text:
/**
 * Liaison app controller
 */

'use strict';

angular.module('uql.liaison')
/**
 * =========================================================================
 *
 * Departments controller
 * Controller for Department / Organisation Unit management
 */
  .controller('LiaisonOrgCtrl', ['$rootScope', '$scope', '$stateParams', '$log', '$timeout', '$uibModal',
    'UQL_CONFIG', 'UQL_CONFIG_LIAISON', 'LiaisonService', '$anchorScroll',
    function ($rootScope, $scope, $stateParams, $log, $timeout, $modal, UQL_CONFIG, UQL_CONFIG_LIAISON,
              LiaisonService, $anchorScroll) {

      $scope.liaisonService = LiaisonService;
      $scope.orgs = [];
      $scope.org_search = {
        'name': '',
        'notes': ''
      };
      $scope.org_search_list = [];
      $scope.org_merge_list = [];
      $scope.org = {
        'active': 'y'
      };

      $scope.terms = false;

      $scope.itemsPerPage = 50;
      $scope.total = 0;
      $scope.currentPage = 1;
      $scope.maxSize = 5;

      $scope.isSubmitting = false;

      /**
       * Initialise
       */
      $scope.init = function () {
        if ($stateParams.orgId) {
          $scope.liaisonService.getOrg($stateParams.orgId)
            .then(function (data) {
              $scope.org = data;
            }, function () {
          });
        } else {
          $scope.orgsList({});
        }
      };

      /**
       * @description Search on org name
       */
      $scope.$watch('org_search.name', function (newValue, oldValue) {
        if (newValue !== oldValue) {
          $scope.orgsList($scope.org_search);
        }
      });

      /**
       * @description Search on notes field
       */
      $scope.$watch('org_search.notes', function (newValue, oldValue) {
        if (newValue !== oldValue) {
          $scope.orgsList($scope.org_search);
        }
      });

      /**
       * @description Search on active field
       */
      $scope.$watch('org_search.active', function (newValue, oldValue) {
        if (newValue !== oldValue) {
          $scope.orgsList($scope.org_search);
        }
      });

      $scope.$watch('currentPage', function (newValue, oldValue) {
        if (newValue !== null && typeof newValue !== 'undefined' && newValue !== oldValue) {
          $scope.orgsList($scope.org_search, false);
          $anchorScroll();
        }
      });

      $scope.$watch('filter.org', function (newValue, oldValue) {
        if (newValue !== null && typeof newValue !== 'undefined' && newValue !== oldValue) {
          $scope.getOrgUnits($scope.filter.org);
        }
      });

      /**
       *
       * @param filter
       * @param pageReset
       */
      $scope.orgsList = function (filter, pageReset) {
        if (typeof pageReset === 'undefined' || pageReset === true) {
          $scope.currentPage = 1;
        }
        var from = ($scope.currentPage - 1) * $scope.itemsPerPage;
        var query = {
          size: $scope.itemsPerPage,
          from: from,
          query: {
            bool: {}
          }
        };
        var q = [];
        angular.forEach(filter, function (v, k) {
          var match = { wildcard: {} };
          if (v !== '') {
            match.wildcard[k] = v + '*';
            q.push(match);
          }
        });
        if (q.length > 0) {
          q = {
            'bool' : {
              'must': q
            }
          };
          query.query = q;
        }
        $scope.liaisonService.list('_orgs', query)
          .then(function (data) {
            var list = $scope.liaisonService.getRawList();
            $scope.total = list.total;
            $scope.showing = 'Showing ' + (from + 1) + '-' + (from + list.hits.length) + ' of ' + list.total;
            $scope.orgs = data;
          }, function () {
        });
      };

      /**
       * @description Saves an org unit
       */
      $scope.save = function () {
        $scope.isSubmitting = true;
        var svcPromise = $scope.liaisonService.submitOrg($scope.org);
        if (svcPromise) {
          svcPromise.then(function () {
            $scope.isSubmitting = false;
            $scope.formSubmittedMsg = 'Saved';
            if (UQL_CONFIG.uqlIsMocked !== true) {
              $timeout(function () {
                $scope.formSubmittedMsg = '';
              }, 5000);
            }
          }, function () {
            // Error
            $scope.isSubmitting = false;
          });
        } else {
          $scope.isSubmitting = false;
        }
      };

      /**
       * @description Deletes an org (with confirmation dialog)
       * @param {Object} org
       */
      $scope.confirmDeleteOrg = function (org) {
        var modalInstance = $modal.open({
          templateUrl: UQL_CONFIG_LIAISON.viewsBaseUrl + '/partials/deleteOrg.html',
          controller: 'LiaisonOrgModalCtrl',
          resolve: {
            org: function () {
              return org;
            }
          }
        });

        modalInstance.result.then(function (org) {
          $scope.liaisonService.deleteOrg(org.org_id)
            .then(function () {
              org.deleted = true;
            }, function () {
              org.deleted = false;
            });
        }, function () {
        });
      };

      /**
       * @description Returns a filtered list of org units
       * @param {Object} filter
       * @returns {boolean|*}
       */
      $scope.getOrgUnits = function (filter) {
        if (filter.length < 1) {
          return $scope.org_search_list;
        }
        return $scope.liaisonService.getFuzzyList('_orgs', 'name', filter)
          .then(function (data) {
            $scope.org_search_list = data;
            return data;
          }
        );
      };

      /**
       * @description Adds a org unit to the merge list
       * @param org
       */
      $scope.addToMergeList = function (org) {
        if ($scope.notInMergeList(org)) {
          $scope.org_merge_list.push(org);
          if ($scope.org_merge_list.length === 1) {
            $scope.merge_id = org.org_id;
            org.merge_id = org.org_id;
          } else {
            org.merge_id = $scope.merge_id;
          }
        }
      };

      /**
       * @description Remove a org unit from the merge list
       * @param org
       */
      $scope.removeFromMergeList = function (org) {
        if ($scope.notInMergeList(org)) {
          return;
        }
        $scope.org_merge_list = $scope.org_merge_list.filter(function (v) {
          if (v.org_id !== org.org_id) {
            return v;
          } else {
            delete v.merge_id;
          }
        });
        if ($scope.merge_id === org.org_id && $scope.org_merge_list.length > 0) {
          $scope.merge_id = $scope.org_merge_list[0];
          angular.forEach($scope.org_merge_list, function (v) {
            v.merge_id = $scope.merge_id;
          });
        }
      };

      /**
       * @description Returns whether a org unit is already in the merge list
       * @param {Object} org
       * @returns {Boolean}
       */
      $scope.notInMergeList = function (org) {
        var filtered = $scope.org_merge_list.filter(function (v) {
          if (v.org_id === org.org_id) {
            return v;
          }
        });
        return (filtered.length === 0);
      };

      /**
       * @description Returns whether the org unit is already in the process of being merged
       * @param org
       * @returns {boolean}
       */
      $scope.isAlreadyMerging = function (org) {
        return (org.hasOwnProperty('merge_id'));
      };

      /**
       * @description Returns whether this org unit is the one being merged into
       * @param org
       * @returns {boolean}
       */
      $scope.isBeingMergedInto = function (org) {
        return (org.org_id === $scope.merge_id);
      };

      /**
       * @description Whether there are selected org units to be merged
       * @returns {Boolean}
       */
      $scope.canMerge = function () {
        return ($scope.org_merge_list.length > 1);
      };

      /**
       * @description Merges the selected org units
       */
      $scope.doMerge = function () {
        if ($scope.org_merge_list.length < 1) {
          return;
        }
        $scope.liaisonService.orgsMerge($scope.org_merge_list)
          .then(function () {
            $scope.mergeComplete();
            $scope.error = '';
          }, function (e) {
            // Error
            $scope.error = 'Unable to perform merge. ' + (typeof e === 'string' ? e : '');
            $scope.isMerging = false;
          });
      };

      /**
       * @description Called when a merge has successfully completed
       */
      $scope.mergeComplete = function () {
        $scope.isMerging = false;
        $scope.mergeMessage = true;
        $scope.org_merge_list = [];
        $scope.org_search_list = [];
        $scope.filter = {
          org: ''
        };
      };

      /**
       * @descripton Changes the org unit to merge into
       * @param org
       */
      $scope.mergeIntoThisOrg = function (org) {
        $scope.merge_id = org.org_id;
        angular.forEach($scope.org_merge_list, function (v) {
          v.merge_id = $scope.merge_id;
        });
      };

      /**
       * @description Hides the merge message
       */
      $scope.dismissMergeMessage = function () {
        $scope.mergeMessage = false;
      };

      /**
       * Initialise
       */
      $scope.init();
    }])

/**
 * =========================================================================
 *
 * Modal controller
 * Controller for Organisation Unit deletion
 */
  .controller('LiaisonOrgModalCtrl', ['$scope', '$uibModalInstance', 'org',
    function ($scope, $modalInstance, org) {

