text:
BartCop Entertainment Archives - Thursday, 24 October, 2013
(Updated Daily)
[757 days in a row]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from Bruce
Cop helps admitted shoplifter with groceries (WSVN)
"She asked, 'Do you even have food at the house?' And I looked at her in her face, and I told her, 'Not at all.'" Robles said. "So I went in and bought her some groceries," said Thomas, who purchased $100 worth of groceries for Robles
Suzanne Moore: The worship of children brings only misery (Guardian)
We revere our children as infants but neglect them as soon as they approach adulthood. No wonder they're miserable.
Abigail Haworth: Why have young people in Japan stopped having sex? (Guardian)
What happens to a country when its young people stop having sex? Japan is finding out…
Mark Morford: This Cocaine Tastes Like Oreos (SF Gate)
Then came a flawless little orgasm of a headline, a pitch-perfect, viral-ready soundbite of awesomeness packed with all the keywords Americans love most - Drugs! Cocaine! Oreo cookies! You! Rats! Addiction! Obamacare! Sex! - all about this cute little study that reveals how it lab rats, not all that surprisingly, love those famous, chocolatey discs of sugar and lard just as much as they love cocaine, and btw just kidding about the Obamacare and the sex. Sort of.
Heidi Moore: A new iPad? I don't even miss my old one (Guardian)
The rogue who lifted my iPad in London last year did me a favour. Life's better without it.
Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi wants kids to go offline (Guardian)
Randi Zuckerberg has written a children's book extolling the virtues of the real world over social networks such as Facebook. What will her brother think?
Tim Adams: "Hailee Steinfeld: 'I still consider myself very much a beginner'" (Guardian)
Hailee Steinfeld was Oscar-nominated for her role in True Grit at just 13. Now she's back with a gravity-defying role in Ender's Game, and the lead in Romeo and Juliet. She tells Tim Adams how to handle school bullies, stand up to Jeff Bridges, fake falling in love - and make the Coen Brothers laugh.
Joanna Blythman: "Butter is bad - a myth we've been fed by the 'healthy eating' industry" (Guardian)
Medics are saying saturated fat may not be the devil incarnate. Just don't expect an apology from low-fat food purveyors.
Katie McDonough: Women Forced to Strip at Police Station While Being Filmed -- Officials Say Filming Is "Common Industry Standard" (Salon; Posted on Alternet)
"They were snickering at these women," says a lawyer for one of the women who was filmed without her knowledge.
Nick Laird: "Steve Buscemi: 'I hope people remember the shutdown in the next elections'" (Guardian)
The Boardwalk Empire star on how the Republicans have held the US hostage and why the pursuit of money is not a worthy goal.
Sarah Boseley: Michael York's battle with amyloidosis (Guardian)
When actor Michael York found dark rings developing under his eyes it took three years to diagnose amyloidosis, a rare condition that can have fatal consequences.
Samuel Gibbs: Which tablet computer is right for you? (Guardian)
Apple is launching its latest iPad into a market flooded with different tablets. Here's a brief guide to what you can buy and what they do.
David Bruce: "The Kindest People: Be Excellent to Each Other" (Smashwords)
Free download in various formats: This book contains 250 accounts of good deeds, including this one: On 22 July 2013, Redditor Sfugious posted a photo on Imgur of a note that a co-worker received thanking him for a good deed. The note stated, "Hats off to Phil who found my phone. U r a life saver. I'll name my first born after you. She won't be happy about the name change but too bad."
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Trivia Question of the Day
Who ghost-wrote "Dear Abby's" bestselling book "Dear Teenager"?
Send your answer to Marty
Trivia Question from Yesterday
Who was born Colin Lionel Emm?
Richard Dawson Source
Richard Dawson (born Colin Lionel Emm; November 20, 1932 - June 2, 2012) was an English-bornAmerican actor and comedian, and a game show host and panelist in the United States.
Dawson was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk on Hogan's Heroes, being the original host of the Family Feud game show from 1976-1985 and 1994-1995, and a regular panelist on the 1970s version of Match Game on CBS from 1973 to 1978. After a successful career in British television and cinema, Dawson moved to Los Angeles. In 1984, he became an American citizen while remaining a British citizen. Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Charlie wrote:
@Sally - No, it's the other end of the state. You've got to be careful with the Ohio images, because it's easy to mistake the buckeye leaves for the foliage of a certain other plant.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
Adam answered:
The smoochy Richard Dawson.
Sally said:
Game show host, Richard Dawson was born Colin Lionel Emm.
Can I tell you how much I loath these game shows? Never mind, not enough room for my editorial...
PS: I was shocked to see today's picture of actress Eva Marie Saint, boy has she aged - not that I haven't of course, but damn... She has changed a lot.
Marian replied:
Dale of Diamond Springs, Norfalcali, answered:
Richard Dawson, as Newkirk. Was married to a bullet brassiered Diana Dors and Gretchen Johnson. Sally did you ever wear one of those?
Lois Of The Heather Of Oregon said:
Richard Dawson! The only man whose death I mourned TWICE! His bar room fight scene in "Devils Brigade" helped launch me into puberty, anwsering the age old question; what does a faux scotsman wear under his kilt?
BttbBob took the day off.
October 24 Birthdays - Celebrities Born October 24 | Famous Birthdays
MAM wrote:
Best known for his role as Corporal Peter Newkirk on the sitcom 'Hogan's Heroes'.
And, Joe S took the day off.
Middle Class Political Economist
Now a Blogger-Columnist at US News and World Reports "Economic Intelligence"
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Denmark Is Considered The Happiest Country. You'll Never Guess Why.
The Triumph of the Right | Robert Reich
Ocean Acidification Has A New Enemy: Super Corals
As Immigration Reform Comes Up Again, Watch This Private Prison Company | Jesse Lava
Prisoners of Profit - The Huffington Post
10 reasons why today's TV is better than movies | Television & radio | theguardian.com
Ray Bradbury's unknown universe of realist fiction | Books | theguardian.com
BBC - Culture - Why piano-mania grips China's children
USS Forrestal, the Navy's first supercarrier, sold for 1 cent | Fox News
Learning Challenging Skills Tied to Better Memory in Seniors - Senior Health Center - Everyday Health
Angela Pozzi Makes Her Art Out Of Our Trash
Thanks, Michelle!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
"The Problem With Young People Today"
(Crabby Old Fart)
Test Your Brain Age
Test your Brain Age--- Not that easy!
Brain Age
Thanks, Marian!
http://dareland.blogspot.com
from that Mad Cat, JD
THE TEA-BAGGERS REALLY KNOW HOW TO PICK 'EM!
NOT ALL REPUBLICANS ARE DUMBFUCKS!
"MONEY FOR NOTHING AND CHICKS FOR FREE!"
THE MADNESS OF TEABAGGERS!
THEY GET A BOMB AND WE GET A PANDA! WTF?
GROOVY!
DIMON IN THE ROUGH!
THE NEWEST INCARNATION OF A RICH, ELITE, RIGHT WING TRADITION
WHEN THE PIGS RUN THE HOG FARM!
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
Ark Of Darkness
In The Chaos Household
Marine layer hung around til late afternoon.
Tonight, Thursday:
CBS opens the night with a FRESH 'Big Bang Theory', followed by a FRESH 'The Millers', then a FRESH 'The Crazy Ones', followed by a FRESH '2½ Men', then a FRESH 'Elementary'.
On a RERUN Dave (from 9/25/13) are Robin Williams, Lizzy Caplan, a Top Ten List presented by Renee Fleming, and Icona Pop.
On a RERUN Craig (from 9/24/13) are Ray Romano and Carl Edwards.
NBC begins the night with a FRESH 'Parks & Recreation', followed by a FRESH 'Welcome To The Family' RERUN 'Parks & Recreation', then a FRESH 'Sean Saves The World', followed by a FRESH 'Michael J. Fox Show', then a FRESH 'Parenthood'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Leno are Emma Roberts, Dave Salmoni, and Diane Birch.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Fallon are Edward Norton, Judd Apatow, and Pearl Jam.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson 'The Scab' Daly are Pete Holmes and Foals.
ABC starts the night with a FRESH 'Once Upon A Time In Wonderland', followed by a FRESH 'Grey's Anatomy', then a FRESH 'Scandal'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm Gladwell, and Kings of Leon.
The CW offers a FRESH 'The Vampire Diaries', followed by a FRESH 'Reign'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Arsenio Hall are James Caan, Chandra Wilson, Thompson Square, and Paula Abdul.
Faux fills the night with LIVE '2013 World Series', then pads the left coast with local crap.
MY recycles an old 'House', followed by another old 'House'.
A&E has 'The First 48', another 'The First 48', followed by a FRESH 'The First 48', then the movie 'Beyond Scared Straight'.
AMC offers the movie 'A Nightmare On Elm Street', followed by the movie 'Seed Of Chucky', then the movie 'Bride Of Chucky'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 2 - Ep 8 - The Impossible Planet
[9:00AM] MERLIN - Season 2 - Ep 9 - The Lady of the Lake
[10:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 10 - The Loss
[11:00AM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 11 - Data's Day
[12:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 4 - Ep 12 - The Wounded
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 3 - Ep 5 - Hot Potato Cafe
[2:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 3 - Ep 1 - Revisited: Mojito's, The Junction, Bazzini
[3:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 4 - Ep 11 - Oceana
[4:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 3 - Episode 9
[5:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 3 - Episode 10
[6:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 4 - Ep 1 - Revisited: Down City, Classic American, Davide
[7:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES UK - Season 5 - Ep 2 - The Dovecote
[8:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 2 - Ep 1 - Revisited: Santa La Brea, Giuseppi's
[9:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 2 - Ep 2 - Revisited: Handlebar, Casa Roma, The Black Pearl
[10:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 1 - Ep 6 - Seascape
[11:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 2 - Ep 1 - Revisited: Santa La Brea, Giuseppi's
[12:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 2 - Ep 2 - Revisited: Handlebar, Casa Roma, The Black Pearl
[1:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 1 - Ep 6 - Seascape
[2:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES UK - Season 5 - Ep 2 - The Dovecote
[3:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 3 - Ep 5 - Hot Potato Cafe
[4:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED US - Season 3 - Ep 1 - Revisited: Mojito's, The Junction, Bazzini
[5:00AM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 4 - Ep 11 - Oceana (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has the movie 'The World Is Not Enough', followed by the movie 'Quantum Of Solace', then a FRESH 'Watch What Happens: Live'.
Comedy Central has last night's 'Colbert Report', last night's 'Jon Stewart', 'At Midnight', 'Chappelle's Show', 'It's Always Sunny In Philly', another 'It's Always Sunny In Philly', 'Tosh.0', and 'South Park'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jon Stewart is Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Scheduled on a FRESH Colbert Report is Stephen Fry.
FX has 'Anger Management', followed by the movie 'Salt', then a FRESH 'Anger Management', followed by the movie 'Salt'.
History has all 'Pawn Stars' all night.
IFC -
[6:00AM] The Catechism Cataclysm
[7:45AM] An Ideal Husband
[10:00AM] Keeping Up With the Steins
[12:00PM] Delirious
[2:15PM] An Ideal Husband
[4:30PM] Blade Runner
[7:00PM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Rainn Wilson Wears a Short Sleeved Plaid Shirt & Colorful Sneakers
[7:30PM] The Birthday Boys-Paychecks!
[8:00PM] Hulk
[11:00PM] Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
[2:00AM] Hulk
[5:00AM] Comedy Bang! Bang!-Rainn Wilson Wears a Short Sleeved Plaid Shirt & Colorful Sneakers
[5:30AM] The Birthday Boys-Paychecks! (ALL TIMES EST)
Sundance -
[6:00AM] Clay Pigeons
[8:15AM] The Bridge on the River Kwai
[11:45AM] The In Laws
[2:00PM] Laurel Canyon
[4:15PM] The Bridge on the River Kwai
[7:45PM] The French Connection
[10:00PM] In the Cut
[12:30AM] In the Cut
[3:00AM] Secretary
[5:30AM] The Writers' Room-New Girl (ALL TIMES EST)
SyFy has the movie 'Underworld Evolution', followed by the movie 'Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans'.
TBS:
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Adam Devine and Lindsey Stirling.
TCM spends the night with Vincent Price
[6:00 AM] Barricade (1950)
[7:30 AM] Dallas (1950)
[9:15 AM] Dynamite Pass (1950)
[10:30 AM] Rocky Mountain (1950)
[12:00 PM] Best Of The Badmen (1951)
[1:30 PM] Inside Straight (1951)
[3:00 PM] My Outlaw Brother (1951)
[4:30 PM] Slaughter Trail (1951)
[6:00 PM] 3:10 To Yuma (1957)
[8:00 PM] House Of Wax (1953)
[9:45 PM] The Mad Magician (1954)
[11:00 PM] House Of Usher (1960)
[12:30 AM] Diary of a Madman (1963)
[2:15 AM] The Tingler (1959)
[3:45 AM] House On Haunted Hill (1959)
[5:15 AM] The Bat (1959) (ALL TIMES EST)
Friday - 10/25/13
[6:45 AM] Tower Of London (1962)
[8:15 AM] The Raven (1963)
[9:45 AM] MGM Parade Show #23 (1955)
[10:15 AM] The Running Man (1963)
[12:15 PM] The Fast and the Furious (1954)
[1:30 PM] Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)
[3:00 PM] The Black Swan (1942)
[4:30 PM] Million Dollar Baby (1941)
[6:15 PM] The Walking Dead (1936)
[7:30 PM] Now Playing November (2013)
[8:00 PM] A Bucket of Blood (1959)
[9:15 PM] Dementia 13 (1963)
[10:45 PM] What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
[1:15 AM] Sisters (1973)
[3:00 AM] Spider Baby (1964) [AKA: '']
[4:30 AM] Village Of The Damned (1961) (ALL TIMES EST)
USA has a FRESH 'White Collar', followed by a FRESH 'Covert Affairs'.
MOVIES! TV Network
Me-TV
RTV - The Retro Television Network
This TV
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Holocaust survivor George Horner, front left, performs with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, top, on stage at Symphony Hall Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in Boston. The 90-year-old pianist made his orchestral debut with Ma, where they played music composed 70 years ago at the Nazi concentration camp where Horner was imprisoned.
Photo by Steven Senne
The Sideshow - by Avedon Carol
Nobel Summit
US film star Sharon Stone on Wednesday won an award for her fight against AIDS at a summit of Nobel Peace Prize laureates in the Polish capital Warsaw.
The global fundraising chairman for the AIDS charity amfAR received the Peace Summit Award from the Dalai Lama at the end of the three-day summit.
Founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 2000, the annual summit has notably taken place in Berlin, Chicago, Paris and Rome.
Previous winners of the summit award include Italian actor Roberto Benigni, US actor George Clooney and British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens.
Cass Warner, granddaughter of Warner Bros. founder Harry Warner, poses with an Oscar statue while celebrating the 90th Birthday of Warner Bros. Studios which is launching an expanded VIP Studio Tour on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 in Burbank, Calif. The Tour will take visitors on an exclusive VIP look behind the scenes at one of Hollywood's most iconic studios.
Photo by Matt Sayles
Tribute Concert
The Allman Brothers, Sam Moore, Taj Mahal, Warren Haynes, Eric Church and several others have signed on to pay tribute in concert to Gregg Allman early next year.
"All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman" will be held Jan. 10 at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. The concert will be filmed and released later.
Others on the eclectic list of performers include Natalie Cole, Jackson Browne, John Hiatt, Pat Monahan of Train, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins and John Hiatt. Special guests and more performers will be announced soon. Tickets go on sale Nov. 1 at the Fox Theatre box office.
Don Was will lead an all-star band lined up to help celebrate Allman, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Newhead News
Can't Make Stilton Cheese
They make fine cheese in the English village of Stilton. Just don't call it stilton.
British authorities said Wednesday that a local pub can't market its blue-veined cheese as stilton because that name is protected by European Union legislation.
The Bell Inn has been forced to sell its cheese as "Bells Blue" rather than stilton.
The EU rules, based on British government guidelines, say the name can only apply to cheese from the English counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, where it has long been made.
Stilton lies outside that area, but became renowned for selling the sharp-tasting cheese in the 18th century. It gave its name to the product, but historians are divided about whether it was traditionally made there.
A local cheese company asked the government to amend the Protected Designation of Origin rules to include Stilton. But the food ministry said it could only consider an application from the pub, because it was the maker of the cheese.
Clowns pose for a photo as they rally for peace during the 18th Latin American clown convention or "Fair of laughter" at the Mother Monument in Mexico City October 23, 2013. The convention will be held from October 21 to 24 in Mexico City.
Photo by Edgard Garrido
Ancient Magician's Curse Tablet
A lead curse tablet, dating back around 1,700 years and likely written by a magician, has been discovered in a collapsed Roman mansion in Jerusalem, archaeologists report.
The mansion, which is being excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Givati Parking Lot, is located in what is known as the "City of David," an area that holds at least 6,000 years of human occupation. The mansion itself covers at least 2,000 square meters (about half an acre) and contains two large open courtyards adjacent to each other. It was in use between the late third century and A.D. 363, when it was destroyed in a series of earthquakes on May 18 or 19.
The text is written in Greek and, in it a woman named Kyrilla invokes the names of six gods to cast a curse on a man named Iennys, apparently over a legal case.
To obtain her goal Kyrilla combined elements from four religions, Robert Walter Daniel, of the Institut für Altertumskunde at the University of Cologne, told LiveScience in an email. Of six gods invoked, four of them are Greek (Hermes, Persephone, Pluto and Hecate), one is Babylonian (Ereschigal) and one, Abrasax, is Gnostic, a religion connected to early Christianity. Additionally, the text contains magic words such as "Iaoth" that have a Hebrew/Judaism origin.
Kyrilla and her curse-recipient, both probably members of the Roman middle or upper class, were likely in some legal dispute, as the curse tablet bears similarities to others found in Cyprus that are known to have been used in legal cases. Additionally the word "opposition" in this text hints at a legal matter.
Piracy Charge Reduced To 'Hooliganism'
Russia said Wednesday it had dropped the charge of piracy against 30 Greenpeace activists detained while protesting against Arctic drilling, accusing them instead of "hooliganism".
The Investigative Committee, the Russian agency in charge of probing serious crimes, said it had reclassified the crime as hooliganism, which carries a lesser sentence.
The crew of Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship, who come from 18 countries including Britain, Australia, Spain and Russia, had been facing up to 15 years in a penal colony if found guilty of piracy.
