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Living Life ACCORDING TO HOYLE–A Review
Hi there! Today I'm featuring a review of a newly revamped, re-released historical M/M romance from best-selling author Abigail Roux. ACCORDING TO HOYLE is an interesting, well-paced, adventure following the travels and travails of two pairs of lovers in 1880's western US. There is a complicated plot, and few romantic interludes in the closing chapters. It felt an awful-lot like Maverick–only gay.
By the close of 1882, the inhabitants of the American West had earned their reputation as untamed and dangerous. The line between heroes and villains is narrow and indistinct. The concept that a man may only kill if backed into a corner is antiquated. Lives are worth less than horses. Treasures are worth killing for. And the law is written in the blood of those who came before. The only men staving off total chaos are the few who take the letter of the law at its word and risk their lives to uphold it. But in the West, the rules aren't always played according to Hoyle.
U.S. Marshals Eli Flynn and William Henry Washington are escorting two prisoners to New Orleans for trial when they discover there's more to the infamous shootist Dusty Rose and the enigmatic man known only as Cage than merely being outlaws. When forces beyond the marshals' control converge on the paddlewheeler they have hired to take them downriver, they must choose between two dangers: playing by the rules at any cost or trusting the very men they are meant to bring to justice.
4.5 stars. It seems, in the West, everybody's got a secret (or six) to hide. Gabriel "Dusty" Rose is a well-known English gunman living out his exile in the western states in company of any of many Native American tribes. He's hunted out for use by the Secret Service for information about a Native artifact he may (or may not) have, but he doesn't wish to cooperate and is subsequently jailed for trial–it seems folks are always attacking Gabriel, hoping to be faster on the draw than the legendary killer. Gabriel and two other inmates Cage and Hobson are picked up for transit by two US Marshals–Eli Flynn and "Wash" Washington.
Flynn and Wash are solid lawmen. They believe in trials and punishment, though Wash is clearly not convinced that the law is always 'right'. These men have been friends for many years, even since the War Between the States, and enjoy each other's company. Flynn has a deeper affection for Wash than he will acknowledge, however Gabriel–a consummate judge of character–clearly notices. Not that Gabriel cares–he prefers men and doesn't hesitate to make this plain.
Interestingly, the BULK of the story is told from the POV of Cage, a mute prisoner who has deep secrets and is likely to be hanged for burning diseased Army blankets, and Flynn, who cannot fathom the open affection he witnesses between Gabriel and Cage.
The transport of the prisoners is delayed by weather, fighting, and difficult terrain. Just when it seems Cage and Gabriel will be separated, losing the one true connection either of them had mustered in some time, there's a switch, and the foursome of Flynn, Wash, Gabriel and Cage end up going downriver on a paddle boat bent for trouble. When it is seized by river thieves, Flynn must depend upon Gabriel, an uncommon killer, to help him save Wash–and all the rest of the passengers. (But, mostly Wash)
They four men build a tight comaraderie over the course of this book–and the resolution is clearly meant to build into a new adventure. Flynn's constant exposure to Gabriel's insightful, if unwelcome, commentary causes Flynn to investigate his feelings about Wash, and leads to the best connection of his life. Cage has terrible secrets, which come to light in captivity, but it's Gabriel's affection that wins out.
The book reads a lot like a Maverick/Indiana Jones plot, lots of foreshadowing, governmental intrigue, and double-crosses, with a dash of romance here and there. I did very much enjoy the ride, and I'd likely go back for more. I had wished for more steam, and to better understand this Native artifact, but it seems that will be reserved for the next story.
Interested? You can find ACCORDING TO HOYLE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Riptide Books. I received a review copy on NetGalley.
Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year. Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of 'Call of Duty' throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head.
You can catch up with Abigail online on her website, Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.
January 22, 2015 Veronica Rundell	Abigail Roux, ACCORDING TO HOYLE, historical romance, M/M Romance	Leave a comment
A DIFFERENT KIND OF (sexy!) COSPLAY–My Review
Hi all! today I want to share my review of a super kinky/sexy novella recently released by Lucy Felthouse. I've shared reviews of some of her work before–Pack of Lies, Brit Boys: On Boys and Unconditional Surrender–but A DIFFERENT KIND OF COSPLAY is a fun M/F romp that I zipped through–and seriously considered "gifting" to my own hubby…. 😉
Zachary has a dilemma. His girlfriend, Reese, has a special birthday coming up soon and he has absolutely no clue what to get for her. It doesn't help that Zach does not share or really understand Reese's biggest hobby—comic books, superheroes and everything that goes with them. Zach raids Reese's DVD collection for inspiration, and what he finds there gives him an idea…possibly the best one he's ever had.
Sure, Reese has fantasized about her favorite superheroes. All those muscles and rakish smiles are to die for. She didn't think Zach would ever really understand, though. But he proves her wrong in the best way possible.
Zach's girlfriend, Reece, is due to celebrate her 30th birthday and he doesn't know what to do about it. See, Reece is a doctor, and her schedule is too tight and unpredictable to plan a weekend in Paris, as he would prefer. He wants to get her something totally memorable, and the idea sparks: Reece loves comics, and she's a goner for the Avengers. He visits her fave comic shop and that's when he pieces together a plan–to make a sexy cosplay for his geeky, beautiful, brilliant girlfriend.
Zach orders costumes for Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Captain America, and builds his own Bruce Banner, studying the comic lore for details of each, all in the effort to build an unforgettable seduction for Reece. The birthday surprise? Let's just say Reece is one satisfied lady.
This is full-on erotica, and full-frontal cosplay. Such a fun, kinky, premise and delish steamy scenes. Reece is charmed by Zach's gift, and they make some plans to advance this kink….
Loki anyone?
It's a delicious, sexy erotic novella sure to appeal to folks who like role-play, cosplay, kinky vanilla, and The Avengers.
Interested? You can find A DIFFERENT KIND OF COSPLAY on Goodreads, Ellora's Cave, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house.
She owns Erotica For All, and is book editor for Cliterati. Find out more at her website, join her on Facebook and Twitter, or even subscribe to her newsletter.
January 21, 2015 Veronica Rundell	A DIFFERENT KIND OF COSPLAY, adult contemporary, Erotic romance, Lucy Felthouse	5 Comments
Love Was On The Menu DIRTY DINING–An Appetizer, and Review
Hi there! Today I'm sharing a review for a super sexy M/M contemporary romance from EM Lynley. I've loved some of her other books (SPAGHETTI WESTERN and BOUND FOR TROUBLE) so I was anxious to get a sneak peek at DIRTY DINING. (WARNING!! This is ABSOLUTELY an ADULT BOOK. Excerpt below is…racy! You are warned.)
Jeremy Linden's a PhD student researching an HIV vaccine. He's always short of money, and when biotech startup PharmaTek reduces funding for his fellowship, he's tempted to take a job at a men's dining club as a serving boy. The uniforms are skimpy, and he's expected to remove an item of clothing after each course. He can handle that, but he soon discovers there's more on the menu here than fine cuisine. How far will he go to pay his tuition, and will money get in the way when he realizes he's interested in more from one of his gentlemen?
Brice Martin is an attorney for a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. When he's asked to take a client to the infamous Dinner Club, he finds himself unexpectedly turned on by the atmosphere and especially by his server, Remy. He senses there's more to the sexy young man than meets the eye. The paradox fascinates him, and he can't get enough of Remy.
Their relationship quickly extends beyond the club and sex. But the trust and affection they've worked to achieve may crumble when Jeremy discovers Brice's VC firm is the one that pulled the plug on PharmaTek—and Jeremy's research grant.
How about a taste?
Jeremy kept watching, wondering whether he'd want some stranger to fuck him. Of course he would. He'd gone home–or not home–with guys he'd hooked up with at clubs. You didn't need dinner and a movie if the attraction was mutual. Mr. Green might be exactly his type. But fooling around for money? That changed everything, didn't it?
A dinner gong sounded, and the other boys–as they liked to call themselves–put the finishing touches on their costumes and makeup and lined up to parade out in front of tonight's gentlemen. Each boy had a colored snap-on armband that would match a ribbon on one gentleman's label. Butterflies flittered in his gut and soon turned to huge bats flapping their wings when the door opened and he heard the mens' voices, their laughter as the boys walked into the room. Rand had told Jeremy to go last, so he could see how the other boys greeted their gentlemen, and he stood in the doorway observing. Boys' bodies blocked his view at first, and he was halfway into the room, glimpsing heavy set men with grey temples and jowls before he spotted the bright green ribbon on his client's label.
Oh dear. Oh fucking fuck. he thought and moved around the perimeter of the room, feeling the breeze under his loincloth as his cock and balls swung free with each step. He felt the sheer fabric flutter around his dick and tried not to be self-conscious as he exposed himself to everyone around the room.
Mr. Green was fucking gorgeous.
THIS BOOK WAS DELICIOUS!! Beginning to end, I adored the heck out of the absolutely sexy, filthy, fun kinky book.
Jeremy is a grad student working on his PhD at Cal in San Francisco. He's
a good-looking 27 y/o gay man, and, struggling with his finances, he's been recruited to work as a server at The Dinner Club–an establishment for titillating dining. The job is, essentially, to be scantily clad and deliver each of six courses to his assigned diner. As each course is passed, the diners get to remove an article of their server's costume–until the servers are all nekkid.
Oh, and the diners can pay for the servers to "perform" for them. And, to spend a night with the server of their choice–if the servers should so choose. There's lots and lots of tip money, and Jeremy's scared but willing. It's not as if he hasn't had anonymous hook ups before. And his first diner, "Mr Green" is so handsome, and nearly as bashful as Jeremy.
Brice Martin is a patent attorney. He's mid-thirties and newly returned to San Fran after he and his long-term BF split. One of the partners at the venture capital firm where Brice now works has sprung for a fun night out–at The Dinner Club. Brice isn't really a fan of voyeurism, and even less a fan of paying for a man's company, but he is in a bit of a bind what with his boss urging him on. He's mesmerized by the nubile young man, "Remy," who arrives with the starters–and thankful for his colorful pseudonym–Green with envy, actually.
Jeremy and Brice are far more tame at the table than their boisterous diners/servers, but plenty turned on, as well. Brice's boss comps a "nightcap" (overnight stay) for Brice to further enjoy Jeremy, but they are equally tentative behind closed doors. Their caution underlies the uncertainty of their feelings–Jeremy doesn't want to feel like a prostitute, and Brice wants a lover who desires him of his own will–not for cash. Still they relish each other a bit, and Brice realizes his attraction hasn't waned. He wants more Remy.
On his next visit to The Dinner Club, this time with a wealthy closeted client, Brice chooses a different server, hoping that his attraction was simply a novelty. Watching Remy serve another man, however, is aggravating. And Jeremy's a bit hurt that he wasn't requested by the lovely Mr Green.
Thing is, there's so much else going on–while Brice and Jeremy are learning to connect and bond with each other, Jeremy's research is progressing–and, yet, suffering. He's studying a novel approach to HIV vaccination and the results are SO promising, but his finances are drying up–a joint Biotech/academic partnership pays for his research but the biotech firm is losing its venture capital. Meanwhile, Brice's firm is in a position to fully fund Jeremy's research, but a miscommunication throws all that into jeopardy.
Brice and Jeremy may have a chance, if they can only learn to trust one another's intentions. Jeremy doesn't want to be "kept" and Brice doesn't want to "share" him with The Dinner Club. Their feelings develop over a period of a few months–as they make an effort to meet outside of The Dinner Club illicitly.
It's a fun, fun story with a tender plot and delicious smexytimes. For real. Fans of 80s romances will dig the movie references, and be thrilled by the the spectacular HEA.
Interested? You can find DIRTY DINING on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble.
EM Lynley writes gay erotic romance. She loves books where the hero gets the guy and the loving is 11 on a scale of 10. Her Precious Gems series is best described as "Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone"—only gayer. The Delectable series is Gay Romance with Taste.
A Rainbow Award winner and EPPIE finalist, EM has worked in high finance, high tech, and in the wine industry, though she'd rather be writing hot, romantic man-on-man action. She spent 10 years as an economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House Staff Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles, her creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and worked in London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay Area is home for now.
She is the author of Sex, Lies & Wedding Bells, the Precious Gems series from Dreamspinner Press, and the Rewriting History series starring a sexy jewel thief, among others. Her books are available in print and e-book from Amazon & other book distributors.
You can find EM Lynley on Goodreads, her website, Facebook, and twitter.
January 20, 2015 Veronica Rundell	Contemporary Romance, DIRTY DINING, EM Lynley, M/M Romance, Sexy Reads	1 Comment
Celebrating Bollywood! Interviews and Giveaway
Romance and Intrigue: Bollywood Style Giveaway
Something Bollywood Going On Here
Sonali Dev and Susan Kaye Quinn met in a most unusual place: Library Journal's Top 10 E-Romance List for 2014. Sonali's A Bollywood Affair and Susan's Third Daughter both made the list with their Bollywood-themed romances – something that was so cool, it cried out to be celebrated!
Scroll down to win some great Bollywood-themed prizes!
Contemporary and Steampunk Bollywood Romance
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
Mili Rathod hasn't seen her husband in twenty years–not since she was promised to him at the age of four. Yet marriage has allowed Mili a freedom rarely given to girls in her village. Her grandmother has even allowed her to leave India and study in America for eight months, all to make her the perfect modern wife. Which is exactly what Mili longs to be–if her husband would just come and claim her.
Bollywood's favorite director, Samir Rathod, has come to Michigan to secure a divorce for his older brother. Persuading a naive village girl to sign the papers should be easy for someone with Samir's tabloid-famous charm. But Mili is neither a fool nor a gold-digger. Open-hearted yet complex, she's trying to reconcile her independence with cherished traditions. And before he can stop himself, Samir is immersed in Mili's life–cooking her dal and rotis, escorting her to her roommate's elaborate Indian wedding, and wondering where his loyalties and happiness lie.
Third Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn
The Third Daughter of the Queen wants to her birthday to arrive so she'll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince's proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince's proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.
Third Daughter is the first book in the Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance takes place in an east-indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.
I have read and loved all the books in this series. Aniri is a fantastic character, and her fearless devotion to her family and friends leads her on a journey that risks much and saves her world from war. Eventually… Click the titles for my reviews on THIRD DAUGHTER, SECOND DAUGHTER, and FIRST DAUGHTER.
Romance and Intrigue: Bollywood Style
This short Q&A with Sonali and Susan talks about marrying for love and writing romance!
Q: Marrying for love is a modern, and in some ways Western, concept, but arranged marriages have a long and complicated history. How does your novel tackle the subject of arranged marriage?
Sue: Third Daughter is set in a fantasy world, but it's a blend of cultures in the real one, including being an analog to India (both current day and some of the past). In the Dharian Affairs world, royal marriages have a history of being arranged for political purposes, but the general population of the countries marry for love. This leaves the titular Daughters with varying conflicts between marrying for duty and marrying for love ñ some embracing their arranged marriages, some fighting against it. The marriage dynamics of the three daughters in the trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter) drive much of the story- along with political intrigue and skyships, of course!
Sonali: In India where I grew up arranged marriages are still very much a part of the fabric of the culture. Having said that, one of the most interesting and unique things about Indian society is how diverse it is within itself. While you still have communities and families who will give the marrying person absolutely no say in whom they marry there are those who don't believe their parents and families have any say when it comes to whom they choose to marry or live with, and then there is the rest of the sizable population who falls somewhere between those two belief systems. In A Bollywood Affair, Mili is from a tiny village from a very orthodox family and it is perfectly natural that her family would arrange her marriage. She would expect that. It wouldn't even strike a girl from her background that she could choose for herself. The age at which she was married isn't usual, though, but there is a reason why her grandmother gets her married that young. As for her being in love with her husband, again, the conditioning to be devoted to your husband is so ingrained in the culture that it would be strange if someone like Mili didn't love someone she believed was her husband.
