text:
Who, What, How
"Time with Georgina - she is able to engage with an issue without dominating it and helps give direction to overwhelming and complex challenges."
Clore Social Entrepreneur
What clients say about Brightside Coaching Leadership and Development.
Every Brightside coaching conversation includes feedback at its core. Whether it is traditional 360 feedback using an Appreciative Inquiry framework, or regular and sustained feedback based on what Georgina observes in an individual or team, feeback forms the back bone of Brightside's practice.
Every system is based upon and sustained by a complex web of visible and invisible feedback loops. Observing the dynamic patterns of a systemic web – and knowing that the smallest change can become
' the difference that makes a difference'
Gregory Bateson, Steps to an Ecology of Mind
to an individual or to a team, is core to Brightside work. Bateson's central question, 'what is the difference that makes a difference?' creates a choreography for our coaching conversations.
Learning how to give and receive positive, affirming and constructively challenging feedback plays a significant part of any Brightside coaching intervention.
Click on the link to view the short film of John Bonney (Founder and Director of Alchemy Management Solutions and formerly Chief Officer of Hampshire Fire Service) reflecting on his strategic leadership coaching journey with Georgina.
The quotes below are a sample of some of the recent feedback received from our clients.
John Bonney talks to Georgina
Charity & Social Sector
Faith Sector
Filter by sector Corporate SectorPublic SectorCharity & Social SectorFaith Sector
Georgina is an insightful and considerate person. She has a huge amount of resources to draw upon which have aided me at each step. From a strong systemic framework, to poetry, literature and art, and her own wisdom, I feel as though we have a carefully constructed a relationship of trust and respect which has given me a safe, interesting space in which to think and strategise around my personal and professional development.
I have worked with Georgina in her capacity as a professional executive coach and skilled deliverer of leadership development workshops. I recognise her exceptional capacity in this work. Georgina's creative use of poetry is very unusual in her field. She stands out distinctively from her peers.
CEO, Charity
As a team Georgina has led us towards making some important changes in the ways that we work that have resulted in much quicker decision making – in a fast growing business that was one of our most difficult tasks before – now at times we're really flying.
Partner, Big 4 Firm
Georgina is incredibly grounded, genuine and lives and operates to her values, which in turn generates real trust and stimulating, meaningful conversations. She is as sharp as a razor, has a great ability to listen and cut to the quick with quality dialogue, insight and questions.
Client Sponsor
Georgina helped me grow as a leader, to be myself with confidence, to understand and not to lose myself in difficult times.
Director General, Whitehall
We appreciated the Exec Team day that Georgina ran for us – and the work she put in to prepare for it. In my opinion, it was the best facilitated day we as a team have ever spent together.
CEO, NHS
Georgina's style of engagement gives people the confidence to trust her without reservation.
Chairman, Corporate Sector
Georgina works incredibly hard to get to know you and tries to stimulate both the mind and the soul. She has a range of interests to draw from which include psychology, business, management, politics, stories of families, landscapes and, of course, poetry, which encourages the learning to linger and extend beyond the coaching meeting.
Georgina is highly organised and self motivated. When she commits to do anything, she delivers.
Georgina remembers the details, what you've previously discussed and talks to people as individuals. It's clear Georgina prepares before sessions and comes having spoken to most of us individually so knows what the room wants to get out of a session. Georgina is extremely adaptable during a day and has a great balance of keeping us on track and to the agenda whilst being flexible and allowing the conversation to flow.
Georgina provided me with 1:1 leadership coaching at a critical phase in my journey and without her support I may not be where I am today. Her careful yet guided support was both crucial and timely.
CEO and Clore Fellow
Georgina's creativity helped us structure the agenda around multiple objectives. Her keen insight on individuals and team dynamics kept us focused on our goals, which was instrumental to what the team felt was a transformational experience.
US Team, Global Fashion & Beauty House
I welcomed the three influential people on my Clore journey; my coach, my supervisor and my mentor ..[But it] has been Georgina, my coach, who has contributed most to my Clore experience. She has very carefully and respectfully walked beside me through some of the most challenging areas of my professional and personal life. In doing so, she has enabled me to hold difficult conversations about health, family, lifestyle, career, meaning and value in a safe space and looked with me to see what this means for who I am in the world.
Time with Georgina - she is able to engage with an issue without dominating it and helps give direction to overwhelming and complex challenges.
Georgina gives 100% of herself to me whenever we meet. She is manifestly there for me. Having said that, she then plays the part of a critical friend perfectly.
Georgina is able to win people's confidence through her friendly, unthreatening and engaging approach. She is effective in encouraging them to be open in discussion and thereby achieves a high quality of interaction. People almost always leave meetings she has facilitated feeling lifted by the experience.
Georgina is very easy to talk to. She helps me make sense of things. After having talked with Georgina I always have a clear way forward.
Georgina managed to put us at ease very quickly, providing valuable feedback and getting the best out of us. We realised how much progress we had made thanks to her leadership - the process was smooth and clearly structured.
Senior Exec, Oil and Gas Industry
It is now three years since Georgina led a top-team residential for us. Even at the time, the approach taken was penetrative and perceptive, always people-centred and with a focus on personal and collective action plans. In the ensuing days and weeks, feedback was positive, with greater articulation of issues that had previously been unseen or unspoken. Now, three years on, there is a legacy of greater self-awareness, people playing to their strengths and respect for the strengths of others. Together, we are achieving more.
CEO, International Charity
Georgina connects with deep wellsprings of motivation and aspiration and is able to reflect back one's thinking and imagining with the clarity of a poet and the loyalty of a friend.
Bishop in the Church of England
We came away with a fundamental strengthening of trust; understanding of our group pitfalls and a road map for continuing our leadership evolution.
HR Director, Corporate Client
Georgina's interaction with the team has been a catalyst for much deeper reflecting together and appreciation of each other's gifts. This has released energy and enhanced our capacity to work together more effectively and to see more clearly the contributions we are each bringing to the team.
Georgina prepares very thoroughly and thoughtfully and she can be fun to be with.
Georgina brings a smile to your face. She puts you at ease and helps you dig deep into yourself. She finds your reserves and helps develop the parts other coaches don't always reach.
Georgina is professional, but friendly. She goes to the heart of my motivation and practice, exposing my defence mechanisms along the way. She always leaves me in a different place from when we began.
I appreciate Georgina's passion, commitment and drive for her client, the thought and structure Georgina puts into her work eg relevant articles, pre-and post emails, and also Georgina's strength, courage and resilience to hold the moment.
Coach Broker, Big 4 Firm
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COACHING | LEADERSHIP | DEVELOPMENT with Brightside


Are you looking forward to surprising him or even her with a spectacular gift but you are not sure what you will get? It might be his birthday or your anniversary and you want to buy something special. Maybe even anew bundle of joy and you are looking for the perfect gift to take, but making the right pick is proving difficult.
Well, Shark Tank has been the source of some impressive business ideas. Coincidentally, some of those have been on gifts so you could also get some ideas from there as well. Here are a few you might like.
Whether you have a friend who has hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) or just a clean freak who is turned off by the sight of sweat stains, this is the ideal gift. Well, these undershirts have a distinct sweat-proof material that is designed to entirely stop the presence of sweat marks.
The shirts are not made to be sweat resistant but are made to be sweat proof. Also known as the Thompson Tee, these shirts have been known to deliver great results. You can get this gift for him or her and they no longer have to feel embarrassed while they are working or during special occasions.
For people with trouble sleeping, this one of a kind people is exactly what they need. The pillow will soothe you to sleep with its mellow music. The Dream pad pillow works by playing music through vibrations, so only the one using it can hear it. This helps to avoid disturbing anyone sleeping next to you when using it.
With the dream pad pillow, getting home after a hard of work will be something you look forward to every evening.
Most people might not consider this a gift. But, safety is the best gift you can give your loved ones. Research has shown that most fires are caused by an unattended stove but here is a device that changes that. FireAvert is a simple plug-in device that works as an emergency breaker that cuts the power to a range that has caught fire before it gets out of control. With this product then you ensure that you are not among the many victims of a disastrous kitchen fire.
The best thing about this as a gift is that it is functional and you don't have to worry whether you're getting it for a guy or a lady. It is a thoughtful piece that could potentially save lives in the future.
Here is something for all your wine loving friends. With it, you can have your wine anywhere you want. Even on the road. The Goverre sippy cup is the perfect solution to all your wine troubles on the road. It prevents the taste of the wine from changing or the wine spilling in the car. Now you can bring your bottle of wine along during travel and tune up the fun.
The Goverre cup is made from thick, shatter resistant glass. It has a silicone sleeve that makes the glass easy to hold while preventing heat transfer. It has a lid that has a knob that seals the glass that prevents spillage as the wine is stored in your bag. This is the ultimate gift to give to your wine-loving friends and family.
How often do you cringe in pain seeing your child topple over their bike because they pressed the front brakes too hard? Do you want to buy a bike as a gift to a nephew, niece or even your own child but the thought of the "head over handlebars" incident is hold you back? The Guardian Bike might be the solution you have been hoping for.
The brakes on the bike are controlled by one handlebar squeeze rather than two as is the case in most bicycles. This means that your child will focus on being balanced and will also be aware of his surroundings rather than squeezing two pumps at once.
The bike is made with safety as a priority. It takes a lot of effort to concentrate on keeping balance when riding. For children, it might not come easy and having less equipment without affecting the functionality of the bike could go a long way in helping them concentrate on what matters – balance.
Now you have a variety of gifts to get for your family or your friends. They actually bring people together and you do not have to wait for a special occasion just to give one. All you have to do is buy one and give it to them or even gift yourself. With these great gift suggestions, you will never run out of ideas no matter what the occasion is.
What's more, these gift ideas are not only ideas. They have been used by other people who are quite impressed with their design and ability to deliver. You will be giving a great gift that won't disappoint.