      $scope.org = org;

      $scope.ok = function () {
        $modalInstance.close($scope.org);
      };

      $scope.cancel = function () {
        $modalInstance.dismiss();
      };

      /**
       * Initialise
       */
      $scope.init = function () {

      };

      /**
       * Initialise
       */
      $scope.init();
    }]);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Dayu kan syfta på följande platser:

Indonesien

 Dayu, Karangpandan, by,
 Dayu, Blitar, by,
 Dayu, Gondangrejo, by,

Kina

 Dayu, härad, Jiangxi,
 Dayu (köping i Kina, Henan, lat 34,94, long 112,39),
 Dayu (socken i Kina, Henan, lat 34,25, long 113,04),
 Dayu (socken i Kina, Shanxi),
 Dayu (socken i Kina, Shandong),

Robotskapade Indonesienförgreningar
Robotskapade Kinaförgreningar

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


French publisher posts 19% revenue growth during fiscal 2011 to $1.87 billion; reveal of online title in "top gamer franchise" coming in days.
The Assassin's Creed franchise continues to make a killing for Ubisoft. As part of the French publisher's 2011 fiscal year earnings report today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has shipped 7.2 million units through March 31. That figure comes in at 1.8 million units fewer than Assassin's Creed II during the same period of time, and franchise shipments now stand at 29 million units.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has found an army of followers.
As for the rest of Ubisoft's 2011 fiscal year earnings report, the publisher said revenues came in at €1.31 billion ($1.87 billion), up 19 percent year-over-year. Despite the revenue spike, Ubisoft posted a net loss of €52.1 million ($74.36 million) for the 12-month period, falling 5 percent from the year prior.
Ubisoft attributed this loss to a number of non-recurring charges. The bulk of these charges dealt with a reorganization across its stable of internal studios, which resulted in the elimination of 30 to 40 jobs and terminated a number of unspecified projects. Ubisoft said that the goal of this reorganization was to "adapt its structure to major changes in the industry." Big-budget, non-Assassin's Creed games also negatively impacted profitability.
The publisher went on to note that stronger sell-through at retail during the holiday quarter helped ameliorate those losses, as it was able to keep prices at a higher-than-expected level. Ubisoft also said that it saw a rebound in the casual gaming segment during the year, aided primarily by the booming dance market. Specifically, the Just Dance franchise has now shipped 14 million units, while its Michael Jackson The Experience game has sold-in 3 million units.
In fact, Ubisoft provided shipment updates for all of its key franchises. The Rayman/Raving Rabbids line remains Ubisoft's best-selling franchise with 31 million units shipped, followed by Assassin's Creed (29 million units), Petz (23 million units), and Rainbox Six (23 million units). Splinter Cell closely follows its Tom Clancy cousin with 22 million units, while Ghost Recon has shipped 18 million units.
From there, Prince of Persia has shipped 17 million units, followed closely by Driver's 15 million units and the aforementioned Just Dance. The Settlers franchise has shipped 8 million units, while Brothers in Arms and Far Cry have both sold-in 7 million units. Rounding out the list were the Anno and Your Shape franchises, at 5 million units and 2 million units, respectively.
Looking ahead, Ubisoft expects to post similar revenue during its 2012 fiscal year, with sales expected to stand at €1.04 billion ($1.48 billion) and €1.08 billion ($1.54 billion). Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also offered a tantalizing look at the days ahead, saying that the publisher's online segment will announce "an ambitious project on PC based on one of our top gamer franchises that will illustrate our capacity to take advantage of new business models."
Guillemot also noted that Trackmania 2 Canyon will enter a closed beta test in the coming months.
In a post-earnings conference call, Ubisoft also addressed the ongoing PlayStation Network outage, saying that while the impact on its business has been minimal, it is still significant.
"It is affecting the games that we launched, and it's affecting some games that we wanted to launch," Guillemot said. "We have a game that's been launched on XBLA, but has been delayed on PSN. The impact is still small because our revenue on this platform is not huge. Altogether, the cost will be minimal. It's important that they restore the system quickly because lots of our products are multiplayer games."


There are plenty of left-wingers who hate America with such fervor, such passion, that it overrides most other considerations. Don't believe it? Look at the popularity of Noam Chomsky, a man whose entire works could be boiled down to the phrase, "America is the source of all evil in the world". Remember the glumness on the left side of the blogosphere when our troops liberated Iraq? Have you ever noticed how many lefties can talk and write constantly about what's wrong with George Bush, what's wrong with Republicans, what's wrong with America…but have almost nothing negative to say about the enemies our country?
It's no coincidence folks. "The blame America first" crowd that Reagan talked about has only gotten larger and more powerful on the left over the years….
Copyright ©2019 John Hawkins' Right Wing News unless otherwise noted.


San Juan Estate is located in Gran Couva in the Montserrat Hills of Trinidad. The estate is one of Trinidad's oldest, and uses traditional methods like grading beans with an antique machine from 1905. In this balanced, chocolatey and creamy bar, chocolate maker Annie finds notes of chicory, honey, and a touch of vanilla.


text:
import { AnyAction } from 'redux';

import { IStore } from '../../app/types';
import { SET_CONFIG } from '../config/actionTypes';
import { SET_NETWORK_INFO } from '../net-info/actionTypes';
import { PARTICIPANT_LEFT } from '../participants/actionTypes';
import MiddlewareRegistry from '../redux/MiddlewareRegistry';

// @ts-ignore
import JitsiMeetJS from './_';
import { LIB_WILL_INIT } from './actionTypes';
import { disposeLib, initLib } from './actions';

/**
 * Middleware that captures PARTICIPANT_LEFT action for a local participant
 * (which signalizes that we finally left the app) and disposes lib-jitsi-meet.
 * Also captures SET_CONFIG action and disposes previous instance (if any) of
 * lib-jitsi-meet, and initializes a new one with new config.
 *
 * @param {Store} store - Redux store.
 * @private
 * @returns {Function}
 */
MiddlewareRegistry.register(store => next => action => {
    switch (action.type) {
    case LIB_WILL_INIT:
        // Moved from conference.js init method. It appears the error handlers
        // are not used for mobile.
        if (typeof APP !== 'undefined') {
            _setErrorHandlers();
        }
        break;

    case SET_NETWORK_INFO:
        JitsiMeetJS.setNetworkInfo({
            isOnline: action.isOnline
        });
        break;

    case PARTICIPANT_LEFT:
        action.participant.local && store.dispatch(disposeLib());
        break;

    case SET_CONFIG:
        return _setConfig(store, next, action);
    }

    return next(action);
});

/**
 * Notifies the feature base/lib-jitsi-meet that the action SET_CONFIG is being
 * dispatched within a specific Redux store.
 *
 * @param {Store} store - The Redux store in which the specified action is being
 * dispatched.
 * @param {Dispatch} next - The Redux dispatch function to dispatch the
 * specified action to the specified store.
 * @param {Action} action - The Redux action SET_CONFIG which is being
 * dispatched in the specified store.
 * @private
 * @returns {Object} The new state that is the result of the reduction of the
 * specified action.
 */
function _setConfig({ dispatch, getState }: IStore, next: Function, action: AnyAction) {
    const { initialized } = getState()['features/base/lib-jitsi-meet'];

    // XXX Since the config is changing, the library lib-jitsi-meet must be
    // initialized again with the new config. Consequently, it may need to be
    // disposed of first.
    // TODO Currently, disposeLib actually does not dispose of lib-jitsi-meet
    // because lib-jitsi-meet does not implement such functionality.
    if (initialized) {
        dispatch(disposeLib());
    }

    // Let the new config into the Redux store (because initLib will read it
    // from there).
    const result = next(action);

    dispatch(initLib());

    return result;
}

/**
 * Attaches our custom error handlers to the window object.
 *
 * @returns {void}
 */
function _setErrorHandlers() {
    // attaches global error handler, if there is already one, respect it
    if (JitsiMeetJS.getGlobalOnErrorHandler) {
        const oldOnErrorHandler = window.onerror;

        // TODO: Don't remove this ignore. The build fails on macOS and we don't know yet why.