Q: Whether set in a fantasy world or the modern one, romance is romance! There are many romance tropes–star-crossed lovers, lovers thrown together by circumstance, enemies turned lovers–what kind(s) of romance tropes does your novel contain?
Sue: My books are really a blend of romance and adventure, although the first book is a classic 'lovers thrown together by circumstance' as Aniri (the Third Daughter) goes undercover in accepting a marriage proposal from the barbarian prince in the north in order to spy on him and determine if his country truly has the rumored flying machine that would upend the political dynamics in both their countries.
Sonali: Although I didn't set out to write it that way, several readers have pointed out that A Bollywood Affair is a Worldly Rake and an Ingenue Virgin trope. And now that I think about it, there's truth to that.
Q: Are you planning on writing more romances in this story-world? If so, tell us about it!
Sue: The Dharian Affairs trilogy is complete, but I've enjoyed writing in this east-Indian steampunk fantasy romance world so much, I've decided to do a follow-on trilogy from the point of view of a new character–a female tinker who has a grand invention that may change the world, but also is caught between the spy she might love and the spy she can't resist. Those books likely won't be written for a year or two, but I will cycle back to writing in this world in the future!
Sonali: The Bollywood Bride comes out next year and it's the story of a Bollywood star who comes home to Chicago after ten years to escape a scandal in Mumbai and comes face to face with the man she betrayed for stardom. And then there are two more stories I'm working on in the same series. Which isn't a series in terms of continuity or overlapping characters but because the stories are set in the same world and either the hero or the heroine work in Bollywood.
WIN BOLLYWOOD PRIZES
Paperback of Third Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1)
The Dharian Affairs Trilogy in Ebook
2 Paperback copies of A Bollywood Affair
Handwoven Pashmina shawl from India
Sticker Henna Tattoos
Indian bangles (bracelets)
(all physical prizes are US ONLY; ebook is INTERNATIONAL)
***GIVEAWAY***
Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win!
January 19, 2015 Veronica Rundell	BOLLYWOOD AFFAIR, Contemporary Romance, Sonali Dev, steampunk, Susan Kaye Quinn, THIRD DAUGHTER	1 Comment
They Found Love OFF CAMPUS–A Review
Hi there! Today I'm sharing a review for a contemporary new adult M/M romance from fellow Chicagoan, Amy Jo Cousins. OFF CAMPUS is an "Odd Couple" for the college set, with d-lish loving, redemption, prejudice and good ol' fun.
Everyone's got secrets. Some are just harder to hide.
With his father's ponzi scheme assets frozen, Tom Worthington believes finishing college is impossible unless he can pay his own way. After months sleeping in his car and gypsy-cabbing for cash, he's ready to do just that.
But his new, older-student housing comes with an unapologetically gay roommate. Tom doesn't ask why Reese Anders has been separated from the rest of the student population. He's just happy to be sleeping in a bed.
Reese isn't about to share his brutal story with his gruff new roommate. You've seen one homophobic jock, you've seen 'em all. He plans to drag every twink on campus into his bed until Tom moves out. But soon it becomes clear Tom isn't budging.
Tom isn't going to let some late-night sex noise scare him off, especially when it's turning him on. But he doesn't want any drama either. He'll keep his hands, if not his eyes, to himself. Boundaries have a way of blurring when you start sharing truths, though. And if Tom and Reese cross too many lines, they may need to find out just how far they can bend…before they break.
Warning: This book contains cranky roommates who vacillate between lashing out and licking, some male/male voyeurism, emotional baggage that neither guy wants to unpack, and the definitive proof that sound carries in college housing.
Tom Worthington is homeless. Destitute. A college junior who earns his tuition money as a cab driver in Boston. Life hasn't always been this way, however. He was rich, once. The only son of a successful investment manager. Tom's mother died when he was young, and his relationship with his dad was always more of a mentoring, rather than nurturing, one. Well, until his father was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and Tom's silver spoon was yanked straight from his mouth. It took Tom a year to save up enough money for his college term, and he's not giving that up for anyone.
Reese Anders is sophomore who survived abuse last term. He was promised a single room, and is livid that a "brutish jock", Tom, has been assigned to share with him. Reese is out, a bit of a "twink" and planning to make Tom's life miserable–parading a line of sex partners and nude man posters into their room.
Problem is, Tom's not so put off. Seems Tom is bisexual, and strangely attracted to the hands-off spitfire, Reese. Tom has had precious little contact with anyone for nearly 18-months, not since his dad was arrested, and later tried to commit suicide, so he's basically on emotional sensory overload sharing living space with Reese.
Okay. There are lots of issues at play. Tom is too proud to admit he's homeless. Reese assumes he has money, because many of their fellow students are pretty well off, and Tom does nothing to dismiss this notion. Tom works really hard, studying like crazy, knowing he must make the most of this time–he may not earn enough money to pay for next semester. Reese begins to confide in Tom why he's so afraid of big guys, jocks, and Tom, in particular. It's not as (completely) horrifying as I had anticipated, but violation is violation and I'm not going to downplay it. It, nonetheless, is a big part of Reese's character, and an issue he and Tom must work through if they are to forge ahead with a relationship.
Of course, Tom doesn't want to be a blip on the radar anywhere. He had troubles with tabloid articles in the past–some stories having been sold from "friends" when he actually broke down and confided in some of them–and is intensely private, now. So, being "out" with Reese is a Not Gonna Do It scenario. I was a bit dismayed by Tom's rationalizations–as was Reese.
This story unfolds over the course of two semesters, and is completely told from Tom's POV. Tom's fear of scrutiny and Reese's unwillingness to be silenced clash, a good bit. It was great to see Tom open up, be more of a real person than a shadow-student. He and Reese are unlikely partners, but they work. I appreciated Tom's pain and embarrassment over his father's criminal activity–and how determined he was to not take help that should go to "more deserving" kids. One's whose parents weren't thieves. His righteousness was admirable, in that regard. I wasn't so taken with his reticence to accept his sexuality, but I think that goes along with the age. Tom's 22, and Reese's 20.
I got a real kick out of Tom's buddy, Cash.
Tom ignored Cash's staring back and forth between the two of them.
The struggle to wrap his brain around the sex thing was occupying most of Cash's working brain cells.
"Just, why?" He needed to talk it out. Great. "Okay, cute dude, not my thing, but whatever floats your boat. And I guess it makes sense that a dude knows his way around a dick, so okay, I can see how that works. But your ass, man. Why you wanna go sticking something up there?"
"Does my sex life have to make sense to you? Because I am not having this conversation!" Tom's words were muffled by the sweatshirt he dragged over his head, but he was pretty sure everyone on the hall heard that one.
The resolution is good. The story has real heart and some fun bits. It's also very naughty, in parts, so….yay for me! Not for the kiddos, however.
Interested? You can find OFF CAMPUS on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, iBooks, and on the Samhain website. I got a review copy of this book from NetGalley.
Amy Jo Cousins lives in Chicago, where she writes contemporary romance, tweets more than she ought, and sometimes runs way too far. She loves her boy and the Cubs, who taught her that being awesome doesn't necessarily have anything to do with winning.
You can find Amy Jo online on her website, Goodreads, Facebook and twitter.
January 16, 2015 Veronica Rundell	adult contemporary, Amy Jo Cousins, Bisexual, Gay romance, M/M Romance, New Adult Romance, OFF CAMPUS	3 Comments
They Were Linked DANGEROUSLY FOREVER–Review and Giveaway
Hi all! Today I'm reviewing a sci-fi erotic romance newly released by best-selling author AM Griffin. DANGEROUSLY FOREVER is a whirlwind of human slavery, daring escapes and forever love–pretty much in that order.
Being kidnapped by a deadly—and dead sexy—brothel slave wasn't exactly what Kiehle Xochis signed up for. His instructions had been simple: Watch over the human female until his brother and his mate arrived to rescue her. Instead, the slave has decided to liberate herself. She's proving to be more than Kiehle can handle—and he kind of likes it.
Allysan Miller has gone through hell since being taken from Earth during an invasion. She's finally found a way to escape the latest, and worst, of the brothels she's been sold to. Now if Ally plays her cards right, she could gain both freedom and love…if she can learn to trust the dangerous male she's chosen as her hostage.
Inside Scoop: Ally suffers her share of abuse at the hands of a brothel owner's guards. But don't worry. The feisty female warrior gives as good as she gets.
A Romantica® SciFi erotic romance from Ellora's Cave
How about an excerpt!
Flustered at being mesmerized by him, yet again, she turned and focused her attention back on the post and practiced fighting combinations. Not giving in to the temptation to turn and watch him more.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him crouch low to stretch his thighs. The material of his pants stuck to every fine muscular line.
Even outlining his…
She gave her head a light shake. There's no need to focus on that…that…monstrous thing.
She eyed the post and focused hard. Left, right, cross and duck. Left, right, cross and duck. As he finally walked over to her, she mentally repeated the words, trying to drown out the other voices in her head. The voices that whispered how delicious he looked…that begged her to let him crush her under his weight.
By the time he stood a foot away, the chant sounded more like, Left! Right! Cross! And duck! Left! Right! Cross! And duck!
He moved to her side and assumed a fighting stance, crouching low with his arms out, his smoldering lavender eyes trained on her. His face was framed by thick dark hair that hung a little past his shoulders. Good gracious, he was gorgeous.
She gave him a look of indifference. "We're sparring?"
"Unless you think I might be too much for you to handle."
He didn't know what he was walking into. She'd spent the morning thinking of ways to knock him on his back—and not the way he was probably thinking of now.
She twisted her hair into a knot on the back of her head. He didn't make a move to do anything with his. Hanging loose, it made him look primal…dangerous…sexy.
She narrowed her gaze. He must think that every female around him should swoon like a schoolgirl. He really didn't need to take off his shirt to advertise his perfect body and that stretching performance had been way over the top. Now his hair was blowing around his face as if he were some kind of alien Fabio.
She looked around. Where the hell is all this wind coming from? "Are you planning to tie back your hair?" she asked, trying her best to sound annoyed—not aroused.
"I had not planned to." Smiling, he added, "Unless you find it too distracting."
Following Earth's occupation, Ally becomes a human slave, separated from her dead husband and best friend Eva. She's not very good at being a slave, however, and continues to get sold to increasingly brutal brothel owners because, well, she has a tendency to maim/kill clients or guards who mistreat her. At her sixth brothel she unwillingly befriends a young boy, Max, the personal pet of her owner. She's already killed a few o his guards, but when Alharad notices her affinity for Max he's finally got the right tool to bend Ally's strong will: threatening Max.
Eva survived her purchase, and thrived. She's married to the king of Drazlan and has been scouring the galaxy for Ally for years. When she finally finds her, Eva is on the verge of delivering a baby and cannot travel so she sends her brother-in-law, Kiehle, to secure Ally. Kiehle is a warrior, but he's no match for the cunning of a momma bear. See, Alharad plans to put Max and his friend Yoshi to work as prostitutes, and Ally knows a prince has his own transport. She constructs a half-baked, but daring, plan to kidnap Kiehle and escape with her two child charges.
Best laid plans of desperate women aside, Kiehle is terrifyingly impressed by Ally's ferocity and loyalty. He's attracted to her warrior heart as much as to her physical attributes and allows her to "capture" him. There begins the chase scenes and the "Ally can't trust nobody" interlude. There's some steam and a whole lot of humor throughout. Ally is a kickass heroine who's gonna save her kids, and herself, in that order. Kiehle is a great male lead–totally loving and sensitive, while also being huge and hot.
The reunion between Eva and Ally is tender and real. It's such a romp of a book, with appropriately timed plot twists and great relationships–not just the romance, but also the friendships. Fun, sexy and funny–it's a triple threat. Kinda like Ally.
Interested? You can find DANGEROUSLY FOREVER on Goodreads, Ellora's Cave, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win
an eBook of DANGEROUSLY MINE
A. M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She's a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant galaxies.
You can find Ms. Griffin on her website, Amazon, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook. Or sign up for her newsletter.
January 15, 2015 Veronica Rundell	AM Griffin, DANGEROUSLY FOREVER, romance, SciFi	2 Comments
Just A Matter of WHEN–A Review
Hi there! Today I'm reviewing a newly released YA book that captivated me from the first page. Victoria Laurie's WHEN centers on Maddie, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary gift–she can see the death dates of every person she meets.
Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.
Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she's unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.
Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?
Maddie has a had a traumatic life. Seeing the death dates of every person she meets, or on any close-up picture she sees, is personally horrifying, but she's also forced to rely on this macabre talent in order to support herself and her alcoholic mother. She's only 16 and didn't realize the significance of those funny numbers on people's foreheads until her father's number was up. That was ten years ago and she and her mother are now limping along in a bedroom community about 90 minutes from Manhattan.
When she informs a client that her son will die in the coming week, the client freaks out. Maddie attempts to call a second time, urged by her best friend "Stubby" Shroeder, to impress the seriousness of the situation–and is rebuffed, with hostility. That is, until the young boy goes missing. Only, Maddie knows he's not just missing–he's dead. The Feds are in on the case, and Maddie finds herself at the center of their investigation. Her Uncle Donny, a slick lawyer, does his best to cast suspicion away, cautioning Maddie against doing any further readings–but she inadvertently sees a local girl with a looming death date–and Stubby insists they try to help.
Their interference only lands both of them in huge trouble, and the Feds are mounting a case file that could put both Maddie and Stubby in jail for a good long time. Meanwhile, Maddie fights the system, trying to prove that her "gift" is what gives her insight, as small as it is. She's got the added trouble of bullying at school, and her mother going on increasingly more dangerous benders. I honestly got chills reading about Maddie peeling her mom off one floor, or another, and putting her back to bed safely–when her mom managed to make it home.
Maddie's world has become an even more frightening place as strange trucks chase her down dark streets and yet another child is kidnapped. The FBI is, at first, hostile, but Maddie fights to win their support against Uncle Donny's wishes–he's sure they're going to set her up. Proving her gift is legit is nearly as hard as proving the Tooth Fairy exists, however.
Still, Maddie never gives up trying to demonstrate her (and Stubby's) innocence. Not when her mom takes a turn for the worst. Not when Stubby's the lead suspect. And not when it seems the FBI wants to name her as an accomplice to a serial murderer. It's a taut, emotional drama that moves with grace. Several suspects exist, all of whom are equally likely, keeping the reader guessing until the closing scenes.
The adults are very real people, not simple characterizations. Maddie's mom is pathetic and sympathetic. Uncle Donny is a champ, and keeps the Feds from steamrolling two awesome kids. Stubby is the kind of best friend I would dream my kids find–selfless, kind and cheerful to a fault. Even the FBI agents who threaten Maddie at every turn aren't as ruthless as they first seem. I expected the ending, but that's like chocolate sprinkles on the thriller sundae. When, not if, WHEN is turned into a movie, I'm gonna get an extra large popcorn and enjoy it again.
Interested? You can find WHEN on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And, no doubt, other vendors. Probably going to see this one everywhere. I received a review copy via NetGalley.
Victoria Laurie is the New York Times bestselling author of 26 books and counting. Victoria divides her time between her two adult mystery series, (The Psychic Eye Mysteries, and The Ghost Hunter Mysteries), and a Y/A thriller, When.
As a professional psychic, Victoria's protagonists – psychic Abigail Cooper, and spiritual medium M. J. Holliday – tackle the tricky world of the paranormal while fighting bad guys and demons with plenty of plucky humor and determination. And using that keen understanding of the paranormal, Victoria also created the character of Maddie Fynn, a teenager with the unique intuitive ability to predict the exact date of someone's death.
To showcase her writing range, Victoria has also penned a children's epic adventure series, The Oracles of Delphi Keep. Victoria loves to connect with her fans, and you can find her on Goodreads, her website, twitter and Facebook.
January 14, 2015 Veronica Rundell	Contemporary YA, Victoria Laurie, WHEN, YA Adventure, YA thriller	2 Comments