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The Final Cowntdown
US scientists have stated that July was the Earth's hottest ever month.
The combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.9C above the 20th Century average of 15.8C – yet more evidence of global warming? We are due the next UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November. Members have plenty to ponder but what can be done?
While the focus has been on curbing carbon dioxide emissions, scientists are now arguing that the world can buy extra time by tackling methane emissions. The recent UN IPCC report estimates that between 30%-50% of the current rise in temperatures is actually down to methane. Over a twenty-year period, methane has been around 84 times as warming as CO2. By cutting methane emissions by 40% over the next decade, about 0.3C could be shaved off global temperature by 2040.
Whilst around 40% of methane comes from natural sources such as wetlands, cattle are responsible for a huge amount of greenhouse-gas emission. According to the United Nations, globally the livestock sector produces the equivalent levels of CO2 every year as cars. Almost 40% of methane is produced by fermentation in stomachs – mainly those of cows.
While reducing carbon dioxide needs to be the long-term focus, it will take years to see the effects of this, as carbon dioxide persists in the atmosphere for centuries. However, the effect of slowing down or reducing methane will be felt in a decade or so, and tackling livestock appears a good place to start.
We need to cut carbon dioxide emissions, but reducing methane would be a big help.
Ongoing global recovery concerns continued to overhang markets. In addition, there was profit-taking in risk assets following the release of the latest minutes of the meeting of the US Federal Reserve (Fed). This confirmed a building consensus across Fed committee members that the tapering of stimulus measures should commence before the end of this year. Concerns about slowing global economic growth, Fed tapering and increased Chinese regulation has hit commodities particularly hard with copper at a four-month low and iron ore down by 18% so far this year.
Investors were concerned by the latest comments from the Chinese government. The re-distribution of wealth or rather 'common prosperity' are the latest thoughts to emerge from President Xi Jinping. This news adversely impacted a number of luxury goods companies. This is in addition to the passing into law of a new set of rules for the Chinese technology sector. The Hong Kong Hang Seng index is now in 'bear market' territory following a 20% fall since February while the Hang Seng technology index is down by a staggering 45%! Meanwhile, the Chinese government has bailed out troubled Huarong Asset Management accepting the firm is too big to let fail.
Although vaccines are continuing to significantly reduce hospitalisations and deaths, some doubt has been cast over the lasting efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines after an increase in 'breakthrough infections' amongst the fully vaccinated. An Oxford University study indicates that infected people carry the same viral load even if they have been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the Delta variant has continued to spread globally.
Questions have also been raised over the effectiveness of China's domestic vaccines. Chinese researchers have studied blood samples from adults aged 18-59 who have had two jabs either two or four weeks apart. Only 17% and 35% respectively still had neutralising anti-bodies. In the meantime, China has continued to follow its 'zero tolerance Covid-19' policy and claims it has indeed hit zero Covid-19 cases. This follows draconian measures including the testing of over 100million people and strict quarantines with parts of Beijing sealed off at one stage. This has not been without cost to the Chinese economy or global supply chains. The US also appears to be facing a challenge from the Delta variant but in those parts of the country with low vaccination rates. Meanwhile, Japan has extended its Covid-19 state of emergency as it battles a record wave of new cases ahead of the Paralympic Games.
Investors are concerned that lockdown measures could further disrupt global supply chains and economic recovery. China's zero tolerance Covid-19 policy has led to the closure of the Ningbo -the country's second largest port which has seen the number of container ships queuing outside jump in a week from 22 to 50 vessels. Meanwhile, Toyota, the world's biggest car maker announced it is to cut car production by 40% in September because of the global microchip shortage. On the other hand, if Covid-19 impacts economic growth, will central bankers remain supportive for longer? For example, New Zealand's central bank had been expected to raise interest rates but deferred the decision after another national lockdown due to just seven cases.
In the UK, the jobs market is recovering much more quickly than economic forecasters had expected as job vacancies hit a record 953,000 in the three months to July, while average pay rose by 7.4% excluding bonuses. Most promisingly, some of those hardest hit by lockdown – younger workers , are now finding jobs. Meanwhile, inflation returned to the Bank of England's 2% target in July although the market treated the figure cautiously as unusual seasonal pricing in clothing and footwear masked underlying trends. The headline rate of inflation is expected to move higher again in the next few months. UK retail sales fell in July with food and petrol sales lower albeit not helped by what could be the wettest summer on record! More importantly, household saving remains at an inflated level and supportive of consumer spending.
In Europe, the headline inflation rate for July was confirmed at 2.2%, above the European Central Bank's (ECB) target, a three-year high. Headline inflation is forecast to reach 3% by the end of this year, albeit the ECB still believes that this is largely due to transitory factors such as higher energy prices.
In the US, retail sales slipped by 1.1% in July with the shortage of new cars weighing on total volumes. In contrast, industrial production increased as output picked up at American car plants. The minutes of the latest US Fed meeting confirmed a building consensus across committee members that the tapering process should commence before the end of this year. However, the minutes also highlighted areas of disagreement among members on the exact timing of tapering stimulus and also whether asset purchases remain the most effective tool for sustaining the US economic recovery.
The Chinese government passed into law new regulation for the technology sector. The rules, which have been set by the State Administration for Market Regulation include provisions that internet operators 'must not implement or assist' unfair competition online or 'disrupt the order of market competition'. Chinese tech giants Alibaba and TenCent dropped on the announcement. Meanwhile, Chinese electric car maker BYD's plan to sell shares in its computer chip making unit has been suspended due to a regulatory investigation into the law firm advising the company.
Brent oil slipped to $66. Investors remain worried about the outlook for fuel demand as Covid-19 cases surge worldwide just as more oil supply reaches the market from the large producers. Meanwhile, China's zero tolerance Covid-19 policy has seen the suspension of some public transport and flights which has started to dent fuel demand.
Finally, while considering the end of the world. The odds of a hazardous asteroid hitting the Earth are higher than previously thought. NASA estimates that the odds of Asteroid Bennu, one of the two most hazardous asteroids in the solar system, hitting Earth in the next 200 years, has risen from one in 2,700 to one in 1,750. Remind me not to watch 'Deep Impact.'
Read Last Week's Alpha Bites – Has The Day After Tomorrow Arrived?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Based on a true story that occurred in May of 1988, this takes place in the Los Angeles First Interstate Bank building - at that time, the tallest in the city. Not long after the water pumps for the sprinklers are shut down for maintenance, a fire starts on the 12th floor of the building. Because of problems with the smoke alarms, security does not investigate until the fire has spread to the point that it is uncontrollable. When they discover the horrific extent of the fire, the Los Angeles City Fire Department is called in, with Deputy Chief Sterling commanding. Most of the people in the building such as security and cleaning staff are evacuated, but two office workers are trapped on floor 37, cut off by smoke in the stairwells and unable to use the elevators. Over 300 firefighters are deployed to fight the largest structure fire in Los Angeles history. Will they manage to rescue the two on floor 37 before they succumb to smoke inhalation?


