text:
Indigenous Peoples' Day replaces Columbus Day
Indigenous Peoples' Day prevails across the country, even if the president doesn't acknowledge the change
Story by Tiana Kuchta, Op/Ed EditorOctober 14, 2019Leave a Comment
More stories from Tiana Kuchta
The Political Rundown
Indigenous Peoples' Day is gaining popularity in city and state legislatures across the country.
Photo by Submitted
The city of Eau Claire and the UW-Eau Claire campus celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day today, in place of Columbus Day.
Eau Claire City Council officially made the change on Oct. 10, 2017, and UW-Eau Claire's Student Senate passed a resolution last week to make the change official on campus as well.
Though Eau Claire made this change two years ago, Wisconsin as a whole made the change this fall as Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order to officially deem the second Monday in October Indigenous Peoples' Day, according to NBC15.
"Through this executive order, we recognize and appreciate our tribal nations and Indigenous people and their resilience, wisdom and the contributions they make to our state," Evers said. "Native Americans in Wisconsin and throughout our country have suffered unjust treatment — often at the hands of our government — and today is about recognizing that Wisconsin would not be all that it is without Indigenous people."
This change in the holiday has been happening all over the country for the past couple of years, fueled by indigenous people across the country who want people to stop idealizing Christopher Columbus and instead acknowledge the atrocities that he committed.
"Advocates for Indigenous Peoples' Day want to make clear that Christopher Columbus wasn't just an 'explorer' — he was the beginning of an era of decimation," according to NBC News.
While many cities and states across the nation are celebrating this change, it seems unlikely that the change will pass federally so long as Donald Trump is president.
Amidst Trump's usual flood of tweets every day, "Happy Columbus Day!" stood out This morning. The president's lack of empathy toward the original inhabitants of this nation is not surprising, but that doesn't mean it's not disappointing.
"Celebrating Columbus Day continues a dangerous narrative that erases Native American voices and minimizes the federal government's attempt at genocide and forced assimilation," Representative Deb Haal said in a statement to NBC News.
By choosing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead, we're acknowledging that what happened to Native Americans when Columbus made contact and the present-day implications of what happened to Native Americans as our country was built is unacceptable.
Many tribal nations have made the change to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, including Wisconsin's Oneida Nation — who have been observing the holiday since 2012, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
"Momentum is building for sharing our culture and getting proper education about the role Native Americans across this country have had and continue to build," Tehassi Hill, the Oneida Nation's chairman, said.
Tricia Zunker, associate justice of the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court, said Indigenous Peoples' Day is meant to recognize how colonialism negatively affected Native cultures.
"This is a way to kind of honor many, many people who were lost," Zunker said.
UW-Eau Claire celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day this evening with an event in Davies Student Center which included the placement of the 12 flags of the Wisconsin Tribal Nations and the relaunch of the university's land-use recognition statement, according to Denise Olson at UW-Eau Claire.
Kuchta can be reached at [email protected]
Tony Evers
Tiana Kuchta, Op/Ed Editor
Tiana Kuchta is a fourth-year English critical studies student. Outside of The Spectator, she enjoys spending her time reading, being with family, catching up on Netflix and being surrounded by cats.
The Spectator intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. As such, we do not permit the use of profanity, foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that might be interpreted as libelous. Comments are reviewed and must be approved by a moderator to ensure that they meet these standards. The Spectator does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments.
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This project was designed by Lucy from Sew Essential a family run business, founded in 2004 out of her mother in law's lifelong passion for sewing. They stock over 20,000 products on their site so you can find just what you need for your latest sewing or craft project. Everyone in the team loves sewing and craft meaning the products are tried and tested and advice and guidance is on tap.
Mother's Day is fast approaching and what better way to show your Mum you love her than with a handmade gift? We show you how to self draft a simple apron pattern and stitch it up in no time. We'll be using the delightful Gutermann patchwork fabric - Sew Essential have a wide range to choose from and you'll be sure to find the perfect print for your Mum.
The measurements given in this tutorial are based on a standard shop bought apron and should be suitable for most body shapes and sizes. However, you can adjust the measurements for the length or width of the apron if you wish.
Seam allowances of 1.5cm have been included for all pattern pieces.
Start by ironing your tracing paper with a hot, dry iron. Also wash, tumble dry and press your fabric so it is ready for sewing. If you don't have a tumble dryer just dry it as you normally would.
