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Memo to Kate Bosworth: EAT!
by Free Britney at July 24, 2006 8:52 am . Updated at December 16, 2021 7:56 am .
We just have to say that Kate Bosworth is looking rather thin lately.
We know that the Remember the Titans, Blue Crush and Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! star has always been naturally thin, but this is ridiculous. Soon enough, we'll have no choice but to ridicule Kate the way we do Nicole Richie. Actually, that's taking it too far. We would never subject a reasonably talented young actress to such treatment. A complete waste of space, on the other hand? Different ballgame. As our friends at theskinnywebsite.com say of Bosworth, "Granted, she is so thin that it's alarming, but at the same time, she is really beautiful."
Amen. But we suggest Bosworth resume eating on a regular basis to avoid a slew of anorexia-related jokes, not to mention poor health. Geez.
In other news, Bosworth beau Orlando Bloom was recently dining with a male pal at a trendy Hollywood hotel when a pretty brunette model approached and asked him on a date.
"Would you care to accompany me to an art gallery party in just a few," she asked the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
He politely declined.
"Sorry, the girlfriend wouldn't approve," Bloom said.
According to People, the fan reportedly rephrased her request several times before finally getting the hint and walking away.
Tags: Orlando Bloom, Kate Bosworth, Eating Disorders
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adj. aware or knowing; "a witting tool of the Communists"
adj. bearing in mind; attentive to; "ever mindful of her health"; "mindful of his responsibilities"; "mindful of these criticisms, I shall attempt to justify my action"
adj. followed by "to" or "of"; knowing or realizing the existence of: "alive to the danger"
adj. (often followed by `to') giving care or attention; "attentive to details"; "the nurse was attentive to her patient"; "an attentive suitor"
adj. showing hovering attentiveness; "solicitous about her health"; "made solicitous inquiries about our family"
adj. showing devoted attention and anticipation of needs: "the nurse was attentive to her patient"
adj. recurring again and again; "perennial efforts to stipulate the requirements"
adj. closely related or associated; "a city in which communism and democracy had to live side by side"
adj. not fanciful or imaginative; "local guides describe the history of various places in matter-of-fact tones"; "a prosaic and unimaginative essay"
adj. well informed about or familiar with; usu followed by "with": "conversant with business trends"
adj. alert and fully informed; "a knowing collector of rare books"; "surprisingly knowledgeable about what was going on"
adj. made a norm or custom or habit; "his habitual practice was to eat an early supper"; "her habitual neatness"
adj. not in a state of sleep; completely conscious; "lay awake thinking about his new job"; "still not fully awake"
adj. knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts; "remained conscious during the operation"; "conscious of his faults"; "became conscious that he was being followed"
adj. having the power, capacity, or quality of retaining water; "soils retentive of moisture"
adj. able to feel or perceive; "even amoeba are sensible creatures"; "the more sensible parts of the skin"
adj. readily reacting to suggestions, influences, appeals or efforts; "keeping government in America responsive to the will of the people"
adj. (followed by `to' or `of') lacking conscious awareness of; "oblivious of the mounting pressures for political reform"; "oblivious to the risks she ran"; "not unmindful of the heavy responsibility"


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fentanyl January 13, 2023 10:38 pm
North Texas Mother's Message to Parents as Fentanyl Overdoses Surge
The DEA says it's the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered, and now, advocates say deaths related to the synthetic opioid fentanyl are rapidly increasing among children. Allie Spillyards has one mother's story.
Fentanyl Poisonings Sharply Increase Among Teens, Children
In a newly released analysis of CDC data, the advocacy group Families Against Fentanyl reported fentanyl deaths rose faster for kids 14 and under than any other group.
New Jersey January 9, 2023 11:20 am
NJ Art Teacher Overdoses on Fentanyl in Front of Middle School Students
An art teacher at a New Jersey middle school has been arrested after he overdosed on fentanyl in front of students mid-class, police said.
fentanyl December 12, 2022 12:42 am
Dallas Police to Present Efforts on How to Combat Fentanyl in the City
Dallas City Council on Monday will get a look at the efforts of the Dallas Police Department to combat the use of fentanyl in the city over the last two years.
Dallas Police December 12, 2022 12:41 am
Dallas Police to Address Efforts to Combat Fentanyl
San Diego December 13, 2022 2:18 pm
Battle against Fentanyl: Documentary
NBC 7 presents a special documentary, hosted by anchor Catherine Garcia, that reveals the hidden dangers and frightening consequences of illicit fentanyl.
fentanyl November 17, 2022 7:32 pm
Summit Held to Bring Awareness of the Deadly Dangers of Fentanyl
Relatives of victims met with law enforcement Thursday in Coppell seeking strength from each other and action from authorities against deadly fentanyl.
A Summit for Action and Strength to Combat Deadly Fentanyl
Relatives of victims met with law enforcement Thursday in Coppell, Texas seeking strength from each other and action from authorities against deadly fentanyl.
New Fentanyl Vaccine Could Be a 'Game Changer' for US Opioid Crisis
A team of researchers from the University of Houston said that they have created a potential fentanyl vaccine, according to a new study. See what they found and how it works.
drugs November 11, 2022 10:23 am
$7 Million Worth of Heroin, Fentanyl Found Hidden in NYC Apartment Coffee Table
A Bronx man is facing serious drug charges after police said they uncovered $7 million dollars worth of fentanyl and heroin concealed in a coffee table.
fentanyl October 17, 2022 10:10 pm
Senator John Cornyn Holds Dallas Roundtable on Fentanyl Awareness
Texas Senator John Cornyn hosted a roundtable at Children's Health Specialty Center Dallas to address the growing Fentanyl problem in Texas and across the country.
fentanyl October 11, 2022 3:49 pm
Ex-Employee Sentenced in Angels Pitcher Tyler Skaggs Overdose Death
A former LA Angels employee was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for providing pitcher Tyler Skaggs the drugs that led to his overdose in Texas.
Fort Worth Police Seize 28,000 Fentanyl Pills, Guns, Cash
Two men in Fort Worth, Texas were arrested after police seized 28,000 fentanyl pills, 10 guns and more than $100,000 in cash.
fentanyl September 26, 2022 1:42 pm
What Is Rainbow Fentanyl?
Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration are warning of fentanyl appearing in bright colors, sometimes resembling sidewalk chalk or candy.
Why the U.S. Is Seeing a Rise in Fentanyl-Related Overdoses
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has become the leading cause of overdose deaths in America, along with other synthetic opioids. The CDC reports that over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids. Nabarun Dasgupta, a senior scientist at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, joins LX to discuss the rise in fentanyl-related overdoses.
'Cartels are Terrorists,' Abbott Signs Order in Fentanyl Fight, Wants Same From Biden
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is cracking down on Mexican drug cartels operating in Texas, designating them as terrorists.
Greg Abbott September 21, 2022 5:26 pm
Gov. Abbott Designates Mexican Drug Cartels as Terrorists in Texas, Demands Biden Do the Same
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is cracking down on Mexican drug cartels operating in the state, designating them as terrorists, and he wants President Biden to do the same thing.
Tarrant County September 10, 2022 9:57 am
Largest Amount of Pure Uncut Fentanyl in Tarrant County History Seized, Authorities
Over 2,000 grams of pure, uncut Fentanyl was seized in the largest seizure of Fentanyl ever in Tarrant County, along with four firearms and $48,000.
Tarrant County Jail September 9, 2022 10:52 pm
Tarrant Jail Contractor Charged With Smuggling Drugs: Sheriff
A contractor at the Tarrant County Jail was arrested after an investigation found she provided drugs to at least two inmates, one of whom died of an apparent fentanyl overdose.
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Flower Mound residents observed National Fentanyl Awareness Day by holding discussions on the dangers of the deadly drug.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pamela - Popularity of Pamela, How Popular Is the name Pamela?
In 2017 the uncommon name Pamela, ranked the 1,462nd Most Popular Girls Name in the United States.
This once, top 1000 name, Pamela is currently less popular.
Its highest popularity RANKING of #10 was reached in 1953.
Nonetheless, the name was given to the greatest number of children in 1954 with 27,366 occurrences.
In any year, the least number of babies named Pamela was less than 5, most recently in 1909.
Approximately during the years 1910-1915, 1916-1929, 1931-1954, and 1978-1981, the name Pamela took a definitive turn upwards in popularity whereas unequivocal downward movement occurred about 1956-1977, 1982-1993, and 2008-2013.
Sometimes the name Pamela has been more popular as a girls name and sometimes it has been more popular as a boys.
For a number of years, the name Pamela has been spiralling downward in popularity. Of late, continuing the trend, the number of parents selecting the name Pamela for their newborn has dropped.
What does the future hold for the popularity of Pamela?
The name Pamela is still rare and will probably continue to drift downward in popularity.
Relative to what it once was, Pamela is very rarely used as a given name.


