Colorado? Did this move impact your style of writing?
TB: My upbringing was essentially split into two eras: a very down-home early life in Illinois, surrounded by family and farm towns large and small. My cousins were more like brothers and sisters to me; I'd spend as much time with my grandma as I could in the summers. It was, looking back, idyllic in that respect, which is why my heart has stayed there to some degree. This was in the 70s and early 80s; I come from a multicultural family, which was tough then—lots of racism that was just fundamental. I got into my share of fights defending my brother and younger sister. But I was still only a witness to it; I could fight it directly, but I could also go to the mall and not have people look at me sideways just because of the shade of my skin. So, my idyllic childhood was probably just mine, I understand—my siblings would have very different stories to tell.
As for writing, I read voraciously as a kid. Won some Young Author contests in elementary school, one in fifth grade by completely re-writing (ripping off!) the storyline for the Fantastic Four comic book origin story. But I was always writing and reading. Loved Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends and Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth, moved on to the Boxcar Children and Great Brain books, found Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series (if all you know about those books is Disney movie The Black Cauldron, do yourself a favor and read a kid The Book of Three. So good.) That led me into Dungeons & Dragons and Conan and Dragonlance and Ray Feist and Joel Rosenberg and Glen Cook and assorted fantasy novels for most of my pre-teen and teen years. During this whole time, I was also devouring comic books—mostly superhero stuff, but I loved Archie and Richie Rich and Uncle Scrooge as a kid—and fell in love with that medium. I credit D&D and comics (thank you, Stan Lee) for having a better vocabulary at thirteen than I would have otherwise.
I can trace a similar line from about twelve or thirteen up through my awakening to literary fiction—I honestly think it started with S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, which is kid lit but affected me enormously. I remember finishing that book in the lunchroom at my junior high, with Ponyboy coming full circle to the beginning, and being floored by that as a technique. That book led me to other books, and I read Poe and Dickens and a little Vonnegut and rediscovered Twain (when you grow up in the Midwest, a trip to Hannibal, Missouri, with a ride on a riverboat, is pretty much standard). I never understood how my friends were resentful of having to read these books in high school—Animal Farm and 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Catch-22, Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness, Moby Dick, Pride & Prejudice, Gatsby, and so on. They were all so good.
I moved here to Denver to start a life and a family; Colorado was a great reconciliation between what I loved from both Illinois and Arizona—it was dry like Arizona but had seasons like Illinois. The way of life fit me, and I was able to land a job at the University of Colorado Denver, in 1999 and work my way up through the different academic strata. I feel fortunate for a lot of things but one of those things is having been able to build a life and a career here in Denver.
All that said, living in Denver didn't just impact my writing. My experiences here have given me the great opportunity to support myself through teaching and journalism while giving me space to write fiction about places 1000 miles to the east. This is a great town for creativity; that Denver has hosted my development as a regionalist—regionalism of a place specifically not local—is testament to that.
HL: Ah yes, S.E. Hinton should be required reading (though why anyone would think of her writing as required is beyond me) in every child's life. Elaborate on how you were looking for more. Do you still feel that need, even now? What is your favorite piece in Flatland, and how is that title an intentional (or unintentional) play on "heartland"?
TB: I think I'm always looking for more; more of what the greats wrote, more techniques they employed, all of that. I think all writers and academics—and maybe just readers in general—do. It's what keeps us going, that sense of discovery. I'll never get around to reading everything that interests me. There's a beauty in that; on an endless journey, the journey itself more easily becomes the point. It reminds me of that great episode of The Twilight Zone with Burgess Meredith as the voracious reader who survives a nuclear blast—he suddenly has all the time in the world to read all the books he always wanted, and then he breaks his glasses. It's the usual twist-ending that Rod Serling was so brilliant with, but that ending always gutted me. Bothered me to no end, even as a kid. In my head, I fixed it for him: there's a ruined Lenscrafters across the street. There. Now it's all better.
HL: I laugh about that ending myself. It's a great example, for those of us who adore books, of our shared nightmare.
TB: "Flatland" is just one of the many names that the great plains of the Midwest goes by, but yeah, it seemed to fit the stories I wanted to tell, and what my cousin was doing with her photography too. Not as a pejorative, of course—and explaining how I saw the "flat-ness" of that part of the country was one of the reasons I wrote the titular story in the book. I see the flat as deceptive; flat seems to suggest simple, but it's not, just like a linear horizon can trick you into thinking that it's smooth. But nothing is as plain as it seems, and the Midwest has as many secrets and complexities as anyplace else in the world.
My favorite piece from Flatland—that's a tough question. It changes every time I read it. I have to break it down by category to some degree—I love "Now Hiring at the Hog Trough" because of its humor. I love "All His Shirts" because I wrote it for my partner, and I can't get enough of the smile she has every time she hears it. I love "On the Passing of the Last Small Farmer" because it's one of the most personal stories in the book—it was originally an elegy for a great uncle who was the last of my grandfather's generation to pass. That story has already been read at three funerals back home that I know of, and I'm deeply humbled that so many families have seen themselves in that story so much that they read it as a goodbye to someone.
HL: Goodbyes are always hard to forget, at least the good ones. I'm curious, why did you decide on Flatland as the final title if there are so many more names? Does this tie into the collection rather than, say, "Heartland" would?
I also want to know if you would consider "On the Passing of the Last Small Farmer" is the key story to your collection—and if not, what do you feel is the root or the heart of these pieces?
TB: It's a good question; I think part of it came from the idea of the linear horizon being prominent in so many of the early photos, of which the cover shot was one. And the "flat-ness" of place there was something I wanted to play with. The other names were either too on-the-nose or too commonly used somehow. "Heartland" is too direct a metaphor; it's also the name of a community college back home and a popular Canadian TV series, so it rings as overused. Flatland … I don't know … there's inherent poetry there—and it's a title that raises questions, just like the ones you're asking, that I hope make people want to read the book.
I think that story is key for me, yes, which is strange because it came late in the writing of the collected stories. But that's the beautiful thing about a short story collection; it's not up to me as the author to decide what the key story might be. Resonance is a very personal thing. I've had readers claim different stories as their own, and I love to hear why. One woman at a reading came up to me and told me that she couldn't stop reading "Two Twenties" because it was so romantic. Everyone brings different perspectives to these stories, and readers get to attach to them in their own private ways. Happens with all stories, novels included, but short story collections set out a much larger buffet.
HL: Resonance is a very personal thing, not one to be questioned (or explained). But you do it so naturally. One last question: What one piece of advice would you give your younger writer self you wish you knew then but know now?
TB: Don't overthink it. Just write. The rest will come.
Buy directly from Bronze Man Books
Hillary Leftwich earned her MFA in fiction and poetry from the Mile High MFA at Regis University in Denver. She is co-host for At the Inkwell Denver, a monthly reading series. Her first book, Ghosts Are Just Strangers Who Know How to Knock, was published by Civil Coping Mechanisms in October 2019. Find her online at hillaryleftwich.com.
Britten Leigh Traughber, Bronze Man Books, flash fiction, Flatland, Hillary Leftwich, interview, Teague von Bohlen
Previous Noreen Hernandez on Tina May Hall's debut novel THE SNOW COLLECTORS from Dzanc Books
Next Lucy Zhang: "Raising Wings," a flash fiction for Bad Survivalist


text:
import string, itertools

import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import Graphics as artist
import matplotlib.gridspec as gridspec

from matplotlib import rcParams
from awesome_print import ap

plt.xkcd()
def jaccard_similarity(a,b):
	a = set(a)
	b = set(b)

	try:
		return len(a & b)/float(len(a | b))
	except:
		return 0

def unique_words(aStr):
	return ' '.join([word for word in set(aStr.split())])

def on_draw(event):
    """Auto-wraps all text objects in a figure at draw-time"""
    import matplotlib as mpl
    fig = event.canvas.figure

    # Cycle through all artists in all the axes in the figure
    for ax in fig.axes:
        for artist in ax.get_children():
            # If it's a text artist, wrap it...
            if isinstance(artist, mpl.text.Text):
                autowrap_text(artist, event.renderer)

    # Temporarily disconnect any callbacks to the draw event...
    # (To avoid recursion)
    func_handles = fig.canvas.callbacks.callbacks[event.name]
    fig.canvas.callbacks.callbacks[event.name] = {}
    # Re-draw the figure..
    fig.canvas.draw()
    # Reset the draw event callbacks
    fig.canvas.callbacks.callbacks[event.name] = func_handles

def autowrap_text(textobj, renderer):
    """Wraps the given matplotlib text object so that it exceed the boundaries
    of the axis it is plotted in."""
    import textwrap
    # Get the starting position of the text in pixels...
    x0, y0 = textobj.get_transform().transform(textobj.get_position())
    # Get the extents of the current axis in pixels...
    clip = textobj.get_axes().get_window_extent()
    # Set the text to rotate about the left edge (doesn't make sense otherwise)
    textobj.set_rotation_mode('anchor')

    # Get the amount of space in the direction of rotation to the left and
    # right of x0, y0 (left and right are relative to the rotation, as well)
    rotation = textobj.get_rotation()
    right_space = min_dist_inside((x0, y0), rotation, clip)
    left_space = min_dist_inside((x0, y0), rotation - 180, clip)

    # Use either the left or right distance depending on the horiz alignment.
    alignment = textobj.get_horizontalalignment()
    if alignment is 'left':
        new_width = right_space
    elif alignment is 'right':
        new_width = left_space
    else:
        new_width = 2 * min(left_space, right_space)

