The research shows that visual clues make a positive effect on people's ability to memorize the information. Since infographics have both 'pictures' and 'words', it contains the best of both worlds: the ability to represent a complex subject and keep the reader interested in it while doing so. But where do we get those killer infographics? It doesn't lay around waiting for you to peek it up. Unfortunately, the reality is that making even a most simple infographic usually takes a lot of time, effort, and skill. There are two main ways that can get you well-designed infographics. The first one is an infographic online service (DIY platform), in case you are looking for a template solution. The second one – infographic agency if you need a custom infographic. But which one to choose and which one would better suit you?
There are several factors at play when deciding whether to use a DIY platform or give it to the professionals from the infographic design agency. Though both provide a unique service that claims to be the best one for your needs. Let's see in details pros and cons of each one.
Most of the online infographic services will provide you with a pretty substantial suite of resources and tools ranging from icons to pre-made templates and layouts; all of these come to you right out of the box and, can be used in almost any way you want it. Many will even auto-generate charts and graphs from your data. What you should be aware of in this case is that you are limited to those tools, libraries, and your imagination. Anyone who is using the same platform will have the same elements, color palettes, font choices, layouts, and themes. So, bear in mind, if you need some unique and creative infographics such DIY platforms might be not the best option for you.
However, infographic design company provides a comprehensive customer focused service, design, and creative consultation. As a client, you should expect to do very little with getting your project done. Your main task should be providing a valuable feedback throughout the design process.
Without a doubt, DIY infographic services are winners in this field. As they charge you much lower prices than infographic design agency. You might even find some of them are free of charge (until you want to download your infographic), some usually provide multiple payment options having monthly/yearly subscriptions or one-time purchases.
Agency pricing is noticeably higher. But keep in mind, though, the services that you are being provided with — consulting, custom design, project management, content development (if needed) etc. And consider the amount of aggregated man-hours needed to successfully fulfill each service.
If you choose to make your own infographic with the help of DIY platforms the quality of it will entirely depend on your experience and skills. Needless to say, you should be at least remotely familiar with a design. Of course, some DIY platforms will provide you with guides and tutorials on how to make your own infographic. In this case, you will spend your time learning the ins and outs of the platform itself at first and then learning about design, composition, and typography etc. But do not expect to have an outstanding infographic in the end as you are not an expert in this field.
Infographic design agency would be a better choice if you really want to save your time. While dealing with the infographic agency you can run your business with no distractions and be sure that you'll have your professional infographic done in time. Furthermore, it will be a completely custom infographic design that is original, unique, and made especially for your company needs. Such agencies will not use a single piece from stock aggregators or parts from old projects in creating your original infographic.
To cut the long story short, there are two ways to get your own infographic. And that's not that hard to decide which one of those works better for you. If you are fine with a template solution and want to get it in a short-term – online infographic service is exactly what you are looking for. However, if it is crucial for you to have an infographic that will stand out from others and you are ready to wait a bit longer – the infographic agency is your best choice. Here you can learn the best way how to create infographics.


text:
package com.me.diankun.interview;

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;

/**
 * Created by diankun on 2016/3/11.
 */
public class LayoutWeightActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_layout_weight);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


10 Reasons to adopt a stray dog: They will love you like no one else!
Dogs are man's best friend. There is no other joy in the world to have a dog around. It is the best companionship that a man can ever have. Today, people lack empathy. Animals often end up bearing the brunt of the cruelty of human beings. People who love animals are making continuous efforts to make this world a better place for animals. In India, the condition is even worst. There are laws and rules but people hardly follow them. A lot of dogs are forced to stay on the streets. Nobody cares about their welfare. Well, if you love dogs, and are planning to bring a new member to your home, then you should surely consider stray dogs. Here are 10 reasons to adopt a stray dog.
They will love you like no one else in the world. They will be thankful to you for providing a home to them. Spending a lot of money to get favorite breed is easy but giving a beautiful life to someone is an altogether different experience.
The average life span of a street dog varies from two- eight years. A lot of them die till the age of five due cold, starvation, accident or in a fight with other dogs. Adopting a stray dog means you are saving a life. The kind of joy you will get is unmatchable.
Dogs are not objects that you buy for your entertainment. They are the man's best friend. They are the loyal friends that you make. Adopt a stray dog because they need shelter.
Foreign breeds often take time to adapt to the climate of India. So, why not adopt an Indie who belongs here and is easier to take care of? The stray dogs are much more immune than the foreign breed.
There so many dogs who die due to car accidents. A lot of them starve. Well, you cannot help everyone but you can definitely change something. Adopting a stray dog means inviting happiness. Words are less to explain the eternal peace that you will receive from it.
They spend their lives in the search of food. When they will get to know that you are the food person, they will obey you and will learn things quickly.
Read more: How To Get Rid Of Ticks On Dogs Naturally?
They roam in the city and keep meeting different animals and people. They are friendly and they easily get along with other animals at your home.
You can skip the puppy stage if you want. Adopt them at the age of 2 or 3.Adopting them at a young age can help you to train them better.
Breeders are minting a good amount of money. They are hardly concerned about the health of a female dog. By adopting a homeless dog, you are taking a stand against cruelty to animals.
People usually buy fancy dogs for themselves. It doesn't matter how dogs look. It's the heart that counts, not the furs. A stray dog will love like no one else in the world. They will make you laugh and will fill your life with positive vibes.
Yes, they may not live as long as us, but they will give you the best moments of your life. Adopting dog means that you will never feel lonely.
Important Note: Adopting a dog is a big decision. When you adopt a dog it means you are ready to take the responsibility. Get the paperwork done. Do not forget to visit the Vet. Treat them like your own kid. Whatever it is, never abandon your pet.


Who do you think you are ....?
Before Christmas I did a keynote at Online Information which I called Real Work. In it I pushed back at some of those in business who dismiss social computing as not being "real work" and compare it unfavourably against their assumptions of what makes business businesslike.
I am currently enjoying reading Alain De Botton's Status Anxiety in which he explores our concern with status generally, but which I relate very much to the status ridden atmosphere of the work place. The section I am reading at the moment concerns itself with how the perceived sources of status change over time and in fact can be deliberately changed within a generation.
When ideas and institutions are held to be merely 'natural', responsibility for suffering must necessarily lie either with no one in particular or else with the pained parties themselves. But from a political perspective, we are given leave to imagine that it might be something in the idea, instead of something in our character, that is at fault. Rather than wondering in disgrace 'What is wrong with me [for being a woman/having dark skin/no money]?, we are encouraged to ask 'What might be wrong, unjust or illogical about others for reproving me?' - a question not asked from any conviction of innocence (the stance of those who us political radicalism as a paranoid way of avoiding self-criticism) but from a recognition that there is more folly and partisanship in institutions, ideas and laws than a naturalistic perspective allows us to imagine.