The hooliganism charge -- which was also used against the Pussy Riot punks -- carries a maximum sentence of seven years in a penal colony.
Greenpeace on Wednesday said the charge was still "wildly disproportionate" and called for its activists to be immediately released.
A piece of land art entitled "Wish" showing the face of an anonymous six-year-old local Belfast girl is seen in this aerial view of the Titanic quarter in Belfast October 23, 2013. The artwork by Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada spans 11 acres, is made up from 2,000 tonnes of sand, 2,000 tonnes of soil and some 30,000 wooden pegs. It will remain on view until December 2013.
Photo by Cathal McNaughton
Thwarted By NYPD
British street art superstar Banksy said police on Wednesday prevented him from creating a new piece of art in New York as promised on each day of the month.
"Today's art has been cancelled due to police activity," he wrote in a blank window on his website under the heading October 23.
The same message was carried on his instagram account, which has more than 255,000 followers and which like his website each day announces his pop-up exhibition.
Banksy provided no other details. And a spokesman for New York Police Department had no immediate comment.
Monsanto Versus the Associated Press
Following its lengthy, richly reported story about the impacts Monsanto has had on the health of Argentines living in the South American country's farm belt, the Associated Press was back yesterday with a quietly combative follow up addressing the biotech company's response to the article.
"If pesticides are being misused in Argentina, then it is in everyone's best interests-the public, the government, farmers, industry, and Monsanto-that the misuse be stopped," the company said in response to the story, which documented the poor oversight, misuses and routine exposure of farmworkers and residents to agrochemicals sold by Monsanto in Argentina.
But that's as far as the corporation went in acknowledging its part in the astonishingly high rates of cancer and birth defects that have plagued parts of Argentina in the years following Monsanto's introduction to the local ag market. Rather, it continually pointed to the fact that glyphosate, the pesticide marketed as Roudup, is "safe."
The medical community in Argentina would beg to differ-and has astonishing numbers to support their case. One physician who runs a epidemiological study at the National University of Rosario Medical School "has found a 90 percent increase in cancer rates since 1997." Monsanto products were first introduced in 1996.
A design from Jean Paul Gaultier worn by Madonna, is previewed during the installation of Brooklyn Museum's "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 in New York. This is the first international exhibition dedicated to the groundbreaking French couturier, integrating multimedia around seven themes tracing his influences since he emerged as a designer in the 1970s.
Photo by Bebeto Matthews
Court Victory
Sophia Loren once served time in an Italian jail for tax evasion. Now Italy's top court has handed the actress a victory in a nearly 40-year-long battle over back taxes.
The Rome-based Court of Cassation ruled Wednesday the beauty icon was right when calculating tax owed on her 1974 income. Loren's tax experts, applying one of Italy's not-infrequent tax amnesties, calculated that she owed tax on 60 per cent of her income that year, but tax officials insisted she should have paid tax on 70 per cent of her taxable income. The top court decided that Loren was right.
In separate tax dispute, Loren voluntarily returned to Italy in 1982 to be jailed, serving 17 days of a 30-day sentence for tax evasion. She said then her deceased tax preparer had erred.
The Birds Are Back!
'Rat Island'
When a ship arrived at an island in the North Pacific in the late 1700s, it brought more than cargo and splintered wood. It brought rats.
These invasive mammals thrived on the island, eating up local birds and their eggs. As a result, the spot took on the moniker "Rat Island," and it was known for its eerie silence and lack of birdsong.
In 2008, a team of scientists and environmentalists killed the rats with rodenticides. Since then, birds have returned to the island in numbers large enough to surprise experts, according to a statement from Island Conservation, one of the groups involved in exterminating the rats, along with help from The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The island has since been renamed Hawadax Island, according to the statement. The name was chosen by the native Unangan (Aleut) community and translates to "those two over there," referring to the island's two knolls. While nobody currently lives on Hawadax, Unangan people have lived or visited the island for millennia.
For the first time, tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) have been seen breeding on the island, which is located in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Other species that disappeared with the arrival of the rats, including Leach's storm petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) and fork-tailed storm petrels (Oceanodroma furcate), have also been seen on this Aleutian island, west of Alaska, Island Conservation reported.
Giant panda twin cubs Mei Huan (L) and Mei Lun, the first pair of twin giant panda cubs to be born in the United States and survive, are pictured in this Zoo Atlanta photo released to Reuters on October 23, 2013. The cubs have been given names that come from a Chinese idiom meaning "something indescribably beautiful and magnificent," zoo officials in Atlanta said on Wednesday. The names - Mei Lun (may loon) and Mei Huan (may hwaan) - were announced when the male cubs reached 100 days old, in keeping with ancient Chinese tradition.
Photo by Adam K Thompson
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Bill Clinton - Chris Wallace/Faux News - 09/23/06 - Transcript
Stephen Colbert - White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Transcript
100 Most Banned Books
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Johnsonburg, PA - page 5
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text:
Scott Klein
deputy managing editor ProPublica
Scott Klein is deputy managing editor of ProPublica. He directs a team of journalist/programmers building large interactive software projects that tell journalistic stories, and that make complex national statistics relevant to readers and their communities.
ProPublica's news application team's awards include three Online Journalism Awards for General Excellence, nine Malofiej International Infographics Award medals, the Data Journalism Award Jurors Choice Award, and 34 Society for News Design Awards of Excellence, including special recognition for "defining the design language of data-driven news apps." The team maintains a blog at propublica.org/nerds. A full list of their projects is at propublica.org/data.
Scott is also co-founder of DocumentCloud, a two-time recipient of the Knight News Challenge. DocumentCloud is a service that helps news organizations search, manage, and present their source documents.
Collaborative fact-checking to monitor elections
Phoebe Arnold
Sam Dubberley
Julien Pain
Claire Wardle
Five panelists involved in monitoring the EU referendum, the US election, and the upcoming French and German elections will talk about ambitious projects which involve monitoring social media and col...
Non-profit journalism: the right model at the service of the community?
Molly de Aguiar
Andrea Iannuzzi
The inexorable crisis of the news publishing industry and the difficulty in finding business models able to replace the decline of so-called "legacy media" imposes a reflection about the sustainabilit...
Electionland: the biggest social newsgathering project ever
Fergus Bell
Ed Bice
An Xiao Mina
Electionland was a unique collaborative project to track and cover voting problems during the 2016 US elections across the whole country and in real-time. It was also the largest social newsgathering ...
Collaborative data infrastructures for journalism
Liliana Bounegru
Mar Cabra
Nicolas Kayser-Bril
Friedrich Lindenberg
This panel will look at the state of the art in how journalists build data infrastructures and collaborate around data projects. It will move beyond the stories that journalists tell with data to expl...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The conceptual model for Ambry is centered on the method of breaking datasets into parts, a division which is composed of two levels, the Bundle and the Partition. A Partition is seperable part of a dataset, such as a single table, or a year's worth of records. A Bundle is the collection of all partitions that make up a dataset.
Both bundles and partitions are differentiated on one or more of several dimensions, such as time, space or table. This document will describe the components and how they fit together.
Bundles. A synonym for a dataset, a collection of one or more partitions of data, representing a cohesive dataset released by an upstream source.
Partitions. A collection of related records that are part of a bundle. Partitions are differentiated from other parttions in the same dataset along one or more dimensions.
Table, a collection of columns, similar to a Table in SQL.
Column, the name and type for a series of data, similar to a Column in SQL.
A complete library will typically have hundreds of thousands of these objects, and each object may have multiple versions, so naming an numbering is one of the most important parts of Ambry.
Identity. The unique name and number for a partition or a bundle. The identity holds an object number and a name.
Name. Bundle and partition names are concatenations of dimensions.
Dimension. A component of a name, such as the source of the dataset, a time range, the geographic extent of the data, or other distinguishing factors.
Object Number. a unique, structured number that distinguishes bundles, partitions, tables and columns.
For the details of numbering and naming, see Object Numbering.
A Bundle stores a complete dataset, combining multiple datafiles with documentation. While many datasets are provided by the upstream source as a single CSV file, there are also datasets that are composed of hundreds or thousands of files. An Ambry Bundle is designed to handle datasets ranging from a list of counties to the US Decennial Census.
Besides the data, one of the most important parts of the biundle it's metadata, which include information that defines how to build the bundle, as well as documentation, tables schemas, contact information for getting help with the data, URLs to data dictionaries, and much more.
A Partition is a container for data. Small Bundles, with only one table, less than 5M rows and no conceptual divisions, will be stored in a single partition. The US Census, on the other hand, has one partition per state and per table, for a total of several thousand partitions.
Partitions are organized according to a natural divisions in the data. For a state dataset that is updated per year, there is likely to be one partition per year. For a national dataset with multiple tables, but which never updated after release, the division may be by state.
Time. A time period, expressed in ISO format.
Space. A Census geoid or other formal identifier for a political area.
Segment. A sequential number, for when large tables are broken into multiple partitions.
Table. The name of the primary table stored in the partitions.
As with any system that stores a lot of objects, a well-defined naming system is critical to data management systems. Ambry uses a naming system that employees unique id number as well as human-readable names.
Ambry uses structured Base-62 strings to uniquely identify objects in the system. These numbers frequently appear as prefixes to table names and similar places, so it is important to keep them short; a typical UUID would have been too long. Because the numbers are short, there is a more limited space for allocation, which requires a centralized number server, although there is an alternative that allows users to generate longer numbers without the central authority.
Because all of these objects are related, the partitions, Tables and Columns all have numbers that are based on the number of the BUndle the object is part of.
All of the numbers are integers expressed in Base-62, which uses only digits and numbers. Using Base-62, rather than Base-64, makes it easier to use the numbers in URLs without encoding.
There are four lengths for the bundle sequence: 3,5,7 or 9 digits, one for each 'registration class'. The registration class is roughly the level of acess a user has to a central numbering authority.
authoritative. 3 Characters. Reseved for a designated registration authority.
registered. 5 characters. For users that have created an account at the numbering server.
unregistered. 7 Characters. For users that use the registration authority, but havent' created an daccount.
self. 9 Characters. A random number assigned locally.
The 3, 5 and 7 digit numbers are assigned by a central authority, so the number space is dense. ( 5 Base-62 digits is approximately 1 billion numbers. ) The 9 digit numbers are self assigned and are chosen randomly.
All bundles have a revision, and the bundle's revision number is used for all of the Bundle's objects. However, the revision is optional in many cases, such as when referencing an object with respect to a specific bundle, or when only one version of a bundle is installed in a database.
Because of these variations, object numbers can have a variety of lengths. Bundle numbers, for instance, can have lengths generated by : 1 + ( 3 | 5 | 7 | 9) + ( 0 | 3) = 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 13 characters. The base set of lengths, (3, 5, 7, 9) were chosen to ensure that all of the permutations of lengths are unique, allowing the type of number to be determined from the length without knowing beforehand whether the number has a version or not.
variation. A name for a variant of an earlier dataset. The value 'orig' means that the bundle is the first import of the data from the source.
"2005". All data is for the year 2005.
"200610". All data is for the month of October, 2006.
"200601P3M". The first quarter of 2006.
An Identity is a code object that combines all of the individual components of the name and number, for bundles and partitions, and permits them to be manipulated.
Building a new bundle can be very simple, but bundle development nearly always invovles multiple steps that are organized around the major development phases. There are a set of steps that are only executed once, when the bundle is being constructed ( The meta phase ) and steps that are executed whenever the bundle build process is being run.
The build phase has one cannonical step, running the build, but in practice, it involved debugging the configuration and maching changes to improve the quality of the bundle.
After the bundle is built, you can use it, or check it into a library for other people to use.
Most of the effort is in the meta phase; if the bundle is constructed properly, the build phase runs without intervention.
To understand how to construct a bundle, you should first understand how the build process works.
The goal of the build process is to construct a partition file, a file that hold a portion of the data in the dataset. Each partition is created from upstream source data, which is defined in the sources.csv file. The sources are usually downloadable files, but also can be python code or SQL queries.
So, at the top level, data flows from the upstream source to a partition.
However, the mapping is not direct; one upstream source can feed into multiple partitions, and multiple sources can feed into a single partition. The build runs through each upstream source, selects all or just some of the rows in the source, and puts them into a partition segment file. Then, at the end of the process, the segment files are coalesced into a partition.
The source files all have a schema, metadata that describes the column names and their data types. Since most source files are CSV or fixed with, the type information must be inferred, so the source schem can take some effort to construct. However, it is vital to do so, because the column names in the source files must match with column names in the destination schemas in the partitions.
Each source file has its own source schema, so in our example, there would be source tables for source` and source2. Partitions, however, may not have unique destination schemas – they can all be associated with the same destination table. In our example, both the even and odd partitions may use the same destination table format.
It is very common to have multiple source files that all feed into the same table. For instance, a multi-year dataset may have one file per year, so while each of the source files will have its own source schema, there would be only one destination schema. Unfortunately, its also common for the source files to have differences in their schemas, such as column names that have changed or which are named with the year in the them, In these cases, the source schema column must be mapped to a new name that will be the same for all of the files.
The need to map column names is why there are two schemas, one for the source and one for the destination table that the partition uses. The source schema has two names for each column, an soruce name and a destination name, so the column names can be changed as the source is processed.
For each partition, create the partition by coalescing the segment files.
This process is controlled by the Pipeline. The pipeline consists of a series of pipe, each of which has one function to process a dataset's header, and another to process each of the rows. The pipes are connected so that the upsream source is fed into the source end of the pipe, and the final pipe stage writes rows to the segment files. The source file header is fed in first, then each of the rows.
ambry.etl.WriteToPartition. Writes rows to a segment file.
After all of the segments have been written for a partition, the partition is coalesced, outside of the pipeline.
schema.csv. The destination schema for each of the destination tables.
Additional meta data and process information is stored in: - bundle.yaml. The main configuration file, which may include modifications to the pipeline - bundle.py. Primary bundle class, which may include transformation functions for editing rows during processing.
On the file system. The file's information can be in a normal file in the file system.
In a file record. When files are synced in, they are copied into a database recordss in the bundle.
As objects. The file records are turned into collections of objects, such as tables, columns or partitions. see the Object Model section for a descriptino of these database objects.
The build configuration is broken into these three levels to allow for maintaining the fidelity of build source files – ensuring that errors in the files don't result in them being deleted if there are errors – while also allowing for bundles to be constructed entirely programatically, without files at all.
Partition. A collection of data rows, roughly corresponding to a single CSV file when extracted, although the Partition object only records the identity of the partition.
Table. A collection of columns that define the structure of data in a partition.
Column. A single column in a table.
Source. A record of the location and type of a source input file, including its URL, encoding, number of header rows, and other important information.
Source Table. A simpler version of the Table object, for describing the structure of an input source file. Every Source has a Source Table.
Source Column. A column in a soruce Table.