Welcome to Villa Coral Princess in SE Cape Coral. This 3 bedroom, 2 bath home is fully equipped for you to have a wonderful vacation in Paradise. Master bedroom and one guest bedroom have king beds and one bedroom has 2 twin beds. Eat in Kitchen, Breakfast bar, Cable TV in Master Bedroom, Living room and Guests King Bedroom, WIFI Internet, Radio & CD Player. There are 2 Bicycles for you to use, plenty of Linens, Towels, Beach towels and beach chairs. The large pool area welcomes you with a heated pool, Jacuzzi for relaxation, lounge chairs, Adirondack chairs, gas grill and a lot of sun. Nice wide canal view where you can fish from the property. Shopping and Restaurants nearby.


text:
Q: Why cant i access window.variable in Javascript? I am declaring windows.uris outside any function,
then i'm adding elements in $.each(), at the last line when alerting window.uris is empty.
Why ?
window.uris = new Array();

window.groups = new Array();

jQuery(document).ready(function($) {

host = document.location.host,
path = document.location.pathname;
url = host + path;
var domg = new Object();
var optgroup;
var productsDom = "";

  if (contains(url, 'manage/items.php')) {
    $.post('http://localhost/frontaccounting/proxy.php',
    {
        "url":"http://localhost:8081/stock/categories/",
        "m":"get",
        "data": ""
    },
      function (data) {
        d = $.parseXML(data);
        $xml = $( d );

        $xml.find("category").each(
            function (i,e) {
                optgroup = '<optgroup label="'+ $(e).children("name").text()+'">';
                categoryId = $(e).children("id").text();
                auxx =  (categoryId*1);
                window.uris[i]="http://localhost:8081/stock/categories/" + (auxx );
                window.groups[auxx + ""] = optgroup;
            }
        );
    }
    );
    //sleep(2000);
        alert('URI' + window.uris);

A: In your function you make an asynchronous call to some url. The alert command, however, is inside your function and not inside the callback.
So it will be called immediatly instead of waiting until the AJAX-request has finished and your data is present.
A simple solution is to move your alert inside the callback-function.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Go Home «» News «» Breaking News «» Thanksgiving is Daniel Craig's favorite holiday as a U.S. citizen, he says
Thanksgiving is Daniel Craig's favorite holiday as a U.S. citizen, he says
November 22, 2022 Tomiwa Thomas
It turns out that 007 is a big admirer of Thanksgiving.
After becoming a U.S. citizen in 2019, James Bond star Daniel Craig disclosed that his favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
The 54-year-old followed in the footsteps of his British wife Rachel Weisz, who became a U.S. citizen in 2011 – the same year the couple married.
Craig was questioned on Monday's "Late Show With Stephen Colbert" if he understood Thanksgiving.
"I do understand Thanksgiving. According to my understanding, it's about giving gratitude," he said.
Colbert then asked the "Glass Onion" actor how long he had observed the yearly event at home.
"I have, and we celebrate that fact. In reality, I have American friends, so I've been celebrating for quite some time," he replied before Colbert pressed him for further information.
"I believe that is my favorite holiday," he continued.
In a 2019 interview with People, the actor stated, "Everyone in this nation is an immigrant. This is the nation's foundation. It cannot be forgotten.
"We cannot simply disregard it… However, it is complex, requires thought, and requires intelligent people to think about it instead than splitting people along party lines and animosity that builds up. It must be discussed… because that is difficult."
"Doing good things is difficult. He said, "I am quite proud to be a part of this, to hold an American passport, and to name myself an immigrant in this nation."
I'm happy to be a part of the incredible historical time that gave birth to this country.
In 2011, the actor married the Oscar-winning actress Weisz. Together, they have a four-year-old daughter.
Henry is Weisz's kid from a prior relationship with ex-boyfriend Darren Aronofsky. Craig is currently the father to Ella, whom he shares with his ex-wife Fiona Loudon.
Scottish waitress is suing Nando's after her 'skin melted off' when splashed with cleaning product
Adam Sandler will spend one night in New York City on November 29. We located tickets
Electricity crisis: Ramaphosa to announce emergency energy package "end of next week"
Katy Perry admits making a 'big' error by declining to collaborate with Billie Eilish: It was only a blonde woman
Aww! Six South African celebrities and their adorable dogs
Girona vs. Barcelona – prediction, team news, lineups
Savanna Newcomer Showcase has arrived in Cape Town
Walsall vs. Leicester City – preview, prediction, team news, and lineups
New High Commissioner appointed as 200 000 Australians trace their ancestry to South Africa


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21.03.2006 General News
CHRAJ Needs Power To Prosecute — Adjaho
By Daily Graphic
The Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Doe Adjaho, has called for an amendment of the 1992 Constitution to give prosecutorial powers to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to prosecute individuals found by the commission to be corrupt.
Alternatively, he added, the position of Attorney General (AG) should be detached from the Ministry of Justice and the former made a non-political position with powers to prosecute corrupt officials.
He said that was the only way the fight against corruption would be effective. Mr Adjaho was speaking at a West African regional workshop on advancing anti-corruption conventions in Accra yesterday.
The two day workshop is being attended by heads of anti-corruption agencies and legislators from the sub-region.
It was organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local branch of Transparency International (TI). Mr Adjaho, who is also the Member of Parliament for Avenor Ave, said the role of CHRAJ should not only be investigative, adding that since it was an independent body, it was well placed to prosecute without fear.
The position of Attorney General, he added, if made non-political, would induce the holder of the office to prosecute corrupt officials "without looking over his shoulders".
He said it was not prudent to make the AG, his current position being political, to prosecute public officials, adding that because some of those officials were his colleagues, the AG would feel reluctant to do so. What is more, he added, the AG could be compelled by the appointing authority not to prosecute.
Mr Adjaho, who is also the Chairman of the Ghana Chapter of the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNET), noted that to fight corruption successfully, party colours needed to be put aside. He called for a bi-partisan approach to deal with the canker.
"If we want to fight corruption, we have to work together and put our party colours aside. If we use our party colours, we will fail," he added.
He also urged the President, Mr J. A. Kufuor, to make good his promise to ensure that the Freedom of Information Bill was passed, saying it was an essential tool in the fight against corruption.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission of Nigeria, Mr Nuhu Ribadu, said his country was a typical example of a nation destroyed by corruption.
He said the country earned more than $400 billion in the last 30 years, yet it was one of the poorest in the world. That, he said, was because of massive corruption on the part of public officials.
He said although his organisation had done a lot to check the canker by prosecuting corrupt public officials and retrieving stolen moneys, much more needed to be done.
Mr Ribadu noted that there could not be development if corruption thrived and called for a collaboration between governments and civil society groups in the various countries in the sub-region to deal with corruption.
He also urged partners in the developed world to collaborate with developing countries to recover stolen moneys.
The United Nations Co-ordinator in Ghana, Mr Daouda Toure, said corruption undermined democratic institutions, retarded economic development, violated human rights, impeded the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and was a crime against the poor.
Story By Mark-Anthony Vinorkor