text:
Home/DEL Sports/Former Bafana captain Steven Pienaar retires from football
Former Bafana captain Steven Pienaar retires from football
He was an electrifying presence as the ace playmaker for Bafana Bafana and many other teams, but now Steven Pienaar has called time on his football career.
The former national captain, who will turn 36 next month, made the announcement on Wednesday night during the SABC TV show Sport@10.
Pienaar earned 61 caps for Bafana Bafana, and played at the 2002 and 2010 Fifa World Cups.
He also featured for a number of clubs around Europe, including Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax Amsterdam and Borussia Dortmund.
"Today I'm announcing my retirement from football. I just want to say thanks to my mom, my family, and all the clubs that I've played for. And to the supporters of course – how can I forget you!" Pienaar said in a short video on his Twitter account.
"Thanks for all the love throughout my career."
He first rose to prominence at Ajax Cape Town as a teenager, having caught the eye at the School of Excellence.
Hailing from Westbury in Johannesburg, Pienaar – nicknamed "Schillo" after Italian star Salvatore Schillaci – graduated from the Urban Warriors to the mother club in Amsterdam in 2001, beginning a 16-year journey through Europe, before he returned to South Africa to play for then-PSL champions Wits.
But after battling to get game time for a number of months, Pienaar left Gavin Hunt's team in January this year.reti
New partnership will support African farmers adapt to climate change
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When 'Migaloo' arrived in Queensland
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US set to be knocked off top spot as the world's biggest cashless society by China and other emerging Asian nations in 2020
Samuel Mungara in Ghana for Pre-Millennium Marathon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Move over Lawn! It's veggie time.
(Insert evil plan laugh) I'm grabbing another 5' section of lawn for the veggie garden.
When I put in the veggie bed I just turned all the grass under about 12" and that worked very well! However, currently being 5 months preggo my condition is not going to be alleviated any time soon & I don't think I have the energy to turn under this next section of garden. Obviously hubby is a good option but he's really busy with his own projects .
So I understand the black-plastic method but I just don't think I can make it work (there being a toddler/dog issue). What about piling a TON of cow poo on top of the grass? It is 2/3 years old, apparently almost completely soil and about 50' from my veggie garden (our farmer was overjoyed when I asked if I could have some, so I may even be able to snag him between other jobs to run it over with the tractor).
How deep do I need to pile it to kill the grass?
Also I just put in some transplanted raspberry bushes (not expecting anything from them this year, I'm just hoping they will survive & produce next year) is burying their stems that deep going to be ok?
I also need to figure out where I am going to put the $1 strawberry plants I'm going to the nursery to buy (I'm going to try to overwinter them, somehow).
Of course I also have to move the clothes line, get started on the new fence for the garden, cut down that little silver poplar that is shading my garden... you guys are an terrible bunch of enablers!!
Look up "sheet mulching" and "no-till gardening" in the search box. My favorite method. No digging required. The composted cow manure would be great. Just layer that with fall leaves or straw to balance the green and the brown. You may still have weed seed issues so the cow manure should go under the paper/cardboard layer (actually if you're planting garlic, I'd go with paper so the garlic roots won't hit cardboard and sulk). Don't bother with plastic. Use stuff that will break down into soil.
Actually, straw is probably pretty inexpensive right now after the summer grain harvest. You can use the fall leaves and seed-free grass clipping to top them off later on.
Ah! Thanks for the help as always apps!
I'm actually going to throw the garlic into the current veggie garden, but I'm planning on giving that a good 12" of manure as well (it's not like I'm going to run out! It's just a question of getting it that 50'). Actually I've been eyeing my 3' corn (it's so sad!) I think that is coming out to get out of the garlic's way.
I really like the idea of putting down paper or cardboard instead of plastic!! And that's a good use for the 3 community newspapers (and accompanying ads) I get a week.
I can't seem to find a good all encompassing post about sheet mulching (maybe someone should construct a sticky for the compost forum? ), how deep should I make the mulch?
Mulch DEEP, I just finally put about 4+ inches of mulch around some roses I put in this year some of it was still grass. Well, the grass is starting to poke through and that is after mowing than using a weed eater to mutilate it to dirt. So go DEEP.
I'm going to enlarge my garden this year as well maybe not 5 ft but well see how drunk I am when I'm tilling it up, I may till up the neighbors too.
gixxerific wrote: I'm going to enlarge my garden this year as well maybe not 5 ft but well see how drunk I am when I'm tilling it up, I may till up the neighbors too.
one of these days I'm gonna get around to making the 'food not lawns' tshirt design i've been planning.
I just had to laugh when I saw the title of this thread. What better way to put it.
I'm also looking at adding to my garden but my plan is to just make a raised box. Lay down a layer of cardboard and add a mixture of compost and dirt to fill it up some. I know the first year I won't be able to really do a root crop like carrots but after that the cardboard will be gone, grass dead and I'll have me a new garden bed.
Last year I restarted my garden after a five year return to grass. I used the cardboard method Smokensquel mentions and then used regular newspaper layered and any lawnmower chopped tree/hedge trimmings (Never grass clippings unless you want to reseed for a lawn). Later found a reference to Lasagna Gardening, but I know it has several other references that are the same thing.
It sure beat the double digging I used to do. I've had literally no weeds and am continuing to add the chopped trimmings and fall leaves to mulch. If you have the organic matter it is great. I have also started using paper from our home shredder. (Save the colored print paper for flower beds-black ink is vegetable based) It breaks down fairly quickly also.
No problem glad I could help! I would say with what you have to use, you will have no problems having a Super Duper garden next year.
!potatoes! I want one of those shirts.
Can I Move Bulbs From Crowded Pot?
When to move seeds under lights?
When Do you move your plants into their new homes?


text:
The 2013 ASB Chatham Cup was New Zealand's 86th knockout football competition.

The 2013 competition had a qualification round and four rounds proper, before quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final. Competition was run in three regions (Northern, Central, Southern) until the quarter-finals, from which stage the draw was open. In all, 132 teams entered the competition.

The 2013 final
The final was played in front of a crowd of 2,000 spectators. Cashmere Technical took an early lead in the 5th minute when Julyan Collett was fouled in the penalty area and Danny Boys sent Waitakere City goalkeeper Eamon Goodin the wrong way. The lead was short lived when just 10 minutes later, Cashmere conceded their first and what would be their only goal of the whole campaign. Waitakere won a free kick 25 metres out and Jake Butler lined up his shot. It went straight into the defensive wall but from the rebound his follow up put the ball past Cashmere keeper Shaun Roberts. It didn't take long for Cashmere to restore there lead when Stu Kelly was rewarded for his hard work, slotting the ball home in the 23rd minute. From there both teams had their chances but the result was finally put beyond doubt in injury time when, spotting the keeper off his line, Dan Ede put in a deft long-range lob and the game finished 3–1.

The Jack Batty Memorial Cup for the final's most valuable player was awarded to Cashmere Technical's Andy Pitman.

Results

Qualification round
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF, Capital Football Season Review, and New Zealand Football.

Northern region

Central region

Southern region

All teams listed below received byes to the first round.
Northern: Air Force, Hukanui Rototuna, Navy, Papakura City, Pukekohe.
Central: FC Western, Napier City Rovers, Inglewood, Palmerston North Marist, Red Sox Manawatu, Taradale, Wanganui City.
Southern: FC Nelson, Nelson College, Richmond Athletic.

All teams listed below were seeded to the first round.
Northern: Albany United, Claudelands Rovers, Eastern Suburbs, Fencibles, Forrest Hill Milford, Glenfield Rovers, Hibiscus Coast, Lynn Avon United, Mangere United, Manukau City, Melville United, Metro, Mt Albert Ponsonby, Ngaruawahia United, North Shore United, Onehunga Mangere United, Oratia United, Papatoetoe, Takapuna, Tauranga City United, Waiuku, Warkworth, Western Springs.
Central: Brooklyn Northern United, Eastbourne, Greytown, Island Bay United, Kapiti Coast United, Lower Hutt City, Marist, Miramar Rangers, Naenae, North Wellington, Olympic, Petone, Seatoun, Stokes Valley, Stop Out, Tawa, Upper Hutt City, Victoria University, Wainuiomata, Wairarapa United, Waterside Karori, Wellington College, Wellington United, Western Suburbs.
Southern: Coastal Spirit, FC Twenty 11, Grants Braes, Green Island, Halswell United, Melchester Rovers, Mosgiel, Nomads United, Northern, Northern Hearts, Old Boys, Otago University, Queens Park, Roslyn Wakari, Selwyn United, Southend United, Universities, Waihopai, Waimak United, Western AFC.

All teams listed below were seeded to the second round.
Northern: Bay Olympic, Birkenhead United, Central United, East Coast Bays, Ellerslie, Hamilton Wanderers, Manurewa, Onehunga Sports, Three Kings United, Waitakere City.
Southern: Cashmere Technical, Caversham, Dunedin Technical, Ferrymead Bays.

Round 1
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football.

Northern region

Central region

Southern region

*both sides used unregistered players and were disqualified

Round 2
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football.

Northern region

Central region

Southern region

Round 3
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football.

Northern region

Central region

Southern region

Round 4
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football.

Northern region

Central region

Southern region

Quarter-finals
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football.

Semi-finals
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football.

Final
All fixtures, results and dates are taken from the following sources: The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website, RSSSF,  Capital Football Season Review and New Zealand Football. Team lists and numbers taken from NZ Football on Youtube.