text:
Adult Swim to release new music from Captain Murphy and DOOM, Miguel, Dan Deacon
Adult Swim has once again rounded up music's most elite and had them record some new music. The 2013 installment of Adult Swim's Singles Program formally kicks off today with El-P and Killer Mike's new single "36" Chain" (streaming below), and will continue each Monday for the next 14 weeks with new songs from Miguel, Dan Deacon, METZ, Mac DeMarco, Marnie Stern, Pig Destroyer, Autre Ne Veut, and Kitty. Also included is a collaboration between Captain Murphy, a.k.a. Flying Lotus, and Viktor Vaughn, a.k.a. MF DOOM. Hot damn.
Week 1 (June 10) – Killer Mike & El-P a.k.a. Run The Jewels
Week 2 (June 17) – Kitty (produced by Hot Sugar)
Week 3 (June 24) – Metz
Week 4 (July 1) – Dan Deacon
Week 5 (July 8) – Friendzone feat. Mykki Blanco
Week 6 (July 15) – Autre Ne Veut
Week 7 (July 22) – Madlib and Freddie Gibbs feat. Karriem Riggins
Week 8 (July 29) – Mac DeMarco
Week 9 (August 8) – Lightning Bolt
Week 10 (August 12) – Lil B
Week 11 (August 19) – Marnie Stern
Week 12 (August 26) – Captain Murphy feat. Viktor Vaughn
Week 13 (September 2) – Andy Stott
Week 14 (September 9) – Pig Destroyer
Week 15 (September 16) – Miguel
Autre Ne Veut
Captain Murphy
Marnie Stern
Kanye West's Yeezus features Daft Punk, TNGHT, Justin Vernon, and Chief Keef
Watch Elvis Costello and Mumford & Sons cover Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad"


