text:
Workers in UK Swindon march to save Honda plant
Saturday, 30 March 2019 6:27 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 30 March 2019 6:32 PM ]
Workers from Japanese car maker Honda gather for a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 6, 2019 to urge the government to help persuade the company to reverse its decision to close its UK factory in Swindon. (AFP photo)
Thousands of workers and their family members have attended a mass rally in the UK town of Swindon to ask Japanese carmaker Honda to reverse its decision to close its factory in the city as concerns grow over job security after Britain's departure from the European Union.
Workers and their families joined community leaders and politicians attending the rally in southwest England on Saturday as they urged Honda executives to scrap their plans for closing down the factory in Swindon, a move which union leaders say would result in the loss of 3,500 jobs.
"We demand British workers are treated with equal dignity as the Honda workers in Japan," said head of the Unite union Len McCluskey during a speech in the rally.
Experts say thousands of more jobs will be lost in the supply chain if Honda goes ahead with its plans to cease operations in Swindon in 2021.
PressTV-Honda plant closure frustrates UK PM, workers devastated
UK Prime Minister Theresa May says she is disappointed by Honda plans to close a British plant, which is expected to lead to a loss of 3,500 workers
The Japanese carmaker revealed its decision for closure of Swindon factory in an announcement last month. The move came as a huge shock to the local community while it caused serious concerns for the future of heavy industries in the UK.
Honda said the decision had nothing to do with Britain's imminent departure from the EU although experts believe the company prefers to expand the industry into other EU countries to offset potential economic shocks from Brexit.
Major international firms have announced plans downsizing their operations in the UK, a move many believe is closely related to Brexit. Nissan, another Japanese giant carmaker, said earlier this year that it had cancelled plans to build one of its new models at its UK plant in Sunderland.
Britain UK Honda protest economy Brexit
UK's stalling economy blamed on inflation and product shortages
UK faces food supply crunch as new customs rules come into effect
UK steel industry braces for slump in trade as US reduces tariffs on EU
Britain, EU to face 'economic shock' after no-deal Brexit
Brexit inflicted £40 billion a year on UK: Senior economist
Britain's economy slows sharply, growth hits six-year low


The CP524 Transport Stream Adapter performs multi-channel Transport Stream (TS) processing, multiplexing and interface conversion between ASI, IP/Ethernet and SMPTE310.
The CP524 TS Adapter has been designed to meet the requirements of operators and service providers for flexible repacking, and delivery of content for multiple end points. Its multi-stream (any input to any output), filtering/remultiplexing features enable operators and service providers to save valuable bandwidth in their networks.
The variety of network infrastructures used in the broadcast industry today has also led to an increasing demand for network adaption and conversion between formats and interfaces. The CP524 solves these issues, for up to four transport streams, by offering powerful network adaption between ASI, IP, SONET/SDH and SMPTE 310.
As well as the filtering/remultiplexing and network adaptation functionality the CP524 also provides features such as, advanced IP processing, FEC insertion, monitoring and powerful PSI/SI/PSIP handling. The CP524 is also equipped with reliability features such as hitless switching with diversity reception, service fallback and T-VIPS Embedded Redundancy Control (TERC) to ensure 100% uptime even in the case of severe packet or link loss.


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Q: Losing Image Quality When Encrypting And Decrypting an Image Basically, I scramble all the pixels and then reassemble them. But after the reassembly, I lose a massive amount of image quality and color. I also notice that the file size changes which I thought was odd considering its the same pixels.
The Original Image
The Scrambled Image
The New Unscrambled Image
Notice a massive loss of color and information. I've tried saving it as a PNG instead of JPEG but that didn't seem to change anything. Here's some code.
    pixels = new int[width*height];
    pixelsLength = pixels.length;
    bitmap.getPixels(pixels,0,width,0,0,width,height);

This is where I get the pixels array.
private void encPhaseOne(){

    load.setImageResource(R.drawable.imgload1);
    int x;
    int y;
    for(int i = 0; i < RAND_ARRAY_SIZE-1; i+=2){
        x = arr1[i];
        y = arr1[i+1];
        rowSwap(x,y);
    }
    for(int i = 0; i < RAND_ARRAY_SIZE-1; i+=2){
        x = arr4[i];
        y = arr4[i+1];
        columnSwap(x,y);
    }
}

The above is a sample encryption method.
private void decPhaseOne(){

    load.setImageResource(R.drawable.imgload3);

    int x;
    int y;

    for(int i = RAND_ARRAY_SIZE-1; i > 0; i-=2){
        x = arr4[i];
        y = arr4[i-1];
        columnSwap(x,y);
    }
    for(int i = RAND_ARRAY_SIZE-1; i > 0; i-=2) {
        x = arr1[i];
        y = arr1[i-1];
        rowSwap(x,y);
    }
}

This is its respective decryption.
private void complete(){
    bitmap = bitmap.copy(Bitmap.Config.ARGB_8888,true);
    bitmap.setPixels(pixels,0,width,0,0,width,height);
    imgUri = getImageUri(this,bitmap);

    ContextWrapper cw = new ContextWrapper(getApplicationContext());
    File directory = cw.getDir("imageDir", Context.MODE_PRIVATE);
    File file = new File(directory, "ENCIMG" + ".JPEG");
    if (!file.exists()) {
        Log.d("path", file.toString());
        FileOutputStream fos = null;
        try {
            fos = new FileOutputStream(file);
            bitmap.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 100, fos);
            fos.flush();
            fos.close();
        } catch (java.io.IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
        done();
}

This is where I save the image.
I can't seem to find where I'm losing so much information

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Whatever your goals and whatever type of shoe you are looking for, it is our mission to make sure that you are in the correct fitting and type of shoe.
We start our shoe fitting process with an in depth discussion with you about your footwear needs, goals and concerns.
We will measure both of your feet for length and width. A visual inspection of your feet will also be conducted in order to determine your foot and arch type.
For those customers who are buying shoes for running, we will conduct an analysis of your gait (how your feet react when they come into contact with the ground during a run/walk). Our Video Gait Analysis System, enables us to video tape you while you run on our treadmill. After a short run (around 8 to 10 seconds), we can play back your run in a frame to frame slow motion setting. This allows us to show and explain your running bio mechanics to you.
At this point in the process, we are able to start recommending the correct category of shoe for you to try. As we put the shoe on your foot, we can ensure that the shoes you are trying are the correct length and width. You are then able to walk or run on the shoe either on our treadmill or our in store track. As you try on shoes, if needed, we can re video tape you running and can in slow motion frame by frame playback simultaneously show you your gait in up to 6 different running shoes.


text:
Q: How to reference a rigidbody2d on a springjoint2d connected to a prefab So, i'm trying to code a grappling hook into my game. The idea is:

*

*Instantiate a prefab from the Gun object, which is a child of the player object

*When this prefab hits a wall or anything that exists on the "Ground" layer, it freezes, like it's attached to the wall.

*When it freezes, enable a SpringJoint2D, connected to the player's Rigidbody2D, pulling it.

The problem here is, I can't figure out how to reference the player's Rigidbody on enable, and I can't just reference it on the prefab for some reason; so the SpringJoint just exists without being connected to the player.
And, considering that the game will be a multiplayer game, I think using tags is not an option, because if every player object is tagged as "player", the spring will be connected to everyone (I'm not sure about this).
This is the prefab code:
{
   [SerializeField] private float speed;
   [SerializeField] private Rigidbody2D hookPoint;
   [SerializeField] private LayerMask layerMask;
   [SerializeField] private float checkRadius;

   private SpringJoint2D rope;
   private bool isColliding;

    private void Awake()
    {
        rope = GetComponent<SpringJoint2D>();
        rope.enabled = false;
    }

    private void Start()
    {
        checkRadius = 0.3f;
        speed = 10f;
        hookPoint = GetComponent<Rigidbody2D>();
    }

   private void Update()
   {
        transform.Translate(new Vector2(speed * Time.deltaTime, 0));
        isColliding = Physics2D.OverlapCircle(hookPoint.position, checkRadius, layerMask);
        if(isColliding)
        {
            hookPoint.constraints = RigidbodyConstraints2D.FreezePosition;
            speed = 0f;
            rope.enabled = true;
        }
   }
}

How can I solve this?