text:
by JG Faherty
Flame Tree Press
General Fiction (Adult) | Horror | Sci Fi & Fantasy
Talking about this book? Use #Ragman #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
If you love a great horror tale with ancient mummies, a deluded priest and two oddball cops, then you're in for a treat...
"Conjuring ancient secrets, and with a body count that is out of this world, Ragman blends history and myth in a gritty procedural that severs bone and sears skin. Outstanding." - Lee Murray, USA Today Bestselling author and four-time Bram Stoker Award® winner
"If ever there was a cautionary tale about not robbing temples, this is it. The spiritual rage of ancient Egypt catches up with modern America in a complex, dazzling, bloodthirsty epic of demonic revenge. Hold on to your heads!"- Graham Masterton
In 1882, a group of British soldiers plunder an Egyptian temple and kill the high priest. The priest vows revenge, and is finally revived in the present day. He finds the great-grandson of the man who killed him, but they form an uneasy partnership to get back all the stolen artifacts and send all the descendants of the other soldiers to the Underworld. Two police officers, former partners who had a falling out, must put aside their differences as they go from trying to solve gruesome, unexplained murders to risking their lives to stop the supernatural mummy the priest has called forth.
"Conjuring ancient secrets, and with a body count that is out of this world...
A Note From the Publisher
A life-long resident of New York's haunted Hudson Valley, JG Faherty grew up – and still lives – in a small town filled with Revolutionary War graveyards and battle sites, haunted roads and houses, and UFO sightings, all of which definitely influenced his writing. He is the author of nine novels, eleven novellas, and more than seventy-five short stories, and has been a finalist for both the Bram Stoker Award (The Cure, Ghosts of Coronado Bay) and ITW Thriller Award (The Burning Time).
A lifelong fan of horror and science fiction, as a young boy he cut his teeth on everything from The Hardy Boys, Dracula, and Star Trek to textbooks on herpetology and paleontology. His varied professional career includes working as a resume writer, laboratory manager, accident scene photographer, zoo keeper, research scientist, and salesman. He writes adult and YA dark fiction/sci-fi/fantasy, and his works range from quiet suspense to over-the-top comic gruesomeness. He grew up enthralled with the horror movies and books of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and as a child his favorite playground was an abandoned cemetery, which many people feel explains all you need to know about him.
He is a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), and Mystery Writers of America (MWA). He currently oversees the HWA's Library & Literacy Program, sits on the Board of Trustees, and was recognized as the 2018 Mentor of the Year. His influences range from Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and Tales from the Crypt comics to Stephen King, Karl Edward Wagner, and Robert McCammon. HorrorNews.net has said 'JG Faherty's stories continue to astound, compel, and challenge the parameter of imagination.' You can follow him on Twitter @jgfaherty, find him on Facebook (facebook.com/jgfaherty), and visit his website at jgfaherty.com.
A life-long resident of New York's haunted Hudson Valley, JG Faherty grew up – and still lives – in a small town filled with Revolutionary War graveyards and battle sites, haunted roads and...
"Night at the Museum meets Law & Order in Ragman, the action-packed supernatural crime-noir from horror master JG Faherty. Conjuring ancient secrets, and with a body count that is out of this world, Ragman blends history and myth in a gritty procedural that severs bone and sears skin. Outstanding." - Lee Murray, USA Today Bestselling author and four-time Bram Stoker Award® winner
"If ever there was a cautionary tale about not robbing temples, this is it. The spiritual rage of ancient Egypt catches up with modern America in a complex, dazzling, bloodthirsty epic of demonic revenge. Hold on to your heads!" - Graham Masterton, HWA Lifetime Achievement Award and MWA Edgar Award winner, best-selling author of The Manitou and The Soul Stealer.
"You really can't go wrong with Faherty when you're looking for a scary read!" - J.H. Moncrieff, author of THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE, The GHOSTWRITERS trilogy, and BOOK OF THE DEAD
"Night at the Museum meets Law & Order in Ragman, the action-packed supernatural crime-noir from horror master JG Faherty. Conjuring ancient secrets, and with a body count that is out of this world...
• National consumer print, online, and broadcast media campaign
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The Bone Wars
Erin S. Evan
All That Is Hidden
Rhys Bowen; Clare Broyles
The Bandit Queens
Parini Shroff
The Snow Hare
Paula Lichtarowicz
Family Royale
Avery Blake
The Book of Everlasting Things
Aanchal Malhotra
Hamra and the Jungle of Memories
Hanna Alkaf
Flowerheart
Catherine Bakewell
Lies We Sing to the Sea
It's Boba Time for Pearl Li!
Nicole Chen
Muir's Gambit: A Spy Game Novel
Michael Frost Beckner
Stalking Shakespeare
Lee Durkee
The Deadlands: Hunted
Skye Melki-Wegner
Diane Zahler
Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon
Julian Randall