Japanese garden design is one images from awesome asian garden ideas pictures of Home Art Decor photos gallery. This image has dimension 895x595 Pixel and File Size 70 KB, you can click the image above to see the large or full size photo. Previous photo in the gallery is japanese garden design ideas style your backyard. For next photo in the gallery is zen gardens asian garden ideas interiorzine. You are viewing image #24 of 41, you can see the complete gallery at the bottom below.


Januvia is the brand name for the drug sitagliptin phosphate. Made and sold by American pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Inc. this prescription medication is used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Research shows the antidiabetic drug sitagliptin phosphate — sold under the brand name Januvia and as Janumet when combined with metformin — may cause acute pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Januvia in October 2006 in the form of oral tablets containing between 25 mg and 100 mg of sitagliptin phosphate. The FDA approved Janumet in 2007.
On September 25, 2009, the FDA announced it was revising Januvia's and Janumet's label to warn about acute pancreatitis. On March 14, 2013, the FDA issued a drug safety communication informing the public that it is evaluating unpublished findings by researchers that connected Januvia with pancreatitis and cellular changes called "pancreatic duct metaplasia." The agency is requesting the researchers provide it with their research methodology and tissue samples they used.
Due to the growing number of Januvia lawsuits, in late July 2013, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) heard arguments by Januvia users who were suing Merck, as well as from users of similar incretin mimetic drugs, to consolidate their cases into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) that has been transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
BLG maintains a team of specially trained professionals to guide you through your Januvia lawsuit. You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, permanent impairments suffered, pain and suffering, and even punitive damages were appropriate.
BLG covers all fees and costs to pursue your Januvia case. We only collect our fees and costs if we win for you through a settlement or a judgment.
If you or someone you love suffered from Januvia side effects, you may be eligible for compensation. Submit your request for a free case evaluation now. We have a team of caring and compassionate Januvia Lawsuit Attorneys ready to help.


text:
ASL MARINE HOLDINGS LTD (A04) SGD 0.045 +11.11% +0.01
Dividend Yield(TTM) = 0.00%
1970 0.00% SGD 0 - 1970-01-01 2020-04-01 Rate: 0.5464481%
- 1970-01-01 2020-03-30 Rate: 0.5464481%
2019 0.00% SGD 0 - 2019-06-27 2019-07-02 Ratio: 1:2
2016 0.00% SGD 0 - 2016-11-22 - OFFER OF 1 FOR 2 @ SGD 0.12
2015 8.89% SGD 0.004 SGD0.004 2015-11-04 2015-11-17 SGD 0.004 ONE-TIER TAX
2014 22.22% SGD 0.01 SGD0.01 2014-10-31 2014-11-12 SGD 0.01 ONE-TIER TAX
2012 38.89% SGD 0.018 SGD0.0175 2012-11-01 2012-11-19 SGD 0.0175 ONE-TIER TAX
2011 33.33% SGD 0.015 SGD0.015 2011-11-01 2011-11-16 SGD 0.015 ONE-TIER TAX
2010 66.67% SGD 0.03 - 2010-12-22 - OFFER OF 4 FOR 10
SGD0.03 2010-10-27 2010-11-10 SGD 0.03 ONE-TIER TAX
2007 62.22% SGD 0.028 SGD0.003 2007-10-26 2007-11-12 SGD 0.003 TAX EXEMPT
SGD0.025 2007-10-26 2007-11-12 SGD 0.025 TAX EXEMPT
- 2004-03-04 - OFFER OF 1 FOR 4
ASL MARINE HOLDINGS LTD
http://www.aslmarine.com
ListedDate: 17 March 2003 SGX Mainboard
Address: 19 Pandan Road , Singapore 609271,
The Company was incorporated under the name of ASL Marine Holdings Pte Ltd. On 29 January 2003, it changed its name to ASL Marine Holdings Ltd. ASL Marine is principally engaged in shipbuilding, shiprepair, shipchartering and other marine related services, catering to customers mainly from Asia Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The Group started operations as a trader of scrapped steel material in 1974, and subsequently rode on the 1980s construction sector boom by undertaking building construction works. Guided by its vision to be a leading player in the marine sector, the Group undertook ship-breaking activities in 1986 before venturing into shipbuilding and shiprepair - where it constructed its first barge and tugboat in 1988 and 1990, respectively. In 1989, the Group extended its vertically integrated capabilities by providing charter of tugboats and barges and other marine logistics services. Today, ASL Marine is a fully integrated marine company with a strong focus in shipbuilding, shiprepair, ship conversion, shipchartering and other marine related services, catering to customers mainly from Asia Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Headquartered in Singapore, the Group owns and operates three shipyards in Singapore, Indonesia (Batam) and China (Guangdong), providing a comprehensive range of shipbuilding and shiprepair services spanning myriad sectors and industries. The Group specialises in building tugs, barges, offshore support vessels, work vessels, emergency response and rescue vessels and tankers. The Group also undertakes conversions and repairs of all types of vessels. Equipped with a young fleet of more than 170 vessels consisting mainly of tugs and barges, ASL Marine has carved a niche in providing shipchartering services to various industries, including offshore oil and gas, marine infrastructure, dredging, land reclamation, marine construction and cargoes transportation.


