[India], Jan 11 (ANI): A Delhi court on Friday fixed January 22 as the next date of hearing in the criminal defamation complaint filed by former Union Minister MJ Akbar against journalist Priya Ramani.
Three more witnesses in the case recorded their statements today in Delhi's Patiala House court. Statements of all the witness concluded. Arguments on summoning will be held in the next date of hearing.
Priya Ramani is the first woman who accused MJ Akbar of sexual harassment in Patiala House Court.
In total, seven people (including complainant MJ Akbar) have recorded their statements in this criminal defamation complaint. In the next hearing, the counsels for Akbar are expected to do an argument on the point of summoning Priya Ramani.
All the witnesses who concluded their statements in favour of MJ Akbar said that MJ Akbar's impeccable reputation built over so many years was tarnished in their eyes and grave damage to his reputation was caused by tweets and publications. All these witnesses are associated with Akbar for many years.


The Grove - I2C UV Sensor(VEML6070) is an advanced ultraviolet (UV) light sensor with I2C protocol interface. Ultraviolet (UV) is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays, this sensor detects 320-410nm light most effectively, and will converts solar UV light intensity to digital data.
This module is based on VEML6070, which has linear sensitivity to solar UV light and is easily adjusted by an external resistor.
What's more the active acknowledge (ACK) feature with threshold windows setting allows the UV sensor to send out a UVI alert message. Under a strong solar UVI condition, the smart ACK signal can be easily implemented by the software programming.


text:
<?php
/*
 * This file has been automatically generated by TDBM.
 * You can edit this file as it will not be overwritten.
 */
namespace Test\Dao;

use Test\Dao\Bean\UserBean;

/**
 * The ProjectDao class will maintain the persistance of Test\Dao\Bean\ProjectBean class into the project table.
 *
 * @Component
 * @dbTable project
 */
class ProjectDao extends ProjectDaoBase
{

	/**
	 * Returns the list of projects owned by a given user
	 * @param UserBean $user
	 * @return Test\Dao\Bean\ProjectBean[]
	 */
	public function getByUserBean(UserBean $user){
		return $this->getListByFilter($user);
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Solving this convex optimization problem in Python, using only SciPy Background
I'm attempting to solve the following convex optimization problem in python, using (ideally) only the scipy package. The goal is to recover the matrix . The matrices ₘ, ₖ, , and the integers ℳ,,, and  are known and fixed.

I'm given some matlab code that accomplishes this task, using CVXR:
J_M = eye(M) - 1/M*ones(M);
J_K = eye(K) - 1/K*ones(K);

S_row = [eye(M) zeros(M, K)];
S_col = [zeros(M, K); eye(K)];

cvx_begin sdp quiet
    cvx_precision low
    cvx_solver sedumi

    variable G(N, N) symmetric;
    variable B(M, K);

    DofG = diag(G)*ones(N, 1)' - 2*G + ones(N, 1)*diag(G)';
    LofG = S_row*DofG*S_col;

    G >= 0;
    G*ones(N, 1) == 0;

    L = cell(M, K);
    for m = 1:M
        for k = 1:K
            L{m, k} = [LofG(m, k) B(m, k); B(m, k) 1];
            L{m, k} >= 0;
        end
    end

    B(:) >= 0;

    minimize square_pos(norm(J_M*(B - T)*J_K, 'fro'))
cvx_end

Unfortunately, my knowledge of complex optimization techniques is limited (although the problem itself is, in principle, fairly straightforward), and I have no matlab experience. Some pieces of the translation are straightforward, while others I struggle with.

Attempt
I've written an (admittedly very sparse) skeleton of an attempt to recreate some pieces of the matlab code.
from scipy.optimize import minimize
import numpy as np

def loss(...):
    # M and K are given by size of T
    J_M = eye(M) - 1/M * ones(M)
    J_K = eye(K) - 1/K * ones(K)

    DofG = diag(G) @ ones(N, 1) - 2 * G + ones(N, 1) @ diag(G)
    LofG = S_row @ DofG @ S_col

    return np.linalg.norm(J_M @ (B - T) @ J_K, 'fro')**2

res = minimize(loss, ...)

What's Missing
I'm not sure what G(N, N); symmetric and B(M, K) do, nor how be replicated in the python code. I can't seem to find a simple explanation in the CVXR documentation.
I'm also unsure how to replicate the constraints on B and G, and I'm unsure how to replicate the "iterated constraint":
    for m = 1:M
        for k = 1:K
            L{m, k} = [LofG(m, k) B(m, k); B(m, k) 1];
            L{m, k} >= 0;
        end
    end

How can this Matlab implementation be translated to Python/SciPy

A: Direct translation using cvxpy
import cvxpy as cp
import numpy as np

def solve(T, verbose=True):
    M,K = T.shape
    N = M + K
    J_M = np.eye(M) - np.ones((M,M))/M
    J_K = np.eye(K) - np.ones((K,K))/K
    S_row = np.eye(M, M+K)
    S_col = np.roll(np.eye(M+K,K), M, axis=0)

    G = cp.Variable((N,N), symmetric=True)
    B = cp.Variable((M,K))

    # Here I am assuming that the product of diag(G)*ones(N,1) is broadcasting
    Gd = cp.reshape(cp.diag(G), (N, 1))
    DofG = Gd + Gd.T - 2*G
    # Imposes N = M + K
    LofG = S_row @ DofG @ S_col
    constraints = [G >> 0, cp.sum(G, axis=1) == 0]
    for m in range(M):
        for k in range(K):
            L = cp.bmat([[LofG[m,k], B[m,k]], [B[m,k],1]])
            constraints.append(L >> 0)
    constraints.append(B >= 0)

    obj = cp.norm(J_M @ (B - T) @ J_K, 'fro')
    prob = cp.Problem(cp.Minimize(obj), constraints)
    prob.solve(verbose=verbose)
    return G.value, B.value, obj.value

If you are familiar with numpy the above code should be easy to follow. The only difference is that instead of using numpy functions I use the corresponding cvxpy functions that can manipulate variables. The objects store variables and relations between them, when prob.solve is called it will cast the problem to a standard form and submit to some solver.
solve(np.eye(3, 2) + 1)