text:
Home Theater 101
The Bonus View
BONUS VIEW
HD gear: Recommended
4 Stars out of 5
COLLAPSE INFO -
HD Gear
Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Review Date February 22nd, 2016 by Michael S. Palmer
Reasonable price (for a first gen device)
Plays all physical media
Tons of streaming apps
Easy setup and updates
2 HDMI outputs (one for non-4K AV Receivers)
Terrific Samsung integration (turns on Samsung TVs, will change their inputs)
Some apps not yet working to full potential
DLNA spotty at best
Some odd default settings
Wish Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD MA bitsteaming options were separate
Remote too small for some hands
Settings Menu access takes too many clicks
Blu-ray Discs represented the pinnacle of home entertainment formats for many years, despite never saturating the market ala DVD. Full 1920 x 1080p video at 30ish Mbps -- compared to 5-15 for HD streaming -- coupled with LCPM, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD MA. Sadly, Blu-ray was also coupled with a muddying format war as well as initially expensive players that languished under BD-Java and slow loading time.
After a decade of upgrading to high definition, the home entertainment industrial complex has its eyes set on a 4K future, effectively matching the resolution of commercial cinema projection systems. 4K displays (3840 × 2160) have been out for a few years now, even before the industry had locked format specifications, while Ultra HD content debuted on streaming services such a MGO, VUDU, Amazon, and Netflix.
But there's a new physical media king in town.
Enter Ultra HD Blu-ray
UHD Blu-ray represents a new benchmark for home cinema enthusiasts. 4K content with High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut, all at a premium 100 Mbps thanks to HEVC H.265. Not just more pixels, but better pixels. Oh, and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X came along for the ride too.
The Samsung UBD-K8500 is the first Ultra HD Blu-ray Player to launch in North America. As I write this, it costs $399.99 (from a $499.99 MSRP) and will be available March 1, 2016, even though some were able to snag pre-order units early from Best Buy for a Hands On First Look and this full review.
Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, & CD Playback
Output Resolutions: 2160p, 1080i/p, 720p, 480p
Built-in Wi-Fi
HDR-10 & Wide Color Gamut (WCG)
HEVC / H.265
2 HDMI 2.0a Outputs (MAIN: DHCP 2.2 for 4K video/audio, SUB for audio)
USB Port (front)
Built-in Decoding for Dolby® Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS®, and DTS-HD Master Audio
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X via Bitsreaming
Samsung Smart Hub
Netflix, Hulu, VUDU, Amazon Video, Pandora, Facebook, YouTube, MGO, etc.
AllShare
Anynet+ (for Samsung displays)
1.66 GB internal HDD for Apps
YCbCr 4:4:4 output
BD-Live & BonusView
Multiroom Link
Rip CDs to MP3
Locked to Region A for Blu-ray Discs; Region 1 for DVDs
Optical digital audio out
Ethernet port for wired network connection
DLNA Certification
Dimensions: 15-15/16" W x 1-3/4" H x 9-1/8" D
Media: UHD BD-ROM, BD-ROM, 3D-BD, BD-R, BD-RE, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD-Audio, CD-R, CD-RW
Video: MPEG, MKV, WMV, AVI, AVCHD
Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, OGG
Photo: JPEG, PNG, BMP, MPO
Does Not Support
Setting up the Samsung UBD-K8500 is simple and fast. Proverbially plug and play.
Have an HDCP 2.2 compliant sound system? Run one high speed HDMI cable from the MAIN HDMI out to your AVR, and a second to your 4K display. Have older audio gear? Run the MAIN HDMI out directly to your 4K display, and a second HDMI from the SUB output to your AVR.
The K8500 starts up quickly (less than eight seconds), upgrades its firmware, tells you to select TV aspect ratio and size, and guides you through signing into a Wi-Fi network for streaming. I don't think the process took more than five minutes total.
You're ready to play content now, but there are few more sections we should cover.
Access the easy-to-navigate Settings Menu via the player's Home Menu. If you're watching a movie and want to make a change, press the Home button first. At least stopping and resuming content is quite fast.
Inside Settings, you can update firmware, set TV aspect ratio, adjust 3D playback, and select an output resolution. Default is Auto, but you can specify 2160p, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and 480p. There are also choices for HDMI Color Format (YCbCr 4:4:4, RGB Standard, RGB Enhanced -- I found YCbCr 4:4:4 to produce pleasing results), and HDMI Deep Color (Auto or Off). HDMI Deep Color hearkens back to Blu-ray and I'm not sure if any content actually uses it.
In Audio Settings, you can select the HDMI Audio output (I left mine to Auto for single and dual HDMI out usage), and Digital Audio Output. The player is set to PCM out by default; Dolby Atmos and DTS:X users need to select "Bitstream Unprocessed". Users can also select to re-encode audio to (lossy) Dolby Digital or DTS.
Oh, and don't forget Picture Mode. Tap the remote's Tools button during playback to select Dynamic, Standard, Movie, or User to customize sharpness, noise reduction, contrast, brightness, color, and tint settings. For me, I want the video to leave this player as pure as possible, so User mode with every setting zeroed out worked best (and reduced over-saturation when viewing HDR/WCG content).
The last portion of setup is the Samsung Smart Hub, home to the K8500's video, audio, and gaming apps. It's divided into two sections -- Recommended Apps, and My Apps. Recommended Apps are set by Samsung and their content partners. There are about 10 of these, and they are locked in position. My Apps is completely customizable, both in which ones you use and how you arrange them.
Overall the K8500 is very easy to use. It starts fast, player and remote buttons are responsive, and in an era where player differences are measured less by video quality than by form and function, this is a very capable machine. Especially for a first gen device.
But I have a few nitpicks.
The remote control is quite slick and fits nicely into my hand, but after hours of playback and tweaking, my hands started to cramp. It's probably too compact for me. Also, back-lighting would have been helpful for darker rooms; it's all too easy to hit Back when reaching for Play/Pause.
Also -- like most Blu-ray players before it -- Player Settings are not adjustable during playback outside of Picture Mode. Even though discs stop and resume quite quickly, it can be a hassle when troubleshooting and/or tweaking. And I'm not a huge fan of Recommended Apps being restricted to what Samsung recommends, especially when there are only six available app slots on the Home Menu.
Otherwise, the K8500 was easy to use and navigate, while in-app functionality was strong as well (more on this in a moment, but many of my older Blu-ray players were terrible streaming hubs because the apps ran too slowly -- not the case here). And, if you happen to own a Samsung display, this player features Anynet+ and will automatically turn on your TV as well as change HDMI inputs when the player is powered.
Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD. I tried 'em all and all worked as promised. DVD and CD loading times have always been relatively quick, but Blu-ray debuted with such abysmally slow loading times in comparison. Fears of a similar backwards evolution were unfounded, however. The K8500 loads Ultra HD Blu-rays and Blu-rays as quickly as the best Blu-ray players available.
Next, let's talk about the Ultra HD Blu-rays themselves. So far I'm impressed and can't wait to see where the format goes, but much like Blu-rays, strengths and weaknesses rest on the shoulders of individual titles. IE, did we judge the Blu-ray format on the original 'Fifth Element' pressing, or on resplendent CGI animated fair from Pixar Studios? I suspect Ultra HD Blu-ray will be the same. Some poor, many good, and some excellent titles.
Pickins have been slim thus far. Only a handful of 20th Century Fox titles are out -- each one graded for HDR and wide color space -- created from a combination of original digital assets (4K resolution or higher) and assets locked at 2K (visual effects, etc.). The results, while imperfect, are indeed promising.
An example. Dolby recently screened 'The Martian' in 3D Dolby Vision at their prototype Dolby Cinema lab in Los Angeles. With that screening as my baseline, 'The Martian' on Ultra HD Blu-ray produces wonderfully similar results, despite utilizing a different implementation of HDR. Deep black levels with excellent shadow details, more luminous bright areas with added highlight details, and a more sumptuous color palette. I found some flaws as well -- more visual noise compared to the Blu-ray -- but again this is really going to be a title-by-title issue. 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' is another excellent Ultra HD Blu-ray that looks good on Blu-ray, but its dimensionality is positively flat by comparison.
The most significant hurdle facing Ultra HD Blu-ray seems to be display variances.
Setting aside the fact that most 4K displays produced through 2015 don't have HDR capability, even HDR-enabled sets are producing dramatically different results depending on material. In my case, a Samsung JS8500 Series banded heavily along gradients until I turned on a TV HDMI setting called UHD HDMI Color. I've read countless frustrations of others across other brands as well.
These are new waters. A learning curve is to be expected, nor do I blame the K8500 (outside of toning down Picture Mode). And, after forum consulting, along with a fair bit od calibration and tweaking to personal taste, I found the format produced gorgeous eye-catching results. I'm eager to see more titles from Sony, Lionsgate, Fox, and Warner Bros. Titles like 'Life of PI', 'Mad Max Fury Road', 'The LEGO Movie', and 'Sicario' should be glorious.
In terms of sound, Ultra HD Blu-ray offers the same codec capabilities as Blu-ray. The K8500 played, decoded, and/or bitstreamed all forms of LPCM, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio without issue.
The K8500 will also, eagerly so, convert all content to 2160p. I found its processor produced highly resolute 4K imagery, and to be of better quality than the one built into the Samsung JS8500 Series. Also, while I haven't tested this personally, HDD Forum member Hatoraid was kind enough to share his thoughts, and he personally feels the K8500 upscales as well as the much-lauded Oppo 103D.
USB Port & DLNA
Want to play media from a thumb drive or external hard drive? There's a USB port on the K8500's front panel. And, while it can also be used to rip CD audio, I primarily watched 4K HDR WCG clips and test patterns. For the most part, playback worked as intended. However, I did get random "file not supported" errors even though I was able to still play the clips. I'm not sure what's behind this, or how frustrating it would be to connect a large video server to the player.
One interesting anecdote. Apparently this USB port can act as a shortcut for those who want to purchase the Samsung UHD Pack to use with a non-Samsung display. Thanks to forum member bobdole for the hat tip.
Lastly, as someone with an Apple ecosystem, I don't use DLNA, but I know it's important for anyone with an HTPC and/or media server. Thanks again to Hatoraid's detailed comments, he reported significant playback issues with his MKVs, a combination of "this file type is not CURRENTLY supported" error messages as well as lossless HD audio tracks defaulting to lossy cores. I'm not sure if the player, or if Samsung AllShare or Link need firmware updates, or what exactly is happening, but if DLNA is important to you, you may want to wait for a few more firmware upgrades to see if this situation improves. If it does, we'll make sure to update the review.
Samsung Smart Hub hosts dozens and dozens of apps for streaming video and audio, playing games and checking the weather, and even updating your Facebook page.
Results in this department are a little more hit and miss. I love the variety and breadth of available apps, and app performance is speedy enough, but -- like anything -- visuals vary from app to app. For example, while Netflix and Amazon are already rocking UHD content, the VUDU app doesn't yet work at all, and Sony's Crackle looked pretty mediocre.
Then there's the lack of HDR. The players' streaming apps can do 4K, but even though there is UHD HDR content on Amazon, the K8500 doesn't engage my display's HDR mode (while its internal app does). Netflix is also doing HDR, but I believe it's still only Dolby Vision (neither the player or TV app triggered HDR).
Much like the DLNA issue, I hope firmware updates resolve any gripes. Because it's odd to sell an HDR capable device -- proclaimed thusly on a big sticker atop each player -- that doesn't always do HDR. But, keeping in mind that we're still technically pre-release, it's fair to give Samsung the benefit of the doubt, and more time, to get everything running properly.
1080p Performance
As noted in Set Up, the K8500 can output various resolutions from 2160p all the way down to 480p. After testing Ultra HD (2160p), I hooked the K8500 to my Panasonic VT50 Series 1080p plasma -- one of the best-reviewed televisions of its model year.
UPDATED: In comparing Ultra HD Blu-ray in 1080p to Blu-ray in 1080p, results vary by title, but the overall takeaway is this -- outside of exclusive Dolby Atmos & DTS:X soundtracks, you don't get any improvement in picture quality from Ultra HD Blu-rays on 1080p displays. Worst of all, there's a significant chance the contrast is going to be so messed up (crushed black levels and/or washed out whites), the final results will actually look WORSE than watching the Blu-ray. For a full rundown of this experience (using a different brand's player), check out 4K Ultra HD on a 1080p Display over at the Bonus View. In other words, if you're considering a 4K Blu-ray player, make sure to get a 4K display with HDR capabilities.
Gone are the days of three channels and a handful of TV brands. Instead we live in a world of infinite media choices to be had on dozens of devices at varying levels of quality. The future of Ultra HD Blu-ray is unknown, though I suspect it will be aimed more at cinephiles than mass consumers.
All the same, Ultra HD Blu-ray offers the best performance specifications of any home video format in the history of home entertainment. The first few titles aren't perfect, but demonstrate benefits their Blu-ray counterparts do not. And, as filmmakers and studios and consumers embrace HDR and wider color spaces, we should expect jaw dropping results (much like the evolution of object-based surround sound). Seriously, I've seen a few 'Life of Pi' clips and it's ridiculous.
The Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player, in my humblest opinion, is one of the finest first gen media players I've ever seen. Sure, it needs firmware updates to get apps / DLNA streaming to their fullest potential, and lacks Dolby Vision, but it loads and plays physical media quickly, upscales content to 4K as well as any, plays many types of files via USB, and boasts a glut of apps. I was nervous this player would hearken back to the first days of Blu-ray -- bulky and slow and under-powered -- but the K8500 surpassed many of my expectations.
If you own a 4K display with HDR-10 and WCG capabilities, the Samsung UBD-K8500 is Recommended. If the apps and DLNA issues are fixed, or if the price falls significantly, consider it bumped up to Highly Recommended.
If you own a non-HDR 4K display, I would suggest demoing this unit with a similar display to see if 4K-alone is enough for you. To me, HDR and WCG are more important and impressive than pixel count. And if you've yet to dip your toes in the 4K waters, I don't see a real advantage to upgrading (which, I suppose, should go without saying) unless your player has died and you plan to upgrade soon.
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Find interesting updates about the Botrivier area & Live Music events on Facebook.
Arriving at the Botrivier Hotel we were struck by the earthy quiet of the little countryside town.
People come and go and there is some negligible hustle and bustle at the handful of little shops but nothing hectic or in a hurry. Except for the Barman / waiter / front and back of house person who manages to serve, carry, clean tables, take orders, run to the kitchen, serve drinks in the pub and still smile and look eager to please. Impressive.
The menu has been extended to include something to tickle almost any fancy. We both decided on the Pork Belly Ribs. I ordered a salad with mine and my friend chose chips and onion-rings to accompany hers.
With our food ordered, the obvious, most important, next step was to choose wine. The Botriver Wine district includes a string of award winning wine farms producing five star wines. Even knowing this, it felt like stumbling into a treasure-box to see that the Blaasbalk Restaurant at the Botrivier Hotel sports a really extensive and very impressive wine list. All surrounding vineyards are generously represented. It would have been impossible to choose from the long list of star-studded wines but we were close to gagging for wine and as you might know, 11:30 is very late in the Cape to sit without a glass in hand.
The Gabrielskloof's The Blend 2012 all but jumped at us.
While we settled into the divine wine and waited for our food, a true-sixties, two-tone, round-nosed Volkswagen Combi parked right in front of the Hotel. A gaggle of pretty, young women with flower headbands filed into the pub before they 'settled' on the verandah with tequilas and giggly bonhomie chatter. It was someone's "Big Three Oh!" birthday and they drove all the way from Stellenbosch to celebrate it at the famous Botrivier Hotel.
The hotel seems to be like a mother and a womb to the little town. It creates the perfect space and opportunity to see what the day will give birth to. It is known that dogs, dandies, princes and paupers are all welcome and equal here.
Our food arrived and it was absolutely delicious! The very busy factotum omitted to bring olive oil for my salad but the salad presentation was so pretty that I really did not mind. The über-soft and juicy ribs more than made up for it.
The chips could have been crispier but it would have been heartless to share such a deeply first-world problem with an off-his-feet waiter. The onion-rings were good and of fresh and crispy home-made standard. All went down very well.
Whether it was the spirit of the beautiful old tree under which we sat or the womb ambience; we remained right there in deep conversation, much laughter and a second bottle of the same lovely wine from 11:30 until 22:30.
It might have been the friendly ghosts, the historic reminders of days gone by, or maybe mostly the wine but I saw something like a time-lapse video. The gaggle of girls giggled back into their combi and departed in the wrong direction, made a wide full-circle U-turn and drove off. Some regulars popped in for an after work catch-up chat & Botrivier Draft. The sun went down and the lights went up. The pub got busy and quieted down. At some point a group of local winemakers had a meeting and shared more great wine with us. Life keeps happening on the verandah of this beautiful old building.
We really enjoyed a laid-back, lovely time and will go back to see what the womb gives birth to and unassumingly shares with all visitors as often as I need a break from plastic, glitz or glam.
We love to feature the shining, innovative, creative, hard-working initiatives & members of our Rainbow Nation. Nosy Rosy is Passionate about #SouthAfrica #Life, #CapeTown #Overberg #WestCoast and the best #accommodation #food #wine, venues, shops, festivals, communities of all our areas.
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Hear from Pacific Whale Foundation's marine science experts at Maui Ocean Center's free Sea Talk lectures. Sea Talks take place at the Open Ocean exhibit, doors open after 5:30pm. Seating is limited, advance reservations are recommended.
False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) are a large species of dolphin and one of a group of dolphins known as the "blackfish". They get their namesake from the resemblance of their skull to that of killer whales (orcas). In Hawaii, there are three populations of false killer whales, named for where they reside: offshore (pelagic), Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the Main Hawaiian Islands Insular population.
Pacific Whale Foundation's research focuses on the approximately 200 individuals of the Main Hawaiian Islands Insular Population. This population is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act due to its extremely small population size and limited range. This endangered status and current threats to the population have made it the new research priority species for Pacific Whale Foundation. In addition to providing an overview on the species, this presentation will discuss Pacific Whale Foundation's new rapid response program and detail their false killer whale research which involves collecting photos to identify individuals, underwater footage to record behaviors and assess scar patterns and UAV footage to measure body size and condition.
FREE! Seating is limited, call (808) 270-7075 or email info@mauioceancenter.com to reserve your spot.
Location Details: Open every day 9am-5pm including weedends and holidays. Open to 6pm in July & August.