text:
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Of Bars, Blessings, and Buddhist Youths
2010/05/12 2018/04/19 admin 0 Comments
By Khan Sophirom
VIENTIANE – Every morning at around six o'clock across this landlocked nation, Buddhist monks stream out of temples to receive ritual food offering from the people. By eleven a.m., the soft sound of the beating of drums alerts people to take food to the temples for the monks' last meal of the day.
As in other Southeast Asian nations where Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion, Laotians go to the temple to make merit, pray, or meditate. Exquisitely decorated and surrounded by high white boundary walls, the temples are centres of community life in the rural areas.
The widespread popularity of any faith seems out of place in a nation with communist rulers. (After all, didn't Karl Marx say that religion was the opium of the masses?) But unlike in other communist countries, the government in Laos recognizes and supports religion – in this case Buddhism — as a positive influence in the lives of the people. One could say that the propagation of Buddhism in Laos has the state's blessing.
Khampheuy Vannasopha, director of the Department for Religious Affairs in the government-sponsored Laos Front for National Construction, says Buddhism has helped to maintain and strengthen national unity and solidarity. The teaching of Buddhism is compulsory in every primary school in Laos.
Indeed, to a visitor, it does seem as if most Laotians remain devout followers of their faith. But many older Laotians and even monks are worried that the country's youths – especially those in the cities — are getting less and less interested in practicing their faith.
Venerable Vanna Souryavong, chief monk at Wat (Temple) Mixayaram Meoung Chanthaboury, for instance says that excepting special religious ceremonies, 90 percent of the temple-goers in Laos are older people.
"Most young people do not have a clear understanding of Buddhism," he says. "They don't understand the importance of praying anymore. When they go to the temple, they don't know how to practice Buddhism properly."
Jahnphong Luanglard, 79, also finds the attitude of the young towards religion very different from that of his generation. In the old days, he says, people went to the temple to learn and their daily lives were closely linked to Buddhism. Today, he says, young people do not visit temples regularly and get their education in public schools.
In traditional Buddhist societies, temples are also considered educational institutions, especially among the males. Says Jahnphong: "I grew up in the temple. That is why Buddhism is my foundation. Now, young people don't think like me, including my children. Sometime they go to the temple just to follow me, but they know nothing about the meaning of going to the temple."
According to official estimates, there are 4,937 Buddhist temples in Laos. There are also 8,796 monks, 13,376 novice monks, and 450 nuns in the country to guide its more than five million Buddhists.
A long, colourful history
Buddhism has a long history here. It arrived in Laos sometime during the 14th century, when the founder of Lan Xang (Land of a Million Elephants), King Fa Ngum, is believed to have brought the religion from the neighbouring Khmer kingdom of Angkor to strengthen his rule.
Hundreds of years later, the communist Pathet Lao movement, which came to complete control of Laos in the mid-1970s, acknowledged the important role of religious devotion in state building. And so while Buddhism was coming under attack in Cambodia, where a group practicing an extreme brand of communism had seized power, the new regime in Laos used religion to reinforce its credentials. Monks were brought into the official education programme to support Marxist ideology with Buddhist religious maxims.
Phikhok (Monk) Khamphouy Boeepphaphoe of Wat Sisangvone in Saysettha district says that Buddhists should go to the temple at least four times a month, especially during religious ceremonies, to experience the richness of their faith. But, laments the monk, young Laotians now visit entertainment venues more often than temples.
Bars serving alcohol late into the night are open all across the country. In Vientiane, young Laotian women can be seen drinking beer, playing snooker or dancing with foreigners in the many bars on Fa Ngum Road along the Mekong River. The capital has several popular nightclubs such as the Mina, Novotel, and Soradith where large groups of young people on motorcycles gather every night.
Phikhok Khamphouy believes the exposure of city youths to Western cultural influences has much to do with their seeming disinterest in Buddhism. Although not as bustling as neighbouring countries like Thailand and even Cambodia, Laos still attracts a fair share of Western tourists, and the cities they visit inevitably start offering venues that cater to their tastes and whims.
"Today," says Phikhok Khamphouy, "there are many temptations and it is too easy for young people to waste their time drinking, dancing, racing their bikes, misusing the Internet and engaging in anti-social activities."
Bars, Buddhism, and the novice tradition
Ask the city youth themselves, though, and most of them deny that they are straying from the Buddhist path. Pu Thasannath, an 18-year-old Vientiane resident, for instance says, "I am a Buddhist. I know Buddhism is my culture and a nightclub is part of Western culture. However, I still go there because all my friends go there."
She admits, however, that she does not visit the temple often because she is busy with her studies and goes there only for special Buddhist ceremonies. "I visit the temple to pray and ask for happiness from the Buddha and I visit the night club for fun and enjoying the company of my friends," says the Japanese-language student.
Van Sophantana, 21, also says, "I am really a Buddhist because my parents are Buddhist." Still, he says he does not know "very well" how to follow the principles of the faith. But he says he makes it a point to go to the temple once or twice a year, especially on Visakabusa — the main Buddhist holy day in mid-May — which marks the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Lord Buddha.
"If I am not wrong, I think the temple is a place for meditation where people go when they are upset about life," says Van. "For me, I am never sad and that's why I do not need to go there."
Van, who is still in university, says he goes to nightclubs to meet friends, dance and drink beer after his examinations. "Today I am happy, I don't want to go to the temple to annoy any monk and people there," he says, "but in the future if something sad happens to me, I think I will go."
Not surprisingly, Van says that he did not become a novice, a practice that remains popular among males in other Buddhist-dominated countries in Southeast Asia. Buddhist boys must become temple novices to earn merit for their families and to grow up as good, responsible, and peaceful men.
But Laotians say fewer young men in the urban areas now follow this tradition. Lat Davan, a 57-year-old resident of Chanthabuly, Vientiane, even observes that now it does not seem as "important" as it was in the past. She says she herself had married her husband only after he had served at the temple as a novice.
Somphou Vatanachit, a 24-year-old graduating tourism student, argues that it is simply difficult these days to be a novice monk. "I do not have enough time to be a novice or visit the temple often because I have to study to get a good job," he says. "I think Buddhist temples can offer me something good, but I think it is not enough and better than the university."
Venerable Vanna says that while temples cannot train young men for modern professions, these can be places to learn about social responsibility and good life values. These basic values cannot be provided by modern education and "without them, society will have big problems," he adds.
Faith stronger in rural areas
The good monk, however, may find comfort in the knowledge that religious devotion can still be found among the rural young. In the southwestern border province of Champasak, where Buddhist temples are not as beautiful as those in Vientiane, support for the faith is stronger. In fact, six new temples are being built along the highway, some 40 km from the provincial capital Pakse.
Few young people in Vientiane offer alms to monks, but the attitude of youth in Champasak is different. Says Sophansa Sophavan, a 21-year-old Pakse resident: "When a person becomes a monk, he cannot go to work. But he has another role in society. That is why I, my family, and my neighbour, offer him support."
A monk is an "advisor" to society, he also says.
Venerable Siphong Leunglard, chief monk of Wat Pho Xay Phout Vong Chan in Patoun Phone village in Champasak, for his part observes that people in the countryside are more religious than those in the cities.
Venerable Siphong lived in a temple about 48 km from Patoun Phone before accepting the villagers' invitation to become abbot of their temple. It is common for a village of 20 to 50 households to have a Buddhist temple, which is regarded as a "place of peace for the mind and soul," he says.
Built in 2003 with the villagers' support, Wat Pho Xay Phout Vong Chan has a small cement image of Buddha, as well as three monks who live in a very small house.
Buddhism is life's guiding principle for Saysa Mome, a 24-year-old student in Pakse. "Usually, in my village, when we are 15 to 18 years old, we have to become novice monks to know the bad and the good before we start working," he says.
As a novice, he learnt how to stay away from bad things and understood the importance of stability in life: "All this knowledge is a guide for my future," says Saysa.
Buddhism has an important role in the lives of the people, says Saythong Satirathat who runs a guesthouse in Champasak on the road to Wat Phou, a Hindu Siva shrine that became a Buddhist temple in the 16th century. Many Western tourists visit Wat Phou every day. But so do locals, including Saythong, who goes to pray at the temple regularly with his children and neighbour. "Usually, if my family is busy, my neighbour takes alms to the temple and if they are busy, we do it for them," he says.
Bub By, a 23-year-old Champasak woman outlines the five main doctrines of her faith: "Buddhism prohibits drinking alcohol, killing, gambling, loving another person's wife, and stealing. If we can follow all, we can live in peace and happiness."
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A Union Against Impunity
[Philippines] NUJP launches Ampatuan, Maguindanao Massacre 10th anniversary campaign
[Cambodia] Reporters arrested over live broadcast of land protest
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text:
Telemiracle smashes record with more than $7.1 million in donations
The telethon's largest ever donation — a bequest of more than $1.5 million from Philip Thacker — helped the fundraiser surpass the $5-million mark by noon Sunday
Arthur White-Crummey, Regina Leader-Post
For the first time ever, Saskatchewan's Telemiracle fundraising marathon cracked the "incredible milestone" of $6 million.
There was another million-dollar milestone to come. By the end of the 20-hour telethon, donors had contributed a total of $7,151,256. The proceeds will go to fund special-needs equipment and medical trips for Saskatchewan people.
The telethon's largest ever donation — a bequest of more than $1.5 million — helped the fundraiser surpass the $5-million mark by noon Sunday.
"I screamed a little bit because I could not believe we were there," said this year's Telemiracle chairwoman, Susan Colbow. "To be there this soon is amazing.
"The money that we have right now is going to help so many people, so many families."
TeleMiracle 42 gets underway at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on March 3, 2018. BRANDON HARDER / REGwp
The total easily beat the previous record of $5.9 million in donations, set in 2012. This year's event was the 42nd instalment organized by the Kinsmen and the Kinettes.
Musicians, tap dancers, magicians and a multitude of other performers kept the crowd at Regina's Conexus Arts Centre clapping from Saturday evening all through the night.
"Ring those phones!" attendees were chanting on Sunday around noon, just before Telemiracle mainstay Bob McGrath took the stage. McGrath, of Sesame Street fame, had made regular appearances for 38 years up to 2015. But that was supposed to be his last telethon.
The crowd seemed delighted by his return, as was Colbow.
"Wow! He's back," she exclaimed. "Bob McGrath is Telemiracle."
A pit band plays at TeleMiracle 42 at the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on March 3, 2018. BRANDON HARDER / REGwp
McGrath said it felt like a high school reunion.
"It's like the very best kind of homecoming you could ever imagine," he said on stage.
"I feel like this is my family."
Hundreds of volunteers kept the show going, with some working all four shifts. Longtime Kinsman Dan Holmes, serving as facilities co-chair this year, said his tasks become easier as the telethon goes on.
"It should be getting harder and harder as you get tired," he said. "But it really is just the opposite."
Holmes started setting up more than four hours before the show started, and planned to be there until everything is put away Sunday evening.
"I'll be up for like 38 hours by the time I get to crash," he said.
The highlight of the telethon, for Holmes, was hearing that Philip Thacker, a late member of his own POW City Kinsmen, had left that record-breaking donation.
"There's a special pride that we feel that he was part of our club," said Holmes. "He passed away a year ago from cancer and he left a legacy."
The event is a testament to the generosity of the people across the province, he said. All told, there were more than $6 in donations for each and every Saskatchewan person.
"Every time you see a story, every time you see the local kids performing, you realize that Saskatchewan really has a special population," said Holmes. "We're looking after one another."
awhite-crummey@postmedia.com
Referendum on former liquor store ran afoul of Municipalities Act: judge Miners spend hours in underground refuges after fire at K2 potash...
Telemiracle smashes record with more than $7.1 million in donations