AI – The Proven gamechanger in Martech!
As indicated by Forbes, 80 percent of big business organizations are right now putting resources into man-made brainpower (AI) arrangements.
For the uninitiated, AI is a machine's capacity to see a lot of data sources and procedure that data so as to achieve an ideal result. Facebook dissecting your photograph, recognizing the countenances, and destroying information to recommend who you should tag is a case of AI you're likely acquainted with.
As AI keeps on developing, information researchers and programming engineers are attempting to apply it to new business territories so as to mechanize procedures and increment effectiveness. As of now, AI is starting to change the martech space—beneath, we've assembled probably the most vital developments it has driven.
As a computerized advertiser, odds are you've run a lot of A/B tests to decide the paid hunt features and portrayals that drive the most snaps or calls. You've persevered through the protracted cycle of running advertisements one next to the other, contrasting outcomes, tweaking the promotions, running them once more, etc., until you found that ideal mix.
Presently in the beta stage, Google's Responsive Search Ads are intended to take out tedious A/B testing. As opposed to running diverse feature and depiction blends in different advertisement sets, Google enables you to run a progression of features and portrayals in one assembly wherein the device is always advancing inquiry promotion. To set up the promotion, essentially enter up to 15 features and four depictions—AdWords will consequently demonstrate diverse mixes relying upon the pursuit question.
After some time, Google will test different feature and depiction mixes and compute which perform best. The various feature and depiction choices enable your promotions to contend in more closeouts and match more questions, widening the base of potential clients you can reach. Furthermore, Google will enhance your message for different gadget widths, upgrading the experience for clients on the versatile, tablet, and work area.
In the event that you've at any point endeavored to focus on a group of people automatically, you've likely confronted a lot of dissatisfactions with the complexities included. To begin with, you needed to make your fragments by hand-choosing properties from endless choices and expansive scope of information sources.
At that point, you needed to physically follow and improve the portions as you went, losing time and cash all through a protracted testing process. Furthermore, on the grounds that the present standard arrangements depend on delayed information invigorates, just as static treat pools, the group of onlookers sections you focused on did not alter with the consistent changes in buyer dispositions and conduct.
Presently, organizations have started to present AI-enhanced group of onlookers division answers for location these basic dissatisfactions. These arrangements incorporate flawlessly into any interest side stage, and they persistently revive gatherings of people dependent on crusade execution, new information, and AI.
They can make modified crusade fragments utilizing prescient calculations and a great many live customer profiles, each involved exclusive hunt and customer information, just as information from outside sources. By using AI to streamline groups of onlookers all through the term of battles, these arrangements convey better execution than static sections.
For some, organizations, considers drive the most important leads—as per BIA/Kelsey, calls convert to income 10-to-multiple times more than web leads. In this manner, so as to report organizations full degree of profitability (ROI), it's fundamental for advertisers to see what number of income creating calls their crusades are driving. In any case, physically tuning in to calls is a long and unwise procedure. Rather, organizations can pick up these critical bits of knowledge through AI.
Using AI-fueled discussion examination apparatuses, you can realize which channels, advertisements, watchwords, and website pages drive the best deals calls; if new advancements are resounding; and why calls did or did not change over. These experiences enable you to dispense your financial plan to promoting efforts that are driving high-changing over calls. Also, in future battles, you'll have the capacity to retarget guests who didn't change over and bar guests who progressed toward becoming clients.
As an advanced advertiser, odds are you've run a lot of A/B tests to decide the paid inquiry features and portrayals that drive the most snaps or calls. You've persevered through the extensive cycle of running advertisements next to each other, looking at results, tweaking the promotions, running them once more, etc., until you found that ideal blend.
At present in the beta stage, Google's Responsive Search Ads are intended to wipe out tedious A/B testing. As opposed to running diverse feature and portrayal blends in different promotion sets, Google enables you to run a progression of features and depictions in one continually advancing pursuit advertisement. To set up the advertisement, basically enter up to 15 features and four depictions—AdWords will consequently demonstrate distinctive mixes relying upon the pursuit question.
After some time, Google will test different feature and portrayal blends and figure which perform best. The different feature and portrayal choices enable your promotions to contend in more sell-offs and coordinate more inquiries, expanding the base of potential clients you can reach. Moreover, Google will enhance your message for different gadget widths, upgrading the experience for clients on versatile, tablet, and work area.
On the off chance that you've at any point attempted to focus on a group of people automatically, you've likely confronted a lot of disappointments with the complexities included. To begin with, you needed to make your portions by hand-choosing characteristics from endless alternatives and expansive scope of information sources.
Presently, organizations have started to present AI-streamlined gathering of people division answers for location these regular dissatisfactions. These arrangements coordinate consistently into any interest side stage, and they persistently invigorate gatherings of people dependent on crusade execution, new information, and AI. AI is in fact so prevalent in today's martech arena that it has taken the marketing technology arena by storm. There are zillions of tools and software which are available in the market today, for which the major marketers are already rooting for. If we go on talking about a few of them then we can exactly know what it is that was missing from the martech landscape for a long time.
1) Lucy: Lucy rapidly processes and composes your promoting information so as to convey statistical surveying, persona profiles, spending distribution recommendations and different undertakings that would take a human any longer to achieve. With this sort of help, marketers can invest more energy concentrating on drawing in leads and less time doing the math.
2) Salesforce Einstein: With a group of 175 information researchers behind him, Einstein utilizes profound learning, characteristic language handling, and vision to help clients over various applications in the Salesforce cloud. Coordinated straightforwardly in the Salesforce condition, Einstein can help out deals, showcasing, client administration, designers and anybody in the middle of through bits of knowledge, expectations, and data-driven suggestions.
3) MailChimp, Omnivore: Sifting through billions of offers from liberal Nigerian rulers and suspiciously powerful weight reduction pills alike, Omnivore's AI calculations work like a sifter that get questionable action well before the crusades even get an opportunity to dispatch. Since the calculations are continually gaining from billions of addresses and email content, Omnivore can remain over the most recent tricky strategies and act in like manner. This sort of innovation keeps spammers under control, while additionally improving email frameworks and social event significant information for genuine advertisers.
4) Conversica: Conversica utilizes the intensity of AI and regular language handling to reach in the interest of the organization convincingly, sparing genuine deals and showcasing groups time to concentrate on quality leads. When somebody communicates enthusiasm for the organization in an assortment of ways Conversica's falsely savvy associate gets in touch with them to kick the procedure off. On the off chance that the lead appears to be suitable, the keen framework realizes they are deserving of being given off to a human salesman to settle the arrangement. That way the human sales reps can concentrate the majority of their vitality on changing over the leads that are prepared to be changed over.
5) Acquisio: Acquisio Turing learns and self-improves with all of the prepared information on a scale no human would ever accomplish. With our AI calculations, you can without much of a stretch improve offers and spending plans, computerize spend control and pace spending plans during the time to abstain from overspending or underspending.
Chandrima is a Content management executive with a flair for creating high quality content irrespective of genre. She believes in crafting stories irrespective of genre and bringing them to a creative form. Prior to working for MartechCube she was a Business Analyst with Capgemini.


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For some of you, it's binge eating ice cream adorned with dye-filled gummy bears in your closet after the kids go to bed while looking at Pinterest articles on how to remove dye and dairy from your children's diet.
For others, it's making mimosas for your friends on a weekday morning but then intentionally forgetting to invite your friends to the party. For three days in a row.
You like watching other people's kids have meltdowns.
At first you want to deny it. I know. But take a moment to think about the last time you were shopping and you heard loud screaming in the aisle? And just as you got ready to yell your customary, "If you don't quiet down, you'll have to organize my makeup drawer again" to your own kids, you realized it was someone else's kid utterly freaking out.
1. You get to sit back and enjoy the show. For once, just for once, you get to be the spectator at the ever-engaging and highly gripping show called "CHILD MELTDOWN" filled with such raw emotion and devoid of any rationality that you can hardly peel your eyes from the performance. And instead of selling tickets for today's matinee as you usually do, you get to hand over your $5.00 to buy a ticket, relax and shove down a few Skittles for yourself while you watch the near Oscar-worthy performance nominated for Best Drama in a Grocery Store.
4. You instantly feel like you have a new best friend. Sometimes life as a mom can be isolating, especially if you have little ones. Like you live on an island with needy little monkeys that growl at you and poop on themselves all day, which makes a mom start to lose her sanity until she meets another mom raising similar monkeys on the island over. Because something about watching another mom go through similar misery makes you feel connected. Like best friends. Like long lost soul mates. Like you want to get her one of those old fashioned necklaces that says BFFs, where she wears one side and you the other. Or at least throw her a wine cooler if nothing else.