    # Estimate the width of the new size in characters...
    aspect_ratio = 0.5 # This varies with the font!!
    fontsize = textobj.get_size()
    pixels_per_char = aspect_ratio * renderer.points_to_pixels(fontsize)

    # If wrap_width is < 1, just make it 1 character
    wrap_width = max(1, new_width // pixels_per_char)
    try:
        wrapped_text = textwrap.fill(textobj.get_text(), wrap_width)
    except TypeError:
        # This appears to be a single word
        wrapped_text = textobj.get_text()
    textobj.set_text(wrapped_text)

def min_dist_inside(point, rotation, box):
    """Gets the space in a given direction from "point" to the boundaries of
    "box" (where box is an object with x0, y0, x1, & y1 attributes, point is a
    tuple of x,y, and rotation is the angle in degrees)"""
    from math import sin, cos, radians
    x0, y0 = point
    rotation = radians(rotation)
    distances = []
    threshold = 0.0001
    if cos(rotation) > threshold:
        # Intersects the right axis
        distances.append((box.x1 - x0) / cos(rotation))
    if cos(rotation) < -threshold:
        # Intersects the left axis
        distances.append((box.x0 - x0) / cos(rotation))
    if sin(rotation) > threshold:
        # Intersects the top axis
        distances.append((box.y1 - y0) / sin(rotation))
    if sin(rotation) < -threshold:
        # Intersects the bottom axis
        distances.append((box.y0 - y0) / sin(rotation))
    return min(distances)

data = {}

for name in ['eigvecs','projections','eigvals']:
	data[name] = np.array(np.loadtxt('../data/%s'%name))

TEXT = 1
punkt = set(string.punctuation)
stopwords = set(open('stopwords').read().splitlines())
text = [line.lower() for line in open('../data/cleansed_abstracts','rb').read().splitlines()]
text = [' '.join([''.join(ch for ch in word if ord(ch)<128) for word in line.split()
		if word not in stopwords and 'file://' not in word and not any([ch in punkt for ch in word])]) for line in text]
basis_vectors = [unique_words(line.split(':')[TEXT]) for line in open('../data/lda-topics.txt','rb').read().splitlines()]

data['vocab'] = text
#Calculate Jaccard similarity of one text document with basis vectors
projections  = np.array([[jaccard_similarity(vector,sample) for vector in basis_vectors] for sample in data['vocab']])
orthogonal_projections = projections.dot(data['projections'])

max_color = max(orthogonal_projections.max(),projections.max())
min_color = min(orthogonal_projections.min(),projections.min())

#Figure out words in each eigentopic
all_words = list(set(list(itertools.chain.from_iterable([vector.split() for vector in basis_vectors]))))

#positive words
pos_words = set(' '.join([basis_vectors[i] for i,vl in enumerate(np.sort(data['projections'][0,:])) if vl>0]).split())
neg_words = set(' '.join([basis_vectors[i] for i,vl in enumerate(np.sort(data['projections'][0,:])) if vl<0]).split())
tmp = neg_words

pos_words -= neg_words
tmp -= pos_words
neg_words = tmp

pos_words = ' '.join(pos_words)
neg_words = ' '.join(neg_words)

fig = plt.figure()
ax = fig.add_subplot(111)
ax.scatter(orthogonal_projections[:,0],orthogonal_projections[:,1],c=orthogonal_projections[:,2],cmap=plt.cm.jet)
ax.annotate(' '.join(pos_words.split()[:4]), xy=(.1, .95), xycoords='axes fraction',fontsize=14,color='green')
ax.annotate(' '.join(pos_words.split()[4:8]), xy=(.1, .9), xycoords='axes fraction',fontsize=14,color='green')

ax.annotate(' '.join(neg_words.split()[:4]), xy=(.1, .8), xycoords='axes fraction',fontsize=14,color='red')
ax.annotate(' '.join(neg_words.split()[4:8]), xy=(.1, .75), xycoords='axes fraction',fontsize=14,color='red')

fig.canvas.mpl_connect('draw_event', on_draw)
artist.adjust_spines(ax)
ax.set_xlabel('1st Eigentopic')
ax.set_ylabel('2nd Eigentopic')
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig('../images/scatterplot-xkcd.png',dpi=300)

'''
fig = plt.figure(figsize=(12,5))
gspec = gridspec.GridSpec(1, 3,width_ratios=[4,5,3])
nonorthogonal = plt.subplot(gspec[0])
orthogonal = plt.subplot(gspec[1])
scree = plt.subplot(gspec[2])

nonorthogonal.imshow(projections,interpolation='nearest',aspect='auto', vmin=min_color,vmax=max_color)
cax = orthogonal.imshow(orthogonal_projections,interpolation='nearest',aspect='auto',vmin=min_color,vmax=max_color)
scree.plot(data['eigvals']/data['eigvals'].sum(),'k.-',linewidth=2)

orthogonal.set_xlabel('Eigentopics')
orthogonal.set_title('Orthogonalized')
nonorthogonal.set_xlabel('Topics')
nonorthogonal.set_ylabel('Abstracts')
nonorthogonal.set_title('Not Orthogonalized')
scree.set_xlabel('Eigenvector')
scree.set_ylabel('Fraction of Variance')

map(artist.adjust_spines,[nonorthogonal,orthogonal,scree])
cbar = plt.colorbar(cax,ax=orthogonal,use_gridspec=True)
cbar.set_label('Projection')
plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig('../images/orthogonal-nonorthogonal-projections')
'''

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The CCA hopes to cultivate the "Disciplined Mind" through its rigorous training in the physical and mental domains of the players.
Volleyball instills within its members an acute awareness of effective teamwork. The players undergo physical skills training that also increases their fitness levels, and also the soft skills of communication, and the values of resoluteness and perseverance.


text:
using System;
class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {

        int n = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
        int bottom = 2 * n;
        int height = 2 * n + 1;
        int counter = n - 1;
        int dots = n - 1;
        Console.Write(new string('.',n));
        Console.WriteLine(new string('*', n));

        for (int i = 0; i < counter; i++)
        {
            Console.Write(new string('.', dots));
            dots--;
            Console.Write("*");
            Console.Write(new string('.', n - 1));
            n++;
            Console.WriteLine("*");

        }

        Console.WriteLine(new string('*',bottom));

    }
}


Let us start with what does a skyscraper mean: Quoting a wikipedia definition here, "A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building. There is no official definition nor height above which a building may clearly be classified as a skyscraper. Most cities define the term empirically; even a building of 80 meters (262 feet) may be considered a skyscraper if it protrudes above its built environment and changes the overall skyline."
The skyscrapers were not new to common man even couple of centuries back. Examples of such astonishing creations include the pyramids in Egypt, most of the the towers in Italy and the gothic cathedrals of France. In contrast to the present day skyscrapers, which are built by steel, high quality reinforced cement concrete and glass, these were built with masonry or stone walls supporting most of the weight (load-bearing walls), including that of the floors, the people, and everything the rooms contained.
Most of the early structures were built more for the desire to build big. Big buildings have been used to show off power and wealth, to show case the limits of what's possible and even as simple competition among owners, families, architects, and builders. Although some of the structures also had significant importance from a security point of view.
However modern day skyscrapers were built more from a utility popint of view rather than prestige. It all started from Chicago, the industrial city of America. In 1871, Chicago city experienced explosive growth forcing people to strain against its natural boundaries. By the 1880s, the available land for new buildings in this area could not keep up with demand. What was left for them then was to build up. And with this new building method, the skyscraper was born and the race for the tallest building began.
The race for sky began by the end of ninteenth century. The buildings were lunging to the sky. But in order to achieve the desired height, construction techniques had to change. A new method of building was developed that used a grid of steel beams and columns strong enough to support any stresses or forces a building might experience, including both the weight of the floor and the building contents, as well as the force of wind or even, in some areas, earthquakes. Concrete became another most common materials, beyond the steel supports, because it is enormously versatile. With central structure complete in solidarity, the architects were free to experiment with other materials for the outer skull. Here entered glass. Since steel was able to take almost all of the weight, the skin was just required to sheild the building from weather. Using glass meant the building could allow maximum light and keep the weather out. So glass walls became very popular also because they were cheaper-than masonry or concrete and at the same time they made the buildings look extremely beautiful.
The tallest building in ancient times was the Great Pyramid of Giza in ancient Egypt, which was 146 metres (480 ft) tall and was built in the 26th century BC. Its height was not surpassed for thousands of years, possibly until the 14th century AD with the construction of the Lincoln Cathedral (though its height is disputed), which in turn was not surpassed in height until the Washington Monument in 1884.
In the early 20th century, corporations built skyscrapers for the promotional value to increase name recognition. Among the early skyscrapers in Manhattan were the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower (700 feet, 50 stories), the Woolworth Building (the world's tallest from 1913-1930 at 792 feet, 60 stories), the Bank of Manhattan (927 feet, 71 stories), and the heavily decorated Chrysler Building (briefly the world's tallest in 1930 at 1046 feet, 77 stories). The Chrysler Building soon lost its crown to the Empire State Building, built during the Depression by a real estate developer, which reached a stunning 1,250 feet and 102 stories. The Empire State Building would reign supreme among skyscrapers for 41 years until 1972, when it was surpassed by the World Trade Center (1,368 feet, 110 stories). Two years later, New York City lost the distinction of housing the tallest building when the Sears Tower was constructed in Chicago (1450 feet, 110 stories). And twenty-four years later, for the first time the tallest skyscraper was no longer in the United States at all, but in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the Petronas Towers were built in 1998 (1483 feet, 88 stories).
The tallest completed building so far in the 21st century is Taipei 101, built in Taiwan in 2004, which tops out at 1,670 feet and 101 stories. Currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Burj Dubai is expected to be completed in 2009. As of September 2008, Burj Dubai was 2,320 feet tall with 160 completed floors. The exact height is top secret but is estimated to be at least 2,684 feet and 167 floors. If it reaches this height, which is close to a half mile tall, it will be tallest man made structure of any kind in history.
 Very good article, Mayur!
PS: Just a hint. Our next small talk is going to be related to skyscrappers! Yay!
Just a quick update from Karnataka in the concept of sky scrapers . Karnataka's state govt. has decided to make 100 storeys trade center in Bangalore inspired by New York's WTC(World Trade Center). It is going to be India's tallest tower and central hub for trade.