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Forts and ancient Buddhist caves around the "hill station" Lonavala that is situated ca. 65 km northwest of Pune.
One of Maharaj Shivaji's forts near Pune.
This temple at Jejuri is one of the most impressing in Maharashtra.
This fort was Maharaj Shivaji first capital of the Maratha Empire.
This fort can only be reached by hiking a small path starting at the southern part of Velhe.


text:
Куйминка — река в Талдомского городском округе Московской области России, правый приток Дубны.

Длина реки составляет 18 км, площадь водосборного бассейна — 99,6 км². Берёт начало в 2 км западнее деревни Григорово, протекает по очень заболоченной местности. Впадает в Дубну в 26 км от её устья, у деревни Куймино. Равнинного типа, питание преимущественно снеговое. Замерзает обычно в середине ноября, вскрывается в середине апреля.

По данным Государственного водного реестра России, относится к Верхневолжскому бассейновому округу. Речной бассейн — (Верхняя) Волга до Куйбышевского водохранилища (без бассейна Оки), речной подбассейн — бассейны притоков (Верхней) Волги до Рыбинского водохранилища, водохозяйственный участок — Волга от Иваньковского гидроузла до Угличского гидроузла (Угличское водохранилище).

Примечания

Притоки Дубны (приток Волги)
Реки Талдомского района

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The satellite cable provider is offering a free HD HEVC set-top box, albeit on some terms and conditions. Buyers will also get one-year of free access to HD channels along with five years of free to air channel viewing.
Reliance Big TV has come up with a new offer for its customers with which they can now avail free access to paid channels for one year and free to air channels for five years. The company is also offering an HD HEVC Set-Top-Box (STB) at an effectively free price and the pre-bookings for it will commence from 10:00 AM on March 1, 2018, for a limited period. Buyers will need to pay Rs 500 at the time of booking and another Rs 1500 during installation. To get their effective cashback, users will need to recharge monthly with Rs 300 continuously for two years, after the first free year and then they will receive a cashback of Rs 1,999 in the form of recharge.
In line with the honourable Prime Minister's vision of digital India, Reliance Big TV's latest offer is here to provide 130 crores Indians free-of-cost access to an extensive range of HD-quality entertainment channels.
Amidst a festive like cheer and roaring applause, the Director of Reliance Big TV, Mr. Vijender Singh announced the new plan that is going to define the future of entertainment in India. Reliance Big TV is going to offer a free access to both, Free to air channels up to 500 for 5 years and pay channels for 1 year, across the country.
Reliance BIGTV is set to roll out digital revolution in entertainment with a HD HEVC Set-Top-Box free of cost effectively.
We are extending Pan India network to support our customers, enriched content (Entertainment / Movies/ Sports/ News/ infotainment/Education/ cartoon) for all, Superior digital quality & Affordable services with a latest cutting edge HD HEVC device.
Our HD HEVC set top box comes with all latest features like schedule recording,USB port, youtube, recording & viewing channels simultaneously etc.
Commenting on the big development, Director, Reliance Big TV, Mr. Vijender Singh said "Today, Reliance Big TV is going to mark the beginning of a new dawn in the way Indians have been accessing entertainment on their TV sets. Starting from today, entertainment comes effectively free of cost, with the latest offer by Reliance Big TV. Now every Indian household can enjoy high quality home entertainment & students can have free of cost access to education content with latest HD HEVC set Top box.
The latest incredible offer first time in India by Reliance Big TV provides plethora of pay channels absolutely free for 1 year including HD channels & up to 500 FTA channels free of cost for 5 years. Further Director, claims to support digital India Initiative by bringing urban & rural India on same platform for entertainment & education with unified consumer offer.
On Reliance Big TV website (www.reliancedigitaltv.com) with booking amount of INR 499/-. On the receipt of Set-top-Box and outdoor unit (ODU), buyers have to pay the balance amount of INR 1500/-and enjoy plethora of pay channels absolutely free for 1 year including HD Channels and up to 500 FTA channels free of cost for 5 years.
To claim loyalty subscribers need to recharge monthly amount of INR 300/- from 2nd year onwards for all pay channels and on completion of subscription of pay channels continuously for next 2 years with Reliance Big TV, then subscribers will get back INR 1999/- as a loyalty (the amounts paid during booking and receipt of the Set Top Box) in form of recharge.
Thus, providing entertainment effective free of cost, the Limited Period Offer by Reliance Big TV is up for grabs from 1st of MARCH 2018.


