text:
The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman
Quentin Coldwater is at the precipice that has life has been leading to. He's incredibly smart and about to have his interview for entrance into an Ivy League school. It's what is expected and yet after all of these years of hard work, it feels somehow anticlimactic. Quentin is then offered the opportunity he never thought existed - a chance to attend the exclusive Brakebills - a school for modern magicians. Brakebills represents everything he's always secretly wanted an escape from the mundane. For years Quentin has been re-reading fantasy novels about the magical world Fillory and while it may all be a story, Brakebills offers him the chance to closest to the the dream world he's always dreamed of visiting.
The Magicians sets itself up to be a cross between The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Harry Potter. It has young adults going to a magical academy and then traveling to a fantastical world in search of a quest. The problem with Grossman's work is that it has none of the delight of either series and is filled with characters who are self involved, who seem to delight in wallowing and are incredibly selfish. Grossman tries to to give the impression that his characters are sophisticated yet they wade through life with such self generated disillusionment it makes it impossible to relate to them, let alone like them. In 420 pages, not one of Grossman's characters is even remotely likable. It's not necessary for characters to be likely for to tell a good story but the reader should be able to relate to them.
Grossman should have called this book White people's problems, or even Western problems. Quentin is filled with melancholy and despair. From the outside, everything in Quentin's life is perfect. He has class privilege, two parents who love him, and even acceptance to the exclusive Brakebills. No matter what opportunity is offered to Quentin, he seems determined to never be content and at times seems miserable for the sake of being miserable. He is absolutely insufferable and as the narrator of the story, made if feel like wading through mud. I found that I could not feel empathy for Quentin's depression because at the end of the day, Quentin is callous and pretentiousness. Quentin's proverbial position in life is that the glass is half empty and this wars against his hidden feelings of hope. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Grossman doesn't really have a typical antagonist in this book despite the fact that Martin (one of the infamous Chatwin siblings) has become a monster. The antagonist is Quentin's battle between his melancholy and hope that around the corner he will find something shiny to at least divert him from his feelings of sadness.
There's absolutely no character progression in The Magicians. When we first meet Quentin, he is 17 years old and by the time the book ends, he is almost in his mid twenties. During that time period, Quentin has been trained as a magician, left his life with his parents behind, travelled to a magical world, defeated the equivalent of a magical beast, watches as his first lover died while he lay helpless and finally engaged on a quest to find a magical beast. That's a lot to happen to one person and yet Quentin reads exactly the same on the first page as he does the last page. Having lived through even one of the aforementioned incidents should have been enough for some growth, let alone all of them.
Every woman Quentin meets he assigns value based on whether he wants to fuck her or not. Women aren't really people to him but exist only to the degree that they excite his lust. Repeatedly when Quentin is in a close proximity to a woman, he has to caution himself not to look at her breasts.
December slid by on silent runners, in a sleepless dream of constant toil. The work had lost all connection to whatever goal it was supposed to be accomplishing. Even Quentin's sessions with Professor Sunderland lost their spark. He caught himself staring bleakly at the radiant upper slopes of her achingly full and gropable breasts when he knew he should be devoting himself to far more pressing technical issues like correct thumb position (pg 69-70)
Quentin's longest relationship in The Magicians is with Alice, who is a shy but extremely talented magician. He refuses to acknowledge his dependency on her throughout their relationship at Brakebills and when they leave, he treats her like an anchor who constantly spoils his fun. Alice quickly moves from being his girlfriend to a mother figure because she doesn't think that drinking all night, each and every night, is a legitimate way for an adult to pass time. Quentin doesn't even pause to think about the fact that Alice actually forestalled her education in order to be with him during his stage of excessive over indulgence. He is a child while she stands as a woman. When he ultimately cheats on Alice with Janet, it is only then that he begins to even contemplate what Alice means to him. Alice does not forgive and instead has sex with Penny, a fellow magician and Quentin actually has the nerve to get angry. When Quentin cheated he blamed Janet and the booze, refusing to take any kind of personal responsibility and when Janet slept with Penny, rather than acknowledging his role in that interaction, all he can think about his hurt and his pain. It sets Alice up to be a toy that Quentin now only wants because another kid has started playing with it. In the end, Alice sacrifices herself to save Quentin's life thus giving purpose to his melancholy at last.
While Alice may be Quentin's longest lasting love interest she isn't his only one. No one forced Quentin into Janet's bed and yet he positions her as this whore who had the nerve to tempt him away from his beloved Alice. Janet becomes the Jezebel to Alice's Madonna. Each smile Janet makes from this point on Quentin believes is filled with such a wickedness that it induces hatred in him. Where Alice is quiet and reserved, Janet is loud, shrill and a "howling cunt".
Quentin's first love Julia doesn't fare any better. The moment Quentin gets into Brakebills, he pretty much forgets Julia's existence. He sees this as punishment for Julia having the nerve to choose someone else as her boyfriend. Even after Julia tracks him down and she's clearly in some serious trouble because of her experimentation with magic, Quentin barely gives her a second thought. He clearly doesn't value their friendship but given that Quentin doesn't value women, this isn't surprising.
The only LGBT character in this story is Elliot and really, he's just as bad as Quentin. Elliot has transitory relationships with men but doesn't have a romantic partner per say. Elliot spends most of his time affecting an air of aloofness that is fraudulent at it seems. Elliot may spend a lot of time around Janet but his primary relationship seems to be with Quentin. For some reason, Elliot labours under the assumption that he needs Quentin and they are partners in their mission to pickle their livers. Grossman never really explains why Elliot is drawn to Quentin, particularly given how different their lives and frame of references are. They have nothing in common beyond magic and barely spend any time discussing it. Elliot, unlike Quentin ,has had a hard life. Being gay in a homophobic world means that Elliot has never really known true acceptance.
My dad doesn't know what happened. He thinks he chewed too much dip before I was conceived, and that's why I 'di'n't come out reg'lar.' " Eliot stubbed out his Merit in a glass ashtray balanced precariously on the glossy wooden hull and lit another one. "They think I'm at a special school for computer geeks and homosexuals.
"That's why I don't go home in the summertime. Henry doesn't care. I haven't been home since I started here.
"You probably feel sorry for me," he went on airily. He wore a dressing gown over his regular clothes, which gave him a shabby princely look. "You shouldn't, you know. I'm very happy here. Some people need their families to become who they're supposed to be. And there's nothing wrong with that. But there are other ways to do it." (pg 53)
It makes sense to me that Elliot tries to affect an air of insouciance and why he drinks to avoid the reality of how homophobic the world is. His own family thinks that he is some sort of mistake. Other than Alice, who lost her older brother, Elliot is perhaps the only character whose sadness makes sense, even though it makes him yet another LGBT character with a tragic backstory.
Given who Quentin is, I don't really understand how he is able to draw so many people into his orbit. Penny and Quentin are both tested for entry into Brakebills at the same time but Quentin is able to progress faster. Penny's response to Quentin being moved ahead of him is to simply show up and punch him. This fight comes out of nowhere and is explained by Penny feeling abandoned by Quentin. To be abandoned one would assume a relationship exists but that is not the case. Even more baffling is Penny seeking out Quentin and his friends when he finds a button which has the ability to transport them to Fillory. Grossman knows that the writers device he uses to get everyone to Fillory is ridiculous and so even has Quentin wonder why Penny would seek him out, or refer to him as a friend.
There are a few characters of colour in The Magicians but they are side characters at best. Similarly, disabled characters get the same treatment. Quentin being the horrible asshole that he is refers to Gretchen as "the gimp". Gretchen simply tells people that her magic comes from her leg. It's bullshit and all of the characters know it's bullshit but no one is is a decent enough human being to think about what how being called a slur makes Gretchen feel.
The Magician easily could have cut 100 pages and still be a coherent book. All of the time spent at Brakebills was completely overwritten and unnecessary. They spent four years there to learn magic that didn't turn out to be helpful when it was time to go to Fillory. I struggled to read The Magicians, and even when pacing picked up when the characters reached Fillory, I was so overly fed up, that I had reached the point of no return with the level of irritation that I felt. I'm fine with characters being unlikable but Quentin and his crew felt two dimensional as they struggled with unbearable lightness of being. Grossman simply didn't give us a reason to care about any character.
I'll be honest and admit that I chose to read The Magician because we are currently covering the television show based on this series. The Magicians (the television show) has many problems but at least it doesn't actively bore me. Grossman's characters aren't so much depressed, as invested in melancholy as a way of life and filled with a level of self importance that belies their actual skill set in any realm. At times, The Magician is almost torturous to read through and there is no pay off in the end because Quentin only becomes more insufferable with his manpain and isolation. I cannot see this series getting any better, so do yourself a favor, and just stick with the tv show.
Labels: 1.5 fangs, Lev Grossman, magic, the magicians
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text:
Q: When using inlinedata is it possible to use string.empty? I was wondering while writing some tests if it was possible to use the by @microsoft declared string.isempty when using xUnit tests. (See below)
I'm a programming student and my teachers recommended using @microsofts already defined methods and consts when possible.
I've tried it but it didn't seemed to work, so thought I might have done something wrong.
[Theory]
[InlineData(string.Empty)]
[InlineData(null)]
[InlineData("        ")]
[InlineData(" ")]
[InlineData(" someRandomText")]
// ...
public void SetEmailaddress_WrongEmail_IllegalArgumentException(string data) // type of method that is being test, what kind of test, the expected outcome
   {
      //Assert
      Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => _l.Emailaddress = data);
   }