Optimum energy in high wind environments.
When you need energy, the AIR 30 delivers. It's hands-down the best energy choice for off-grid land-based applications in high wind environments. Use it for SCADA, telecom, security, cathodic protection -- you name it. With optimized software, AIR 30 consistently delivers energy where it matters. The AIR 30's heavy-duty design can withstand most high wind environments. The AIR 30 is an ideal turbine for hybrid combinations with solar PV. Not for use in marine environments. AIR 30 is built and backed by the worldwide leader in small wind.


Traditional french enamel steel sign, size 15x20cm.
Custumize your own 15x20cm vintage french enamel plaque. Fill the form in with the name or short text you would like to create. This traditional french enamel street sign style may be either blue, green or black. At first, a model will be sent to you to be accepted.


Mayuri, the Indian dance ensemble from Karelia, celebrates its 25th anniversary. On October, 28 the Musical Theater of the Republic of Karelia was a venue for a great celebratoion concert devoted to this event.
Head of Karelia Alexander Khudilainen, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia Vladimir Semyonov, mayor of Petrozavodsk Nikolai Levin came to congratulate Mayuri. Consul General of the Republic of India in Saint-Petersburg Mr.Vishvas Sapkal came to take part in the solemn event on the invitation of Karelian party. And the lady of the celebration was the founder and the unchallenged leader of the ensemble Vera Evgrafova.
Mayuri is quite famous today both in Petrozavodsk, and in Karelia. Creative work of Mayuri which name came as giving tribute of admiration to the heroic dancer, as Mayur means "male peacock" in Hindi, so Mayuri is a "female peacock" respectively, goes down very well with the audience both in Russia, and abroad. The New York Times has called Mayuri's recent performance in New York "big hits...with zest, glee and an array of costumes so admirably vivid".
Mayuri is valued in India where the ensemble was invited many times to perform. And when Days of India are held in cities of Russia the Embassy the Consulate General of this country honours Mayuri with representing Indian culture there.
However, the most important is that Mayuri is loved dearly at home, in Petrozavodsk and in Karelia.
– Culture of Karelia is appreciated in Russia and in the whole world, and Mayuri brings its essential and powerful contribution to a variety of cultures of the republic. Mayuri is one of the visiting cards of Karelia. It is not just the ensemble, it is the way of life of people who have devoted themselves to studying history, culture, and traditions of India.
Head of the republic addressed with special words of gratitude to Vera Evgrafova. Alexander Khudilainen has expressed confidence, that Mayuri has not won all the tops yet, and has wished the ensemble to keep growing pleasing its spectators with new beautiful performances.
On the oocasion of the anniversary the team of Mayuri is awarded a letter of thanks of the Head of Karelia. The oldest member of the ensemble Elena Fiskovets is awarded the title of The Honoured Worker of Culture of Republic of Karelia. Other members of the ensemble Natalia Fridman and Elena Shelepina have also received Certificates of Merit out of the hands of Alexander Khudilainen.
Mayuri' s celebration was bright and touching. Representatives of several generations of the ensemble have gathered at the anniversary concert. Dances of different styles, themes, costumes and music have really made India much more close to us.
Thus, the cooperation between Karelia and India may open a new page. Before taking part in the celebration, Alexander Khudilainen and Mr.Vishvas Sapkal have held a meeting in the Government of Karelia.
The parties have discussed prospects of cooperation between Karelia and India in the sphere of economy, tourism, culture, etc.
Head of Karelia has told, that in new economic policy of Karelia lots of attention is paid to investment projects, the bills aimed to improve the investment climate of the republic are already prepared.
In turn, Consul General of the Republic of India in Saint-Petersburg emphasized that bilateral cooperation has large potential. He has mentioned that he has come to Karelia for the second time after his visit to our republic in August with his family. During this visit Mr.Vishvas Sapkal intends to visit a number of enterprises of the republic which work in the sphere of food-processing industry and new technologies.
Matters at the meeting also concerned organization of joint cultural projects aimed at strengthening of friendship between the countries and nations.
Mr.Vishvas Sapkal has suggested to arrange performance of modern Indian movies in the republic, and has even offered to make an Indian film with a background of Karelian landscapes.
– Karelia has many unique and beautiful places. Welcome! – Alexander Khudilainen said in response.
Created: October 28, 2012. Last updated: October 29, 2012.


text:
Der höllische Heinz ist ein Fernsehfilm aus der Krimireihe Tatort. Der vom MDR produzierte Beitrag wurde am 1. Januar 2019 im Ersten ausgestrahlt. In dieser 1078. Tatort-Folge ermitteln die Weimarer Kommissare Lessing und Dorn in ihrem achten Fall.

Handlung
Wolfgang Weber, der Besitzer der Westernstadt "El Doroda" wird tot aus der Ilm geborgen – er war als Indianer verkleidet und wurde augenscheinlich mit einem Beil erschlagen. Die Weimarer Kommissare Dorn und Lessing finden heraus, dass er offenbar seinen Pächtern kündigen wollte. Bei Erdwärme-Bohrungen wurde vor kurzem festgestellt, dass sich unter dem Gelände der Westernstadt Seltene Erden befinden, die das Areal sehr wertvoll machen. Dies reduziert den Fall auf zwei Hauptverdächtige: den Geschäftsführer der Westernstadt Heinz Knapps und die an den Seltenen Erden interessierte Unternehmerin Ellen Kircher, deren Firma die Bohrarbeiten durchgeführt hatte.

Dorn schleust sich als Reiterin in die Wohnkommune der Westernstadt ein. Sie findet heraus, dass Knapps ein Vorkaufsrecht hatte, falls Weber sein Gelände verkauft. Zwischen Knapps und Kircher kommt es zum Streit, kurz darauf ist auch Ellen Kircher tot. Knapps steht schließlich als zweifacher Mörder fest und flüchtet in sein Haus, um Sachen für seine Flucht zusammenzupacken. Als Lessing Knapps dort festnehmen will, werden beide von Nick, Ellen Kirchers Sohn, gefangen genommen. Dieser dreht den Gasherd auf, um Knapps und Lessing zu töten. Dorn kann Lessing gerade noch retten, unmittelbar bevor Nick Kircher die Explosion durch Betätigung des Lichtschalters mit den letzten Worten Goethes ("Mehr Licht!") auslöst und das Haus mitsamt Knapps und sich selbst in die Luft sprengt.

Hintergrund

Die Premiere erfolgte am 19. Dezember 2018 im Deutschen Nationaltheater Weimar.

Der Film wurde vom 19. Juni 2018 bis zum 19. Juli 2018 in Weimar und Umgebung gedreht, etwa in Buchfart; für die Szenen in der Westernstadt "El Doroda" diente die Westernstadt Old Texas Town in Berlin-Spandau als Kulisse. Nach Beendigung der einwöchigen Dreharbeiten verblieben viele Requisiten wie Goldwaschbahn, Pferdetränke, Galgen sowie die Hühner in Old Texas Town.

Der Name der Westernstadt ist eine Kombination aus dem Namen "Eldorado", dem sagenhaften Goldland Amerikas und späteren Synonym für eine Goldgräbersiedlung, sowie der insbesondere in Thüringen verbreiteten Ortsnamensendung -roda.

Der Satz mit dem "Hosenwurm", mit dem Dorn die sexuellen Annäherungsversuche von Tom Wörtche kontert, stammt aus Kurt Tucholskys Erzählung Schloß Gripsholm.

Rezeption

Kritiken

Einschaltquoten
Die Erstausstrahlung von Der höllische Heinz am 1. Januar 2019 wurde in Deutschland von 7,10 Millionen Zuschauern gesehen und erreichte einen Marktanteil von 19,4 % für Das Erste.