Friday, March 4, 2016, UC Santa Barbara Computer Science Department will be hosting summit.cs -- a chance to bring together undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, alumni, and industry partners in a day-long program of sharing ideas and making connections. Brought to you with support from Citrix® and our other generous sponsors.
Start the day off right with a catered breakfast and networking between students, companies, and faculty. The summit sponsors will have tables set up, and many other visitors will be present for discussions. Use this time to share resumes, swap business cards, explore internship opportunities, and discuss your various ongoing projects.
A panel of former UCSB students will share their wisdom about being a Computer Science major and life after graduation. The panel is sponsored by the Array of Talks project whose mission is to inspire enthusiasm for Computer Science, intellectual exchange, and a sense of community among Computer Science undergraduates, faculty, and business professionals. More information about the panel can be found at arrayoftalks.cs.ucsb.edu.
Lunch will be catered and provides even more opportunity for discussion and networking. This is a chance to interact with the people behind the work. Each of the undergraduate capstone teams, along with a collection of graduate and undergraduate researchers, will be available to explain their ongoing work (with the help of a poster), and in some cases even provide demonstrations of their creations. In addition, student organizations relating to computer science will be available to discuss their activities and how students, alumni, faculty, and guests can get involved.
Our Keynote lecture will be a distinguished lecture delivered by MIT Professor, and winner of the 2012 Turing Award, Shafi Goldwasser. Professor Goldwasser has made fundamental contributions to cryptography, computational complexity, computational number theory and probabilistic algorithms. She was the recipient of the Gödel Prize in 1993 and another in 2001 for her work on interactive proofs and connections to approximation. She was awarded the ACM Grace Murray Hopper award, the RSA award in mathematics, the ACM Athena award for women in computer science, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science, the IEEE Emanuel R. Piore award, and the ACM Turing Award for 2012. She is a member of the AAAS, NAS and NAE.
Support for summit.cs provided by our other generous sponsors.