(array([[ 0.68113622, -0.22048912, -0.10273289, -0.55665717,  0.19874296],
        [-0.22048912,  0.68113622, -0.10273289,  0.19874296, -0.55665717],
        [-0.10273289, -0.10273289,  0.08445099,  0.0605074 ,  0.0605074 ],
        [-0.55665717,  0.19874296,  0.0605074 ,  0.48298721, -0.1855804 ],
        [ 0.19874296, -0.55665717,  0.0605074 , -0.1855804 ,  0.48298721]]),
 array([[ 1.17174172e+00,  1.71742424e-01],
        [ 1.71742424e-01,  1.17174172e+00],
        [ 1.50334549e-15, -1.47036515e-16]]),
 6.988985781497536e-07)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Jon Skovron
Jon Skovron is the author of numerous novels for adults and teens, including Man Made Boy, This Broken Wondrous World, and the Empire of Storms trilogy (Hope and Red, Bane and Shadow, and Blood and Tempest) which has been published in nine foreign territories. The Ranger of Marzanna, the first in the new Goddess War trilogy, is forthcoming from Orbit in 2020. His short fiction has appeared in anthologies and publications such as ChiZine and Baen's Universe. He lives just outside Washington, D.C. with his two sons.
Jill Grinberg
The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1)
Sonya is training to be a Ranger of Marzanna, an ancient sect of warriors who have protected the land for generations. But the old ways are dying, and the rangers have all been forced into hiding or killed off by the invading Empire.
When her father is murdered by imperial soldiers, she decides to finally take action. Using her skills as a ranger she will travel across the bitter cold tundra and gain the allegiance of the only other force strong enough to take down the invaders.
But nothing about her quest will be easy. Because not everyone is on her side. Her brother, Sebastian, is the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever seen. And he's fighting for the Empire.
JGLM
Hope and Red (The Empire of Storms #1)
Hope's old life ended the night her entire village was massacred by the emperor's forces. Now, trained in secret by a master warrior, her new life is centered on only one goal: vengeance.
Red lives by the skin of his teeth and sharpness of his wit. An expert thief and a brilliant con artist, he cares for only one thing: a good time. But when the empire's soldiers start to encroach on his territory, taking down his friends with it, he may have to re-prioritize.
Together, they will take down an empire.
Praise for the Empire of Storms series
"Skovron's eye for characterization and situations is exceptional… A compelling coming-of-age yarn." –Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Engaging … [Skovron's] skillfully developed world, filled with swords and magic, is a perfect foil for his dynamic characters." –Library Journal
"A great swashbuckling adventure." –The Sun
"Furious where it needs to be, deceptively tender where it can get away with it, adventurous all around." –Sam Sykes
Bane and Shadow (The Empire of Storms #2)
Red is being trained as a cold-blooded assassin by the biomancers. As he becomes increasingly embroiled in palace politics, he learns that even life among the nobility can be deadly.
While terrorizing imperial ships as the pirate Dire Bane, Hope stumbles onto a biomancer plot of such horrifying scope that it makes even the massacre of her childhood village seem small in comparison.
With the biomancers tightening their grip of fear over the empire, Hope and Red struggle to fill their new roles and responsibilities, but the cost will be greater than any of them realize.
Blood and Tempest (The Empire of Storms #3)
Still reeling from the events at Dawn's Light, Hope struggles to understand what it means to be a warrior who has vowed to never again take up a sword.
Red is enjoying his new role as imperial spy. Perhaps a bit too much. But his loyalties will be tested when his employer, Lady Hempist, relents and assigns him the one task he's been begging for all along: recruiting Hope and Brigga Lin to help rid the empire of biomancery once and for all.
Man Made Boy
Love can be a real monster.
Sixteen-year-old Boy's never left home. When you're the son of Frankenstein's monster and the Bride, it's tough to go out in public, unless you want to draw the attention of a torch-wielding mob. And since Boy and his family live in a secret enclave of monsters hidden under Times Square, it's important they maintain a low profile.
Boy's only interactions with the world are through the Internet, where he's a hacker extraordinaire who can hide his hulking body and stitched-together face behind a layer of code. When conflict erupts at home, Boy runs away and embarks on a cross-country road trip with the granddaughters of Jekyll and Hyde, who introduce him to malls and diners, love and heartbreak. But no matter how far Boy runs, he can't escape his demons—both literal and figurative—until he faces his family once more.
This hilarious, romantic, and wildly imaginative tale redefines what it means to be a monster—and a man.
Praise for Man Made Boy
"Love monsters? If you do, Jon Skovron's Man Made Boy is for you. If you don't, why not?" –Kelly Link, award-winning author of Magic for Beginners and Pretty Monsters
"Skovron weaves all things creepy and strange into a tale that is heartwarming, hilarious, and full of memorable characters." –John Corey Whaley, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Where Things Come Back
"Skovron has mastered the beauty, tragedy, and hilarity of the fine line between monsters and men. Read this book and marvel at his creation." –Andrea Cremer, bestselling author of the Nightshade series
Viking Books for Young Readers
This Broken Wondrous World (Man Made Boy #2)
A year ago, Boy, the son of Frankenstein's monster, had never even met a human. Now he's living with his human "family," the descendants of Dr. Frankenstein, in Switzerland. That is, until the maniacal genius Dr. Moreau, long-ago banished to a remote island for his crimes against humanity, asks for Boy's help.
Moreau wants Boy to join his army of animal/human hybrid creatures and help him overthrow human society. Boy will do anything to save this broken, wondrous world from the war that threatens to split it in two. But how much will he have to give up? And is the world worth saving?
Praise for This Broken Wondrous World
"Skovron's frenetic pace and ragtag band of creatures will appeal to readers who crave nonstop action." –Booklist
"Fans of science fiction and humor will enjoy this clever, monster-filled read." –School Library Journal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Howard Gibbon
Our Teacher, Howard Gibbon is based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire and began his journey in the Lee style in 1973, training under Chee Soo. Howard began teaching in 1976 and has been a dedicated teacher and practitioner ever since. Howard was awarded 6th Teng Chi, and was one of only four teachers to have attained the highest grade given by Chee Soo. Howard teaches both T'ai Chi and Feng Shou (Kung Fu) and his passion for these wonderful arts has never waned. Howards classes and courses continue to be lively and relaxing at the same time. Howard covers the full range of skills passed on by Chee Soo and remains focused on sharing what he has learned. Anyone meeting Howard for the first time will find an approachable and relaxed teacher who is open to questions. He is down to earth and despite his years of expertise he remains an ordinary man, with an extraordinary skill. You can find more info about Howard here.
Howard runs courses throughout the year, including Easter and Summer Courses, and he teaches a day course in Edinburgh twice a year. You can find info on course dates here.
HISTORY OF THE LEE STYLE
Chee Soo
The Lee style is a family style of T'ai Chi that originated with Ho Hsieh Lee in a small fishing village outside Beijing reportedly as far back as 1000BC (but time scales cannot be verified as is typical in an oral tradition). The style was handed down through generations until it reached the last of the Lee family, Chan Kam Lee who was an unmarried businessman dealing in precious stones. In 1933 Chan Kam Lee opened a class and began teaching the Lee Style in London's Red Lion Square. In 1934 he was in Hyde Park when he was accidentally hit with a ball from a young boy playing nearby. That boy was Chee Soo then aged 14. As it was still relatively unusual to meet another Chinese person in London at that time, a friendship grew between the two and Chan Kam Lee began to teach Chee Soo the Taoist Arts. As is often the custom in Chinese culture, Chan Lee 'adopted' Chee Soo. Under Chan Kam Lee, Chee Soo studied a broad range of arts within the Lee style including: T'ai Chi hand form, T'ai Chi Dance, Staff, Sword, Silk, Feng Shou (Hand of the Wind Kung Fu), Chi Shu (similar to Aikido), I Fu Shou (adhering hand), Chiao Li (wrestling), Lun Pei (whirling arms), Lun Shou (whirling hands) Kai Men (Taoist yoga), Tao Yin (respiration exercises) as well as, meditation and the Taoist healing arts. Chee Soo was also accomplished in Aikido.
You can read more on our parent site EWTA where you can also see a short video clip of Chee Soo in action.


text:
Q: Under what situation would the discoverAndAddAccountsResponse method in IPP AggCat be used? I understand to verify that a bank is not asking more than one set of MFA questions, you must check the results from each discoverAndAddAccounts call, but IPP AggCat for .Net also offers the discoverAndAddAccountsResponse method. Can this method also pass back the new Challenge/Response questions? If so, how, and if not, when would this method ever be used?
Thanks for any help in advance.

A: The latest release, 1.3.0, has an additional overload to DiscoverAndAddAccountsResponse that passes back challenge questions and session to handle multiple MFA rounds.  Please see:
https://developer.intuit.com/docs/0020_aggregation_categorization_apps/devkits


The terrorists were kiled in a joint operation launched by Rashtriya Rifle troops and police on Tuesday morning.
Security forceson Tuesdayshot dead threeterrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba during an encounter in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police official said.
A team of Rashtriya Rifle troops and police launched a joint operation in Tanta Draman area of the districton Tuesdaymorning and in the ensuing exchange of fire shot dead three ultras, Doda Senior Superintendent of Police Manohar Singh said.
The slainterrorists belonged to the LeT, he said adding that their identities could not be ascertained as the encounter was on till last reports.


text:
Hills Aquires OPS, Now Exclusive Genetec Distributor ANZ
by Security Electronics and Networks | @Articles News | April 3, 2014, 4:18am AEDT
Hills Ltd has acquired Open Platform Systems and in the process become the exclusive distributor of Genetec's unified IP security solutions.
The acquisition extends the reach of Genetec solutions into a much broader portfolio of clients in that market. Hills will distribute the full range of Genetec products in the Australia and New Zealand markets
"We're excited by the recent acquisition of OPS by Hills as it will help to further build upon the already strong market position developed for Genetec by the OPS team in that region," said Guy Chenard, vice president of global sales at Genetec.
"Growing the Genetec footprint in the APAC market is strategic for our business and we are looking to partners like Hills to help us maintain and further drive our growth in this region."
The exclusive rights of distribution of Genetec products will transfer to Hills immediately, with current customers and partners of OPS seeing minimal change in their day-to-day contacts and on-going projects.
"Hills has an enviable reputation as a leader in Australia's technology market with a powerful span of product and service offerings through a range of business units," stated Kobi ben-Shabat, managing director at Open Platform Systems.
"Choosing to join forces with a company like Hills Limited, which has an outstanding track-record of pre and post-sales support, as well as a broad reach into the homes, businesses and enterprises of Australia, just made sense for OPS and our partners."