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Q: border and box-shadow issues with table-cell elements in IE 9/10 I am using CSS display: table-cell to display a bunch of LI elements next to each other. Those are abundantly styled, having an intended appearance like this:

However, in IE 9 and 10, it is rendered like this:

I was unable to figure out what is wrong here, but when i experimentally set the LI-Elements to display: block the elements suddenly rendered fine.
Here is the CSS:
display:            table-cell;
height:             27px;
line-height:        26px;
text-align:         center;
box-shadow:         inset 1px 1px 0px 0px #ffffff;
-moz-box-shadow:    inset 1px 1px 0px 0px #ffffff;
-webkit-box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0px 0px #ffffff;
-ms-box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0px 0px #ffffff;
-o-box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0px 0px #ffffff;
background: #ededed; /* Old browsers */
background: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,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);
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, #ededed 5%, #dfdfdf 100%); /* FF3.6+ */
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(5%,#ededed), color-stop(100%,#dfdfdf)); /* Chrome,Safari4+ */
background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, #ededed 5%,#dfdfdf 100%); /* Chrome10+,Safari5.1+ */
background: -o-linear-gradient(top, #ededed 5%,#dfdfdf 100%); /* Opera 11.10+ */
background: -ms-linear-gradient(top, #ededed 5%,#dfdfdf 100%); /* IE10+ */
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #ededed 5%,#dfdfdf 100%); /* W3C */
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#ededed', endColorstr='#dfdfdf',GradientType=0 ); /* IE6-8 */
border:             1px solid #b7b7b7;
border-right:       0;
text-decoration:    none;
cursor:             pointer;

Finally i discovered some articles on a seemingly similar issue with the solution being presented as using:
border-collapse: separate;
on the element. However, if i do this, i get the following results in IE:

So obviously the top-border gets rendered. But not any other styles as it seems.
What is wrong here and how can this be fixed?

A: After further testing i finally found the source of the problem:
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#ededed', endColorstr='#dfdfdf',GradientType=0 ); /* IE6-8 */

After removing this, IE started to render everything fine right away. If anyone knows why the appliance of the filter causes such a problem, please share your wisdom. Thank You!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jeremy Corbyn yesterday managed to do something that has thus far seemed beyond Theresa May – he united the Tory party.
The leader of the opposition's response to alleged Russian complicity in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was widely criticised after he refused to condemn the Kremlin directly. His adviser Seamus Milne upped the ante further by comparing the evidence for direct Russian involvement with the case for war in Iraq when briefing lobby journalists.
Corbyn appears to be very much his own on this. Theresa May found support from across the House of Commons, as well Nicola Sturgeon, who was in London for a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee.
Disquiet on the Labour backbenchers is palpable. Several MPs criticised the leadership on Twitter and John Woodcock has submitted an early day motion "unequivocally accepting" Russia's culpability, which has been signed by close to 20 Labour MPs.
There are even rumours that some frontbenchers are considering resigning in protest at Corbyn's position.
Might the uneasy truce within Labour, in place since the party's better than expected performance at the snap general election, be about to come to an end?
The White House says it "stands in solidarity" with its "closest ally", supporting the UK decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats in response to Russia's refusal to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. According to Jon Sopel, the BBC's North American editor, the statement is notable for its unqualified support for Theresa May and language directed at Russia which had not been heard from this White House before.
The UK will be able to sign free trade deals during the Brexit transition period without permission from the EU, according to a report in The Times. Despite the EU's guidelines stating that the UK will not be able to implement trade deals "unless authorised to do so by the union", the bloc's negotiators have privately accepted the UK's demand that it should be able to pursue an independent trade policy while remaining inside the customs union and single market.
President Trump has admitted making up information in a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. According to audio of a speech he gave at a fundraising speech to donors in Missouri obtained by The Washington Post, Trump said that he told Trudeau the US has a trade deficit with Canada even though he didn't know if that was the case.
Airbus, GKN's biggest customer, has warned that it would be "practically impossible" to give new work to the engineering group were the hostile takeover by Melrose Industries to succeed. Tom Williams, chief operating officer at Airbus, voiced fears that a turnaround specialist would be too focused on the short term. Although he did not name Melrose specifically, it is the only company bidding for GKN.
In a blow to the government, Unilever's board will today recommend to its shareholders that they vote to choose Rotterdam over London as the location of its new combined headquarters. The Anglo-Dutch company has had a dual structure with two headquarters since British soap producer Lever Brothers merged with Dutch spread maker Margarine Unie in 1930. However, it made a decision to simplify its structure with one primary legal base and headquarters after fending off a hostile takeover by Kraft Heinz.
Toys R Us will close or sell all of its 885 stores in the US over the coming months. This follows the announcement that it will close all of its UK stores in the next six weeks, resulting in 3,000 job losses, with the toy retailer reported as likely to go into liquidation in France, Spain, Poland and Australia too. This is part of a process of closing one fifth of its shops as it attempts to emerge from bankruptcy.
Housebuilder Persimmon has named Roger Devlin as its chairman, confirming news that was first reported Sky News. Devlin is a well known figure in the City who was recently appointed chairman at William Hill. His task will be to rebuild Persimmon's fractured relationships with shareholders and politicians as it attempts to move beyond the executive pay row which engulfed the company at the end of 2017.
Global stocks suffered further losses yesterday on the back of the latest upheaval in the Trump administration and continued fears of a global trade war.
In the US, the S&P 500 fell 0.57%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1% and the Nasdaq was down 0.19%. Meanwhile, in Asia, the Nikkei dropped 0.87% and the Hang Seng was down 0.53%.
Closer to home, the FTSE 100 was 0.09% lower, closing the session at 7,132.69.
Wm Morrison led the losses, shedding 4.86%, despite reporting a 5.8% increase in revenue and a 17% increase in profits, as well as announcing a special dividend of 4p a share in its preliminary results.
Prudential was the day's biggest gainer, rising 5.07%, following the announcement that the insurer is to split its business and form two companies – M&G Prudential in the UK and Europe and Prudential plc in Asia Africa and the US.
According to Mike Wells, the company's chief executive, the separation will give M&G Prudential "more control over its business strategy and capital allocation" and "enable it to play a greater role in developing the savings and retirement markets in the UK and Europe".
"Prudential plc will be able to focus on the attractive returns and growth potential of its market-leading businesses in Asia and the US," he added.
Mining companies also had a good day, with Antofagasta, Anglo American and Glencore amongst the day's top five gainers – rising 3.46%, 3.34% and 1.82% respectively.
On the currency markets, the pound gained 0.02% against the dollar at $1.3962 and was up 0.03% against the euro at €1.1288.
Ahead of the Russian presidential election, the Financial Times' Big Read looks at the young technocrats who Vladamir Putin is grooming for a future transition. Although it remains unclear whether Putin will step down in 2024 – in line with the constitution – the political elite expects him to start transforming a system of governance that is overly dependent on him personally.
In The Times, Emma Duncan looks at the "pushmepullyu" nature of UK universities - sitting between the public and private sectors. She argues that students benefit from university education meaning it is right that that establishments are treated as a private entity. She ends by saying that universities that mismanage their affairs by overpaying bosses and not attracting enough students should be allowed to go bust.
The "fact" that the average person swallows eight spiders a year in their sleep is not true. Spiders gain most of the information about their surroundings through vibrations so snoring and breathing usually scares them away, thankfully.