Thanks in advance!
Greetingz

A: It has nothing to do with tests and everything to do with attributes. Attributes must be a compile time constant.
You can go to this question to find out why string.empty is not considered a constant vs ""

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Posted on 6th July 2013 by Penny
Roundup: This week's news on HS2
Since Patrick McLouglin upped the cost of HS2 by £10 billion to £42 billion (over £50 billion if you want trains), politicians and others have realised this is an unaffordable white elephant of a project which should be scrapped.
Financial Times: Amber lights slow down Britain's HS2 rail project
Just a few weeks ago, supporters of Britain's High Speed 2 rail project seemed to have little to fear….
Yet, in recent days, that Westminster consensus has started to splinter. First, the government revealed the projected cost had jumped from £34.5bn to £42.6bn. With rolling stock expected to cost a further £7.5bn, the total price tag now looks set to exceed £50bn. Then, officials said this week they were revising their cost-benefit analysis in a way that was likely to reduce the scheme's projected economic value.
YouGov Poll: HS2 public support falls
HS2 appears increasingly unpopular with Labour and Conservative voters as overall support for the project heads into negative territory
The Telegraph: Lord Mandelson warns HS2 could be 'expensive mistake' – Telegraph.co.uk
Writing in the Financial Times, Lord Mandelson said Labour's backing for HS2 was partly based on hopes of the country emerging from the financial crisis and the impending elections rather than the financial burden or the impact on areas around the new …
The Guardian: Peter Mandelson's HS2 epiphany has tipped the balance – The Guardian
HS2 was a Labour project that had everything going for it. In time of austerity, go for growth with mighty infrastructure. Employ people and borrow now when money is cheap to invest in the future. Surely Keynes himself would have called for this … […]
Evening Standard: Ed Balls raises fresh doubts over £42bn cost of HS2
Ed Balls is thought to be cooling on High Speed rail after he proposed abolishing the company set up to deliver the £42 billion project.
The Shadow Chancellor recently suggested scrapping HS2 Ltd and said Labour would rethink how it sets priorities for major rail infrastructure investment.
BBC: HS2 building timetable 'complete madness'
The timetable for completing the HS2 railway is "complete madness", the head of a Commons committee has warned.
Labour's Margaret Hodge said Parliament would not pass plans by 2015 as there were too many grievances and this would delay completion of the first stage from London to Birmingham beyond 2026.
Liberal Conspiracy: Why Labour should turn against HS2
At their summer reception yesterday, IPPR's Nick Pearce joked to me that I finally agreed with Peter Mandelson over something.
It's true. I'm glad that Mandelson has finally converted to an argument I've been making for a while: that High-Speed Rail 2 is a bad idea….
It has now become an entirely political calculation. And this is where I think Labour is badly missing a trick.
The Guardian: Labour thought private capital would pay for HS2. As if
Private capital's appetite for risk evaporates when the bill starts at a few tens of billions and rises with every revision: Peter Mandelson has revealed that Labour assumed that the HS2 high-speed railway project would attract private capital.
Lord Mandelson didn't quite say the last Labour government constructed its economic case for HS2 on the back of a fag packet to chase votes, but you caught his drift. The estimates were "almost entirely speculative" but "the vision was exciting" and "we were focusing on the coming electoral battle", he wrote in the FT this week.
Liberal Conspiracy: The growing opposition to HS2 cannot be ignored any longer by Christian Wolmar
At last, opposition to the HS2 rail project is extending beyond the Chilterns and is starting a debate that should have been had three years ago.
There has always been something deeply worrying about the fact that all three main political parties are in support of the plan to build a high speed railway line linking London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds when the case is so weak and the cost so high. The parties have been outdoing each other in attempts to show that their support is unyielding in the face of growing evidence that the whole project is unsustainable.
The Independent: Why build HS2 and waste billions that could be used elsewhere?
I have the feeling this is a sop. Even carried out, it won't solve underlying weakness.
The Independent: We're making the wrong connections and going nowhere fast with HS2
The high-speed rail link will not actually take people to where they want to go
The Scotsman: Comment: Sleeper can take HS2 strain for less
ALL this talk about HS2 is diverting attention from badly-needed investment in a somewhat overlooked and undervalued means of long-distance travel: the Caledonian Sleeper.
Its biggest advantage is that it makes the most of a short visit to London, allowing for an evening's work or dinner at either end and arrival in London and Scotland in time for breakfast, and without the need for costly cross-city connections…
It was announced in the past week that three firms are competing to run the sleeper service for 15 years from April 2015: the incumbent FirstGroup, Arriva and Serco. Arriva is owned by DB, the German state railway company which operates the largest network of sleeper services in western Europe. Serco runs sleeper trains aimed at tourists in Australia.
Political Cleanup: Secret State 12: DfT alleged to have opposed release of official figures because they would 'confuse the public'
… We heard from Alison Munro, HS2's chief executive, that the real argument about the need for HS2 has shifted from speed to capacity.
Andrew Gilligan and many others have challenged the need for extra capacity, some offering alternative strategies;
…"In court, counsel for the Department for Transport, Tim Mould QC, defended the failure to release the capacity figures during the consultation period, saying they would have 'added nothing to the debate' and 'confused the public'."
Photos and Videos from the Stand for The Trees event, 29th December 2019 at Denham Country Park
Flooding and the HS2 Backlash, Part Three.
Flooding and the HS2 Backlash, Part Two.
Flooding and the HS2 Backlash, Part One.
Trees Still Standing at Colne Valley
Tagged Adonis, Australia, BBC News, Birmingham, Christian Wolmar, Commons committee, Department for Transport, Financial Times, FirstGroup, Leeds, London, long distance travel, Manchester, Margaret Hodge, Nick Pearce, Patrick McLouglin, Peter Mandelson, Scotland, sleeper services, Sunny Hundal, Telegraph.co.uk, The Guardian, The Scotsman, twitter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow dead
IANS Saturday, 03 November 2018 11:30:10 AM
Hong Kong : Legendary Hong Kong film producer Raymond Chow, who introduced martial art legends like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan to the world and "the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in the big screen, is dead. He was 91.
He died on Friday, reports variety.com
Chow was an instrumental figure in building the golden era of the Hong Kong film industry, working under Run Run Shaw at Shaw Brothers Studio and co-founding Golden Harvest in 1970,
He was also among the first to bring Hong Kong films to global attention through international partnerships and distribution.
Born in Hong Kong in 1927, Chow studied journalism at St. John's University in Shanghai and began working as a reporter.
He had a brief stint with "Voice of America" before leaving journalism for filmmaking when he was recruited by Shaw Brothers Studio in 1958, joining the company as the publicity chief and later became head of the production department.
Chow's Golden Harvest was best known for discovering Lee, making him an international kung fu star and cultural icon who is still influential today.
Their first film, "The Big Boss", made Lee an instant legend, setting new box office records at the time. It was then followed by "Fist of Fury" and "The Way of the Dragon".
The subsequent "Enter the Dragon" was a co-production with Warner Bros., the first co-production between Hong Kong and Hollywood.
Chan also found initial fame from filming the Kung Fu comedies "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" and "Drunken Master", produced by Golden Harvest. The movies became a new sub-genre of Kung Fu movies.
Unlike many Hong Kong filmmakers, Chow was keen on venturing into the international market, particularly Hollywood. One of his most notable successes was "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in 1990, a screen adaptation of the comic series of the same name.
But Golden Harvest suffered great financial losses during the Asian financial crisis in 1998, the same year when Chow's partner, Ho, died. Chow sold the company to China's Wu Kebo in 2007 and it changed its name to Orange Sky Golden Harvest after merging with a mainland Chinese partner.
"Chow set up Golden Harvest in the 1970s. The company has since produced a good number of movie classics, helped nurture a pool of Hong Kong talents, and brought them to the international stage. We are most grateful for his great contribution to the development of the Hong Kong film industry," said Edward Yau, Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and economic development.
Published : Saturday, November 03, 2018 11:30 [IST]
Maharashtra's man-eater tigress shot dead
Apple sheds smartwatch shipments share in Q3, Fitbit gains: Report