References

External links
 Archive of ASB Chatham Cup Website

Chatham Cup
2012–13 in New Zealand association football
2013 domestic association football cups

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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7-night Active & Discovery on the Rhine Northbound Cruise
Avalon Expression®
Mainz/Amsterdam
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The Signature Collection Sailings offer Exceptional Value and Exclusive Amenities.
One Complimentary Pre or Post-Cruise Night
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$300 per Couple Savings is provided only if the Pre or Post-Cruise Night is unavailable.
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Mainz is located on the left bank of the Rhine, across from the Rhine's intersection with the Main River. It is thought that there may have been wine-producing vines in the area even before the coming of the Romans in 38 B.C., although it was from that time that the regions of the Rheingau and Rheinhessen became widely known for fine viticulture.
At the beginning of the Christian era, a bridge connected the settlement on the Rhine's left bank and the Roman fortifications opposite. In the 8th century, the town became a primary archbishopric. Over the centuries, church politics and a series of wars shuffled control of the city back and forth between the French and various German factions. Today Mainz is a bustling city, with a prosperous trade in wine and other businesses.
No information currently available.
Rudesheim
Rüdesheim is located in the heart of the Rhine river area at the southern entrance to the Lorelei valley. This romantic holiday town offers much to visitors seeking a fabulous German experience. As you cruise down the Rhine, if you listen carefully, you just might hear the siren calling as you pass the Rock of Lorelei. One attraction to visit is the Niederwald monument. Erected between 1877 and 1883, this huge monument symbolizes the re-establishment of the German Empire and unity. From Rudesheim, one can either take the foot path to the monument or the cablecar leading to the top. The panoramic views from the top are spectacular. Rudesheim is also famous for the Abbey of St. Hildegard. Some think the building is older than it is, but truly, it was built at the beginning of the 20th century. Other sites to see are the Wine Museum in Broemserburg Castle, Siegfried's Mechanical Music Instruments Museum and the Medieval Torture Museum, which boasts a wide collection of medeival relics.
Winding from Bingen to Bonn, the 'heroic Rhine' has created a beautifully picturesque gorge. The river-scape has been an inspiration to both artists and authors.
In the course of history, all kinds of people have felt at home in Boppard. Whether Celts, Romans or Franconians, each has left their mark on the 2,000-year-old history of the town. Present day Boppard is home to about 17,000 inhabitants and host to more than a million tourists annually. Boppard's history has been influenced by different royal families, electors and bishops, giving it a very unique cultural aspect.
Located on the Rhine River, just south of Cologne, Bonn was once the capital of West Germany. Rich with history dating back to about 10 BC, the city is ripe with museums, monuments and scenic points of interest. Most notable however, Bonn is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in the city in 1770.
Cologne is a city where cathedral spires tower over Germany's oldest city and its innumerable cultural and historical treasures, world-famous museums and active art scene. In Cologne, street music on the Hohe Strasse or galas in the modern opera house; pavement painting on the cathedral concourse or old masters in the Wallraf Richartz Museum; the annual music festival along the inner ring road or carnival in the entire city all becomes synthesized into a vivacious work of art in a cosmopolitan metropolis boasting more than a million inhabitants which has never lost its neighborly character. From venerable breweries offering unique Kolsch beer and typical Cologne delicacies to first-class restaurants - boasting well in excess of 3000 public houses, restaurants and breweries Cologne is one of Germany's leading gastronomic lights. The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet for a Kolsch, a chat or simply a laugh.
Düsseldorf is a wealthy city -- the richest in Germany. It's big and commercial, full of banks and industrial offices and skyscrapers, but it's also refreshingly clean. Düsseldorf got its start as a settlement on the right bank of the Rhine, but today it's spread out on both sides -- the older part on the right, and the modern, commercial, and industrial part on the left. Five bridges connect the two sections, the most impressive being the Oberkassel. Parks and esplanades line the riverbanks.
Arnhem is one of the most fascinating cities of Holland and has everything to make your stay unforgettable. Whether you enjoy culture, or walking or cycling, whether you want to visit one of the larger attractions, or just want to shop or go out, then Arnhem is the place for you.
Nijmegen, a municipality and city near the German border, has a long recorded history, and boasts on being the oldest city in the Netherlands. It is most famous for the International Four Days Marches. The annual event takes place on the third Tuesday in July and is comprised of a four day walk, along with a flag parade and memorial service. Nijmegen's diversity is most evident in its people. The list of famous people hailing from Nijmegen is quite varying, from Saint Petrus Canisius to rock musician Eddie Van Halen.
Suggested Private Excursion
Cosmopolitan Amsterdam is most famous for its narrow, gabled houses lining the canals. Interesting attractions include the medieval weighhouse, Royal Palace on Dam Square, and New Church. Its most glamorous industry is the diamond trade. Not too far from Amsterdam are the flower centers of Aalsmeer, the picturesque fishing villages of Volendam and Marken, cheese markets at Edam and Gouda, and historic Haarlem, the main center of the bulb-growing industry. Enjoy the city's sights from a glass-topped sightseeing boat which passes characteristic gabled houses and negotiates picturesque arched bridges. Facing Dam Square, the Royal Palace was built in 1648 and is still officially the royal residence, although the royal family resides in The Hague. The marbled Citizens Hall with inlaid maps of the world is worth seeing. One of Amsterdam's most visited sites is historic Anne Frank House. Rijksmuseum, the city's most prestigious museum, houses the largest collection of Dutch paintings in the world. Van Gogh Museum houses a striking collection.
Suggested Private Excursions
Amsterdam: An Introduction to Amsterdam – 4 hours
Amsterdam: Highlights of Amsterdam - 8 Hours
Amsterdam: Aalsmeer, Delft & Den Haag - 8 Hours
Itinerary subject to change without notice. Please confirm itinerary at time of booking.
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Enjoy a tasting menu with a view in the Panorama Bistro - a less formal sit-down atmosphere while mingling over several satisfying selections
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The Dauti Law Firm, P.C. represents a diversified group of clients, both individuals and companies, in domestic and international civil and commercial litigation matters.
The Firm uses its knowledge of many aspects of the law to develop innovative strategies for negotiation and litigation with a single objective: To reach the best results for its clients in the shortest possible period of time.
Mr. Dauti - due to his outstanding professional achievements - has recently been selected by his peers as a member of New York Super Lawyers/Rising Stars of 2014, an honor bestowed upon only 2.5% of the New York Lawyers.
To receive such recognition, Mr. Dauti competed in a rigorous process which took into consideration peer recognition and professional achievement.
Established in 1993, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum (which includes the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum) is one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States.
Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. There are over 4000 members throughout the country. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.


text:
// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.

using System.Collections;
using System.Diagnostics;

namespace System.Data.Common
{
    internal sealed class NameValuePermission : IComparable
    {
        // reused as both key and value nodes
        // key nodes link to value nodes
        // value nodes link to key nodes
        private string _value;

        // value node with (null != _restrictions) are allowed to match connection strings
        private DBConnectionString _entry;

        private NameValuePermission[] _tree; // with branches

        internal static readonly NameValuePermission Default = null;// = new NameValuePermission(String.Empty, new string[] { "File Name" }, KeyRestrictionBehavior.AllowOnly);

        internal NameValuePermission()
        { // root node
        }

        private NameValuePermission(string keyword)
        {
            _value = keyword;
        }

        private NameValuePermission(string value, DBConnectionString entry)
        {
            _value = value;
            _entry = entry;
        }

        private NameValuePermission(NameValuePermission permit)
        { // deep-copy
            _value = permit._value;
            _entry = permit._entry;
            _tree = permit._tree;
            if (null != _tree)
            {
                NameValuePermission[] tree = (_tree.Clone() as NameValuePermission[]);
                for (int i = 0; i < tree.Length; ++i)
                {
                    if (null != tree[i])
                    { // WebData 98488
                        tree[i] = tree[i].CopyNameValue(); // deep copy
                    }
                }
                _tree = tree;
            }
        }

        int IComparable.CompareTo(object a)
        {
            return StringComparer.Ordinal.Compare(_value, ((NameValuePermission)a)._value);
        }

        internal static void AddEntry(NameValuePermission kvtree, ArrayList entries, DBConnectionString entry)
        {
            Debug.Assert(null != entry, "null DBConnectionString");

            if (null != entry.KeyChain)
            {
                for (NameValuePair keychain = entry.KeyChain; null != keychain; keychain = keychain.Next)
                {
                    NameValuePermission kv;

                    kv = kvtree.CheckKeyForValue(keychain.Name);
                    if (null == kv)
                    {
                        kv = new NameValuePermission(keychain.Name);
                        kvtree.Add(kv); // add directly into live tree
                    }
                    kvtree = kv;