text:
Why Cryptozoology Creatures Sightings Pseudoscience and Conspiracies Rise
People like to make up stuff and gossip has harmful effects. We know long-term stress causes perceptual distortions. Put these together and we have the perfect storm for unusual phenomena.
Stress and thought distortions cause an increase in the report of unusual events. It is why we see an increase cryptozoology creatures sightings. It is also, and it is why conspiracies and pseudoscience claims increase. So, we need to learn how to manage them.
To get a handle on this subject, we need to start with some definitions. This gives a way to dissect and explain the alternatives. We propose that if we know what causes it, and why they increase, then we can better manage the effects. Let's look at some definitions to help define our subject.
What is Cryptozoology All About?
Crypto is a Latin word for hidden or secret. Zoology is the study of animals. The goal of this study is to learn about how and why animals behave, and their unique relationship to the environment. Cryptozoology is the search for the existence of mythological creatures. It starts with the same intent as science, it simply lacks evidence to support its claims.
Science is a process which uses evidence to find answers. Scientific inquiry often begins with the goal of solving some mystery. Pseudoscience is like science as it provides answers. However, its solutions are based on credible evidence. It uses bad science to support its conclusions. So, it pretends to be scientific, but it is not.
What are Theories and Conspiracies?
A theory is a proposition which explains how or why something works, and it often involves the connection of principle with cause and effect. For instance, the theory of gravity is a proposition which solves the mystery of why things fall.
There are many scientifically based theories which can be hard to understand because they use sophisticated math and statistics. Just because you cannot understand the science behind the science, doesn't mean the theory is wrong. You may not understand the science behind of nuclear fission, but you know it works. Most people do not understand the way wireless technology works either, yet they routinely use a device which uses GPS and wireless
A Conspiracy is a secret agreement with others to engage in unlawful or harmful acts. The insurrection of January 6, 2021 is an example. It was an unlawful act committed by a group to overthrow the US government.
Conspiracy Theory has a new modern meaning. It takes the concept of conspiracy one step farther. It is the belief there is a group of powerful people who are behind the planning or perpetrating of some unlawful activity. Key here is that the conspiracy is illegal. Otherwise, it would be the same as any business strategy.
All the above have one thing in common. They have something to do with mystery.
Science, pseudoscience and cryptozoology are different approaches to solve mysteries. Conspiracy theories create mystery to create controversy and interest.
"At the extremes, it is difficult to distinguish pseudoscience from rigid, doctrinaire religion." — Carl Sagan
Why Pseudoscience and Conspiracies Increase
We experience reality with the mind, not the five senses. What we think is reality is the result of a process. The mind combines sensory input, imagination, memory and programmed thinking and value judgements to create an image. This image is prone to distortions due to stress and harmful social programming.
With the spread of COVID-19, we saw an increase in stress related medical problems. We know high levels of stress can trigger or cause a variety of illnesses. Stress is also a major cause of perceptual distortions.
"Pseudoscience is like a virus. At low levels, it's no big deal, but when it reaches a certain threshold, it becomes sickening." — Phil Plait
Why Cryptozoology Creatures Sightings Increase
Since 2015, we see an increase in the reports of mysterious phenomena. This increase corresponds to the rise in stress. Two main factors are at the root of this distress, COVID-19 and social conflict. The political turmoil of the US affects not only the US, but the world.
As a result, we have an increase in conspiracy theories, pseudoscience medical advice. There is a marked in increase in UFO reports. This is why cryptozoology creatures sightings like big foot and Yeti (1) are also on the rise.
Gossip spreads quickly today. Talk shows spread gossip to drive ratings. Outrageous and unsubstantiated claims increase their reach and they can charge more for advertising. So, propaganda, misinformation and gossip make them a lot of money.
Why do we allow harmful propaganda to be posed as news? It all came about when President Regan rolled back the Fairness Doctrine, which made broadcasters provide contrasting views of any public service and political messages. Congress back this policy from 1954 to the 1970s.
The FCC called it the Fairness Doctrine single most important requirement for media broadcasters. The FCC saw how media was used by Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Here, media companies promoted right wing political views. It gave license to broadcasters to use propaganda, misinformation and gossip. They could call political propaganda news and get away with it.
This lack of legislation paved the way for pseudoscience and conspiracies to thrive. Right-wing conservatives followed the recipe of the Nazi Party. They raised the flag of patriotism and cherry picked the Bible to make America great again. They did not hide their plan they copied it word-for-word from Nazi propaganda, because it works.
Why are Scientific Discoveries Overlooked?
As natural habits shrink, we are discovering new species. In the last few years, several interesting creatures have been verified. Yet they do not get the attention they deserve. The list of these rare creatures includes The Hero Shrew, Mandolfi's Four-Eyed Opossum, The Annamite Striped Rabbit and the Khasian Leaf-Nosed Bat. The number of new species in the insect world has given us a bounty of new butterflies, beetles and other creepy crawlies.
There are even new primates such as the Arunachal Macaque and Caqueta Titi Monkeys. The only reason they were discovered is because their habits were so small they were designated as endangered ecosystems. (2)
Cryptozoology creatures sightings do not get the attention they used to. Many people think the lack of attention is because these creatures lack significant cultural myths. There has not been enough time for the culture to create myths like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. These creatures may have been sighted before, but these were discounted as the misidentification of known species.
"Anyone who thinks cryptozoology is the study of the impossible has never really taken a very good look at the so-called natural world. Once you get past the mega-mouth sharks, naked mole rats, and spotted hyenas, then the basilisks, dragons, and cuckoos just don't seem that unreasonable. Unpleasant, yes, but unreasonable? Not really." — Mira Grant
There is a line between science and pseudoscience. Pseudoscience starts with the assumption these creatures exist. Then it sets out to find the proof. Science considers the possibility of rare species and how to find them. The difference is not believing until you actually have proof. Because belief taints your ability to collect data.
Conspiracy Theories are Not Harmless
The modern-day conspiracy theory is a tactic used to cause doubt and confusion. It often contains other fallacies. One of the most famous is the theory spun by the Trump campaign of 2015. The conspiracy made allegations of sex crimes against Hillary Clinton (3).
The absurd assertion was that she was the head of child porn ring being run out of a basement under the pizzeria in Washington. (4) This followed the release of WikiLeaks of email from Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. James Alefantis was a Democratic party supporter and owner of Comet Ping-pong Pizzeria in Washington. Alefantis appeared in Podesta emails as a supporter and fundraiser.
From the above thread, supporters of Donald Trump spun the story. They then spread it through Cambridge Analytica (5) who had breached Facebook's 87 million fan base. Using a variety of different sources on social networks, they magnified the story so that it would increase doubt in Hillary Clinton. Cambridge Analytica had an industry reputation for being able to sway elections in 3rd world countries and they proved they could do the same with larger populations. Using propaganda to sway an election is a Federal Crime.
What is strange about this story is that 4 out 5 Trump supporter still believe this story. And, 2 out 10 Republicans not affiliated with Trump believe the story "could be" true.
Pseudoscience and Conspiracies are harmful to the stability of any culture. The gullible are easily influenced, and they spread doubt within their circles of influence. They claim is it harmless and comforting to believe they are in the group who holds this truth.
"It is no defense of superstition and pseudoscience to say that it brings solace and comfort to people. If solace and comfort are how we judge the worth of something, then consider that tobacco brings solace and comfort to smokers; alcohol brings it to drinkers; drugs of all kinds bring it to addicts; the fall of cards and the run of horses bring it to gamblers; cruelty and violence bring it to sociopaths. Judge by solace and comfort only and there is no behavior we ought to interfere with." — Isaac Asimov
We know why cryptozoology creatures sightings increase and we know why pseudoscience and conspiracies increase. These are symptoms of a culture which has lost control of rational thought and common sense guidelines.
(1) Conspiracy Theories and Their Societal Effects During the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/19485506211000217
(2) The truth is out there: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4121952/
(3) Pseudoscience and conspiracy theory are not victimless crimes against science: https://theconversation.com/pseudoscience-and-conspiracy-theory-are-not-victimless-crimes-against-science-42630
(4) The saga of Pizzagate, The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38156985
(5) Cambridge Analytica: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica
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text:
Total of 50 Pages: previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Page 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 next
Statistics Ecological Niche Prediction
Show column: Ecology Types
Scrophulariaceae Penstemon caespitosus Nutt. ex A. Gray var. desertipicti (A. Nelson) N.H. Holmgren
"painted mat beardtongue"
View full record: Accession 13572 W. Fertig (24031)
30 June 2008 Pausaugunt Plateau, tributary canyon S of Red Canyon draining N side of Thunder Mountain, ca 1 mile S of UT Hwy 12 and 7 air miles WNW of Ruby's Inn. United States
View full record: Accession 06053 Donna M. Barnes (2017)
19 June 2001 Highway 89, 0.5 mile S of mile marker 108, [W of the Sevier River, ca. 4 miles N of Long Valley Junction];
37° 32' 7" N, 112° 29' 12" W. 7144 ft. United States
Kane County
View full record: Accession 10630 R. Van Buren (1083)
with J. Cooper Paunsaugunt Plateau, southern base of The Pine Hills, N side of Utah Highway 12, at the junction with FR 087;
37° 42' 16.08" N, 112° 11' 51.9" W. 7637 ft. United States
Scrophulariaceae Penstemon caespitosus Nutt. ex A. Gray var. perbrevis (Pennell) N.H. Holmgren
"short-leaf mat beardtongue"
14 June 2007 [East Tavaputs Plateau], Book Cliffs, Seep Ridge, Seep Ridge Road;
39° 34' 21" N, 109° 23' 34" W. 7210 ft. United States
Uintah County
14 June 2007 Book Cliffs, Seep Ridge Road.
Scrophulariaceae Penstemon caespitosus Nutt. ex A. Gray var. suffruticosus A. Gray
"Tushar Mountains beardtongue"
with K.T. Harper, R. Jolley Tropic Reservoir, W of Bryce Canyon National Park, rocky W facing slope above mudflats surrounding lake.
09 August 2006 Sevier Plateau, Cottonwood Creek, Rd 125.
37° 54' 25" N, 112° 11' 34" W. 10003 ft. United States
Scrophulariaceae Penstemon carnosus Pennell
"fleshy beardtongue"
View full record: Accession 10935 J.G. Harris (3814)
21 May 2005 San Rafael Swell, at the Wedge Overlook.
39° 5' 50" N, 110° 45' 6" W. 6281 ft. United States
Emery County
View full record: Accession 09428 D.M. Barnes (3890)
with K.T. Harper Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument, Burr trail road at boundary between Capitol Reef National Park and EGSNM, at beginning of pavement.
with P. Lesica United States
Enlarged map available.
Click on a dot to view that record.
Round dots represent accessions with exact positional data. Squares represent accession
positions estimated from legal coordinates (township, range & section).
Download this map to
Download search results as (use right-click/save target as...): Darwin Core/DIGIR XML, GARP.csv or DIVA-GIS.txt.