Summer time in Devon and Cornwall cannot be bettered. To achieve the same atmospher whilst walking the rugged coastal footpaths, swim in the azure blue water of the tiny inlets, swim and ride the surf or walk the Bodmin and Dartmoor moors, you would need to travel to the Mediterranean. Oils on canvas. 80x80cm.


At list price homeowner is offering $25,000 cash for any desired designer aesthetic updates. Also home owner providing $60,000 credit towards initiation of a Carlton Woods Golf Membership. Stunning Formals includes Wine Room, Impressive Study, Elegant Dining with Multiple Butler's Pantries. Light & Airy Family & Casual Entertaining: Expansive Chef Dream Spacious Island Kitchen & Breakfast, Family areas with Butted Glass showcasing Panoramic Views of Sparkling Water and Gardens. Seamless Outdoor Entertaining with Summer Kitchen and Loggias along side your Resort Style Pool & Spa. Plush Master Suite, Spacious and Upscale Guest Wing down. Enjoy 2nd Family Room, Games Room /Trophy Room & Media Room. Ask Listing agent about Carlton Woods Golf Membership.


Passion connected" – that's the slogan of the 2018 Winter Games. South Korea wants to bring the world the most connected and technologically advanced Games ever. Therefore the Pyeongchang Olympics aim for high-tech gold.
It's for sure technology has made its entry in the sports and is there to stay. What can we expect for the fans all over the world? And how do the athletes/sports benefit from new technologies in February and March 2018?
"If you don't embrace technology, you loose": the question is if technology makes the difference for athletes in winning gold. And how's the role of tech companies? Is sports really a driving force from a business perspective?
February 1 Sport eXperience likes to address the role of technology in athlete performance. Join the conversation.


text:
India Strikes After Pulwama Terror Attack, Hits Biggest Jaish-e-Mohammed Camp In Balakot
Indian fighter jets crossed the Line of Control before dawn and carried out "non-military, pre-emptive air strikes" within Pakistan to target a training camp of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, in the biggest escalation between the two countries in decades.Two weeks ago, the Jaish-e-Mohammed had killed 40 soldiers in Pulwama, in the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir. Around 3.30 am, 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets of the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control and dropped 1,000 kg bombs on a vast terror training facility at Balakot, which was the hub of suicide attack training, said government sources.To read more click here


The S2 has started shipping in September 2018, and the X2 will follow soon. All bikes will be sent in order of reservation – so the sooner you have reserved, the sooner you'll ride. We'll send you a track and trace link the moment your bike leaves our warehouse.


IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Often referred to IDEA, is our nation's special education law. It guides how states, school districts and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities.
504 - Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. It is of significant interest to students with disabilities who do not qualify for special education services.
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act. Signed into law in 1990, this law protects the civil rights of people with disabilities in all aspects of employment, in accessing public services such as transportation and guaranteeing access to public accommodations such as restaurants, stores, buildings, etc.


text:
Adoption of the Responsibility to Protect
William W. Burke-White, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law SchoolFollow
This book chapter traces the legal and political origins of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine from its early origins in the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty through the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document and up to January 2011. The chapter examines the legal meaning of the Responsibility to Protect, the obligations the Responsibility imposes on states and international institutions, and its implications in for the international legal and political systems. The chapter argues that while the Responsibility to Protect has developed with extraordinary speed, it is still a norm in development rather than a binding legal rule. Its greatest powers lie not in its formal legal status, but rather in the legitimating compliance pull the Responsibility to Protect is coming to exert on state responses to mass atrocity.
in THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE PROMISE OF STOPPING MASS ATROCITIES IN OUR TIME (Jared Genser & Irwin Cotler eds., Oxford Univ. Press Oct. 2011).
Burke-White, William W., "Adoption of the Responsibility to Protect" (2011). Faculty Scholarship at Penn Law. 383.
Human Rights Law Commons, International Law Commons, International Relations Commons, Military and Veterans Studies Commons, Military, War, and Peace Commons, Models and Methods Commons, Public Law and Legal Theory Commons