Whenever it comes to Pixar I inevitably end up feeling like some curmudgeon because I don't ever feel the usual glee that most identify with their incarnations. Finding Nemo remains as there "magnum opus", though I don't consider it flawless. Ratatouille was diverting enjoyable but not quite transcendental, WALL-E left me feeling oddly cold and Up….oh, well, Up's a whole other story. Herein lies the review, you did ask for it.
I never tried reviewing Up. I graded it and subsequently attempted to expunge it from my mind. That proved a little difficult (what with its Best Picture nomination and what not) but I digress. An old man is on his own for the first time in a very long time when his wife of forever (it seems) dies. He experiences a case of arrested development when he vows to Journey to South America, a promise he made to his deceased wife when they were children. A cloying young boy inadvertently tags along for the ride and as Carl's house goes up, up and away with the help of his helium balloons an adventure looms.
I gave Up a tentative B upon first seeing it, and re-watching it with my nephew who LOVED it I liked it less. What makes me even more dispirited is that finding the precise thing that I find off is much more difficult than I anticipated. It's exasperating. Praise was particularly effusive for the opening of Up, a ten minute short film in itself, showing us the life of Carl and Ellie. I'm not so hardhearted that I found it unmoving – the poignancy was striking. Yet, I felt a little emotionally manipulated. No one can help feeling sad at the death of a loved one, but in addition to asking us to feel for a character we've met for ten minutes (and learned little of, despite the emphasis on detail). However, it's not this that annoys me as much as there is nothing that occurs subsequently that is as honestly emotive. It's not that the subsequent focus on action doesn't make for a good time, but Up seems intent on having the best of both worlds; and with a battle between two worlds one eventually will prove victorious.
Ellie's departure from the world – childless – is meant to be replaced with the arc of Russell, a somewhat annoying, and rather silly child who becomes an accidental tourist along with Carl. I hate to rag on Up by bringing up my favourite animated film of the last year, but Russell "annoyingness" seems almost on par with the similarly bothersome Wybie in Coraline. Unlike Wybie, Russell represents a significant part of the story – this is a problem. Other than a few rare instances, I don't get overexcited by cinematic children. They're either too annoying to be lovable or too lovable to be realistic. Russell is an animated character, but he retains the same amount of irritating talkativeness that makes me feel just a bit (just a bit guilty) for sounding like a hermit.This is the portion where I feel the urge to shout "Eureka!"
It's on that note that I make a striking realisation. I'm more moved by the reclusive Carl of the first hour than the changed man he becomes. Perhaps my occasional misanthropic ways are showing out, but when a certain important climax of Up occurs I find myself unmoved, even a little put-out, by the message it sends. It's the "a-ha" moment where I think, "No, this is not for me." This is odd, because the message it's sending is quite positive. For the duration of the story Carl has had an obsessive love with his house that's almost disconcerting. Over time, though, his obsession becomes moving. Moreover, his love is understandable. This is the house he shared with his dream girl. It is just a house, perhaps, but it's an important house of sentimental value. Thus, Carl's impassioned declaration of "It's just a house" after giving up all in it to save the bird and the boy doesn't resonate with me as much as I think Docter and Peterson's expect it to. By having Carl inevitably come to appreciate his companion and renounce his past ideals Up falls into the same trap as countless other pieces - a man changed not by desire, but a wearing down of nerves over time. And why should he have to change? The message I end up receiving is the same one that the seemingly antagonistic community were forcing down his throat from the beginning - get a life. It's a superficial thing, perhaps, but can't we allow Carl to be content alone with his house and his memories?
Moreover, the destruction of the inevitable villains falls rather flat. Each animated film must have a villain (The Other Mother, The Shadow Man etc) but though Up is more a story of a man's growth (well, ostensibly, at least) than one of good vs evil– the de facto villain irks me. The parallels between Charles and Carl are not slight. Both men are devoted to doing things they've vowed after many years and it seems insensitive that in trying to show a moving portrayal of an older man Charles must be villainous because he life dream's are in combat with our heroines. I'm hardpressed to find anything inherently villainous about him. Like Docter's judgement that Carl needs to let go, he thinks that Charles should too. Sure, he's overly manic and his treatment of animals is questionable at best, but in deciding on the inevitable "Death to villain" end Up misses the chance for poignancy that's too obvious to miss. Must Charles be relegated to villainous proportions because the world has forced him to prove himself?
Perhaps, in my predilection for subtext I'm overanalysing it because technically Up is a beauty. Along with Coraline and The Fantastic Mr. Fox the attention paid to character movement and set design is astonshing. I found myself entranced for a few minutes staring at Carl's hair, it was all so lifelike. Up is a perfectly competent animated film. But, I'm a glutton. I wanted better.
Hmmmm, you did ask for me to review it – though, I know now I held off from reviewing up because I actually DON'T like raining on parades. If my bad words have left you sad, visit my blogging buddies for kinder words.
Fitz loves the depth of the character and the emotive nature of it all.
Heather loves its ability to be escapism while still relishing in life's reality.
You raise some excellent points, I suppose... As you probably remember, it was my favorite film of last year. I think where you tended to dislike the film, I liked it more. Call me sentimental I guess... You mention some very convincing detractors though - which is exactly what a review should do anyway!
You do raise some valid points, but I just can't resist Pixar's charms. It actually reminds me of Disney at their best, with that rake of classic family films in the forties. Sure, if we look closely, we'll find flaws and one or two unfortunate implications, but I think they speak to us on such a basic level that we overlook them.
Great review, and I don't think you "rained" on anybody's parade. You made valid points you backed up.
I reviewed it last March...what I loved most about it was the loony accuracy with which dogs are depicted, and given voice.
Also there were several quiet moments when we were able to contemplate with Carl just what his life had become, and what had brought him to where he was, and how would he get out of it all. it's funny, but your reactions to "Up" are very much like my feelings about "Toy Story 3".
tom i don't LOVE either, but i prefer this to toy story iii.


text:
void AddCommand::execute(CommandExecutionContext& context)
{
    if(context.Rlo)
        mDestinationDevice->setValue(mLeftDevice->getValue() + mRightDevice->getValue());
}

std::string AddCommand::print()
{
    return "ADD " + mLeftDevice->print() + " " + mRightDevice->print() + " " + mDestinationDevice->print();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


What would that one change be to make this transaction perfect? Paying NOTHING out-of-pocket would be nice!
Here's something I concocted today in order to grab some freebies this week at CVS. Please note that the $5 off $20 coupon is no longer available but if you still have some with you, most CVS's will allow you to use their store coupons up to 2 weeks past their expiration dates. I only know of 1 in my area that won't take expired CVS coupons, so check your store policy before hitting the road!
= FREE + a small money maker!
This is AWESOME! FREE Johnson & Johnson, FREECheerios, and FREE calcium supplements. No where else but CVS, I tell you! If you haven't jumped on the CVS bandwagon - don't wait!
Now I'm heading out to try this one myself - I'll let you know how it works out for me!


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Four Virginia Coast Buoys To Be Discontinued
by Virginia Saltwater Fishing | posted in: safety | 0
On or about 13 Jan 2020, the U.S. Coast Guard will begin discontinuing four aids to navigation (ATON) along the Virginia Coast: Winter Quarter Shoal Lighted Buoy 6 (LLNR 270)Parramore Bank Lighted Buoy 10 (LLNR 315)Hog Island Lighted Buoy 12 … Continued
aton, buoys, coast guard, navigation, safety, USCG
Coast Guard Name Change To Sector Virginia
by Virginia Saltwater Fishing | posted in: news | 0
Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads has changed its name to Coast Guard Sector Virginia. This change recognizes the responsibility the sector has for all Coast Guard mission areas across many of the coastal areas, bays, rivers, and lakes that are … Continued
coast guard, government, government agencies, hampton roads, USCG
Coast Guard EPIRB Registration Reminder
After responding to over 700 false alerts in 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard is urging anyone with an emergency position indicating radio beacon to properly register their device. An EPIRB is a device that transmits a distress signal to a … Continued
coast guard, epirb, offshore fishing, regulations, safety, USCG
Virginia Inside Passage Navigational Aids Update
The Coast Guard is scheduled to discontinue 166 navigational aids within the Virginia Inside Passage (VIP) due to shoaling and other navigational safety concerns throughout the area. Fixed aids to navigation will be removed as Coast Guard resources permit over … Continued
barrier islands, boating, buoys, cbbt, chesapeake bay bridge tunnel, chincoteague, coast guard, coastal bays, navigation, safety, wachapreague, wallops island
5th Coast Guard to Host Law Enforcement Open House
The Coast Guard base on Chincoteague Island is scheduled to host an event for mariners to come and meet locally based federal and state law enforcement officers March 10 at 6:30 p.m. The event will provide an opportunity for mariners … Continued
chincoteague, chincoteague island, coast guard, commercial fishing, fishing, government, government agencies, regulations, virginia
Loran-C Shut Down After More Than 67 years
Crews at the Coast Guard Long Range Aids to Navigation stations, including the six Alaska-based stations, turned off their domestic signal across the nation at 11 a.m. Monday, February 8, 2010. The shutdown of the signal concludes the broadcast of … Continued
coast guard, loran, loran-c, navigation, safety, united states coast guard
La Princesa Barge Pulled from Beach Near Sandbridge Pier
Titan Salvage crews successfully pulled the barge La Princesa off Sandbridge beach at 7:48 a.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2009. The crews used two tugs pulling together on the bow and stern of the barge at high tide to free it. … Continued
boats, coast guard, disasters, La Princesa, noreasters, norida, shipwrecks, storms, united states coast guard
New Coast Guard Exchange Serves Military Members in Chesapeake
The Coast Guard Exchange System has opened a new retail exchange in the Greenbrier retail corridor in Chesapeake Virginia. The 43,000-square-foot store is located at 1589 Crossways Blvd. in the location previously occupied by Circuit City. The exchange offers a … Continued
chesapeake, coast guard, hampton roads, united states coast guard, USCG, virginia
Coast Guard Issues Deviation for Berkley Bridge Drawbridge Opening
The Fifth Coast Guard District commander has issued a temporary deviation from the regulation governing the operating schedule of the Berkley Bridge across the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River at Norfolk, Va., at the request of the Virginia Department … Continued
boating, coast guard, elizabeth river, navigation, USCG
Gilmerton Bridge repairs to restrict vessel traffic Oct. 2-12
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Hampton Roads advises all local mariners and vessel operators that scheduled repairs to the Gilmerton Lift Bridge fendering system will result in restricted operation October 2 through 12. The repairs will replace … Continued
coast guard, elizabeth river, hampton roads, USCG


This chest has a 2 lid design making perfect for use as a coffee table with the added benefit of somewhere to keep the kids toys or other items.
This beautifully handmade Storage table is made in our own workshop in Warwickshire, UK. Each is finished by hand to give each one it's own unique character. It's worth noting that this item is made from carefully sourced high quality Quebec pine.
As mentioned it is new solid pine that is hand finished with high quality beeswax which really brings out the character and gives a lovely smooth feel with a subtle shine.
This item comes fully assembled!


