text:
Golden Peacock Leadership Award is awarded annually. Each category, at the discretion of the Jury may have more than one award. Each winner receives a trophy together with a certificate.
Guidelines and Eligibility
Anyone may submit a nomination for the Leadership Award with the candidate's permission .Candidate must be serving in any business / industry and have also been contributing towards transformation with outstanding achievements and have made outstanding contribution towards the society.
There is no prescribed criteria / guidelines for Individual Leadership Awards . The complete profile needs to be submitted along with all achievements by email only at info@goldenpeacockaward.com
Awards Rules & Regulations
1.	Decision of the Award Jury is final and no appeal or correspondence will be entertained.
2.	Award Secretariat reserves the right to award more than one organization as the winner, and could also withhold award(s), if the required standard is not met.
3.	Award Secretariat accepts no liability for any loss resulting from the disclosure of information concerning an entry to Assessors or Jury members, though all reasonable precautions will be taken to maintain secrecy.
4.	Award Secretariat cannot undertake to return documents or supplementary material submitted with an entry.
5.	Award Secretariat reserves the right to alter the Award Scheme, at any time.
6.	Finalist Award applicants may also be invited to make a brief presentation to the Jury and/or one of the assessors may be nominated to confirm or clarify certain facts at site. Travel and stay expenses, if any, will be met by the applicant.
7.	Award for each sub - sector may be given, even if there is only one application in any of the categories provided that it meets the qualification of minimum assessment (as decided by the Jury).
8.	Jury may not approve any Award, if the applicants do not get the minimum qualifying marks.
Non-Disclosure & Confidentiality
Application Fees & Non-Disclosure - Confidentiality
All entries/ nominations will be treated in strict confidence and the entire evaluation process is confidential. Names of applicants, commentary and scoring information developed during the review of applications are regarded as proprietary and are kept confidential.
The Golden Peacock Awards Secretariat will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that applications and information therein are treated in strict confidence. However, in no way Golden Peacock Awards Secretariat can be held responsible for any loss of confidentiality to a third party, nor held liable for any damage (to goods or persons, financial loss or consequential) incurred through the breach of confidentiality or otherwise by the applicants or any third party.
Golden Peacock Awards
N. Chandrababu Naidu, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh State, India receiving Golden Peacock Award for Leadership in Public Service & Economic Transformation - 2017
Mr. Nara Chandrababu Naidu is an Indian Statesman who has been the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh since 2014. Previously also he served as Chief Minister from 1994 to 2004, and as the Leader of Opposition from 2004 to 2014. He is currently the National President of Telugu Desam Party.
He has won a number of Awards, including IT Indian of the Millennium from India Today, Business Person of the Year by The Economic Times, South Asian of the Year from Time magazine and membership in the World Economic Forum's Dream Cabinet. He chaired the National IT Panel under the NDA government and was described as one of the "hidden seven" working wonders around the world.
At 28, he was the youngest Assembly member and minister. He was the longest serving Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, before the formation of the new Indian State of Telangana.
He was longest-serving opposition leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. He was voted IT 'Indian of the Millennium' in a poll by India Today and 20:20 Media. He was named "SOUTH ASIAN OF THE YEAR" by the TIME Magazine, USA. He has been described as one of the Hidden Seven working wonders around the world, by Profit, a monthly magazine published by Oracle Corporation, US. He was named Business Person of the Year by Economic Times, & was called the "CEO of Andhra Pradesh".
The Pune-based organisation, Bharatiya Chatra Sansad, in partnership with MIT School of Governance, has honoured him with "Aadarsh Mukhyamantri Puraskar" (Model CM Award) in 2016.
He was named 'Transformative Chief Minister Award' in May 2017 by USIBC. He is a potential Prime Minister of India.
IOD Network
Certified Corporate Directors
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Phil Spector: Inside the mad, bad world of the murderous record producer
The epitaph on his father's grave – To Know Him Is To Love Him – inspired his first big hit.
Alun Palmer
But for people who knew "wall of sound" music producer Phil Spector, fear and terror rather than love were the order of the day.
The 68-year-old, who was one of the greatest hit makers in pop, now looks likely to die behind bars for the murder of Hollywood waitress and wannabe star Lana Clarkson.
Phil Spector's terrifying mugshot (above) reflects the 'demonic' spirit his trial heard about. Check out more celeb mugshots they'd prefer you not to see
Spector's obsession with guns and increasing detachment from reality led to Lana, 40, dying at his Los Angeles mansion with a gunshot wound to the head. He claimed she had, like his father years before, killed herself.
But on Monday the jury ruled that, when she refused his advances, Spector coldly shot her in the mouth with his .38 Special revolver.
Many who have crossed Spector's path can testify to his obsession with firearms and his erratic mental health.
Six years ago, he even admitted: "I would say I'm probably relatively insane.
"I take medication for schizophrenia, but I wouldn't say I'm schizophrenic. I have a bipolar personality.
"I'm my own worst enemy. I have devils inside that fight me."
First wife Veronica Bennett, known as Ronnie, could testify to that. Spector grew up in LA as pop music exploded across the world. He formed The Teddy Bears which opened doors to the music industry and he never looked back.
He took Ronnie's group, The Ronettes, and turned them into global sensations with classic songs Be My Baby and Baby, I Love You.
The couple married and Ronnie watched as success transformed her husband. She says: "I think
Phil was a very normal person at the beginning of his career. But as time went by they started writing about him as a genius. And he said, 'Yeah, I am a genius'. Then they would say, 'He's the mad genius'. And so he became the mad genius."
As his success increased, Ronnie found herself being kept a virtual prisoner in their home.
Once a friend was playing pool with Spector at his mansion when he became aware of a distant thumping sound.
"I said, 'Phil, what's that?' And he said, 'I locked Ronnie in the closet'. And there she was, cowering inside."
On one occasion he showed his wife a gold coffin with a glass top. Chillingly he said he promised to kill her and display her inside if she ever left him.
The couple were desperate for children but their efforts to conceive proved fruitless. When they started proceedings to adopt a child, Ronnie was forced to put a pillow up her jumper when she ventured out to keep up the pretence of a natural birth.
After the baby was adopted, a fake birth notice was placed in the newspaper by Spector.
A year later he arranged to adopt twins without even consulting her.
Eventually she plucked up the courage to walk out in 1972.
"I knew that if I didn't leave, I was going to die there," she later recalled.
Many other women have revealed how he threatened them with guns.
British pianist Devra Robitaille went to work for him in 1977 and quickly became his lover.
She remembers how the songwriter and producer would throw parties at his Spanish hacienda style home for the great and good of Hollywood.
He would mingle with the guests with a holstered gun across his arm and another strapped to his ankle.violence
After one party, with all the other guests gone, she started to leave only to find the door locked.
"I wanted to go home and I was saying to him to open the door and let me out." Spector then apparently pulled out a gun and pressed it against her temple.
She added: "He started shouting at me something like, 'If you leave, I'll blow your f***ing brains out'."
After she moved in she discovered some of his more strange house rules.
"I was never allowed to wander around the house on my own," she said.
"Phillip would ask me to play Bach on the piano for his guest, and then he would put me in a room – often locking it behind him – and say he'd be back.
"I always had a strange feeling there was something going on in the rest of the house I wasn't privy to, I've no idea what."
It wasn't just the women in his life who experienced his terrifying and violent volatility. John Lennon was the poster boy for the flower power generation and Spector produced his anti-war anthem Imagine. But in the studio peace and love were the farthest thing from Spector's mind.
Legend has it that during a disagreement over how to produce the album, Spector pulled out a gun and shot it into the ceiling, silencing the former Beatle.
While working with the singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, he shoved a pistol into his neck and whispered, "Leonard, I love you".
He even pulled out a revolver in front of Stevie Wonder.
But Lana's death brought a fatal end to his fascination with guns.
Next month Spector will appear again in court when he will be jailed for between 15 years to life.
He has spent an estimated $50 million (£33.5million) defending himself in the case or, according to the prosecution, trying to buy his freedom.
But he now has to face the fact that he may spend the rest of his life in jail.
Lana Jean Clarkson
Veronica Bennett

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This new leisure facility comprises a recreational (gala event capacity) pool, learner pool, sports hall, studios, gymnasium and first-floor ice arena, and is part of a mixed-use development for this client which consists of a retail store, 250 residential flats, associated highways and external works.
The development is a vertically-stacked leisure centre with an ice rink over the top of the pools. This design was one of only two in the world.
As part of the development agreement between our client and the council, it was necessary to maintain the provision of ice facilities for the community. A temporary ice facility in Brixton was, therefore, delivered while the new leisure centre was being built. A strict programme was co-ordinated for the opening of the new centre and the closing of the temporary facility.
Currie & Brown provided project management and employer's agent roles and worked with the various stakeholders to ensure that the opening of the new facility involved them all.