Do you like cofee? I do. The superiority of coffee is well known but not everyone knows about coffee scrub benefits.
After having a cup of fragrant coffee do not throw away all leftover coffee grounds – they are a real treasure when it comes to homemade beauty products and remedies.
You can easily repurpose this ground coffee (once brewed) and apply it on the skin.
Such pleasant treatment won't cost you anything! Just spread such scrub over some area of your body, gently massage the skin, then rinse coffee remnants away and enjoy the result.
You have no need to spend extra money on expensive beauty products any longer and your purse will surely be thankful to you for such decision.
Most beauty remedies, which are simple and budget saving, can be easily and quickly made at home with all these ingredients you always have on hand.
Real coffee lovers can get two pleasures instead of one: consuming their favorite beverage and having a very useful procedure of cleansing and nourishing the skin.
Coffee grounds work as an amazing mechanical exfoliate of natural origin, scrubbing away dead cells of the skin and revealing healthy and fresh skin underneath. No store-bought chemical exfoliates can work the same way.
To get a great variety of different coffee scrubs just add other natural products to coffee grounds, taking into consideration your skin type.
You can also make coffee scrubs for different body parts by adding sea salt, sugar, yogurt, cream and vegetable oils to it.
Massaging and squeezing the skin when applying coffee scrub on it bring a lot of good as it tightens the skin and helps release fats and toxic substances held in it.
Coffee-scrubbing procedure considerably benefits your blood vessels strengthening them, increasing blood flow and preventing appearance of varicose veins.
You won't believe, but coffee scrubbing is also useful for your nervous system. How come is that possible? Coffee scent works like aromatherapy treatment and an effective anti-depressant making you get rid of intrusive and disturbing thoughts.
This magic word "antioxidant"! Here it is: coffee with its key ingredient – a natural antioxidant called caffeine, which possesses all antioxidant properties preventing premature aging.
Let your skin ingest some caffeine. It will fight the first signs of cellulite, reduce its appearance and provide the skin with a firmer, tighter and healthier look.
Caffeine heals and reduces inflammatory processes in skin.
For example, you can create your homemade product by mixing coffee grounds with liquid honey.
Homemade coffee facial scrub is a simple way to help your skin to get rid of old cells. You can make the coffee scrub when you desire to drink coffee. So, you can combine skin care procedure with drinking coffee pleasure. No waste.
Grind coffee beans before use. Pour boiling water in the cup with ground coffee. Leave it for 10 minutes.
Strain the brewed drink first and mix it with honey after.
If mixture is too watery, add oatmeal to get normal density. Grind oatmeal before using.
Clean the face before applying the scrub. Spread the scrub over your face. Massage it for about 3 minutes, making circular motions with your fingertips.
Allow scrub to remain on the face for 5 to 10 minutes. Then wash your face with warm water. If you like to watch the results try to repeat this procedure once a week.
Remains of the coffee mixture could be refrigerated for a long time, unlike the coffee scrub with yogurt (read Homemade Face Exfoliator Recipe).
The most simple homemade cleansing composition is mixture of coffee and olive oil. Do not neglect these recipe. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. (c) Leonardo da Vinci.
This scrub is ideal for dry skin. Olive oil softens exfoliating effect of coffee and nourishes the skin at the same time. If you've got oily skin it's better to fix Coffee Face Scrub with Honey or Yogurt instead.
Brew coffee in a cup. Strain the drink after 10 minutes.
Add the olive oil to the remaining coffee grounds.
Use the mixture as a scrub by massaging your face with a circular motion.
Remove the remnants of scrub with a paper towel after rinsing off your face with warm water.
Wipe the face with lotion and apply a moisturizer.
But if you are great coffee lover don't do that frozen stock ever. You'll get coffee mixture at least once a day.


text:
<!--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  ~ Copyright (c) 2015-2018 Skymind, Inc.
  ~
  ~ This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
  ~ terms of the Apache License, Version 2.0 which is available at
  ~ https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
  ~
  ~ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
  ~ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
  ~ WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
  ~ License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
  ~ under the License.
  ~
  ~ SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-->

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <parent>
        <artifactId>datavec-parent</artifactId>
        <groupId>org.datavec</groupId>
        <version>1.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
    </parent>
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <artifactId>datavec-arrow</artifactId>
    <packaging>jar</packaging>

    <name>datavec-arrow</name>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.datavec</groupId>
            <artifactId>datavec-api</artifactId>
            <version>${project.version}</version>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.apache.arrow</groupId>
            <artifactId>arrow-vector</artifactId>
            <version>${arrow.version}</version>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.apache.arrow</groupId>
            <artifactId>arrow-memory</artifactId>
            <version>${arrow.version}</version>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.apache.arrow</groupId>
            <artifactId>arrow-format</artifactId>
            <version>${arrow.version}</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>

    <profiles>
        <profile>
            <id>test-nd4j-native</id>
        </profile>
        <profile>
            <id>test-nd4j-cuda-10.2</id>
        </profile>
    </profiles>
</project>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


At Press Start Ltd. We've been serving the East Anglia area since 1996 and as a business, we feel a lot of similar pain points as you. Just like you, we know how much of a hassle it can be dealing with IT troubles. It's expensive, it's time consuming, and it's downright frustrating. You pay your employees to work, but if their workstations aren't working or the server is unreachable, they can't do their jobs.
We would like to offer you a 'Free Consultation Visit' to show you that there is a better way to solve those day-to-day issues that plague businesses everywhere of all sizes. This is the Press Start Ltd Difference; proactive maintenance to prevent downtime. We don't wait around for things to break; we keep your business up and running all day, every day. Why experience a loss in productivity? We want you to expand and grow.
In our experience most businesses just want to be confident in their current IT. They just want someone they can trust to maintain their infrastructure so they can focus on what's really important; driving their business forward. We love seeing my clients succeed, hearing that their profits have gone up and their expenses have gone down. As our clients grow, our business grows along with them. It is in our companies best interest to provide the best service possible.
We urge you to take advantage of our service, and you'll see that we're right; we're the best at what we do, and our level of service is top-notch. We've worked hard to lay out the best practices, train our talented team and provide them with the best tools in the industry. We want to give you a chance to experience it before you risk your money on a whole new IT company. Once you've tried it and love it, we'll take great pleasure in welcoming you to Press Start Ltd as another one of our happy, loyal, long-term clients.


For more than 15 years, Georgine Paulin has been making the complicated process of buying or selling a New York City home as easy and stress-free as possible. She has a warm, welcoming personality that quickly puts people at ease. At the same time, she is also a skilled negotiator who combines her down-to-earth demeanor and real estate expertise to provide you with the best possible service. Georgine Paulin is a top agent who has earned accolades over the years and is well respected in the industry. Great relationships with other agents, mortgage brokers, attorneys, management companies, etc. help Georgine keep each transaction moving forward in a timely manner avoiding unnecessary delays. In addition to her knack for putting together the perfect buyer and seller, Georgine also helps put together the right team to get to closing table smoothly and efficiently, saving everyone time and money.
Georgine takes the time to educate her sellers so they know they are making the right decisions when it comes to pricing and which buyer to choose while garnering the highest price in the shortest amount of time. When working with buyers, Georgine's process combined with Compass tools, makes sure buyers don't miss any listings and they aren't paying too much. Georgine's past transactions have included coops, condos, and townhouses in all price ranges. Georgine has also been the lead agent on new developments in the East Village. She specializes in Downtown Manhattan and North Brooklyn but has helped many clients all over Manhattan, Brooklyn and a few neighborhoods in Queens as well.
In her spare time, Georgine gives back to the community as a long-time mentor with Mentoring USA in East New York. She can also be found participating in neighborhood volunteering opportunities with groups like Friends of Transmitter Park and Curb Your Litter. Georgine not only plays street hockey, but she is a co-captain of her team and a Board Member of the 20-team league. She's an active member of the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Giving in to her appreciation and zest for life she can often be found up front at a rock show or paddling the East River and Newtown Creek as a member of the North Brooklyn Boat Club. As a member of Cross Fit NYC Georgine practices discipline, determination and teamwork. That always positive, tenacious, no-matter-what-it-takes attitude along with Georgine's even-keeled disposition and market expertise makes working with Georgine a wonderful experience where you can trust that you're getting the best service and outcome on the road towards reaching your real estate goals.