Start by drawing a rectangle 37.5cm (this is half the width of the apron including a 1.5cm seam allowance) x 74cm (this is the full length of the apron including a 1.5cm seam allowance for the neckline and 1.5cm seam allowance for the hem).
On the right hand side of the rectangle measure from the top of the apron along the length and mark a point (A) at 25.5cm.
Starting at the left hand side of the rectangle measure from left to right across the top of the rectangle and mark a point (B) 16.5cm.
On the left side of the rectangle measure from the top of the rectangle towards the bottom and mark point (C) at 16cm.
From point C draw a line 21cm long at right angles to the length of the rectangle and mark point (D).
Draw a curved line to join points A, B and D. You can use a french curve or curved ruler if you have one or simply draw it free hand. I drew it freehand using a pencil first then going over it in pen.
Now you need to draft a pocket, a waist strap piece, a neck strap piece and a facing.
Straps - Draw a rectangle 87cm (L) x 8cm (W) for the waist strap. You will need to cut two of these in fabric, but only one in paper.
Neck Strap - Draw a rectangle 54.5cm (L) x 8cm (W) for the neck strap. You will only need to draw and cut one of these.
Facing - Draw a rectangle 16.5cm (W) x 5.5cm (L) for the facing - this is half the width of the facing and the fabric will need to be cut on the fold. If you choose to make any alterations to the width of the top of the apron you will need to make the same adjustment to the width of the facing.
A good tip here is to fold the fabric so the selvedges meet near the middle of the fabric rather than at the edge so you cut into less of the fabric and will be left with a rectangle of fabric rather than scrappy pieces. You can use this to create a child's apron or another kitchen accessory such as oven gloves or a tea cosy perhaps.
Cut the main body of the apron and the facing out of your metre length of fabric by lining the longest edge of the main apron pattern piece and the shortest edge of the facing piece up with the fold of the fabric. The photograph shows the fabric wrong sides together but you can fold it right sides together as is normally suggested.
Cut the pocket and the straps out of your ½ metre length of fabric. The pocket should be cut on the fold and remember to cut two waist straps.
Start by sewing the underarm seams. Press the raw edge of the curved line under 3mm and then again 1.2cm and pin and stitch in place. The fabric will press nicely around the curve thanks to the fact it is cut on the bias as a result of the curved line. Press from the right side.
Next sew the straps. Fold each strap in half lengthways with right sides together and stitch 1.5cm seam along the length of the strap and across one end. A good tip here is to sew one diagonal stitch across the corner where the stitching lines meet to achieve a sharp corner.
Turn the straps through leaving the other end open (this will be sewn into a seam allowance anyway). You can use a loop turning tool such as this Clover one to make this task a lot quicker and easier.
Grade the seams as shown below.
Press the straps and top stitch the full length of each side to prevent them twisting with washing and wearing.
Position the neck strap between the right side of the facing and the right side of the apron. Make sure the strap seam is on the outside, next to the armhole seam of the apron and repeat on the other side making sure the strap isn't twisted and the strap is flush with the armhole seam of the apron.
Stitch in place along the neckline making sure the facing overhangs the edge of the apron 1.5cm at each side.
Press the seam open and trim the apron seam.
Press the facing seam back towards the apron so facing is lying flat and away from the apron. Fold the facing over the top of the apron so the right side of the facing is next to the right side of the apron and stitch the shortest ends of the facing together where they meet - i.e. where the pin is in the photo below.
Turn the facing back over to the wrong side of the apron. It should look like this when turned through.
Trim the excess apron strap fabric diagonally to reduce any bulk taking care not to trim too close to the seam.
Press the facing back down on the wrong side of the apron and press the raw edge under 3mm.
Pin the facing in place and stitch down one side, across the length then back up the other side joining with your stitching line on your straps - i.e. 3mm from edge.
Insert the raw edge of a waist strap into the seam allowance at the top of the side seam folding it out and away from the apron then pin it in place as shown in the image below. Stitch along the folded edge 3mm from the fold.
When you stitch across the strap continue stitching to create a square where the strap overlaps the apron stitching through the middle of the square to secure the straps as shown in the image below.
Press the top edge of the pocket under 3mm then 1.2cm and stitch in place.
Press the sides and the bottom edge under 1.5cm there is no need to press under the raw edges.
Fold the apron in half length ways and mark the halfway point then position pocket where you would like it on the apron measuring from the top edge to the unfinished hem of the apron to check it is level.
Stitch the pocket in place about 3mm from the folded edges.
Complete a second line of stitching parallel to the stitching at the edges sewing squares with crosses through them at the top corners of the pocket to secure it in the same way you did for the waist straps.
Press the hem under 3mm then 1.2cm and stitch in place.
One final press and all that's left to do is wrap your beautiful handmade gift ready to impress your Mum!
For other projects to sew as gifts see here.