ANAAK - Artful and relaxed, ANAAK collections are inspired by the approachability of bohemé dressing. Created in the most ethical and sustainable way, their feminine yet contemporary silhouettes embody a fresh take on relaxed, beach-ready style. ANAAK collections are created using traditional processes using ethical and sustainable methods, all from natural fabrics.


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Broadcasters Turn to the Cloud to Extend the Reach of Popular Content
By Doug Clark, Global Watson and Cloud Platform Solutions Leader, M&E, IBM
Across industries, research shows that most companies are still in the early stages of their cloud journey—approximately 20 percent according to Ovum. When cloud first began, it was all about renting compute power to help increase productivity and decrease costs. As the next chapter of cloud begins, the focus is all about taking a hybrid and multi-cloud approach to unlock real business value from data and drive new growth.
The media and entertainment industry is ripe for innovation in this next chapter of cloud.
The industry itself is no stranger to disruption. The rapidly changing nature of content creation and consumption means that content companies face unique challenges. In order to stay competitive, the speed at which companies must produce and distribute content is skyrocketing. This is met with rapidly evolving customer preferences and behaviors including unpredictable viewership spikes and expectations that content can be streamed on-demand in real-time via any device. Even the revenue models are shifting with subscription and advertising-based models being adopted to keep consumer costs low.
A recent survey, for example, found that U.S. consumers use Netflix to watch video content more than any other platform, leaving other cable and broadcast providers scrambling for new ways to attract viewer attention and gain market share.
For these companies, the cloud is about more than just infrastructure-as-a-service. The real opportunity will be leveraging the cloud to rethink how they deliver new, interactive and highly personalized experiences to consumers.
For example, new cloud-based video, data and AI tools enable content providers to produce and deliver user-focused programming and fan experiences tied to popular television shows and sporting events. The result: harnessing their data to deliver specialized content that offers fans a more intimate connection with their favorite shows anytime, anywhere.
The breakout success of the USA Network's "Mr. Robot," for example, inspired the network to launch the "Mr. Robot Digital After Show," hosted by The Verge. The "After Show" is a livestream that immediately follows each episode, allowing fans to discuss what happened, hear from some of the actors and learn about hidden messages they might have missed.
The network turned to the cloud to run the very popular "After Show's" livestream as a way of keeping its popular "Mr. Robot" property top-of-mind while also rewarding loyal viewers. By adopting cloud, USA Networks could focus their efforts on providing innovative, real-time content as opposed to focusing on the reliability of the infrastructure, according to the network.
USA Network's efforts with its prized "Mr. Robot" brand are only a taste of what's to come for media companies as they take a more open and strategic view of the cloud.
Fox Sports turned to the cloud last year to give sports fans a glimpse of the future. The broadcaster's FIFA 2018 World Cup coverage relied on a collaboration across multiple network properties and programming with the help of artificially intelligent software. The broadcaster tapped IBM Watson Media's cloud-based specialized AI video technology to quickly classify, edit and access game highlights in near real-time, despite the production team sitting thousands of miles away in Los Angeles.
Fox Sports and Watson Media also launched The Highlight Machine, an interactive online site that allowed fans to browse FIFA's archive of past matches and create custom highlights—by year, team, player, match and play type—from both historic footage and content from the 2018 tournament.
These are just a few examples of how the cloud can help companies differentiate and keep their content competitive. Adopting a hybrid multi-cloud strategy is already enabling companies to connect, integrate, synthesize data—regardless of where it resides—and then activate those insights across content offerings, ad products and user relationships. This is just a taste of what's to come as the next wave of cloud computing helps to drive transformation in the media and entertainment industry.
Doug Clark, Global Watson and Cloud Platform Solutions Leader, M&E, IBM
Doug Clark


Based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, we are a long established specialist flooring company offering quality flooring products and solutions to businesses.
We also operate as a specialist sub-contractor to main contractors on larger building contracts, supplying and fitting a wide range of flooring materials to suit.
The benefits from our extensive experience of operating within the contract flooring industry.
A skilled floor-laying service – in-house fitters, fully trained and in addition to specialist in-house and supplier training.


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"The PDO Dehesa de Extremadura is a sustainable production system"
Hams and shoulders with the Dehesa de Extremadura PDO seal are produced on the dehesas in Cáceres and Badajoz provinces, home to a valuable ecosystem which provides the ideal habitat for, and has been preserved in large part by, the Ibérico pig.
The regulation of DO Dehesa de Extremadura was approved in 1990, and the DO was recognized by the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin in 1996, providing a guarantee for the prestige and quality of Ibérico hams and shoulders (Ibérico, recebo, and campo de recebo) approved by the Regulatory Council. Heracio Narváez, Chairman of DO Dehesa de Extremadura, talks with Wiki Spanish Food about the quality seal's exports.
There are four Ibérico ham DOs in Spain. Where does Dehesa de Extremadura stand in terms of production and what sets it apart?
Since the beginning, our Regulatory Council's policy for Dehesa de Extremadura has been to certify top quality products, quantity being a secondary factor. I would highlight that 95% of our production is acorn-fed, with the result that the number of pigs we can fatten each year depends entirely on natural acorn production, and there are many factors which impact the montanera, i.e. the fattening period (weather, edaphic, geographic, and production conditions, among others), most of which are solely dependenton nature.
We currently have between 22,000 and 45,000 pigs on our dehesas, yielding 88,000 and 180,000 hams and shoulders for certification, to be sold by companies certified by the Council.
Audits and requirements are very stringent, in terms of dehesa inspection and company certification. Dehesa de Extremadura audits 100% of production. This has been a key aspect and, as a result, Dehesa de Extremadura ham is considered to be the best in the word, according to a growing consensus in the industry.
What percentage of total sales do PDO product exports account for?
Ibérico ham is very closely linked to our culture, with the result that consumption is primarily concentrated in Spain. However, with the opening of new markets and greater awareness about Spanish culture, which is highly valued around the world, exports have grown quickly and progressively in recent years.
Exports account for just 5% of total sales; however, a few years ago they accounted for less than 1%, and there are companies that allocate close to 20% of production for exports.
What are the main markets where these products are exported?
Within Europe, we mainly export to France, Portugal, Belgium and the UK; outside the EU, Japan and Mexico are the primary markets.
What are foreign ham consumers looking for?
Anyone who tries our product is immediately taken with its smooth texture and flavor. Foreigners are increasingly informed about the world of Ibérico pigs and the ham culture in Spain. Some countries, such as Japan, France, and the UK, are more receptive as they understand the complicated production process. However, there are other countries where, due to the type of business, i.e. based on the department store and discount formats, such as in Germany, sales are complicated because these products are not low cost items. As a result, they are generally sold in exclusive markets and delicatessens.
What problems do you face in exporting to other countries?
Entering new markets is never easy for any industry, as there's generally a lot of red tape and it's a costly process. This makes you analyze each situation and the investment in time and money required to enter those markets. There are no major problems in the EU; however, in China and the US, for example, the requirements and investments vis-à-vis slaughterhouses must have enough scale toguarantee a high volume of exports for it to be worth your while. In Central and South America and Eastern Europe, the main obstacles are bureaucracy and customs.
How do you ensure that all of your products are top quality?
The Dehesa de Extremadura's audit system requires that every pig must be weighed, identified and monitored prior to and during the montanera. Each ham and shoulder is identified when the pig reaches the slaughterhouse and before is goes to market, and the Council's label is placed on each product as verification.
What are your plans for the future in Spain and abroad?
We aim to continue to grow, attract new customers and enter new markets, both nationally and internationally, by maintaining the same quality policy that has been in place for more than 24 years. We will also continue to raise awareness about our products by attending fairs, conferences, presentations, and discussions in Spain and in other countries, and by advertising in the media and online...In short, insofar as our budget and our team allow, we aim to have a presence in every location and attend every event that we can.