ABB Home and Building Automation - What kind of bus cable should I use when installing free@home bus system?
We recommend that you use a KNX-certified bus line (J-Y(ST)Y 2x2x0.8). This type of twisted, double isolated 2-wire bus cable enables that the bus cable and mains power cable can be drawn next to each other in the same tube.


text:
Q: load multiple flv videos using FileReferenceList class following is my code for loading one video using FileReference class and it works fine
[Event(name="complete",type="flash.events.Event")]
[Event(name="status",type="flash.events.StatusEvent")]
public class LocalFileLoader extends EventDispatcher
{
    public function LocalFileLoader()
    {}
    private var file:FileReference;// = FileReference(event.target);
    private var list:FileReferenceList;
    public var p2pSharedObject:P2PSharedObject = new P2PSharedObject();
    public function browseFileSystem():void {
        file = new FileReference();
        list = new FileReferenceList();
        list.addEventListener(Event.SELECT, selectHandler);
        list.browse();
    }
    protected function selectHandler(event:Event):void {
        for each ( file in list.fileList ){
            file.addEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, ioErrorHandler);
            file.addEventListener(ProgressEvent.PROGRESS, progressHandler);
            file.addEventListener(SecurityErrorEvent.SECURITY_ERROR, securityErrorHandler);
            file.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, completeHandler);
            writeText(file.name+" | "+file.size);
            file.load();
        }
    }
    protected function securityErrorHandler(event:SecurityErrorEvent):void {
        writeText("securityError: " + event);
    }
    protected function completeHandler(event:Event):void {
        writeText("completeHandler");
        p2pSharedObject = new P2PSharedObject();
        p2pSharedObject.size = file.size;
        p2pSharedObject.packetLength = Math.floor(file.size/32000)+1;
        p2pSharedObject.data = file.data;
        p2pSharedObject.chunks = new Object();
        var desc:Object = new Object();
        desc.totalChunks = p2pSharedObject.packetLength+1;
        desc.name = file.name;
        p2pSharedObject.chunks[0] = desc;
        for(var i:int = 1;i<p2pSharedObject.packetLength;i++){
            p2pSharedObject.chunks[i] = new ByteArray();
            p2pSharedObject.data.readBytes(p2pSharedObject.chunks[i],0,32000);
        }
        // +1 last packet
        p2pSharedObject.chunks[p2pSharedObject.packetLength] = new ByteArray();
        p2pSharedObject.data.readBytes(p2pSharedObject.chunks[i],0,p2pSharedObject.data.bytesAvailable);
        p2pSharedObject.packetLength+=1;
        writeText("----- p2pSharedObject -----");
        writeText("packetLenght: "+(p2pSharedObject.packetLength));
        dispatchEvent(new Event(Event.COMPLETE));
    }
    protected function writeText(str:String):void{
        var e:StatusEvent = new StatusEvent(StatusEvent.STATUS,false,false,"status",str);
        dispatchEvent(e);
    }
}

the sender.mxml code is following which plays the video on the stage
private function init() : void {
    fileLoader = new LocalFileLoader();
    fileLoader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, fileLoaded);
    fileShare = new P2PFileShare();
    fileShare.addEventListener(StatusEvent.STATUS,
            function(event:StatusEvent):void {
                writeText(event.level);
            });
    fileShare.connect();
}

private function fileLoaded ( event:Event ) : void {
    writeText("fileLoaded");
    if (fileShare.connected) {
        fileShare.p2pSharedObject = fileLoader.p2pSharedObject;
        fileShare.p2pSharedObject.lastIndexBegin = 0;
        fileShare.p2pSharedObject.lastIndexEnd = fileShare.p2pSharedObject.packetLength-1;
        fileShare.updateHaveObjects();
    }
    setupVideo();
    // PLAY
    ns.play(null);

    ns.appendBytesAction(NetStreamAppendBytesAction.RESET_BEGIN);
    ns.appendBytes(fileLoader.p2pSharedObject.data);
    video.attachNetStream(ns);
}

private function setupVideo():void{
    var nc:NetConnection = new NetConnection();
    nc.connect(null);
    ns = new NetStream(nc);
    ns.client = this;
    ns.addEventListener(NetStatusEvent.NET_STATUS,
            function(event:NetStatusEvent):void{
                writeText("stream: "+event.info.code);
            });
    video = new Video();
    videoComp = new UIComponent();
    videoComp.addChild(video);
    this.addElement(videoComp);
}

then after this, the file.name and file.size goes to mxml page and the video is displayed on stage with name and file size
but the samething i want to do with FileReferenceList class, i am solving this problem from last 2 weeks but cant ,,, plz guide me ,,, i google so many times but no specific answer
Regards
Ammad Khan

A: You can use the fileList property of the FileReferenceList class to access the files that where selected.  Then load() each FileReference in the list separately:
private var list:FileReferenceList;

public function browseFileSystem():void {

    list = new FileReferenceList();
    list.addEventListener(Event.SELECT, selectHandler);
    list.browse();
}

protected function selectHandler(event:Event):void {

    for each ( var file:FileReference in list.fileList) {
        file.addEventListener(IOErrorEvent.IO_ERROR, ioErrorHandler);
        file.addEventListener(ProgressEvent.PROGRESS, progressHandler);
        file.addEventListener(SecurityErrorEvent.SECURITY_ERROR, securityErrorHandler);
        file.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, completeHandler);
        writeText(file.name+" | "+file.size);
        file.load();
    }
}


Goodreads says, "I'm coming for you. The whispers haunt her dreams and fill her waking hours with dread. Something odd is happening. Something...unnatural. Possession of the living. Resurrection of the dead. And Natalie Stewart is caught right in the middle. Jonathon, the one person she thought she could trust, has become a double agent for the dark side. But he plays the part so well, Natalie has to wonder just how much he's really acting. She can't even see what it is she's fighting. But the cost of losing her heart, her sanity...her soul."
In Darker Still, it ends with Jonathan (Lord Denbury) and Natalie on a train leaving New York City. They are pretty much on the run along with the help of Mrs. Northe, who is staying in New York. Just as in Darker Still, all three are still trying to solve the mystery. Natalie and Jonathan are running away from the evil that still lingers in the city; however, once they get to Jonathan's friend's house, they find something disturbing there as well. They decide to regroup and Natalie to heads back to the city. Jonathan makes an executive decision: to pretend to be on the dark side in order to figure out what is going on, including the mystery surrounding his murdered family. The Twisted Tragedy of Natalie Stewart is book two in the Magic Most Foul series by Leanna Renee Hieber and although it is deliciously gothic and entertaining, I didn't find it quite as absorbing as Darker Still.
One of the best parts of The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart is the relationship between Natalie and Jonathan. Although I definitely wanted more of this in book two, I still really liked them together as a couple. Another thing I enjoyed about The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart is Hieber's writing. She really creates such a spine-chilling atmosphere that I was thinking about long after the story was over.
I am not big on horror stories and was afraid that this series might push me to the edge, but I think it's more gothic than a horror story. But don't get me wrong! In The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart, there's still a demon running loose, a creepy doctor, a scary hospital, and an evil society; so, there's plenty of eerie parts to this novel. However, what I find most enjoyable are the gothic elements and the Victorian time period. Hieber does a really good job bringing it all to life.
Although The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart wasn't as good as Darker Still, it was still an entertaining read with gothic undertones truly as the star of the show.
nice review :) Will get the book soon. Great blog anyway.
I just bought Darker Still and I'm looking forward to starting it. I like Gothic fiction.
It is too bad that the sequel didn't live up to the first book but that does happen quite often with second books. I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks for your review!
I hope you like it, Christina! You'll have to let me know your thoughts. Thanks for dropping by!
Completely agree! Thanks for visiting, Jenny!
I love that cover. Sounds interesting. I'll keep an eye out for it.
Me too! Such a great cover. Thanks for visiting, Linda!
It's definitely spine-chilling and a good Gothic read. I hope you get to read it--you'll have to let me know what you think! Thanks for dropping by, Lea!


feeling quite well, he had a knee problem and had to go to bed early.
together in one room that night".
is a coup and the trend is this way.
was part of the coup; he later became ADC to Gowon.
Garrison that alerted others outside the Government House, Ibadan.
Benue almost shot me, but Danjuma stopped him and spoke to him in Hausa.
could tell them what to do.
hemp, so when he fell down some of them started beating him.
sure that he was the last to leave the place.
instead of taking action ran away.
have died after the first shot".