text:
Paperback & Kit
64-page 6 x 9 book and 48 double-sided color folding papers in 16 designs "
Become a true aviator by making your very own paper airplanes based on world record-holding designs!
Paper airplane expert Andrew Dewar presents this new collection of 16 original high-performance paper airplane. These model planes are incredibly easy to fold, and designed to push the envelope in terms of time aloft and distance thrown—based on principles exploited by record-breaking paper airplane experts such as Ken Blackburn, Michael Collins and Takuo Toda.
The book opens with the history of paper airplane record-setters, followed by a fascinating introduction to flight and aerodynamics for kids. By learning about the engineering properties that affect the duration and distance of their flights, they'll have fun coaxing better and better performances out of these optimized designs. The sky is the limit once they understand how planes actually work!
Some of the high-tech projects include:
A colorful Condor
A futuristic Strato Taxi
A speedy Delta Dart
Each paper plane has simple folding instructions and corresponding custom folding papers with folding lines printed right on the sheets. Each plane can be folded up in just a few moments, so kids can start shattering records of their own right away!
This paper airplanes kit includes:
A full-color, 64-page book
Easy, step-by-step instructions
16 unique designs
48 full-color airplane folding sheets
Andrew Dewar was born in Toronto, Ontario, and graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute (B.A. Journalism) and University of Toronto (M.A. Japanese Studies, Library and Information Science) before moving to Japan in 1988. After completing his doctoral studies in library science at Keio University, he joined the faculty of a junior college in Japan. Soon after arriving in Japan he rediscovered his childhood love of designing and flying paper airplanes. His passion for paper airplanes led him to become president of the Fukushima Paper Airplane Club. Dewar has published over 30 paper crafting books and kits. He also teaches paper airplane workshops and does seminars at schools, libraries, community centers and museums. He lived and taught library science in Fukushima, Japan, until the giant earthquake and nuclear accident in March 2011, when the city became unsafe. After a brief stay in Canada, he's returned with his family to Gifu, Japan.
Kostya Vints was born and raised in Minsk, Belarus. In 1995 he received his Master degree in Product Design at Belorussian Polytechnic Academy (Minsk, Belarus). After moving to Los Angeles in 1997, he continued to pursue his career as a graphic artist and in 2002 Kostya graduated from Westwood College of Technology with an Associate degree in Graphic Design and Multimedia. He has been creating digital art for over 13 years. Kostya has produced illustrations and conceptual art for a diverse array of companies and publications worldwide.
Out of This World Paper Airplanes Kit
Flying Dragons Paper Airplane Kit
Instant Paper Airplanes Kit


If you're a geologist, a naturalist, or just someone that's interested in a place a bit off the beaten track, then The Badlands, South Dakota is the place for you.
A mixture of spires, valleys, buttes and sharply eroded sandstone, this mixed prairie grass preserve is a great place to go whether you're a fossil hunter, or just interested in natural beauty.
Badlands National park is a gorgeous place – with unique and unusual sandstone rock that layers in ways that has to be seen to be believed. The spires, and erosions formed over several thousand millenia make for a unique skyline. Vegetation and fauna sprinkle crevices and valleys, making for interesting walks, and of course, the badlands are home to all kinds of wild animals, from Bison that graze by the side of the road as you're driving through, to Prairie dogs, Elk, Coyotes, and wild Horses.
Many interesting fossils have been found there, since the interest in paleontology kicked up in 1840 or so. Several species of fossils have since been discovered in the White River area of the Badlands – more than 3/4s of the total found by 1854 had come from that one area.
Theodore Roosevelt national park is the most interesting of the Badlands parks, made up of three packages of land that are separate from one another – and are all connected by The Maah Daah Hey trail. It is said that Theodore Roosevelt associated strongly with the 'dying' way of life of the Western cowboy, and rancher and had his own ranch there to recover from the loss of his mother and later, his wife. His Ranch is set deep within the heart of one of the packets of land and though there's nothing left of it now, he wrote about the peace he found there, before returning to politics later in his life.


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Can you locate the Big Dipper tonight? How about the constellation Hercules? The articles below will provide a few astronomy basics, which will help you to get your bearings on the heavens so that star patterns and constellations will become your familiar friends, allowing you to find observing targets with ease.
With the right "road map to the stars," (a.k.a. one of our free star charts) you'll be able to use your base knowledge to find interesting stellar pairings and locate "deep-sky objects" — the star clusters, galaxies, and nebulas that binoculars and telescopes will reveal. Once you've found the Big Dipper, it's easy to find two binary pairs. Similarly, once you know the Hercules constellation, it's easy to find the globular cluster hidden within.
No one can help you learn your way around the night sky like Sky & Telescope can.
What Is the Ecliptic?
The ecliptic, simply put, is the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. It extends beyond that to include the seven other planets.
By: Peter Tyson July 28, 2022
See the Sun from Other Stars
We journey to distant suns to look back at our solar system and see its place among the stars.
By: Bob King February 2, 2022
The Big Dipper: Hop to Spring's Sky Sights
The Big Dipper is one of the most familiar sights in the Northern Hemisphere's night skies. You can use its stars to locate other fun targets.
By: Scott Levine May 1, 2020
A Quick Tour of Orion, the Hunter
The evening sky this week presents a near perfect opportunity to explore winter's marquee constellation, Orion, with binoculars or a small telescope.
By: Gary Seronik January 22, 2020
Astronomy for Beginners: How to Get Started in Backyard Astronomy
Astronomy doesn't deserve its reputation as a tough, expensive hobby. You just need to begin with the right advice.
By: Alan MacRobert August 1, 2018
Stargazing Basics
Astronomy Books: Wrapping Up 2017
Wondering what to read next? Looking for a gift for the amateur astronomer in your life? Check out these new astronomy books!
By: JR December 5, 2017
Stargazing Simplified: What to See in the Night Sky
Learn some of the classic stargazing sights that can be best viewed through a smaller telescope.
By: James Mullaney June 6, 2017
Learn Constellations with a Planisphere
How do you find out what stars are visible tonight? With a planisphere or "star wheel." It's easy!
By: Alan MacRobert April 5, 2017
How to Use a Star Chart with a Telescope
Here's what you need to know to navigate the heavens with a telescope and star atlas.
By: Alan MacRobert March 4, 2017
Star Charts: A Vital Resource for Learning the Night Sky
Our Constellation Basics webinar provides background information about the major winter constellations. Here are some accompanying online resources.
By: Tony Flanders January 15, 2016
Asterisms for Winter Nights
Asterisms appeal to our playful side but also serve as key waypoints in the sky for identifying fainter stars and constellations.
Earthshine, the Moon's Darker Side
With a subtle beauty all its own, the earthshine we see glowing in the lunar night invites us to consider Earth's many connections to the Moon.
By: Bob King August 27, 2014
How to Make a Star Wheel the Simple Way
Would you like to be able to navigate your way around the night sky with confidence? Using this simple, easy-to-make Star Wheel, you can "dial the sky" for any time or date.
By: The Editors of Sky & Telescope April 15, 2007
Astronomy for Beginners: Getting Started in Astronomy
An easy guide to exploring the universe is just a quick download away. This PDF document contains valuable tips for beginner stargazers, a detailed Moon map, and six bimonthly star charts for either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
By: The Editors of Sky & Telescope August 2, 2006
Fuzzies in Your Future:
An Introduction to Deep-Sky Objects
Ready to voyage beyond the Solar System? Here's what you can see.
By: Kenneth Hewitt-White August 1, 2006
Names of Deep-Sky Objects
Expert observer Brian Skiff explains NGC, UGC, and everything in between.
By: Brian A. Skiff July 27, 2006
Star Names: Where Do They Come From and What Do They Mean?
Confused by the bizarre names that astronomers have given the stars? Here's where they come from and what they mean.
By: Alan MacRobert July 25, 2006