text:
"As much as I love writing (the verb), I probably love writing (the noun) even more. I doubt anyone becomes a serious novelist who doesn't love reading: savoring paragraphs that precisely capture longing or dread or desire. Being riveted by a plot twist that is utterly surprising but, you realize, perfect, because it was inevitable."
Critically acclaimed novelist Chris Bohjalian uses his gripping fiction to explore contemporary social issues and how they play out in the lives of ordinary people, as well as to shed light on some of the most important moments in history. His writing delves into such topics as domestic violence, global climate change, gender identity, genocide, adultery, animal rights, adoption, homelessness, mental illness, and human trafficking with equal facility. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 20 books, and his work has been translated into over 35 languages.
Midwives, an Oprah's Book Club selection and a #1 New York Times bestseller, is a contemporary classic whose central questions of individual and societal responsibility remain just as pressing today as when the book was first published. Among Bohjalian's many standout titles since then have been the New York Times bestsellers The Guest Room, The Sleepwalker, and The Sandcastle Girls, in which Bohjalian tackles the weighty topic of the Armenian genocide in an "intricately nuanced romance" that Julie Kane of Library Journal called "simply astounding."
Another bestseller, Bohjalian's novel The Flight Attendant came out in 2018 to rave reviews. In this "expertly turned thriller" (USA Today), a flight attendant wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, next to a dead man—with no idea what happened. The Washington Post, which named it one of the ten best thrillers and mysteries of the year, said, "Filled with turbulence and sudden plunges in altitude, The Flight Attendant is a very rare thriller whose penultimate chapter made me think to myself, 'I didn't see that coming.'" A television adaptation of The Flight Attendant starring Kaley Cuoco is in development as an original series for HBO Max.
In his forthcoming novel, The Red Lotus, Bohjalian tells the story of a Manhattan ER doctor whose boyfriend vanishes while the couple vacations in Vietnam. In a twisting story of love and deceit she must uncover a series of strange revelations, forcing her to confront the fact that much of what she knew about her boyfriend was a lie. The Red Lotus is out in spring 2020.
Bohjalian's masterful plotting evokes a magician who distracts his audience to look this way, not that way… Fans of Bohjalian know to expect the unexpected and, thanks to his creativity and cunning, readers usually get walloped by one heck of a plot twist by book's end.
Bohjalian is also a playwright and screenwriter. His first play, Grounded, premiered at the 59 East 59th Theatres in New York City directed by Academy Award winner Alexander Dinelaris, and was released as the Ebook Wingspan by Vintage. He is currently adapting his novel The Sleepwalker for film with Scott Simonsen of Fresh Pond Productions, as well as a stage production of Midwives, which will premiere at the George Street Playhouse in early 2020.
Bohjalian's books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Hartford Courant, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, Bookpage, and Salon. Bohjalian has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Reader's Digest, and The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. He was a weekly columnist in Vermont for The Burlington Free Press from 1992 to 2015.
His awards include the New England Book Award, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Freedom Award for his work educating Americans about the Armenian genocide, the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for The Sandcastle Girls, and other honors. He is a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Bohjalian graduated from Amherst College and lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
For more information about Chris Bohjalian, please visit him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or at chrisbohjalian.com.


Versa Tilt & Jac - A Unique tilt & jack plate combo unit!
Home / All Products / Versa Tilt & Jac – A Unique tilt & jack plate combo unit!
Bob's Machine Shop's new Patented combo tilt and jack aka The Versa Tilt & Jac!
Jack Plate is Manual adjust.
The unit is rated for 50HP, and can be either clamp on, or BIA bolt on pattern.
Unit includes the plate, hydraulic pump, hoses, switch, wiring harness, oil, it is a complete kit.


Sick of athlete's foot causing discomfort in your life? If you didn't already know, athlete's foot is a fungal infection that can cause redness, itchiness, scaly and cracked skin in between or on your toes. If not treated or taken care of, athlete's foot can continue to recur time and time again. The best way to eliminate athlete's foot is to prevent it from coming back.
What are some natural remedies for athlete's foot?
There are many common and natural remedies for athlete's foot. If you find yourself with recurring infections, try some of these home remedies to alleviate and finally get rid of your infection.
For this remedy you will need three things. The first is apple cider vinegar, next is colloidal silver (which can be found in a health store) and a moisturizer or oil of your choice. Soak feet in a mixture that is one part apple cider vinegar with four parts of water for about 20 to 30 minutes. Thoroughly dry feet. Apply a thin layer of the colloidal silver to the infected area and let that dry as well. Follow up with a moisturizer or oil to help alleviate the dryness or scaly skin you've been experiencing.
Use baking soda to get rid of any moisture or dampness that can be found between the toes. This should be used after you shower. Continue to apply baking soda to the infected area for a month even after the infection is considered gone. You can even pour some baking soda into your shoes to absorb any moisture that may be left over.
Have a hair dryer? Use it every time after you shower to remove excess moisture. If you develop this habit, this can drastically decrease your chances of getting recurring bouts of athlete's foot.
Make sure to only wear clean, cotton socks. Socks made out of synthetic materials do not allow the feet to breathe which can be a reason why the infection keeps recurring. Make sure to wash your socks with hot water and bleach to kill any potential bacteria and fungus. Also make sure to thoroughly dry the socks as well.
Is the itchiness becoming unbearable? Try a tea bath. Boil about a quart of water and add then let six tea bags soak in the water. When it is cool enough soak feet in the mixture for at least 30 minutes. Tea has an ingredient known as tannic acid that will help to relieve the itchy and kill the fungus.
Certain oils such as tea tree or sesame oils can kill the fungus of athlete's foot as well. All you need to do is rub a layer of the oil on the problem area one to two times a day. There have been reports that athlete's foot can clear up in a few days.
Avoid using anti-bacterial soaps. They can be stripping and also may make athlete's foot worse. The soap can actually cause the harmful bacteria to get worse. Instead it's best to use a gentle cleanser for your feet.


>> >are simply not a strong enough versioning system to prevent lossage.
>enough by themselves to do an adequate job of versioning.
case (and it IS in many implementations), then using size will NEVER work.
this flaw in the IMS "size" discussion and it is a fatal flaw.
>> "server serve, clients do the work."
Next message: James Pitkow: "Re: If-Modified-Since and forged dated"


Birchgrove Baking is a bakery/cafe in Montpelier, Vermont. Each day, we make an assortment of cookies, breakfast pastries, cakes and tarts. Everything at Birchgrove Baking is made by hand and with local Vermont products whenever possible. We also offer coffee, espresso drinks and tea. Having a wedding? Let us create the perfect cake for you!
Become a fan of Birchgrove Baking on Facebook!
As a child, I spent a good deal of time with my grandmother playing with pie dough. Whenever she made pies, she would hand me a small chunk of dough to play with. I would sit on the floor and roll it into a tough little disk hundreds of times over, until the dough was barely recognizable as a food product. What could be more fun for a four year old? I loved it!
Flash forward many years later, and after a very brief stint in a pre-med program in college, I ended up graduating with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Boston University and then from the Baking and Pastry program at the California Culinary Academy. I spent the next ten years working at various five-star hotels, including the W Hotel in San Francisco and Four Seasons Hotels in both San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, as well as at NECI here in Montpelier.
Food has always been a part of my life. Even when I was training to be a mechanical engineer I spent a lot of time thinking about and cooking food. It took a couple of engineering degrees and brief time as a student at MIT for me to realize that I was a much better cook than an engineer. Best of all, I actually enjoyed cooking.
I attended NECI where I was told that, despite my culinary degree and desire to be a restaurant chef, I would one day be a pastry chef. Ironically, a few years later, I found myself back at NECI teaching pastries. Now I'm the morning baker. I even get into some of the old engineering when it comes to kitchen repairs and assembling the occasional wedding cake.
We were recently featured in an article, Birchgrove Baking Offers Freshly Baked Treats In Downtown Montpelier.