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text:
Prince's love of sports, from high school roundball to Paisley Park ping-pong
by Hanna Bubser · September 26, 2018
Prince Contributors 3
Prince applauds at the French Open in 2014. (PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)
Prince loved a good pair of heels. He was often found sporting them on stage or in public, along with his famously outlandish wardrobe. But occasionally he preferred sneakers over heels — so as not to scratch up the gym floor.
During his time at Bryant Junior High and into his years at Minneapolis's Central High School, Prince was thought of as something of a basketball star. Standing 5-feet-2-inches tall, he was definitely on the shorter side for the sport, but that didn't seem to faze him.
Friends remember students cheering Prince's name as the point guard made his way onto the court. "I really believe [basketball] was his first love," coach Al Nuness told the Associated Press in 2016. "He was very small. But he was quick. He could handle the ball and he could penetrate and he could dish."
Because of those formative teenage years, it should come as no surprise that Prince forged relationships with professional basketball teams later on in his life. In 2015, after the Minnesota Lynx won the WNBA championship, Prince invited the whole team to Paisley Park, where he played a three-hour celebration show. The players were treated to nonstop music, although, in classic Prince fashion, it didn't start until 12:30 a.m.
As for visual evidence of the legend himself dribbling the ball, it's limited. In 2000, Prince collaborated with songwriter/rapper David "DVS" Schwartz (who toured as a member of Fonky Bald Heads on Prince's Hit N Run Tour) and Kip Blackshire (formerly of New Power Generation) on a song called "Daisy Chain." The music video features footage of Prince playing basketball with DVS and Blackshire, and is the only widely released video recording of him playing basketball. It can be difficult to find this video on the internet due to copyright issues, which make his on-court skills seem all the more elusive.
However, many people have vouched for Prince's athletic ability. One of the best-known people to do so was the late comedian Charlie Murphy. In 2004, Murphy recalled a 1985 interaction with Prince for a segment called "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories" on Chappelle's Show, on which he was a cast member and writer.
In the sketch, Chappelle portrays Prince in an epic basketball battle against Murphy and his friends. Prince's team won, of course, and the musician ended the night by serving everyone blueberry pancakes. Prince made an image of Chappelle in costume for the sketch the cover art for his single "Breakfast Can Wait" in 2013.
The musician definitely had a way of making impressions on teams, especially in Minnesota. The Wild presented Prince with his own official jersey in 2004, and today at the Xcel Energy Center there is a permanent display honoring the musician, complete with a replica of said jersey. In 2016, the team responded to popular demand and changed their goal song — the tune that plays every time the team scores a point — from Joe Satriani's "Crowd Chant" to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy."
In 2017, longtime collaborator and friend Sheila E. told The Current that she and Prince bonded over sports. "That was one of the great connections [Prince] and I had together," she said as she prepared to return to Minneapolis for an outdoor concert during Super Bowl LII festivities. "I was very competitive and I'd always compete with him about basketball, football, Ping-Pong, pool." The two of them would make bets on professional teams as well: "You know, what team was going to win in the Super Bowl. We would bet on things."
Prince liked a winner, but he nonetheless embraced his often luckless hometown heroes. In 2010, he wrote a song for the Minnesota Vikings: "Purple and Gold." He recorded it at Paisley Park one night after attending the NFC Divisional Playoff, where the Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys. The song was streamed on the Vikings' website but is not available in wide release.
In a 2017 interview, Robyne Robinson told The Current about getting a call from Prince about a song he wanted her to debut on KMSP, where she worked as a news anchor. "I'm really psyched by Vikings football," said Prince, Robinson recalled. "It was amazing: the crowd, the sound, the game. I wrote a song, and I want you to play it."
"You're expecting this slamming bass line," Robinson remembered about her expectations. "It's going to be amazing and people are going to be singing this the whole Super Bowl. It's going to be a jam, a massively, funky jam!" Instead, "Purple and Gold" turned out to be a tepid ballad.
"That was not the seminal song for Prince," said Robinson. "But you know, he did love sports, he loved this town. He loved everything about it, and so give him an 'E' for effort on that one."
A sampling of the lyrics: "Raise every voice and let it be known / In the name of the purple and gold / We come in the name of the purple and gold / All of the odds are in our favor / No prediction too bold." Unfortunately, the song didn't have magical powers. That year, the Vikings would go on to lose the NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints.
Prince also made himself comfortable in the spectator's seat at many professional sports. For example, at the 2014 French Open, Prince watched Rafael Nadal defeat Dusan Lajovic from the sidelines. On the surface, this sounds pretty normal. But with Prince involved, nothing ever is. Prince watched the tennis match while holding a silver scepter, and images of his regal presence instantly went viral.
More than any other sport, though, throughout his life ping-pong energized Prince as a participant. He battled his band 3RDEYEGIRL (according to drummer Hannah Ford Welton, he was "ridiculous at ping-pong!"), he defeated Michael Jackson and Jimmy Fallon, and even won against Zooey Deschanel's character in an episode of New Girl. On some tours of Paisley Park today, you can channel your inner sports star and hit a few volleys on Prince's own table.
This article was produced as a part of a collaboration between The Current and The Growler, a monthly craft beer lifestyle magazine covering the best stories in beer, food, and culture. Find this article online and in print in the October edition of The Growler.
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Kathy key fitzpatrick
What a colossal loss. So sadly unnecessary. I mean, damn, how many times does this have to happen before our best and brightest musical brain trusts realize, really comprehend that they, too, are mere humans, and as such, fallible and susceptible to all the dangers and pitfalls that we all are. Did none of the friends, associates and other hangers not care enough about him to sound the alarm? That's REALLY sad.
Sheikh Yerbouti
He was his own man unfortunately, and too isolated.
OLIVIA CAMRON
He was murdered. It was intentional.


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Evidence for early dispersal of domestic sheep into Central Asia
Taylor, William Timothy Treal
Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;
Posth, Cosimo
Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Max Planck Society;
Spengler, Robert
Hermes, Taylor
Stahl, Raphaela
Douka, Katerina
Warinner, Christina
Taylor, W. T. T., Pruvost, M., Posth, C., Rendu, W., Krajcarz, M. T., Abdykanova, A., et al. (2021). Evidence for early dispersal of domestic sheep into Central Asia. Nature Human Behaviour, 5, 1169-1179. doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01083-y.
Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0009-6E16-4
The development and dispersal of agropastoralism transformed the cultural and ecological landscapes of the Old World, but little is known about when or how this process first impacted Central Asia. Here, we present archaeological and biomolecular evidence from Obishir V in southern Kyrgyzstan, establishing the presence of domesticated sheep by ca. 6,000 BCE. Zooarchaeological and collagen peptide mass fingerprinting show exploitation of Ovis and Capra, while cementum analysis of intact teeth implicates possible pastoral slaughter during the fall season. Most significantly, ancient DNA reveals these directly dated specimens as the domestic O. aries, within the genetic diversity of domesticated sheep lineages. Together, these results provide the earliest evidence for the use of livestock in the mountains of the Ferghana Valley, predating previous evidence by 3,000 years and suggesting that domestic animal economies reached the mountains of interior Central Asia far earlier than previously recognized.


text:
class DeploymentJob < ApplicationJob
  include ApplicationHelper

  queue_as :default
  workers 5

  # OPTIMIZE THIS HEAVILY FOR SPEED!!!
  # this is what will take long when synchronizing

  #TODO: move logic into model! this job is hard to test

  def perform(opts={})
    mongo_id = opts['mongo_id'] || opts[:mongo_id]
    raise 'mongo_id required' unless mongo_id

    doc = DeploymentMongo.find(mongo_id)
    raise "mongo_id not found" if doc.nil?
    puts "DOC: #{doc}" ###

    # now fetch all configured fields from doc
    # 1.) if there's a xpath path expression to fetch it -> use it
    # 2.) look into /
    # 3.) look anywhere
    # this works like an OR expression: (technically: UNION -> Array -> [1], first only)
    # (//bookstore/book/title | //bookstore/city/zipcode/title)[1]
    # note that nokogiri currently supports XPath 1.0 only

    # static / required attributes
    application_name = get_application_name(opts)
    application = Application.find_or_create_by(name: application_name)

    environment_name = xml.at_xpath("/deployment/environment").try(:text) || "unknown"
    environment = Environment.find_or_create_by(name: environment_name)

    deployment = Deployment.new(
      application: application,
      environment: environment
    )

    doc.extract_to(deployment)

    # finally we've got everything we need
    deployment.save!

    # also trigger statistics update
    # -> how many deployments in which environment (_group)
    # -> dployments timeline
  end
end