Weblinks

 Der höllische Heinz beim Tatort-Fundus

Einzelnachweise

hollische Heinz #Der
Deutscher Film
Filmtitel 2018

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
AIA offers customers FREE access to qualified wellness specialists
AIA Insurance launched another industry first by introducing a brand-new health and wellness offering. AIA customers now receive free access to wellness specialists, free of charge, via the oDoc app and all customers with an annual premium value of above Rs. 100,000/- per policy can make use of this pioneering offer and carry out a series of consultations with Sri Lanka Medical Council registered Wellness Specialists, AIA announced in a news release.
"You can select the Specialists based on your needs, be it physical, mental, nutritional etc. The offer extends six free mobile consultations for the year, with select nutritionists, dieticians, mental health professionals or physiotherapists, from the comfort of your own home. While AIA has recommended a one-year plan for the consultations, customers are free to utilize these consultations in whichever order they wish to and when they wish to," it said.
AIA CEO Nikhil Advani noted "At AIA it's not just about manufacturing great insurance products, but it's about creating a proposition that benefits the customer end-to-end. Our purpose is enabling healthier, longer, better lives- so, we've got to think about what would make a meaningful impact to our customers- to make it easier for them to become and stay healthy and pursue their wellness journey. We are here to support our customers to stay healthy and really add value to their lives."
AIA's Head of Marketing, Shevanthie De Alwis added; "We are delighted to be the first in the industry to introduce such a compelling proposition for our customers. We believe that everyone should be the best they can be and that means being optimal in your health and wellness. And all of us could use a little expertise and assistance with that! That is why we tied up with Sri Lanka's pioneering telemedicine provider oDoc to provide support and motivation to our customers throughout their lives and wellness journeys."
For more information on AIA's Health and Wellness Solution or to register for this free service, please call AIA Insurance on 011 2 310 310.
Sampath Bank rises to Top 5 in Sri Lanka's Most Respected Entities listing
Softlogic Life partners Entrepreneurs Organization Sri Lanka & Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
Summarised below are the key operational and financial highlights of our performance during the quarter under review:
Group EBITDA recorded an improvement to Rs.10.41 billion during the quarter under review, which is an increase of 9 per cent against the comparative period of last year [2021/22 Q3: Rs.9.53 billion]. Excluding the impact of a one-off deferred tax charge at South Asia Gateway Terminals on account of the significant change in income tax rates, Group EBITDA increased by 17 per cent to Rs.11.17 billion in the third quarter of the financial year 2022/23.
Apart from the Consumer Foods and Property industry groups, the Group's businesses recorded growth in EBITDA compared to the third quarter of the previous year.
The Transportation industry group recorded an increase in profitability due to its USD denominated revenue streams and resultant translation gains due to the depreciation of the Rupee as compared against the previous year.
Krishan Balendra Chairperson JKH
The groundwork on the West Container Terminal (WCT-1) at the Port of Colombo is progressing well with the dredging works being rapidly completed. The contract for the quay wall construction, a significant component of the overall construction works, was awarded in October 2022. Overall timelines for the project remain as originally envisaged.
The Leisure industry group recorded a strong performance driven by the Maldivian Resorts and Colombo Hotels segments.
The Supermarket business recorded an EBITDA growth of 26 per cent to Rs.1.99 billion due to an increase in same store sales driven by a combination of higher customer footfall and basket values due to high inflation. The overall profitability in the Retail industry group was impacted by a substantial decline in the EBITDA of the Office Automation business compared to the third quarter of the previous year.
Profitability in the Consumer Foods businesses were impacted by volume declines reflective of dampened consumer sentiments, and lower margins, although margin pressure is expected to ease off from the fourth quarter of 2022/23 onwards.
The Property industry group recorded a decline in profitability as the third quarter of the previous year included revenue and profit recognition from the handover of the residential apartments and commercial office floors at 'Cinnamon Life'. The recognition of revenue of all units sold at 'Cinnamon Life' up to 31 March 2022 was recorded across 2021/22.
The Insurance business recorded a growth in the life insurance surplus and gross written premiums whilst Nations Trust Bank recorded an increase in net interest margins and a reduction in costs.
The Group's carbon footprint per million rupees of revenue decreased by 25 per cent to 0.38 MT while the water withdrawal per million rupees of revenue decreased by 17 per cent to 7.56 cubic meters.
Initiatives under 'ONE JKH', the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) brand of the John Keells Group, included a perception survey to better understand employee awareness and sentiment towards increasing career opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Cognizant of the multiple economic hardships faced by the people of the country, and in recognition of the Group's role as a leading responsible corporate citizen, the Group continued its multipronged crisis response programme with a particular focus in the areas of food security, education and nutrition among vulnerable segments such as school children.
By Hiran H. Senewiratne
CSE share trading kicked off on a positive note yesterday following US ambassador Julie Chung's positive comments on the IMF bailout to foreign media and the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland arriving in Sri Lanka last morning, stock market analysts said.
The market gained in mid-day trade yesterday, mainly pushed up by banking and financial sectors, brokers said. As a result, both indices moved upwards. The All- Share Price Index went up by 84.96 points and S and P SL20 rose by 45.29 points.
Turnover amounted to Rs 1.5 billion without any crossings. The reason for investor sentiment to move up was because it was clear that the US seems to be pushing creditors to go for debt restructuring to obtain the IMF bailout for Sri Lanka, analysts said.
In the retail market seven companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were; JKH Rs 239 million (1.7 million shares traded), Softlogic Life Insurance Rs 175 million (1.4 million shares traded), Lanka IOC Rs 164 million (805,000 shares traded), Expolanka Holdings Rs 154 million (806,000 shares traded), Softlogic Capital Rs 125 million (7.8 million shares traded), Tokyo Cement (Non -Voting) Rs 46.5 million (1.5 million shares traded) and Lanka Tiles Rs 46.4 million (one million shares traded).
It said high net worth and institutional investor participation was noted in John Keells Holdings, Lanka IOC and Lanka Wall Tiles. Mixed interest was observed in Softlogic Life Insurance, Expolanka Holdings and Chevron Lubricants, while retail interest was noted in LOLC Finance, Softlogic Capital and Browns Investments.
The Capital Goods sector was the top contributor to the market turnover (due to JKH), while the sector index lost 1.06 per cent. The share price of JKH recorded a loss of 50 cents to settle at Rs. 139.50.
The Insurance sector was the second highest contributor to the market turnover (due to Softlogic Life Insurance) while the sector index increased by 1.31%. The share price of Softlogic Life Insurance increased by Rs. 2 to close at Rs. 120.50.
Lanka IOC, Softlogic Capital and LOLC Finance were also included among the top turnover contributors. The share price of Lanka IOC lost Rs. 2 to close at Rs. 206.25. The share price of Softlogic Capital moved up by 20 cents to close at Rs. 15.90. The share price of LOLC Finance closed flat at Rs. 6.90.
"We are seeing a lot of activity today, mostly retail interest led by the life insurance companies like Softlogic life and Softlogic Capital, a market analyst said. "Foreign buying was there in the last few days as well". During the day 60.2 million share volumes changed hands in 14000 transactions.
It is said that Colombo City Hotel subdivided its shares by one share into 20 ordinary shares for its shareholders.
The stock market ended the first month of the New Year with a gain of over 4 per cent, largely influenced by strong momentum earlier on as investor sentiment of late has been bearish.
January saw the benchmark ASPI gain by 4.4 per cent and the active S&P SL20 Index by 5 per cent. Daily turnover averaged Rs. 1.86 billion, according sources said.
Adding a new dimension to the field of Lifestyle Medicine –
A young Sri Lankan professional has brought honour and recognition to Sri Lanka by achieving world class results in a highly standardized examination held globally for the increasingly popular specialty of Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr. Rasarie Wimalana showcased Sri Lanka internationally by obtaining Global Best results
at the acclaimed International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) Examination held in December 2022. The exams drew applications from over 1400 licensed physicians and allied post graduate health professionals representing multiple countries including the United Kingdom and the United States.
The IBLM is a global benchmark that sets and upholds strict criteria for assessment and evaluation of physicians and health professionals in Lifestyle Medicine worldwide. Being certified as an IBLM diplomate translates to possessing specialized knowledge in lifestyle medicine which broadens the application of sustainable treatment of non-communicable diseases.
As the most prestigious and largest lifestyle medicine platform in the world, The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) states, therapeutic lifestyle interventions can be used as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity and when used intensively by certified clinicians, it can often reverse chronic disease. The ACLM states that the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections—also ensure effective prevention of chronic conditions and can help an individual optimize lifestyle changes needed to develop a holistic approach to over-all wellbeing.
Dr Rasarie who calls both Musaeus College and Visakha Vidyalaya her alma maters, obtained her MBBS from Manipal College of Medical Sciences in Nepal before working in both state and private sector institutions in Sri Lanka. She is currently completing her Master's in Health Psychology at the University of West London.
As an intensive care doctor of five years, she first handedly witnessed the catastrophic consequences of uncontrolled non communicable disease complications and their tragic effects on her patients and family members. Now, as a newly certified clinician in lifestyle medicine, she believes that although the awareness of Lifestyle Medicine is low in Sri Lanka, there is tremendous potential for the sector to expand. With greater awareness and growing interest, she believes that more and more people can make best use of it to improve their chronic conditions.
While working with The Sri Lankan Society of Lifestyle Medicine (SLSLM) towards their vision of transforming Sri Lanka through a sustainable healthcare system with lifestyle medicine at the core, she says that there is no better opportunity than now to incorporate holistic wellness into our lives with the adaptation of lifestyle medicine.
"Lifestyle medicine can achieve a powerful impact through providing a personalized medical service in clinical practice while also reiterating the importance of public health, research and education. It could bring together medicine and allied health sciences to work together towards minimizing the devastating impact of non-communicable disease burden in Sri Lanka." She says in conclusion.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The retreat includes a combination of 4 hours of yoga, meditation, mindfulness activities all with you as the parent in mind!
Maria Sanders, LSW and PCI Parent Coach® and Jennifer Brown, former guidance counselor, founder and facilitator of The 1 For All Project invite you to learn about important tools when it comes to communicating and connecting with your tween boys.Together we can empower our boys to navigate their changing worlds and discover their place in it.
3 weeks, 3 topics! Wednesdays 7pm-9pm April 3, 10 and 17th.
Screen Time: Let's talk about the digital life and let's learn how to create a plan!
Join our workshop "The Digital Life with Teens" with Maria Sanders Parent Coach.
DISCOUNTED RATE AVAILABLE FOR MLC members. Contact Linda Palatini for registration details.
Ready for a change to your diet mentality so that you can be a better role model for your children?
Have you ever thought "how can I make sure my child doesn't grow up with the same challenges around food that I have"?
The course, based on the best selling book, The Conscious Parent, by Dr. Shefali Tsabary, will take you on an amazing journey of self-discovery and parenting transformation.
Maria Sanders coaching invites parents of young children who have recently been diagnosed with special needs for A Special Morning.
This group will provide a safe and welcoming place in which parents can meet to share similar experiences, give advice and support and discuss topics of interest.
Do you wish to support your child(ren) in a more conscious manner? Enjoy lunch on us and understand the concept of conscious parenting, learn and discover the components of being a conscious parent, and create a more fulfilling parent-child relationship.
Click here to let us know you'll be there.
Maria Sanders is a Licensed Social Worker and PCI Certified Parent Coach®. Maria Sanders has a private practice in Montclair as well as a virtual practice. She works with parents who are struggling with parenting. Parents meet privately with Maria to clarify needs, learn new skills, create a plan and take action steps to reach goals. Research and information is shared to help parents improve communication, alleviate power struggles, and enhance daily interactions. Maria's goal is to guide, empower, and be a resource for parents and educators.