Nancy's Nurses was founded to make it easier for nurses to find the best nursing jobs nearby.
Our process is simple: Nurses apply for Membership below. If accepted, they are added to our priority job alert list. Then, when healthcare employers reach out to us with job offers ("I need 5 LPNs, offering $20 an hour, weekend shift"), we pass them to our Members. Those that are interested in an offer let us know and we make the connection. It's that easy.
And if you are wondering, Membership is granted at no charge. All we require are nurses with a dedication to their craft and a heart for helping others. They are more rare than you'd think.


It's About TV: Around the Dial - Bob Cummings, George & Gracie, and more!
Around the Dial - Bob Cummings, George & Gracie, and more!
You know, for all the times I've run across Love That Bob! in all the old TV Guide listings, I've never actually seen an episode. Oh, sure, I know who Bob Cummings is; he was terrific in an episode of The Twilight Zone, and I actually prefer his performance in Studio One's "Twelve Angry Men" to that of Henry Fonda. But I've never seen Love That Bob! Now, at least, I know more about it, thanks to this episode review from The Horn Section.
I have distinct memories of watching Wonderful World of Color when Walt Disney was still alive, and I enjoy reading about the 1964-65 World's Fair, so it's no surprise that I'd be interested in Dixon's review of Disney's trip to the Fair at TV When I Was Born. What vivid colors! That's the kind of miracle color TV was back in the '60s.
I've written about Terry Teachout before; the drama critic for The Wall Street Journal* always has thoughtful perspectives on the relationship of television to American culture. This week, he links to an article he wrote ten years ago, in which he ponders what it means to abandon series television.
*Not to mention author, playwright and opera librettist, all of which give me a massive inferiority complex.
A couple of years ago, some friends of ours gave us a DVD of the best of Match Game. Now, I'm old enough that I actually remember the original version in the mid-to-late '60s, particularly an episode in which the guests were the Apollo astronauts. (Or was that You Don't Say? I'm never sure about that - maybe someone can remind me.) Anyway, this week's Bootleg Files takes a look back at the show's bawdy '70s revival, which I also remember with some fondness. I don't know that it wears very well, but there are some very funny moments. And some stupid ones as well.
I don't know about you, but when I think of Burns & Allen (which is probably less often than I should), I never think about them in color. I might ahve to change that now, thanks to Kinescope HD's post of an episode of the show done in color!
At The Lucky Strike Papers, Andrew mentions a terrific movie that I never saw in the theater but enjoyed immensely on TV (which is perhaps appropriate): My Favorite Year, which starred the great Peter O'Toole in one of his later-career Oscar-nominated roles, and was directed by TV and movie veteran Richard Benjamin. (Husband of **sigh** Paula Prentiss.) Unfortunately I didn't catch the rerun on TCM this week, but that's no reason for you not to get out there and find it on DVD or streaming video.
And finally, a quick reminder that the Classic TV Blog Association's Summer of MeTV Blogathon is coming up June 2-5. I've got my contribution ready - I hope you'll take time to read it!
That's all for today, kiddies - back Saturday with another look in the dusty pages of TV Guide!
Thanks for the mention! Lots of BOB episodes at YouTube, yet another pleasant find there. The show really deserves rediscovery and a proper DVD release.
Looking forward to the Me TV blogathon myself, Mitchell. Can't wait to read your writeup on the 2nd!


1Lt William G. LeFevre (P) - Was CoPilot on the Capt Edward J. Broussard crew for twenty-three missions. First mission 6 Dec 1942. Completed Combat tour 25 July 1943. Upgraded from CoPilot to Pilot on 04 July 1943. Flew two missions as 1st Pilot (49, 53) and one mission (51) as a Lead Crew Tail Gunner/Observer. Promoted to Captain after completing his combat tour.
Lt Jack G. Rolfson (CP) - Missions 49 & 53.
Lt Charles L. Herman (N) - Missions 49, 53. Flew on 14 missions with the Lt's Broussard (P)/Le Fevre (CP) crew (3, 5, 6, 8, 30, 32, 33, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 43A, 44).
Lt Abbott M. Smith, Jr. (B) - Missions 49, 53. Flew on 1 mission with the Lt's Broussard (P)/Le Fevre (CP) Crew (33).
T/Sgt James K. Good (E) - Missions 49, 51, & 53. Flew on 2 missions with the Lt's Broussard (P)/Le Fevre (CP) crew (11, 19).
T/Sgt Dale F. Brandfas (R) - Missions 49 & 53. Flew on one mission with the Lt's Broussard (P)/Le Fevre (CP) crew (20).
S/Sgt Robert K. Sink (BTG) - Missions 49, 51 & 53.
S/Sgt Elwood F. Hairr (LWG) - Mission 49.
S/Sgt William W. Fleming (LWG) - Missions 51 & 53. Flew on 2 missions with the Lt's Broussard (P)/Le Fevre (CP) crew (33, 36).
S/Sgt Durward L. Hinds (RWG) Mission 49, 51, 53.


text:
Health Chief: Ebola Distracted from Genessee County Legionnaire's Outbreak
April 25, 2016 Jerome Vaughn
The state's focus on the threat from Ebola overshadowed new cases of Legionnaire's disease in Genesee County.
Rick Pluta
The state's health director says an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease in Genesee County did not get the attention it deserved from his agency. He says it was partially due to the department's focus on a different health threat that never materialized.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon was testifying before state lawmakers looking into the Flint water crisis. He said health officials were aware of the Legionnaire's outbreak and were trying to track down the cause. But he said the department was also distracted two years ago by preparations to deal with the Ebola virus.
"Certainly, we weren't as aware as we could have been about the legionella outbreak that was going on in Genesee County," said Lyon.
The Legionnaire's outbreak killed at least 12 people in 2014 and 15. There were 11 known cases of Ebola in the US and two fatalities. None were in Michigan.
Officials appearing before the Joint Select Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency told lawmakers that program to clean out the water system and help spread anti-corrosion chemicals is on track to begin May 1. It calls for Flint residents to run their water for several minutes a day.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Keith Creigh said he's working with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver's office to enlist Flint residents to cooperate with the effort.
"It will be very difficult to regain the trust and confidence of the people of Flint," said Creigh.
Rick Pluta has been covering Michigan's Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.
Previous The Intersection Ike McKinnon Shares Stories of Racism in 1960's Detroit Police Department
Next Flint Residents Create New Non-Profit to Help the City


text:
Category : India News
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram hit out at the Centre over the impasse on the farm laws, alleging that "no one" was...
Becoming among the first lawmakers in India to get inoculated for the COVID-19 infection, BJP leader Mahesh Sharma, the...
The regional office of the World Health Organization said India's efforts to vaccinate around three crore people against...
The nationwide Covid vaccination drive began a little after 11 am Saturday, with a sanitation worker at Delhi's AIIMS th...
As India's vaccination drive began today with Covid shots to health workers, those receiving Bharat Biotech's Covaxin we...
The national capital has been one of the worst-hit by Covid-19 among Indian cities, with 6.31 lakh infected people till...
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday contributed Rs 2 lakh for the construction of a grand Ram Temple...
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking free COVID-19 vaccination...
Former Union minister and noted businessman Kamal Morarka died here on Friday evening after a brief illness. He was 74.
The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive will be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 10:30 am today, setting of...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 237 238 Next Page


£5.00 £3.99 as of 26-04-2019 02:55:18pm GMT (product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the supplier website at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product).
This pack of five wooden hearts is absolutely perfect for shabby chic craft projects. Both sides of each heart are smooth finished ready to paint, decorate. Each heart has a rope handle for hanging. At £3.99 for all 5, they offer unbelievable value and would make great little gifts.
£59.99 £44.95 as of 26-04-2019 02:55:18pm GMT (product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the supplier website at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product).
£44.99 as of 26-04-2019 02:55:18pm GMT (product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the supplier website at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product).