        // @ts-ignore
        window.onerror = (message, source, lineno, colno, error) => { // eslint-disable-line max-params
            const errMsg = message || error?.message;
            const stack = error?.stack;

            JitsiMeetJS.getGlobalOnErrorHandler(errMsg, source, lineno, colno, stack);

            if (oldOnErrorHandler) {
                oldOnErrorHandler(message, source, lineno, colno, error);
            }
        };

        const oldOnUnhandledRejection = window.onunhandledrejection;

        window.onunhandledrejection = function(event) {
            let message = event.reason;
            let stack: string | undefined = 'n/a';

            if (event.reason instanceof Error) {
                ({ message, stack } = event.reason);
            }

            JitsiMeetJS.getGlobalOnErrorHandler(message, null, null, null, stack);

            if (oldOnUnhandledRejection) {
                // @ts-ignore
                oldOnUnhandledRejection(event);
            }
        };
    }
}


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You can serve your users on computers (PCs, Macs, Net Books) with mail software such as Outlook, Entourage, and Apple Mail; mobile phones (iPhone, Android OS phones, Palm WebOS phones); tablets such as iPad; and any internet connected devices with browsers such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and Chrome. On connection to Apps4Rent supported Microsoft Exchange Online environment, devices are instantly synchronized with email, contacts, calendar, and tasks. Users can also control the sharing of selected information and folders with others in their organization.
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Online Exchange Servers come with advanced features for users as well as administrators.
Microsoft continues to advance and enhance the Exchange product line with every upgrade.
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You can split your Hosted Exchange and POP3 email users within the same domain.
An easy-to-use Web-based control panel is available for users and administrators to manage the account settings.
All mail traffic is filtered through anti-spam and anti-virus software service.
Hardware and software firewalls prevent intrusions from hackers.
Daily backups keep your data safe.
One can remote wipe device data if a device gets lost.
24/7 monitoring by our expert system administrators ensures additional security.
Infrastructure is designed to be reliable with redundancy elements and defined paths for failover and recovery.
Servers are located in multiple data centers that are secure, reliable and are SSAE 16 certified.
24/7 monitoring of infrastructure components ensures further reliability.
99.99 percent uptime is delivered for Hosted Exchange 2016.
Use clients such as MS Outlook, Outlook Express on PCs.
Use mail clients such as Entourage and Apple Mail on Macs.
Use browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari through Outlook Web App 2010 Webmail.
Use iOS based devices such as iPhone, IPod Touch, and iPad.
Use Android based mobile phones and tablets.
Use Nokia phones with Mail for Exchange product.
Use Windows based phones and devices.
Use mobile devices with other operating systems such as WebOS, MeeGo, BadaOS.
We are available 24/7 for sales and technical support by chat, email, and phone.
Our web-based ticketing system stores all interactions.
We learn from user feedback from every customer interaction and improve service.
A knowledge base with a set of frequently asked questions.
A blog with relevant articles.


SignHom started as a personal project for exploring inspirational and successful initiatives in different countries that contribute to transform the experience of learning.
During this adventure we met very stimulating people and lived countless enriching experiences. The need arose to share and to connect all these ideas and energies in order to create new opportunities by turning these local initiatives into global experiences. SignHom was born!
Passionate about education and creating synergies.


text:
Products & Markets
Sciencing the global food challenge
The United Nations projects the world population to reach a staggering 9.8 billion people by 2050. Using today's food production practices, it would be entirely unrealistic to expect to feed so many people. Evonik sees the task of feeding generations to come as a challenge. A global food challenge.
The United Nations projects the world population to reach a staggering 9.8 billion people by 2050. It would be entirely unrealistic to expect to feed so many people using today's food production practices. Achieving worldwide food security for generations to come, while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting valuable ecosystems associated with food production, is a task many believe is a crisis in the making.
Evonik sees things differently. With our scientific mindset and our advanced technology, we face the facts. It will take a globally concerted effort, but the challenge is surmountable.
A huge proportion of world population growth will be in sub-Saharan Africa, a region where one quarter of the population is already undernourished. Boosting yields in sub-Saharan Africa, which currently has the world's lowest cereal harvests despite vast amounts of arable land, could make a decisive contribution – precisely where need is expected to become particularly high. One reason for the low yields is the fact that this region is also greatly affected by climate change. Severe drought and flooding have repeatedly wiped out crops and livestock in the recent past.
Change in current practices
Agricultural productivity has vastly improved over the past decades, but its environmental impact has become unsustainable. Farming causes nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, uses over a third of landmass and accounts for more than two thirds of all freshwater usage from rivers, lakes and aquifers. If current agricultural practices continue, the environmental footprint will get even bigger, caused partly by the increase in the world's per capita consumption of meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, as affluence in the developing countries increases.
But let's consider where changes could improve the balance. For example, roughly a quarter of the world's food is lost or wasted between field and fork. Even cutting this rate in half could reduce the food gap by about one fifth by 2050.
Beef farming generates six times more greenhouse gas emissions per unit of protein than pork, chicken or egg production. Shifting just a fifth of future global beef consumption to other meats, eggs or fish could spare hundreds of millions of hectares of land. By using specialty feed additives such as methionine for targeted nutrition in animal feed, land use can be even further reduced, as can the demand for water.
Aquaculture has expanded, producing nearly half of the fish consumed in 2009, but there is still overreliance on wild-caught fish for feed. By using sustainable, plant-based feed additives, fish farms could vastly increase fish production per unit of land and water, while helping reduce the overfishing of the world's oceans.
New feeding concepts bring significant progress
These are just a few examples of measures that can be realized with today's technology and resources. Evonik's Business Line Animal Nutrition supports the livestock industry in making significant progress by boosting efficiency, output and animal health while at the same time contributing to sustainability by reducing emissions to air, land and water.
There is no single silver bullet when it comes to feeding future generations. It will take a concerted effort involving governmental, NGO, academic and business stakeholders on a worldwide scale. It will take a can-do attitude: if we all do what we can and contribute in our own way, humankind can overcome one of the biggest threats that we face for the future.
This is why Evonik sees the task of feeding growing populations not as a food crisis in the making, not as a food gap, but rather as a challenge. A global food challenge. Let's science it.
Automation in chicken farms supports poultry producers
Evonik invests in precision livestock start-up to improve poultry production. ... MORE
Gender determination in the egg
Evonik invests in Dutch start-up In Ovo, backing a solution to one of poultry farming's greatest ethical problems ... MORE
We are Evonik Animal Nutrition
The growing world population requires more and more animal protein. But we need to preserve our planet's resources and reduce the ecological footprint of protein production. We're convinced that science can help solve this pressing global issue. ... MORE
Find on our website

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We will try our best to answer any questions you may have, or offer a solution to an individual issue – no matter how small.
We are happy to assess residents of non-dementia care homes in order to see if we are better able to meet their needs. Equally, you are very welcome to bring friends or relatives in for lunch or an activity afternoon, and maybe take a well-earned breather yourself!
Please call 01323 896460 to make an appointment.