                    kv = kvtree.CheckKeyForValue(keychain.Value);
                    if (null == kv)
                    {
                        DBConnectionString insertValue = ((null != keychain.Next) ? null : entry);
                        kv = new NameValuePermission(keychain.Value, insertValue);
                        kvtree.Add(kv); // add directly into live tree
                        if (null != insertValue)
                        {
                            entries.Add(insertValue);
                        }
                    }
                    else if (null == keychain.Next)
                    { // shorter chain potential
                        if (null != kv._entry)
                        {
                            Debug.Assert(entries.Contains(kv._entry), "entries doesn't contain entry");
                            entries.Remove(kv._entry);
                            kv._entry = kv._entry.Intersect(entry); // union new restrictions into existing tree
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            kv._entry = entry;
                        }
                        entries.Add(kv._entry);
                    }
                    kvtree = kv;
                }
            }
            else
            { // global restrictions, MDAC 84443
                DBConnectionString kentry = kvtree._entry;
                if (null != kentry)
                {
                    Debug.Assert(entries.Contains(kentry), "entries doesn't contain entry");
                    entries.Remove(kentry);
                    kvtree._entry = kentry.Intersect(entry);
                }
                else
                {
                    kvtree._entry = entry;
                }
                entries.Add(kvtree._entry);
            }
        }

        internal void Intersect(ArrayList entries, NameValuePermission target)
        {
            if (null == target)
            {
                _tree = null;
                _entry = null;
            }
            else
            {
                if (null != _entry)
                {
                    entries.Remove(_entry);
                    _entry = _entry.Intersect(target._entry);
                    entries.Add(_entry);
                }
                else if (null != target._entry)
                {
                    _entry = target._entry.Intersect(null);
                    entries.Add(_entry);
                }

                if (null != _tree)
                {
                    int count = _tree.Length;
                    for (int i = 0; i < _tree.Length; ++i)
                    {
                        NameValuePermission kvtree = target.CheckKeyForValue(_tree[i]._value);
                        if (null != kvtree)
                        { // does target tree contain our value
                            _tree[i].Intersect(entries, kvtree);
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            _tree[i] = null;
                            --count;
                        }
                    }
                    if (0 == count)
                    {
                        _tree = null;
                    }
                    else if (count < _tree.Length)
                    {
                        NameValuePermission[] kvtree = new NameValuePermission[count];
                        for (int i = 0, j = 0; i < _tree.Length; ++i)
                        {
                            if (null != _tree[i])
                            {
                                kvtree[j++] = _tree[i];
                            }
                        }
                        _tree = kvtree;
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        private void Add(NameValuePermission permit)
        {
            NameValuePermission[] tree = _tree;
            int length = ((null != tree) ? tree.Length : 0);
            NameValuePermission[] newtree = new NameValuePermission[1 + length];
            for (int i = 0; i < newtree.Length - 1; ++i)
            {
                newtree[i] = tree[i];
            }
            newtree[length] = permit;
            Array.Sort(newtree);
            _tree = newtree;
        }

        internal bool CheckValueForKeyPermit(DBConnectionString parsetable)
        {
            if (null == parsetable)
            {
                return false;
            }
            bool hasMatch = false;
            NameValuePermission[] keytree = _tree; // _tree won't mutate but Add will replace it
            if (null != keytree)
            {
                hasMatch = parsetable.IsEmpty; // MDAC 86773
                if (!hasMatch)
                {
                    // which key do we follow the key-value chain on
                    for (int i = 0; i < keytree.Length; ++i)
                    {
                        NameValuePermission permitKey = keytree[i];
                        if (null != permitKey)
                        {
                            string keyword = permitKey._value;
#if DEBUG
                            Debug.Assert(null == permitKey._entry, "key member has no restrictions");
#endif
                            if (parsetable.ContainsKey(keyword))
                            {
                                string valueInQuestion = (string)parsetable[keyword];

                                // keyword is restricted to certain values
                                NameValuePermission permitValue = permitKey.CheckKeyForValue(valueInQuestion);
                                if (null != permitValue)
                                {
                                    //value does match - continue the chain down that branch
                                    if (permitValue.CheckValueForKeyPermit(parsetable))
                                    {
                                        hasMatch = true;
                                        // adding a break statement is tempting, but wrong
                                        // user can safetly extend their restrictions for current rule to include missing keyword
                                        // i.e. Add("provider=sqloledb;integrated security=sspi", "data provider=", KeyRestrictionBehavior.AllowOnly);
                                        // i.e. Add("data provider=msdatashape;provider=sqloledb;integrated security=sspi", "", KeyRestrictionBehavior.AllowOnly);
                                    }
                                    else
                                    { // failed branch checking
                                        return false;
                                    }
                                }
                                else
                                { // value doesn't match to expected values - fail here
                                    return false;
                                }
                            }
                        }
                        // else try next keyword
                    }
                }
                // partial chain match, either leaf-node by shorter chain or fail mid-chain if (null == _restrictions)
            }

            DBConnectionString entry = _entry;
            if (null != entry)
            {
                // also checking !hasMatch is tempting, but wrong
                // user can safetly extend their restrictions for current rule to include missing keyword
                // i.e. Add("provider=sqloledb;integrated security=sspi", "data provider=", KeyRestrictionBehavior.AllowOnly);
                // i.e. Add("provider=sqloledb;", "integrated security=;", KeyRestrictionBehavior.AllowOnly);
                hasMatch = entry.IsSupersetOf(parsetable);
            }

            return hasMatch; // mid-chain failure
        }

        private NameValuePermission CheckKeyForValue(string keyInQuestion)
        {
            NameValuePermission[] valuetree = _tree; // _tree won't mutate but Add will replace it
            if (null != valuetree)
            {
                for (int i = 0; i < valuetree.Length; ++i)
                {
                    NameValuePermission permitValue = valuetree[i];
                    if (String.Equals(keyInQuestion, permitValue._value, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                    {
                        return permitValue;
                    }
                }
            }
            return null;
        }

        internal NameValuePermission CopyNameValue()
        {
            return new NameValuePermission(this);
        }
    }
}