text:
As there were two parts to the Mueller report – Russia's criminal interference in the 2016 presidential election, and whether President Trump illegally obstructed the FBI and Special Counsel investigations of Russia's attack on the US election – the hearings are in two parts. The House Judiciary Committee will address obstruction issues and the House Intelligence Committee will focus on Russia.
Mueller could not establish, and therefore could not prosecute, a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
This highly charged day could either be explosive or anticlimactic in the extreme; a nothingburger to go with flat beer after five hours of testimony. As Mueller could not establish, and therefore could not prosecute, a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians, the lion's share of media attention is on the Judiciary Committee because of Mueller's conclusion that he could not prosecute a sitting president for obstruction, but could not exonerate him either.
In his report, Mueller effectively told Congress to take further steps as it sees fit. Judiciary will likely go through the 10 instances of possible obstruction of justice outlined in forensic detail in the report, leading to the question that is at the centre of the committee's deliberations on whether an impeachment proceeding against Trump should begin.
There was a test vote on impeachment sentiment last week, when Rep Al Green (D-Texas) sought to bring up a resolution to initiate impeachment proceedings. Only 95 of 235 Democrats supported the resolution. The American people do not support impeachment. If the House impeaches, the Senate will never convict. The political blowback could cripple the Democrats in 2020.
But the reason impeachment is not dead is that there is a growing frustration with Trump's stonewalling of inquiries by House committees into the White House and Executive Branch. The denial of testimony and documents, the lawsuits against congressional subpoenas, and the White House efforts to de-legitimise congressional oversight are obstructing the ability of the House of Representatives to discharge its Article I powers under the Constitution.
The tipping point on impeachment, therefore, is whether Mueller's appearances tonight leave the overwhelming majority of Democrats with the judgment that Trump has obstructed justice to such an extent that the House of Representatives must take the action authorised under the Constitution to bring to account a president who, in their eyes, is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.
There has been discussion among House Democrats about considering a resolution of censure against Trump that would capture all the activities that have impeded the effective work of Congress, and that addresses a litany of corrupt activity. This would take last week's resolution of condemnation for Trump's attacks on four congresswomen an order-of-magnitude step further, allowing the House to express its damning judgement on Trump, but without the consequences of impeachment.
The considered judgement of the House leadership is, however, that if a decisive majority of House Democrats believe that impeachment is required by the record of its committees' investigations of Trump, then impeach. If not, don't. That is the lens through which we should look at Mueller's testimony.
What should not be lost is the session Mueller will likely enjoy far more: his discussion with the Intelligence Committee of what Russia did, and how the United States must take further action to prevent the foreign corruption of the 2020 elections. On this, Mueller will shine, and will be heard.
Bruce Wolpe
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre
Bruce Wolpe is a Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the United States Studies Centre. Bruce is a regular contributor on US politics across media platforms in Australia. In recent years, Bruce has worked with the Democrats in Congress during President Barack Obama's first term, and on the staff of Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He has also served as the former PM's chief of staff.
24 July 2019 in The 45th.


The inaugural season of the groundbreaking hybrid electric-powered and eco-friendly MS Fridtjof Nansen, which will explore Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland and the Norwegian coast.
The widest ever selection of Antarctica voyages, with more than 30 different departure dates among nine itineraries.
An extreme makeover for Hurtigruten expedition favorite MS Fram; she will re-emerge as a brand-new expedition ship. Read more about the upgrade.
And most notably: The summer of 2020 will see Hurtigruten travel along the coast and Inside Passage of Alaska with a series of expedition cruises.
A selection of photos and illustrations are available to download here.
SEATTLE, WA - December 3, 2018 – Hurtigruten, the world's largest expedition cruise operator, has officially announced another milestone in the company's aggressive growth plan, with the launch of multiple itineraries throughout Alaska in 2020. This new location adds to Hurtigruten's ever-expanding cruise program, offering more than 250 worldwide destinations for the 2020/2021 season.
"Alaska is a perfect fit for Hurtigruten and our expedition cruise concept. We will go where the big ships can't, taking guests far beyond the ordinary while exploring the true beauty of Alaska," says Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
Alaska is the epitome of a destination designed for expedition cruising—a true frontier with a rich sense of adventure and untouched wilderness. Hurtigruten will take its guests closer and deeper into the Alaskan wilderness, with voyages from 12 - 16 days that highlight the legendary Inside Passage, combined with off-the-beaten path destinations like picturesque Petersburg, rarely visited by other cruise lines.
For its first expedition to Alaska, Hurtigruten is introducing the first hybrid electric-powered cruise ship in the state. Equipped with large battery packs, MS Roald Amundsen features innovative green technology, premium surroundings and, of course, Hurtigruten's signature Expedition Team which consists of geologists, biologists, geographers, historians and activity guides, catering to 500 guests.
"Imagine kayaking in pristine waters, hiking through untouched wilderness and spotting bears, whales, caribou and eagles; then returning to the comfort of an expedition ship you know is greener than any other ship you have experienced. This is the unparalleled Alaska experience Hurtigruten will offer," adds Skjeldam.
In addition to Alaska, 2020 will also mark the debut of Hurtigruten's second hybrid electric-powered expedition ship, MS Fridtjof Nansen. The inaugural season of the world's greenest and most advanced expedition ship includes exploring Norwegian fjords, cruising to Greenland and Iceland and following in the wake of the great explorer she's named after, venturing as far south as the Antarctic Circle.
As Hurtigruten continues to build a comprehensive and expansive adventure cruise program, the brand remains dedicated to creating unparalleled experiences including exploring Antarctica. On board vessels that draw their names from the golden age of polar heroes and exploration, Hurtigruten guests can choose from 30 voyages, spanning between 12 and 23 days. Itineraries include stops in the Falkland Islands or South Georgia, as well as visiting just the Antarctic Peninsula.
The 2020/2021 Hurtigruten program also includes expeditions to Russia and Franz Josef Land on board MS Spitsbergen; to Svalbard on board multiple ships; to the Caribbean, Central and South America on board MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fram; and much more.
"Since Hurtigruten started operations in polar waters in 1893, we have been looking for new places to explore. Each and every one of our 250 destinations has been carefully handpicked by our team to give you unforgettable experiences in some of themost spectacular places on Earth," Skjeldam says.
The introduction of the world's first hybrid electric-powered expedition ships is the latest in a number of Hurtigruten green initiatives: Hurtigruten celebrated its 125th anniversary by banning all single-use-plastics; and, in another industry first, Hurtigruten is completely rebuilding existing ships to run on a combination of large battery packs, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and biogas (LBG), produced from organic waste such as dead fish.
Hurtigruten is also offering an extensive pre- and post-cruise program, including opportunities to explore Easter Island, Galápagos, Patagonia and the Atacama Desert. The full Hurtigruten expedition cruise program for 2020/2021 can be found at hurtigruten.com.