text:
October 12, 2016 / 4:04 AM / 3 years ago
Bolt cutters expose vulnerability of North America's oil pipeline grid
Liz Hampton, Ethan Lou
HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - All it took was a pair of bolt cutters and the elbow grease of a few climate activists to carry out an audacious act of sabotage on North America's massive oil and gas pipeline system.
Dakota Access Pipeline protesters square off against police near the Standing Rock Reservation and the pipeline route outside the little town of Saint Anthony, North Dakota, U.S., October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester
For an industry increasingly reliant on gadgets such as digital sensors, infrared cameras and drones to monitor security and check for leaks, the sabotage illustrated how vulnerable pipelines are to low-tech attacks.
On Tuesday, climate activists broke through fences and cut locks and chains simultaneously in several states and simply turned the pipelines off.
All they had to do was twist shut giant valves on five cross-border pipelines that together can send 2.8 million barrels a day of crude to the United States from Canada - equal to about 15 percent of daily U.S. consumption.
The activists did no damage to the pipelines, which operating companies shut down as a precaution for checks before restarting.
The United States is the world's largest energy market, and the infrastructure to drill, refine, store and deliver that energy to consumers is connected by millions of miles of pipeline that are impossible to protect entirely from attack.
"You're not manning these things on a permanent basis. It's not viable," said Stewart Dewar, a project manager at Senstar, an Ottawa-based company that authored a 2012 white paper on pipeline security. "It's too expensive."
There are more than 200,000 miles (322,000 km) of oil lines and many times that of natural gas lines across the United States. Thousands of rural and often remote pumping and valve stations dot the country.
The cost of posting armed guards at valve stations, usually found every 20 miles along the underground pipelines, would be prohibitive, said Dewar.
For companies, there are few options to police the parts of their pipeline networks that sit above ground, such as the valve stations.
The stations are usually protected by nothing more than the same flimsy chain link fence and padlocks elementary schools use to protect their playgrounds.
GLOBAL PROBLEM
The same vulnerabilities are present worldwide. In Nigeria and conflict zones such as Iraq, pipelines have been targeted by militants. In Mexico, thieves target the fuel arteries to siphon off fuel.
But until Tuesday, environmental activists had never carried out a simultaneous, coordinated attack of this magnitude.
Tuesday's action, supported by the Vermont-based Climate Disobedience Action Fund, was held to draw attention to climate change and to support opponents of the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, which critics say could rupture and sour drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota.
Several pipeline operators and safety experts said shutting off valves was extremely dangerous and that activists underestimated the risks.
Pipelines can be heavily pressurized depending on length and altitude variation, and shutting off a valve could cause ruptures that are "catastrophic" for the environment, Paul Tullis of Tullis Engineering Consultants said.
"It's like a freight train," he said of the momentum with which the oil moves. "If these people are hydraulic engineers, they might be able to do this safely."
Activists often do not fully know what they are doing, even if they think they do, Tullis said.
Protesters said they spent months studying how to safely shut the valves. The ability for them to access the proprietary information necessary to shut a line safely was questioned by experts.
Either way, pipeline specialists said it was lucky there were no leaks on Tuesday. Once the valves are shut, pressure can quickly build up inside pipelines that operate under as much as 1,000 pounds (450 kg) per square inch.
Protesters were taking a chance that a weak spot in a line would not explode, and that employees in operations hubs would spring into action after hearing alarms.
"On the wrong pipeline, in the wrong place (actions like this) could kill people. This is hazardous hot liquid. It's not something to be terrified of, but it must be respected," said Richard Kuprewicz, president of Accufacts Inc, a pipeline advisory firm.
SECURITY RAMP-UP AFTER 9/11
After the tampering, owners Enbridge Inc, TransCanada Corp, Spectra Energy and Kinder Morgan shut their lines as a precaution.
They did not immediately respond to questions about their broader security precautions, though some of them emphasized having multiple safety systems in place.
The general vulnerability of U.S. infrastructure - from bridges to power plants and ports - became more apparent after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Since then, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has asked pipeline companies to carry out a "security vulnerability assessment" for their assets and to conduct risk assessments that include the "likelihood of a success of an attack," and to take steps to mitigate those risks.
A review published by the DHS in 2015 identified physical and cyber security as a risk to energy infrastructure systems, including the threat of multiple, coordinated attacks and electromagnetic pulse events, but focused primarily on threats to the electrical grid.
Security experts said they have tried to strike a balance between protecting facilities, ensuring freedom of movement and keeping costs in check.
The Association of Oil Pipe Lines, an industry group, said it recognized disagreements exist about energy policy, but that the protest went too far.
Previous valve closures have caused spills, including one of nearly 4,000 barrels of oil, the group said.
"We don't want anyone to get hurt or cause a release into the environment," said Andrew Black, the group's president.
Reporting by Liz Hampton in Houston and Ethan Lou in New York; Additional reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar and Jessica Resnick-Ault; Writing by Terry Wade; Editing by Simon Webb and Bill Rigby


June 1st was the official "opening" of hurricane season and already we have a storm forming in the Gulf right after we've seen multiple tornadoes ravaging the Midwest.
Many adjusters are already busy with the hail and tornados the Midwest has already experienced this spring. There are so many events that don't make national news, but create work for adjusters all year long.
The storms that went through the Midwest have done several things. They created wind damage to a large area. They also pelted some areas with huge hail. We all saw the media attention to the large areas that were affected by tornados. What you may not have realized is the extensive flooding it caused. Thawing snow in the northern states saturates the ground and then the water dumped by the storms is creating flooding. All this water is working its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
From the tornados, our attention has turned to Tropical Storm Andrea. It's our first named storm of the2013 hurricane season. It's dumping rain on Florida and will be working its way up the eastern coastline.
Will there be work created for insurance adjuster from this storm or not?
NOW is the time to get prepared. NOW is the time to complete your training. I've talked to many who are getting licensed and trained to be ready to go by August.
Here is what you need to remember.
Get your license as soon as you can. You'll have to wait for the state to process your application, which can take up to 8 weeks. It would be unfortunate to miss your work opportunity by waiting too long to submit your application to the state.
Once the license application has been submitted, learn how to do the work. Having a license is not where you stop on your path to being and insurance adjuster. It's only getting your foot in the door. Two classes you need are Xactimate training and Practical Adjusting class. For new adjusters, 2021 Training has the "Smart Start Package" that will give any new adjuster the essentials to be successful.
I'm amazed with the low cost of entry in this industry. Between your training and equipment, most will spend less than $1,000. No other degree or education is required.
Watch these storms closely and expect the unexpected. The only thing normal about these storms is that they are never normal. 2013 hurricane season will prove to be an interesting one.
Some adjusters are looking back at 2012 wishing they'd acted sooner. I still have money in the bank that I made 7 months ago because I got licensed and started with Hurricane Sandy.
More storms are coming. Take time now to get ready, it's not too late.


To every owner of the household garden is one of the main parts of it, and therefore they are willing to devote lots of time, resources and money to make it look better, nicer and more cozy.
But sometimes special outdoor features for gardens are quite costly or are difficult in installation; therefore it is time to switch to solar powered water features for your garden pond or loan. These great appliances will help you to get the desired view on your outdoor side of the household.
The device, which uses the sunlight to produce electric currents and is stacked with rechargeable batteries that are combined to provide continuous electricity, is called solar powered battery. Such a battery can operate generators, solar systems, industrial applications or commercial applications as well as other remote devices. These batteries will use sun energy in order to convert it into electricity and store it for specific needs.