text:
Home » ARNOCORPS + HUMMUNE
Joiners presents...
Age restriction 14+
Fri 19 Jul 2019 19:30
Well-steeped in the heroic tales of their Austrian heritage, ArnoCorps take ancient myths such as "Predator," "Commando," "Terminator" and "Total Recall" and set them to a sonic onslaught known as action-adventure hardcore rock 'n' roll. While many in the press have foolishly mistaken the Austro-Californian pioneers as an Arnold Schwarzenegger tribute band, ArnoCorps actually seek to expose the shameless exploitation of their ballsy folklore at the hands of the Hollywood hype machine. Through ArnoCorps, the world can finally hear these cherished legends in the way they were meant to be told, empowering listeners to unlock their own potential to become "goddamn heroes and sheroes".
Although known for hurling volunteer audience members record distances and crowdsurfing on top of their guitar cases in displays of superhuman athleticism, there is no need to fear ArnoCorps' explosive performances; they are a rescue team, not assassins. The spectacle extends beyond the stage as attendees of ArnoCorps' fabled live audio assaults are frequently adorned in camouflage face paint and uniforms that rival the adventure-ready appearance of the band themselves. However, even newcomers will find a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere amidst a frenzy of bonding and unity under the ArnoCorps banner of ballsy defiance.
Experiencing "the pump" is inevitable through crowd participation, including on-stage calisthenics challenges and impromptu, all-gender (and all body type) bodybuilding posedowns. Based in the San Frantastic Bay Area since the year 2000, ArnoCorps' battle against cinematic Austroploitation is an international mission, having conducted headline tours of the UK and Ireland in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017 while extending their reach to mainland Europe in 2015. The band were tasked with headlining opening night of 2015's Bloodstock Festival and continue to garner critical acclaim, including a perfect 10 out of 10 rating from the BBC, described as "the most fun live show you could imagine" by Metal Hammer and "enough to leave Manowar sweating through their loincloths" by Kerrang! Magazine.
Help Restore The Joiners
The Joiners is an historic building for Southampton's music scene and is over 100 years old, some parts of the building are in constant need of ...
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.codec.prefixtree.builder;