After traversing through bustling cities that you fancy, you will want to return to the lap of Mother Nature in search of that elusive peace. It is a place where you will experience love and forgiveness, a place where you may ultimately begin to find yourself. For those who seek such places, here are a few.
The locals believe this place was inhabited by fairies until it was discovered in 1931. It seems like a child gone crazy with colours on a blank canvas. The valley is alive with innumerable species of flowers like Blue poppy, Cobra lily, Geranium and even the Edelweiss. Lie down on the grasslands and admire the snow-capped peaks.
Duration: Full day including the time spent in the valley.
How to get there: Take an overnight train or bus from New Delhi to Rishikesh followed by a bus ride to Joshimath and then Govindghat where the trek starts.
Cherrapunji receives the second highest rainfall in the world. Centuries ago, local tribes developed the skill of joining tree-roots to form bridges. The roots of trees along this trail have grown to form bridges strong enough to hold 50 people at a time. As if one bridge isn't enough, there is also a double-decker bridge. Watch how the locals collect water and jump head-down into the natural swimming pools around Nongriat village.
How to get there: Fly from Kolkata to Shillong or take a train from Delhi to Guwahati. You can take a State transport bus from Guwahati to Shillong or drive all the way in your vehicle.
The only trail from where you can see four of the five highest mountain peaks on this planet. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and Lhotse are visible with a sweep of an eye. Travel light and take breaks at small hamlets on the way, interact with local villagers and enjoy the beauty of pine trees, endless rhododendron fields and fluttering Buddhist prayer flags.
How to get there: Take a share-jeep from Darjeeling to Manebhanjan which is 58 km and approximately 1.5 hours away. The trek starts from here.
The 70 km-long Chadar Trek takes you over the frozen Zanskar river. Encounter spectacular ice falls, wooden bridges and ancient routes which are still used by the people of Zanskar for trade. Camp inside natural caves and feast upon noodles and hot tea. Be prepared for extreme weather as the temperature plummets to 30 degrees below zero after sunset.
How to get there: Take a flight from Delhi to Leh in winter or drive to Leh in summer followed by an additional 64 km-long-drive to Chilling from where the trek starts.
Discover mystic Dzongu, the once forbidden and sacred abode of the Lepchas, the aboriginal community of Sikkim. Live in a local Lepcha house and explore some of the most difficult-to-reach monasteries. Water from the sacred Green Lake, according to the Lepcha tribe, is known to fulfil personal wishes. It still remains one of the least explored trekking trails of North East India.
How to get there: Take a flight to Bagdogra airport followed by a jeep ride to Gangtok and then Lachen. Alternatively, take a train to New Jalpaiguri station and catch a jeep to Gangtok. Trek starts from Lachen.
For more such exciting trekking trips, take our professional help and book through us with cost saving offers.
Contrary to popular belief, cruise holidays need not be expensive. If you plan well and book in advance, it can be very affordable.
How would you like your next holiday to be? Unique, multi-destination itinerary without the stress of figuring out connections, no running to catch flights or trains, no hassles of checking in or out and packing and unpacking at each stop, no worries about entertainment options? There is a lot going for a cruise holiday, and the icing on the cake is that you can do as much or as little as you want.
Little wonder then that the cruise market in India has seen a big spike in the past two years. Everybody, from honeymooners to MICE corporate, from bachelor and hen parties to multi-gen holidayers, seems to be clamoring to climb aboard. Cruise holidays are finding more and more takers with a phenomenal growth rate of 25-30% year on year. More than 1.1 lakh Indian passengers are setting sail every year.
With so many cruise lines taking to the seas, zeroing in on one may seem like a challenge. Let your preferences dictate your ultimate choice. According to industry insiders, the popular cruise liners, such as Star Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Costa Cruises offer a lot of quality and value for money. If you want the ultra-luxury option, take your pick from Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Seabourne.
It is a fallacy that cruises are a very expensive holidaying option. They actually promise the most bang for your buck, whether you pick a budget, value or luxury cruise. The savings on any cruise line are very evident if you take into consideration the complete costs you incur on a holiday. On a cruise, you do not pay separately for food, inter-city travel, taxis, station or airport transfers, local commute and entertainment.
Book early Book at least 90-120 days ahead of the sailing date. Booking ahead lets you avail of early bird offers, and also gets you the choicest cabins; the cheapest, best-located and most luxurious cabins on any ship are the first to be snapped up.
Pay for what you want The all-inclusive cruises, which pack in everything from meals and alcohol to gratuities and sightseeing, may look great on paper, but are expensive. Currently, only select luxury liners offer this option and if you want high end, you can't go wrong with this. The trouble is that if you are a teetotaler, or not a heavy drinker, you don't get value for money. Instead, a cruise line that allows you to pre- purchase beverage packages (soda and soft drinks) will be better suited and cheaper.
If you plan to spend your time exploring the entertainment options on board, there is no point in paying the premium for a balcony cabin. Lastly, newer ships are more expensive than the older ones.
Avoid air-hotel offers Most cruise lines offer to handle your flights and pre- and post-cruise hotel bookings. Avail of this option only if you are more interested in saving time than money. Booking independently through reliable travel agents can work out at least 10-20% cheaper. There may be cheaper flights that reach much earlier during the day, or low cost carriers that slip below the radar. As for hotel bookings, budget travelers would want to consider hostel and bed-and-breakfast stays, which are not on the menu as far as cruise lines are concerned.
Time your travel Peak seasons command the highest fares, so before planning a cruise, figure out its shoulder season. Peak season is generally during the summer, but also coincides with other school holidays like Christmas. For instance, the South East Asia cruises will be most expensive in the cooler months, while the Mediterranean cruises hike their rates during the July-August window. A seven-day Greek Isles cruise with Celebrity Cruises is 13% cheaper in September than in July.
Cut down on incidentals Unless you are offered a limited amount of free Internet and ship-to-shore calls, avoid these like the plague. The connections can run from 50 cents to a dollar a minute, and are often slow. Also, don't use the e-mail address assigned to you on your cruise ship; it's almost always more expensive than a Web-based mail account. Other additional costs to watch out for include laundry—pick a cruise ship offering self-service laundromats—specialty restaurants and the ship's photographers.
Go for DIY shore excursions If your ship offers free shore excursions, jump at the chance. However, booking these through the cruise liner is a costly mistake. The latter are typically 20-50% more expensive than a DIY trip. Just walk down to the end of the pier, and hop on to a local bus or taxi. Alternatively, book a local travel operator in advance. There is one more thing you can do that promises 100% savings: make use of any special skill that you have. Cruise liners are always on the lookout for experts who can teach passengers a craft: how to dance, do yoga, work on a computer or even talk on interesting subjects. Such people might get picked to play teacher for a few hours each day of the cruise in exchange for free travel.
With scheduled stops in nearly all major port cities, a cruise is one of the best ways to see some of the most popular tourist hot spots across the globe.
Cruises allow for a unique multi-destination vacation without the stress of packing-unpacking, checking in and out of hotels and running to catch flights/trains. It's a relaxed, yet fun-filled, travel opportunity.
As a thumb rule, cruise holidays offer a truly affordable value proposition since they cover not only meals and accommodation, but transportation as well.
Snuggle in a beach basket built for two on Hiddensee Island, Germany. It's unique and you know it: a pristine Baltic island with no motorized transport where horse-and-wagon rides or tooling around on bikes are the only ways around. Amble across dunes and long stretches of sand, or tuck yourselves into a Strandkorb (beach basket), a wicker half-shell chair for two that shelters you from the wind as you watch the waves.
Sleep on a lakeside farm in Shelburne, Vermont. This hamlet boasts a 1400-acre working farm with an inn on the banks of Lake Champlain. Beyond, taste award-winning wine at the town's namesake Shelburne Vineyards, known for its crisp northern varietals, and enjoy locavore-friendly (locally-sourced) food at elegant restaurants where farm-to-table cuisine reigns and tastes supreme.
Lakeside Farm, Shelburne, Vermont, U.S.
Enjoy a private beach on remote Pamalican Island, Philippines. At 5.5 km long, roughly 500 metres at its widest and only one five-star resort on the island, you're guaranteed seclusion. Oh, and dive in to see vibrant colours – Pamalican is set smack in the centre of a 7 sq km coral reef.
Unwind on a gorilla safari in Bwindi Forest National Park, Uganda. On guided walks to observe these gentle giants you'll encounter jagged valleys, dramatic mountain scenery and monkeys. In the evenings, stargaze around campfires and retire in tents built into the jungle canopy while peering into the mist-shrouded rain-forest from bed.
Taste wine amid copper-coloured canyons in Cafayate, Argentina. Filled with estancias (sumptuous ranch lodging) and vineyards where you can taste rarely-shipped-abroad varietals like Torrontes, this handsome desert town begs you to wander hand-in-hand, past dusty buildings and candle-lit cafes spilling onto sidewalks.
Smooching in Bettmeralp, Switzerland. It starts with a cable-car ride, launching you into a car-free Alpine village. We're not sure what we love more: views of the Aletsch glacier and mountains (including the Matterhorn), strolling between chalets or indulging in fondue. Oh, and Swiss tradition says if you lose your bread in the cheese, you must kiss your dining neighbour – so let that bread disappear.
Embark on a sunset ride in Khan Khentii, Mongolia. Peppered with rolling hills of birch forests and grasslands threaded with rivers, Khan Khentii is a protected wilderness area three times the size of Yellowstone National Park. Go horseback-riding at sunset across the steppe, and try yak cart rafting together before disappearing into plush yurt lodgings.
Cruise Alaska's coast on an intimate small ship. Only small vessels can drop anchor at the quiet fjords, tranquil bays and inlets along Alaska's inside passage. From your cabin, peer at bobbing icebergs, imposing glaciers and misty veils of clouds suspended above snow-capped mountain peaks. Or venture out for a walk on a remote beach or in a two-person kayak to float in enchanting coves and glimpse wildlife like otters and seals.
Take a vintage train journey in Namibia. From the all-aboard whistle to the smart retro furnishings on the 1950s-esque Desert Express, this train feels like you've stepped on a classic film set. Recline in antique leather armchairs and clink glasses in the Spitzkoppe lounge to the sultry sway of the coach. Later, dine in the Welwitschia restaurant car below sandblasted glass panels featuring local animal footprints while rambling past gold-red dunes and African wildlife.
Enjoy the simple pleasures on Ambergris Caye, Belize. Surrounded by tropical beaches and covered with verdant mangrove swamps in the centre, this island is home to the world's second-largest barrier reef after Australia's. Snorkelling, diving and sunset cruises on catamarans are the norm here, but we're drawn to the balmy nights in basic thatched roof beach huts and napping in two-person hammocks.
Don't try to cram too much into your itinerary. Opt for a location, where everything you want to see or experience is close at hand, so that you have limited travelling to do. Book your hotel in advance. Remember, you only have a limited amount of time, so spend it wisely.
Zero down on a place where you both will enjoy!
A minimoon is like a tester holiday; it's a great way to recce a destination, which you can go back to explore in detail at a later date.
Giving gambling mecca Las Vegas a run for its money is Asia's most extravagant casino destination, Macau. If you and your partner have a taste for luxury, gaming, nightlife and entertainment, Macau will provide that 24-hour adrenaline rush. Whether it's entertainment venues or restaurants, it's all open until late. With more than 30 casinos, including world famous ones at The Venetian, Grand Lisboa and Wynn, Macau promises to be a luxurious holiday of a lifetime.
Looking for a quiet, paradisaical beach, fringed with soothing palm trees to rake in the sun and sand? Make Sri Lanka your top choice. Surrounded by miles of white and golden beaches, this island country is one destination that offers a wonderful prelude to your actual honeymoon. Book a beach shack or check into a resort at Negombo, Arugam Bay or Unawatuna — all of which boast of picturesque beaches with crystal clear waters — and indulge in some whale watching or sun bathing with your better half.
Though popularly known for its war history, Vietnam has a natural setting for outdoor adventure that the world is discovering: stunning hill, mountains, valleys, rice paddies and deserted beaches! You can trek in the mountains of Sapa, go cycling on the Ho Chi Minh trail or indulge in rock climbing and kayaking around the colonial hill station of Salat. Even the forests have unique wildlife, which you can experience at the Cuc Phuong National Park.
While Thailand's largest island has always been a magnet for beach lovers, Phuket is slowly becoming a spa haven for tourists. Experience Thai culture and hospitality in its truest form with a spa holiday. You can go for ancient traditions of natural healing like Nuat Phaen Boran (Thai massage without the use of oils) or modern treatments like reflexology, hydrotherapy etc. Exotic spas in five-star hotels or humble massage parlors on the streets of Phuket, take your pick for a cozy couple's massage!
There's no greater joy for a shopaholic couple than to splurge at glitzy malls or haggle for the best bargains at the flea markets of Dubai. Because of its duty-free prices and wide variety of goods like garments, handicrafts, electronics and spices, tourists have made Dubai their ultimate shopping destination. And how can one forget the world-famous Dubai Shopping Festival and Gold Souk?
For all the above minimoons, we have excellent packages, with quality hotels for your comfortable stay, itinerary at your leisure and we assure you the best of your memory to savor this minimoon forever.
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The accident was reported at 1:40 p.m. in the 5000 block of Old Highway 52, said Pam Kearns, a spokeswoman with the Highway Patrol. The accident occurred in front of Welcome Elementary School.
The N.C. Highway Patrol has released the identifies of those involved in a head-on collision Tuesday afternoon on Old U.S. Highway 52 in Welcome.
A 2011 Volkswagen, driven by Lynette Church Biles, 42, of Leonard Road, was traveling south while a 2008 Honda Acura, driven by Gwyn Darwin Hudler, 22, of Jones Drive, Winston-Salem, was traveling north. Kearns said Biles crossed the middle turn lane and traveled into the northbound lane colliding with the Volkswagen. After impact, the Volkswagen came to rest in the east shoulder while the Acura traveled off the east shoulder and collided with two mailboxes.
Biles was charged with reckless driving. The Volkswagen was traveling 35 miles per hour at impact and the Acura 30 miles per hour. The speed limit was 35 miles per hour on Old Highway 52.
Biles was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Health — Lexington Medical Center while Helen Hudler, 70, of Jones Drive, Winston-Salem, a passenger with Gwyn Hudler, was taken to Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Hudler was in good condition late Wednesday afternoon, and Biles' condition was not available. Gwyn Hudler was OK and did not need to be transported. The Volkswagen had no passengers, according to the Highway Patrol.
All of the people involved were wearing seat belts, Kearns said.