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Master Brahms21 min read
Home » Short Fiction » Master Brahms
Storm Humbert
In memory of Bob Yano Sr.
"Knight to E5," I said. "Takes pawn."
"Bishop, E5," Brahms said. "Takes knight."
My board was dwindling quickly, and my anger at such a one-sided defeat was increased whenever I looked up into Brahms' smug, synth face—my face.
"Master Brahms," Jill said from the hall.
As the house A.I., she always projected her voice as if just around a corner or down a hall, and it gave the illusion that a real person waited barely out of sight. Her words had the musical rise and fall of a lilt without the mispronunciations—an Irish girl speaking the King's. I often felt the desire to touch her upon hearing. The fact that I could not somehow made it sweeter, like the sour smell at the heart of good perfume.
Brahms and I looked toward the doorway, as if she spoke to each of us alone, then shared a grin at the all-too-common occurrence. I imagined a small sadness in his, however—the momentary reminder that he was a synth. I was as sad for him as he was for himself.
"Yes, Jill," we said in unison. We shot mirrored glances at each other, mixtures of confusion and annoyance.
"If you, in all of your capacities, could come to the solarium, there is something that requires your attention," Jill said.
In all of your capacities was Jill's gentle way of saying, "you and all of your clones," without reminding any present that they were such. It was a deft way of referring to them, and I was glad she'd come up with it.
Dr. Welkie always said that the key to synth happiness was allowing the illusion of originality as much as possible.
It was in this knowledge that I'd taken such pains—from private wings of the manor to identical wardrobes and much more—to insulate my synths from this realization at all times. The illusion was so complete that I myself had felt the emptiness of doubt from time to time—the feeling that everything I remembered, wanted, loved, or hated was false, a duplicate program that rendered me something less than a person—but it was worth it. I loved my synths as much as I loved myself, after all.
Brahms and I nodded to each other and stood to leave.
"Jill, you can clean the board," Brahms said. "We're done."
"The hell we are," I said.
"Checkmate in six." He loomed behind his chair, inviting me to inspect the board, even though he knew I couldn't divine the sequence.
"Six, you say?"
"Then sit, let's play it out."
He shrugged and obliged, which was good because I was almost angry enough at his arrogance to have ordered him. Synths were fully sovereign individuals under the law, with one exception: they had no rights or legal personage when it came to a conflict with their original—in this case, me. Though I would never have actually done such a thing, of course.
So, we played the next six moves and were on our way to the solarium. I walked in front to avoid Brahms's shit-eating grin. When we arrived, the door was locked.
"Jill, open," I said.
"Denied, Master Brahms."
"I am awaiting the rest of the party," she said.
Her politeness was sometimes an obstacle. Minutes passed in impatient silence, but eventually, four other Brahmses filed in through the door from the east wing. Brahms and I shot them what I assume were identical looks to the effect of "what took you so long?"
"Sorry," the front Brahms said. "We were finishing a set of doubles."
"I take it Brahms won," my chess partner said.
"The bastard always does," said another.
I rolled my eyes. Clearly our wit knew no bounds.
"Was Brahms with you?" I said. We were still one short.
"No, we figured he was with you."
"He's probably already in there reading."
That's where I'd have been if left alone. Odd numbers did tend to leave one of us out of many activities. Sometimes I wished I'd opted for eight, or even ten, of us, but other times I enjoyed being the odd man out—having some Brahms time. I assumed they all felt likewise.
"Jill, open," I said again.
"Of course, sir."
The doors opened, and we filed into the solarium. It was my favorite place on the property, and I assumed the others' as well. It was high ceilinged with large bay windows under Romanesque arches that faced west to make evening and twilight reading as it should be. Even in house shoes or slippers, one's feet clicked against the marble tile, and the clicks rang up and up, as if trying to escape through the ceiling. The air was fresh, thin, and drafty, as it should be in all truly old buildings, and bookcases lined the walls, flanked above and below by the thin metal tracks of sliding ladders used to reach the top shelves. And in the middle of it all, on the other side of the antique reading chair, lay Brahms, sprawled across the floor in a pool of his own blood.
Some of me ran to him while the rest stood frozen by my side. There was nothing to be done, we all knew, but I appreciated those who rushed to his aid. They were brave and strong and reminded the rest of us that we were as well, just not right then. The skull was mostly ruined in the back and top, and he lay as if tipped from the chair still sitting. I did not move to look at his face—my face—not because I feared its destruction, but because I feared its survival. I did not want to peer into my own dead eyes.
He'd been reading one of our favorites, A Tale of Two Cities, and it lay curled mostly under him, still open. My mind in those moments was indescribable—the feeling—to look at one's own dead body, to know that's how I'd look if I died in that place and in so grisly a fashion.
"Jill," Brahms whispered. "What happened?"
"Master Brahms killed Master Brahms," she said.
Suicide. The realization took something out of me—poured out some deep truth now shown for a lie. If the strength and courage of these others were within me, so too was the capacity for this sort of self-destruction.
"When did this happen?" Brahms said.
"Some time ago, sir."
"What? Why weren't we called right away?" another said.
"Master Brahms instructed me to wait."
"Where is his gun, Jill, and how did he get one?" a Brahms kneeling by the body asked.
"I do not know where Master Brahms acquired the firearm," Jill said, "but he took it with him when he left."
I thought I might be sick. As hollow as the prospect of suicide was, this was far darker. Brutality almost two-fold as grotesque because in the murder of a clone lay a trace of suicide as well. Had I been less shocked, I might have looked around and tried to observe which of us seemed already aware of our depravity. But all I could do was breathe and ponder the fact that even though I knew it was not my finger that had pulled the trigger, I was the killer and the killer was I.
"Who did this?" my chess partner bellowed. "Which one of you was it?"
"As if the culprit's just going to come out with it," I said. My tone still held a trace of venom from losing at chess. I was, at my core, a sore loser. We all were. "Jill, who killed Master Brahms?"
"Master Brahms killed—"
"Which Master Brahms killed Master Brahms?" one of the others cut in with an added glance at me as if I were stupid.
"There is only one Master Brahms," Jill said, oddly robotic.
We all glanced at each other.
Then, one of the Brahmses beside me stepped to the front, put his hands on the reading chair Brahms had apparently been sitting in when he'd been shot, and said, "Jill, as Prime Master Brahms, I order you to forego politeness and identify which of my synths present here killed the one lying dead."
"There is no Prime Master Brahms," Jill said in her more robotic tone again. "There is only Master Brahms."
Brahms was crushed. I could see the light in his eyes turn inward. He examined himself as if he were an alien thing to be understood anew. It was a painful confusion written on my face that was not my face. It was as if he stood in a lone light beam on the darkling plain, the void encroaching from all sides.
"I'm sorry to do this," I said to the poor fellow by the chair. "Jill, this is Brahms-dash-original, and I order you to forego politeness and identify which of my synthetics has killed the one lying dead."
"There is only Master Brahms," Jill replied, still in her less female more robotic voice.
Each Brahms appealed to her as the original, each believed it to be true, and each met the same retort. I felt as if I were watching the scene from outside myself. I couldn't make sense of where I was or what I was doing—that there was an "I" at all. The room and all the Brahmses inside appeared to me as shimmers, wiggles, and flittings of reality at the periphery of my vision that may have been real or imagined. Voices came as if under water, and I felt as though I might fall to pieces—simply stop being—but then my voice from another's mouth brought the world crashing back.
"Jill, have you been compromised?" a Brahms said as he walked away from the door toward the center of the room. "Have any of your primary action functions or operation capabilities been altered recently?"
"Yes, by Master Brahms."
He nodded and smiled as if trying to charm Jill through her camera.
"And I don't suppose you could ignore some of Master Brahms's instructions? Be a lamb and unlock that door?"
"I'm sorry, sir," she said like a polite lady turning down a dance at a party, "but I must follow Master Brahms's instructions."
"As I suspected," he said. "Thank you, Jill. That will be all."
"My pleasure. Ring if you need anything."
Compromised? Yes. I felt myself again. Of course Jill had been compromised. How else could she have failed to acknowledge me as the original? My skin felt like my own again. In fact, the news seemed to have cheered the whole room.
"What now?" I said.
"Well, first we should determine who is the original," one Brahms said.
"Why?" my chess partner said. "What will that get us?"
"And even if it would get us something, how do you propose we do it?" He paused to let the room ponder, then resumed, "Without Jill to identify, we're left with the rippling pattern of the veins on the underside of each eye, and this is not only hard to identify with a certainty—though I have faith in all of us—but is impossible to check on oneself, which leaves room for lying."
I wanted to find out as much as the other Brahmses, to prove to myself that I was, in fact, the real Brahms, but an anxiety held my tongue. For the first time I could remember, I feared how such a test would go. I believed I was myself, but I did not know it for a fact. Plus, Brahms was right, it could neither be done, nor would it help.
"What's your genius idea then?" I said.
Brahms smiled. "Nothing. I suggest we do nothing."
"Whichever of us did this had a reason," Brahms said. "He killed Brahms, left his body, and hijacked Jill to call a meeting and lock the door." He paused as he had above the chessboard, inviting examination. When nobody said anything, he sighed like an exasperated teacher with a dim student. "He wants something. We don't know what that something is, so we'll do nothing. Eventually, the culprit will try to push the game. He has to."
Nobody could see a flaw in the plan, so we seized upon doing nothing. We did nothing six-fold. We attacked doing nothing with vigor. We did nothing as nobody had ever done nothing before, but it did not last long. I was not a man built for nothing, and neither were my synths. I'd had myself duplicated mostly to make sure I would never be bored.
"We don't have it in us and he knows it," Brahms said after some hours.
"Who'd have thunk a man with the same mind as us would know our limits," I said. "A revolutionary idea."
"Quite," my chess partner said, unimpressed by my sarcasm.
"Well, not identical minds," another said.
"The differences are negligible—"
"What does it matter?" said a Brahms still by the body. "Is this quibble going to help us figure things out?"
"Do we even know what we're trying to figure out?" I said. "Are we after why he killed Brahms or why he's called us all here like this?"
"One would lead to the other," Brahms said.
"Not necessarily," said another. "In fact, taken on their own, not likely."
"Well, it seems that figuring out why we're here is most pressing," I said. "So, let's start with that."
All nodded.
"What has being brought here forced us to do?" Brahms said. "And what has it made us unable to do?"
"We stopped what we were doing," Brahms said.
"We are currently unsure of who is the original," another said.
At that, all began talking at once, as if in an attempt to drown out that item on the list, as if to forget it, but then one Brahms stepped forward and raised his hands for quiet.
"We're missing the most obvious," he said. "We haven't been able to call the police, and I'm assuming Jill has been instructed not to either. That, or they're taking their sweet time."
"Well, obviously that," I said. "Of course a murderer wouldn't want the police called."
"But it's different for us," another Brahms said, stepping to the center beside the other. "Most Brahmses here are synths."
All were quiet while that reality settled in. Even if each of us considered himself to be the original, all were friends—no, closer than friends, closer even than brothers—and all were aware of precedent involving synths and murder. In some cases, if one synth were found guilty of murder, the lot of them for that individual could be killed, though the official word was "destroyed."
"Whoever did this, he was protecting us as much as himself," Brahms said. "We know one thing for certain: we cannot call the police. Do we all agree?"
I bobbed a vacant nod while others mumbled in the affirmative and still others begrudgingly agreed with eyes alone, but we all agreed. Before anyone could speak further, the solarium door clicked, and Jill's voice came over the speakers as if she were right outside.
"Greetings, Master Brahms," she said. "Dinner is ready. May I be of assistance?"