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text:
A Modern Passover Miracle
Contributed by Be'chol Lashon
This modern Passover Miracle story is perfect for sharing with friends and family at your Seder.
At Passover, every person is supposed to feel as though he himself left Egypt. For me and the Jewish community of Uganda, we do not need to imagine. In our lifetime, we were rescued from 'slavery' and saved by divine intervention in order to celebrate.
When Field Marshal Iddi Amin Dada took power in Uganda by way of the gun in 1971, he outlawed Judaism and confiscated our synagogues and most of the Hebrew books. Practice of Judaism was punishable by death. He was a modern day Pharaoh. He gave the community two alternatives, either to convert to Islam or Christianity, or remain unaffiliated. He murdered anyone suspected of opposing his rule and judicial executions were the order of the time. Many Abayudaya feared for their lives and converted to the two majority religions, Islam and Christianity. However, things did not go well for the Christians either. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda was run over by army trucks in a stage-managed accident; and the chief Justice, who was also Christian, was shot dead on Amin's orders.
Growing up during this era was a hard pill to swallow. Adults and children would shout insults at Jews and no one did anything to stop them. We were not permitted to wear any Jewish symbols including kippot. Nor were we allowed to appear anywhere near the synagogue premises. We dared only to pray and learn under the cover of the night in our bedrooms. My father, Rabbi Yondav Keki, was caught studying Torah in the Sukkah that he had built in the back yard of our house and only survived after the arresting officer demanded a bribe. Three leaders of the community, including Yaakov Were and Yaakov Kasakya, were arrested and tortured for collecting iron sheets that had been blown off the roof of the Moses Synagogue in Nabugoya.
In that same year when a hijacked plane full of Jews was held at Entebbe by Palestinian terrorists with the permission of Amin, a fast was secretly declared and silent prayers were conducted, each family praying in their bedrooms. The daring rescue of the hostages gave hope to community members that soon or later Amin would go.
This came to pass on Wednesday 11, April 1979, corresponding to 14 Nisan, 5739, Erev Pesach when the new Government, comprised of Ugandan rebels and Tanzanian troupes, declared freedom of worship. This was considered a miracle from above and was celebrated in a special style. More than four cups of 80% proof Uganda banana wine were served making everyone excessively happy by the end of the Seder. No more than 300 of the nearly 3,000 earlier members remained steadfast and loyal to Judaism, which makes me think that had Amin's regime continued for another five years, the community would not have survived.
Passover remains a special moment for all us. I will always remember my first Seder ever. It is amazing that the reign of terror ended and that freedom of worship was reinstated at the season of freedom. Each year as the community grows, Passover is the moment that we celebrate both our ancient and modern freedom. With the help of Jews from around the world the synagogue that was destroyed is being rebuilt to be better and stronger than ever and the numbers of our community have nearly returned to their earlier size. That Uganda would have been a Jewish state had Herzl's proposal been successful, that the hijackers chose Entebbeairport as their final resting place, and that Amin like Pharoah was humiliated on the Eve of Pesach could not have simply been a mere coincidence. It was our Passover miracle.
Originally published here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/jewish-and/a-modern-passover-miracle/
haggadah Section: Commentary / Readings
Source: https://globaljews.org/blog/a-modern-passover-miracle/
Anne Frank Quote on Freedom
by Elizabeth Kohen
Sweet Honey in the Rock - Ella's Song
Four Children
Kavannah for Opening the Door for Elijah
by HIAS
Exodus and After
by cynthia greenberg 1 leaving is the easy part not where to run, how to get there children pulling at your hems so many bags to carry which way in the dark will you wander what star use as your guide stepping out into the uncertain sands what then it is more than the worry of food, shelter, water, food what will become of us this is what holds you back 2 leaving is the simplest part to turn, in panic,...
Ten Modern Plagues
by Jewish Women's Archive
The traditional Haggadah lists ten plagues that afflicted the Egyptians. We live in a very different world, but Passover is a good time to remember that, even after our liberation from slavery in Egypt, there are still many challenges for us to meet. Here are ten "modern plagues":Inequity - Access to affordable housing, quality healthcare, nutritious food, good schools, and higher education is far from equal. The disparity between rich and poor is growing, and opportunities for upward mobility are limited....
Heschel on Radical Amazement
Mipi El
by Kristen Kersey
מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. אֵין אַדִּיר כַּה', וְאֵין בָּרוּךְ כְּבֶן עַמְרָם. אֵין גְדוֹלָה כַּתּוֹרָה, וְאֵין דּוֹרְשָׁהּ כְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. Ein Adir ka'Adonai, V'ein Baruch k'ven Amram. Ein G'dolah ka'Torah, V'ein Dorsha k'Yisrael. מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִפִּי אֵל, מִפִּי אֵל, יִבוֹרַךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. Mipi El, Mipi El, Y'vorach Yisrael. אֵין הָדוּר כַּה', וְאֵין וָתִיק כְּבֶן עַמְרָם. ...
I Change Myself, I Change the World
by Eileen Levinson
by Nina Paley
Partisan Song/Zog Nit Keynmol
by Noemie Rosner
The Partisan Song (or Partizaner Lid) is the name of a Yiddish song considered one of the chief anthems of Shoah survivors. The lyrics of the song were written in 1943 by Hirsh Glick, a young Jewish inmate of the Vilna Ghetto. The title means "Never Say", and derives from the first line of the song, "Never say that you have reached the final road." During World War II, "Zog Nit Keynmol" was adopted by a number of Jewish partisan groups...
Establecer Intenciones: Setting Intentions
by Mirit Markowitz
Bienvenido, shalom, welcome to Seder A La Mexicana: a journey from exilio (exile) to liberdad (freedom.) We start by setting intentions for the event with all of you here tonight. The first one is that of inclusión, Pesach is a time of inclusion. Tonight we come together to recreate in story and espíritu (spirit) of Moses and the Israelites journey from Mitsrayim (Egypt or a "narrow bridge") to liberdad, the land of Israel. Tonight we honor our ancestors, the curanderas (healers,)...
Entering the Broken World
by Mishael Zion
The Pesach story begins in a broken world, amidst slavery and oppression. The sound of the breaking of the matza sends us into that fractured existence, only to become whole again when we find the broken half, the afikoman, at the end of the Seder. This brokenness is not just a physical or political situation: It reminds us of all those hard, damaged places within ourselves. All those narrow places from which we want to break to free. In Hebrew, Egypt...
Maggid: The Story of the Turtles
Remember the days of old:consider the years of many generations (Deut. 32:7) Every year, hundreds of giant sea turtles swim hundreds of miles from their homes near Brazil to a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean in order to find their mates. For years, scientists tried to understand how the turtles could find their way every time, from so far away. It was a tiny island, and even airplanes sometimes had trouble finding it. What do you think it was?? Once...
Justice, Justice, You Shall Pursue
An Ode to Bread
by #Friendseder
More clips from Be'chol Lashon
Passover around the world
by Be'chol Lashon
Welcoming All: An Inclusive Passover Reading
At Passover, we receive a personal directive to create an inclusive and welcoming community. Even when we intend to be welcoming, many in our community still feel like strangers. The things that divide us — race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, among others — also have the power to unite us. During the Seder, we are each meant to remember that we ourselves were once strangers in a strange land. If the Jewish community is to be a home for all, we...
Don't passover a Persian Passover