A balanced IPA with big aromas of juicy pineapple, tangerine & evergreen. Hazy & deep gold in colour, a bready & light caramel base is the foundation for assertive bitterness with citrusy & dank flavours.
Our founding team at Market Brewing spent years planning out our brewery, sourcing materials and installing the equipment. The first beer we shared was a Bear Hug IPA. We poured a full glass of Bear Hug and embraced the struggle of the last few months while excitedly looking forward to our future.
Our Bear Hug IPA represents the ups and down of pulling an idea together from scratch.
You don't need to care about any of this – all you need to know is this is a damn good IPA and you're going to love it.


text:
RoMEO Journals for: Indian Academy of Sciences
Bulletin of Materials Science 0250-4707 0973-7669 Springer Verlag (Germany);
Materials Research Society of India;
Indian National Science Academy
Current Science 0011-3891 - Current Science Association
Proceedings Mathematical Sciences 0253-4142 0973-7685 Springer Verlag (Germany)
Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy 0250-6335 0973-7758 Springer Verlag (Germany)
Journal of Biosciences 0250-5991 0973-7138 Springer Verlag (Germany)
Journal of Chemical Sciences 0974-3626 0973-7103 Springer Verlag (Germany)
Journal of Earth System Science 0253-4126 0973-774X Springer Verlag (Germany)
Journal of Genetics 0022-1333 0973-7731 Springer Verlag (Germany)
Pramana 0304-4289 0973-7111 Springer Verlag (Germany);
Indian National Science Academy;
Indian Physics Association
Resonance 0971-8044 0973-712X Springer Verlag (Germany)
Sadhana 0256-2499 0973-7677 Springer Verlag (Germany)
This list may omit titles that are no longer published, or have been transferred elsewhere.<< Indian Academy of Sciences


text:
using namespace llvm;
using namespace llvm::remarks;

BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper(
    BitstreamRemarkContainerType ContainerType)
    : Encoded(), R(), Bitstream(Encoded), ContainerType(ContainerType) {}

static void push(SmallVectorImpl<uint64_t> &R, StringRef Str) {
  for (const char C : Str)
    R.push_back(C);
}

static void setRecordName(unsigned RecordID, BitstreamWriter &Bitstream,
                          SmallVectorImpl<uint64_t> &R, StringRef Str) {
  R.clear();
  R.push_back(RecordID);
  push(R, Str);
  Bitstream.EmitRecord(bitc::BLOCKINFO_CODE_SETRECORDNAME, R);
}

static void initBlock(unsigned BlockID, BitstreamWriter &Bitstream,
                      SmallVectorImpl<uint64_t> &R, StringRef Str) {
  R.clear();
  R.push_back(BlockID);
  Bitstream.EmitRecord(bitc::BLOCKINFO_CODE_SETBID, R);

  R.clear();
  push(R, Str);
  Bitstream.EmitRecord(bitc::BLOCKINFO_CODE_BLOCKNAME, R);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::setupMetaBlockInfo() {
  // Setup the metadata block.
  initBlock(META_BLOCK_ID, Bitstream, R, MetaBlockName);

  // The container information.
  setRecordName(RECORD_META_CONTAINER_INFO, Bitstream, R,
                MetaContainerInfoName);

  auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_META_CONTAINER_INFO));
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 32)); // Version.
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 2));  // Type.
  RecordMetaContainerInfoAbbrevID =
      Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(META_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::setupMetaRemarkVersion() {
  setRecordName(RECORD_META_REMARK_VERSION, Bitstream, R,
                MetaRemarkVersionName);

  auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_META_REMARK_VERSION));
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 32)); // Version.
  RecordMetaRemarkVersionAbbrevID =
      Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(META_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::emitMetaRemarkVersion(
    uint64_t RemarkVersion) {
  // The remark version is emitted only if we emit remarks.
  R.clear();
  R.push_back(RECORD_META_REMARK_VERSION);
  R.push_back(RemarkVersion);
  Bitstream.EmitRecordWithAbbrev(RecordMetaRemarkVersionAbbrevID, R);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::setupMetaStrTab() {
  setRecordName(RECORD_META_STRTAB, Bitstream, R, MetaStrTabName);

  auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_META_STRTAB));
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Blob)); // Raw table.
  RecordMetaStrTabAbbrevID =
      Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(META_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::emitMetaStrTab(
    const StringTable &StrTab) {
  // The string table is not emitted if we emit remarks separately.
  R.clear();
  R.push_back(RECORD_META_STRTAB);

  // Serialize to a blob.
  std::string Buf;
  raw_string_ostream OS(Buf);
  StrTab.serialize(OS);
  StringRef Blob = OS.str();
  Bitstream.EmitRecordWithBlob(RecordMetaStrTabAbbrevID, R, Blob);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::setupMetaExternalFile() {
  setRecordName(RECORD_META_EXTERNAL_FILE, Bitstream, R, MetaExternalFileName);

  auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_META_EXTERNAL_FILE));
  Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Blob)); // Filename.
  RecordMetaExternalFileAbbrevID =
      Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(META_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::emitMetaExternalFile(StringRef Filename) {
  // The external file is emitted only if we emit the separate metadata.
  R.clear();
  R.push_back(RECORD_META_EXTERNAL_FILE);
  Bitstream.EmitRecordWithBlob(RecordMetaExternalFileAbbrevID, R, Filename);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::setupRemarkBlockInfo() {
  // Setup the remark block.
  initBlock(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, Bitstream, R, RemarkBlockName);

  // The header of a remark.
  {
    setRecordName(RECORD_REMARK_HEADER, Bitstream, R, RemarkHeaderName);

    auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_REMARK_HEADER));
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 3)); // Type
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 6));   // Remark Name
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 6));   // Pass name
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 8));   // Function name
    RecordRemarkHeaderAbbrevID =
        Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
  }

  // The location of a remark.
  {
    setRecordName(RECORD_REMARK_DEBUG_LOC, Bitstream, R, RemarkDebugLocName);

    auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_REMARK_DEBUG_LOC));
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 7));    // File
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 32)); // Line
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 32)); // Column
    RecordRemarkDebugLocAbbrevID =
        Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
  }

  // The hotness of a remark.
  {
    setRecordName(RECORD_REMARK_HOTNESS, Bitstream, R, RemarkHotnessName);

    auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_REMARK_HOTNESS));
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 8)); // Hotness
    RecordRemarkHotnessAbbrevID =
        Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
  }

  // An argument entry with a debug location attached.
  {
    setRecordName(RECORD_REMARK_ARG_WITH_DEBUGLOC, Bitstream, R,
                  RemarkArgWithDebugLocName);

    auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_REMARK_ARG_WITH_DEBUGLOC));
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 7));    // Key
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 7));    // Value
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 7));    // File
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 32)); // Line
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::Fixed, 32)); // Column
    RecordRemarkArgWithDebugLocAbbrevID =
        Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
  }

  // An argument entry with no debug location attached.
  {
    setRecordName(RECORD_REMARK_ARG_WITHOUT_DEBUGLOC, Bitstream, R,
                  RemarkArgWithoutDebugLocName);

    auto Abbrev = std::make_shared<BitCodeAbbrev>();
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(RECORD_REMARK_ARG_WITHOUT_DEBUGLOC));
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 7)); // Key
    Abbrev->Add(BitCodeAbbrevOp(BitCodeAbbrevOp::VBR, 7)); // Value
    RecordRemarkArgWithoutDebugLocAbbrevID =
        Bitstream.EmitBlockInfoAbbrev(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, Abbrev);
  }
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::setupBlockInfo() {
  // Emit magic number.
  for (const char C : ContainerMagic)
    Bitstream.Emit(static_cast<unsigned>(C), 8);

  Bitstream.EnterBlockInfoBlock();

  // Setup the main metadata. Depending on the container type, we'll setup the
  // required records next.
  setupMetaBlockInfo();

  switch (ContainerType) {
  case BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksMeta:
    // Needs a string table that the separate remark file is using.
    setupMetaStrTab();
    // Needs to know where the external remarks file is.
    setupMetaExternalFile();
    break;
  case BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksFile:
    // Contains remarks: emit the version.
    setupMetaRemarkVersion();
    // Contains remarks: emit the remark abbrevs.
    setupRemarkBlockInfo();
    break;
  case BitstreamRemarkContainerType::Standalone:
    // Contains remarks: emit the version.
    setupMetaRemarkVersion();
    // Needs a string table.
    setupMetaStrTab();
    // Contains remarks: emit the remark abbrevs.
    setupRemarkBlockInfo();
    break;
  }

  Bitstream.ExitBlock();
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::emitMetaBlock(
    uint64_t ContainerVersion, Optional<uint64_t> RemarkVersion,
    Optional<const StringTable *> StrTab, Optional<StringRef> Filename) {
  // Emit the meta block
  Bitstream.EnterSubblock(META_BLOCK_ID, 3);