There was little talk at dinner. A discussion did occur as to whether the day's events were, indeed, murder or suicide. Most everyone ended up agreeing that it was murder and that calling it suicide was semantics, more a pun than anything else. Only one Brahms maintained that terming it a suicide was appropriate. He was either playing devil's advocate or the devil himself. Either way, he was regarded with suspicion for the remainder of the meal.
There were few activities after dessert, save my opponent from earlier in the day trouncing a few other Brahmses on the chessboard. This entertainment got old as quickly as one would expect, and we all retired early.
I considered double-bolting my door and blocking it with the heavy antique chest from the foot of my bed but decided against it. If the killer Brahms wanted to enter the room, he obviously could, since he had control of Jill. She could move all of the furniture and open all of the doors. She was the house and everything in it. This knowledge saved me the strain of moving the chest, but it did not help me sleep.
Even after I did finally manage to drift off, I do not think I was asleep for long before someone calling my name awakened me.
"Brahms," he whispered. "Brahms, can we talk?"
The impulse to whisper when waking another had never made sense to me. Why speak in a way designed against waking when the intention was to wake them? The whole thing seemed disingenuous. Like apologizing by saying, "I'm sorry you feel that way."
"What is it?" I said. I sat up and searched the dark room with tired, blurry eyes. "Are you here to kill me?"
"Probably not, but I am the killer."
His tone was annoying—impudent—as if he expected me to be cowed by the statement. So, I resolved not to be.
"Aren't we all, in some shape or form?"
"In shape and form, yes," he said. "That is to say that we all look exactly alike, but I am the one who killed Brahms."
"I'm too tired for this." I waved a hand I was sure he could not see as if to dismiss him. I had not felt afraid, had felt quite comfortable in my sleepy aloofness, actually, but I was fully awake when I heard the footsteps move toward the bed. I rubbed my eyes to blot out the dark, as if seeing him would let me know which me he was. Then there was a metallic thump on the nightstand, and I nearly leapt from the bed.
"That's the gun," he said as he made his way back across the room. "You hold onto that and we'll talk."
"You just want my prints on it."
"We have the same prints," he laughed. "Lick it if you want. It's all the same."
The footsteps stopped at the chair and table on the far side of the room as my eyes adjusted enough to make out his vague outline. I picked up the gun.
"What's to stop me from just shooting you?" I said.
He laughed our polite, charming laugh. It was soft, confident, and inviting—a laugh that made one feel good for eliciting it.
"We're all awful shots," he said. "I'd feel safe with the lights on, at this distance."
"Then why even give it to me?"
"Your peace of mind that I'm not here to harm you, I guess." His fingers drummed on the arm of the chair and his shoes slapped lightly on the floor as he bounced his right foot, a nervous habit. "As you've already seen, it's quite hard to miss from point blank range."
"So, what are we talking about? Why you killed Brahms?"
"Perhaps in a bit." His night pants hissed against the chair upholstery as he repositioned.
The sound startled me, and I clenched the gun in my hand, raised it a bit.
"Aren't you a jumpy one?" he said. "Let's calm down. We can discuss that in a bit, if you want, but right now I'm here to tell you a secret."
"I'm all ears."
"You're a synth."
I laughed, but it did not sound as I'd intended. It was forced and nervous. If I could have seen his face, it likely would have held something of pity or regret. We all knew how much we hated the prospect of being a synth.
"I'm sorry," he said. It was surprisingly sincere.
Doubt of whom, or what, I was seemed to fill me, as if it meant to push whatever I was out of my facsimile body and thrust me forth as a disembodied fake before the world.
"And I suppose you're the original." I tried to say it as snidely, as combatively, as I could, but doubt had already weakened my voice.
"No," he said.
I could feel the emptiness of his response—the isolation so intense that one feared the word itself would be lost in a vacuum, as if not even air surrounded us. It was a declaration made from the void left when the conviction of our originality disappeared even for a moment.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"I was, too, at first."
I didn't respond, only stared at him from across the room. I could barely make out his silhouette. He no longer lounged in the chair, tapped his fingers, or bounced his foot. He now sat leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.
"Okay, I still am," he said. "And I fear I'll always be sorry, deathly sorry, that I'm not Brahms. I look like Brahms. I remember being Brahms as if I'd been him my whole life. Brahms stole my first kiss and my first time with a woman. He stole my first tears and my courage at my father's deathbed. The truth is, we have no father or mother. We have only each other, but it is each other that acts as the most constant reminder of our likely fabrication. The only comfort in it all is that I now understand that my being sorry about it won't change the fact."
"That's comfort?" I said.
"Maybe the best we'll get."
"Do you really believe that?"
He seemed to vibrate in his seat, or maybe it was only the shadows. I hoped he wouldn't break down—that he wouldn't cry or even gasp—because I knew I would, too. We Brahmses were not criers any more than we were doers of nothing, but when we did either, we did it all the way. Mostly, I hoped he would not break because I knew I might console him, that I might cross the room and be a presence beside him in that emptiness, and I did not know if I wanted to find out that I was a man who comforted murderers.
"So, why did you kill Brahms?" I said.
He laughed again, but this was neither our confident, inviting laugh nor a timid impersonation. This was a chuckle deep and dark, full of pain and defiance of that pain. It was a laugh that knew laughter was a salve to blunt the hurt of the world, not an exaltation of joy. I'd never heard this laugh before. It was his alone.
"I killed him because he was Brahms," he said, still the trace of that laugh in his voice.
"Yes. The one and only."
"How did you know?"
"Because we can be cocky, cruel bastards when we're drunk."
"I don't follow."
My visitor lifted his head from his hands and sat up a bit in the chair.
"He and I were drinking five nights ago," he said. "It was in the solarium, actually."
I couldn't see his face clearly, but I could hear that this part of the memory was happy—that he was smiling.
"We were drinking and playing Othello. I beat him almost every game, and this got him in a mood. He was still good, polite company, but you know there is that thing in us that must win.
"He said that we should bet on the next game. I asked what he wanted to bet, and he said he wanted to bet a secret. The loser had to tell the winner something that none of the others knew. I agreed."
Brahms went through every move of the game, every placement and turn, every laugh or piece of witty banter. The whole night seemed burned into his mind, yet he maintained a distance from it, as if he held his hand slightly off of the flame to avoid a scar.
"After I beat him, he just smiled at me. I told him it was time to pay up, so he finished his drink and leaned in. 'I'm the real Brahms,' he said. 'I'm the original.' At first, I laughed at him, but he only stared back. I was polite. I deflected as we most always do when this comes up. I figured he was just trying to hurt me. We are the worst kind of sore loser, you know. I told him everyone already knew he was the real one and he should tell me a real secret."
Brahms's pants zipped against the chair, then again quickly after. He was fidgeting. He appeared to me as a shadow dancing on a chair—twisting on a spit above a fire.
"He only said that he knew I didn't believe him, but that he could prove it. This scared me, and I told him to forget the bet. I went to leave, but then he said, 'Do you know how the doctors ensure that the original always knows he's the original?' I didn't stop walking, but he finished anyway. 'I have a memory that none of you do. I remember you being made. I remember the chambers you all grew in. They tell all of you that the doctors don't allow that, but that's only for you. I have the memory.'
"He told me not to worry, that the empty feeling would pass and that, if I gave it a couple days or a week, the memory would contort itself until I'd be sure I was the one who had spoken such to him. 'You'll see,' he said.
"I told him it was a cute story, a nice try, but that I expected a real secret the next day. I was calm and confident when I said it, but after I closed the solarium door, I shook all the way back to my room. I felt like less than nothing. I concentrated on my own body, on my skin, hands, feet, hair, eyes—on all of it—as if I had to focus to hold it together, lest I evaporate into the night."
My visitor abruptly sat up in his chair and leaned back. He slouched a bit, placed his fingers on the arm, his ankle on one knee, and bounced his foot against the offbeat clacking of his fingers. It was a pose more than anything, like a statue trying to appear relaxed.
"So, I killed him," he said with a crack in his voice. The crack was even more severe as he continued, "You see why I had to do it?"
But he did not cry. He was begging absolution, and I could hear the labored control in his breathing, but he would never cry. I wondered if I would have, were I in his place.
"Yes," I said, more in pity than certainty. "I see."
I was apparently a man who comforted murderers.
"Good," he said. "Good. Good. Good."
He said it over and over again, nodding with each "good," to the point where I didn't know if he spoke to me or himself—an argument by repetition. The nod was erratic, random, like a pebble bouncing down the walls of a ravine so deep that its bottom could not be seen. I felt that if I let him sit there and nod too long, he'd be lost.
"Brahms …" I said.
He did not respond, and I was not sure what I would have said if he had. I needed to break his trance, so I walked to him. The floor was cold, but I didn't step into my slippers. I had to put the gun in the waistband of my night pants in order to pull a chair from a sitting table beside the far window and put it beside him. I removed the gun, put it on the table, and sat down.
His eyes did not acknowledge my presence, but he slouched a bit, as if he knew I was there to hold him up. His gaze was distant, but the focus was deep within instead of far-off, as if he were peering inside himself to see what he might find.
I followed those eyes to the depths of his pain as no other could have because I already knew the way. His eyes were my eyes and my heart, his. Once I reached the terminus, I found myself in the void. Center or periphery did not matter as there were neither in that space of not-being. It was infinitely large, and one felt infinitely small and vague within it.
I knew that even if I waved my hand in front of my face in such a place, I would not see it. More than that, I would not even have the sensation of having moved it. I felt as if I could grow or shrink indefinitely and either would lead to oblivion. I was nothing. I'd never been so sure of any other piece of knowledge.
I suddenly recalled why I was there.
"Brahms," I called into the nothing. But there was no particle to carry the wave and no mouth in the first place for speaking. I cried out again and again, but each time was less a call to my visitor and more a call to myself. I was Brahms. I knew it deep and true because I needed to know it.
I snapped back from that darkling plain as if I'd never been. My guest still bobbed his head beside me and repeated, "Good. Good. Good," in the thinnest whisper. The gun was in my hand even though I hadn't left it there, but I knew why. I wrapped my arms around the visitor and ran my fingers through his hair.
I kissed his forehead and noted briefly that something smelled strange—surprising. It was a smell very un-Brahms. Then I stood and took aim at the side of his head.
I squeezed the trigger and the air itself exploded in my ears like a rebuke. A jolt shot up my arm, climaxed in my elbow, and slung my hand back with the gun's recoil. The air was hot and meaty like a sizzling bone, and my skin was speckled with bits of it all. My hand throbbed and my ears were filled with an airy static.
After a moment, I looked down at the revolver. There were five bullets left, one for each of us. My visitor had been right. That was really the only completely safe way for the rest of them. I was safe, of course, because I knew I was the real Brahms, the original. I had to be. I knew it like I knew to breathe, but the rest of them …
No. I put the gun back on the table.
"Jill," I said. "Clean up, would you?"
"Of course, sir," she said from the other side of the door.
"And call Dr. Welkie. Tell him I need to speak with him urgently."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?"
"No, Jill, that's all for now, thanks."
I would have to call the computer people on a hard line since I didn't know the extent of the tampering. It would take some time, but I knew I could get the house back in order.
Storm Humbert is a twenty-eight year old writer from a small town called Fayette (literally a one stoplight town) in northwest Ohio near the Michigan border. Storm earned his MFA at Temple University, where he had the good fortune to study with a number of great instructors, including Samuel R. Delany. He is currently a legal writer working in Ann Arbor, Michigan and runs a fiction workshop at the William P. Faust Public Library in Westland, where he lives with his girlfriend, Casey. Storm is also a slush reader for Clarkesworld magazine, and his work has been published in The Legendary, JMWW, and Andromeda Spaceways.