text:
Giveaway #7 - A Vengeful Affair by Carmen Falcone
The final day of celebrations and what a fantastic finale!
Today's guest is Carmen Falcone and she is not only giving away a copy of her debut romantic suspense, A Vengeful Affair, she is also offering one very lucky winner a $25 Amazon gift card as well! WOW!
Enter giveaway now...
The blurb...
Rich people get away with murder every day, but Vivian Foster intends to make billionaire Javier Rivera pay for what he did to her best friend—and how better to destroy a money-grubbing bastard than to sabotage the merger that means everything to him.
Javier Rivera would never hurt a woman much less kill one. But when he catches a gorgeous corporate spy in his office, he knows he can't let her go—not when even a hint of scandal could ruin his career. Until the merger is signed, he'll keep her close, even if he has to shackle her to his wrist. Literally.
But the closer Javier gets to Vivian, the more he wants her, and the more time she spends with him, the less she believes he could ever be a killer. Now Vivian and Javier have to discover the truth…and Vivian has to win the trust of her worst enemy.
Read Aurelia's 5 star review here...
Introducing Carmen...
Click to go to website
I've always been drawn to writing about fictional characters rather than doing anything else. When I was a kid, my passion for writing—which I didn't fully understand or verbalize—often surpassed my burden to do math homework. I'd always dreamed of becoming a published writer, though life and its surprises often got in the way. I achieved a BA in tourism in my hometown in Brazil and then was invited for a trainee program in Austin, Texas.
Traveling, learning languages, and discovering new cultures have always been passions of mine. I've been blessed to visit beautiful places in South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America, where I was able to meet amazing people along the way. I met a very incredible person, a Swiss EMS helicopter pilot, and married him.
A Brazilian and a Swiss met and fell in love in Texas. What are the odds? ;) My fascination for international settings and strong-minded characters helped me to hone my craft and find my voice within the romance category. After my daughter was born, I revisited my dream of publication. This time, I was unwilling to give it up. With an ear to ear grin, I can say it was all worth it.
When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, taking our three high-energy pugs to the park, and skydiving—well, not really, but I wanted to sound cool.
Entangled Publishing
Where to buy...
Excerpt from A Vengeful Affair...
Vivian Foster took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers around the door handle, the steel a cold weight in her palm. The key was already inside the lock, and she knew the moment she opened that door, everything she'd been taught by her parents would disappear.
Be good. Do the right thing. Don't steal.
Her conscience justified her action. Stealing is okay if it fixes a bigger wrong.
Revenge had its own moral code.
This was not the time for moral dilemmas. If she wanted to search Javier Rivera's office before the security team made its nightly rounds, she had to stop thinking about what she was about to do. Javier needed to pay for killing Molly, and Vivian knew just the price—his coveted billion-pound merger.
It had been naive of Molly to start an office affair with the boss, but she hadn't deserved to be fired for it, and she'd done nothing to deserve the emotional abuse that followed. And when Molly had retaliated by trying to take Rivera's precious merger from him, he'd had her followed and harassed. Within a week of having her flat vandalized, Molly had been found dead in her bedroom. All alone.
The police had ruled it a suicide, but Vivian knew her friend would never shoot herself. Javier had done it—or ordered it done.
He killed her. Don't forget. You heard his voice mail.
She entered the room, relocked the door, and withdrew the key. Slipping it into her pocket, she shut the door again with a small click. Vivian used a sleek flashlight to guide her through the spacious, dark office. She didn't want to draw any attention by turning the overhead lights on.
Floor-to-ceiling glass along one wall showcased the twinkling lights along the opposite bank of the river Thames. Her white beam skipped over a long leather sofa, a low glass coffee table scattered with business magazines and international newspapers, a trio of bookshelves, a sleek refrigerator and minibar, then finally to the desk.
Vivian's grasp on the flashlight loosened for a moment as cold sweat slicked her palm. Since her position was at the reception desk, she'd never been to the CEO's office before. Mrs. Wright, his snooty personal assistant, screened all of his calls and appointments.
She walked among the shadows that stretched along the polished hardwood floor, approaching the heavy glass-and-metal desk, which had probably been custom made. Money was all that mattered to a man like Javier Rivera.
For a moment, she considered the computer in front of her, then shook her head, knowing the network would be secure. Sitting on the edge of the soft leather chair, she flashed her light over the desktop. Her fingers tapped the metal drawers, and she tried to pull them open with no luck. Contracts, notes, reports…anything would help.
She leaned over the trash bin.
Empty.
So was the recycling bin and the paper shredder.
Vivian had never thought this would be easy, but she had counted on finding something. Any piece of information that would lead her to--
Her eyes caught on the edge of a manila folder peeking out from between two finance books. She grabbed it and shone the flashlight on the few pages inside. A report.
She blinked at the numbers, and her breath caught. Could that be…?
Footsteps echoed from outside the door.
Vivian leaped to her feet with a start, her quickened pulse carrying a surge of fear through her and making her painfully alert.
The footsteps came closer. She tucked the folder inside her bag, her gaze riveted to the door.
It could be security. But their rounds weren't supposed to start for another half hour.
There was no time. Vivian picked up the flashlight with unsteady fingers and panned it around the office, looking for a place to hide.
Her first option was a walk-in closet with gray french doors. As the steps slowed outside the office door, she cut across to the closet, slipped inside, and turned off the flashlight.
Squeezed in among hanging suits and leather shoes, she inhaled the pine scent of floor cleaner. At six feet tall, Vivian had always felt out of place, particularly between her petite mother and short stepfather. Now there was no doubt: she wished she were shorter.
A razor of light stabbed through the gap between the closet doors.
Vivian covered her mouth with her hand, holding her breath. She couldn't believe this was happening. Her heart drummed in her ears.
"Tell the pilot to wait. I have to pick up my briefcase." The voice was deep, with a strong Spanish accent.
Vivian blinked, swallowing the lump in her throat. This wasn't security. This was Javier Rivera.
She'd seen him cross the reception area quite a few times, always talking on his mobile. He'd never greeted her with more than a nod, but she'd heard his commanding voice as he spoke to others. And now he was within feet of her, and she was hiding among his Italian suits.
Vivian stiffened. His footsteps approached her hiding place. She closed her eyes and hoped he would just turn around and go away.
His footfalls faded, and she let her breath out in small gasps, desperation almost turning her into an optimist.
His briefcase could be anywhere in his office, couldn't it? Nowhere obvious, or she'd have spotted it. The odds were that Javier Rivera would simply leave to get on his private jet, and she'd still have time to resume her search in his office and then vanish before the security team returned.
The doors swung open. Bright light filled her hiding place.
Vivian blinked.
Up close, Javier Rivera looked a lot more intimidating. His rugged face was framed by short, dark-brown hair. He had a slight bump on his otherwise aristocratic nose and a small scar on his chin. He was several inches taller than her, broad-shouldered and powerful.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Javier's angry black eyes locked with hers, and she stood completely still, frozen like a winter river. Her heart galloped.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked.
Vivian swallowed. "M–Mr. Rivera. I'm so sorry. I came to deliver a fax, and when I heard someone coming in, I got scared and hid in the closet." Vivian stepped out of her hiding place and tried to push past him, but Javier didn't give an inch.
He studied her face, his full lips tight and a glint of disbelief in his eyes.
"I was on my way out when these came." Vivian's fingers trembled as she opened her messenger bag and handed him a couple of sheets of paper she'd brought along in the event she needed a cover story. "Since Mrs. Wright had already gone home, I wanted to hand-deliver these. They're marked 'confidential.'"
Javier's eyes scanned the pages. "All faxes that come to me say 'confidential.' These are only confirmations of dinner reservations and hotel arrangements."
"Well, sir, there they are." She managed a smile, holding the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles whitened.
For a moment, his eyes trailed down her neckline. Was he staring at her chest? Vivian crossed her arms, and Javier pointed to the place where her name tag should have been.
"What's your name?" he demanded.
"Vivian Foster, sir." She squared her shoulders.
"How did you get in, Ms. Foster?"
"I used the master key."
He frowned. "You shouldn't have access to it."
"Look, Mr. Rivera, I'm sorry about this misunderstanding. I wanted to drop these off because I thought they were important." Vivian shook her head. "I didn't even know what they were about. I'm new here…"
She glanced around the office. It had a cool sophistication that unsettled her. Or perhaps it was the man who did that. The black leather sofas, contemporary standing lamps, and Surrealist art had nothing on Javier's inquisitive posture, his eyes piercing through hers, and his mocking smile.
"How convenient for you to be at my office after hours," Javier said drily. "Are you looking for a shortcut up the corporate ladder, Ms. Foster? Since you are new?"
"A shortcut?" Vivian's eyes narrowed. "I'm offended you would think I need to cheat to move up any ladder." She raised her chin and tried again to move past him. "I'll go, and I'll pretend you didn't say that, Mr. Rivera."
"Not so fast, Ms. Foster." He seized her wrist, his unwelcome touch sending a shiver through her body.
He was so massive, his nearness almost made her feel delicate, which she knew she was not. "But sir…" She tried to twist from his grasp. He carefully turned her to face him, reducing the gap between them and holding her captive with those dark eyes.
A murderer's eyes. She'd had six months since Molly's death to learn to hate him.
Javier leaned over her, his hot breath fanning her earlobe. "Ms. Foster, I will ask you one more time. What were you doing in here?"
She breathed in deeply, trying to regain control, but succeeded only in inhaling the minty scent of his aftershave.
"Mr. Rivera, I already…" She gasped when he patted her shoulders, then ran his hands down and around to brush the sides of her breasts.
"How dare you—" Vivian choked on her words, angry that he would touch her so blatantly.
"I'm making sure you don't have any weapons," Javier said casually, as if touching a woman he barely knew was the most natural thing in the world.
Well, for him it probably is.
He brushed his hands over her stomach and hips. His brief touch was neither sexual nor aggressive, yet the weight of his long fingers on her black polyester suit made her blood pound hotly through her veins. His hands moved down her long legs, and she avoided looking directly at him when he knelt down, touching the hem of her pants and sliding his fingers softly along the inside of her ankles.
"No weapons." Vivian raised her voice, yanking away from his touch. Javier Rivera had no right to--
He slid her bag off her shoulder and abruptly upended it over his desk.
"You can't do that!" Vivian said, feeling a wave of heat rising to stain her cheeks. He had just played her for a fool. She should have known. Nothing Javier did was pointless.
"You aren't looking for a promotion," he said calmly. He picked up the folder she'd found, a pack of gum, her mobile, a small wallet, and a makeup case. Stray coins rolled along the desk and fell to the floor.
Vivian took a deep breath as she bent to collect the coins, picking them off the hardwood to escape the inquisition of his eyes. "Of course I'm not."
When she rose to her feet, smoothing her ponytail with one hand and clenching the cold coins with the other, he glared at her, his arms folded.
"What was my folder doing in your bag?"
"Your folder?" She frowned. "I was about to place your fax on your desk when I heard a noise, and I pushed them into my bag. I must have picked up the folder at the same time." Vivian wondered how much longer she'd have to lie. It was new to her, and dodging his questions made her feel like a circus juggler. A first-day-on-the-job circus juggler. All the balls could drop at any time.
"Ms. Foster, I am not patient or stupid. You came in when I wasn't supposed to be here. When no one was supposed to be here. And you have in your possession confidential information of a business transaction which I had left on my desk."
"I didn't even know what that was," Vivian said innocently.
He opened the side zipper of her messenger bag and rummaged around with long, tanned fingers. "Planning on going somewhere?" Javier held her passport up.
"Ms. Foster, do you really want to make things harder for yourself?"
"I'm going to South America with friends in a few months. I brought my passport to make copies of it. I'm applying for a visa, though it's really none of your business."
"You have an answer for everything, don't you, Ms. Foster?" Javier examined her driver's license, his eyes narrowing over the picture.
"Give me back my things." She reached for her bag, then scooped her makeup case, wallet, and other personal items inside. "Mr. Rivera, I need my passport and my mobile. If you don't give them to me right now—" She stretched her open hand toward him, but he pocketed both items.
"Yes, go on. What will you do, Ms. Foster?" His lips curved into a cynical smile. "Call the police?"
Vivian clenched her fists, her short fingernails digging hard into her palms. "I should, shouldn't I? After being harassed as if I'm some lowlife burglar by the CEO."
"Yes, I can make that call myself. But I guarantee you the outcome won't be favorable to you. What were you looking for?" There it was, that predatory look again, assessing her from top to bottom.
"But I already said—"
"Whoever is paying you, I can pay you double if you cooperate."
"It's all about money to you, isn't it?" Vivian looked deep into his black eyes, where pure challenge flickered. She held his gaze, refusing to back down.
She was here to be the instrument of Molly's revenge. All the money in the world couldn't turn her away from that goal.
To her relief, Javier's phone rang. He gestured to her to stay put and took his call just outside his office, leaving the heavy door open.
Vivian watched him at first, unable to hear, then gave up and began pacing the floor. After a while, the sound of her shoes scraping over the hardwood irritated her, and she sat down to pray for a miracle.
"She stole the Webb proposal," his solicitor repeated on the other end of the line.
"Yes." Javier paced the floor of the waiting area adjoining his office.
"You may call the police, although they won't hold her for long. The publicity won't be good for the Broussard merger, either."
"Infierno! This is the worst timing." Javier ran his hand through his hair.
"Yes, Monsieur Broussard is known for being volatile. If you take her to the police, the press will know, and he will know. It was hard enough hiding what happened to that other woman."
Molly. He'd made a mistake there, broken one of his cardinal rules, and he'd paid for it many times over. How foolish of him to think the matter had ended with the woman's death. "Molly Richardson was irrational. I wonder if Vivian works for the same people?"
"If she goes to jail, we may never know. Whoever hired her may back off or think of a different approach."
"I've worked the last year nonstop for this merger to happen. I can't lose it now."
I've waited for this moment my whole life.
Javier stopped pacing and looked across at the woman who had disrupted his evening in more ways than one. She was sitting elegantly, her legs crossed at the ankles. Collected and goal-oriented, she appeared nothing like the irrational, impulsive Molly Richardson.
"I won't lose it," he continued firmly. "Call Matt Smith, the private investigator, and have him find out what he can about Vivian Foster."
"And what will you do in the meantime?"
"I will take Ms. Foster out of commission while we check her credentials. Whoever hired her won't find her until I sign my contract."
"But you have to go to Paris tonight."
Javier knew that. If he made big changes to his plans, his opponent might seize the opportunity to destroy the merger. Broussard was in Paris, which meant Javier had to be there as well. If he stuck to his plans and made sure Vivian was unreachable, perhaps he could throw his opponent off.
Until his investigator told him everything he needed to know about Vivian Foster, he would keep her close.
"I'll just have some excess luggage." Javier hung up the phone.
What a night. He'd thought stopping by the office to get his briefcase before heading to Paris was enough of an inconvenience, especially for a man like him, who hated when things went out of control. But then he'd found the new receptionist in his closet, her deep blue eyes startled and her cheeks flushed.
A different kind of inconvenience altogether.
Javier had noticed her a few times, but he would never have imagined the stern receptionist as a threat to his company. While the other women at the front desk smiled in welcome as he passed them, Vivian would simply nod an acknowledgment and return to answering the phones or checking something on her computer screen.
He slid the phone into his pocket and returned to his office silently, observing the beautiful woman sitting before him. There was a veneer of vulnerability about her when she didn't know she was being watched. When she wasn't trying so hard to clash with him.
If the circumstances were different…
He could think of a pleasurable way to make her talk, and moan. He would take that silly ponytail apart and run his fingers through her dark auburn hair. He'd kiss those rosy lips until they swelled, slide his mouth down her neck as he inhaled the fresh lavender fragrance she wore. The same fragrance that had caught his attention and prompted him to open his closet doors.
And he would outline her curves with his bare hands, a much more intimate exploration than his impersonal frisking.
His eyes moved to the outline of her full breasts, the indentation of her waist…and those long, long legs lost inside a shapeless pair of pants.
Basta! He cleared his throat. A few months without sex could really compromise a man's common sense.
Vivian Foster was an industrial spy. She was the last woman he ought to be wasting his time fantasizing about.
In a few days, he would make his imprint on the global market forever and not only surpass his stepfather's wealth but prove that he'd made it all on his own.
Nobody would stop him. Certainly not Ms. Foster, with her sparkling blue eyes.
Discovering the identity of his real enemy was paramount. Vivian Foster was not the one who was trying to ruin him, but if he played his cards right, she could take him to the man who was—whether she wanted to or not.
"Mr. Rivera, can I please go now?" Vivian got to her feet the moment her eyes found his. He smiled inside, recognizing that her defenses were on full alert.
"How did you get the master key?"
"There was an old copy in the manager's box. This is the first time I've used it, and believe me, it will be the last. I went out of my way to please you, and yet you have completely misread me."
Javier took a deep breath, desperate to remove from his mind the image of the guarded woman in front of him going out of her way to please him. "Today is Friday. It didn't occur to you to drop the faxes in Mrs. Wright's box?"
"No, Mr. Rivera. You work on weekends, and I thought it might have been urgent."
"Why did you hide when I walked in?"
"Because I was a woman alone in an empty office building at night."
"Ms. Foster, I have no time to waste. My private jet is waiting for me, and I'm expected in Paris for the weekend."
"Well, sir, you should go." Vivian gave him a dismissive shrug and tried to brush past him.
"I intend to. But having to call the police to question you would delay me." He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. "You are not authorized to be in my office. You had something of mine in your bag, and you had your passport with you as though you were planning to leave the country."
"My solicitors can give you quite a headache if I want them to. We will talk to security, look through the security tapes, dig into your background, and look for witnesses to your trespassing and theft. But I prefer to avoid that fuss. That's why you are coming with me."
"What? What kind of crazy idea is that?" She widened her eyes. "No."
"Yes. We are leaving for Paris in an hour. I have important business to attend, and you will accompany me."
"But I'm a receptionist. Traveling with the CEO isn't part of my job." Her cheeks flushed again as she protested.
Damn. This woman is good. She can even summon a blush on command.
"Neither is snooping around my office. Yet here we are."
"But Mr. Rivera, I already explained—"
"No, you have not explained. Not the part that matters. But you will." Javier glanced at his watch. They had to leave soon. He took his briefcase from the file drawer in the credenza located behind the black leather sofa. "Either you come with me so I can ask you a few questions in private, or I call the police and my solicitors, and they take care of you."
"You wouldn't." Panic flared in her enormous blue eyes.
"Try me." He waved his phone. "No time. Yes or no?" Javier flipped the lights off.
"Only enough time for me to make sure you are who you say you are, Ms. Foster."
"I can't believe this," she muttered under her breath.
"And I can't believe you. But if you are innocent, you shouldn't be afraid." Javier looked at the shadow of uncertainty in her eyes, the one she was obviously trying so hard to hide.
Who was she working for? And why? Was it only money that motivated her, or was she helping a lover?
Yes, that made sense… Only a woman blinded by passion would put her freedom, job, and dignity at risk.
That was why he stayed away from emotional relationships. He was a passionate man—in his work life, in the bedroom with a beautiful woman in his arms. But he was also a strategist who made sure never to confuse lust with love. He had no time for love, no patience for passion that overpowered common sense.
"Can I have a few minutes to think about this?" Vivian cleared her throat nervously.
"This isn't a car sale, Ms. Foster." Javier glanced at his watch. "But since I'm a generous man, I'll give you one minute."