text:
Cover reveal and pre-order!
March 28, 2020 March 28, 2020 dragonink90
Hi everyone, just a quick post to say that one of my latest young adult books is up for pre-order on Kindle, releasing on June 24th, and I can now officially reveal the gorgeous cover my publisher has designed for it:
When Apprentice Alkemical Apothecary Johnathan finds out that the Board of Alkemists are forcing the shop to close down due to the severe illness of his mentor, his career hopes are shattered.
To make matters worse, Johnathan returns home that evening only to discover his neighbour on the verge of death. Unable to save him, Johnathan is left only with his dying words and boxes of notepads, along with a marketing leaflet naming them as 'Super Notes', handy notepads that never let one forget what was on them – something that would certainly come in handy as a business opportunity.
Unfortunately, Johnathan's new venture leads him to encounter an unlikely gang of thieves, and a deadly conspiracy. Facing the reality that he could be responsible for the disaster, Johnathan teams up with the thieves to root out the origin of the Super Notes, and stop whoever is behind the danger that threatens their city.
If you're interested, then you can pre-order it here.
Tagged alchemy, apprentice, bandits, concoction, conspiracy, cover reveal, fantasy, magic, musical, necromancer, new release, orphans, pre-order, published, resurrect, spells, steampunk, talking cats, teen reads, Young Adult
March 22, 2020 dragonink90
Dawn comes, crisp yet quiet.
Leaves stir on its breath and rise up to land on the window ledge,
locked tight
like the rest of the house.
A robin spies an insect on one of the leaves,
and flutters over to snatch it.
Its beady eyes meet large, pale ones
through the cold glass,
hungry and wild at seeing a creature move about so easily.
The robin is unconcerned, considering only
that its momentary distraction has now cost it its meal.
Tagged abandoned house, birds, curiosity, Freedom, hunger, isolated, life, nature, Poetry, robin
The day is warm on my face, so I emerge from my home
to track down supplies. It shouldn't be too bad, I can enjoy the breeze
and how the sun trickles on my limbs.
Scuttling along, intending to be content.
Do I really need my shell?
There's nothing to bruise my soft body here–
whoosh.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
What is that? Those startling things
all herded in groups or alone with noses in black mirrors?
They don't even see me.
Feet stomping, arms swinging, brows furrowed.
Blind to a little crab trying to find food and appreciate the air.
Better be getting home, before they extinguish me with their ignorance.
Tagged autistic, busy, crab, crowded, hermit, introvert, metaphor, pedestrian, personal space, Poetry, sensory overload
It's World Book Day! Here are a few of my favourite books and series of all time!
March 5, 2020 dragonink90
These aren't in any particular order, but I will say that Howl's Moving Castle is probably my favourite book. It's utterly marvelous. (Plus my partner and I have a long standing joke that I'm actually Sophie Hatter.) I've treasured my copy for many years, and will treasure it for many more. The rest of the books in this list are ones that have sucked me in so completely that I had no idea what was going on in the real world at the time, and I often had dreams about them too.
Howl's Moving Castle (there are actually two sequels, written many years after it came out: Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways):
"How about making a bargain with me?" said the demon. "I'll break your spell if you agree to break this contract I'm under."
In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help – the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills.
But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls…
The Crisanta Knight series:
The next generation – the children of Snow White, Cinderella, and others – have lives and stories of their own. And not just long ago and far away but (sort of) here and now! Enjoy!
I was going to be a great protagonist. At least that's what my mom, Cinderella, kept telling me. I, however, had my doubts. Unlike most main characters at Lady Agnue's School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists, I was opinionated, bold, and headstrong. Moreover, for a princess, I had a lot of issues. I'm talking vicious nightmares about people I've never met, a total stalker prince, and a Fairy Godmother for an enemy.
But I digress. Because here's the thing about living in an enchanted realm of fairytale characters, crazy junk you never planned on happens all the time. One minute you could be practicing fainting exercises in Damsels in Distress class, sword fighting in a field, or flying on a Pegasus, and the next, BAM! Your book has begun and you're saddled with a prophecy that changes everything.
I still don't know if I will be a great protagonist one day. But I know one thing about my fate, for certain. Despite what The Author and the antagonists have in store for me, whatever it costs. . .I'll be the one taking charge of my own story…
The Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series:
Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death — and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny.
With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear — and sometimes disappears altogether.
Lockwood & Co. series:
When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .
For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.
Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.
The Legendeer trilogy:
"Real life" or the death-defying adventures of the Greek myths, with their heroes and monsters, daring deeds, and narrow escapes–which would you choose? For Phoenix it's easy. He hates his new home and the new school where he is bullied. He's embarrassed by his computer geek dad. But when he logs on to The Legendeer, the game his dad is working on, he can be a hero. He is Theseus fighting the terrifying Minotaur, or Perseus battling with snake-haired Medusa. It feels as though he's really there. The Legendeer is more than just a game. Play it if you dare.
The Karmidee trilogy:
Otto is our endearingly bewildered young hero whose world suddenly becomes very odd. Going with his father, Albert, to the FireBox Launderette, Albert is called to help with 'failing machinery' and is seen by Otto calming a purple dragon in the back room. When his baby sisters start to fly, his grandmother becomes a unicorn, and street waifs fly along the street at night on magic carpets pursued by the new Normal Police force, life becomes odder and scarier. Otto learns – often riotously – that his city and his family are very special indeed. Here the last remaining magical people – the Karmidee – are living as an underclass of pedlars and tinkers, known as the 'magicos'. But legend tells of a King, birthmarked with a butterfly, who will save the Karmidee from extinction. Particularly from the new Minister for Modernisation, Councillor Eifina Crink. With her Impossible List and Normal Police, she is determined to stamp out the Karmidee spirit. As repression intensifies, the Karmidee and their powers go underground, but their magic bursts out in the most unexpected places as a bid for freedom, with surprising, hilarious and extraordinary results.
The Wind on Fire trilogy:
In the city of Aramanth, the mantra is, "Better today than yesterday. Better tomorrow than today." Harder work means the citizens of Aramanth can keep moving forward to improved life stations–from Gray tenements and Orange apartments, upwards to glorious mansions of White. Only some families, like the Haths, believe more in ideas and dreams than in endless toil and ratings. When Kestrel Hath decides she is through with the Aramanth work ethic, she is joined in her small rebellion by her twin brother Bowman and their friend Mumpo. Together, they set the orderly city on its ear by escaping Aramanth's walls for an adventure that takes them from city sewers to desert sandstorms. Guided by an archaic map, they know that if they can find the voice of the Wind Singer, an ancient and mysterious instrument that stands in the center of Aramanth, they can save their people from their dreamless existence. But the voice is guarded by the dreaded Morah and its legion of perfect killing machines, the Zars. Are three ragtag kids any match for an army of darkness?
The Belgariad series:
Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought dominion and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.
But that was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the dark man without a shadow had haunted him for years. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved – but did not know? For a while his dreams of innocence were safe, untroubled by knowledge of his strange heritage. For a little while…
Tagged author, book discovery, books, children's books, fantasy, favourite books, literature, reading, series, trilogy, World Book Day 2020
In which Sophie pins down Howl (inspired by Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones)
March 1, 2020 March 1, 2020 dragonink90
He was a slitherer-outer. They all knew it,
but one did not care and another stared off in the other direction.
That left only one more, and it was up to her to try and pin him down,
to stop him avoiding all that was his to do.
So she busied herself with listening and learning,
careful to sew it all into place
where once she might not have dared.
No, not the first time.
Or the second. Or the third. Or the many attempts that followed.
Yet one day, after her temper was expressed in the form
of a can of weedkiller thrown at his head
(from which he hastily ducked),
she grasped her patchwork of knowledge and held it where he
could slither away no more.
As he looked upon it,
they both saw that he'd slithered away so fully
that he'd gone full circle
and ended up being honest after all.
Tagged children's books, Diana Wynne Jones, fantasy, favourite book, Howl Jenkins, Howl's Moving Castle, Ingary, inspired, Pendragon, Poetry, Sophie Hatter, Wizard Howl2 Comments


After many years I discovered that milk does not suit my digestion at all. Dairy free margarine is available to use instead of butter or other margarine, but I also use olive oil for cakes.
Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed, cook at 180C for about half an hour.
Flavouring eg: 1 oz. cocoa, finely chopped orange peel or apple, chopped nuts, desiccated coconut, or whatever you like. Or split and add your favourite filling.