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Book: The Long Road to Antietam
Home › Learn › Articles › Book: The Long Road to Antietam
An Interview with Richard Slotkin
The American Battlefield Trust had the opportunity to speak with author Richard Slotkin about his book, The Long Road to Antietam: How the Civil War Became a Revolution. This book looks at not only the military aspects of the 1862 Maryland Campaign, but also the complex political challenges and strategic choices facing both the Lincoln and Davis administrations in September 1862.
Civil War Trust: You've written a number of excellent books on the Civil War. What attracted you to the 1862 Maryland Campaign as a subject?
George B. McClellan
Richard Slotkin: The Civil War was really the "Second American Revolution," as James McPherson has called it, and the Maryland campaign was the crisis of that revolution. The Union victory in that campaign enabled Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which turned the war into what Lincoln called a "remorseless revolutionary struggle." The war's transformations of American society were certainly radical enough to justify the use of that term. I think we tend to discount the revolutionary character of that period, because we know what did not happen: the abolition of slavery did not make the US a multi-racial democracy, the Union was not destroyed, constitutional government was not replaced by despotism.
But leaders of North and South had to respond to the crisis with no assurance that the war would not end in the destruction of constitutional government in either or both of the rival sections. Civil wars had always been fatal to republics in the past, from ancient Athens down to the French republics of 1789 and 1848.
To see the crisis from their perspective, we have to understand that Lincoln and Davis were not simply the presidents of stable national governments. They were leaders of embattled political movements, whose regimes were vulnerable to the play of uncontrollable social and political forces. Secession was a revolutionary act, which fractured the order of constitutional government, and made the most radical political actions seem plausible. Both presidents would have to deal with the threat of new secessions by disaffected state governments, and the threat of popular uprisings. Events would pressure Lincoln and Davis to stretch their constitutional authority to or beyond the breaking point, to intensify the scope of combat operations beyond all precedent, to inflict loss and suffering on civilian populations as an instrument of policy. Both would also be faced with demands that they cede their powers, in whole or in part, to a military "dictatorship." Davis would actually come to that in 1865, by which time it hardly mattered.
The threat of military dictatorship was far more menacing to Abraham Lincoln, and it was strongest during the crisis summer of 1862. The threat came from General George McClellan: commander of the Union's largest army, in charge of defending Washington itself; the general Lincoln had to entrust with the conduct of the Antietam campaign.
You place great emphasis on Lincoln's conflict with McClellan. Why was this so dangerous, and how did it affect the campaign?
RS: During the first year and more of fighting, McClellan was widely regarded as the Union's best general, even by many of those who faulted him for his slow and hyper-cautious approach to operations. He was unquestionably a superb organizer of troops.
What made McClellan dangerous were his political commitments and his personality, which combined grandiosity with something like paranoia. He was nicknamed "the Young Napoleon," and in 1862 that was a specific reminder of very recent events: the Second French Republic, established by the 1848 revolution, had been overthrown by Napoleon III in 1852. That same fate had overtaken every historical republic that had fallen into civil war, from Athens and Rome, to Cromwell's England and Robespierre's France.
Although he presented himself as a pure-minded professional, McClellan was in fact a partisan Democrat who wanted to preserve slavery as a guarantee of white supremacy. By virtue of his position he became the most powerful Democrat in Washington, the symbolic leader of the opposition party. He also believed he had a divinely appointed mission to save the Republic from what he saw as the twin menaces of Secession and Radical Republicanism. So he fought a two-front war, fending off the Confederates in front and using every resource of politics and public relations to unseat his enemies in Lincoln's cabinet. Worst of all, McClellan dismissed Lincoln as "the original Gorilla," a well-meaning but weak-minded "baboon" surrounded by fools and traitors; refused to inform the President of his plans and deliberately flouted or balked at following presidential orders.
He continually reverted to the idea of a military dictatorship, which might come to him through Congressional action, the abdication of his opponents in Lincoln's cabinet – or even a military coup. Although that last was an extreme idea, he liked to entertain it. He took pleasure in telling his wife, "I have commenced receiving letters from the North urging me to march on Washington & assume the Govt!!" In August, 1862, a few weeks before Lincoln reappointed him to command of the Army of the Potomac, he mused: "If I succeed in my coup everything will be changed in this country so far as we are concerned & my enemies will be at my feet. It may go hard with some of them in that event, for I look upon them as the enemies of the country & of the human race..."
Lincoln's conflict with McClellan was far more dangerous to constitutional government than the later clash between President Truman and General MacArthur during the Korean War. The Lincoln-McClellan conflict occurred in the midst of civil war and revolution, when the authority of constitutional government itself was under challenge. Like Napoleon, McClellan had created a cult of personality in the Army of the Potomac; and his army was not half a world away, but was entrusted with defense of the president, his government, and the capital of the nation. Even a failed or abortive coup attempt by a few disgruntled officers would have done severe, perhaps irreparable harm to the Union cause, and set a dangerous precedent for the future of constitutional government.
The 1862 Maryland Campaign was a watershed moment within the Civil War. How did Union and Confederate strategies change in this period?
RS: For the first year, leaders on both sides planned for a short war. Each believed that the people on the other side were not deeply committed to their cause, and could be convinced to negotiate a settlement after a few heavy defeats and some experience of the economic costs of war. To make negotiation palatable, each adopted a program of political "conciliation." Davis offered to guarantee the Union's western states free passage of the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans, through which most of their produce was traded to the world. Lincoln offered guarantees that slavery would not be threatened in the states where it already existed.
By July 1, 1862, both Presidents realized that they had underestimated their opponents' political commitment and military strength. To achieve their aims – independence for the South, or a restored Union – each would have to wage a more vigorous and destructive war, attack the fundamental structures of the enemy's society and break its people's will to resist.
Davis would seize the military opportunity opened by the stalling of the Union's offense in the west, and Lee's defeat of McClellan in the Seven Days' Battles (June 25-July 1), to authorize a grand counteroffensive – simultaneous advances by all three of his major field armies. One force would invade Kentucky and try to recover central Tennessee; Lee's army would threaten Washington and invade Maryland. These military moves were coupled with a political offensive. The commanders of the invading armies would reach out to the leaders and citizens of Kentucky and Maryland, inviting them to break with the Union and join the Confederacy. The invasions – especially Lee's in Maryland – were also calculated to have maximum effect on Northern voters: mid-term elections would be held in November, and Confederate victories might well tip the electoral balance against the "war party."
Lincoln's strategic analysis cut deeper still. He too recognized the need for stronger armies and more aggressive military offensives. But he had also become convinced that the war could not be won without a direct attack on slavery. Slavery was the basis of the South's economic and military strength – to break the South's ability to fight, its economy must be broken. On a deeper level, slavery had caused this war, and as long as slavery existed a new outbreak of civil war was possible. The longer, costlier war for the Union that now seemed necessary could only be justified if it removed the root cause of conflict. But it would take a revolutionary use of federal power; and it would make a compromise peace impossible.
After his complete failure in the Peninsula Campaign, why was it that Lincoln felt compelled to keep McClellan as the head of the Army of the Potomac?
RS: There were two moments when Lincoln had to face that choice. After the Seven Days, Lincoln became convinced that McClellan lacked the aggressive energy Lincoln's strategy required. McClellan had also presented him with a political manifesto – the so-called "Harrison's Landing Letter" – that made clear McClellan's opposition to Lincoln's policies in general (and anti-slavery in particular). However, McClellan still held the passionate loyalty of the vast majority of officers and men in his army. Any replacement would have been met with hostility and mistrust. He also enjoyed strong backing from the War Democrats, whose support was vital to the war effort; and his public prestige remained very high. So Lincoln passed the buck to his new General in Chief, Henry Halleck – tell McClellan he must either advance on Richmond, or face removal. But Halleck lacked the moral courage to enforce that choice. So they made the worst possible compromise: to leave McClellan in nominal command, but transfer his army piecemeal from Virginia to Washington, where it would unite with the force under John Pope.
The effect of this was to remove the threat to Richmond, and allow Lee to take the offensive against Pope, while half the Union forces in Virginia were at sea. When Lee wrecked Pope's army at Second Bull Run, Lincoln had to face the choice a second time. His cabinet was violently opposed to restoring McClellan to command. Secretaries Chase and Stanton believed he had deliberately withheld reinforcements that might have saved Pope, and should be shot as a traitor. Although he well understood the danger inherent in McClellan's hostility to his own government, Lincoln also knew McClellan was the only general who could get the army in shape in time to resist Lee's invasion of Maryland. His reappointment of McClellan was an act of moral courage, equaled by his decision to fire McClellan after his victory at Antietam.
Did Robert E. Lee need to bring on a battle of annihilation for his Maryland Campaign to be successful?
RS: No – although he was willing to accept such a battle if the opportunity arose.
Lee's objectives were a mix of military and political. He believed the Union army was badly disorganized and demoralized after its defeat at Second Bull Run. So his first move was to Frederick, MD, only fifty miles from Washington. His idea was to provoke the Federals into a hasty advance. He believed his own army, better organized and with higher morale, would at least drive the Federals back to Washington. Lee could then hold a position on northern territory for an extended period. The prestige of such a victory, and the presence of a Southern army, might move slaveholding Marylanders to quit the Union, exposing Washington to encirclement.
But if the Union generals declined Lee's gambit, he planned to pull back westward, over the high ridges of South Mountain, to establish a permanent base around Hagerstown, MD. From there, sheltered behind the mountain wall, drawing supplies from the Shenandoah Valley, he could mount heavy raids into Pennsylvania, punishing Northerners as Virginians had been punished. This would at least relieve Virginia of Federal invasions. At best, the extended presence of a Rebel army on Northern soil might have a powerful effect on the mid-term elections scheduled for November.
In your account you indicate that Lee had come to the conclusion that the Maryland Campaign was already a failure by the time of the Battle of South Mountain. Why had Lee come to that conclusion before any decisive battle had been fought?