Homeowners undertaking major renovation work on high-value homes should engage an builder. While their services are expensive, architects make back their cost on large, complex projects. They help homeowners manage complex jobs involving multiple contractors and sub-contractors and have the aesthetic sensibilities end up being preserve and boost your workers market value of expensive home.
When day time comes for your forthcoming home improvement projects, consider any "age-in-place" steps. Age-in-place refers several design philosophy that is mainly responsible for the inevitable aging of householders over the span of their ownership. Even if you are just doing some renovations to offer or you want to live there for a long time, do these age-in-place type increases.
And surely there are other components like electricity. You have to ask yourself if you own the necessary skills made an electrical system one more system in fact to develop a particular improvement functional. And take note, a room may need a water system; be area of the HVAC system; and of course, will have good insulating material. If you know in your heart in order to most capable of doing this job, then it shouldn't be an irritation at entirely.
Instant decision has no problem to help you professionals who log in make decision to opt for any amount of the loan. If you have small kinds of needs, achievable apply for immediate small loan deals by instant decision and end up being allow a person to fulfil all needs at a fast form. On the other side, when you have some long-term issues, since home renovation, wedding issue or paying of hostel charge and you want to make the repayments via instalments, this deal would still stand with . As a result, you should be expecting to fetch any amount in the plethora of 100 pounds to 5000 pounds.
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Another fantastic way to spice increase kitchen can be always to redo your cabinets. Luckily, you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to this kind of done. Least expensive way often simply replace the knobs and relates to. This can be done for under a hundred bucks, and you will probably do it yourself in a couple of hours. If you hope to take things a bit further, absolutely replace a cabinet doors. Replacing the entire cabinets themselves is the next step, which easily ensure that your kitchen looks like a million bucks. It is a great approach to make your house shine.
Home improvement and upkeep can be a daunting task but if you attack the each chore systematically you can get the work done efficiently. Determine what task you will be going to completing, research and purchase any tools or supplies you could benefit from. Do not push yourself too hard. Take your a person to do the job right specialists be justly rewarded.
If consumption pay a designer, be diligent on unique personal. Pick up books, look through magazines and visits blogs to in order to. A magazine layout can work the inspiration for your own home's trend. Resources such as these can also help you can lay aside money on cheaper endeavors.
Fix any molding that may have stains or mold, and update the faucets if necessary. If there are broken tiles or squeaky cupboards, make yes you will are repaired as to tell the truth.


text:
Doug Rauch (14. září 1950 New York, USA – 23. dubna 1979 San Francisco, Kalifornie, USA) byl americký baskytarista. Jeho matka Nadine Brewer byla operní pěvkyně.