text:
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The place of traditional birth attendants in the country cannot be overemphasised in north-eastern Nigeria with the highest maternal mortality rate in the country, according to the World Health Organisation.
ICRC reports that 800 women die in every 100,000 live births, making Nigeria, a very dangerous place to be a mother.
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The women, though uneducated, have been proffering solution to safe delivery. Photo source: ICRC
He added that though the women lack basic medical education, the importance of their work shows the need for them to be engaged and trained.
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He said that the best way to proffer a solution to the maternal mortality rate is to involve the attendants so pregnant women can come to the hospital for an earlier complication detection.
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text:
package config

import (
	"log"
	"testing"
)

func TestLoadGcloudConfig(t *testing.T) {
	config := LoadGcloudConfig(LoadAsset("/config/config.json"))

	log.Printf("config: %+v", config)
}


text:
Countess Ana Katarina Zrinska (c. 1625–1673) was a Croatian noblewoman and poet, born into the House of Frankopan, Croatian noble family. She married Count Petar Zrinski of the House of Zrinski in 1641 and later became known as Katarina Zrinska. She is remembered in Croatia as a patron of the arts, a writer and patriot. She died in obscurity in a monastery in Graz following the downfall of the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy in 1671 and the execution of both her husband Petar Zrinski and her brother Fran Krsto Frankopan. Her most notable literary work is Putni tovaruš, written 1660 at her estates in Ozalj.

Katarina Zrinski and the conspiracy were largely forgotten until the 1860s, when Croatian politician Ante Starčević began a campaign to rehabilitate the Zrinski and Frankopan nobility, and the story of her life and death was widely popularised following the publishing of Eugen Kumičić's historical novel Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska () in 1893.