RS: When the Federals refused to attack him at Frederick, Lee went to his secondary plan, retreating westward over South Mountain. But in order to maintain his army near Hagerstown, he had to capture the Federal post at Harpers Ferry, which blocked his supply route through the Shenandoah Valley. To do that he had to divide his army in four parts: three of them under Stonewall Jackson to Harpers Ferry, while only some twenty thousand remained with Lee himself in and around Hagerstown – waiting for Harpers Ferry to fall. But his plans were exposed on September 13, when McClellan obtained a copy of Lee's orders, lost by a courier. Emboldened by the discovery, McClellan advanced against the Hagerstown force and broke through Lee's defense at Turner's Gap in South Mountain. At that point, with his force outnumbered four to one, Lee thought he had no choice but to retreat to Virginia. He had actually started his guns and wagons across the river when Jackson sent word that Harpers Ferry would fall on September 15. Lee then decided to stand at Sharpsburg with his small force, and wait for Jackson to join him.
You posit that McClellan's decision not to attack Lee and Longstreet on September 15 actually increased McClellan's chance for a decisive victory. Why was that?
RS: On the 15th Lee had only about 18,000 troops with him. By late afternoon, McClellan was able to concentrate about 40,000 – half of his troops were still marching up from Washington or handling other assignments. If McClellan had attacked that afternoon -- given the advantages of Lee's defensive position, and McClellan's defects as a tactical commander – he might well have driven Lee from his lines and forced him to retreat. It is unlikely that he could have destroyed Lee's force. Aside from McClellan's habitual "slows," the Union army was not capable (at that point in the war) of mounting the kind of pursuit that destroys a retreating foe. Lee's prestige would have been hurt, but the bulk of his army would have remained intact.
However, on the 16th McClellan would have over 60,000 troops concentrated, and another 13,000 near at hand. Lee would not have more than 25,000. Lee and Jackson had miscalculated the speed with which Jackson's forces could disengage from Harpers Ferry and march to Sharpsburg. Only two of Jackson's five divisions made it to Sharpsburg on the 16th. Two more divisions would not march in until 4 AM on the 17th , the day of the battle; and A. P. Hill's Division would not arrive until 4:30 PM, while the battle was at its height. By waiting for Jackson, Lee had put much more of his army at risk than there had been on September 15. McClellan's force still outnumbered him more than two to one, and was much better prepared for an offensive than it had been the previous day.
Put us into Lee's mind on the eve of the Battle of Antietam.
RS: Lee's decision to stand and fight on the 17th has been questioned. He had only about 37,000 troops at hand, against McClellan's 73,500 – and McClellan would have the initiative. If he lost, retreat might be ruinous, since he had a river at his back with only one usable ford.
Lee's justification for taking such risks was simple. Lee did not think the South could survive an extended war. The combination of military success and political opportunity that now existed – with every Confederate army on the offensive and northern mid-term elections approaching – that combination might never again occur. All he had to do was force the faint-hearted McClellan to retreat, and he might win the war in one afternoon. The stakes were worth the gamble.
He also had a few advantages. His positions could not be easily flanked. Lee also had "interior lines," inside a tight arc, while McClellan's was spread in a wider external arc. Lee could move troops and artillery – and orders – from point to point much faster than McClellan. Moreover, Lee's subordinate generals – his corps, division and brigade commanders – were far more experienced than McClellan's at working together. Even without orders they knew how to cooperate under the stress of combat. Like other great generals, such as Frederick the Great and Napoleon, Lee counted on his army's superior organization and morale to overcome McClellan's advantage of numbers. Finally, although Lee lacked the long-range heavy artillery McClellan commanded, his army was amply supplied with the short-range, infantry-killing guns that counted most heavily at the point of attack.
Much ink has been shed on McClellan's battle plan and execution at Antietam. Where do you come out on his generalship at Antietam?
George McClellan's behavior during the Seven Days earned him the derisive nickname "the Gunboat Candidate" when he ran for president in 1864.
RS: McClellan's conduct of the battle was inept. In part, this reflected lack of experience. Antietam was the first general engagement that he himself planned and initiated. In other actions he had acted on the defensive, and exercised little actual control of tactical operations. He was faced with a veteran army, in a strong position, whose commander was a master tactician, seconded by experienced subordinates. To break that army's line he would have to mount attacks that were both powerful and well-coordinated. This he and his subordinate commanders were unable to do.
I also think politics also affected his battle plan. As always, he was at least as concerned about the Radicals in his rear as he was about the Rebels in his front. He believed that if he suffered a setback – even a temporary one – the Radicals would force him out; whereas if he simply forced Lee to retreat, he would be hailed as a savior of the Union, and his political position would be unassailable. He was therefore hyper-cautious in his battle plan, refusing to risk defeat by the kind of all-out offensive that might have won him a decisive victory. He could not muster strong, coordinated attacks, because he held most of his troops – and all of his best troops – in a central reserve position. He gave the initial offensive missions to his least experienced corps commanders (Hooker, Mansfield and Burnside), and to units he considered second-rate (that is, troops from Pope's army). The troops in his center were three corps of Potomac veterans, "his boys" from the Peninsula Campaign, commanded by men personally loyal to McClellan (Franklin and Porter). Theoretically, this elite reserve was to provide the force that would exploit any opportunity presented by Hooker's attack. In fact, it would take them an hour and a half to march to Hooker's aid – too late to have decisive effect. But there in the center, they were McClellan's "Life Guard."
In your book you detail the many specific political considerations that went into the precise wording of the Emancipation Proclamation. What were some of these considerations?
RS: The political considerations were a mixture of the grand, the partisan, the legal and the tactical. Lincoln was careful to rest his authority to issue the proclamation on his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief, which required him to take all actions in his power necessary to preserve the nation, the government, and the laws. That legal constraint partly explains the limitation of emancipation to slaves in Rebel-held territory; but it also suited his on-going efforts to both retain the loyalty of the slave-holding Border States, and at the same time persuade (or pressure) them to voluntarily abolish slavery. He also included a few lines recommending the colonization of freed slaves abroad, as a sop to conservatives in his own party (like Attorney General Bates) as well as to Democrats. However, the colonization passage was much shorter and weaker than it had been in his first draft, presented to the cabinet back on July 22.
The most interesting considerations have to do with timing. Everyone knows that Lincoln, on Seward's advice, delayed issuing the Proclamation until the Union armies had won a victory. That had delayed issuance from July 22 till September 22, five days after Antietam. But a more interesting timing consideration is the deadline of December 31, 1862, for Southern states to give up their rebellion and save their slave property. That deadline was unchanged from the first draft, written on July 22. If issued then, the South would have had six months to come to terms. But by September 22, less than three months remained till the deadline. It still gave the Proclamation the appearance of an ultimatum, which won the support of some conservative newspaper editors, who urged the South to accept the offer. But the term was ridiculously short. It seems clear that the ultimatum was pro forma. Lincoln never expected the South to accept. In issuing the Proclamation he knowingly embraced a war to the finish.
Civil War Trust: In your assessment what made the Emancipation Proclamation "revolutionary"?
RS: Its expansion of presidential powers was revolutionary. Lincoln asserted that as commander-in-chief, he had the power to confiscate the property of citizens inhabiting rebellious districts, without judicial proceeding. In purely economic terms, this was expropriation on a colossal scale. At a stroke of the pen some 3.5 billion dollars' worth of property was legally annihilated – this at a time when national GDP was less than 4.5 billion, and national wealth (the total value of all property) about sixteen billion dollars. It guaranteed that if the Union was restored Southern society would be revolutionized.
Two codicils had especially radical implications. One enjoined Blacks "to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defense." This was intended to offset the accusation that Lincoln was fomenting a "servile insurrection" and race-war. But by suggesting that Blacks could use violence for self-defense, the proclamation attacked the fundamental principle of plantation law and discipline, which absolutely forbade the slave to physically resist abuse by a legal master, and even denied the slave the right to appeal to a court.
More radical still was the declaration that freed slaves "will be received into the armed service of the United States." The right to participate in the common defense is a civil right which not even the free states then recognized. As Frederick Douglass said, "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States." A total of 180,000 Black men would serve, roughly 9% of the two million total Union armies enlistments, and their actual contribution was significantly greater, since these enlistments were concentrated in the last two years of the war, when the total strength of the Union armies varied between 700,000 and one million men. The war would have been lost without them.
You point out that the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation was initially a setback for the Lincoln Administration and a boost for the Confederacy. Why was this?
RS: The initial political result was mixed. Although the most radical Republicans thought it was weak, they accepted it, and eventually joined the rest of the party in thinking it a historic, necessary, and morally purifying act. However, reaction against even limited abolition probably helped the Democrats increase their share of Congressional seats and governorships in the mid-term elections. But the destruction of slavery, which the Proclamation presaged and the war made inevitable, shifted the emphasis in Northern politics from "slavery" to race. The Democrats would mount a powerful threat to Lincoln's presidency, with McClellan as candidate, in 1864, on a platform based on war weariness and the passionate defense of white supremacy.
In the South, its effects were also two-sided. In material terms, the Proclamation undermined the plantation economy, as slaves fled plantations at the approach of Union armies, or added their strength to those armies. But Confederate leaders were able to hold their war-weary and suffering people to a failing cause, by appealing to their fear and hatred of Negro equality.
Some historians have cited the Proclamation as a decisive factor in keeping the British from intervening on the Confederate side. That seems not to have been the case. Brits who recalled the horrors of the Sepoy Mutiny (1857) were repelled by what they saw as a licensing of "servile insurrection" and race war. The British government did not give up on intervention until they were sure the South was losing the war.
In researching this book did you have a chance to visit many of the 1862 Maryland Campaign sites? Which are your favorites?
RS: The Antietam battlefield itself may be the best-preserved major battlefield in the country. It's moving, and illuminating, to stand on the ground, and try to see things as the participants might have seen them.
Buy the Book: "The Long Road to Antietam" is available from our Civil War Trust-Amazon Bookstore
Richard Slotkin (born 1942) is a cultural critic and historian. He is the Olin Professor of English and American Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, and in 2010 was elected a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1995 he received the Mary C. Turpie Award of the American Studies Association for his contributions to teaching and program-building. Slotkin writes novels alongside his historical research, and uses the process of writing the novels to clarify and refine his historical work.
The Maryland Campaign of 1862