V roce 1971 hrál na prvních albech zpěvačky Carly Simon a houslisty Papa John Creache. O rok později nahradil Toma Rutleyho ve skupině Santana. Se skupinou nahrál alba Caravanserai (1972), Welcome (1973) a Borboletta (1974). V roce 1973 se rovněž podílel na společném albu Carlose Santany a Johna McLaughlina s názvem Love Devotion Surrender.

Zemřel na předávkování heroinem ve věku osmadvaceti let.

Američtí baskytaristé
Narození v roce 1950
Narození 14. září
Narození v New Yorku
Úmrtí v roce 1979
Úmrtí 23. dubna
Úmrtí v San Franciscu
Zemřelí z předávkování drog
Muži

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
static NSString * const JSONRPC = @"2.0";

@implementation KMSRequestMessageFactory

- (void)authorizeMessage:(KMSRequestMessage *)message{

    @try {
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    [message setJsonrpc:JSONRPC];
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


YES IT'S TRUE! That's right, 'Shwa friends and neighbors! It's Beaux Magique day at The Bent Willow on February 23rd!!
Celebrate Sunshine! WOW! Where did the summer go? We've been in the lab and on the road!
We had a blast at Four Winds!
Please stop by our booth for FREE SWAG!
Stay tuned! We haven't forgotten our new product recap! We're busy creating more!


Are you interested in becoming a Tactic games retailer? Tactic is a top marketer in its field. We manufacture and sell board games (for children, families and adults), travel and pocket games, card and dice games, poker products, puzzles, magic and crafting sets as well as wooden outdoor games.


text:
HomeDairyDepression made farmer feel like 'a lame cow in the herd'
Depression made farmer feel like 'a lame cow in the herd'
A dairy farmer, who has openly spoke about his battle with depression, is urging his fellow farmers to put themselves first before their farms.
Wayne Langford, better known as the man behind the You Only Live Once (YOLO) Farmer Blog, decided to do something about his depression on his 34th birthday in 2017.
The New Zealand dairy farmer got to the point where he had stopped making decisions and was becoming angry and irritable.
"My kids said I was no fun anymore, which was a real killer for me. After a week or so mostly in bed, I had an out-of-body experience on my 34th birthday which made me realise I was fit, healthy and had a family."
"I got out of bed and took my family to the beach that day, sparking the idea we should challenge ourselves to do something different every day," he explained.
That is when Wayne and his wife, Tyler, set a challenge for a year of doing one thing each day to show that they had lived that day, recording it on his YOLO blog. In doing so, changed their lives completely.
Wayne admitted that one of the hardest things is reaching out for help. He said: "I remember thinking I would be locked up and put in a straight jacket. It could not be further from the truth."
To use a farming metaphor, Wayne says his brain had "cooked itself" like a tractor engine. "My engine needed to be cooled down and the damage repaired before it could achieve great things again."
He added: "For two years, I felt like the lame cow in the herd holding everything back. No cow wants to be the lame cow, and while they will try and not be a straggler."
"All it takes is a bit of treatment and love from the farmer to help them improve," added Langford who shared his story during Dairy-Tech Mental Health Awareness seminar on Thursday, February 11th.
Normalising conversations about mental health
Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation said: "Our industry is facing some very unique pressures at the moment, with COVID, Brexit and more."
"Whilst farmers are renowned for the attention they give to their livestock, crop and machinery it appears they do not have such a good track record when it comes to taking care of themselves and their own wellbeing."
She said it was important to start having genuine, non-judgemental conversations with people about their mental health and start normalising conversations around the subject.
"If you are worried about someone ask if they are okay and if they don't respond ask again. It is an opportunity to open up a conversation. While it is not your job to diagnose, you can show you care by having these conversations," she said.
Mind Your Head campaign
Next week from February 15th-19, the Farm Safety Foundation is running the fourth annual Mind Your Head campaign to raise awareness about mental health issues in agriculture.
Farm vloggers highlight the importance of mental health.
tractor video
Previous articlePictures: Farmer retiring after breeding Charolais for over 40 years
Next articleDonegal brothers farming 40 sucklers, 150 ewes and selling meat boxes


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text:
Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) is a public, two-year technical college in Rosemount, Minnesota, United States. It is located in Dakota County inside the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. DCTC belongs to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and is one of five stand-alone technical colleges in the state.

History and governance
Approved by the 1969 Minnesota State Legislature, Dakota County Technical College started in 1970 with 50 students in three programs. The college's permanent site was a research farm formerly owned and operated by the University of Minnesota. The  main building opened in 1973, offering 30 academic programs to nearly 700 students.

At the state level, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Board of Trustees serves as the college's governing authority. In 2011, the school received a 10-year re-accreditation without conditions from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NCA-CIHE).

The college has had four presidents in its history. David L. Schroeder served from 1970 to 1999. Ronald E. Thomas, Ph.D., was DCTC's president from 1999 to 2013. Tim Wynes, J.D., who also served as president at Inver Hills Community College, led from 2013 to 2018. Starting July 2, 2018, Michael Berndt served as interim president of the two colleges and was confirmed as permanent president of both institutions in March 2020.

Campus setting
The DCTC main campus is located on the outskirts of Rosemount, Minnesota, a city of 25,650 about  south of St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota. The Rosemount campus houses the majority of the college's instructional programs, which are separated into seven academic departments (see below). The college is going forward with a  prairie grass and wildflower restoration project on the Rosemount campus that is designed and maintained by faculty and students in the Landscape Horticulture program.

DCTC also delivers 10 programs of study in the Business and Management department at the Partners in Higher Education building in Apple Valley Minn., as well as Programming & Development, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Networking, Cisco Networking, Database, IT Foundations, and Web/Graphic Design courses at the IT Training Center in Eagan, Minnesota

Academics

The college has 46 instructional programs under eight academic departments:
 Administrative Support
 Business
 Construction and Manufacturing
 Health and Education
 Marketing and Sales
 STEM Careers
 Transportation
 Visual Arts and Communication
 General Education

The college's General Education department offers individualized studies, general education and transfer curriculum, Minnesota transfer curriculum, and developmental education courses.
Awards offered by DCTC include certificates, diplomas, A.S. degrees and A.A.S. degrees.

Notable programs

Nanoscience Technology

 This program prepares students for careers in the nanobiotech, nanomaterials and nanoelectronics industries. Offered through a partnership with the University of Minnesota, the program gives graduates the skills and knowledge to land jobs in companies and corporations applying nanotechnology to product development, testing, research and development, and manufacturing design.
 The National Science Foundation awarded Dakota County Technical College a $3 million grant to develop the Midwest Regional Center for Nanotechnology Education, or Nano-Link. Situated on DCTC's Rosemount campus, Nano-Link will work to create a skilled workforce of nanotechnologists to enhance economic growth in nanoscale science and technology. The center builds on the success of DCTC's pioneering Nanoscience Technology program, which was established in partnership with the University of Minnesota to prepare graduates for employment in the abundant array of industries where nanoscience applications are rapidly emerging.
 DCTC Nanoscience Technology students, working to promote nano and their program, founded a Web site called Nanostudents.com.

Railroad Conductor Technology

 Featuring a quarter-mile track on campus, the Railroad Conductor Technology program offers a 15-week certificate that includes an eight-week off-campus internship with a railroad. Industry partners include:
 Twin Cities and Western Railroad
 Union Pacific
 Red River Valley and Western Railroad
 Canadian Pacific Railway
 Canadian National
 Progressive Rail
 Minnesota Commercial Railway
 Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
 Northern Plains Railroad
 Northern Lines Railway

Business Entrepreneur

 Instructor Bob Voss received the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Faculty Member of the Year award in 2008. Associate Dean Christine Pigsley was awarded a $3,600 grant from the Coleman Foundation and Business Entrepreneur student Mary Glock won The New York Times/NACCE Student Essay Contest that same year. The program is housed at the Institute for Business, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which serves as a resource for business education, small-business support, continuing education and customized training for the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Interior Design

 Connected to professional organizations such as the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), International Interior Design Association (IIDA), National Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), the Interior Design program is taught by instructors with recognized industry experience.

Landscape Horticulture

 Landscape Horticulture is the only program of its kind in Minnesota nationally accredited by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). The program also works with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA), allowing students more opportunities to become MNLA Certified Professionals. The program recently constructed a modern, glass-paned greenhouse with solar heating and computerized controls.