In the early 20th century, and especially after World War I, numerous Croatian women's associations were founded bearing her name. In 1999 the Croatian National Bank issued a silver commemorative coin depicting Katarina Zrinski, in their Znamenite Hrvatice () series, along with children's writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić and painter Slava Raškaj.

Biography

Early life

Katarina was born in Bosiljevo near the modern city of Karlovac in present-day Croatia to Vuk Krsto Frankopan of the House of Frankopan, a well-known commander (general) and nobleman in the Croatian Military Frontier (which was an autonomous region carved out of the Kingdom of Croatia within the Austrian Empire) and his second wife Uršula Inhofer. Fran Krsto Frankopan, also a notable nobleman, was her half brother, produced in Vuk Krsto's third marriage to Dora Haller.

She was homeschooled in her youth, and learned German during her childhood years (as it was her mother's first language) along with Hungarian, Latin and Italian which she was later taught. In 1641 she married the Croatian nobleman Petar Zrinski in Karlovac, who later went on to become Ban (viceroy) of Croatia following his brother Nikola Zrinski's death in 1664. After marrying Petar the pair spent most of their time at Ozalj Castle, the family residence.

In 1660 she wrote a prayer book titled Putni tovaruš, and had it printed in 1661 in the Republic of Venice before presenting it as a gift to the 17th century Croatian lexicographer Ivan Belostenec (the book was later re-printed in 1687 and 1715 in Ljubljana and then again in 2005 in Čakovec).

Children

Katarina and Petar had four children, born between 1643 and 1658:
Jelena (1643 – 18 February 1703)
Known as Jelena Zrinska in Croatia and Ilona Zrínyi in Hungary, she married Hungarian nobleman Francis I Rákóczi in 1666. After his death in 1676, she married her second husband Imre Thököly, a Hungarian statesman and Prince of Transylvania, in 1682. She was also mother to Francis II Rákóczi, leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in the early 18th century.

In her later years she spent 7 years interned in an Ursuline convent in Austria before being exiled to Turkey in 1699 where she died four years later in 1703.

Judita Petronela (1652–1699)
One of the two Katarina's daughters who spent the majority of their adult life in convents, Judita died as a nun in a Poor Clares convent in Zagreb.

Ivan IV Antun Baltazar (26 August 1654 – 11 November 1703)
In Croatia known as Ivan Antun Zrinski, he was the pair's only son. After a short military career demonstrating his loyalty to the State, he was later charged with high treason by the Austrian authorities. He was imprisoned first at Rattenberg in Tyrol and then at Grazer Schloßberg, where he spent the last 20 years of his life. He eventually went insane and died in 1703.

Aurora Veronika (1658 – 19 January 1735)
The pair's youngest child and the last surviving member of the once powerful House of Zrinski. Following the crackdown on the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy (see below), she accompanied her mother during her internment at a Dominican convent in Graz. Aurora later spent her whole life as a nun and eventually died in an Ursuline convent in Klagenfurt.

Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy

Following the unpopular Peace of Vasvár treaty signed in 1664 by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire which gave back parts of the territory which had been liberated from the Turks in the preceding Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664), a conspiracy involving members of the Croatian and Hungarian nobility was formed to overthrow the Habsburgs. The leaders of the conspiracy were Katarina's husband Petar Zrinski, her half brother Fran Krsto Frankopan and the Hungarian count Ferenc Wesselényi. The conspiracy was largely unsuccessful and in March 1670 a crackdown ordered by Leopold I ensued, in which all three men were arrested and imprisoned. On 30 April 1671 both Petar and Fran Krsto were executed in Wiener Neustadt.

On the eve of his execution, her husband wrote her a farewell letter:

The downfall of the conspiracy practically destroyed the House of Zrinski as their enormous property was either confiscated or plundered. Katarina was first arrested and imprisoned in Bruck an der Mur and then ordered into seclusion by the Vienna court. She spent the remaining years of her life in a Dominican convent in Graz with her daughter Aurora Veronika, where she died on 16 November 1673.

Poetry and writing
Her most known work, Putni tovaruš (Travel companion), was a prayer book published in 1660 and mostly translated from German-language prayers. The prose is considered to be of high literary quality, reaching at times the expressive heights of poetry, and was as such republished multiple times. The language is part of the Ozalj literary circle, using a dialectal mixture of Chakavian, Kajkavian and Shtokavian regiolects.

There are two poems that can be ascribed to her with absolute certainty, the introductory poem in Putni tovaruš, titled Vsakomu onomu ki bude štal ove knjižice, and a poem contained within a songbook attributed to her under the name Popivka od razboja Čingićevoga, which celebrates her husband's victory over the Ottomans. Literary historians ascribe 30 more poems to her contained within the songbook. Nearly all of them are confessional and self-pitying thematically, and written in feminine first person.

Legacy

1860s–1940s
Croatian politician Ante Starčević is considered the first person who initiated a campaign to politically rehabilitate leaders of the conspiracy in the speech he gave on 26 July 1861 in the Croatian Parliament. The speech spurred renewed interest in the whole affair and anniversaries of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan's deaths started to be commemorated publicly in growing numbers, with increasingly political overtones, as Croatian politicians became vocal in their calls for greater Croatian independence (which was at the time still part of Austria-Hungary). In the 1880s a committee was even founded with the purpose of transporting their remains from Wiener Neustadt to Croatia, and in 1893 writer and politician Eugen Kumičić published a historical novel titled Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska (), which helped to further popularise the image of Zrinkis and Frankopans as Croatian patriots and martyrs for freedom.

The bones of conspiracy leaders were eventually transferred back to Croatia in 1919 by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon and were greeted by masses upon their return to Zagreb. By that time Katarina Zrinski also came to be seen as the greatest Croatian woman of the past and a symbol of patriotism for women in Croatia. In the years before World War I many women's societies sprung up around the country as well as in the Croatian diaspora. The oldest such association bearing Katarina's name was founded in 1914 in Punta Arenas in Chile. It was originally called Hrvatska žena () and was primarily interested in keeping the Croatian language alive and helping Croatian women cope with life far from home. However, soon after WWI broke out, the society was actively engaged in helping the Pan-Slavic Yugoslav movement and was thus renamed JNO Katarina Zrinska. In North America the Kćeri Katarine Zrinjske () society was formed in 1917 which even had a youth branch in Youngstown, Ohio.

In 1919 the Katarina Zrinjska women's association was formed in Karlovac, the first association bearing her name in Croatia. The society was designed as an organisation of middle class Croatian Catholic women in the area, and they claimed they chose to be named after Katarina because "strictly adhered to Christian principles throughout her life". The proclaimed goal of the society was to "encourage members to be good Catholics, honest citizens, women of significance, model mothers, advanced housekeepers and apostles of all things good", which they hoped to achieve by organising picnics, concerts, education classes, fundraisers, lectures, etc. In 1920 a similar Društvo Hrvatica Katarine grofice Zrinjski was established in Zagreb and in 1930 another one was founded in Petrinja. All these societies were active until the early 1940s, but were eventually disbanded in May 1943 by a decree issued by the fascist government of Independent State of Croatia.

1990s–present
The women's societies of the past and their work were largely forgotten during the SFR Yugoslavia period (1945–1990), until the modern-day Zajednica žena Katarina Zrinska () was founded in 1999 in Split, as the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party's women's branch. Other associations abroad carrying her name include Hrvatska žena – Katarina Zrinska in Adelaide, Australia (est. 1974), HŠKD Croatia Katarina Zrinski in Gothenburg, Sweden, and many others.

Many streets and squares around Croatia are named after her, including the Katarinin trg () in the Upper Town part of Zagreb, located next to the Jesuit church of St. Catherine's built between 1620 and 1632 in the baroque style. Many schools and institutions are also named after her.

In 1999 the Croatian National Bank issued a 200 kuna silver commemorative coin with Katarina Zrinski as part of their "Famous Croatian Women" series. In their press release the bank described Katarina as "a writer, ardent patriot and a martyr, as well as a spiritual initiator of the liberation movement against foreign rule".

See also

Zrinski family tree

References

External links

Katarina Zrinska short biography at the Croatian National Bank website
Article about Katarina Zrinski published in July 2007 by Matica hrvatska

1625 births
1673 deaths
People from Bosiljevo
Croatian Roman Catholics
Katarina
Katarina
Croatian women writers
17th-century Croatian poets
Croatian women poets
17th-century Croatian women writers
17th-century Croatian writers
17th-century Croatian people
Baroque writers
17th-century Croatian nobility