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Nianhhnum és Hnumhotep két ókori egyiptomi férfi volt az V. dinasztia idején, Niuszerré fáraó uralkodása alatt (i. e. kb. 2400). Közös sírjukban több helyen is ábrázolják őket egymást átölelve vagy egymás kezét fogva. Ebből számos egyiptológus azt a következtetést vonja le, hogy ők a történelem első ismert homoszexuális szerelmespárja, akik ezt tagadják, azon a véleményen vannak, hogy inkább testvérek (talán kettős torzok) voltak.

Nianhhnum és Hnumhotep sírját Ahmed Moussa és Mounir Basta egyiptológusok fedezték fel 1964. november 12-én a szakkarai nekropoliszban. A sír azonnal tudományos vitákat váltott ki tulajdonosai kapcsolatának mibenlétéről. A konzervatívabb feltételezést, miszerint testvérek (ikertestvérek, esetleg összenőtt ikrek) alátámasztja az, hogy a sírban mindkettejüknek a feleségét és számos gyermekét is ábrázolják. Azt az elméletet, hogy homoszexuális pár sírjáról lenne szó, az támasztja alá, hogy szokatlanul gyöngéd jelenetekben ábrázolják őket (ez a nekropolisz eddig egyetlen feltárt sírja, ahol két férfi átöleli egymást, ezen kívül orrukat is összeérintik, ami az óegyiptomi ábrázolásokon a csóknak felelt meg); a sírábrázolásokon családtagjaik háttérbe szorulnak (a lakomát ábrázoló jeleneten, ahol a két férfi egymást átölelve ül, Nianhhnum feleségének, Hentkauesznek alakját levakolták, Hnumhotep felesége, Henut meg sem jelenik), és egyik férfit sem ábrázolják a feleségével olyan meghitt közelségben, mint egymással.

Közös ábrázolásaikon Hnumhotepet ábrázolják azon a helyen, ahol a házaspárok ábrázolásaiban az asszonyt szokták, ő áll társa mögött, őt vezeti kézen fogva a másik, egy jeleneten pedig lótuszvirágot szagol, ami az V. dinasztia idején férfiak ábrázolásánál meglehetősen ritka. A lakomát ábrázoló jelenetnél a zenészek a felirat szerint "a két isteni fivér"-ről szóló dalt játsszák; ez minden bizonnyal Hóruszra és Széthre utal, mely a mítosz legtöbb fennmaradt változata szerint arról szól, hogy Széth megerőszakolta Hóruszt; I. Pepi piramisában azonban (ami időben nem sokkal Nianhhnum és Hnumhotep sírja után keletkezett) egy olyan változata maradt fenn, amiben a két isten erőszak nélkül lép nemi kapcsolatba egymással. Elképzelhető, hogy ezt a változatot adták elő a sírban megörökített lakomán.

A két férfi a fáraó manikűröseként dolgozott, így azon kevesek közé tartoztak, akik megérinthették az élő istenként tisztelt uralkodót. Nevük érdekes szójáték, mindkettejük Hnum istenre utal, aki az embert formázta meg fazekaskorongján: a Nianhhnum jelentése: "az élet Hnumhoz tartozik", a Hnumhotepé pedig: "Hnum elégedett". Nem tudni, hogy születésükkor kapták ezeket a neveket vagy később vették fel, így utalhat akár arra, hogy összenőtt ikrek voltak, akár arra, hogy szeretők.

A sír egyik jelenetén ábrázolnak egy házaspárt, Habau-hufut és Rudszaueszt, akik egyes feltételezések szerint Nianhhnum és Hnumhotep szülei, a két férfi így testvérpár volt, a feliratok azonban nem azonosítják őket szülőkként, egy szövegen pedig, mely arról szól, hogy sírjukat senki ne háborgassa, többes számban említik, hogy "atyáink és anyáink". További, név szerint említett családtagok: három fiútestvér (Titi, Neferniszut, Kaherszetef), három leánytestvér (Neferhotep-Hathor, Mehut, Heszetenptah), Nianhhnum felesége (Hentkauesz), három fia (Hemré, Kedunasz, Hnumheszuef), három leánya (Hemetré, Huitenré, Nebet), menye (Hemré felesége, Tjeszet), unokája (Hemré fia, Irinakheti); Hnumhotep felesége (Henut), öt fia (Sepszeszptah, Neferhuptah, Kaiszebi, Hnumheszuef, Nianhhnum) és egy leánya (Rudszauesz).

Jegyzetek

Lásd még

 Homoszexualitás az ókori Egyiptomban

További információk
 The mastaba of Niakhkhnum & Khnumhotep
 The tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
 Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
 Alan Winston: The Tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep at Saqqara

Ókori egyiptomiak
LMBT személyek az ókorban

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In autumn deciduous shrubs lose their leaves and become dormant. The exact timing of this event depends on where you live and your weather. In the UK this is likely to be either October or November. Early autumn is the ideal time to take cuttings as there is a very high success rate. All you need is a bit of patience.
One of my Buddlejas is old and woody now so I've just cut it back hard and taken cuttings to give me some vigorous new plants for next year. Hardwood cuttings are so easy to take. Each year I take a few shrub cuttings to provide new plants for my own garden and to give away to family and friends.
• Select a few vigorous healthy stems produced this year and cut them off the parent plant with secateurs. You'll see that older stems are thicker much more woody… avoid these.
• It's easy to forget which end is the top of the cutting and you do need to be clear on this. One end will make roots and the other will produce shoots. To avoid confusion make a sloping cut at the top just above a bud and a straight cut at the bottom just below a bud.
• Nurseries take large quantities of hardwood cuttings and root them in trenches outside. If you have space and can leave your cuttings undisturbed for a year then this is the best method. If not then you can root the cuttings in a deep pot of good compost. An old rose pot is ideal. Make a hole in the compost with a garden cane then dip the bottom of your cutting into hormone rooting powder to aid root formation. Firm the compost around each cutting with the cane.
• Insert your cuttings around the edge of the pot making sure that two thirds of each cutting is covered with compost. Label with the date and plant name using a permanent marker.
• Keep the pot in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse over winter. You'll need to keep your eye on it to make sure that the compost doesn't dry out.
• Roots develop slowly over winter so be patient and you'll see new shoots in spring which will indicate which cuttings have rooted. Your new plants can be separated and planted out the following autumn.
There's no need to stick to Buddleja. Many other popular deciduous shrubs are suitable for this method of propagation. For example: Cotoneaster, Cornus, Ribes, Salix and Rosa.
Why not have a go? If you've spotted a lovely shrub in a neighbours garden perhaps they'll give you a few cuttings in exchange for a new plant next year.