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Elisabeth Moss says The Handmaid's Tale TV show is not a feminist story
Author Margaret Atwood has responded in the best way
By Hannah Dunn
There aren't many works of fiction that have quite so powerfully portrayed what could happen to a world that doesn't value women as beings, as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.
But at a panel following one of the first screenings of the highly anticipated Handmaid's Tale TV adaptation at the Tribeca Film Festival , the show's star Elisabeth Moss sparked controversy by denying the show's feminist storyline.
After being asked about similarities between the main character Offred and her famous Mad Men character Peggy Olson, Moss said: "Honestly, for me, it's not a feminist story. It's a human story because women's rights are human rights.
"I never intended to play Peggy as a feminist; I never intended to play Offred as a feminist. They're women and they are humans. Offred's a wife, a mother, a best friend.
"She has a job, and she is a person who is not supposed to be a hero she falls into it and she kind of does what she has to do to survive to find her daughter.
"It's about love, honestly, so much of this story. For me, I never approach anything with any sort of political agenda. I approach it from a very human place, I hope."
But straight after the screening, Twitter was awash with complaints from journalists, questioning Moss' take on the book, which is undeniably held up as one of the greatest pieces of feminist literature ever written.
The story, which famously portrays an alternative future where women are stripped of any belongings, rights or even a personality, and instead are used and abused for their reproductive abilities, was groundbreaking when it was released 32 years ago and has become a timeless classic, that scarily feels all the more relatable in 2017.
So it's unsurprising that it didn't take long before the book's author Margaret Atwood responded to the furore, writing: ""Calm, calm... I know what they meant. (I think. Though I wasn't there.) They meant 'Everyone is in this story.' And that is true.
"When you DJ the real world (as book and series do) you can't help coming up with something that can be called Feminism... Though, I always want to know if the person means 'Feminism Hiss Boo' or 'Feminism Yay Cheer'. Because both exist, as you know. Our cast is definitely 'Yay Cheer'."
Adding: "They are actors. Not writers. Not word folk. They wanted to be inclusive: i.e. everyone's caught up in it. As we are."
1. Calm, calm... I know what they Meant (I think. Though I wasn't there.) They Meant "Everyone is in this story." And that is true. https://t.co/qd2kEBl6BW
— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) April 23, 2017
2. When you DJ the real world (as book + series do) you can't help coming up with something that can be called Feminism... tho I always.. https://t.co/qd2kEBl6BW
3.. want to know if the person means Feminism Hiss Boo or Feminism Yay Cheer.
Because both exist, as you know. Our cast is def. Yay Cheer. https://t.co/qd2kEBl6BW
4. So it's All Okay. Fear not. https://t.co/qd2kEBl6BW
5. Calm, calm... be kind. They are actors. Not writers. Not wordfolk. They wanted to be inclusive: ie everyone's caught up in it. As we are. https://t.co/SOWCALv9ll
And while Moss is of course right, The Handmaid's Tale is as much a tale about a terrifying loss of human rights – we see quite clearly what happens to men who overstep the new order too – as it is about women's rights, to dilute the power of The Handmaid's Tale as a feminist story, feels like a dangerous message to pass on in 2017. Frankly, we need The Handmaid's Tale more so than ever.
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text:
2016 Elections, Border, Economy, Immigration, Law, News, Politics, Security, Video
April 19, 2017 CJ
First Illegal Alien 'DREAMer' Sent Back to Native Mexico Under Trump
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection sent a self-identified illegal alien with criminal convictions back to a family member's home in Mexico on Tuesday, according to media reports.
USA Today reports that Juan Manuel Montes, 23, is the first illegal alien who applied for temporary protection from lawful deportation to be sent back home after President Donald Trump assumed office. Montes first arrived in the U.S. at nine years old, and applied for a deportation stay under Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), twice.
"Court records show he has four convictions: one for shoplifting in January 2016, and three for driving without a license, most recently three months ago," the outlet reports."
DHS: USA Today Got Its Big Scoop On Deported 'DREAMer' Totally Wrong
|| Daily Caller
"USA Today reported Tuesday that an illegal immigrant protected by Barack Obama's amnesty was deported in February after spending an evening with his girlfriend. However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told The Daily Caller that they have no record of this incident and that Juan Manuel Montes-Bojorquez's amnesty status was terminated.
The USA Today story said that Montes-Bojorquez, 23, was apprehended by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Calexico, Calif while he was waiting for a car ride to pick him up.
According to the article, he told the officers he left his wallet in his friend's car and because he didn't have his ID or proof of his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, he was deported.
David Lapan, a DHS spokesman, orginally told TheDC Tuesday that Bojorquez's DACA status "expired in Aug. 2015."
However, in an updated statement Wednesday, Lapan said: "After a detailed records search, we determined that Juan Manuel Montes-Bojorquez was approved for DACA starting in 2014 and had a DACA expiration date of Jan. 25, 2018. However, Mr. Montes-Bojorquez lost his DACA status when he left the United States without advanced parole on an unknown date prior to his arrest by the U.S. Border Patrol on Feb. 19, 2017."
Montes-Bojorquez' lawyers said that after he was deported on Feb. 18, he subsequently returned to the U.S. after being robbed in Mexico, and shortly thereafter turned himself in to immigration officials.
The DHS spokesman said: "The U.S. Border Patrol has no record of encountering Mr. Montes-Bojorquez in the days before his detention and subsequent arrest for immigration violations on February 19, 2017. There are no records or evidence to support Montes-Bojorquez's claim that he was detained or taken to the Calexico Port of Entry on February 18, 2017."
….Continue reading more @ DailyCaller
Pelosi Accuses Trump of 'Deportation Dragnet of Appalling Inhumanity' After DREAMer with Criminal History Deported
|| TownHall
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a statement Tuesday evening following a USA Today report that the Trump administration had deported its first DREAMer, Juan Manuel Montes, allegedly protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.
"Instead of honoring the protections of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative, President Trump has unleashed an indiscriminate deportation dragnet of appalling inhumanity," Pelosi wrote.
Montes is suing the federal government and the USA Today report is now being disputed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP said Montes' DACA permit expired in August 2015. Montes' lawyers claim he had renewed it in 2016 and it expires in 2018. CBP also pointed out the fact, acknowledged even in USA Today's report, that Montes was convicted of theft and sentenced to probation.
"Court records show he has four convictions: one for shoplifting in January 2016, and three for driving without a license, most recently three months ago," according to USA Today.
Those convictions, however, are not serious enough to disqualify him from DACA protections, USA Today adds, citing the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidelines.
"The Trump Administration is terrorizing patriotic young people who want nothing more than to live, work and contribute to the country they love – the only home they've ever known," Pelosi said in her statement. "These outstanding young men and women are American in every way but on paper.""
….Continue reading @ Townhall
Sessions on Booted DREAMer: 'Everyone Is Subject to Being Deported'
"Attorney General Jeff Sessions is defending the deportation of a four-time convicted illegal immigrant DREAMer who applied for protection under the Obama-era 'Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals' DACA program.
As Breitbart News reported, 23-year-old illegal immigrant Juan Manuel Montes was deported by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after having four criminal convictions, one for shoplifting and three others for driving without a license.
Despite Montes' believing that he was protected as an illegal immigrant under DACA, Sessions told Fox News' Jenna Lee the days of the Obama Administration's lax enforcement are over.
"DACA enrollees are not being targeted, I don't know why this individual was picked up," Sessions said on the case. "Everybody in the country illegally is subject to being deported, so people come here and they stay here a few years and somehow they think they are not subject to being deported – well, they are."
"Our priority is to end the lawlessness at the border, stop the additional flow of illegals into the country, then to prioritize those who have gotten in trouble with the law, recent arrivals, people who have been deported previously, drug dealers and other criminal activists," Sessions said. "They need to be deported first."
"But we can't promise people who are here unlawfully that they aren't going to be deported," Sessions reiterated."
Trump signs bill allowing veterans to seek care outside broken VA system
|| Business Insider
"President Trump signed legislation Wednesday that will dramatically expand a program at the Department of Veterans Affairs that lets patients seek care from private doctors if they want to bypass the troubled VA system.
The Veterans Choice Improvement Act removes barriers that Congress placed around the original "choice" initiative and eliminates an expiration date that would have shuttered the program in August.
Lawmakers created the choice program in 2014 after a massive scandal involving wait time cover-ups at more than 100 VA facilities around the country. It was initially structured as a two-year pilot program that limited when and where veterans could choose to see private doctors. Patients could only use the choice program if they lived more than 40 miles from the nearest VA hospital or if they could not get an appointment from their local VA facility within 30 days.
The choice program has proven controversial since its inception three years ago. Critics have questioned whether increasing veterans' reliance on private doctors might move the VA toward privatization, while proponents of such efforts have accused the VA of resisting steps to implement the program in order to protect the status quo.
"Extending the Choice Program is the right thing to do, but only as a stopgap measure until better solutions are developed and implemented," said Dan Caldwell, policy director at CVA. "Reauthorizing the Choice Act buys Congress some time to work with Secretary [David] Shulkin on broader choice reforms that will truly empower veterans with the ability to seek care outside the VA when they want to."
….Continue reading more @ BusinessInsider
Tucker, Cuban Battle Over Whether Choosing Foreign Workers Over American Workers Is Good for Economy
|| Youtube | Tucker Carlson
"Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "Tucker Carlson Tonight," host Tucker Carlson and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban battled over the H1-B visa and its usefulness for the United States economy.
Cuban argued that a business bringing in the best applicants from around the world is actually good for the American economy, while Tucker noted that people who get beat out for jobs just remain unemployed and get on disability insurance."
……See more @ Breitbart
O'Reilly out at Fox News
|| theHill
"Fox News host Bill O'Reilly will not return to the network, 21st Century Fox announced Wednesday.
"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," the network said in a statement.
Reports emerged this week that 21st Century Fox was leaning toward ousting O'Reilly in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
New York Magazine's Gabriel Sherman reported hours earlier that Fox News had decided to oust O'Reilly and execs were in talks about how to end the relationship without causing collateral damage to the network."
….Continue reading @theHill
DACA recipientsDreamer deportationMark CubantheHillVA
Previous PostHillary Spied on Staff Emails | Apr 19, 2017Next PostFacebook Has the Highest Percentage of H-1B's of any High Tech Company in U.S. | Apr 20, 2017


text:
What is Jurassic Mainframe?
Jurassic Mainframe is a fansite dedicated to all things Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. This includes the movies themselves, the novels, comics, merchandise, video games, and more! The website is community run by dedicated fans who love this franchise and dinosaurs with all their hearts. It exists to provide a haven for discussion, excitement, and sharing for the Jurassic fandom. The primary focus of the site is its bustling forum, where the heart of discussion and information sharing exists. This is where the website began and continues to grow from, but our aspirations are higher than just that of being a forum! We intend to keep growing and expanding the site to encompass as much as possible, from being a source of general Jurassic news to providing information on the franchise itself. And nothing helps fuel those aspirations more than people like you, who visit the site and make it worthwhile! We hope you'll continue to support our website and, if you haven't yet, join the forums and become part of the discussion yourself!
A History Lesson
There was once a website called Jurassic Park Legacy that served as the Jurassic Park fandom's main hub of activity. In 2012, creator and owner of Jurassic Mainframe, Pokesaurus, created a basic version of Mainframe to serve as a backup in the event Jurassic Park Legacy were to be shut down. At that time, Jurassic Mainframe went by the name of "Jurassic Park Legends" and wasn't very well put together as it was hoped its existence would ultimately be unnecessary. Later that year, Jurassic Park Legends changed its name to Jurassic Park Fiction, but was otherwise still mostly the same as before, and would remain that way until June of 2016.
In early June 2016, it was announced that Jurassic Park Legacy would be shutting down. In the wake of this announcement, Pokesaurus and other remaining Jurassic Park Legacy staff members knew it was time to get Jurassic Mainframe back online to serve as the new home for the Jurassic community. Within the final hours of Jurassic Park Legacy's operation, this website was opened up and advertised as Jurassic Park Portal. Immediately, work began on preserving as much of Jurassic Park Legacy as possible and ensuring there was a smooth transition between sites. More and more work was done to make the website even better, and towards the end of 2016 the name of the site was changed one final time from Jurassic Park Portal to Jurassic Mainframe.
From that point onward, not much major changed or happened until Fall of 2017. With the announcement of the Frontier Developments video game Jurassic World Evolution and the first trailer for the film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom dropped, the wheels of change began turning again from that point on. The site has grown tremendously in the past two years and we staff here are excited to see what the future holds for both this site and the fandom, and we hope that you are too, whether you're a long time member or a prospective member who hasn't yet made an account and joined (we hope you do)!