text:
Q: API Testing - getting value in squarebraces when using restassured for json resulting in assertion failure I'm new to restassured. I'm trying with following API to fetch a json response and validate if the "capital" is "Oslo" or not.
But everytime assertion is failing since the value is fetched as [Oslo] instead of Oslo
Response JSON:
[
  {
    "name": "Norway",
    "topLevelDomain": [
      ".no"
    ],
    "alpha2Code": "NO",
    "alpha3Code": "NOR",
    "callingCodes": [
      "47"
    ],
    "capital": "Oslo",
    "altSpellings": [
      "NO",
      "Norge",
      "Noreg",
      "Kingdom of Norway",
      "Kongeriket Norge",
      "Kongeriket Noreg"
    ],
    "relevance": "1.5",
    "region": "Europe",
    "subregion": "Northern Europe",
    "population": 5176998,
    "latlng": [
      62,
      10
    ],
    "demonym": "Norwegian",
    "area": 323802,
    "gini": 25.8,
    "timezones": [
      "UTC+01:00"
    ],
    "borders": [
      "FIN",
      "SWE",
      "RUS"
    ],
    "nativeName": "Norge",
    "numericCode": "578",
    "currencies": [
      "NOK"
    ],
    "languages": [
      "no",
      "nb",
      "nn"
    ],
    "translations": {
      "de": "Norwegen",
      "es": "Noruega",
      "fr": "Norvège",
      "ja": "ノルウェー",
      "it": "Norvegia"
    }
  }
]

My Code:
public class RestTest {

@Test
public void getRequestFindCapital() throws JsonException {

    given().when().get("http://restcountries.eu/rest/v1/name/norway")
            .then()
            .statusCode(200)
            .body("capital", equalTo("Oslo"));
}

Assertion failure I'm getting is:
java.lang.AssertionError: 1 expectation failed.
JSON path capital doesn't match.
Expected: Oslo
Actual: [Oslo]

at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:423)
at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.CachedConstructor.invoke(CachedConstructor.java:83)
at org.codehaus.groovy.reflection.CachedConstructor.doConstructorInvoke(CachedConstructor.java:77)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.ConstructorSite$ConstructorSiteNoUnwrap.callConstructor(ConstructorSite.java:84)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.CallSiteArray.defaultCallConstructor(CallSiteArray.java:60)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.AbstractCallSite.callConstructor(AbstractCallSite.java:235)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.AbstractCallSite.callConstructor(AbstractCallSite.java:247)
at io.restassured.internal.ResponseSpecificationImpl$HamcrestAssertionClosure.validate(ResponseSpecificationImpl.groovy:471)
at io.restassured.internal.ResponseSpecificationImpl$HamcrestAssertionClosure$validate$1.call(Unknown Source)
at io.restassured.internal.ResponseSpecificationImpl.validateResponseIfRequired(ResponseSpecificationImpl.groovy:643)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.PogoMetaMethodSite$PogoCachedMethodSiteNoUnwrapNoCoerce.invoke(PogoMetaMethodSite.java:210)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.PogoMetaMethodSite.callCurrent(PogoMetaMethodSite.java:59)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.CallSiteArray.defaultCallCurrent(CallSiteArray.java:52)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.AbstractCallSite.callCurrent(AbstractCallSite.java:154)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.AbstractCallSite.callCurrent(AbstractCallSite.java:166)
at io.restassured.internal.ResponseSpecificationImpl.content(ResponseSpecificationImpl.groovy:265)
at io.restassured.specification.ResponseSpecification$content$1.callCurrent(Unknown Source)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.CallSiteArray.defaultCallCurrent(CallSiteArray.java:52)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.AbstractCallSite.callCurrent(AbstractCallSite.java:154)
at org.codehaus.groovy.runtime.callsite.AbstractCallSite.callCurrent(AbstractCallSite.java:190)
at io.restassured.internal.ResponseSpecificationImpl.body(ResponseSpecificationImpl.groovy:248)
at io.restassured.internal.ValidatableResponseOptionsImpl.body(ValidatableResponseOptionsImpl.java:268)
at RestTest.getRequestFindCapital(RestTest.java:27)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at org.testng.internal.MethodInvocationHelper.invokeMethod(MethodInvocationHelper.java:104)
at org.testng.internal.Invoker.invokeMethod(Invoker.java:645)
at org.testng.internal.Invoker.invokeTestMethod(Invoker.java:851)
at org.testng.internal.Invoker.invokeTestMethods(Invoker.java:1177)
at org.testng.internal.TestMethodWorker.invokeTestMethods(TestMethodWorker.java:129)
at org.testng.internal.TestMethodWorker.run(TestMethodWorker.java:112)
at org.testng.TestRunner.privateRun(TestRunner.java:756)
at org.testng.TestRunner.run(TestRunner.java:610)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.runTest(SuiteRunner.java:387)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.runSequentially(SuiteRunner.java:382)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.privateRun(SuiteRunner.java:340)
at org.testng.SuiteRunner.run(SuiteRunner.java:289)
at org.testng.SuiteRunnerWorker.runSuite(SuiteRunnerWorker.java:52)
at org.testng.SuiteRunnerWorker.run(SuiteRunnerWorker.java:86)
at org.testng.TestNG.runSuitesSequentially(TestNG.java:1293)
at org.testng.TestNG.runSuitesLocally(TestNG.java:1218)
at org.testng.TestNG.runSuites(TestNG.java:1133)
at org.testng.TestNG.run(TestNG.java:1104)
at org.testng.IDEARemoteTestNG.run(IDEARemoteTestNG.java:72)
at org.testng.RemoteTestNGStarter.main(RemoteTestNGStarter.java:127)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:498)
at com.intellij.rt.execution.application.AppMain.main(AppMain.java:147)

A: This is because if you look at the very top of your json, everything here is contained in an array. (Hence the square brackets).
While it is a little annoying it returns like this. An easy fix is to use something like the following:
body("capital", hasItem("Oslo"))

Source where I got the direct code answer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Firmicus Maternus
Christian author of the fourth century, wrote a work 'De errore profanarum religionum'
Firmicus Maternus, Christian author of the fourth century, wrote a work "De errore profanarum religionum". Nothing is known about him except what can be gleaned from this work, which is found in only one MS. (Codex Vaticano-Palatinus, Swc. X). Some references to the Persian Wars, and the fact that the work was addressed to the two emperors, Constantius II and Constans I, have led to the conclusion that it was composed during their joint reign (337-350). The work is valuable because it gives a picture of the character which the paganism of the later Roman Empire had taken, under the stress of the new spiritual needs aroused by contact with the religions of Egypt and the East. It aims, if one may judge from the mutilated introduction, at presenting from a philosophical and historical standpoint, reasons showing the superiority of Christianity over the superstitions and licentiousness of heathenism. In a general survey of pagan creeds and beliefs the author holds up to scorn the origin and practices of the Gentile cults. All its parts are not of equal merit or importance, from the purely historical standpoint. The first portion, in which the religions of Greece and the East are described, is merely a compilation from earlier sources, but in the latter section of the work, in which the mysteries of Eleusis, Isis, and especially Mithra are set forth in detail, with their system of curious passwords, formulae, and ceremonies, the author seems to speak from personal experience, and thus reveals many interesting facts which are not found elsewhere. The emperors are exhorted to stamp out this network of superstition and immorality, as a sacred duty for which they will receive a reward from God Himself, and ultimately the praise and thanks of those whom they rescue from error and corruption. The theory that the author of the Christian work was identical with Julius Firmicus Maternus Siculus, who wrote a work on astrology (De Nativitatibus sive Matheseos), assigned by Mommsen to the year 337 [" Hermes", XXIX (1894), 468 sq.], is favorably received by some, as well because of the identity of names and dates, as because of similarities in style which they are satisfied the two documents exhibit. This theory of course supposes that the author wrote one work before, the other after, his conversion. Critical edition by Halm (Vienna, 1867) in "Corpus Scrip. Eccles. Lat.", II.
PATRICK J. HEALY