text:
Restaurants Struggle As Omicron Cases Surge Across U.S.; Millions Of Families Struggle Without Child Tax Credit; Omicron Prompts New School Closures As More Districts And Universities Consider Return To Remote Learning. Aired 11:30-12p ET
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN AT THIS HOUR: At this hour, more cities putting in place more restrictions to stop the spread of the omicron variant. Atlanta's mayor re-imposing a mask requirement for all indoor businesses. New York's private sector vaccine mandate goes into effect on Monday. And in Chicago, vaccinations will now be required to enter all restaurants starting January 3rd.
Whether helpful or hurtful, there is no doubt all of these new restrictions will have a direct impact on a restaurant industry that's already been crushed by the pandemic. As of August, a staggering 90,000 eateries had closed permanently or long-term during the pandemic. And now, some of the industry's biggest names are sounding the alarm of what another surge could mean two years in.
Joining me now is Bobby Stuckey, Founder of Frasca Food and Wine. He's also one of the leaders of the Independent Restaurant Coalition. It's a group formed during the pandemic to help the restaurants impacted. Bobby, thank you for coming back in.
The president and local officials have said of this surge, this is not March of 2020. We're not going to shut things down again. But restaurants are struggling again. What are you seeing? Is this time different or is it not?
BOBBY STUCKEY, INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT COALITION: Well, Kate, first of all, thanks for having me on. You know, it is -- it's very much a struggle for restaurants. Even if we're not faced with closures, many restaurants are hanging on by a thread. This is December. This is their Super Bowl month. And people are having to close because staff are getting COVID, guest reservations are down because guests are afraid to go out. Even if there isn't a mandate to close your restaurants, you're seeing a decrease in numbers.
BOLDUAN: It's already happening. It's real and it is happening. And even before omicron, Bobby, I was thinking about this, restaurants were already facing challenges, right, a national labor shortage, inflation raising prices across the board and more. I mean, what is the biggest challenge among them right now? STUCKEY: Well, the biggest challenge right now is -- and you've listed those, Kate. There are so many challenges that we're facing. There are so many headwinds. And many of these restaurants are holding on by a thread because of the last 18 months. Just because you see a couple Friday nights where (INAUDIBLE).
Now this (INAUDIBLE) the COVID variant, people are losing reservations. There's also the staffing issue. Once you get one or two employees test positive for COVID, it's hard to say open. You don't have the staff to stay open and you're forced to close. And when we close, it's not taking your laptop home and working from home. You give up tens of thousands of dollars of food product and spoilage when you have to close those restaurants and we need a lifeline. And there's a chance for that with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund if we could get that refunded.
BOLDUAN: I actually wanted to ask you about that because you successfully advocated and lobbied Congress to get some relief for independent restaurants in that big COVID relief package signed into law earlier this year. What impact did that have?
STUCKEY: Well, it depends if you were one of the winners or losers, Kate, because what happened was we successfully got into the package, but it was at $28.5 billion, and we needed about three times that. So, there were 200,000-plus restaurants that applied and didn't get it. So, what happened, because of the lack of full funding, you had some winners and some losers. Could have been two restaurants side by side on the same street in Main Street America, one got the package, one didn't. There's 200,000 of them holding on by a thread right now, hoping that we can refund the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Of those 200,000, we're seeing a study of about 86 percent of those restaurants might not make it through this spring.
So, it's really dire. Yes, we were successful getting a portion, but we needed the whole funding.
BOLDUAN: That's really scary because everyone really thought, oh, we got through it, and then in 2021, things started getting better and it was coming back, right? And now to think that we're still looking at all of these potential closures you just laid out as could happen in the spring, it's soul-crushing, quite frankly, to see this again.
I will say one thing I've been interested in asking you about is we've seen a lot of innovation with restaurants in this pandemic, how they serve food, how they deliver food in a new way.
Do you think the industry has changed, I don't know, maybe permanently from what it had to deal with through COVID?
STUCKEY: Well, I'm a positive person and I always want to look on the bright side, and I think you're right, Kate. There have been some positives. There has been some great change. I know in my company alone, with our 200 employees, we really have been able to take this and look forward and try to build a better ship. And that's important. And, hopefully, we can get the Restaurant Revitalization Fund refunded, get those 200,000 restaurants that are in dire need to the other side, and hopefully we have a better industry.
BOLDUAN: It's good to see you, bobby. Thank you for coming on.
STUCKEY: Kate, have a great holiday. Thanks for having me on.
BOLDUAN: You too. Thank you so much.
Coming up for us, one of the biggest holdups in the negotiations over the Build Back Better bill has now become the child tax care credit. And right now, millions of families are going to see these enhanced payments stop. Their new reality now, that's next.
BOLDUAN: Here's a number for you, 35 million. That's how many families have lost their enhanced child tax care credit for next year. This is one of the central issues holding up negotiations on Capitol Hill over the Build Back Better bill. But the families impacted, they say Washington has no idea what the reality is every day.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has the story.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A window into the Viruet-Lopez family reveals Christmas cheer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like the chocolate is gone and I wonder where it went.
YURKEVICH: But come New Year's, they'll face a tough financial reality along with 35 million other families.
JANETTE VIRUET, RECEIVES CHILD TAX CREDIT: We were at a tight budget already, and with this being like removed, it's going to be even a tighter budget.
YURKEVICH: Mom Janette Viruet referring to the enhanced child tax credit Congress failed to pass Build Back Better in time to extend these critical benefits into next year, up to $3,600 per child. The Lopez-Viruet family was receiving $800 a month for their three children under nine.
What does $800 a month mean to you?
VIRUET: It's enough to get us by just because the price of food went up, gas went up. So, I feel that that has helped us a lot. And we looked forward to that. We try to stretch it as much as we can.
YURKEVICH: How far does it get you?
VIRUET: Just a couple days before the next one. YURKEVICH: Checks were coming, monthly giving families' income they could count on. Last month's checks kept 3.8 million children out of poverty.
What is the plan?
VIRUET: At this point, I don't know.
YURKEVICH: Single Mom Katherine Kern will likely have to take a second job to support her teenage son and daughter, something she did when they were younger.
KATHERINE KERN, RECEIVES CHILD TAX CREDIT: Even before when I had to do jobs, like to not be able to watch his games because on weekends I was working. To not be there for him, that was sometimes a little difficult.
YURKEVICH: She's also getting a master's in psychology, just months away from graduating this spring, hoping it will further her career and increase her salary.
KERN: It's going to be really difficult to do that and then also possibly take on a second job.
YURKEVICH: The $500 a month they get in child tax credits help with rising costs, making it easier to drive her daughter, Isabella, to routine doctor visits for her complex heart condition.
KERN: We had to spend some time just like getting there and getting back. And then just all the little extras, like taking time off of work and everything, it sort of adds up.
YURKEVICH: the child tax credit is popular across party lines. 75 percent of Democrats support it and so do 41 percent of Republicans, which makes its failure in Congress even more puzzling for these families.
VIRUET: I feel that if they were put in our shoes for a couple of days, their decisions would be different just because we don't have that freedom to spend that money the way we want to. We have to spend our money planned, paycheck by paycheck.
YURKEVICH: Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Red Bank, New Jersey.
BOLDUAN: Vanessa, thank you so much for that reporting.
And this, I want to show you is video you really should stop and see. New body camera video just released capturing the unbelievable moment deputies find and rescue two infants in Kentucky in a bathtub after their home was destroyed and they were swept up in the deadly tornado outbreak earlier this month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 329, we got the -- I think a 15-month-old. Central, can you send us Med Center?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll try to get them to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here you go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she okay?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good there. No cuts on the leg.
BOLDUAN: You can hear that faint cry of one of the children as deputies are discovering them. Their grandmother says, as the tornado approached, she put them in the tub for safety with a blanket, pillow, and a bible. The children were just 15 months and 3 months old. One was taken to the hospital for treatment of a head injury, but they are both alive.
Thank God. It is unbelievable the things that we see.
Still ahead for us, as omicron cases soar, many school districts are now debating a return to remote learning. Is that the right call? One public health expert says, absolutely not. He's our guest.
BOLDUAN: With omicron cases surging, many school districts are now debating returning to remote learning after winter break. And right now, there are more than 700 schools or districts that either closed early due to COVID or already have shifted to remote learning.
And according to a company that tracks school operations during the pandemic, that's almost double the week before. The dark purple you see there, those circles, indicate the most recent school disruptions. Several big universities, including Harvard, UCLA, Duke, are also shifting to remote.
But is closing schools the right choice at this point in the pandemic? One expert in public health says no. In a New York Times op-ed, the director of Harvard's Healthy Buildings Program warns, we learned our lesson last year. Do not close our schools.
Joining me now is the author of that piece Joseph Allen. It's good to see you again. Thanks for coming back in.
You're very direct. You write this. You write, let me get it to make sure I'm quoting you correctly, the risk of severe outcomes to kids from coronavirus infection is low, and the risk to kids from being out of school are high. You also say schools should never close. What is the key then to keeping risk low instead of shutting schools when you're looking at this surge? JOSEPH ALLEN, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR, HARVARD HEALTH BUILDINGS PROGRAM: Yes. Thanks for having me back on, Kate. It's good to see you again. Let's start with the harms first and then we'll get to the low risk to kids. But there's a slippery slope happening here, this conversation that we're just going to close schools for a little bit and it's going to be okay. But I want to remind people what happened when we close schools and the cost of doing that last year.
In New York City, for example, just three months of school closures, they found an underreporting of child maltreatment by 8,000 cases, 8,000 cases of neglect and abuse that weren't reported. Schools are our first look into problems that are happening at home, when they extrapolate to the country, 300,000 cases in three months. We also see steep losses in learning, drops in math and reading. Students are five months behind. So the costs are real and they're a lot longer than that.
But let's talk about the risk to kids because that's been consistent since the beginning of the pandemic. Mercifully and thankfully, the risk has been low. People would be surprised though that the hospitalization rate for kids is still 1 in 100,000, the death rate, 1 to 2 per million. So, thankfully, kids are at low risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics just called this out two weeks ago. They said hospitalizations and death for children is, quote, unquote, uncommon.
So we have to balance these risks. We're so focused on COVID, we've ignored all these other risks and harms that we've seen from kids being out of school for an entire year.
BOLDUAN: How do you get it right? I know that you are the king of ventilation? How do you get it right though? What's the key? What's the fix to make sure that they are safe, they can -- to help them stay open the whole time?
ALLEN: Yes, absolutely. Ventilation, filtration has been key from day one in the pandemic. I've been yelling it out. I've been on your show several times talking about this, open the window even a little bit, even in areas that are cold.
But let's talk about the best tool we have and that's the vaccine. All kids should be vaccinated who are eligible. That's school-aged kids. I have three kids, school-aged kids. They are vaccinated. These vaccines are safe and effective. Also, all adults in the school must be vaccinated. There's no excuse for not having that at this point. When they have mandated vaccines for adults, like New York City did, they have pushed it over 95 percent vaccinated, same thing in L.A. Inexcusable at this point not to have adults vaccinated.
I also want to remind people there is still time for that benefit. If you're not vaccinated, the majority of the benefit kicks in right after the first dose within a week or so, you've got 10 or 12 days. Same thing if you're vaccinated but not yet boosted, the benefit of the booster kicks within days. So, there's still time to do these basic things, opening up the window, get your vaccine, get boosted. If you have a ventilation problem, plug and place solutions, like portable air cleaner. There's really no excuse at this point. And we have to balance that against the severe harms of keeping kids out of school. It is dangerous, the dominoes are starting to fall.
BOLDUAN: Let me ask you though. You talk about basic thing, easy things. A cornerstone of most school COVID strategies, most local public health strategies has been masking. I was really surprised to read that you say that you think masks in school should be voluntary, not mandatory. How can that be in the midst of a surge like we're seeing now?
ALLEN: Yes. I think the reality is in the 2022 playbook we have the tools to keep us safe. People have had access to these vaccines, all adults should be vaccinated and kids have access to the vaccine. And on top of that, anyone who doesn't feel protected enough should and can continue to wear a high efficiency mask. If you're vaccinated and wearing an N-95 mask, one of these high grade masks, that's about as low risk as anything can you do in your life.
We have the tools to meet everyone's, quote/unquote, acceptable level of risk. I think it should be mandatory at this point. I think we've ignored the harms of doing this, and we think kids are endlessly resilient. But you're coming up on two years, two years of school totally disrupted. The earliest learners, second graders have never been in class, learning to read, they've never been in class without being in a mask and without their teacher in a mask.
I think we're underestimating the cost here of these long-term closures. And I'm concerned that as schools start to close, they think they are going to close for two weeks but we saw what happened last time, they stayed close for a lot longer.
BOLDUAN: You always make me think.
Joseph, it's good to have you on. Thank you.
ALLEN: Thanks for having me. Merry Christmas, Kate.
BOLDUAN: You too, thank you.
Coming up for us, it is the second Christmas in the COVID pandemic but it looks a lot like pre-pandemic Christmas travel. An update next on what's expected to be the busiest day of the holiday travel day this season, that's next.
BOLDUAN: We do have breaking news into CNN.