Affordable & modern, fully-equipped studio in the heart of L.I.C, conveniently located just steps away from the 36th Street station, 15 minutes from Mid-town Manhattan. The perfect space to realize creative projects & campaigns, rentals of the facilities include access to in-house equipment and kitchen.
Affordable & modern, fully-equipped studio in the heart of L.I.C, conveniently located just steps away from the 36th Street station, 15 minutes from Mid-town Manhattan. The perfect space to realize creative projects & campaigns, half day & full day rentals of the facilities include access to in-house equipment and kitchen. The 30 x 35 ft studio .


text:
\section{Introduction}

The miracle of the quark and lepton mass spectrum has been a real
challenge for theorists for many years.  In the Standard Model the
masses appear as a result of spontaneous symmetry breaking and have the
form \begin{equation} m_i=y_i \cdot v \ \ \ ,  \label{1} \end{equation}
where $y_i$ are the corresponding Yukawa couplings to the Higgs field and
$v$ is the Higgs field vacuum expectation value.  Thus, the quark and
lepton mass spectrum is actually that of the Yukawa couplings.

How to get this spectrum and what is the reason of its nondegeneracy? The
answer to this question is still lacking. One should, however, have in
mind that the masses of quarks and leptons in eq.(\ref{1}) as well as all
the parameters in the Standard Model are the running ones. Therefore,
one usually talks about the value of the quark mass at the scale of the
mass itself, i.e. $m^2_q=\bar{m}^2_q(m^2_q)$. Thus we are interested
in the spectrum of the Yukawa couplings at the scale of quark masses.

Following the hypothesis of Grand Unification that the symmetry increases
at high energy it would be natural to assume that all Yukawa couplings are
equal at the unification scale and then split when coming to lower
energy scale thus defining the mass spectrum for quarks and leptons.
Indeed, this phenomenon really takes place for the masses of the
superpartners in the MSSM~\cite{1}.  However, the renormalization group
equations for the Yukawa couplings are different. Even if one assumes
that the flavour symmetry is slightly broken at high energy it will
 restore at lower energy scale, i.e.  the global flavour symmetry has
the property opposite to the Grand Unification of the local
symmetries~\cite{2}.  Therefore, to get the nondegenerate spectrum of
quark and lepton masses one has to input it at high energy.

One of the most interesting attempts of this kind is the one discussed in
ref.~\cite{3}, where the values of the Yukawa couplings as well as
the Kobayashi-Maskawa mixing matrix at the unification scale are given in
the form of the so-called {\em textures}, and then evolve to the observed
values at low energies. The textures themselves are chosen according to
maximal simplicity and symmetry while the needed parameters are fitted.
Without denying this possibility to get the quark mass spectrum, in
this paper we would like to suggest an alternative approach, which
naturally arises in attempts to construct SUSY GUTs free from ultraviolet
divergences~\cite{4},~\cite{5},~\cite{6}.

\section{SUSY GUT Scenario}

While the Standard Model exploits the minimal version of the Higgs
mechanism with only one Higgs doublet to provide masses to all quarks and
leptons simultaneously, already in the minimal supersymmetric extension of
the SM, the so-called MSSM, one needs at least two doublets. One doublet
then provides masses to up quarks, while the other - to down quarks and
leptons. Thus, we have two vacuum expectation values and their ratio
$\tan\beta \equiv v_2/v_1$ is the free parameter of the model.

In the standard minimal SUSY GUT scenario~\cite{1} the theory possesses
both the supersymmetry and the unified gauge symmetry at the
unification scale with soft SUSY breaking terms arising from a
supergravity. At this scale all quarks and leptons are massless and
their superpartners all have the same mass. Going down to lower
energies the superpartners masses run according to the RG equations,
split due to different interactions and, thus, give us the mass
spectrum at Tev scale. This is accompanied also by the radiative
spontaneous symmetry breaking, which leads to the reconstruction of the
vacuum state. The latter, according to the usual Higgs mechanism,
provides us with the masses for quarks, leptons and $SU(2)$ gauge
bosons and additional mass terms to their superpartners.

Quarks and leptons themselves are not involved in this process, since they
are relatively light. Their mass spectrum remains completely arbitrary due
to the arbitrariness of the corresponding Yukawa couplings. Having two
Higgs vacuum expectation values with arbitrary $\tan\beta $ fitted by
experiment does not change the situation. However, already here the value
of $\tan\beta $ can be found from the minimization of the potential for
neutral Higgses, if the parameters are known, and differs from
unity~\cite{1}.  Thus, we can get a hierarchy if the potential has
various minima, though it is not essential  when the Yukawa couplings
remain arbitrary.

\section{Finite SUSY Models}

Whence we have already enlarged the number of Higgses, we can go
further and consider some non-minimal model. At first sight this looks
absolutely hopeless because of increasing number of arbitrary
parameters. However, there is one exception. This is a SUSY GUT model
which though non-minimal still remains almost as rigid as the
minimal one. It is distinguished by its ultraviolet properties being
absolutely UV finite to all orders of perturbation
theory~\cite{4},~\cite{5}.  Let us remind the main properties of a
finite SUSY GUT:
\begin{itemize}
\item the number of generations is fixed by the requirement of finiteness,
\item the representations and the number of the Higgs fields are fixed,
\item all the Yukawa couplings are expressed in terms of the gauge one,
\item the various realistic possibilities are  given by
$SU(5),SU(6), SO(10)$ and $E(6)$ gauge groups with few generations.
\end{itemize}

We consider below the simplest case of the gauge group
$SU(5)$~\cite{6}.  Then only three generations are allowed and the
Higgs sector contains one $24$ representation, which breaks $SU(5)$
down to $SU(3)\times SU(2) \times U(1)$, and four pairs of Higgses in
$5$ and $\bar{5}$ representations. Thus we have three extra pairs of
Higgses compared to the MSSM.

After spontaneous breaking of $SU(5)$ one naturally achieves that one
pair of Higgses obtains the mass of the order of $M_X$, while the other
three split into doublets and triplets under $SU(2)$. Triplets become
heavy while the doublets remain light due to the fine tuning. As a
result below $M_X$ we get three pairs of light Higgs doublets: one for
each generation.

Equation (\ref{1}) for the quark masses is now modified. As we have
already mentioned, all the Yukawa couplings are uniquely defined by the
requirement of finiteness at the GUT scale. In the leading order of PT
one has:
\begin{equation} y_{D_i}= const\cdot g, \ \ \ y_{U_i}=
\sqrt{\frac{4}{3}}\  const \cdot g, \ \ \ y_{L_i}= const \cdot g \ ,
\label{2} \end{equation}
where $y_{D_i},y_{U_i}$ and $y_{L_i}$ are the
Yukawa couplings of down and up quarks and leptons, respectively, and
g is the $SU(5)$ gauge coupling.  In higher orders one has the
calculable corrections to eq.(\ref{2}) as a power series over $g$.

These values of the Yukawa couplings
serve as the boundary conditions for the RG equations. Since the
interactions are flavour symmetrical, the values of the Yukawa couplings
at $M_Z$ are also flavour degenerate.

Then eq.(\ref{1})  takes the form
\begin{equation}
m_{U_i}=y_U \cdot v_i,\ \ \ m_{D_i}=y_D \cdot \bar{v}_i,\ \ \
 m_{L_i}=y_L \cdot \bar{v}_i\ , \label{3}
\end{equation}
where $v_i$ and $\bar{v}_i$ ($i=1,2,3$) are the v.e.v.s of the Higgs
fields in $2$ and $\bar{2}$ representations, respectively.