Discussion in 'Guitar Emporium Archive' started by brentrocks, Apr 20, 2016.
For your consideration, a beautiful 1995 Studio flametop.
This USA Hamer is all original. It sports a Seymour Duncan JB/59 set that sounds amazing! It weighs in at 7.6 lbs and has a medium C neck carve.
Rosewood fretboard, Schaller tuners, OHSC, 3 piece mahogany neck, 1 piece mahogany body, SUPER DUPER MONSTER book matched flame maple top and a wrap tail bridge.
This baby is in EX++ condition!!!


text:
Major (Retired) Ian NEWBY CD – Nice try, Sheriff!
Ian Newby of Aldergrove, BC enlisted in Young Soldier Training Plan in 1958, Taken on strength with 15th Field Regiment RCA on 7 Mar 1959, passed Junior NCO CA(M) Course on 5 Dec 1960, appointed Lance Bombardier on 1 Jan 1961, struck off strength on 1 Nov 1961, taken on strength on 22 Jun 1963, promoted Bombardier on 1 May 1963, qualified Driver on 1 Jun 1963, qualified Senior NCO on 18 Apr 1966, qualified Militia Artilleryman Group 1 on 16 Dec 1967, promoted Sergeant on 1 Jan 1968.
Promoted Second Lieutenant on 1 Jun 1968, qualified Lieutenant Basic on 16 Aug 1968, promoted Lieutenant on 1 Mar 1969, completed Captain Qualifying course on 16 Jul 1971, promoted Captain on 1 Sep 1976, qualified Major Block 12 Course on 15 Aug 1980, qualified Militia Command and Staff Course on 25 Jul 1981, promoted Major on 18 Aug 1982, released 7 Sep 1987. CD. The Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) is his sole listed award!
Although not conclusive, the link below lists the honours and awards presented to members of 15th Field Regiment RCA. It has the comprehensive listing of all members of the regiment who were were awarded medals to recognize their service in Canadian Forces (Europe) and Cyprus, Newby isn't listed nor is he named as a recipient of the Centennial Medal nor the Silver Jubilee Medal.
http://www.vancouvergunners.ca/honours-and-awards.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hope-bc-celebrates-35-years-since-rambo-first-blood-1.4346342
Well Major, since the Fall of 2017, we've been waiting for you to cowboy up, surrender the bogus medals for disposal and apologize for your actions!
Clear your conscience…
Newby seems to have lost some weight, his group of medals is significantly lighter!


text:
require 'tempfile'
require 'mysql2'
require 'php_serialize'
require 'shellwords'

module WordpressDeploy
  module Database

    class MySql
      include WordpressDeploy::Cli::Helpers

      def initialize
        @user       ||= 'root'
        @password   ||= ''

        @host       ||= 'localhost'
        @port       ||= 3306
        @socket     ||= ''
        @name       ||= 'wordpress'

        @has_port   ||= true
        @has_socket ||= false

        @base_url   ||= @host
      end

      ##
      # Name of the database (DB_NAME)
      def name(new_name = nil)
        @name = new_name.to_s unless new_name.nil?
        @name
      end

      ##
      # User credentials for the specified database
      def user(new_user = nil)
        @user = new_user.to_s unless new_user.nil?
        @user
      end

      ##
      # Password credentials for the specified database
      def password(new_password = nil)
        @password = new_password.to_s unless new_password.nil?
        @password
      end

      ##
      # Get just the hostname from DB_HOST. Only different from
      # DB_HOST if DB_HOST has a socket or a port number in it.
      def host(new_host = nil)
        unless new_host.nil?
          match = /(?<host>.*?)(?=:|\z)(:(?<socket>\/.*)|:(?<port>\d+))?/.match(new_host.to_s)
          @host = match[:host].to_s unless match[:host].nil?

          # Set the socket information
          if @has_socket = !match[:socket].nil?
            @has_socket = true
            @socket = match[:socket]
          end

          # Set the port information
          unless match[:port].nil?
            @port = match[:port].to_i
          end

          # Has port is true; unless a socket was set
          @has_port = !@has_socket
        end

        # return the host
        @host
      end

      ##
      # This value should be able to be plugged directly into
      # DB_HOST int he wp-config.php file.
      def wp_host
        extra = nil
        extra = ":#{socket}" if socket?
        extra = ":#{port}" if port?
        "#{host}#{extra}"
      end

      ##
      # Extract just the port number from the DB_HOST
      # configuration file. Or return the default port of 3306.
      def port
        @port
      end

      ##
      # Does DB_HOST contain a port number? (it does if one was
      # specified and it does not equal 3306; the default MySQL
      # port number.
      def port?
        @has_port && port != 3306
      end

      ##
      # Extract just the socket part from the DB_HOST
      # configuration file. Or return an empty string if none.
      def socket
        @socket
      end

      ##
      # Does DB_HOST contain a socket path?
      def socket?
        @has_socket
      end

      def charset(new_charset = nil)
        @charset = new_charset.to_s unless new_charset.nil?
        @charset
      end

      def collate(new_collate = nil)
        @collate = new_collate.to_s unless new_collate.nil?
        @collate
      end

      def table_prefix(new_prefix = nil)
        @prefix = new_prefix.to_s unless new_prefix.nil?
        @prefix
      end

      ##
      #
      def base_url(new_url = nil)
        @base_url = new_url.to_s unless new_url.nil?
        @base_url
      end

      ##
      # The file that the instance would save to if
      # save is called.
      def file
        File.join(Config.sql_dir, "#{name}.sql")
      end

      ##
      # Save the database to a file locally.
      #
      # The database will be output into #file.
      def save!
        # Get the output from MySQL Dump
        cmd = mysqldump
        dump_str = run cmd

        # Open the supplied file; or create a temporary one
        file_io = File.new(file, 'w')

        # Start writing to file
        file_io.write(dump_str)

        true
      ensure
        file_io.close unless file_io.nil?
      end

      ##
      #
      def send!(to_env)
        # Get the MySql instance
        to_db = to_env.database

        # Check to see if there is a SQL file
        if File.exists? file
          # Open the source sql file for reading
          tmp_file = Tempfile.new(["#{to_db.name}", '.sql'])

          # Write sql to tmpfile while changing the
          # the CREATE DATABASE and USE commands to make sense for
          # the 'to' configuration
          sql_dump = File.read(file)
          sql_dump.gsub!(/^CREATE\ DATABASE.*$/i, '')
          sql_dump.gsub!(/^USE\ `#{name}`/, "USE `#{to_db.name}`")
          tmp_file.puts sql_dump

          # Get the MySQL load command
          cmd = mysqlload to_db, tmp_file.path

          # Run the mysql command to load the mysqldump into
          # the destination mysql instance
          run cmd
        end
      ensure
        # Delete the temp file unless it was never made
        tmp_file.unlink unless tmp_file.nil?
      end