text:
During the pandemic, cancer care has taken a hit, researchers say at San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
News // Local
Lauren Caruba, Staff writer
Dec. 8, 2020 Updated: Dec. 8, 2020 2 p.m.
Dr. Virginia Kaklamani, clinical researcher at UT Health San Antonio, joined a panel during a training session at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio last year that held at the same time as the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. This year, the symposium is virtual because of the pandemic.
Jerry Lara /Staff photographer
The coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted the treatment and health of cancer patients across the globe, researchers said Tuesday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
As hospitals and health care facilities responded to the COVID-19 crisis, cancer patients experienced wide-ranging disruptions to their medical care: postponed screenings and surgeries, missed or delayed diagnoses, fewer overall appointments with doctors, a widespread shift to virtual visits, and higher rates of anxiety and depression.
Cancer survivors and patients still undergoing treatment also had to contend with greater risks of severe complications and death if they contracted the virus, problems that were more pronounced for patients of color, according to a series of presentations by oncology specialists and researchers as the symposium kicked off Tuesday morning.
On ExpressNews.com: Breast cancer symposium, one of San Antonio's largest annual conferences, to go virtual due to coronavirus
"Just by having cancer or a history of cancer, a patient is at significantly higher risk from dying if they are infected with the virus," said Dr. Deborah Doroshow, an assistant professor of medicine with the Tisch Cancer Institute in New York City.
SABCS, which draws upwards of 8,000 researchers, top cancer specialists, patient advocates and sponsors to the Convention Center in downtown San Antonio each December, is typically one of the city's largest annual conferences. It is being held virtually for the first time this year due to the risks posed by the pandemic, with sessions running Tuesday through Saturday.
Doroshow said one examination of more than 3,800 patients found that those with active cancer or a history of the disease had a mortality rate of 15 percent at the 30-day mark after they were diagnosed with COVID.
Cancer-related care took a hit during the pandemic, too. A study of a group of more than 2,000 active and former cancer patients seen at Mount Sinai and at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston found that about 40 percent saw decreased number of overall visits after COVID hit, and 52 percent experienced fewer in-person visits and almost a third had increased telehealth visits.
Dr. Annie Tang, a physician affiliated with Kaiser Permanente in northern California, said the state's shelter-in-place orders ushered in drastic changes to the management of breast cancer.
During that period, a study of patients in Tang's health care system determined that there was a 64 percent decrease in the number of patients diagnosed with breast cancer, a drop that translated to about 450 patients.
On ExpressNews.com: 'I belong here': Advocate works to raise profile of black women with breast cancer
Additionally, by the time patients were diagnosed, they had more advanced tumors, including a higher prevalence of metastatic disease.
The risks associated with COVID and disruptions to cancer care are compounded for patients of color, Doroshow said. Black and Hispanic patients were more likely to be diagnosed with COVID, but they were less likely to have increased telehealth cancer visits compared to their white counterparts. Hispanic patients were also more likely than white patients to have delays in their care from the pandemic.
"I believe the root cause of these disparities is decades, and certainly centuries, of institutionalized racism," Doroshow said.
She told the story of a former cancer patient she met on rounds in the COVID ward at Mount Sinai in April. The patient, a Black woman in her 60s, had been receiving oxygen through nasal tubes but was still experiencing shortness of breath and low blood oxygen levels. Doroshow suggested the patient receive greater oxygen support from a high-flow nasal cannula, which would aerosolize the virus, requiring her to be moved to a private room.
The suggestion was met with resistance by other hospital staff, Doroshow said, who said the woman didn't look "that bad." The woman didn't have active cancer and care wasn't being rationed at the hospital, Doroshow said, causing her to wonder whether the woman was being treated differently because of her gender and race.
On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio patients undergo cancer treatment during COVID-19
The pandemic has also taken an emotional toll on cancer patients, said Dr. Lidia Schapira, a medical oncologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, who have experienced heightened stress, depression and anxiety. In one patient survey, 58 percent of respondents reported higher levels of depression and 61 percent said they were experiencing new or increased mood swings, said Dr. Brittney Zimmerman with Tisch.
Schapira said patients have worried the risks of becoming infected with the virus, especially because some cancer treatments can suppress the immune system. The overnight adoption of telemedicine and shuffling of appointments and mammograms created further psychological burden for patients.
"Cancer survivors got lost in the transition of care delivery," she said.
Politics Fact check: Do mask mandates on kids lead to learning loss?
Politics Photos: Iconic moments from Biden's inauguration, one...
Politics Opponents attack Sid Miller after aide's bribery case
Politics Beto O'Rourke campaigns in San Antonio
Politics Trans kids and supporters say new Texas law will keep...
Helen Black, a metastatic breast cancer survivor from Washington state, did everything she could to avoid contracting the coronavirus, pulling her children out of school and working remotely. She was terrified after learning in July that she had been infected by her husband, who had caught the virus from coworkers.
For three weeks, Black suffered from severe body aches, headaches, mental fog and physical fatigue. As pain coursed throughout her body, she worried about her lungs, to which her cancer had spread three years earlier. She fielded multiple calls a day from her oncologist, who seemed nervous.
Eventually, Black turned a corner. She began to recover but still dealt with months of headaches and fatigue.
On ExpressNews.com: He was embarrassed by his breast cancer diagnosis. Now, he wants others to know that men are at risk, too.
Black said she was grateful that she discontinued one of her breast cancer medications in May, before she fell ill. It's common for the drug, Ibrance, to result in low white blood cell counts, raising patients' risk for severe infections.
"It proved to be the right decision," Black said. "I'm here today, and back to trying my best to stay isolated and keep my family isolated."
Still, she is worried about what her next scan may show.
The results are due back Saturday.
Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Lauren, become a subscriber. lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba
Lauren Caruba
Reach Lauren on
Lauren Caruba is an investigative reporter specializing in health and medicine. During the coronavirus pandemic she led the paper's medical coverage, embedding in COVID-19 units across San Antonio. Previously, she was an investigative fellow at the Houston Chronicle. She is a two-time Livingston Awards finalist and a 2015 graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.