\section{Quark Mass Spectrum}

As one can see from eq.(\ref{3}) the mass spectrum of quarks and
leptons is now defined by the v.e.v.s rather than by the Yukawa
couplings. In its turn the v.e.v.s themselves are the solutions of the
minimization conditions for the Higgs potential.

At the GUT scale we start with the potential
\begin{equation}
V(H_i,\bar{H}_i)=V_{SUSY} \ + \ V_{Soft} \ , \label{4}
\end{equation}
which has a discrete symmetry of interchange $H\leftrightarrow\bar{H}$
and the generation symmetry. However, when running the parameters to
the lower energies where spontaneous breaking of $SU(2)$ gauge
invariance takes place, both these symmetries are destroyed.  The
reasons for this are two fold: different renormalization of $H$ and
$\bar{H}$ fields and the Higgs mixing matrix $\mu_{ij}$, which is
analogous to the Kobayashi-Maskawa mixing matrix of quarks but in the
Higgs sector.

At the electroweek scale the potential for the neutral Higgs components
takes the form:
\begin{eqnarray}
V &=& m_1^2|H_i|^2+m_2^2|\bar{H}_i|^2-2\bar{H}_i\mu_{ij}H_j \label{5}
\\ &+& \frac{g^2+{g'}^2}{8}\left(|\bar{H}_i|^2-|H_i|^2\right)^2, \ \ \
\ \ (i=1,2,3) .\nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
Looking for the minima of the
potential (\ref{5}) one can find several solutions which are degenerate
and spontaneously break the generation symmetry. Since this symmetry
due to the presence of the mixing matrix $\mu_{ij}$ becomes
discrete, no Goldstone bosons appear.  Each solution creates the
hierarchy of v.e.v.s and, hence, the hierarchy of masses.

This phenomenon happens even if $\mu_{ij}$ is diagonal, but
asymmetry of $\mu_{ij}$ is needed to avoid the global $SO(3)$
generation invariance and appearance of Goldstone bosons.

To illustrate the idea we consider the simplified example with two
Higgses, just like in the MSSM~\cite{1}. One has:
\begin{equation}
V=m_1^2H^2+m_2^2\bar{H}^2-2\mu \bar{H}H+\frac{g^2}{8}(\bar{H}^2-H^2)^2 .
\label{6}  \end{equation}
The minimization conditions are
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{\delta V}{\delta H}&=& 2m_1^2H-2\mu \bar{H}-\frac{g^2}{2}(\bar{H}^2
-H^2)H = 0 , \nonumber   \\
 & & \label{7} \\
\frac{\delta V}{\delta \bar{H}}&=& 2m_2^2\bar{H}-2\mu
H+\frac{g^2}{2}(\bar{H}^2 -H^2)\bar{H} = 0  \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
Introducing the vacuum expectation values
\begin{eqnarray}
<H> &=& v_1 = v \cos\beta , \nonumber \\
<\bar{H}> &=& v_2 = v \sin\beta , \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
the solution to eqs.(\ref{7}) has the form
\begin{equation}
v^2=\frac{4}{g^2}\frac{m_1^2-m_2^2\tan^2\beta }{\tan^2\beta -1}, \ \ \
\sin 2\beta = \frac{2\mu }{m_1^2+m_2^2} ,  \label{8}
\end{equation}
or
\begin{equation}
\tan\beta \equiv \frac{v_2}{v_1}=
\frac{m_1^2+m_2^2\pm\sqrt{(m_1^2+m_2^2)^2-4\mu^2}}{2\mu }. \label{9}
\end{equation}
The sign in eq.(\ref{9}) depends on relative values of $m_1^2$ and
$m_2^2$. One takes $(+)$ if $m_1^2> m_2^2$ and $(-)$ in the opposite
case. One of the solitions being the inverse of the other. When
$m_1^2=m_2^2$ only the trivial solution, $v_1=v_2=0$, exists. Evolving
the difference between $m_1^2$ and $m_2^2$ we
spontaneously break the discrete flavour symmetry in the Higgs sector
and create the hierarchy and, hence, the mass spectrum.  Therefore,
even in a symmetrical original potential at the GUT scale one can have
asymmetric solutions.

The Higgs particles also obtain masses which are given by the
diagonalization of the matrix of the second derivatives of the
potential (\ref{6}) and have the form:
\begin{eqnarray}
m^2_{H_{1,2}}&=&\frac{1}{2}\left[m_1^2+m_2^2+M_Z^2 \right.\nonumber \\
&& \left.\pm
\sqrt{(m_1^2+m_2^2+M_Z^2)^2-4(m_1^2+m_2^2)M_Z^2\cos^22\beta }\right],
\label{10} \end{eqnarray}
where $M_Z^2=g^2v^2/2$. One of the Higgses
can be light while the other is heavy.

The same mechanism works in  a realistic model. All the parameters
defining the spectrum of masses, like $m_1^2,m_2^2,\mu _{ij}$, etc are
then determined from the requirement of consistency of the model as
in the MSSM ~\cite{1}. The lightest Higgs particle plays the role of a
single Higgs of the SM.

\section{Conclusion}

We have demonstrated that it is possibile to obtain a quark mass
spectrum which arises as a result of spontaneous breaking of $SU(2)$
symmetry by different v.e.v.s of the Higgs fields. The generation
symmetry is reduced to the discrete one by the mixing in the Higgs
sector and then is spontaneously broken. One does not need to introduce
the quark spectrum "by hand" either at low energy, or at the GUT
scale. Since all the Yukawa couplings in the finite model are known at
the unification scale and then run according to the known RG
equations, the only free parameters coming from the Higgs
potential, the mixing matrix $\mu_{ij}$ and the soft SUSY breaking
terms. The number of arbitrary parameters does not exceed that of
the MSSM and can be even less if the mixing in the Higgs sector is
correlated (or identified) with that in the quark sector.

The detailed analysis within the SUSY GUT scenario is in progress and
will be published elsewhere.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Like we do each year, we kicked off the new year in the Columbia River Gorge. Like always, it was COLD & so so WINDY. Man! It's seriously comically windy, and we always have such a fun time darting in and out of the car. These were a few of our favorite sites.
I hope that 2016 brings you perspective, peace and joy.