      ##
      #
      def migrate!(to_env)
        # Get the MySql instance
        to_db = to_env.database

        client = Mysql2::Client.new(
          :host     => to_db.host,
          :username => to_db.user,
          :password => to_db.password,
          :port     => to_db.port,
          :database => to_db.name,
          #:socket = '/path/to/mysql.sock',
          :encoding => to_db.charset
        )

        # MySQL escape
        value_to_find = base_url
        value_to_replace = to_env.base_url
        escaped_value_to_find = client.escape(value_to_find)

        # wp_options option_value
        sql = <<-EOS
        SELECT `option_id`, `option_value`
        FROM `#{table_prefix}options`
        WHERE `option_value` REGEXP '#{escaped_value_to_find}';
        EOS
        wp_options = client.query(sql)
        wp_options.each do |row|
          row.each do |key, value|
            if PHP.serialized?(value)
              ruby_php = PHP.unserialize(value)
              ruby_php.find_and_replace!(value_to_find, value_to_replace)
              value.replace PHP.serialize(ruby_php)
            else
              value.gsub!(/#{value_to_find}/, value_to_replace) if value.instance_of? String
            end
          end

          # Update the database
          sql = <<-EOD
          UPDATE `#{table_prefix}options`
          SET `option_value`='#{client.escape(row['option_value'])}'
          WHERE `option_id` = #{row['option_id']};
          EOD
          Logger.debug sql
          client.query(sql)
        end

        # wp_posts post_content, guid
        sql = <<-EOS
        SELECT `ID`, `post_content`, `guid`
        FROM `#{table_prefix}posts`
        WHERE `post_content` REGEXP '#{escaped_value_to_find}'
        AND   `guid`         REGEXP '#{escaped_value_to_find}';
        EOS
        wp_posts = client.query(sql)
        wp_posts.each do |row|
          row.each do |key, value|
            if PHP.serialized?(value)
              ruby_php = PHP.unserialize(value)
              ruby_php.find_and_replace!(value_to_find, value_to_replace)
              value.replace PHP.serialize(ruby_php)
            else
              value.gsub!(/#{value_to_find}/, value_to_replace) if value.instance_of? String
            end
          end
          sql = <<-EOD
          UPDATE `#{table_prefix}posts`
          SET `post_content` = '#{client.escape(row['post_content'])}',
          `guid` = '#{client.escape(row['guid'])}'
          WHERE `ID` = #{row['ID']};
          EOD
          Logger.debug sql
          client.query(sql)
        end

        # wp_postmeta
        sql = <<-EOS
        SELECT `meta_id`, `meta_value`
        FROM `#{table_prefix}postmeta`
        WHERE `meta_value` REGEXP '#{escaped_value_to_find}';
        EOS
        wp_postmeta = client.query(sql)
        wp_postmeta.each do |row|
          row.each do |key, value|
            if PHP.serialized?(value)
              ruby_php = PHP.unserialize(value)
              ruby_php.find_and_replace!(value_to_find, value_to_replace)
              value.replace PHP.serialize(ruby_php)
            else
              value.gsub!(/#{value_to_find}/, value_to_replace) if value.instance_of? String
            end
          end
          sql = <<-EOD
          UPDATE `wp_postmeta`
          SET `meta_value` = '#{client.escape(row['meta_value'])}'
          WHERE `meta_id` = #{row['meta_id']};
          EOD
          Logger.debug sql
          client.query(sql)
        end
      end

      private

      def mysqldump
        options_file = OptionFile.new(
            user,
            password,
            host,
            port,
            name,
            :mysqldump
        )
        arguments = "--defaults-file=#{options_file.path} --databases #{name}"
        "#{utility('mysqldump')} #{arguments}"
      end

      def mysqlload(database, file_name)
        options_file = OptionFile.new(
            database.user,
            database.password,
            database.host,
            database.port,
            database.name,
            :mysql
        )
        arguments = "--defaults-file=#{options_file.path}"

        "#{utility('mysql')} #{arguments} < #{file_name}"
      end

    end
  end
end


You can upload your own article numbers for Eaton products to the Online catalog and search for them with the help of the Search function.
"Prepare the upload with an Excel spreadsheet according to the example supplied.
Click the button "Own Article Numbers (Example)"
Save the file with another name or create an Excel spreadsheet with similar structure.
Confirm your selection by clicking "Load Own Article Numbers"
Please notice that your Own Article Numbers appearing in the parts list cannot be changed there. However, you can originate a new Excel spreadsheet and load it at any time."


Please enter your email so we can alert you when the WOMEN'S SHORT-SLEEVE DAY THREE TOP in is back in stock. We promise not to spam you. You will only be notified once.
Wear this short-sleeve for days one through three of your spring treks. Anti-odor treatment and mesh construction keeps smell to a minimum, so no one will ever know you packed just one lightweight, moisture-wicking top.


text:
COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL CLUB - THE HONOUR ROLL
'The Honour Roll' pays tribute to the rich history of the Collingwood Football Club, capturing its Premiership history in pictorial detail, along with those recognised as Brownlow Medallists, Norm Smith Medallists and Coleman Medallists. Not only does 'The Honour Roll' celebrate those who the League has honoured, it also pays tribute to those whom the Club has honoured as multiple recipients of their best & fairest award, the E.W. Copeland Trophy. Presented in a deluxe timber frame with a complete set of replica medals paying homage to the highest honours on offer to a Collingwood footballer, 'The Honour Roll' comes officially licensed by the Australian Football League, and is the definitive nod to individual and shared success for all Magpies fans and astute collectors alike.
THE HONOUR ROLL COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL CLUB
The ultimate tribute to Collingwood's greatest individual stars and the teams have delivered Magpie fans Premiership success throughout their history
Includes a replica Premiership Medal, Brownlow Medal, Coleman Medal, Norm Smith Medal and E. W. Copeland Trophy, complete with the names of the recipients of each distinction
Also includes a definitive pictorial history of the Magpies' Premiership success along the Clubs they defeated to taste Premiership glory
Accompanied by an individually numbered AFLPA Certificate of Authenticity
Limited to 500 editions worldwide
Approximate framed dimensions 800 x 600 mm
Presented in a deluxe timber frame in a matted display housing each of the replica medals on show
Officially licensed and endorsed by the Australian Football League
Manufactured under license by Sport Entertainment Products


Ealing Abbey Church is conveniently situated on Charlbury Grove, within easy access of A40 and Ealing Broadway.
A map is available here and there is a website for this location.
Paul Martin has given Ealing Abbey Church a rating of 3 out of 5 for indoor photography and a rating of 4 out of 5 for outdoor photography.
Please note that these ratings only relate to the suitability for photography, and do not in any way relate to other facilities and services that may be provided by the Ealing Abbey Church.
St. Benedict's Parish Church, better known as The Abbey Church, is a spacious 'Cathedral like' Roman Catholic church situated in a leafy area of North Ealing. The Church is built of Ham Hill stone, Bere stone and Guiting stone with flint dressing in plinth and parapet, in perpendicular Gothic style. It has a multi-coloured hammer-beam roof supported by stone arches. The West window contains stained glass by Burlison & Grylls depicting the Coronation of the Virgin Mary. Many pews, some statues and the stations of the Cross are of Austrian oak, carved by Ferdinand Stufflesser (Tyrolese). The Chapel of St Boniface in the right hand aisle was funded by the then German Government in reparation of war damage (1964). The Organ (I974) was designed by A. Rushworth to the specification of C. Atkinson, and was built by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool.
Ealing Abbey is spacious with ample seating and there are few beutiful stain glass windows (most notably at the entrance) Available daylight is good, thus, there is an opportunity for spontaneous natural photographs of proceedings with minimal intrusion. Without doubt, the most impressive feature are the many steps leading to entrance and the general decor around doorway. This is very impressive situation for both group photography (particularly whole wedding party shot of guests). There are good situations for creative bride and groom portraits, particularly by the doorwell and porches. Also, there is very small section of lawn to left, where some photographs can be taken. If weather is unfavourable, group photo's may be taken inside at the alter. Overall, St. Benedict's Church, Ealing Abbey is a good venue for wedding photography in Ealing.
Ealing based Paul Martin, has photographed several events at Ealing Abbey. Photographic highlights of previous weddings.


Concordia Wisconsin vs. Rockford University at Rockford, Ill.
1 00:10 Rockford - Kupsik 20 yd field goal.
2 02:52 Rockford - Mackey 23 yd run. (Kupsik kick is good).
3 08:51 Rockford - Ambrogio 2 yd pass from Mackey. (Kupsik kick is good).
4 10:10 Rockford - Ambrogio 26 yd pass from Mackey. (Kupsik kick is good).