  // The container version and type.
  R.clear();
  R.push_back(RECORD_META_CONTAINER_INFO);
  R.push_back(ContainerVersion);
  R.push_back(static_cast<uint64_t>(ContainerType));
  Bitstream.EmitRecordWithAbbrev(RecordMetaContainerInfoAbbrevID, R);

  switch (ContainerType) {
  case BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksMeta:
    assert(StrTab != None && *StrTab != nullptr);
    emitMetaStrTab(**StrTab);
    assert(Filename != None);
    emitMetaExternalFile(*Filename);
    break;
  case BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksFile:
    assert(RemarkVersion != None);
    emitMetaRemarkVersion(*RemarkVersion);
    break;
  case BitstreamRemarkContainerType::Standalone:
    assert(RemarkVersion != None);
    emitMetaRemarkVersion(*RemarkVersion);
    assert(StrTab != None && *StrTab != nullptr);
    emitMetaStrTab(**StrTab);
    break;
  }

  Bitstream.ExitBlock();
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::emitRemarkBlock(const Remark &Remark,
                                                      StringTable &StrTab) {
  Bitstream.EnterSubblock(REMARK_BLOCK_ID, 4);

  R.clear();
  R.push_back(RECORD_REMARK_HEADER);
  R.push_back(static_cast<uint64_t>(Remark.RemarkType));
  R.push_back(StrTab.add(Remark.RemarkName).first);
  R.push_back(StrTab.add(Remark.PassName).first);
  R.push_back(StrTab.add(Remark.FunctionName).first);
  Bitstream.EmitRecordWithAbbrev(RecordRemarkHeaderAbbrevID, R);

  if (const Optional<RemarkLocation> &Loc = Remark.Loc) {
    R.clear();
    R.push_back(RECORD_REMARK_DEBUG_LOC);
    R.push_back(StrTab.add(Loc->SourceFilePath).first);
    R.push_back(Loc->SourceLine);
    R.push_back(Loc->SourceColumn);
    Bitstream.EmitRecordWithAbbrev(RecordRemarkDebugLocAbbrevID, R);
  }

  if (Optional<uint64_t> Hotness = Remark.Hotness) {
    R.clear();
    R.push_back(RECORD_REMARK_HOTNESS);
    R.push_back(*Hotness);
    Bitstream.EmitRecordWithAbbrev(RecordRemarkHotnessAbbrevID, R);
  }

  for (const Argument &Arg : Remark.Args) {
    R.clear();
    unsigned Key = StrTab.add(Arg.Key).first;
    unsigned Val = StrTab.add(Arg.Val).first;
    bool HasDebugLoc = Arg.Loc != None;
    R.push_back(HasDebugLoc ? RECORD_REMARK_ARG_WITH_DEBUGLOC
                            : RECORD_REMARK_ARG_WITHOUT_DEBUGLOC);
    R.push_back(Key);
    R.push_back(Val);
    if (HasDebugLoc) {
      R.push_back(StrTab.add(Arg.Loc->SourceFilePath).first);
      R.push_back(Arg.Loc->SourceLine);
      R.push_back(Arg.Loc->SourceColumn);
    }
    Bitstream.EmitRecordWithAbbrev(HasDebugLoc
                                       ? RecordRemarkArgWithDebugLocAbbrevID
                                       : RecordRemarkArgWithoutDebugLocAbbrevID,
                                   R);
  }
  Bitstream.ExitBlock();
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::flushToStream(raw_ostream &OS) {
  OS.write(Encoded.data(), Encoded.size());
  Encoded.clear();
}

StringRef BitstreamRemarkSerializerHelper::getBuffer() {
  return StringRef(Encoded.data(), Encoded.size());
}

BitstreamRemarkSerializer::BitstreamRemarkSerializer(raw_ostream &OS,
                                                     SerializerMode Mode)
    : RemarkSerializer(Format::Bitstream, OS, Mode),
      Helper(BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksFile) {
  assert(Mode == SerializerMode::Separate &&
         "For SerializerMode::Standalone, a pre-filled string table needs to "
         "be provided.");
  // We always use a string table with bitstream.
  StrTab.emplace();
}

BitstreamRemarkSerializer::BitstreamRemarkSerializer(raw_ostream &OS,
                                                     SerializerMode Mode,
                                                     StringTable StrTabIn)
    : RemarkSerializer(Format::Bitstream, OS, Mode),
      Helper(Mode == SerializerMode::Separate
                 ? BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksFile
                 : BitstreamRemarkContainerType::Standalone) {
  StrTab = std::move(StrTabIn);
}

void BitstreamRemarkSerializer::emit(const Remark &Remark) {
  if (!DidSetUp) {
    // Emit the metadata that is embedded in the remark file.
    // If we're in standalone mode, serialize the string table as well.
    bool IsStandalone =
        Helper.ContainerType == BitstreamRemarkContainerType::Standalone;
    BitstreamMetaSerializer MetaSerializer(
        OS, Helper,
        IsStandalone ? &*StrTab : Optional<const StringTable *>(None));
    MetaSerializer.emit();
    DidSetUp = true;
  }

  assert(DidSetUp &&
         "The Block info block and the meta block were not emitted yet.");
  Helper.emitRemarkBlock(Remark, *StrTab);

  Helper.flushToStream(OS);
}

std::unique_ptr<MetaSerializer> BitstreamRemarkSerializer::metaSerializer(
    raw_ostream &OS, Optional<StringRef> ExternalFilename) {
  assert(Helper.ContainerType !=
         BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksMeta);
  bool IsStandalone =
      Helper.ContainerType == BitstreamRemarkContainerType::Standalone;
  return std::make_unique<BitstreamMetaSerializer>(
      OS,
      IsStandalone ? BitstreamRemarkContainerType::Standalone
                   : BitstreamRemarkContainerType::SeparateRemarksMeta,
      &*StrTab, ExternalFilename);
}

void BitstreamMetaSerializer::emit() {
  Helper->setupBlockInfo();
  Helper->emitMetaBlock(CurrentContainerVersion, CurrentRemarkVersion, StrTab,
                        ExternalFilename);
  Helper->flushToStream(OS);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Self-defense is a legal term that means that violent action was justified to defend oneself. Most citizens have some misconceptions of that right. So we will see what is allowed by French the law and if unfortunately if you have to use violence, how to justify your reaction.


A gathering in order to give voice to the patient, starting from real testimonials of people who live and live daily with Multiple Sclerosis (ill, Caregivers, family and informal support network) and that the face of a positive.
The meeting has the support of health professionals and is part of the project "Stories Multiple", an initiative that has the support of Novartis, through a partnership between the three patient groups working in this field: Multiple Sclerosis Portuguese Society (HOPE), National Association of Multiple Sclerosis (WE) and all with Multiple Sclerosis (TEM).
"There are many issues that affect the life of a patient with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers. This get-together we decided to address the issues that seem more relevant and deserve to be discussed. The uncertain path to diagnosis, the role of support provided after this time and the impact of caregiver in the patient's life are the themes that will be highlighted at this meeting ", explains Lourdes Silva, ANEM da agent.
Launched in May, under the World Multiple Sclerosis Day, the project involves in addition to the gatherings organized by patient organizations, the collection of real testimonies of multiple sclerosis community, of patients, caregivers and rest support network. The testimonies collected in this project and the realization of gatherings come out conclusions and recommendations that will be released later in the year, as part of the National Day Person with Multiple Sclerosis.
Registration for this get-together should be made via e-mail anem@anem.org.pt or phones 224631985 / 965055885.