text:
Hampton to build a new $7.5 million Wythe fire station near baseball field
Kenny Alexander's win in Norfolk was a racial milestone, but he keeps focus on the job
By Eric Hartley
It was a historic night – but Kenny Alexander didn't want to talk about that.
Alexander's election Tuesday as the first African American mayor of a city with a long history of racism and segregation was on the minds of many people at his victory party.
A couple of hours after the polls closed, the mayor-elect's campaign Twitter account wrote, "Thank you all who supported me and this historic moment."
But in an interview 20 minutes later, Alexander said he'd never used the word "historic."
The contrast reflects a tension at the heart of his campaign.
All along, Alexander avoided talk about race, saying more than a month before the election, "I will be the mayor for all the people" and "forget about race."
After his win Tuesday, he stayed on message, deflecting questions about the racial milestone and instead talking about his plans for improving schools, reducing crime, building a middle class and fixing the city's aging infrastructure.
Yet there was no ignoring the significance of the moment – one several people at the party said they never thought they'd see in their lifetimes.
Alexander drew overwhelming support in largely African American communities, winning more than 90 percent of the votes in some precincts. In Rosemont, Alexander received 822 votes to 35 for Bob McCabe and 21 for Andy Protogyrou. The percentages were similar in Chesterfield, Campostella, Young Park and the neighborhood where Alexander grew up, Berkley.
On Wednesday, Alexander said he wasn't trying to deny the significance of becoming the first African American mayor.
"It is a big moment, and I'm grateful. I'm appreciative," he said. "We're forever evolving. … And we have taken another step in that evolution."
But Alexander said he has tried to keep the focus on his qualifications.
That balance is often a struggle when candidates achieve "firsts," including Barack Obama's election as president: recognizing the significance without suggesting candidates won only because of their race or gender.
Obama had to resist people's desires for him to be "the black president," said Cassandra Newby-Alexander, a Norfolk State University history professor.
She said Alexander's stance is a sign of progress: Victories by other African Americans who broke racial barriers around the country have given candidates like Alexander the freedom to focus on policy and qualifications instead of race.
Alexander has been a state senator for four years and was a delegate for 10 years before that. Earlier, he served in a variety of posts in Norfolk, including as a civic league president and a board member for the Economic Development Authority.
"The bottom line is he's qualified," said Garnzie West, longtime president of the Coronado/Inglenook Civic League, who is African American and was at Alexander's election-night party. "I didn't vote for him because he's black. I voted for him because he's qualified."
But West also recognized the milestone, calling it "amazing to a lot of African Americans in the community."
Focus on policy
Alexander said he was already beginning to plan for the transition, though he won't take office until July 1.
He was planning to attend public hearings this week on the proposed city budget and real estate assessments.
Alexander won't vote on that budget; the current City Council, led by Mayor Paul Fraim, will do so this month. But Alexander is a member of the influential Finance Committee of the state Senate – "a budget guy," he called himself – and wants to get a head start.
He plans to meet with City Council members and city staffers between now and July 1.
Once in office, he said, he plans to immediately focus on public safety. Among his priorities: making sure police have adequate manpower to investigate homicides, considering a pilot take-home-car program for officers who live in Norfolk, discussing policies to get illegal guns off the street and focusing enforcement in areas with high numbers of police calls.
Alexander wants to focus on schools, too. His ideas include getting a state waiver to allow some schools to start the year before Labor Day, or even go to year-round schedules.
Though the Norfolk School Board is independently elected, Alexander said the City Council can give "guidance," in part because it funds the schools.
"Lot of pressure"
Norfolk's election of an African American mayor is a moment of pride for white as well as black residents because it reflects the progress the city has made, said Michael Clemons, a political science professor at Old Dominion University.
It has also inspired hopes among Alexander's supporters.
Pamela Gibbs, who works for the mayor-elect's funeral home business, said she was happy at the prospect of young black people seeing a person like them leading the city.
She said she hopes Alexander can help mend ties between young people and police so officers are not seen as the enemy.
Such hopes, while well-intentioned, can be a burden.
"There's a lot of pressure put on those who are first, because the expectation is that their presence will somehow be so transformative that all issues and problems of the past will somehow be washed away," Newby-Alexander said.
Norfolk has a painful racial history. White leaders closed public schools in 1958 to avoid having to integrate them, a strategy known as Massive Resistance. When schools reopened the next year, a small number of black students, known as the Norfolk 17, enrolled and faced hostility from white students.
Today, sharp racial divisions remain, with the effects of crime and poor-performing schools disproportionately landing on African American residents.
Latest Local Government & Politics
Here's how government services will be affected by the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
But at least for a night, Alexander's win gave people time to reflect on how far the city has come.
Josephine F. Scott, a 93-year-old Norfolk native, came to the next mayor's party dressed head to toe in American flag garb.
Scott, who is African American, said she served as president of the Norfolk Teachers Association and fought for equal pay for black teachers. She has seen firsthand the slow progress that led to Tuesday night.
"I'm very proud," Scott said. "When we make history, it's always a good thing."
Eric Hartley, 757-932-7511, eric.hartley@pilotonline.com
Kenny Alexander
Cassandra Newby-Alexander
Michael Clemons
Andy Protogyrou
Most Read • Local Government & Politics


text:
Q: Native C Websocket Client I have been playing around with writing some code from some lightweight clients and was wondering if there was any good lightweight websocket client that allows connection to secure websockets (wss) for C applications.
Some example code would be great if it existed as well as I am coming from a OOP background which makes it a bit trickey

A: I'm told libwebsockets can be used as a client as well.
The facil.io has a simple client (no SSL/TLS)... but you could probably roll your own with facil.io's parser / formater.
You could also use the library's read/write hooks to handle TLS/SSL connections, but you'll have to manage handshakes, since it's HTTP and Websocket implementations are server oriented (though the HTTP/1.1 parser supports client side parsing as well).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Jordan, Egypt agree to double electricity interconnection capacity
AMMAN, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and Egypt on Sunday announced an agreement to increase electricity capacity between the two countries' power grids from 500 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts.
The announcement was made after talks in Amman between Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh and Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, the Jordanian Ministry of Energy said in a statement.
The Jordanian minister said such an agreement would enhance the two countries' ability to boost electricity exports, adding that tenders for implementing the Jordanian electricity connection with Iraq will be awarded for winning bidders in two months.
He stressed that Jordan is ready to supply Lebanon with electricity.
The Egyptian minister noted that the electricity link with Jordan bolsters the energy exchange system in the region.
Jordan and Egypt have started to exchange electricity since 1999, and the Jordanian network is connected to the Egyptian grid through a 400-kilovolt submarine cable, extending across the Gulf of Aqaba with a length of 13 km.


text:
Boulsa è un dipartimento del Burkina Faso classificato come città, capoluogo della provincia  di Namentenga, facente parte della Regione del Centro-Nord.

Il dipartimento si compone del capoluogo e di altri 35 villaggi: Baonrouré, Belga, Bonam, Dakiskièma, Donsin, Gaoga, Gorbellé-Peulh, Gounga, Guemsogo-Yarcé, Kiedsom, Kobouré, Kogonéré, Kolgosom, Konkoara-Yarcé, Lilyalla, Loatenga, Mokin-Yarcé, Nabitenga, Nièga, Paraouigué, Paviguibtenga, Poli-Mossi, Poli-Peulh, Samandin-Peulh, Sanghin, Sini, Sonrin, Tanghin, Tougui, Walembi, Wedo, Zabga, Zambanga, Zomnogo Mossi e Zomnogo Peulh.

Note

Città del Burkina Faso

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace Tools.Debugger
{
    public class KernelStream
    {
        private static Stream stream;
        private static BinaryReader reader;
        private static BinaryWriter writer;

        public static object Mutex = new object();

        public static void Initialize(Stream baseStream)
        {
            stream = baseStream;
            reader = new BinaryReader(stream);
            writer = new BinaryWriter(stream);
        }

        public static bool CanRead
        {
            get
            {
                return stream.CanRead;
            }
        }
        public static bool CanSeek
        {
            get
            {
                return stream.CanSeek;
            }
        }
        public static bool CanWrite
        {
            get
            {
                return stream.CanWrite;
            }
        }
        public static void Flush()
        {
            stream.Flush();
        }
        public static long Length
        {
            get
            {
                return stream.Length;
            }
        }
        public static long Position
        {
            get
            {
                return stream.Position;
            }
            set
            {
                stream.Position = value;
            }
        }
        public static int Read(byte[] buffer, int offset, int count)
        {
            return stream.Read(buffer, offset, count);
        }
        public static long Seek(long offset, SeekOrigin origin)
        {
            return stream.Seek(offset, origin);
        }
        public static void SetLength(long value)
        {
            stream.SetLength(value);
        }
        public static void Write(byte[] buffer, int offset, int count)
        {
            stream.Write(buffer, offset, count);
        }