A water view room at the Caribbean Beach Resort doesn't offer the same advantages of a water view room at the Polynesian. The Polynesian is a deluxe resort on the monorail, and is situated in very close proximity to the Magic Kingdom. The Caribbean Beach Resort, on the other hand, is a moderate resort, and as such, it isn't situated very close to any particular theme park. A water view room at the Caribbean Beach Resort will guarantee that your room won't overlook a dingy dumpster, but it won't offer a fireworks view. You'll have a view of a body of water of some sort, and in some cases that body of water is a swimming pool.
I've had the pleasure of staying at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, in a standard view room. While I can see the benefits of shelling out the extra cash for a water view room at the Polynesian, I can't say that I'd be inclined to pay extra for a view of a swimming pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Whichever way you choose to go, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay; Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is truly a great property!


All holders of a driver's licence.
Holders wishing to report a change in their state of health can do so in one of the following ways, depending on the situation.
send a letter providing the required information by regular mail to the Service de l'évaluation médicale et suivi du comportement of the Société.
Depending on the type of health condition reported, the Société may add conditions to the driver's licence or require that the holder undergo a medical or an eye examination.
A medical certificate may be required.
In the case of a change to a licence holder's state of health, he or she must notify the Société within 30 days of the change.
the vehicle licence plate number.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This number gives access to certain services (except for the change of address) outside the hours of operation through an automated interactive voice response system.


text:
Posted on February 16, 2018 March 2, 2018 by Derrick Engoy in Culture, Depression, Guns, Life, love
Bottom line: lives matter!!!
The fact that we've already had 30 mass shootings in our country, this year alone (it's only February 16th), should tell us that something needs to be done. I, personally, wouldn't bear arms, but that doesn't mean I'm against the 2nd Amendment entirely. I believe every American should have that right, but the type of arms that citizens bear should be seriously questioned.
Hand gun? Shot gun? Sure.
But a semi-automatic? Why? Why would any civilian need such high capacity fire arms?
The whole debate on gun control really isn't about eliminating guns altogether. It's about regulating what kinds of fire arms citizens can bear.
And, when you think about it, changing amendments isn't a new concept. Amendments have been changed since the Constitution was signed more than 2,000 years ago.
In 1787, only white men over 21 could vote, and the President could serve for as long as he was elected. But the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, said that no citizen's vote could be taken away because of his race or color or because he was once a slave. In 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, giving slaves their freedom. Nine years later this amendment gave citizens of all races the right to vote. It was a start in giving blacks full equality with whites.
After the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, all women in the U.S. were allowed to vote. In 1787, men were always considered head of the household. Only they could vote. But women were becoming better educated. By 1848, they were working together to gain voting rights. Lawmakers were finally convinced 72 years later that women could vote as intelligently as men.
The 22nd Amendment limits a president to two terms in office. George Washington started the presidential tradition of serving for two four-year terms. However, President Franklin Roosevelt, who was elected four terms in a row, was the first to break with this tradition. Many Americans thought that his four terms had allowed him to become too powerful. This national feeling helped get this amendment ratified in 1951.
The 26th Amendment was passed in 1971, and it gave people 18 to 20 years old the right to vote. The national voting age had been 21.
The U.S. Constitution is known as "a living document" for a reason. Though it may seem like a dry piece of paper, it really is designed to live and grow as the nation grows.
Even the Founding Fathers knew it might have to change with the times based on Article Five; which states, "The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses [the House and the Senate] shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution . . ." States were also given a chance to propose changes, or amendments. Three-fourths of the states have to approve the amendment for it to become law.
Bottom line: in the past 200 years, the Constitution has been amended 27 times and it wouldn't be without precedent or too outlandish for us to reconsider our 2nd Amendment right and rethink the types of arms we're allowed to bear.
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Rancho Cucamonga: Gunman arrested after shooting at woman during attempted carjacking at gas station
By ABC7.com staff
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- Authorities have arrested a suspect accused of opening fire on a woman's vehicle after attempting to carjack her at a gas station in Rancho Cucamonga.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced Saturday that 38-year-old Highland resident Orlando Frank Mancilla was arrested on charges for attempted carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to the department, the incident occurred shortly before 12:25 a.m. Friday at a 76 station in the 6700 block of Carnelian Avenue. The suspect approached the vehicle as the woman was pumping gas.
"The male attempted to open the driver's door and told the victim to get out of the car," a sheriff's statement said. "The victim put her vehicle in reverse and drove out of the parking lot."
The man then brandished a handgun and fired five rounds at the vehicle, hitting it three times, investigators said. The woman escaped injury.
The gunman walked into the gas station's convenience store, where he was recorded on video surveillance cameras. He then got into a white newer-model Kia Forte sedan and fled south on Carnelian Avenue.
In a surveillance photo released by authorities, the suspect was seen with a bald head and black goatee.
Sheriff's officials said they began receiving calls from members of the public and other law enforcement personnel regarding the identity of the suspect.
On Friday afternoon, investigators identified the suspect as Mancilla, and while officials prepared arrest and search warrants for his residence, officers from the Colton Police Department discovered Mancilla was at the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for unknown reasons. Deputies responded to ARMC and took Mancilla into custody with the assistance of Colton police officers.
Deputies also seized several firearms and a large amount of ammunition inside Mancilla's residence. The items included one AR15 rifle, one AR15 style 22 caliber rifle, one AK47 rifle, one 12-gauge shotgun and one 22 caliber pistol and approximately 100 pounds of various caliber ammunition.
Mancilla's bail was set at $350,000.
rancho cucamongasan bernardino countyshootinggas stationcarjacking