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Orchestra Wellington's "The Prophecy" a remarkable musical journey
By Peter Mechen, 07/07/2018
Orchestra Wellington presents:
The Prophecy – Music by JANÁČEK, BRITTEN and DVORAK
JANÁČEK– Taras Bulba (Rhapsody for Orchestra)
BRITTEN – Piano Concerto Op.13
DVORAK – Symphony No. 6 in D Major Op.60 B.112
Jian Liu (piano)
Orchestra Wellington
Marc Taddei (conductor)
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
Saturday 7th July 2018
Due to a printer's mix-up, there were no printed programmes to be had for this concert, conductor Marc Taddei assuring us at the concert's outset that he would be our guide throughout the evening's music-making. As it turned out, the only regret at such a state of things one came away with from the concert at the end was having no tangible printed record of or piece of memorabilia belonging to a truly great musical occasion!
None of the three works presented here could be said to be tried-and-true crowd-pleasers or popular box-office drawcards – and yet, here was Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre humming with great excitement and expectation at the evening's beginning, the venue admittedly not filled to bursting, but with an attendance that must have gladdened the hearts of the organisers at its obvious signs of public interest in the orchestra and its presentations.
On paper, the concert's musical offerings would have caused the average event promotor in most parts of the world serious misgivings as to their box-office viability – Janacek's Taras Bulba, Britten's Piano Concerto and a lesser-known symphony by Dvorak – but those surviving concertgoers with longer memories than others may well have hearkened back to the heady days of John Hopkins at the helm of the NZBC Symphony (as the NZSO was called during the 1960s), when there was a similar excitement and sense of exploration of unfamiliar and untried musical worlds of delight and daring in an established orchestra's programming.
Oh, well, those of us who value as keepsakes such things as programmes will have to be content with our memories on this auspicious occasion – "and gentlemen of England now a-bed/ shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here" would be an appropriate thought-reminder to conjure up, in years to come. I shall be accused of somewhat gilding the lily with these wafflings, but I can't help thinking, by way of registering my delight in enjoyment of concerts such as these, how fortunate we in Wellington are at having two accomplished orchestras regularly performing for our pleasure. Though obviously not London, the situation here per capita is very likely comparable!
What, you will be asking by now, was the propellant for such an outpouring of enthusiasm – a single performance or item? – the whole concert? – or the existence of an orchestra and conductor who are prepared to challenge and enliven and stimulate and even risk alienating their audiences? The answer is that it's probably all three of those things, coming together in an upward burst of well-being on my part, and a desire to tell other people all about it. Happily, my anticipation at the prospect of what the concert promised was matched by the performances, wholly predictable but with many fascinating and unexpected detailings.
Once opening formalities were over, the concert began with one of the few orchestral pieces composed by Leoš Janáček, excepting a number of opera overtures. This was "Taras Bulba", a work which Janáček based on a novel by Nikolai Gogol, set in 16th Century Ukraine, a tale of a Cossack warrior and his two sons. The composer, though a native Moravian, was an ardent Russophile, and asserted that he wrote "Taras Bulba" because (he would echo Gogol's own lines, here) "in the whole world there are not fires or tortures strong enough to destroy the vitality of the Russian nation".
Janáček was, of course expressing a kind of Pan-Slavic kinship with the predominant Slavic power, as his own homeland had long been under the dominance of the Austrians, and, like many Czechs, looked to the east for support. He studied the Russian language, belonged to a Russian society in his home town of Brno, and, in addition to Gogol's work drew inspiration for some of his other compositions from Russian writers like Tolstoy (the "Kreutzer Sonata" String Quartet), Ostrovsky (the opera "Káta Kabanová"), and Dostoyevsky (the opera "From the House of the Dead").
Cast in the form of a three-movement "Rhapsody for Orchestra", the music for "Taras Bulba" tells the grim story of the single-minded Cossack leader's loss of both of his sons during the bitter conflict with the Poles, followed by his own capture and execution – the first movement concerns one of the sons, Andriy, who had the misfortune to fall in love with a Polish girl, and thus changed his allegiances, for which treacherous act he was killed by his father on the battlefield. The middle movement depicts the torture and execution by the Poles of the second son, Ostap, witnessed by Taras Bulba himself, disguised and in the assembled crowd. The final movement tells the story of the Cossacks' subsequent attack on the Polish forces, and of Taras Bulba's capture and death by execution, but not before the dying leader utters his prophecy (which gives the movement its name), predicting an eventual victory for the Cossacks in the struggle.
Janáček's approach to this seemingly unpromising subject consisted of devising brief but telling motifs used in association with themes and characters in the story, and using them both pithily and with great variety. We heard plaintive cor anglais and oboe statements at the first movement's outset, sharply interrupted by orchestral crescendi, startlingly capped by tubular bells, but then with the emotion reinstated by tender organ phrases. Conductor and players skilfully dovetailed these expressions of romantic feeling (cor anglais, oboe, organ, solo strings) cheek-by jowl with great tensions and savage interjections (crescendi, and brass shouts). Amidst these angular contrasts the playing brought out, by turns, the figures of Taras Bulba (anger, tenderness, implaccable resolve) and his son Andriy (remorse, resignation) which interact with characteristic abruptness, the whole having a kind of brutal, impulsive realism.
Both of the succeeding movements were equally well-characterised, in "The Death of Ostap", the opposing impulses of triumph and bloodthirsty recompense expressed by the victors' wild dance of triumph set against the pain and anguish of both Taras Bulba and his doomed son Ostap, as the latter is tortured and then executed. And in the concluding "Prophecy and Death of Taras Bulba", repeated agitations across the orchestra took us into the midst of a battle's confusions, uncertainties and elations, with triumph and disaster hand in hand – fanfares announced the Cossack leader's defeat and capture by the Poles, but then the orchestra took up a groundswell of triumphal gesturings as Taras Bulba defied his enemies and predicted a great victory for his people – here, the bells and the tones of the organ joined with the orchestra to make a conclusion all the more jubilant and resounding for being so hard-won!
A much-needed respite from these intensities was provided by the need to bring out the piano and put it in place, after which we greeted the appearance of Jian Liu, the evening's concerto soloist. Based in Wellington, and working as the Head of Piano Studies at Te Koki New Zealand School of Music, Liu occasionally appears as a soloist or chamber-music partner at local concerts, one of the most notable of recent occasions being as a member of Te Koki Trio in a performance with the School of Music Orchestra of Beethoven's delectable Triple Concert – see the Middle C review http://middle-c.org/2018/04/nzsm-orchestras-triple-celebration-with-the-te-koki-trio/ However, as opposed to realising the tailor-made aristocratic elegance of Beethoven's piano part for this work, Liu's assignment for this Orchestra Wellington concert was of an entirely different order, that of bringing off Benjamin Britten's virtuosic writing for the solo part of his 1938 Piano Concerto, the work, partly because of its technical difficulties, still something of a concert rarity.
No such impediments seemed to stay the order of the music's going on this occasion, with everybody, soloist, conductor and players hitting their straps immediately with the opening Toccata – the result was a dazzling "tour de force" of concertante writing, the composer seemingly unafraid to push the brilliance of the writing to its limits (Britten himself gave the 1938 premiere). As for Jian Liu's realisation of the solo part, the playing was masterly in its virtuosity, from incisive through to elfin in quality. The players brought off the accelerando leading up to the cadenza with a spectacular concluding crash, leaving Liu to delight and bewitch us with his fantastic command of sonority and dazzling keyboard execution, before the coda gathered up the threads and ended the movement with a flurry of finality!
After this the second movement Waltz seemed here to float in from a dream-world, everything sultry and suggestive, following on from the solo viola's beautiful melody. The piano elaborated on the material before the pace quickened, the rhythms taking on a spiky, almost grotesque character, Liu's octave scamperings bringing a Shostakovich-like profile to the music before the orchestra re-entered with a gorgeously over-bright version of the opening theme, as if parodying the original mood!
Britten's original third movement was called Recitative and Aria, one which he replaced with a piece called Impromptu in 1945. A Satie-like melody from the solo piano conjured up spacious vistas, holding us in thrall until a cadenza-like flourish introduced a blowsy version of the tune by the orchestra, with arpeggiated piano accompaniment. By that time the piece's passacaglia character was well-established, with subsequent variations of the theme involving elephantine lower-strings, whose ploddings were magically transformed by Liu, Taddei and the players into elegant waltz-steps, the characterisations coherent and vivid, before subsiding into rapt silences at the end.
Again Shostakovich's influence seemed to haunt the music when the finale began without a break from the previous movement, the march seeming to grow out of the earth upon which the music moved. It was as if the sounds were a kind of rallying-call, further energised by militaristic skirlings from the winds, the piano's revelry-like sounds echoing those of the brass and adding to the swaggering mood. Suddenly it was as if the tongue-in-cheek mood had awakened deeper feelings, strings, winds and stuttering brass moving the music on from vainglorious attitudes into and through more confrontational realms, the winds in particular voicing their concerns in no uncertain manner, and the piano screwing up the tensions with increasingly insistent and vigorous hammerings.
And then , as if the sounds had literally exhausted themselves and needed to refresh and regroup, the music all but melted down for a few moments, before Liu's piano took the lead and re-established the march, underpinned by the percussion, giving the brass their chance of undying glory, with the piano's help rallying the troops and encouraging the strings and winds to "skirl" for all they were worth! As for the soloist, such scintillating glissandi, and "devil-take-the-hindmost" repeated notes did Liu "throw into" the mix at the concerto's end! We were stunned, enthralled and finally galvanised by it all – what a player! And, as well, what a performance by conductor and orchestra! What else could the pianist do at the very end but, after acknowledging the applause, point to the keyboard and sit down, and then, amid the sudden hushed silences, bring into being the simplest and most touching of pieces from Robert Schumann's "Kinderscenen" (Scenes from Childhood), the lovely "Traumerei" (Dreaming)? – a "did we dream you or did you dream us?" moment, wrought of magic.
A blessed interval gave us the space our sensibilities needed to digest these wonders and their brilliant execution, and clear our receptive channels in readiness for Marc Taddei's and the players' unfolding of Antonin Dvorak's Sixth Symphony in D Major. In the wake of the joyful rendering of the Fifth Symphony at Orchestra Wellington's first 2018 concert, we were eager for more, this time with a work that promised to show an even greater array of fruits from the composer's patient symphonic apprenticeship.
For myself, I was warmed through and through by both music and performance – the bright, eagerly-syncopated rhythms of the opening woke the music perfectly, the playing straightaway catching that ever-present rustic element in Dvorak's music in the spacious balances, the characterful voicings of the wind instruments and the "snap" of the often-syncopated rhythms. Marc Taddei allowed his players to subtly "lean into" each of the new sequences, enough to impart a warmth and flexibility to the utterances without loosening the structures, and generally inspiring brightly-toned and affectionate playing. We didn't get the first-movement repeat, but were amply compensated by Taddei's and the players' mellifluous shaping and balancing of the music.
Eloquent winds and silken strings opened the slow movement, answered by an atmospheric horn solo, the music's flow long-breathed but maintaining the pulse. The minor-key outburst was almost Mahlerian in impact, though the angst was short-lived, the lyrical sweetness returning with a heart-warming reprise of the opening melody by the first violins playing high up, after which the 'cellos also were given a "moment" with the theme. In complete contrast was the driving Scherzo, a "Furiant" with ear-catching syncopations in its main section (astonishing timpani!), and a winsome Trio, whose exquisite touches were shared by strings and winds (the piccolo particularly charming!).
Though reminiscent of Brahms' Second Symphony's finale at the very beginning (the older composer gave Dvorak a great deal of encouragement, with Dvorak's gratitude to Brahms appropriately and amply expressed here), the younger man was no slavish imitator, as the latter stages of the work made clear. Taddei played the opening in an extremely relaxed manner before launching into an exciting accelerando throughout the transition passage leading to a restatement of the opening theme, and its broadening once again. There followed an exciting and absorbing symphonic adventure, with conductor and players alive to all of the music's possibilities and accomplishments, the drama of the material's "working out" culminating in a sensational burst of joyous energy at the coda, the players responding to their conductor's challenging tempi with fire and brilliance! It was heady stuff, and made for an exhilarating finish to a remarkable concert.
Reviews - Concerts |	 concerto, orchestral
One Response to "Orchestra Wellington's "The Prophecy" a remarkable musical journey"
jennifer shennan says:
Thank you for your galvanised review and detailed discussion of the Britten piano concerto, both as composition and in performance.
Like you, I was stunned by all of it — and have since managed to find a cd of Stephen Osborne playing it with BBC Scottish…
but I want a recording of OW with Jian Liu. They are ours and we heard it here…so why in the name of everything was it not recorded?
Everyone I know (not me) owns a smartphone, and there have never been more clever ways to record & play back this & that …so by what reasoning of false economy did this breathtaking concerto go unrecorded? I think myself blessed to have heard it live …
Britten was not a pacifist, composing on the eve of WWII, for nothing.
Jennifer Shennan
← Jaime Martín and National Youth Orchestra on full throttle as percussion and brass deliver excitement and panache
SONGS FOR NOBODIES – Ali Harper explores the ordinary and the fabulous →