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Destiny's Child biopic? Here's who should play Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams
By Alicia Adejobi
September 22, 2015 13:45 BST
Fans are hoping for a Destiny's Child reunion but perhaps a biopic will actually come sooner. The group's manager, Mathew Knowles, has revealed he is working on a film based on the girl group that launched the careers of Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
Knowles, 63, says he is still managing a number of projects related to the US r'n'b girl group, which disbanded in 2004, and a biopic is one of them. Sharing his plans, the music executive told The Huffington Post: "I am extremely hopeful that the ladies will come back with an album and a tour. I'm working on a few Destiny's Child projects right now.
"My second book will be the autobiography of Destiny's Child. I'm talking to the film and TV community right now, regarding a Destiny's Child movie or TV series of some sort. But I still manage the ladies – Destiny's Child – and I'm hopeful that within the next two to three years we'll see something major come from it."
It is not the first time Knowles has expressed his desire to produce a Destiny's Child biopic. In the midst of the Sony leaks in 2014, it emerged that Knowles had been shopping the film idea to the movie studio but producers felt it was too soon to tell the group's story.
Beyonce\'s father Mathew Knowles says he is working on several projects related to Destiny\'s Child Getty
An email reportedly sent by a studio executive in 2013 read: "Matthew Knowles, Beyonce's father wants to make the film of Destiny's Child and came to me first. He's going to Universal next. Do we think it would be a successful film? They're on Sony label. I'm just not sure that it's not too soon."
Destiny's Child are one of the most successful female groups of all time with more than 55 million records sold worldwide. They released a host of successful albums and singles including Bills, Bills, Bills, Say My Name, Survivor and Independent Women Part 1. Williams, 35, was not part of the original formation with singers LeToya Luckett, Farrah Franklin and LaTavia Roberson part of the previous line-ups.
After DC split in 2004, Knowles went on to manage Beyonce's solo career, however she ended their business relationship in 2011 to take control of her own affairs. The trio reunited on-stage for the first time in several years during Beyonce's Super Bowl half-time show in 2013 and then again at the Stellar Gospel Music Awards in March 2015.
Knowles says that while he has a wishlist of the actresses he would like to play Destiny's Child, he will not be sharing it with the public just yet. In anticipation of the biopic receiving the greenlight, IBTimes UK has selected the perfect cast for the biopic...
Beyonce – Tinashe
The 2 On singer has emerged as one of the most promising female singers in r'n'b over the past two years and she certainly has the vocal abilities to match.
US singer Tinashe is often compared to Beyonce and has been named as a frontrunner to play the superstar in a biopic REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian
Kelly Rowland – Aja Naomi King
Although best known for her role in How To Get Away With Murder, King's resemblance to Rowland, 34, is uncanny. Her acting chops are incredibly versatile, so playing a pop star would not be too far a stretch.
Aja Naomi King is best known for her role as Michaela Pratt in TV series How To Get Away With Murder Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Heineken
Michelle Williams – Brandy Norwood
Simply put, Brandy is the epitome of being able to sing, dance and act and, in addition to her own successful music career, has a string of acting credits to her name, which includes most recently playing Roxie in Chicago.
Triple threat singer, dancer and actress Brandy Norwood most recently starred as Roxie in Broadway musical Chicago Reuters/Danny Moloshok
More about Beyonce
Beyonce new music: Singer to release Runnin\' (Lose It All) collaboration with Naughty Boy
Beyonce covers Flaunt magazine: Singer shares thoughts on sex, \'bipolar celebrities\' and daughter Blue Ivy
Grace Jones suggests copycats Beyonce, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus are \'on the road to nowhere\'
Beyonce rumoured to be recording new track with Naughty Boy
Beyonce 34th birthday: Singer\'s biggest record-breaking achievements from Grammys to Instagram
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Beyonce, Serena Williams, Ciara, Kerry Washington: Black cover girls changing the September Issue landscape
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After a long opening day at the Sea Best Invitational, a shoot-out has taken shape between Florida and North Florida. The Gators will have a two-shot lead at TPC Sawgrass' Dye's Valley Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., when Tuesday's final round begins, but North Florida will still have the home advantage.
Gordon Neale led Florida with back-to-back rounds of 1-under 69 and at 2 under, he is tied for third individually. Manuel Girona added a second-round 67 to the Gators' team score, which helped them keep pace with North Florida.
Florida is 1 under total after rounds of 2-under 278 and 1-over 281. North Florida started out with a 2-over 282, but had 1-under 279 in the afternoon. Phillip Knowles and Michael Mattiace helped that effort considerably with rounds of 68 and 69, respectively.
The best round of the day belonged to N.C. State, which had a 6-under 274 in the afternoon. At 4 over for the day, N.C. State is solo third. Liberty, at 8 over, is fourth and Florida State, at 9 over, rounds out the top 5.
Jacksonville's Eduardo Carrete leads the individual race thanks in large part to an afternoon round of 64. Carrete had six birdies on his way to a front-nine 29 after lunch. At 7 over total, he has a four-shot cushion on Liberty's Ervin Chang.
54-hole men's college tournament hosted by the University of Jacksonville at TPC Sawgrass. Team (best four out of five players each round) and individual competitions.


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That's why we've created ski and cruise add-ons, to help keep your costs down. It's all part of keeping your insurance simple.
For most people, the last thing they think of when preparing for an overseas trip is something going wrong. But it's important to take a few simple precautions before you travel, and quality insurance should be your first priority.
Simply Travel Insurance is backed by one of the largest global underwriters, and is supported by an emergency assistance department that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
I landed in hospital in my first week in Europe. Simply took care of everything, and paid my hospital and out-patient bill. I was treated like royalty all the way. I couldn't be happier with the service.
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I have used Simply Travel insurance for four overseas trips in the last 24 months. I am super happy with the service and the price. I highly recommend Simply.


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Efficiency Focus Helps Industry Chase Deepwater Capital
Stephen Whitfield, Senior Staff Writer | 30 April 2018
Following a failed installation in 2015, Chevron began delivery of its Big Foot TLP to the Gulf of Mexico in February. Source: Chevron.
OTC50
OTC2018
Though the price of oil is on the rise, operators in the deepwater space are still focused on providing competitive returns on short-cycle investments, and a focus on efficiency may be critical to ensuring long-term stability. Speaking on the first day of the 2018 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), Chevron North America Exploration and Production President Jeff Shellebarger shared his company's approach to offshore deepwater development in the current economic environment.
Shellebarger said that shareholders expect competitive financial performance in deepwater projects and those projects must generate competitive investment returns at the lower end of the price environment in order to be viable and continue to attract investment capital. The industry, he said, is working to meet the challenges of financing through a focus on efficiency, technology, and standardization.
Chevron has been focused on reducing the number of days it takes to drill and complete its wells, and Shelleberger said it has been largely successful on that front. He said the company's US Gulf of Mexico (GOM) deepwater drilling days per 10,000 ft have been reduced by more than 35% since 2014, and over that same time period it has reduced completion times by almost 40%. In addition, GOM operating costs have been cut in half since 2014 primarily because of the company's ability to take advantage of general efficiency opportunities.
"If you combined the sustainable drilling efficiencies with the rig rate reduction we're starting to see as the rigs come off long-term contracts, that will go a long way toward improving overall returns in the deepwater environment," Shellebarger said.
On the technology side, Shellebarger said Chevron has been using data analytics applications in a multitude of areas including operations, logistics, completions, and reservoir management. He said the company has seen improvements with its subsea pumping technology, which has enabled longer tiebacks that allow the company to better leverage existing infrastructure. He also said Chevron has "made great headway" on high-pressure/high-temperature subsea well control and production components.
An emphasis on standardization has also been critical to lowering project costs, not just for Chevron but industrywide. He said deepwater equipment specifications have been a particular area of focus, as industry has moved away from one-off designs tailored to a specific company's wants in favor of a single, repeatable design. The industry is moving toward a commodity environment with respect to subsea kits and floating production systems, and operators will play a key role in driving standardization in other areas, Shellebarger said.
"As operators, I think it really starts with us," he said. "We've got a lot of really good engineers in our company. They want their wellhead to be better than anyone else's wellhead. We can take advantage of much more of the manufacturing process in the industry. All of that is going to work toward more repeatable projects and lower costs overall."
Shellebarger also discussed Chevron's deepwater activity during the presentation. In January, it announced the discovery of more than 670 ft net oil pay at Ballymore in the Mississippi Canyon area. The company also holds a minority interest in the BP-operated Mad Dog Phase 2, which was sanctioned last year. And after a failed installation 3 years ago and several other challenges, the Big Foot tension-leg platform is being delivered, with production scheduled to start later this year.
Shellebarger said Chevron has several good prospects for further exploration in the GOM and in other parts of the world.
"We're doing a lot of deepwater exploration right now," he said. "It was a little painful at other parts of the price cycle, but we kept the drills running."
The amount of oil and gas resources approved for development last year surpassed 20 billion BOE, the highest level seen since 2011. Telltale signs have emerged that we are entering a new offshore investment cycle.
Energy Companies Well Suited To Adapt to Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0, the latest industrial revolution, has hit the manufacturing sector, building upon the adoption of computers and automation into industrial processes. How well suited is the oil and gas industry to leverage the new autonomous systems that could emerge from this transformation?
Global OPEX is falling, and the UK has emerged as a cost-cutting powerhouse among global offshore regions feeling the squeeze of uncertain oil prices. In pursuit of lower unit prices, Rystad Energy says that operators and contractors have begun nurturing operational improvements.