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Homes for Families Inc.
14 Beacon Street, Suite 614
www.homesforfamilies.org
lhayes@homesforfamilies.org
Libby Hayes
Homes for Families is a statewide advocacy organization committed to ending family homelessness through permanent and emergency solutions. We are a collaborative of families who have experienced homelessness, service providers and advocates. Together we educate, organize and advocate for improved public policies to address the root causes of family homelessness with holistic and community-based solutions.
Leadership Development Institute
In 1993, family shelter executives came together with a shared goal to increase advocacy efforts and to include the voices of consumers and service providers – those families that have experienced and are experiencing homelessness and those that work most closely with them – in the efforts to end family homelessness in Massachusetts. In 1994, these pioneers created Homes for Families, an organization committed to the promoting partnerships in the efforts to end family homelessness in the Commonwealth.
Homes for Families has successfully engaged and educated X families through the Leadership Development Program, convened over X shelter providers, and successfully advocated for a X% increase in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. We have also created a unique survey distributed to family shelter programs, and families that reside within them. We aim to identify who is in the shelter system, what supports are currently being provided, and how we can bring them both together. Our goals for the current year are to carry our efforts forward, increasing the number of families, providers and legislators engaing in our advocacy, delivering the survey to assess the shelter stock, and increasing the funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program.
Our organization is in dire need of help with our website and in other technological areas. We are currently working with a group from a technical assistance grant to address some of these needs, but ongoing support would benefit our work. Expanding and stabilizing our fiscal health is another need; we are hoping to increase the number of grants and individual donors that support our efforts.
Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy - Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Housing, Shelter - Alliances & Advocacy
Public & Societal Benefit - Leadership Development
We train and support parents who have experienced homelessness and other low-income parents to advocate for themselves and others. Specific skill building includes: public speaking, facilitation, working with legislators, and agency governance. Families attend, plan and facilitate events along side a "professional" expert to ensure all sides are being accounted for. For example, we met Ciara at a policy training series. She expressed interest in providing testimony at a public hearing, but understandably backed out at the last minute. Because she was so inspired from the training, she asked for another opportunity. This time, she spoke at MRVP Cookie Day. After feeling empowered through her speech, she was confident enough to speak with the media. Ciara then became a Constituent Intern, and has since joined our Consumer Advocacy Team. She helped to facilitate a break out discussion at Visioning Day. In her words, "Everything changed as soon as I got involved with Homes for Families.
Housing, General/Other Housing, General/Other
Families At-Risk Populations Females
By the end of the fiscal year, our goal is to:
Train 400 families through workshops and policy trainings
Have reached over 700 families through events and our survey
Engage 40 families in advanced policy efforts
Have 15 Consumer Advocacy Team Members
8 families sit on our Board of Directors
Long Term success will lead to more low-income families in leadership positions in the nonprofit, private, and public sector. We help to build social and human capital, an avenue for development through personal learnings and networking, in order to level the playing field. So often in low-income communities there is a portrayed cycle of poverty. We aim to break that cycle by providing families with the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to obtain jobs that pay a living wage and stability. Currently, we help families to join our Board of Directors as well as the boards of other organizations; find positions in the field that are relative to their interests and skills desired; enhance their existing skills; and connect them with organizations that can help them meet their immediate and long term goals. While we have yet to achieve our intended result, we know that every year we increase families, recommendations and efforts- and see success in families reflected by that.
Pre and Post Tests
Qualitative Data relative to barriers to self sufficiency as well as entering the EA program
Event attendance
Consumer Advocacy Team efforts
Other advocacy efforts
Ms. Elizabeth Hayes
Libby has a degree in social work and joined the movement to end family homelessness after returning from the Peace Corps in Nicaragua in 2002. She was a member of HFF's Public Policy Committee and an Advocacy Liaison while the Executive Director of Crossroads Family Shelter, finally becoming Executive Director to HFF in 2007. She was awarded the East Boston Times Woman of the Year in 2006 for her involvement in the community and advocacy efforts. She currently serves on the state's advisory boards to the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness, and the Joint Committee on Housing/Homelessness and Sexual Abuse/Domestic Violence and the Department of Transitional Assistance's Boston Offices.
Massachusetts Non Profit Network
Mrs. Gabrielle Vacheress
Feb 2012 -
Nancy Paladino
Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Aug 2013 -
Ms. Rosa Almanzar	 Project Hope	 Voting
Ms. Sarah Bayer	 The Dimock Center	 --
Ms. Alison Bromley	 Family Aid Boston	 Voting
Mr Ed DiSante	 Friends of the Homeless South Shore	 Voting
Ms. Blanca Gomez	 Project Hope	 --
Ms. Tina Goodnow	 Former Homeless Family	 --
Ms. Cicely Jordan	 Father Bill's and Main Spring	 Voting
Ms. Idony Lisle	 Student	 Voting
Ms. Tiffany Payne	 Homeless Family	 Voting
Ms. Laura Rosi	 Housing Families	 --
Ms. Nicole Williams	 Former Homeless Family	 Voting
Other (if specified): Bi-Racial- Native American and Caucasian
Earned Revenue $99,675 $82,754 $20,758
Investment Income, Net of Losses $23 $23 $14
Membership Dues $40,300 $42,550 $23,950
Other -- -- $1,050
Current Liabilities $10,113 $15,243 $14,046
Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities 41.06 8.10 10.88
Financial summary data in the charts and graphs above is per the organization's audited financials. Contributions from foundations and corporations are listed under individuals when the breakout was not available.
Homes for Families ultimate goal is to end family homelessness through the inclusion of families and shelter providers in the policy, decision making and implementation process. We are a membership organization that represents shelters in the Emergency Assistance (EA) program, and our main constituency is made up of families overcoming homelessness- whether they are currently in shelter, have exited shelter, or are at risk of entering shelter. We provide trainings and leadership development opportunities to families and providers in order to ensure they are qualified to take leadership positions within the field, and within decision making positions in organizations, on committees, boards, and in policy.
We are founded on inclusion and diversity, and because of that we inspire- and are well on our way- to be a consumer-led organization. As stated, we represent the voices, experiences and insight of families overcoming homelessness and those who work closest to support them. To ensure that we fully represent them, our efforts are constantly run through our constituents and staff. 50% of our staff has experienced homelessness, as well as 50% of our Board of Directors. The other 50% of our board are currently in middle management positions in the field. This make up helps to guarantee that we are providing our clients with the experience necessary to take their leadership to the next level.
We define long term success through increase in funding towards state programs and policies that are proven to support families in their efforts to achieve stability and permanent housing. We target our efforts towards the state legislature and the Administration- specifically the Department of Housing and Community Development- through participating in hearings, planning informational events, and other advocacy efforts. Specifically, we advocate for increased funding to the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, among other policies and programs relative to homelessness, housing, jobs, and education. We do this by putting a face to the name, a story to the facts. We show how big the need is, and the big changes that come from getting support specific to individual family needs.
Slowly but surely, we are working towards the goal of ending family homelessness. While we do not expect for it to be abolished in 3 - 5 years, we certainly expect our efforts to grow, our voices to be amplifed, and increased funding in programs and policies we target as a result.
Homes for Families was founded on the belief that those who are closest to the problem are best positioned to identify the solutions. Homes for Families exists to structure and promote those solutions, as well as an avenue for increased communication, collaboration and opportunities. Generally, we serve as a leadership pipeline for families.To that end, we perform outreach into shelters in order to educate and empower families to become engaged in, and to amplify and further develop, our advocacy efforts. Upon completion of the policy training series, families are invited to participate in our efforts by speaking at events, interacting with the media and legislators, and/or joining the Consumer Advocacy Team- a group of mothers who have overcome homelessness and now meet monthly to stay engaged. The Consumer Advocacy Team is engaged at every level of our efforts- from planning and executing events, providing insight on state house activities, and facilitating trainings at events and shelters. We also invite families to sit on our Board of Directors to ensure our organization, and not just our advocacy, is being guided by the very people it impacts. We also provide trainings and support to shelter providers to encourage the development, and promote the mutual benefits, of inclusionary practices such as having a consumer team or involving families in organizational practices.
We host three main events every year to engage families, providers, legislators and the greater community. They are as follows:
Visioning Day
MRVP Cookie Day
Boston Legislative Breakfast
Visioning Day kicks off the fiscal year and helps us to analyze efforts and outcomes from the previous fiscal year. This day is where we begin to get a foothold in our recommendations to the Administration. We ask our attendees to vote on issues so we know what to prioritize. We provide breakout discussions and activities to ensure a wide range of information being shared between attendees.
MRVP Cookie Day is a lobby day at the state house intended to help legislators prioritize the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. We feature families who can speak first hand to the devastating effects of homelessness on them and their children, and also to the life changing effects of the MRVP. We deliver house shaped cookies with our funding ask on it to every legislator at the state house.
The Boston Legislative Breakfast acts as a way to engage more personally with legislators. We invite legislators, families and the community to come together as a shelter to collaborate on ways to advocate going forward.
We also hold monthly community meetings to provide information and resources to families, as well as to generate and continue conversations about current and ongoing issues as they relate to homelessness.
Our social media and blog act as another way to communicate with families and providers. Here we share important information and encourage feedback so we can have one more avenue for hearing and sharing insight, questions and concerns.
Each of these efforts work together to create a platform for positive systems change, driven by families and communities.
As stated, we are a membership organization of family shelter providers across the state. To this end, we send out regular membership updates and seek their input on all of our efforts. Our core assets are our experience- having experienced homelessness helps to connect with and gain the trust of families currently experiencing it. Because we are asking families to do more than they are already doing- helping to keep their children afloat- this trust builds a solid foundation that truly proves we are asking them to join our efforts because they have what it takes to make a difference.
Just as we collaborate internally, bringing together a diverse membership to carry out our work, we collaborate externally, working closely with other groups to increase our strength and efficacy. Understanding that HFF cannot end homelessness alone, we look to the broader movement for economic justice, reaching out to organizations fighting for empowerment of women and girls, domestic violence prevention and intervention, housing and tenants rights, and economic justice and welfare rights. For example, we participate in the following coalitions: Welfare Coalition, Building Blocks, and the On Solid Ground Coalition that recently came together to produce a report based on qualitative and quantitative data that provides recommendations to prevent and end family homelessness. We also lead the Housing Solutions Campaign, with over 60 organizations dedicated to increasing the stock of affordable housing. As a membership agency, we rely on our membership of shelter providers as we perform outreach, schedule trainings and workshops, recruit for events, and build momentum in our mission to end family homelessness through the parent perspective.
Changes: More resources will be available to families experiencing homelessness, reducing the length of stay in the state's shelter system and the nightly shelter caseload.
A. We will measure the achievement by tracking the daily motel number and shelter caseload data and the dollar amount of the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, as well as the budget language which mandates service provision and targeting. We monitor the DHCD website to track the EA caseload (motel count and shelter vacancies), weekly caseload data, regular updates on subsidy distribution, and submit Freedom of Information Act requests for additional data that we are not able to access. We use www.mass.gov and Mass Budget Browser to track the state budget spending and language. We create spread sheets and do budget analysis to share information with our constituents. We track legislative support throughout the budget process by constituent led polling, amendment endorsers, and through verbal agreements at meetings and events. We use basic spreadsheets to track this information and determine if we have a critical mass of support and to develop our outreach strategies.
Changes: Families overcoming homelessness will have meaningful roles in advocacy efforts; policy discussions; program activities and governance of HFF; and in the greater homelessness community.
We track both the quantitative and quantitative data relative to the participation and actions of families who have experienced homelessness in the LDI and programs. Each year, we aim to increase the number of families involved in our efforts, and track those efforts through quarterly effort reviews. We report activities and numbers at staff meetings of all staff and CAT activities and actions, as well as compile quarterly and annual lists of all internal and external roles fulfilled by CAT members and LDI participants. We track attendance at trainings, community meetings and events. In addition, we have sign in sheets and evaluation forms at events and activities in order to follow up and engage supporters in diverse ways. Feedback, input, and decisions are written down and used to produced reports, blog posts, and formal input to policy makers.
Changes: Mothers experiencing homelessness re-discover their inherent voice, strength and power and are active leaders in the movement to end homelessness and towards social justice.
We track both the quantitative and qualitative data relative to the participation, actions and reflections of constituents of the Leadership Development Institute. We use basic surveys and/or pre and post tests to assess knowledge and other outcomes of our workshops and trainings. This way, we have a sense of our outreach, engagement, and the leadership of participants when they enter the LDI compared to their graduation at any point along the pipeline. We also collect stories; often the tone, words, themes and rhythm of stories reflect an increase of hope, self certainty, and feelings of involvement and power after becoming engaged with the LDI. We use self evaluation questionnaires with the CAT team to gather data about their knowledge and skills, levels of confidence, and sense of impact. Individual and group roles and goals are also compiled, established, and used in planning and evaluation on a semi-annual basis. However, it is the informal conversations, celebrating successes, supporting through challenges, laughter, commitment and dedication of the parents to supporting one another and empowering those currently facing homelessness that is the most gratifying and inspirational.
We are always working towards growing our constituency, and employ many different efforts to ensure an increase in family inclusion. This year at Cookie Day, we asked for sponsors to help us cover the costs of a larger event space, transportation, and stipends for families. While we usually provide stipends, we do not ask for sponsorships or aim to provide and coordinate transportation. Because of increased interest, and because we held a Lieutenant Governor Candidate Forum, we expected that we would need assistance- and would need to assist- in the assumed increase in attendance. This event was our biggest one to date. We had over 300 attendees, including two bus loads of families and providers that traveled from Western Massachusetts.
We have been successful in making steady increases in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. Between FY12 and FY14, we saw a 54.7% increase, resulting in thousands of vouchers for families. We aim for full restoration of the program at $120 million. Currently funded at $60 million, we firmly believe this goal is a possibility given its proven success. We will continue to advocate for this funding as it is the number one priority as identified by families year after year.
We have also been charged with a new initiative to identify who is in the family shelter system, what services are being offered, and how we can better assess both to ensure proper supports and services.
Obstacles are always the perception of homeless people, and the politics that surround it. With a new Administration, we cannot be sure how Governor Baker and his team will react to our recommendations, or our previous and ongoing efforts. We have had a meeting with him through a coaltion called "On Solid Ground" and he seems supportive of our approach, but it is too soon to tell.
We recognize that without collaboration and buy in from the community, we cannot succeed. Because of that, we are required to reach out to like minded people and organizations to bring them into our efforts. While this is a strength, it is a hard feat to bring our diverse constituents into our efforts, let alone agree on a final recommendation. We have begin to overcome this through transparency and trust.