This paper describes a framework that supports powerful queries in debugging tools, and describes in particular the transformations, alias analysis, and type analysis used to make the queries efficient. The framework allows queries over the states of all objects at any point in the execution as well as over the history of states. The transformations are based on incrementally maintaining the results of expensive queries studied in previous work. The alias analysis extends the best flow-sensitive intraprocedural analysis to an efficient flow-sensitive interprocedural analysis for an object-oriented language with also a form of context sensitivity. We also show the power of the framework and the effectiveness of the analyses through case studies and experiments with XML DOM tree transformations, an FTP client, and others. We were able to easily determine the sources of all injected bugs, and we also found an actual bug in the case study on the FTP client.


text:
News Opinion Local Voices
Digby Solomon on John Dever's lasting legacy
Joe Fudge / Daily Press
Digby Solomon
Digby Solomon (Joe Fudge / Daily Press)
John Dever, who recently announced he will retire at year's end as president of Thomas Nelson Community College, has much in common with the academic system he championed throughout his career.
The courtly Kentucky native comports himself in an understated manner, but his passion for TNCC's mission was relentless and benefitted thousands of local residents and industry.
Mr. Dever, whose academic credentials include a doctorate in English from the University of Virginia, first came to TNCC as an English professor in 1975, just eight years after the college opened.
Over the years he served as dean of instruction for Blue Ridge Community College, vice president for academic affairs at Tidewater Community College in south Hampton Roads and as a vice president for academic and student services at Northern Virginia Community College, the largest school in Virginia's community college system.
When I retired as president of the Daily Press in 2016 John asked me to serve on the Thomas Nelson Educational Foundation. I am a lousy fund raiser but agreed because I respected him and the mission community colleges fulfill. I would have written this piece the same way if I hadn't accepted.
That's because Mr. Dever patiently educated me on the important mission of TNCC, TCC and their sister institutions across Virginia.
Community colleges are a critical bridge between high school and better-paying jobs, especially for students from lower-income families and adults looking to improve career opportunities.
With the skyrocketing prices at four-year colleges, many students save significantly by taking their first two years of college at a community college, then finishing at a four-year university.
There are many good paying jobs in industry, medicine and other fields that require no college degree, only specialized training. TNCC and other community colleges provide it.
Under Mr. Dever's leadership, TNCC constantly seeks feedback from business leaders on the skills they require, then devises ways to meet them.
One example is the partnership with the New Horizons Regional Education Center and Continental Automotive Systems, in Newport News, to offer mechatronics and machining courses. Continental offers space and specialized equipment, the academics offer instruction, and business gains potential employees with skills in advanced integrated manufacturing techniques.
In April 2018, he convened a meeting of 300 Hampton Roads education and business leaders to push for enhanced career and technical education. That's just one more example of Mr. Dever's tireless proselytizing for community colleges.
These institutions give back to our community economically as well — TNCC estimates its annual impact to the local economy at $329 million.
Community colleges are critical to preparing Virginia's workforce, according to a 2017 study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The group said by next year 68% of all the jobs in the commonwealth will require education beyond high school.
So it's unfortunate the General Assembly isn't putting our money where our best interests are. State funding for Thomas Nelson and other community colleges dropped from nearly half of their budgets in 2006 to less than a quarter of the system's $1.7 billion budget in 2017.
Federal grants and tuition make up the lion's share of the budget, and community colleges were forced to nearly double tuition and fees to keep up.
This can price their schools beyond the reach of lower-income students who are a significant portion of the community college's student body.
Since assuming office in 2011, Mr. Dever has done much to assure the future success of Thomas Nelson. He recently secured $38 million to upgrade the Hampton campus.
When he retires in December he will count among his well-wishers the many Hampton Roads residents whose opportunities were expanded by TNCC.
Solomon, the former publisher of the Daily Press, writes a weekly column. Send email to solocolumn@gmail.com.


text:
Cat Diary
The Manga Revue: Junji Ito's Cat Diary
December 12, 2015 by Katherine Dacey
2015 has been a banner year for Junji Ito. In April, VIZ re-issued Gyo, Ito's ick-tastic classic. Two months later, VIZ introduced readers to Fragments of Horror, the first new Ito title to arrive in the US in a decade. That was soon followed by the stateside debut of Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, a humorous anthology published by Kodansha Comics. I first heard about Cat Diary back in 2011, when Ryan Sands posted a few images at Same Hat! It sounded like something I'd like–I'm on record as being an animal sap–so I was delighted when Kodansha announced plans to release it this year. Here are my somewhat biased thoughts on Yon & Mu.
Junji Ito's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
By Junji Ito
Rated T, for readers 13+
Kodansha Comics, $10.99
On the surface, Junji Ito's Cat Diary is a gag manga. J-Kun–a lightly fictionalized version of the author–reluctantly agrees to let his fiancee bring two cats into their home: Yon, a black-and-white cat with sinister markings on his back, and Mu, a Norwegian forest cat with a cute face and a wicked bite. Each story depicts Yon and Mu doing normal cat things, from coughing up hairballs to resisting unsolicited human affection. Readers familiar with Ito's previous manga will get a chuckle at J-Kun's over-the-top reactions to cat poop, scratched floors, and feather wands, as his grotesque facial expressions have been swiped from the pages of Gyo and Uzumaki. Surprisingly, these grimaces work just as well in the context of a domestic comedy, capturing the mixture of revulsion and love that cat behavior elicits. The uninitiated reader may also find these scenes amusing, if a bit excessive; surely a grown man realizes that cats can be jerks?
On a deeper level, however, Cat Diary is a meditation on human relationships. Though the ostensible plot focuses on J-Kun's struggle to overcome his dislike of cats, the real story is Yon and Mu's role in bringing J-Kun closer to his fiancee. J-Kun comes to love the cats–spoiler alert!–but the way in which he expresses those feelings demonstrates his journey from "me" to "we," as his selfish concerns about the house give way to a shared sense of responsibility for the cats' welfare. This human dimension of Cat Diary infuses it with a warmth that's frequently missing from Ito's work, and prevents the stories from reading like a collection of cat GIFs. (I can haz laffs now!)
On a totally shallow note, reading Cat Diary made me want to get my own Norwegian forest cat. I'm not sure if that's an endorsement of Ito's comedy chops, but it's proof that he can draw the hell out of cute, furry things.
The verdict: You don't need to be a cat person–crazy or otherwise–to enjoy this idiosyncratic manga, though a healthy respect for cats definitely helps.
Reviews: In the mood for shojo? Megan R. of The Manga Test Drive has you covered with in-depth reviews of The Demon Prince of Momochi House, First Love Monster, L♥DK, and Requiem of the Rose-King. Comics Alliance contributor Tom Speelman reflects on the legacy of Naruto, one of the world's most popular manga.
Michael Burns on vol. 4 of Akame ga Kill! (Ani-TAY)
Megan R. on The Angel of Elhamburg (The Manga Test Drive)
Jordan Richards on vols. 5-7 of Assassination Classroom (AiPT!)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 7 of A Bride's Story (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 56 of Case Closed (Sequential Tart)
Lindsey Tomsu on vols. 1-3 of Dictatorial Grimoire (No Flying, No Tights)
Nick Smith on vol. 1 of Dragons Rioting (ICv2)
Michael Burns on vol. 8 of Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (Ani-TAY)
Justin Stroman on vol. 1 of Horimiya (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Lindsey Tomsu on vols. 1-9 of Kanokon (No Flying, No Tights)
Jordan Richards on vol. 2 of Komomo Confiserie (AiPT!)
Karen Maeda on vol. 4 of Master Keaton (Sequential Tart)
Sarah on vol. 1 of Merman in My Tub (Anime UK News)
L.B. Bryant on vol. 1 of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun (ICv2)
Sarah on vol. 1 of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-Kun (Anime UK News)
Austin Lanari on vol. 7 of New Lone Wolf & Cub (Comic Bastards)
Chris Beveridge on vol. 1 of Planetes (The Fandom Post)
Matt on vol. 2 of Prison School (Ani-TAY)
Matt on vol. 1 of School-Live! (Ani-TAY)
Josh Begley on vol. 6 of Vinland Saga (The Fandom Post)
Filed Under: MANGABLOG, REVIEWS Tagged With: Cat Diary, Junji Ito, Kodansha Comics, Manga Review


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