Bastion is an Action RPG for Xbox Live Arcade coming out in Summer 2011 and PC later this year.
In Bastion, players take control of a character known as the Kid, who is thrust into a world that has literally crumbled around him in a great Calamity. He must now construct a safe haven and build a new world from the remnants of the past. The game features lush and imaginative artwork as well as an innovative reactive narration system that responds to the player's actions in real time all throughout the adventure. Bastion includes more than 30 areas to explore set in several wildly different environments, a variety of weapons and upgrades to discover, and a deep storyline to unravel.


text:
The Misconception Around the LeBron vs. Jordan Finals Argument
How is getting swept in the first round more impressive than losing in the Finals?
Christopher Pierznik
Sports punditry and analysis is always full of bad arguments and poorly thought-out opinions. But the worst sports argument of the past decade concerns LeBron James.
LeBron has played in seven consecutive NBA Finals and eight total. And critics point out that he's won *only* three.
His record in the Finals is 3–5. And that means he sucks.
Forget the fact that he's in the conversation as the greatest all-around player most of us have ever witnessed. Forget that he's been under a microscope since high school. Forget that he drags teams full of CYO players, D-League castoffs, and Old Timers legends to the final round every single year. Forget that he's done it in two cities with two completely different sets of teammates. Forget that in those eight years, he's had the lesser team at least five times. "In fact, LeBron never played for a team that entered the finals with more than a 2-in-3 chance of winning."
A King Among Men
LeBron James is (probably) the greatest basketball player we've ever seen, but MJ's shadow won't allow such a…
the-cauldron.com
If the Cavaliers win the East again this year and the Warriors once again win the West, LeBron will yet again face off against one of the best teams in the history of the sport.
But none of that matters. Because he sucks. Plain and simple.
He's no Michael Jordan.
And I agree that he's not Jordan, but the logic that so many people use to get there makes zero sense.
People say that this would never happen to Jordan. That his competitive spirit and will to win just dominated over everything and he would simply not let his team lose. After all, he was 6–0 in the Finals. That's perfect.
The flaw in that argument is that Michael Jordan played fifteen seasons in the NBA. Even if you exclude the two years with the Washington Wizards (which you shouldn't) because they missed the playoffs, that still leaves 13 seasons, meaning seven times he failed to even reach the Finals.
Michael Jordan's Performance as a Wizard Was Far Better Than You Remember
He was no longer superhuman, but he was an All-Star and, for a brief time, even a viable MVP candidate
Let's look at them individually:
1985: Jordan's rookie season. The seventh-seeded Chicago Bulls lose in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks 3 games to 1, the lone victory coming on a Jordan game-winner.
1986: The year Jordan broke his foot and played in 18 regular season games. He returned for the playoffs where the eight-seeded Bulls (who were twenty-two games under .500 and still made the playoffs) were swept by the eventual champion Boston Celtics. This was the series where MJ set the single-game scoring record with 63 at the Boston Garden in an overtime loss.
1987: Jordan averages an ungodly 37.1 points per game, but the Bulls once again finish eighth and once again get swept by Boston. It's clear Jordan needs help. Sound familiar?
1988: Jordan's ascension year, when he won MVP, the scoring title, the All-Star Game MVP, and the Defensive Player of the Year. He was undoubtedly the greatest player in the game and, unlike Steph Curry, he did it on both ends of the floor. His Bulls finished as the three-seed, but were defeated in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Detroit Pistons.
After four seasons, Jordan hadn't even made the Eastern Conference Finals in an NBA landscape that had only a few strong teams.
Meanwhile, in LeBron's fourth season he dragged a sorry Cleveland Cavaliers team to their first NBA Finals after an historic performance, also against the Pistons.
1989: Chicago takes a step back in the regular season, finishing sixth, but take the next step in the playoffs, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lose to Detroit in six.
1990: Phil Jackson replaces Doug Collins, the Bulls finish third, and push the Pistons to seven before once again falling, the pressure contributing to Scottie Pippen's migraine that left him virtually useless during the game.
1991–1993: They put it together and rip off three straight titles (with Jordan and Pippen adding a gold medal in the middle).
1994: Swing and a miss.
1995: The year everyone outside Orlando forgets. MJ returned for the final 17 games of the season wearing 45, was rusty, dropped a double nickle on the Knicks, looked good, and then looked a step slow in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. After stripping him in Game 1, Nick Anderson said, "Number 45 is not Number 23." Jordan went back to 23, but it wasn't enough as the upstart Magic, with Horace Grant, took out the Bulls in six. When asked what the Bulls needed to get back to the Finals, Jordan said, "We're a Horace Grant away."
1996–1998: There was nothing more frightening than a pissed off Jordan. After the '95 Playoffs, he went crazy in his preparation and lobbied for the Bulls to acquire Dennis Rodman. The result? The most wins in NBA history (until 2016) and a revenge sweep of Orlando en route to three more rings.
So, yes, Jordan won six rings in six Finals, but he also lost a lot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It wasn't until he had a great coach and an all-time great teammate, also a lock down defender like himself, that he was able to win.
You can't just parse a player's career by their record in the Finals. Jerry West, whose nickname was "Mr. Clutch," was 1–8 in the Finals. I guess he sucks too? Logo, my ass.
In 13 seasons with the Bulls, Jordan won six titles, but he also failed to make the Finals seven times.
In 14 seasons (prior to this one) with the Cavs and Miami Heat, LeBron won three titles, but has also made the Finals five other times. And he's played huge in huge games.
He led a team that overcame a 3–1 deficit against the team with the greatest regular season record in history, won a Game 7 on the road in which he played enormously, capping one of the greatest three game stretches in basketball history, including a season-saving block, the physics of which still defy all human logic.
He's the first player to ever average a triple-double in the Finals. No one — from Wilt to West to Kareem to Magic to Bird to Jordan to Shaq to Kobe — ever did that. He's been so great for so long that everyone simply takes it for granted.
LeBron Has Spoiled Us with His Greatness
After fifteen years of superiority, far too many of us take King James for granted and don't appreciate what we're…
So, at this point, LeBron has gotten farther more often, and with far worse coaches and teammates, than Jordan. Does that alone prove he's better than Jordan? Of course not. But, by the same token, his Finals losses also don't prove that he sucks and is a choker.
You can't win the championship unless you get to the championship round, so isn't it better to reach the Finals and give yourself a chance?
No, silly. It's clear that LeBron should've lost before reaching the Finals. This June, if Golden State is still looming, maybe Cleveland should lose in the Eastern Conference Finals so as to ensure his precious Finals record doesn't get any worse.
Christopher Pierznik is the author of nine books, all of which are available in paperback and Kindle. In addition to his own site, his work has appeared on XXL, Cuepoint, Business Insider, The Cauldron, and many more. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
I Was There: Michael Jordan's Final Game
Last week, I read (with escalating anger) the story of the Kobe Bryant fan who had the foresight to purchase tickets to…
christopherpierznik.com
I Was There: Seeing LeBron Play in High School
I haven't been to very many historical sporting events. No World Cup. No Super Bowl. No championship-clinching win. I…
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik
Books, Films, Sports, Rhymes & Life
Worst-selling author of 9 books • XXL/Cuepoint/The Cauldron/Business Insider/Hip Hop Golden Age • Wu-Tang disciple • NBA savant • Bibliophile