Open Runway, retailer of high-end, custom-made shoes and handbags, is shutting down. Open Runway, which began life as Sole Envie, was part of the movement toward mass-customization of fashion items that includes Gemvara, Blank Label, and Bow and Drape. The company was a MassChallenge finalist in 2010 as well as a Springboard participant that year.
I asked co-founder and CEO Monika Desai to talk to me about Open Runway and she graciously agreed, hoping other entrepreneurs will benefit from reading about her experiences.
Q. What was the idea behind Open Runway?
A. I had a pair of shoes custom-made for my wedding and realized that I really enjoyed the experience of designing my own fashion and expressing myself. The positive reaction I got from friends got me thinking there may be a market for custom shoes and other accessories. However, using a cobbler to make the shoes was not only hard to find but also cost prohibitive. The idea behind Open Runway was to make customized fashion accessible to a larger audience at a lower cost through an interactive and fun shopping experience for customers.
Q. Was Open Runway primarily a fashion company or an e-commerce company?
A. We started out thinking of Open Runway as a straight e-commerce play. As we began developing the business it became clear that without a good brand identity it was unlikely we'd be able to attract customers at the price point that we were positioning our products at. I'm sure a lot of e-commerce companies have the same epiphany where they realize that just delivering your products is not enough. You need to really find a way to have your customers identify with you and trust you.
Q. Which was the biggest challenge: manufacturing or marketing?
A. Far and away it was the manufacturing. Not that manufacturing a run of shoes or bags is all that difficult but setting up a relationship with a manufacturer to make customized shoes or bags one at a time is an order of magnitude more difficult and complex.
We had a very challenging time finding a manufacturer who could work with our business model of on-demand manufacturing. Factories are set up to mass produce thousands of the same exact shoes/bags at a time, whereas we needed them to produce just one – each one a different combination of styles, materials, etc. While it can be done, it requires a forward thinking factory that is willing to change their processes to accommodate this way of manufacturing and do so in an efficient manner. It also requires cooperation throughout the whole supply chain. Not only did we have to find a factory that could accommodate our model, we needed to find leather, soles, heel and other component suppliers that had very low minimum order requirements and fast turn around times. We were further challenged because of the dwindling footwear and handbag industry in the US, which forced us to produce overseas and hire people on the ground to oversee everything. I personally visited over 50 factories in China, Mexico, India and Europe. This is not to say that marketing was easy, but it was the same challenge that any other new fashion company would have to deal with. The manufacturing was by far the bigger hill to climb.
Q. How was your time with MassChallenge?
A. Open Runway was a finalist during MassChallenge's inaugural year and it was a great experience. I found it to be a very enriching and supportive environment. It was also a great way to gain exposure and it provided lots of networking opportunities. John Hawthorne and Akhil Nigam have done a fantastic job of developing a thriving startup ecosystem in Boston and I would encourage all early stage startups to apply to MassChallenge.
Q. Do you recommend Springboard to other female entrepreneurs?
A. I highly recommend Springboard Enterprises for female entrepreneurs who are looking to raise venture capital. Unfortunately, venture capital is still a very male dominated world. Only 7% of venture capital goes to women led enterprises. Springboard Enterprises does a great job vetting high growth potential companies led by women, assigning them to a team of advisors, and then putting them through an intensive boot camp to improve their presentation skills and their pitches in a supportive and friendly environment. The program culminates with a venture capital forum where you have the opportunity to present to an audience of angel, venture and corporate investors. Not only did my confidence improve greatly when pitching but I gained access to an invaluable network of industry experts and influencers.
Q. What went right with Open Runway?
A. We were able to create what I felt was a very on-target, interactive and engaging online shopping experience on a very modest budget. Our web design and other collateral really captured the brand. We were also able to garner a lot of support and interest from customers and the press before we even launched.
Q. What were the biggest challenges you faced?
A. Manufacturing, as I mentioned before, was our number one challenge. Looking for funding was also quite challenging. A couple different aspects made it so. First, Boston's investment community is more focused on tech companies and not so much on consumer and fashion. At the time, fashion tech was a little ahead of the curve as far as solid investment dollars flowing in. Second, we focused a lot of our energy trying to raise a large first round when going for a smaller investment to move us forward may have been a better way to go.
Q. What would you do differently if you were starting again?
A. From a manufacturing standpoint I would significantly reduce the complexity of the product line by offering fewer styles and options out the gate. We were too worried about being all things to all people instead of just focusing on getting one product out the door and validating our model. I would also be less concerned with finding a manufacturer that could scale as we grow. I thought too much about the future and how our manufacturers were going to be able to handle future demand when we didn't even have customers yet! Same thing with our software development – if I were to start again I would launch with only the absolute necessary features.
Lastly, I would focus on getting smaller angel investments instead of swinging for the fences for a bigger round.
Q. What advice do you have for other first-time entrepreneurs?
A. Lower your standards. Don't try to have all the features in the first version of the project and don't stress if your product or brand identity isn't where you want it to be. Sketch out your vision and have a roadmap but don't try to launch with everything. With product features, if you even have to ask yourself whether it should be in or out, it almost certainly should be out. The number one thing you should be thinking about is how little you can do to get something out the door into people's hands so you can start validating the concept.
Be careful about who you take advice from and what advice you take. Most people mean well when they are giving you their advice and feedback, which is based on their experience and view of things. At the end of the day, though, it's your company. You are the one with the vision and you are the one who needs to execute so trust your gut.
A. I just had a baby in August so I'm officially taking some time off while I evaluate different opportunities and ideas. Building Open Runway was an incredible experience. There is nothing like building a company from scratch and seeing your vision come to life. I would love to (and probably will) start another company but I'm also open to taking on a role at a promising startup.
This entry was posted in Startups and tagged Boston, entrepreneurs, MassChallenge, Springboard, startups, venture capital by jim. Bookmark the permalink.


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You are here: Home / Press Release Wire / The Abbi Agency Hires Director of Digital Media
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The Abbi Agency Hires Director of Digital Media
November 13, 2018 By Abbi Whitaker Leave a Comment
The Abbi Agency, an integrated marketing agency, recently expanded their senior leadership team with the addition of Shannon Riley as their digital media director. Riley brings a wealth of experience to the agency in delivering results-driven strategies, tactical campaign creation and strategic implementation. As a veteran in the media buying industry, Riley is versed in placing, measuring and optimizing traditional, non-traditional, digital and social media buys.
"Shannon has a deep understanding of the digital process, which means that she is able to carry out and track media buying throughout every stage of a campaign," said Abbi Agency Co-Founder Abbi Whitaker "She has also shown the ability to always be ahead of new technologies and changes to policies of existing platforms, which is no small feat in this ever-evolving digital world that we work and live in. We're thrilled to have her on board as we start to focus on the upcoming year."
This announcement comes in the wake of the agency's January hiring of Chief Creative Officer, Michael Leonardini, an award-winning designer and creative director with nearly two decades of experience creating national and international marketing and branding programs. Leonardini brings an extensive professional track record and valuable insight to the agency's well-rounded leadership team.
"As the Abbi Agency continues to grow our focus on digital story building, the addition of Shannon allows us to offer our clients a growing in-house team of digital-first professionals that bring their decades of experience to our clients," added Whitaker.
Before joining The Abbi Agency, Riley worked as a digital marketing manager, where she spearheaded campaigns in the hospitality, medical and technology fields. During that time, she oversaw digital marketing efforts for boutique hospitality organizations to drive engagement and sales. Riley also gained valuable experience in Southern California's broadcasting market, where she worked as a national sales director from 2014-2015.
"I was drawn to The Abbi Agency for a number of reasons," explained Riley. "Not only is the team amazing, thoughtful and creative, they truly understand the importance of digital marketing and the need for today's marketers to engage their audiences in the spaces and ways which are meaningful for them."
Riley earned a Master's Certificate in hospitality management from eCornell in 2016, a Master's degree in communications from San Diego State University in 2010 and a Bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of New Hampshire in 2002. She enjoys skiing, yoga, meditation, hiking and traveling in her spare time.
Filed Under: Press Release Wire Tagged With: Shannon Riley, The Abbi Agency
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