At Rogers Motors of Beaver Dam we will make your car purchasing experience one you'll always remember. When you drive off our lot, your car and financing will have surpassed anything you might have expected. Our experienced sales colleagues are here to help you find that ideal car. Rogers Motors has grown to be Beaver Dam's most recognized spot for used vehicles of every kind. Our huge collection of vehicles is ideal for picking the perfect car or truck for you. With amazing service, and huge discounts, you will never need to go anywhere else for your auto buying needs. So come on down to Rogers Motors at 1400 N Main St, Beaver Dam, Kentucky 42320 and allow us to show our world class customer service. Make sure you stop by Rogers Motors of Beaver Dam at 1400 N Main St, Beaver Dam, Kentucky 42320 the next time you are searching for a used car or truck.


In a large stock pot, blanch the aspargus, carrot, and broccoli [and peas if using fresh] for a minute then drop into ice water and pat dry.
Blanch the squash or zucchini for 30 seconds and remove, drop into ice water and pat dry.
Place the vegetables in a serving bowl. Add the tomato, peas, celery, scallions, pine nuts and dill.
Cook the tortellini or the Gnocci according to package directions. Drain in colander, run cold water over it. Drain again very well and stir into the veggies.
Make the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a screw top. Shake well. You can make this 8 hours in advance. Pour over salad and chill. If omitting olive oil to reduce fat, toss the salad gently before serving.
I doubled the dressing recipe.And didnt' quite stick to the quantity for the veggies.


WHOIS is a query and response protocol that is widely used for querying databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block, or an autonomous system, but is also used for a wider range of other information. Below is the entire whois information for Dropbox.com. Many domains these days use a WHOIS privacy service to hide the actual email addresses and owner of a domain.
Dropbox.com is hosted by Dropbox, Inc. in California, San Francisco, United States, 94107.
Dropbox.com has an IP Address of 108.160.172.232 and a hostname of misc.v.dropbox.com.
Need to find out who hosts Dropbox.com?
What are the nameservers for dropbox.com?
Dropbox is the pioneer of online cloud syncing backups.
Launched in 2007, the service provided the public with a way to sync their files/data to multiple computers without having to worry about backups or carrying around USB sticks.
Need to find out if Dropbox.com is a scam?
Have you used dropbox.com before?
Please write a short review to share your views and opinions about dropbox.com.


text:
Seeking Freedom From an 835-year Sentence
Shalom Weiss longest white collar crime sentence
SHOLAM WEISS
NO LOSSES
AUSTRIAN SUPPORT
Austria Requests Commutation of Sentence
Austria considers an 835-year sentence for a white-collar crime to be inhumane. In Austria, financial crimes have a maximum sentence of 10 years, and with good-time credits would be much less. Therefore, when the United States requested Austria to extradite Sholam Weiss, Austria required assurances that would guarantee him every opportunity to have his sentence reduced, including a full re-sentencing, and the understanding that he would have the opportunity for conditional release from prison once he has paid his restitution. Austria would not have extradited him without these assurances.
The European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations Human Rights Committee reviewed Mr. Weiss' extradition, ultimately permitted extradition because the United States gave assurances that he would get a full appeal and a full re-sentencing. See letter from European Court to Mr. Weiss' attorney and Decision of UN Committee. Mr. Weiss' extradition was also raised in the European Parliamentary Assembly, also noting the assurances. See Parliamentary Assembly Response.
However, although Mr. Weiss was extradited in 2002, he has not received a full re-sentencing. And although his restitution has been paid in full, the government has made no attempt to seek his release.
Austria has repeatedly requested the United States to provide Mr. Weiss a commutation of sentence to time-served to satisfy international obligations. Many of those letters are provided under "Letters of Support." The latest has been to President Trump. Letter from Austrian Chancellor to President Trump, 2017.


[Contact Us] Do You Want Up to 100X More Conversions for msystec.com ?
[Contact Us] Do You Want Up to 100X More Conversions?
[Contact Us] Hi from Amsterdam!
[Contact Us] Merry Christmas and also Pleased Brand-new Year!


text:
Casablanca: the new Marina Shopping opened
April 17, 2019 by morocco
On Wednesday, April 17, the new shopping mall Marina Shopping, located between the port and the Hassan II mosque, opened its doors, offering a place of relaxation and leisure in the heart of the economic capital.
Located between boulevard des Almohades in the south and the Atlantic Ocean in the north, Marina Shopping aims to create a link of life between the new housing and work space that is the residential and commercial district of "Casablanca Marina" with which integrates, and the rest of the city with the old medina.
Read also: A gigantic shopping center for the new Rabat-Agdal station
This new shopping center with 147 national and international brands (services, beauty, clothing, food court, Marjane …) is in total harmony with the spirit and ambience of the new corniche of the city's economic metropolis. kingdom, privileged place for tours and vacations. The mall is accessible by car, bus, taxi and train (the train station Casa-Port is only a few minutes by car).
See also: Fire in a shopping center in Siberia: the record rises to 53 dead
The design of more than one billion and three hundred million dirhams, the architecture of the building mixes the modern elements with those of the Moroccan artisan heritage and art deco. Distributed over 43,000 m2, the commercial center includes 1,400 parking spaces and four office towers. 6,000 job creations are expected through this project generating activities and wealth.
Categories morocco Post navigation
Rumor: Facebook is working on its own voice assistant – Image and sound – News
Will Smith at Yautepec has left his fans crazy


Welcome to ProSource® of Phoenix. We help connect trade professionals and their homeowner clients with the high-quality products they need to accomplish their home remodel and home improvement projects. Visit our Phoenix location and get to know our supportive and accommodating team who will work tirelessly to find you the right products for your home remodel project.
Who is ProSource of Phoenix?
ProSource of Phoenix is where our trade pro members and their homeowner clients can find all the home remodel products they need to complete their project successfully — from beginning to end. Our goal is to make the process simple and convenient, taking your client's home remodel ideas and incorporating them into their home's finishing touches.
ProSource of Phoenix is known in the trade pro community as a collaborative partner that will help provide sound advice and top-notch products (at low prices) throughout the entirety of our members' home remodel projects. We strive to foster long-lasting relationships with our trade pro members and their homeowner clients, ultimately helping them grow their home improvement businesses.
ProSource of Phoenix offers high-quality home remodel products for your clients' flooring, bathroom and kitchen remodeling needs. We provide flooring products such as carpet, hardwood and laminate; bathroom products such as sinks, showers and toilets; and kitchen products such as kitchen cabinets and countertops. The list really goes on and on.
Our huge collection is bound to offer something that fits your clients' tastes and budgets, and thanks to our connections to the national ProSource Wholesale® network, we can offer these products at low wholesale prices! If you're a local trade professional or homeowner in the Phoenix area, stop by our showroom or browse our online catalog to see our broad collection for yourself.
Choose ProSource of Phoenix for your next home remodel project, and contact our team today for more information.
At ProSource® of Phoenix, you'll have a dedicated account manager who will be your partner on every project... listening to your needs, and guiding you throughout the selection and purchasing process. It's what you deserve—personalized service. ProSource is dedicated to the success of our trade pro members and to simplifying the home improvement process for homeowners. From start to finish, we're here to help with the complete project, turning dreams into reality.