text:
Deadly missile strikes hit Kyiv as explosions reported in other cities across Ukraine
By Julian Hayda,
Jason Beaubien, Kat Lonsdorf, Charles Maynes
Emergency workers clear debris from the crater of a missile strike at a bus stop in a residential area of Dnipro, Ukraine. Missiles struck multiple cities across the country Monday morning.
KYIV and DNIPRO, UKRAINE, and MOSCOW — Explosions rocked several cities across Ukraine in the most extensive attack on the country since the early days of Russia's invasion in February. The attacks came only hours after Russia blamed Ukraine for a weekend explosion that partially damaged a strategic bridge that connects Russian-occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.
Ukrainian emergency services report that several people are dead across the country, including at least five people in the the capital Kyiv, which hasn't been hit since June. It's also the closest strike to the center of the city since the war began, coming just over 1,000 yards from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office.
In a video address to his Security Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes were a necessary response to what he argued were repeated "terrorist attacks" by Ukraine on critical Russian infrastructure — including the bridge, pipelines, and nuclear power plants.
"This morning, a massive high-precision strike was conducted on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, military command, and communications," said Putin. "In case Ukrainian terrorist attacks continue on Russian territory, our response will be tough and proportional."
Local media from the Kharkiv region in the east to the Lviv region in the west report outages and downed communications. Rescue efforts across Ukraine were slowed due to repeated volleys of explosives coming from the sky.
President Zelenskyy said in a video posted to social media that the strikes disproportionately targeted civilian infrastructure in 11 of Ukraine's 25 regions, including power plants and water heating facilities.
"It's a tough morning when you're dealing with terrorists," said Zelenskyy in the video, which recalled the selfie he took the night Russia invaded in February. "They're choosing targets to harm as many people as possible."
Damage across the country
At least 16 cities sustained attacks, Ukraine's national broadcaster reported, many of which had not been fired upon since this spring.
In Kyiv, Ukraine Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko says that at least two museums and the National Philharmonic concert halls sustained heavy damage. A nearby strike damaged the country's main passenger terminal, delaying trains during this morning's rush hour, according to Ukraine's National Railway.
Explosions rocked civilian areas of Dnipro, a major southern city. One site hit was a bus stop, nestled between high rise apartment buildings. A missile slammed just a few feet in front of a bus on its morning route to pick up commuters, destroying the bus and blowing out the windows in the nearby apartments.
"This happened at rush hour, as lots of public transport was operating in the city," said Ihor Makovtsev, the head of the department of transport for the Dnipro city council, as he stood by the wreckage. He added that the bus driver and four passengers had been taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The attack follows a missile strike on a bus depot in Dnipro just over a week ago, which killed two drivers and damaging dozens of buses.
"It's difficult for me to find any logic to their so-called artillery work because all our transportation is only for civilian purposes," Makovtsev said.
Efrem Lukatsky / AP
An injured man receives medical treatment at the scene of Russian shelling, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.
81-year-old Viktor Shevchenko looked out from what once were the windows of his first floor balcony, just next to the bus stop. Shattered glass covered the ground below. He said he had been watering the plants on his balcony just minutes before the blast, but went to his kitchen to make breakfast.
"The explosion blew open all of my cabinets, and nearly knocked me to the ground," he said. "Only five minutes before, and I would have been on the balcony, full of glass."
At least four people were confirmed dead and 19 injured in the Dnipro area, according to the region's military administration.
Strikes also hit parts of Lviv, Ukraine's westernmost city close to the Polish border, knocking out power and sending school children home.
The country's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, writing on Twitter, said that strikes on civilian areas are "war crimes."
Our enemy believes that missile strikes are effective means of intimidation.
They are not. They are war crimes. Civilians are dying and getting injured.
Ukraine, with the support of the civilized world, must bring the missile terrorists to justice.
And will do it. https://t.co/xXYn3okZOw
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) October 10, 2022
Ukraine's top brass released a statement that said that the country's air defenses took down at least 40 incoming air attacks, but several dozen more got through. Ukrainian officials blamed Iranian-made suicide drones launched from Belarus and the Black sea for many of the attacks. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for attacks on Ukraine, and after today's attacks requested further assistance from the Russian government in anticipation of Ukrainian retaliation.
The Kremlin's allies cheer the aggressive response
The massive Russian response seemed intended to calm Putin allies who have grown increasingly critical of the Kremlin's military strategy as Russian forces have repeatedly ceded territory to an ongoing Ukrainian advance. Many had been openly lobbying President Putin to strike Ukraine harder.
"We warned Zelenskyy that Russia hadn't really started yet," wrote Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a loyalist to Putin who repeatedly has attacked Russia's Defense Ministry for incompetence in carrying out the military campaign.
"Now I am 100% satisfied with the way the 'Special Military Operation' is being run," added Kadyrov, using the Kremlin's preferred term for the war.
In response to Monday's attacks, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv reiterated its calls for Americans to leave the country.
Gregory Warner contributed from Lviv, Ashley Westerman and Polina Lytvynova contributed from Kyiv, and Hanna Palamarenko contributed from Dnipro
Julian Hayda


Lola Dupre flips the documentary potential of photography on its head, doctoring black and white photos by hand to create strange images that immediately appear off-color. At times, faces and bodies are elongated or distorted and at times, they are split into shards like an explosion captured at the moment of impact. Dupre has a solo show, "New Works," opening tonight at Breeze Block Gallery. The exhibition will be on view through January 4. Take a look at some previously unseen images from the show below.


text:
Speed Corner
Car pieces
Silberpfeil - Polished silver
The Silberpfeil is a German car, designed for motorsport. It received the famous nickname "Silver Arrow" when it won a victory with strict conditions on the cars.
Ready to enter the track?
Reference: PC014
In 1934, the governing body of international motorsport specified a maximum weight for Grand Prix racing cars of 750kg, excluding tires and fuel. The Germans decided to reduce the weight by removing the lead-based paint that designated the traditional white livery of its cars, exposing the distinctive bright aluminum. The victory of one of them earned it the nickname Silver Arrow. Their successors, built on the same chassis, continued to race successfully in the Indy 500 after the war.
Reference PC014
Speed Corner by Westore S.R.L
Overijse Grotstraat
info@speedcorner.be
Privacy and Confidentiality Charter
Copyright © 2023 - Speedcorner. All rights reserved.


text:
Why IoT Needs Edge Computing to Realize Its Full Potential
By ZEDEDA
"Person Holding A Green Plant" by Akil Mazumder
At the dawn of the previous decade, industry experts began predicting the astronomical growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) — a commonly-cited number was 50 billion devices by 2020. Now that the new year has arrived, however, it's clear that these estimates were a bit ambitious. While more recent predictions for IoT device numbers vary (Gartner estimates 5.8 billion by the end of 2020; IDC predicts more than 30 billion by 2021), we can all agree that the IoT didn't arrive in full force as quickly as we once thought it might. Why not?
That's a fair question. As the IoT conversation heated up over the past decade, several challenges emerged that slowed deployments. It's worth noting that most of these challenges stemmed from difficulties with adopting and adapting to IoT paradigms, rather than the underlying technology itself.
For instance, deploying IoT in a business setting creates a lot of complexity and risk, and many organizations initially struggled to sort through these obstacles. IoT combines elements of both Information Technology (IT) and Operation Technology (OT) domain expertise, and it can take time to determine who will be responsible for which aspects of the deployment. Additionally, use cases for IoT can vary as much as individual businesses do, which means the best deployment configuration, in terms of ROI, might not be immediately apparent to all stakeholders. Given the security risks and financial cost of implementing IoT deployments, this uncertainty can lead to delays in a full rollout. Against this backdrop, there is also an almost paralyzing amount of solutions and vendors to choose from in the IoT landscape, which can further slow the decision-making and deployment process for businesses.
As more people began to sort through these challenges and roll out IoT deployments, a new struggle emerged in the form of data flow — specifically, latency and bandwidth constraints. In general, the cloud was designed for users to quickly download and read data (for instance, streaming video content), rather than write or upload it. It's like having an interstate system where southbound traffic has six lanes, but the northbound side only has two. This is fine when the majority of people only need to drive south, but if traffic to the north begins to increase, you're going to have bottleneck issues. As the number of IoT devices trying to send data back to the cloud for processing and analysis increased, people began to encounter bandwidth and latency constrictions that limited the real-time effectiveness of their deployments.
While network speeds have increased over the last several years — and are poised to increase further with the rollout of 5G — this still doesn't solve the bandwidth and latency issues with IoT. There are two main reasons for this: increased cost of operation and unreliable uptime. The problem with 5G and similar network upgrades is that, while they do offer additional bandwidth and reduced latency, that speed comes at a price. To return to our interstate analogy, it's like adding more traffic lanes but gating them with a tollbooth. While you do have the ability to travel faster and reduce congestion, it's going to cost you. From the perspective of uptime, the challenge is that even very fast networks still have some small delay, and there are certain use cases (like an autonomous vehicle braking for a pedestrian) that can't tolerate any delay in compute time — or worse, a complete loss of connection.
Another challenge that the IoT has had to grapple with in the last ten years is security. IoT devices can be weaponized in DDoS attacks or exploited as weak spots used to gain access in network breaches. We've learned that, without proper precautions, many of the inexpensive gateways designed for IoT can create security vulnerabilities. Most of these vulnerabilities are not inherent to IoT technology but are instead due to poor security hygiene, such as not changing default passwords and leaving ports unsecured. Nevertheless, it's taken time to figure out best practices for IoT security, and work in this area is ongoing, contributing to the slower-than-expected rise of IoT.
In a similar vein, compliance and data sovereignty issues have impacted the adoption rate for IoT, as companies sort out how to best comply with regulations. A prominent example is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which went into effect in the European Union in 2016. Throughout the past decade, companies have had to establish policies to govern any data collected by sensors — especially if that data needs to cross geographic boundaries to the cloud in order to be processed. Collectively, the industry had to think carefully about the personally identifiable information (PII) that they collected and passed to the cloud, hoping to find a use for it in the future.
Over the past several years, a solution has emerged to address some of these challenges and enable the full rise of IoT: edge computing. By shifting the processing and analysis of data away from the cloud or data centers and onto computing nodes proximal to sensors, we solve the latency, bandwidth, and uptime problems. In terms of data sovereignty, running applications at the edge that scrub PII from data before it's ever passed on to the cloud helps ensure organizations aren't storing any information they don't need. This, in turn, can assist with regulatory compliance.
From a security perspective, the industry continues to align on best practices to minimize vulnerabilities in IoT deployments, which will further accelerate its adoption. For instance, devices are being protected by locking down access to ports and using the hardware root of trust to verify downloads and authenticate device identity. Data is also being encrypted both at rest and in transit, minimizing the potential attack surface. IT and OT administrators are increasingly viewing IoT deployments in the same vein as PCs, servers, and other enterprise hardware: rather than "set it and forget it," they're investing in OS patches and other updates needed to keep protection current against the latest threats.
Realizing the full potential of IoT has been an evolutionary process, and while we've made great strides, we haven't necessarily "crossed the finish line" — there is still work to be done. That said, the future for IoT is looking brighter than ever, with businesses poised to realize immense value from harnessing the power of their data to generate actionable insights. This will be enabled in large part by edge computing, which solves many of the challenges that delayed the full arrival of IoT. While we might not have reached 50 billion devices at this point in 2020, it's clear that a huge addressable market exists for this technology and that the number of deployments will continue to rapidly increase in the years to come.


text:
Drvenjača je sirovina za proizvodnju običnijih vrsta papira. Dobiva se strojnim struganjem mekoga crnogoričnog drva (smreke, jele) na kamenim brusovima. Drvenjača se kemijski ne razlikuje od drva. Za dobivanje drvenjače može se koristiti i bor te listače (topola, breza).

Postoji nekoliko vrsta drvenjača, i to:
 bijela drvenjača (dobiva se brušenjem drveta kojem je uklonjena kora),
 kemijska drvenjača (dobiva se brušenjem drveta kojem je uklonjena kora, a prethodno potopljenog u kemikalijama),
 kemitermomehanička drvenjača (dobiva se kemitermomehaničkim postupkom), te
 smeđa drvenjača (dobiva se mehaničkom razgradnjom oblica kuhanih na vodenoj pari).