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Q: How do I stop gdal_polygonize from connecting polygons completely? I have a grib2 file that I am polygonizing using the command :
gdal_polygonize.py in.grib2 --float -q -f "geoJSON"  out.json layer fieldname

This works fine but it is merging polygons of the same value. How do I stop it from doing this?
I see a "connectedness" parameter in the gdal documentation, but I am not positive this is what I need. Just in case, I tried it anyway like so (set to zero) :
gdal_polygonize.py -0 in.grib2 --float -q -f "geoJSON"  out.json layer fieldname
However, this gives me a usage warning. I cannot put "-0" anywhere in the command without a usage warning, or any other number for that matter. Am I on the right track or am I missing something?

A: You can't stop gdal_polygonize from connecting polygons. Connected pixels with the same value will always be output as a single polygon, not individual polygons.
From the documentation (emphasis mine):

This utility creates vector polygons for all connected regions of pixels in the raster sharing a common pixel value.

You can't even modify the python code as the C++ algorithm (GDALPolygonize()) it is based on is what is connecting the pixels.
An alternative using QGIS is to use the Vector Creation -> Raster Pixels to Polygons processing tool which will not join connected pixels.

Note: make sure you don't use the GDAL -> Raster Conversion -> Polygonize (raster to vector) processing tool in QGIS , it uses gdal_polygonize behind the scenes.


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Lifestyle / Arts + Culture / Hello, world! FAME+ is now up and running
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Hello, world! FAME+ is now up and running
Published October 23, 2020, 7:00 AM
by AA Patawaran
It's the grandest showroom of the best and the brightest—and the latest—in Philippine design and crafts
"What we present to you is the first step into our digital future," said Pauline Suaco-Juan, executive director of the Center for International Trade, Expositions, and Missions (CITEM), at the launch of Fame+, Manila Fame's new digital trade community platform that connects Filipino artisans to a wider global audience. It's a milestone in the 35-year history of Manila FAME as an international trade show and also in the history of promoting the Philippines as a design brand.
Pauline Suaco-Juan
INTO A NEW FRONTIER
"One of the most challenging aspects of this endeavor has been the digitization of CITEM itself, of the Manila Fame team and our stakeholders in terms of strategy, work processes, and support system, including manpower and technology. To be quite honest, there's still a lot to be learned, a lot of training to undergo, a lot of tweaks that need to be applied to the site itself," adds Pauline. "But I am beyond proud to have shown you the product of two year's planning, design, and build."
Already, Fame+, which went live on Oct. 22, is a single mighty stride into a new frontier, into a bigger world. Representing the digital shift and evolution of Manila Fame as a champion of Filipino creativity, the new site transforms the once bi-annual physical event, in which designers, artisans, and entrepreneurs would interact with buyers and enthusiasts, into a platform accessible anytime (24/7!), anywhere on the planet. And because it is a borderless space, there is so much more room for Filipino creatives and manufacturers and their crafts to showcase themselves to a much wider online community.
What's more, Fame+ looks good. "I was browsing through the website and I have to say: Fameplus.com is #legit," said Rep. Toff de Venecia, who was among the speakers at the launch. "It's chic. The feel is upbeat. The stories are compelling. And the writing is impeccable. Overall, it's a mood. This year's digital migration of Manila Fame has given us validation that the government is moving in the right direction, not only in our pivot toward online and the 4th Industrial Revolution, but also with pursuing a creative industry agenda for our nation. I dare say this because it feels like we are finally looking at these growth areas from a more grounded perspective."
24/7 VIRTUAL SHOWROOM
But more than a digital version of the trade show, Fame+ is in fact a whole new world, where exhibitors can be onboarded just as easily as buyers can register and even make their transactions. What's more, it has great features, such as the online magazine Touchpoint, where stories and content are shared for both information and inspiration. There will be digital events, focused on information, creativity, and entertainment, to keep users engaged.
The benefits of joining Fame+, according to CITEM," include the 24/7 year-round promotion of products in a virtual showroom, a digital storefront for each exhibitor, complimentary digital content production and curation for 100 exhibitors, one-on-one consultations with product development specialists, and access to forecasts and industry insights to keep stakeholders updated on the latest trends. The website also has messaging and conferencing features to connect exhibitors with buyers and other brands and manufacturers. CITEM will allow exporters to build their online presence and enjoy these benefits at no initial cost until October 2021."
Ramon Lopez
"Fame+ is set to complement the export promotion initiatives of CITEM and take it a notch further on the digital sphere," said DTI undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman, who opened the launch program, along with Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, who delivered the keynote speech. "This platform will give our MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) a brand-new way of promoting their stories and craftsmanship that they wouldn't normally be able to do in a physical trade show."
Our lofty ambition, is to build a home for our home, fashion, and lifestyle community, so that the whole world may find them, and connect with them, online.
—Pauline Suaco Juan
STORYTELLING IS ESSENTIAL
Storytelling, to Pauline, is among the foremost tools with which to navigate the world. One of the most respected pioneers of magazine publishing in the Philippines, she once likened her new medium at CITEM to a magazine page: Each booth at a trade fair is a page in a magazine full of stories. "If there is one thing we are bringing with us into this aforementioned digital future, it's the conviction that storytelling is the best way to promote excellent products," she said. "We designed Fame+'s product catalogue to work hand in hand with Touchpoint, where we are able to tell the stories of the materials, techniques, traditions, and people that make these products possible."
Works of the designers under PH x Tokyo
Fame+ is only one among the many things CITEM has in store for the Philippine creative economy. Also launched along with the digital site are many other projects and programs such as Design Commune, a pilot program that tries to reimagine the process of product development and prototyping, and PH x Tokyo, a design incubation and mentorship program, where 10 young Filipino designers have been chosen to break into the very discerning Japanese market. Also launched was ITIM: Material Manipulations in Black. "It was supposed to be our presentation in Milan Design Week," explained Pauline. "The container bearing our products was already at sea, when Italy locked down. Instead, we've produced a hybrid presentation, a digital exhibition you can see on your screens and an on-site exhibition at the art gallery Aphro Living in Karrivin Plaza on Pasong Tamo."
Some of the pieces for ITIM: Material Manipulations in Black
Toff, who has been a strong voice in Congress pushing for reforms and programs to give the creative industry, as well as Philippine arts and culture, the support it needs, calls the launch of Fame+ a momentous occasion. "May it be remembered that the year 2020 was when Manila Fame went digital and turned a problem into a panacea of inspiration to address our pandemic woes," he said.
There are dark clouds overhead, but the future is bright indeed. But first we have to create it—and together.
AA Patawaran
FAME+
Manila FAME
["arts-culture","fashion","lifestyle","style","lifestyle"]


Apple has unveiled Apple TV Plus, a video subscription service that will be ad-free, available on demand, and viewable both online and offline.
Apple plans to launch it in over 100 countries in the fall of 2019, though it did not disclose pricing details. Customers will be able to access Apple TV Plus through the redesigned Apple TV app on iOS, Mac, Roku, Fire TV, and televisions from various manufacturers.
Moreover, Apple aims to make its Apple TV app, which is free to use, the centrepiece of a consumer's various video subscriptions. The company also announced Apple TV Channels, which will let customers pay for HBO, Showtime, Starz, CBS All Access, and other services directly through the TV app and watch everything there, too.
According to Apple, a redesigned TV app is coming in May 2019. It will aim to make finding shows easier and it will provide recommendations from over 150 third-party video apps that Apple will offer.