I tried getting into NimbleBit's Tiny Tower back when multiple Game Informer editors were breathlessly ranting about their miniature enterprises. Something about the free-to-play, microtransaction-focused formula didn't click with me. Open up new shops, stock products, and give the tiny Bitizens their dream jobs? Why? I didn't feel like babysitting a vertical mega mall. Then LucasArts/Disney Mobile came along and partnered with NimbleBit to put a Star Wars veneer across the entire experience with Tiny Death Star. Apparently all I needed was an 8-bit Emperor Palpatine barking orders at me and elevator-music versions of John Williams' themes to reel me in. Eventually my sporadic moments of tending to my Tiny Death Star snowballed into hours, and I was hooked. Then the unthinkable happened: A bug blindsided me with a debt so huge it would make Jabba feel sorry for me.
My Tiny Death Star started out great. I began like any enterprising Imperial officer might. I built some apartments, spent Imperial Bux to move in some residents, then tried to line them up with their dream jobs. With the help of GI's Tiny Tower veterans I was on my way to arming my battle station with fully operational cafes and toy stores. I adored hunting down Leia in the top-secret Imperial levels and watching Ewoks somehow travel from Endor to my Death Star to buy some Blue Milk. Things were looking up for the Empire's burgeoning moon-sized mall.
I even indulged in a microtransaction, a rare act I usually perform when I really like a free-to-play game and want to show my support to a developer. I purchased a $4.99 pack that scored me 4,500 coins and 50 Imperial Bux. Coins are earned by selling products in stores and spent on building new levels. Imperial Bux are Tiny Death Star's most valuable currency. These bills allow you to speed up the process of restocking and selling goods, building levels, and acquiring new Bitizens. I wasn't rolling in the credits, but I was getting by and enjoying myself.
And then I tried to give one special Bitizen his dream job at Rebo's Karaoke. Max Rebo is the chunky blue alien musician in Jabba's Palace from Return of the Jedi. Of course he would operate a karaoke place on the Death Star. I spent my last six Imperial Bux to custom order the music bar and was looking forward to earning some more coins. Then I noticed my balance. Through some enigmatic disturbance in the Force I suddenly had -136 Imperial Bux (check the image at the top of this article). Tiny Death Star only rarely awards players with free Bux. To put it in perspective, a pack of 150 Imperial Bux costs $9.99. I liked Tiny Death Star enough that I hadn't ruled out making a few more microtransactions in the future, but knowing I would have to throw down 10 Earth dollars before it made a difference was disheartening.
Normally this sort of glitch might make someone stop playing a game. Free-to-play games make their money on enticing players with game-improving microtransactions, so there's an implied trust that purchased currency is safe. But I liked the game itself, despite NimbleBit's unfortunate bug that required me to dig myself out of a -136 Bux debt. I refused to toss down the $9.99 on principle. I made a game out of pulling myself out of the hole. The Emperor threw me a Bux each time I hunted down a sneaky Rebel, awarded a Bitizen its dream job, or built a new level. It was slow going, but I was excited for the day when my Bux account would be out of the red.
I hit a wall around the -65 Bux mark. Despite building over 30 levels my elevator was still painfully slow, and couldn't be upgraded with out precious Bux. Finding new tenants also requires Bux. Without them, you need to wait an extremely long time or hope a Recruiting Officer VIP shows up to populate an apartment. It just wasn't happening, and without Bitizens I simply couldn't expand. Despite my crippling debt I continued to restock my stores and save up coins. Because who knows, maybe NimbleBit would update the game and solve my problem. Why would negative Bux even be a thing? Another Game Informer coworker had some Bux spontaneously docked from his account as well, so we know it's not an isolated incident. NimbleBit didn't respond to our request for comment or offer a solution to this mysterious ailment.
I never did pull myself out of debt the legitimate way. I'm proud of how close I got, however. One night my inhibitions were muted thanks to a couple of space beers, and I pulled the trigger on a microtransaction that would get me out of the hole. I felt dirty for giving NimbleBit money for a game that had essentially stolen from me. However, seeing my balance zeroed out was oddly satisfying. And then I just stopped playing. My goal had been reached, even if it was illegitimate. Construction of my Tiny Death Star has waned, and I imagine it's visually similar to the sad, half-completed iteration in Return of the Jedi. And there it will likely remain – easy pickings for a fleet of Rebels brave enough to make a run at my woefully exposed energy core. I don't even care if the soothing sounds of Rebo's Karaoke are muted by the biggest explosion the galaxy has seen since the Big Bang.
My experience in Tiny Death Star was a worst-case scenario for anyone dabbling in a microtransaction-based game. The digital rewards we receive for spending a few dollars here and there in free-to-play games are intangible and fleeting; something that's made even more apparent when your fake money is drained from your fake account. I'm not sure if I learned a specific lesson during my time with Tiny Death Star, but I can issue a warning. Don't expect the money you dump into free-to-play games to be safe. Like Obi-wan's corpse after falling to Vader's lightsaber, it can all disappear in an instant.


text:
Q: js apply decorator to function in object function decorator(target, key, descriptor) {
    console.log('decorated')
}

class User() {
    subscriptions: {
        @decorator
        function friends() {
        }
    }
}

Is there some way so I can use a decorator on any function (e.g. in a property object of a class like above)?


text:
Q: Fan is starting and then stopping before boot So I recently re-installed a new laptop motherboard in a acer aspire r3-471T. After I plug everything in and power it on it boots fine except that before the acer logo appears on the screen or f12 or f2 works, the fan turns on at full speed and then stops, and the fan won't start again. Other then that it is absolutely fine. It has a core i5, 2.2ghz, and 8gb ram, 4gb of those are built in. Also, it has no hard drive (I boot from a USB) and the place where the hardrive would plug in is empty because of this. Any ideas?

A: There is probably nothing wrong with your fan cable and connectors since the fan runs briefly in the beginning. If you want to make an effort anyway, re-seat the connectors at both ends of the fan cable.
Look at the BIOS settings to see what is available in the way of fan control, if anything.
The processor likely has a thermometer and can vary the fan speed. If the processor is not hot then it doesn't need to run the fan at a high speed. Perhaps your board was designed not to run the fan at all below a certain processor temperature.


It is widely acknowledged that you need to take a different approach to market to millennials. This generation has grown up with the internet, using social media regularly and they are much less willing to be 'sold' to than their parents and grandparents. They are also fierce consumers of beauty products. We examine how you can use augmented reality to successfully market to millennials.


text:
require 'fileutils'
require 'archive/tar/minitar'

module Vagrant
  module Action
    module General
      # A general packaging (tar) middleware. Given the following options,
      # it will do the right thing:
      #
      #   * package.output - The filename of the outputted package.
      #   * package.include - An array of files to include in the package.
      #   * package.directory - The directory which contains the contents to
      #       compress into the package.
      #
      # This middleware always produces the final file in the current working
      # directory (FileUtils.pwd)
      class Package
        include Util

        def initialize(app, env)
          @app = app

          env["package.files"]  ||= {}
          env["package.output"] ||= env["global_config"].package.name
        end

        def call(env)
          @env = env

          raise Errors::PackageOutputDirectory if File.directory?(tar_path)
          raise Errors::PackageOutputExists if File.exist?(tar_path)
          raise Errors::PackageRequiresDirectory if !env["package.directory"] ||
            !File.directory?(env["package.directory"])

          compress

          @app.call(env)
        end

        def recover(env)
          # There are certain exceptions that we don't delete the file for.
          ignore_exc = [Errors::PackageOutputDirectory, Errors::PackageOutputExists]
          ignore_exc.each do |exc|
            return if env["vagrant.error"].is_a?(exc)
          end

          # Cleanup any packaged files if the packaging failed at some point.
          File.delete(tar_path) if File.exist?(tar_path)
        end

        # This method copies the include files (passed in via command line)
        # to the temporary directory so they are included in a sub-folder within
        # the actual box
        def copy_include_files
          include_directory = Pathname.new(@env["package.directory"]).join("include")

          @env["package.files"].each do |from, dest|
            # We place the file in the include directory
            to = include_directory.join(dest)

            @env[:ui].info I18n.t("vagrant.actions.general.package.packaging", :file => from)
            FileUtils.mkdir_p(to.parent)

            # Copy direcotry contents recursively.
            if File.directory?(from)
              FileUtils.cp_r(Dir.glob(from), to.parent, :preserve => true)
            else
              FileUtils.cp(from, to, :preserve => true)
            end
          end
        end

        # Compress the exported file into a package
        def compress
          @env[:ui].info I18n.t("vagrant.actions.general.package.compressing", :tar_path => tar_path)
          File.open(tar_path, Platform.tar_file_options) do |tar|
            Archive::Tar::Minitar::Output.open(tar) do |output|
              begin
                current_dir = FileUtils.pwd

                copy_include_files

                FileUtils.cd(@env["package.directory"])
                Dir.glob(File.join(".", "**", "*")).each do |entry|
                  Archive::Tar::Minitar.pack_file(entry, output)
                end
              ensure
                FileUtils.cd(current_dir)
              end
            end
          end
        end

        # Path to the final box output file
        def tar_path
          File.expand_path(@env["package.output"], FileUtils.pwd)
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: What is the shear stress on a cube for a force acting tangent to one of its faces? For a force F acting tangent to a cube's face of side length $L$, I expected the shear stress to be $F/L^2$ but my text book says it's $2F/L^2$.
Also it says that this shear stress is equivalent to 2 equal and perpendicular tensile and compressive stresses, how is that?

A: *

*for the first part, your textbook maybe wrong or you are misinterpreting what it's saying.

*for the second part, shear stress can be equivalent to the situation when compressive and tensile stress causing forces are applied together. This is because the net force would be 0 but the forces may distort the body and create shear stress.

A: *

*I assume that you think the situation is like this :
when it's actually like this

*The second question is very unclear. You should write the name of the book with the page so that one could look at it


So I'm sick and my doctor prescribed me pain medication and I'm in A LOT of pain. But Is there a chance I will get addicted to it? I have never taken OxyContin before... I hear you can easily get addicted to it. So I don't know anything about it. Just I tend to develop addictions to stuff easily so I'm worried. Should I be worried about this? Should I just not take it?
If you need the medication, you should take it or if you're concerned about becoming addicted, you can talk to your doctor about other non-addictive options. If you do take it, follow the instructions and dosing information and call your doctor if you find yourself taking more or more often than that.
Thank you! I just took it so we should see. I followed all the instructions and my parents have the medication and are giving it to me when I need it so hopefully that helps!
Addiction is not a well defined concept. Anyone who takes oxycontin for an extended period of time- medically or not- will develop physical dependence and maybe even a psychological craving when stopping. Its just the nature of opioids. Not only can they cause withdrawal when stopping, but they work by activating beta-endorphin receptors in the brain--which can produce feelings of pleasure. So you are right in saying that there is a risk of addiction even for medical use.
But as far as full blown addiction- you'd need to take it for a long enough time and you'd have to probably start abusing it/start trying to get higher doses. It seems that since you are concerned about not getting addicted- then that automatically puts you into a lower risk group---much lower than the people who are taking it to get high; because for one, you are being cautious about it.
Ohhhh ok, thank you for really explaining this to me. I have never taken it before and so I really didn't know how it worked. Just that it was addictive. I definitely don't want to develop an addiction that's why I wanted to see how high the risk of having one was before I took it. Thank you again!


9 in the Grund valley.
Production of ironmongery and steelware for horti- and agriculture (see pic tools below), devices from iron for agri- and horticulture. Woodprocessing was a famous trade ( (joiner, carpenter, shingle and shingle root production).
1999 division in OM and UM (Medzev) again.
1858 3195 1950 Hornyansky, V.: Geographisches Lexikon des Königreichs Ungarn. Verlag Gustav Heckenast, Pest 1858.