Drvenjača ima manju čvrstoću od celuloze, no to ne znači da se papiri za tisak gdje je potrebna velika čvrstoća vlakna i pritisak ne mogu raditi iz te sirovine. Danas se gotovo svi novinski i srednje fini papiri rade iz mješavine vlaknastog materijala drvenjače i starog papira.

Objašnjenje
Tvorevina dobivena mehaničkom preradom drveta, to je brušenjem oblica oslobođenih kore, naziva se drvenjačom. Razlikuju se dvije glavne vrste drvenjača: bijela i smeđa. Bijela se drvenjača proizvodi uglavnom od smreke, jele, topole i breze obradom uz dodatak vode. Smeđa drvenjača proizvodi se od četinara brušenjem uz obradu vodenom parom. Bijeljenjem smeđe drvenjače može se dobiti bijela drvenjača. Trajna bjelina postiže se bijeljenjem pomoću natrijevog peroksida.

Papir s primjesom drvenjače mnogo je jeftiniji od bezdrvnog papira, ali je kvalitetno mnogo slabiji. Vlakna drvenjače su kratka, a zbog prisutnosti lignina, papir s vremenom požuti i postaje krt djelovanjem svjetlosti i vlage. Drvenjača kao sirovina upotrebljava se u velikim količinama za proizvodnju roto papira, srednjefinog pisaćeg i tiskovnog papira, za neke vrste kartona i ljepenke, i tako dalje. Pri tom je drvenjači skoro uvijek potrebno dodati određenu količinu drvne celuloze (od 15 do 20%) za bolje povezivanje vlakana.

Procesi proizvodnje drvenjače

Skladištenje drveta
Prvi korak u proizvodnji drvenjače je rezanje drvenih trupaca na određenu duljinu cjepanice i skladištenje drvene mase. Ovaj korak u tehnološkom procesu je vrlo važan. Drvo prvo mora odležati najmanje 6 mjeseci poslije sječe, a prije prerade. Razlozi dužeg skladištenja su potreba da se kod četinjača izluči nepoželjna smola, te da se drvena masa do upotrebe sačuva od gljivica i plijesni.

Skladištenje drvne mase provodi se prema dostupnim mogućnostima na 3 moguća načina:
 složene hrpe i provjetravanje ;
 nabacano drvo u hrpe;
 mokro skladištenje, potapanjem u vodu ili plivanjem na vodi.

Odkoravanje
Drvo na daljnu obradu odnosno brušenje, može ići tek kad mu je uklonjena sva kora. Važno je, da se drvo što bolje očisti, jer ostaci kore na drvetu uzrokuju slabiju kvalitetu i bjelinu drvenjače. Iskorištenje drvne mase je oko 95%. U ovom koraku cilj je odkoriti drvo sa što manje gubitaka drvne mase.

Prema godišnjem dobu u kojem je drvo posječeno, odkoravanje je lakše ili teže provedivo. Lakše se odkoravaju drva koja su posječena u proljeće, a teže ona koja su posječena u ostala godišnja doba. Proces odkoravanja provodi se na 3 načina:
 odkoravanje trenjem (suho odkoravanje);
 odkoravanje vodenim mlazom;
 kombinirano odkoravanje.

Brušenje drveta
Brušenje drveta izvodi se na strojevima za brušenje čiji su glavni dijelovi teška preša i brusni kamen. Drvo se brusi poprečnim načinom gdje je smjer djelovanja sile brusnog kamena okomit na os drveta. Kvaliteta brušenja drvenjače uvjetovana je izborom i kvalitetom brusnog kamena. U upotrebi je više vrsta brusnih kamena.

Prema porijeklu brusne kamene dijelimo :
 prirodni pješčani kamen (nije više u upotrebi);
 umjetni brusni kameni, izrađeni od sitnog kvarca ili korunda;
 keramički vezani brusni kamen.

Umjetni brusni kamen se izrađuje na način da se prvo izradi armirana valjkasta noseća betonska jezgra, a zatim se na površinu tog valjka specijalnim cementom povežu zrnca kvarca ili korunda. Ovaj brusni kamen osjetljiv je na nagle promjene temperature, i to je razlog da se zbog zagrijavanja prilikom trenja u procesu brušenja, puno opterećenje postiže tek nakon 24 sata. Hladna voda koja je u procesu brušenja može djelomično ohladiti brusni kamen što zbog naprezanja može dovesti do pucanja.

Keramički brusni kamen sastavljen je od jezgre na koju se pomoću vijaka učvršćuju keramičke pločice i kasnije se zapeku. Ovaj brusni kamen je dobro otporan na promjenu temperature, te ima veliku trajnost zbog otpornosti na trenje.

Odvajanje ili sortiranje
Poslije procesa brušenja drvenjača se odvodi na odvajanje ili sortiranje. Zadatak je odvajanje treskica i krupnijih komadića drveta iz mase. Proces odvajanja odvija se u 2 koraka:
 grubo odvajanje, gdje se odvajaju krupniji komadići, i vraćaju se ponovno u proces na doradu;
 fino odvajanje i uklanjanje grubih komadića.

Zatim slijedi ugušćivanje mase na cilindričnom valjku. Odvajanjem vode iz mase dosegne se koncentracija od 4 do 5%. Takva se drvenjača potom vodi na bijeljenje ili na daljnje stiskanje u prešama do 40% suhoće.

Bijeljenje drvenjače

Po potrebi, drvenjača se podvrgava bijeljenju, zavisno o vrsti papira za koju se priprema. Sredstva za izbjeljivanje su:
 natrijev hidrosulfit: kojim se bjelina drvenjače povisi za približno 10˚;
 vodikov peroksid kojim je moguće dići bjelinu drvenjače za 22˚.
Proizvedena drvenjača prevozi se do strojeva za izradu papira, i to na dva načina, koji zavise o udaljenosti tvornice papira od pogona za proizvodnju drvenjače. Ako je tvornica papira neposredno uz tvornicu drvenjače, drvenjača se prevozi pumpama do koritastog mlina (holendera) za miješanje s ostalim dodacima potrebnim za izradu papira, a na veće udaljenosti, drvenjača se prvo dehidrira, pakira u bale i odvozi prijevoznim sredstvima do tvornice papira.

Drvenjača se kao vlaknasta sirovina koristi za izradu različitih vrsta papira. Za novinski papir mora se koristiti drvenjača s većim sadržajem dugih vlakanaca, jer su ona odgovorna za mehanička svojstva papira. Za srednjefine tiskovne papire, te za dodatak bezdrvnim papirima se koristi drvenjača s većim postotkom finoga materijala. Drvenjača za izradu kartona mora biti grublja, da bi karton dobio željeni obujam ili volumen.

Izvori

 Drvenjača Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža (pristupljeno 27. ožujka 2014.)
 Drvenjača Struna, hrvatsko strukovno nazivlje (pristupljeno 27. ožujka 2014.)

Vanjske poveznice

 Kartoni: od proizvodnje do konačne primjene (Stručni rad grupe autora, Tehnički glasnik, vol. 6, no. 2, prosinac 2012.)

Drvoprerađivačka industrija
Biljni proizvodi
Tiskarstvo


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Feb 19, 2018 - Politics & Policy
How Michael Cohen protects Trump from scandal
Alexi McCammond
Michael Cohen (center), Trump's longtime lawyer. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images.
President Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen has been protecting him from scandal for years, according to a New York Times review of records, emails and interviews.
How he does it: "[T]he lawyer relied on intimidation tactics, hush money and the nation's leading tabloid news business, American Media Inc., whose top executives include close Trump allies. ... [He] maneuvered in the pay-to-play gossip world — populated by porn stars and centerfold models, tabloid editors and lawyers with B- and C-list entertainment clients."
The scandals he's helped shield the president from include allegations that Trump paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged affair; former Playboy model Karen McDougal's allegations that she and Trump had an affair; allegations from multiple women during the 2016 election that Trump had sexually harassed them; and a former hedge-fund manager who in 2015 said he had a photo of Trump autographing a woman's bare breasts.
Why it matters: No other president in modern history has faced as many controversial allegations involving porn stars and Playboy models as Trump. Although the stories almost always come out, Cohen has consistently managed to control the damage and Trump isn't affected by them much.
Go deeper with the full NYT story.


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text:
Zastava Bjelorusije formalno se promijenila 7. lipnja 1995. godine, nakon što su Bjelorusi glasali na referendumu mjesec dana ranije. Zamijenila je povijesnu zastavu Bjeloruske Narodne Republike iz 1918. godine, prije nego što je Bjelorusija postala Sovjetska Republika i ponovno nakon osamostaljenja 1991. godine. Današnja zastava je promijenjena verzija zastave iz 1951. godine dok je Bjelorusija bila u Sovjetskom Savezu.

Nekoliko grupa i dalje upotrebljavaju prijašnju, ali vlada Aleksandra Lukašenka je zabranilo njeno izlaganje. Tu zastava još uvijek upotrebljavaju Bjeloruska dijaspora i demonstranti na protestima protiv vlade. Međunarodni promatrači kažu da referendum koji je izabrao novu zastavu nije bio pošten.

Vidi još
 Grb Bjelorusije

Vanjske poveznice

 Službena stranica predsjednika Rešublike Bjelorusije - Službeni opis državnih simbola
 Flags of the World
 Vexillographia

Bjelorusija
Državni simboli Bjelorusije


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"Imitative Behavior" is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine's controlled vocabulary thesaurus, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure, which enables searching at various levels of specificity.
The mimicking of the behavior of one individual by another.
Behavior, Imitative
Behaviors, Imitative
Imitative Behaviors
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more general than "Imitative Behavior".
Imitative Behavior [F01.145.510]
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is related to "Imitative Behavior".
Below are MeSH descriptors whose meaning is more specific than "Imitative Behavior".
This graph shows the total number of publications written about "Imitative Behavior" by people in this website by year, and whether "Imitative Behavior" was a major or minor topic of these publications.
Below are the most recent publications written about "Imitative Behavior" by people in Profiles.