        public static bool ReadBoolean()
        {
            return reader.ReadBoolean();
        }
        public static byte ReadByte()
        {
            return reader.ReadByte();
        }
        public static byte[] ReadBytes(int count)
        {
            return reader.ReadBytes(count);
        }
        public static char ReadChar()
        {
            return reader.ReadChar();
        }
        public static char[] ReadChars(int count)
        {
            return reader.ReadChars(count);
        }
        public static decimal ReadDecimal()
        {
            return reader.ReadDecimal();
        }
        public static double ReadDouble()
        {
            return reader.ReadDouble();
        }
        public static short ReadInt16()
        {
            return reader.ReadInt16();
        }
        public static int ReadInt32()
        {
            return reader.ReadInt32();
        }
        public static long ReadInt64()
        {
            return reader.ReadInt64();
        }
        public static sbyte ReadSByte()
        {
            return reader.ReadSByte();
        }
        public static float ReadSingle()
        {
            return reader.ReadSingle();
        }
        public static string ReadString()
        {
            return reader.ReadString();
        }
        public static ushort ReadUInt16()
        {
            return reader.ReadUInt16();
        }
        public static uint ReadUInt32()
        {
            return reader.ReadUInt32();
        }
        public static ulong ReadUInt64()
        {
            return reader.ReadUInt64();
        }
        public static IntPtr ReadIntPtr()
        {
            return new IntPtr(reader.ReadInt32());
        }
        public static T Read<T>()
        {
            return (T)Read(typeof(T));
        }
        public static object Read(Type type)
        {
            if (type == typeof(bool)) return ReadBoolean();
            if (type == typeof(byte)) return ReadByte();
            if (type == typeof(char)) return ReadChar();
            if (type == typeof(decimal)) return ReadDecimal();
            if (type == typeof(double)) return ReadDouble();
            if (type == typeof(float)) return ReadSingle();
            if (type == typeof(int)) return ReadInt32();
            if (type == typeof(long)) return ReadInt64();
            if (type == typeof(sbyte)) return ReadSByte();
            if (type == typeof(short)) return ReadInt16();
            if (type == typeof(string)) return ReadString();
            if (type == typeof(uint)) return ReadUInt32();
            if (type == typeof(ulong)) return ReadUInt64();
            if (type == typeof(ushort)) return ReadUInt16();
            if (type == typeof(IntPtr)) return ReadIntPtr();

            if (type.IsEnum) return Read(type.GetEnumUnderlyingType());

            return Activator.CreateInstance(type);
        }

        public static void Write(bool value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(byte value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(byte[] buffer)
        {
            writer.Write(buffer);
        }
        public static void Write(char ch)
        {
            writer.Write(ch);
        }
        public static void Write(char[] chars)
        {
            writer.Write(chars);
        }
        public static void Write(decimal value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(double value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(float value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(int value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(long value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(sbyte value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(short value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(string value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(uint value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(ulong value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(ushort value)
        {
            writer.Write(value);
        }
        public static void Write(IntPtr value)
        {
            writer.Write(value.ToInt32());
        }
        public static void Write(char[] chars, int index, int count)
        {
            writer.Write(chars, index, count);
        }
        public static void Write<T>(T value)
        {
            Write(typeof(T), (object)value);
        }
        public static void Write(Type type, object value)
        {
            if (type == typeof(bool))
                Write((bool)value);
            else if (type == typeof(byte))
                Write((byte)value);
            else if (type == typeof(char))
                Write((char)value);
            else if (type == typeof(decimal))
                Write((decimal)value);
            else if (type == typeof(double))
                Write((double)value);
            else if (type == typeof(float))
                Write((float)value);
            else if (type == typeof(int))
                Write((int)value);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


1 – 18 of 96 for: "Apple"
Despite its good looks and a few useful new features, Apple's new iMac is all about business. You can find a larger screen for less, not to mention all kinds of digital entertainment features, but no other all-in-one at this price can boast similar performance. If you need a modestly priced all-in-one for getting work done, we'd recommend no other system.
Apple's new Mac Mini includes an elegant new design and some long asked-for features, including HDMI output and user-accessible memory. The system still faces a value challenge for its given specs, but Apple has done enough to improve the Mac Mini's appeal for Apple loyalists and design fans looking for a living room computer.
Apple's Mac Pro has design innovations that we hope will cross over to other systems. Its performance is as strong as you'd expect for a system in its class, and it's priced right, too. You might need more flexibility in your config options, especially for 3D design, but otherwise, the Mac Pro is as solid a professional-class PC as we've seen.
The lower-cost Mac Mini offers respectable budget performance and Apple's usual compelling design, but a puny hard drive and a lack of HDMI hurt this system's value and overall potential. It's actually more versatile next to its budget-priced Windows competition than the higher-end Mac Mini, but this entry-level Mac is still best left to Apple loyalists.
The Apple Mac Mini is an unquestioned winner among budget desktops, but HP has a small-form-factor PC whose feature set will woo many would-be Mac Mini buyers.
Apple's Intel-based iMac Core Duo boasts an enviable combination of a first-rate design, an impeccable software bundle, and the newfound ability to run Windows in addition to Mac OS X. You simply won't find a more feature-packed, versatile mainstream computer.
With a few updates and the promise of a total revamp in the future, Apple is reaching out to the pro audience again.
Apple's new $799 Mac Mini demands that you abandon disc-based media, and that you surround it with potentially expensive extra hardware to realize its full benefits. It makes most sense for committed Mac users, those who need it for a specific niche-case, or for those who value design over functionality for the dollar.


text:
Album Review: Justin Beynon "In Motion"
We've been sitting on this one for quite a while, but we'd like to introduce you to Wales' Justin Beynon and his debut album In Motion.
Justin has been a part of the music industry for over 30 years, as part of various bands, as a songwriter and as a guitar and piano teacher.
During 2020, he decided to review some of the many songs he has written, with the intention of recording and reinterpreting them, and In Motion was born.
The album is a mixture of soft rock and alt folk, each track is a little piece of perfection that, when combined, form an album that we're already shortlisting for album of the year!
The album opens with the brilliant All Inside, introducing you to Justin's mellow voice and the immaculate harmonisation of the chorus. It combines a steady acoustic guitar track with a stonking electric guitar solo. One of the more up-tempo tracks we are treated to throughout the album, this is the perfect foundation for what is to follow.
Prepare to give an appreciative nod to the craftsmanship that peppers this album. Tracks such as Paper, Cheap Coat and Broken Wings and Another Universe are simply incredible and it's difficult to believe that the majority of the album was recorded at home.
In start contrast, the nakedness of Who Delivers? and All The Way Through take away all the bells and whistles, leaving just one instrument (guitar in the former and piano in the latter) to form the base track to allow the melancholic vocals to shine through.
There are many gems in this album of 10 tracks, but for me, the stand-out track has to be The Walkover Rule with a funky-rock style that wouldn't be out of place on some sort of 60's or 70's album.
It's taken 30 years for this album to make an appearance but blimey, was it worth the wait!
justin beynon


The World Premiere of the movie "Another Taste of Life" will be demonstrated on February 4th, 2019, World Cancer Day, on www.anothertasteoflife.com. The movie tells us about 8 inspirational cancer affected people gathering from all around the world to attempt the Mont Blanc and motivate other cancer patients. They all been gifted with the driving spirit of a seeker that propels them to live life to the fullest. They all have faced cancer and carry a different tale to tell, but all united by the fight against cancer and ready to challenge destiny. They are real cancer warriors. They realise – life is a never-ending climb and it's up to us to choose the next stepping stone.


Baroque music, the history books tell us, is highly ornate. Yet, there apparently was a contemporary performing tradition in which players routinely added more ornamentation of their own. Bach's music was criticized in his time as having all (or most) of the ornamentation written out, leaving no choices for the performer to make, yet, today, we hear ornaments added to his music, as well. Sometimes the elaboration we hear sounds elegant and appropriate, at other times awkward and overdone; old sources all reference "good taste" as an arbiter. How does a performer decide whether or when to add ornamentation, and how much is too much? In this lecture, sources for performance practice are consulted, but study and reflection of music itself serve as a guide for recommendations, with many examples given.
Peter Sykes is associate professor of music and chair of the Historical Performance Department at Boston University, where he teaches organ, harpsichord, performance practice, and continuo realization. He is also music director of First Church in Cambridge and director of the Keyboard Day segment of the Boston Early Music Festival. He performs extensively on the harpsichord, clavichord, and organ, and has made ten solo recordings of organ repertoire ranging from the music of Buxtehude, Couperin, and Bach, to that of Reger and Hindemith, to his own acclaimed organ transcription of Holst's The Planets. His recently released a recording of the complete Bach harpsichord partitas on the Centaur label, and will soon release an all-Bach clavichord recording and the complete Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. He also performs and records with Boston Baroque and Aston Magna. A founding board member and current president of the Boston Clavichord Society, he is the recipient of the New England Conservatory's 1978 Chadwick Medal and 2005 Outstanding Alumni Award, the Cambridge Society for Early Music's 1993 Erwin Bodky Prize, and the St. Botolph Club Foundation's 2011 Distinguished Artist Award.