Customized training
Partnering with more than 100 area businesses and industries, DCTC offers customized continuing education in a number of areas. In a typical year, more than 6,000 students are enrolled in the college's Customized Training programs. Some noteworthy training projects include:

Business and Management
 Northwest Airlines: $263,945 grant for supervisory management training
 Amerilab Technologies: $309,411 grant for multicultural supervisory training
IT/Computer Technology
 Prometric Training Center: DCTC's IT Training Center delivers Microsoft exams for technology vendors such as Oracle Corporation, Sun Microsystems and CompTIA
Manufacturing
 Foldcraft: $300,000 grant for operational excellence training in manufacturing along with other instruction
 Urologix: $189,000 grant for two-pronged competency training that included pilot and train-the-trainer programs
Public Safety
 Trained and endorsed 1,200 motorcycle riders in 2007
 Trained 600 police officers in emergency vehicle operations, basic and advanced pursuit, and P.I.T. in 2007
 Trained 200 firefighters and emergency medical technicians in emergency response driving proficiency skills in 2007
Transportation
 151 out of 153 (98.6 percent) students passed Truck Driver Training program and earned Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
 Multimillion-dollar facility includes observation deck, three TDT exercise yards and an enclosed, three-mile (5 km) decision driving track

Research
In 2008, DCTC received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop the Midwest Regional Center for Nanotechnology Education (Nano-Link) on the DCTC campus. Deb Newberry, the director of the college's Nanoscience Technology program, was appointed to head Nano-Link, which provides resources and support to colleges delivering nanotechnology education and research throughout a five-state region. Six two-year colleges in North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan partnered to develop this center.

Athletics
Sports programs at DCTC include Women's and Men's soccer:

Head coach: Mark Obarski
Both soccer teams compete as independents at the NJCAA Div. I level in Region 13.
All home games are played on the DCTC main campus in Rosemount, at the Ames Soccer Complex, which was constructed through a partnership between the college and the city of Rosemount with an in-kind donation from Ames Construction.

Women's Fastpitch Softball:

Head coach: Tom Cross
Fastpitch softball competes as an independent at the NJCAA Div. III level in Region 13.

Men's Baseball:

Head coach: Matt Erzar
Baseball competes as an independent at the NJCAA Div. II level in Region 13.

Men's Basketball:
Head coach: Kelly Boe
Inaugural season: Fall 2011
Men's basketball will compete as an independent at the NJCAA Div. II level in  Region 13.

Women's Volleyball:
Head coach: Jen Bowman
Inaugural season: Fall 2011
Women's volleyball will compete as an independent at the NJCAA Div. II level in Region 13.

Campus life

DCTC has a range of student organizations and clubs under the college's Student Life umbrella. Headed by a six-member executive board, the Student Senate manages a budget that funds social activities, scholarships and charitable projects. The Multicultural Student Leadership Organization, DCTC Campus Lions Club, Phi Theta Kappa and SkillsUSA are all active on campus.

Notable alumni

 Derek Chauvin - former Minneapolis police officer and convicted murderer, known for his role in the murder of George Floyd.

References

External links
 Official website
 Official athletics website

Community colleges in Minnesota
Educational institutions established in 1970
1970 establishments in Minnesota
Education in Dakota County, Minnesota
Buildings and structures in Dakota County, Minnesota
NJCAA athletics
Two-year colleges in the United States


Pistorius is sentenced to five years in prison.
Oscar Pistorius will learn his fate today. Judge Thokozile Masipa will reveal the sentencing for the manslaughter of Reeva Steenkamp now. Watch the live video stream.
The high profile case of Oscar Pistorius is coming to an end today. Judge Thokozile Masipa will reveal the sentencing for the manslaughter of Reeva Steenkamp today. The judge has started to read a recap of the arguments. It is not clear how long it will take for Judge Thokozile Masipa, who is celebrating her 63rd birthday today, to deliver the sentencing. Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of manslaughter. In South Africa the sentences for this crime can reach up to 15 years.
The sentencing could though be a combination of prison, community service and house arrest. The Telegraph offers a live stream of the Oscar Pistorius Sentencing. Watch the below. 27-year-old Oscar Pistorius is sitting quietly as he awaits his sentencing. The Judge has made the point that the South African prison system would be able to accommodated a prisoner like Pistorius. This could mean a prison sentence is in the cards for Pistorius.
The Judge is coming now to the conclusion.
Back in September Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of manslaughter. The verdict raised a big controversy in South Africa as many have expected that he will be found guilty of murdering Reeva Steenkamp. Reeva Steenkamp was killed in Oscar Pistorius residence in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2013. The incident happened on Valentine's Day. Pistorius claims he was firing what he believed was an intruder and not his girlfriend.


"It is a great way for new students to connect with each other and for us counselors to form discussions about what is going well and in what ways we can help with their new transition.", says Bloomfield Hills High School counselor, Jim Fogle pictured with 9th grader, David Collins. Collins, new to Bloomfield Hills Schools this year, states, "I'm really enjoying my year so far. I've met a lot of nice people and my teachers are really helpful."


text:
Valu takes you to the interiors of rural Maharastra with its adorable characters and their wit. It is a slow yet charming watch. However, you could get lost in translation if you don't understand the language.
Director: Umesh Kulkarni
Cast: Atul Kulkarni, Mohan Agashe, Girish Kulkarni
Categories: Regional
Genres: Satire, Social
Simplicity always feels good. Maybe because it is earthly or maybe because the very essence is lack of exaggeration. Valu's charming simplicity, however, in combination with its repetitiveness makes it a good watch but only for the very patient.
The most endearing part about Valu is its characters. And these characters add up to create the atmosphere of a village in the interiors of Maharashtra. The language has a strong dash of an every-day sense of humor. The rawness of the dialect adds to the overall appeal. But this could also keep it from being accessible to a larger audience.
Unfortunately, the language that defines the characters shows only one facet of their personality and thus end up giving a one-dimensional feel to each character. And make them not-so-interesting once you get to know them. However, I cannot take away from the fact that each and every actor has played their role in an utmost convincing manner, making you laugh and understand the one point they are trying to make. Right from the politician's sidekicks to the middle-class government worker (Atul Kulkarni) - each one enjoyable in his/her own right.
The screenplay takes its own sweet time in establishing these characters. And it has all the time in the world because there is no great story to narrate here. The baseline story is as one-line as it can get. The villagers want to get rid of a bull that has become a menace. But there are layers if you are interested in peeling them. Underlying the superficial "nothing happening" feel of the screenplay are a couple of strong themes.
Something about the way this one line is narrated makes you think about human nature. Is every human just trying to find some excuse to blame for his/her misfortune? "Is the bull really a menace?" Nothing about its behavior on screen justifies the behavior of some of the villagers. There are three people in the village who don't want the bull to go. Why are they the only ones who are seemingly content with their existence?
Is the bull a metaphor for any argument concerning society - abortion, affirmative action? There are pros and there are cons. Or is the one-liner yet another representation of the mother of all metaphors - The system! Is the bull a metaphor for everything that deviates from normal behavior in the "system"? Most people want to be rid of it, while a handful doesn't mind the co-existence. As you can see, I am not very good with metaphors. All I know is the director is trying to say a little more than the obvious. And I think that's the inherent beauty of metaphorical work. It's open to interpretation.
Oh well, let's come back to what can be seen. The camera breathtakingly captures the curves of the rugged terrain. And in tandem, the actors are given a curving trajectory that gives the frames a captivating beauty. This is especially true in the scenes where the bull is being chased.
Yet, all this put together, Valu is only adorable and not necessarily a must watch for everyone. For people who can enjoy the language, maybe. But otherwise, without "really good" subtitles it might end up being quite tedious.
External reviews for this movie are not available
So-So, by Consumer Goods
The villagers want to get rid of a bull that has become a menace.
The location where the lovers meet - rugged terrain surrounded by windmills.
The way each villager gets his/her share of screen time.
Valu - Cast, crew, links
Mukta Arts Ltd
Umesh Kulkarni
Atul Kulkarni , Mohan Agashe, Girish Kulkarni
Dilip Prabhawalkar, Bharati Achrekar, Veena Jamkar, Nirmitee Sawant, Nandu Madhav, Mangesh Satpute, Amruta Subhash
Umesh Kulkarni , Shriya Sharma
Sudhir Palsane
Neeraj Voralia
Mangesh Dhadke
Satire, Social
Review - Valu...
Valu takes you to the interiors of rural Maharastra with its adorable characters and their wit. It is a slow yet charming watch. However, you could get lost in translation if you don't understand the language....
Valu - Review | DesiPundit
[...] at Without Giving the Movie Away reviews Valu, a Marathi movie. It's been a while since I've seen a Marathi movie but such are the downsides of living [...]