Yeah. My brother's girlfriend doesn't believe in god, but she believes in souls and ghosts.
Atheism is a disbelief in gods, sadly it doesn't cover all of the supernatural and paranormal.
With no god to go to and no heaven or hell, maybe she thinks all the souls have a favourite hangout spot.
Hahaha! I haven't had a chance to ask her about it, but from what my brother says it is more of a fear of death thing. She just wants to think that she and her loved ones will somehow continue to exist after death.
I had a friend who claimed to be atheist and said the same thing. She believed there was a place to go to after death where "everything would be OK", I believe were her words. It is strange how even hardened skeptics can't seem to let go of that happy place in the clouds.
And so, when in another thread someone asked whether if religion could be abolished overnight what would happen?, the answer is that as long as some of us can't handle the idea of death, there will be religion of some sort.
Having one sane opinion doesn't mean you're sane.
Well, we have some very New Agey "atheists" here. You've mentioned the anti-vaccination yahoos. Some of us are just not ready for the hard science approach just yet.
Yea, but in the case of the anti-vaccers, are concepts like herd-immunity all that hard to understand? I guess they just latch on to the hyperbole with clenched teeth and cannot let go.
Well, yeah, but the stupid parents' kids are the ones at risk, so when they come down with (name disease) the vaccinated kids' parents get the last laugh.


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CALLUM HARRIOTT sealed survival for Charlton with his first league goals of the season.
The 20-year-old scored either side of a vital second goal from skipper Johnnie Jackson.
And that meant the Addicks cannot now slip into the bottom three no matter what happens on the last day at Blackpool on Saturday.
It also justified owner Roland Duchatelet's decision to sack Valley legend Chris Powell in March.
The Belgian brought in fellow countryman Jose Riga - a former IT man who was a virtual unknown in these shores.
But it worked as the Addicks will be playing Watford in the Championship again next season.
Riga - who has yet to sign a contract - said: "There are a lot of different emotions. From day one I was working hard to find a solution.
"I made a lot of decisions very fast to build a team around me and luckily I was in a very good club.
Harriott's first was a cracker - a low shot from outside the box in the 22nd minute.
Charlton hung on to their lead until the hour mark when Troy Deeney smashed an equaliser into the top corner.
That set the nerves jangling until Jackson poked home Morgan Fox's cross in the 69th minute.
Harriott then smacked a first-time effort past Hornets keeper Jonathan Bond and the visitors ended up with 10 men when Albert Riera picked up a second yellow for a high challenge on Diego Poyet.
Watford have been stuck in mid-table for a while and boss Beppe Sannino knows he needs a summer overhaul.


Fantasy sci-fi to be directed by Lech Majewski.
Fortissimo Films has acquired international sales rights to sc-fi Valley Of The Gods, from director Lech Majewski (The Mill & The Cross).
The film, set to commence principal photography in Q1 2016, will star Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down), currently starring in Showtime series Penny Dreadful.
Additional cast is set to be announced at the upcoming AFM (Nov 4-11).
The film intertwines an ancient Najavo legend with the narratives of John Ecas (Hartnett), a writer with an unbridled imagination; Wes Tauros, the richest man on earth; and Grey Horse, a feisty young Indian.
John, also the films narrator, possesses the ability to alter reality. The film follows the three narratives as the characters attempt to escape a drama that is about to unfold when supernatural visions clash with reality.
Majewski also wrote the film's screenplay.
The deal was finalized by Fortissimo SVP of acquisitions Berenice Fugard and Royal Road Entertainment's Filip Jan Rymsza.
Producers are Royal Road Entertainment's Filip Jan Rymsza and Carla Rosen-Vacher, Lech Majewski on behalf of Angelus Silesius and Natalia Safran for The Safran Company (The Conjuring, Annabelle).
Sales for the feature begin in Toronto and continue into the AFM.


There will be less than 16 months between the special session of General Conference in 2019 and the regular session of General Conference in 2020. I believe that continuity between the two General Conferences will be essential, given that any action taken in 2019 will directly influence legislation proposed in 2020, and delegates in 2020 will need to be as informed and well-versed as possible about the decisions made in 2019. There will be need for a consistent base of knowledge, confidence, and trust within the crucial one-year time between General Conferences. Any number of observers may attend General Conference without voice or vote, yet may fellowship and consult with the delegates from their Annual Conference outside business sessions.
I move that the election of the Great Plains Annual Conference delegation to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences of 2020 be held during the Great Plains Conference session of 2018 and that the 2020 delegation attend the special session of General Conference in 2019 as observers in fellowship with the Great Plains Annual Conference delegation for mutual advising and sharing crucial knowledge with the cost to be covered by the General Conference expense reserve fund.
I believe the Great Plains Annual Conference is in a position to help lead the decision-making at General Conference. I hope that this motion will empower both the 2019 and 2020 delegations to take on a greater leadership role at General Conference to help influence the future of our denomination.
Will you please share your thoughts, feelings, responses, and opinions?You can email me at aconard@greatplainsumc.org and I will update this story as needed.
Does this mean we should consider electing a new delegation for 2019?
No. The Connecting Council is recommending that we affirm 2016 delegation as the delegation for 2019. I support this recommendation.
How will we cover the cost for the 2020 delegation to attend?
In conversation with our conference staff and CFA, there are sufficient funds remaining from the 2016 delegation expense to cover the expenses for both the 2019 delegation and the 2020 delegation to be present at the special session of General Conference in 2019.
With the special session in St. Louis and only lasting three days, it is likely that there will be no flights (mileage instead) and not much in hotel and meal expense due to the short timeframe of the special session. The actual General Conference delegates are paid by the General Church and the annual conference only pays for Jurisdictional and reserves (and if this petition passes some additional persons not on the current delegation but added to the 2020 delegation.
How will we cover the cost for the voting machines in 2018?
The annual conference has budgeted money annually to build up what we need for voting equipment every four years. This motion will simply move that expense from 2019 to 2018.
Will the voting machines be available in 2018?
The annual conference will work with a vendor to ensure that voting machines will be available for the annual conference session of 2018.
Last time we used the voting machines in Wichita, we had trouble getting them to work. Won't we have the same problem again?
The wireless environment in cities and convention centers changes regularly and it is very difficult to forecast the exact technical environment in which we will use the wireless voting devices. While there are both user-generated and technical issues with using electronic voting devices, I am confident that they will be able to be adequately addressed and will work with a vendor to ensure the best possible experience. Electronic voting devices are much preferable to a manual voting process.
Consider process changes to encourage and identify highly motivated, self-starting, creative and entrepreneurial leaders.
Be intentional in language used around the candidacy process – What do we do? Why do we do it?
Focus on telling the story of the Great Plains Board of Ordained Ministry – not the stories of the Board from our former conferences.
Identify the small changes which would make the biggest difference in changing the dynamics of the Board.
Actively engage as a lifelong learner, i.e. D. Min, conferences, reading, etc.
Be part of addressing the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities of being a global denomination with a democratic polity.
Continuously look for the gifts in others, name and cultivate those gifts, and unleash these gifts and people into the ministry and community.
Seek out those who would mentor me and those who could be mentored by me.
Recognize that deep change means surrendering control.
Will you please share your thoughts, feelings and opinions about these lists? What changes could be most helpful for the Great Plains Board of Ordained Ministry? How might I best improve my work as an Elder in the United Methodist Church?
This week I am Denver for the BOM Mid Quad Training Event. The event is designed around the theme of Excellence in Ministry and is designed to help annual conferences make progress on the systems contribute to recruiting, supporting, nurturing, and holding clergy accountable. I am here in my role as Treasurer and member of the Call team of the Great Plains Board of Ordained Ministry.
I had to put my seminary brain back on to catch up with Randy Maddox as he began his talk yesterday. I appreciated the depth of his presentation about the historical and theological underpinning for excellence in ministry in the United Methodist Church. It is pretty incredible to be in the same room with Bishops, cabinets and BOM teams from across the nation. I am looking forward to the rest of the event and bringing back new possibilities for sustaining and expanding excellence in ministry in the Great Plains.