Here will be written any Frequently Asked Questions which will help you to solve common troubles or problems.
1.1 Where are the Level Settings?
1.2 I can't find the "auto-align" option!
1.3 Is it possible to make the editor window the same resolution as SMBX's editor?
2.1 Why doesn't music play while editing?
2.2 Instead of music I hear noise!!! Why?
2.3 Music is playing super fast!!! Why?
2.4 How I can fix my music files?
3.1 Does PGE supports PNG graphical format?
3.2 I see ghosties instead of NPCs; why?
3.3 Why are some Blocks, BGOs, and NPCs partially transparent?
3.4 Why do backgrounds repeat only horizontally and not vertically?
4.1 I can't run editor; Configuration package selection list is empty!
4.3 INI files are has no NewLine character. Why?
5.1 How do you run a testing in LunaLUA-SMBX directly from PGE?
6.1 How to make a big screenshot of level section?
6.2 How to place buried/egged/bubbled NPC?
6.3 How to resize section boundaries?
6.4 What's the "Set as Boss" option on NPC's?
6.5 How to set background of level section?
6.6 How to set up section autoscrolling?
7.1 Is this a new version of SMBX?
7.2 Do the graphics use the same format as SMBX?
7.3 The INI-file of my Config pack is not being loaded after I save it!
7.4 Do you will keep some glitches of SMBX Physical engine because some levels are requiring them?
7.5 Will PGE have Network (OnLine) Level/World editing?
Where are the Level Settings?
If you need to change global level settings, open the Levels menu and select Properties. But if you need to configure the current section, you must open the Section Properties window (open the View menu and select Section Settings).
I can't find the "auto-align" option!
This option is called "snap to grid" in this editor. To disable/enable it, click on the grid icon (it looks a bit like: "#") on the toolbar.
Is it possible to make the editor window the same resolution as SMBX's editor?
You can switch into Sub-Window mode in the "Window" menu and you have freedom to set a window size, also you can use zoom if you have too small of a screen or you want to place an item more accurately in the grid-less mode.
Why doesn't music play while editing?
To play music you can simply click the note "♪" icon on the toolbar, or you can set music to automatically start playing whenever levels are opened: Open the Tools mmenu and select Application Settings, and select the option: "Autoplay music after opening file", and music will automatically play each time you open the file. If music still doesn't play after this, check the configs/<packName>/data/music directory, it must contain the music files. If the folder doesn't exist, please copy your music folder from SMBX (for SMBX-compatible config packs only), or download the music pack from our site.
Instead of music I hear noise!!! Why?
The Re-sampling trouble is finally fixed in latest releases. Just try to download latest version of PGE and then try to play same music.
This trouble appears when your music has a sample rate greater than 44100 Hz. To fix this you should resample the audio at 44100 Hz, using an audio editor, such as Audacity or SoX Audio Converter GUI in the PGE Editor starts from 0.2.3.1-dev.
PGE Editor since v0.2.0 it uses the SDL2_mixer instead of QMediaPlayer. SDL2_mixer plays music and all sounds in a single audio stream. All music and sound should have the same sample rate as the audio stream. If the sample rate is not the same, music will be re-sampled in real-time mode. Real-time resampling is not good for CPU and can cause noises or wrong playback. To fix this, resample your music into 44100 Hz using an audio editor, and retry to add them into PGE.
Music is playing super fast!!! Why?
Resampling trouble is finally fixed in latest releases. Just try to download latest version of PGE and then try to play same music.
Your music has a sample rate smaller than 44100 Hz. To fix this you should resample the audio at 44100 Hz, using an audio editor, such as Audacity or SoX Audio Converter GUI in the PGE Editor starts from 0.2.3.1-dev.
How I can fix my music files?
To fix broken music you can use an audio editor, such as Audacity.
Starting from 0.2.3.1-dev, PGE Editor has an audio converter GUI over SoX which provides integrated and convenient fixing system.
To fix your broken music you can open the menu [Tools -> External tools -> Convert Audio (SoX)] where you can quickly fix your music in interactive mode.
If you working on Windows OS, you have to use the special sox-based script which you can download here. This script will fix ALL musics in your "worlds" folder of your SMBX in one run.
Run a "MusicFixer.bat" file and wait while it will say "All files has been fixed!"
Does PGE supports PNG graphical format?
Yes, PGE Project supports PNG graphics since its foundation. Support for masked GIFs are kept for compatibility of custom graphics from the Legacy Engine.
I see ghosties instead of NPCs; why?
The "Ghostie" is a dummy image sprite. It appears if you use a broken custom image, an image in a non-supported format, corrupted image, etc. To fix this error, you must convert the image to a valid format. Supported file formats are: PNG, GIF, BMP.
Why are some Blocks, BGOs, and NPCs partially transparent?
Check your mask images. It is like that they are lazily-made (masks should be in black & white). Unlike Legacy Engine, PGE supports the Alpha-channel (i.e. real semi-transparency effects), so you should make your masks correctly. More about Lazily-made graphics.
Here are some examples: Semi-transparency render test.
Why do backgrounds repeat only horizontally and not vertically?
Because you are probably using a single-row background, which is not meant to be tiled vertically.
I recommend that you read more about backgrounds here.
I can't run editor; Configuration package selection list is empty!
Reason is: you doesn't installed any configuration package into your configs/ directory.
You can download any configuration package here.
Check all paths if you was installed the "SMBX Integration" configuration package.
INI files are has no NewLine character. Why?
Most of INI files are saved with usign of UNIX LF new-line character. Windows Notepad usualy not understands LineFeed and requires for CRLF.
You need to download Notepad++ or Akelpad to have able edit INI files from configuration packages.
How do you run a testing in LunaLUA-SMBX directly from PGE?
Launch LnuaLUA-SMBX in editor mode and minimaze it as-is.
Open/Create your level in PGE Editor and save it, then try to "Test" -> "Test via SMBX".
Then, PGE Editor will be automatically minimized and you will be automatically toggled to SMBX window with just-started testing of your level.
Have a latest and configured "SMBX Integration" configuration package. (to re-configure, you must find configs/SMBXInt/configure.exe and launch it, then choice directory where SMBX is located).
Have a latest LunaLUA-based SMBX build. Even Vanilia-based SMBX will work fine, automatic running of requested level is possible with LunaLUA >=0.7.3 only.
How to make a big screenshot of level section?
Simply open [File -> Export section into image...] menu item, set some options and target size, and save your image (will be saved into PNG format).
How to place buried/egged/bubbled NPC?
How to resize section boundaries?
To resize section you need to open section properties box (The Toolbar icon or [View -> Section Settings] menu) and click "Resize". This will enable a special interactive resizing mode: drag borders of green rectangle to set up of new size. Use context menu to crop large parts of resizing box. When you done resizing, press Enter key, "green tick" button on the toolbar or "apply" button in the section settings box. You can reject resizing with "Esc" key or "Cancel" button. This action can be undone with history.
What's the "Set as Boss" option on NPC's?
This is a special flag which was in SMBX, known as "Legacy Boss". This flag enables a special boss AI which will change music and, after defeating the boss, will spawn the exit "?" ball.
How to set background of level section?
Everything available in the [ View -> Section Settings ] menu of PGE Editor.
How to set up section autoscrolling?
To setup autoscroll you should make an autostarting event with non-zero Autoscroll-X or autoscroll-Y values and with redefination of section boundaries to the small rectangle which will be an autoscrollable box.
More detail guide you can read in this article.
Is this a new version of SMBX?
This project is offered as the successor to SMBX, but it is not simply a "New SMBX". In fact, it is a standalone engine for creating custom platformer games, and is simply backwards-compatible with SMBX. SMBX - is a game; PGE - is a game engine. All games are created based on their own game engines. SMBX - closed source, PGE - Libre and Open Source. This project can be used not only for Mario games based on SMBX, but for others too (while being entirely open source). Because it allows full flexibility and customizing (all items are defined by INI files), and NPCs will be allowed to be programmed by a script language, this allows one to create custom NPCs of their own without being restricted to using the AI of an existing NPC.
Do the graphics use the same format as SMBX?
- Animation frames of sprite going down vertically.
pixels and fixed by the position of the character's hitboxes.
- All custom SMBX graphics are fully compatible with this engine.
PGE is going to support new standards, and some of those standards are supported in LunaLUA-SMBX and also in SMBX-38A.
The INI-file of my Config pack is not being loaded after I save it!
The first reason of this error is a BOM when you was saved file via Windows Notepad.
I'm recommend to get Notepad++ or Akelpad to edit those files.
Files should be saved in UTF-8 codepage without BOM.
Do you will keep some glitches of SMBX Physical engine because some levels are requiring them?
It's not a bug, it's a feature! :) With implementing own physical engine than things will be added as config pack optional feature. It will can be disabled/enabled by special config pack flag. Inside SMBX this feature was caused by imperfection of than thing when character will stand after ducking under block and will be moved back even through wall which provides ability to go through any walls.
Will PGE have Network (OnLine) Level/World editing?
Yes! Networking is planned to be implemented into PGE. But you should understand that this will take a lot of time: networking is not easy to implement. Also, the main core needs to be implemented, which still in its development state.
This page was last edited on 20 May 2018, at 06:22.
This page has been accessed 123,735 times.