text:
Proposal:Contracting
From Wikimedia Australia
This page is a proposal approved by the committee. The proposal was moved by John Vandenberg and seconded by Craig Franklin. If you are not a member of the organisation, you may request an account on this wiki using special:RequestAccount, and discuss this proposal on the discussion page.
Due to regularly fluctuating income, Wikimedia Australia has decided to not focus on employing staff fulltime. Instead it will implement a human resourcing approach that allows outsourcing of administrative tasks, is flexible enough to provide access to highly skilled tasks, and builds capacity by engaging our community as paid consultants at a fixed cost model.
1 Panel of Preferred Suppliers
1.1 Reporting
1.2 Criteria for listing
2 Units of work
3 Procurement Subcommittee
3.1 Duties
3.3 Meetings
3.4 Recourse to Management Committee
Panel of Preferred Suppliers
The Wikimedia Australia committee of management will establish a panel of preferred suppliers for the provision of services that cannot reasonably be provided by volunteers. The panel will consist of suppliers of goods and services who will become the preferred suppliers for a particular class of goods or services. Suppliers may be individuals with an ABN, whether associated with the Wikimedia movement or not, as well as companies and other organisations.
Businesses that are owned by, managed by, or employ members of the management committee must not be included on the panel.
Companies or individuals listed on the panel of preferred suppliers should be listed publically on the chapter's website, including:
The registered name of the business
The business' ABN (where the business is in Australia)
The classes of goods or services for which the business has been deemed the preferred supplier
What links (if any) the supplier has to Wikimedia Australia and the Wikimedia movement
For instance, if a business is selected to be the preferred supplier of web hosting, their business name and ABN would be listed, as would the class of service for which they are the preferred supplier ("web hosting"). If the owner of the business was also a member of Wikimedia Australia, this would also be stated.
Criteria for listing
The following criteria must be considered when listing suppliers on the panel:
The cost and value of any goods or services supplied by the supplier;
The quality of goods and services offered by the supplier;
Any special arrangements or discounts that can be arranged in return for obtaining an exclusive right to supply services of a particular type to the chapter;
Whether the supplier is based in Australia and registered for GST (foreign businesses and local businesses not registered for GST should only be listed in exceptional circumstances), and;
The fit of the supplier's values with our values of openness and freedom
Units of work
Each unit of work to be allocated is to be described on the WMAu public website, with a fixed cost associated with it.
The Wikimedia Australia committee of management will approve units of work, after which the procurement committee will be responsible for determining which contractor can fulfil and should be allocated the unit of work.
When a unit of work is allocated to a contractor, the identifier of the selected contractor will be placed on the public page describing the unit of work.
Units of work should only be approved by the management committee and sent to the procurement subcommittee in the following situations:
In situations where jobs must be done, for instance, to meet the requirements of a partnership agreement signed with a third party.
In situations where in the opinion of the management committee, no volunteer is available to do the job to the required level of accuracy and availability.
A unit of work must not consist solely of the generation of content for inclusion on Wikimedia projects.
Procurement Subcommittee
The subcommittee will be responsible for:
Adding and removing suppliers from the panel of preferred suppliers
Allocating units of work to individual suppliers on the panel
Where no preferred supplier exists on the panel of preferred suppliers for a particular unit of work, identifying a supplier in the marketplace who can perform that work
Reviewing the quality and completeness of goods or services provided after a unit of work is completed.
The subcommittee will be chaired by the Treasurer, and consist of between two and four other members appointed by the management committee, at least half of whom should not themselves be members of the management committee.
Members of the procurement subcommittee are not term-limited and serve until their resignation or replacement by the management committee. Membership of the subcommittee, except for the Treasurer, persists through annual general meetings.
Members of the management committee who are not members of the subcommittee may observe meetings of the subcommittee. The chair may, at their discretion, allow other observers to attend and speak (but not vote) at subcommittee meetings, including representatives of businesses on the panel of preferred suppliers.
The procurement subcommittee should meet at least quarterly, with additional meetings called as required by the Treasurer. Meetings should be announced to all members of the subcommittee and management committee in accordance with Rule 26.
Meetings may occur in person, or via teleconferencing or internet conferencing using any technology acceptable to the subcommittee (Google Hangout, IRC, telephone conferencing, etc).
Where practicable, minutes of subcommittee meetings should be tabled at the next meeting of the management committee. Any aspect of meetings not provided for in this policy will be determined at the discretion of the chair.
Recourse to Management Committee
The Treasurer may refer any decision of the procurement subcommittee to the management committee. The management committee may by motion overturn any decision made by the procurement subcommittee.
Retrieved from "https://wikimedia.org.au/w/index.php?title=Proposal:Contracting&oldid=9693"
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About Wikimedia Australia


#43. Mazda, "A Rotary Goes..."
Mazda had a tough task on its hands in the early '70s. Its previous rotary-powered model, the RX-2, having sold moderately well, it needed more people to buy into its unique little machines. To do so, it attempted to sell the public on the fact that rotary engine was far smoother and better than traditional piston-packed engines. It must have worked as RX-3 sold very well during its seven-year run in the U.S.


text:
TT BLOG – CHIPPENHAM 2018 by Dom Roman
Dominic RomanTT BLOGTT BLOG2 Comments
Dom Roman – @DomRoman
The Ed looks back at September 18's clash with Chippenham
Any mention of Chippenham Town takes me back to 8th September 2018. The Gulls, under Gary Owers, were searching desperately for confidence and 3 points to brighten up what had been a dire start to our first ever campaign in the National League South. With Owers' job on the line, United had managed a rare victory the week before, but the Yellow Army had not been won over (far from it) and #OwersOut was the most popular hashtag of the period by far…fun times at Plainmoor…
What transpired that afternoon was another insipid and pathetic performance from Torquay United. Jake Andrews and Opi Edwards had joined on loan and you could sense their initial enthusiasm flattened by a couple of weeks spent on the training ground with this dreary manager. Chippenham believed it could be their day, and with a merry bunch of supporters enjoying the occasion and only a meagre 1454 turning up in total, Matt Smith scored the decisive header on 25 minutes (no marking at all). What followed was a familiar huff and puff from United, with not enough imagination or cutting edge to prise open the defence. It was the type of 0-1 we've seen plenty of times before, but this was regional football, full time versus part time, this was a real low in our club's history.
Defeat was inevitable, and on the final whistle we trudged out of Plainmoor slowly and painfully, our club in tatters, marooned in the middle of a part-time league and going nowhere. The manager could surely not continue? With a full time budget he had assembled a mixed bag of players, including lethargic lads such as Chris Regis and Jason Banton who frankly looked like they could not be bothered, whilst upfront a frustrated Jamie Reid toiled and struggled to win over his home crowd. With Brett Williams a very unlikely captain and low morale amongst the squad, plus a toxic atmosphere in the stands, this was Torquay United at it's downright worst and change was demanded on the terraces. But would Clarke Osborne make the right decisions before it was too late?
THE LINE-UP – United (4-4-2: 1 Alex Bass; 2 Ben Wynter, 4 George Essuman, 17 Kyle Cameron, 3 Liam Davis; 21 Opi Edwards (10 Jason Banton 70), 8 Asa Hall (capt), 20 Chris Regis, 18 Jake Andrews; 7 Ruairi Keating (9 Brett Williams 56), 19 Jamie Reid (12 Andre Wright 85). Substitutes (not used): 11 Bobson Bawling, 13 Shaun MacDonald.
Chippenham Sept 18
In the end, just a few days later, we got our answer and the rest is history! Let's not pretend it's all been plain sailing under Gary Johnson – we've had ups and downs – but the transformation from that club on 8th September 2018 to this Saturday 7th August 2021, is like night and day. Back then Torquay United had become an embarrassment, a club that had lost it's identity and become a laughing stock around footballing circles, with unpopular owners, not to mention an even more unpopular General Manager and Gary Owers. The hardcore support remained, but attendances dwindled and we all begun to question how long the club could continue. Let's be honest our sanity was hanging by a thread!
Now fast forward 3 years and a lot had happened! We have one of the best managers around; a continuity and belief amongst a motivated squad; an evolving youth system; many more people wanting to come through those Plainmoor gates and excited to see the team in action…and we also have another decent chance this season to return to the holy grail of the Football League. Sure it's not all perfect, but don't tell me the pride in our club hasn't returned to Plainmoor.
So when we have some hiccups this year, let's cast our minds back occasionally to those dark 2018 days, just to remember how far we've come and to appreciate the 2021 version of Torquay United. Everything has improved in the last 3 years, as Clarke Osborne and his team have focussed their minds on making the best of the football side rather than a new stadium, and with a little bit of luck we'd already be knocking about in League Two this weekend. We've all experienced the lows that Torquay United have had to offer and there's been plenty of them, in contrast these are good times to be part of the Yellow Army.
So I say a thank you to Chippenham Town for that 0-1 defeat in 2018, one of those rare times when a loss was hugely beneficial – though it didn't feel like that at the time, it eventually helped alter the course of our recent history. I just hope the upturn in our fortunes hasn't finished yet…
COYY – Dom
TT TALKING POINTS – TIVERTON (A) by Dom Roman
THE GULLS WEEK 2nd-8th August by Danny Burnell
VOTE HERE!
EX-GULLS UPDATE by @EXGULLS
2 thoughts on "TT BLOG – CHIPPENHAM 2018 by Dom Roman"
Barry Bennetts says:
Only get to Plainmoor occasionally as live in Penzance but always try to get to a game when visiting relatives…..was stood on the popular side for this Chippenham game….don't think I have been to a match in which such venom was directed at a manager and your write up brought it all back
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