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What Slate Readers Think About Killer A.I.
By Jacob Brogan
Stockbyte/thinkstock.com
Throughout April, as part of our fourth Futurography course, Future Tense focused on debates about the supposed dangers of artificial intelligence . We published essays and articles by experts and academics on a wide range of topics, but we're also interested in what you have to say. To that end, we've written up some of your answers to our survey on the topic. We hope you'll follow along as we explore the cultural conversations about drones this month.
Most of the Slate readers who wrote in were unconvinced that A.I. itself presents a direct threat, though many still felt that it has dangerous qualities. Arguing that it's humans who are the greater risk, one wrote, "I'm worried about people deliberately exploiting A.I. in ways that are detrimental to human prosperity." Others argued that we should be worrying more about the industries and governments developing the machines that about the machines themselves.
Those who did maintain that A.I. might endanger humans still tended to shy from the premise that it presents a truly existential threat. In accordance with Slate contributors such as Cecilia Tilli, some readers felt that the real problem might be that A.I. will "make many more jobs obsolete, which will severely strain the social fabric."
To the question of which concerns about A.I. were overblown, an overwhelming number of respondents agreed that fears about actual murderous roots are largely silly. "I'm not sure we will ever get to a true A.I. in the Terminator sense," one wrote, while another argued, "Evil robots probably won't exist because there is no reason for them to be programmed that way." Some went further still, proposing that even the possibility of humanlike intelligence seemed unlikely. "Computers just don't think like we do from what I understand," one wrote.
Some readers were skeptical of the idea that A.I.'s interests could ever correspond with our own, despite the work of researchers such as Stuart Russell who are trying to ensure that computers can learn to recognize what's most important to humans. As one who took such a position put it, "A.I. will likely just be a very, very smart machine and the concept of 'interests' might not bear." Instead, "We should worry more about whether the interests of private and military A.I. R&D teams align with our public interests," a reader suggested. Another wrote that "terrorist groups and … enemy nation states" presented the greater risk. And others continued to hold that the real trouble is that there's no such thing as human interest per se, as did one who wrote, "We humans can't even agree on what constitutes 'good' and what constitutes 'evil.' "
Whatever their concerns, readers had a wide range of ideas for future A.I. research priorities. Many suggested that we should look more deeply into medical applications of A.I. such as epidemiological analyses and artificial pancreas technology. Others proposed that we should instead focus on sociological concerns, working to anticipate how A.I. will change the ways we live instead of simply developing the systems that will bring about such changes. Several others echoed a point made by Carissa Véliz in Future Tense, proposing that we need to think more fully about what constitutes consciousness. "Is AI consciousness possible? And how would we know it?" one typical reader asked.
When all was said and done, a few readers had other lingering questions about future developments. "When will Siri not be abjectly terrible?" one asked, while another inquired, "How quickly will Slate employees be replaced by A.I.?" To that we have a question of our own: How do you know we haven't been replaced already?
This article is part of the artificial intelligence installment of Futurography, a series in which Future Tense introduces readers to the technologies that will define tomorrow. Each month from January through June 2016, we'll choose a new technology and break it down. Read more from Futurography on artificial intelligence:
"What's the Deal With Artificial Intelligence Killing Humans?"
"Your Artificial Intelligence Cheat Sheet"
"Killer Robots on the Battlefield"
"The Wrong Cognitive Measuring Stick"
"The Challenge of Determining Whether an A.I. Is Sentient"
An interview with A.I. expert Stuart Russell
"Why You Can't Teach Human Values to Artificial Intelligence"
"Let Artificial Intelligence Evolve"
"Mika Model," a brand-new short story from sci-fi great Paolo Bacigalupi
"When a Robot Kills, Is It Murder or Product Liability?"
"The Threats That Artificial Intelligence Researchers Actually Worry About"
"How Much Do You Know About Killer A.I.? Take Our Quiz."
Future Tense is a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. To get the latest from Futurography in your inbox, sign up for the weekly Future Tense newsletter.
Futurography


A numeral from H258; properly united, that is, one; or (as an ordinal) first: - a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any (-thing), apiece, a certain [dai-] ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together.
(Including the neuter [etc.] ἕν hen); a primary numeral; one: - a (-n, -ny, certain), + abundantly, man, one (another), only, other, some. See also G1527, G3367, G3391, G3762."
Now I don't claim to be a Greek scholar but I do read English pretty well. The Greek word εἷς is "a primary numeral; one." For me, that settled it.
From G863; freedom; (figuratively) pardon: - deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission."
This word is used in Matthew 26:28, Mark 1:4, Luke 1:77, Luke 3:3, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, Acts 10:43, Hebrews 9:22 and Hebrews 10:18. For this discussion I want to zero in on Acts 2:38 and Hebrews 9:22. Both references use the same word as in the above definition.
But Someone might ask, "what about Matthew 28:19?" I remember witnessing to a fellow worker years ago about his need to be baptized in Jesus name. He spoke with his Baptist pastor about our conversation (I have nothing against Baptists) and he told me that his pastor told him if he had to choose between Jesus and Peter to take Jesus' word for it. But Jesus never mentioned remission of sins in Matthew 28:19. You know, come to think of it, Jesus never even commanded anyone to be baptized in Matthew 28:19. In fact, no one was baptized in Matthew 28:19. He told His apostles, including Peter to go and baptize. And when they went and baptized they did it in the only name that can save, the name of Jesus. The Bible says in Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Jesus name is the only name of salvation? There is salvation in no other name? I think Peter knew exactly what he was telling those Jewish listeners on the day of Pentecost.
But doesn't that do damage to the doctrine of the Trinity? Well, yes. As stated in the first part of this blog, the Bible clearly says that God is One. Numerically according to what the Lord Jesus said. And I rather doubt He was mistaken. So what about the Trinity? I have read that Apostles Creed, which by in large I don't have much problem with. Apostle Paul did say in Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." However he didn't mention, as does the Apostle's Creed that Jesus is sitting on the right hand of God the Father. "A minor point," you say, well yes but true none-the-less. If you want to read it the following link will tell you a lot about it, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles'_Creed.
Let me be bold to say that no where in the Bible record does anyone use the triune formula in baptism. In the accounts recorded in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, the only way baptism was carried out was in the name of the Lord Jesus or the name of Jesus Christ, etc. This fully agrees with the statement of the Apostle Peter and the Apostle John in Acts 4:12 when they told the Jewish rulers that there is salvation in no other name, "for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." The name of Jesus Christ in baptism is the individual's public confession of his or her repentance toward God and faith toward the lord Jesus Christ. This fully agrees with Romans 10:8-9 which says, "...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." It is not optional if one is to have a hope of heaven. If you, my friend, have never repented of your sins, that is turned your life over to God, and if you have never been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus for (in order to have your sins) remitted or forgiven, let me encourage you to find someone to baptize you today. God has given you the promise that you will receive the Holy Ghost just like they did on the Day of Pentecost. Don't delay, you are only one heartbeat away from eternity.


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News Updated on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 10:33:39 PM
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Singer from Nagpur sets record by singing for 94 hrs
Nagpur | Friday, Jan 7 2011 IST
A city-based singer, Sunil Waghmare, today made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by singing continuously for last five days, as a tribute to his favourite legendary singer Mohammad Rafi. Sunil sung songs for 94 hours at a stretch without even winking at night during the four-day marathon singing event. He wanted to sing for 101 hours continuously, but today morning he became serious and doctors admitted him in a hospital.
He started singing on January 4 at 1000 hrs and since then he was singing without a break. He was paying homage to Rafi by saluting the melodious singer after completion of every hour. Last evening, he broke all the records of singing continuously in the event where contestants came from all over the country. In his endeavour, he was supported by Kalasagar, a local musical group. A team of doctors was observing him from time to time. He was preparing for this mega event since last six months.
Commenting on his effort, Sunil said, ''I am not here for making records or for Guinness Book involvement, but in the memory of great singer Mohammad Rafi.'' Four months ago, another music enthusiast, Rajesh Burbure, had made a record by singing continuously for 80 hours. With 94 hours of singing, Sunil has broken Rajesh's record.
-- (UNI) -- 07BY26.xml
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