import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.List;

import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.SmallTests;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.codec.prefixtree.encode.tokenize.Tokenizer;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.codec.prefixtree.encode.tokenize.TokenizerNode;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.codec.prefixtree.encode.tokenize.TokenizerRowSearchResult;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.SimpleMutableByteRange;
import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.Bytes;
import org.junit.Assert;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.junit.runners.Parameterized;
import org.junit.runners.Parameterized.Parameters;

@Category(SmallTests.class)
@RunWith(Parameterized.class)
public class TestTokenizer {

  @Parameters
  public static Collection<Object[]> parameters() {
    return new TestTokenizerData.InMemory().getAllAsObjectArray();
  }

  private List<byte[]> inputs;
  private Tokenizer builder;
  private List<byte[]> roundTripped;

  public TestTokenizer(TestTokenizerData sortedByteArrays) {
    this.inputs = sortedByteArrays.getInputs();
    this.builder = new Tokenizer();
    for (byte[] array : inputs) {
      builder.addSorted(new SimpleMutableByteRange(array));
    }
    this.roundTripped = builder.getArrays();
  }

  @Test
  public void testReaderRoundTrip() {
    Assert.assertEquals(inputs.size(), roundTripped.size());
    Assert.assertTrue(Bytes.isSorted(roundTripped));
    Assert.assertTrue(Bytes.equals(inputs, roundTripped));
  }

  @Test
  public void testSearching() {
    for (byte[] input : inputs) {
      TokenizerRowSearchResult resultHolder = new TokenizerRowSearchResult();
      builder.getNode(resultHolder, input, 0, input.length);
      TokenizerNode n = resultHolder.getMatchingNode();
      byte[] output = n.getNewByteArray();
      Assert.assertTrue(Bytes.equals(input, output));
    }
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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How is McComb School District supporting practitioners (teachers) in the transition to a personalized, competency-based system? They are trying out different strategies to figure out what might work best.
– Frontloading was too much: They started with twenty days of professional development over the summer to the Summit practitioners. But they discovered that it was too much frontloading. Practitioners needed bite-size pieces of professional development with opportunity to implement a few practices, reflect, and finetune before taking on the next set of practices. They feel that twenty days is needed to cover the full mix of pedagogy, personalized learning that empowers scholars, competency-based, and blended – but just not at one time.
– Micro-credentialing is helpful but not powerful enough: They have also tried micro-credentialing. As they introduced blended learning practices, they had practitioners identify a skill that they wanted to build, and, when they had demonstrated it, they received a micro-credential. It has been helpful but isn't enough to dramatically change practice.
– Professional learning communities to transfer knowledge and build consistency: They are now working with a model that has practitioners in one grade level from two different elementary schools working together as a monthly professional learning community. They want to have all personalized learning practitioners participating in a PLC so they can transfer knowledge across schools, begin to moderate expectations of what it means to be proficient, and build up a districtwide approach to personalized learning.
Developing a mindset for high expectations and growth: Exploring what it means to design a system that supports all scholars. Supporting adults to develop their growth mindset and understand how to support scholars in developing it.
Creating personalized learning environments: Understanding classroom management practices for a personalized learning environment includes shared vision, target trackers, and others.
Planning for instruction in personalized environment: Developing units that support personalized learning with scholars working on different standards.
Assessing for mastery: Building assessment literacy on formative assessments and how to determine proficiency.
Using data to inform instruction: Developing strategies to help scholars use data, and using data to inform instruction and professional learning.
Using technology to support personalized learning: What are the types of technological resources available and how to use them.
Going forward, McComb is organizing professional learning into two categories. First are the topics related to mindsets, classroom management, and instruction. The second is how technology can support learning, including how to use data.


Community for language learners to meet, discuss, and share resources.
Or anything else that comes to mind!
Posting here is encouraged and posts will only be deleted if irrelevant to language learning. Feel free to post starting a discussion, asking a question, or recommending a resource. English will be the primary language of the community, but members are welcome to post in any language. There will also be regular posts opened by the moderator for discussion in or about particular languages. If your language is not well-represented here, please start a post or let me know by leaving a comment and I'd be happy to change that!
As always, be respectful of others when posting or commenting in the community.


To find out more information about Willing Family Chiropractic PC, please review the contact information below in order speak with Willing Family Chiropractic PC.
Willing Family Chiropractic PC is a chiropractic practice that delivers chiropractic services to patients in Chattanooga, TN.
Are you Willing Family Chiropractic PC in Chattanooga, TN?


text:
Iain Dale: And the politician my next fund-raiser will be for is…
By Iain Dale
Follow @IainDale
Iain Dale: The time has come to dig up Cameron's green tree
Iain Dale: How Harry and Meghan sunk Barry Gardiner's Labour leadership bid
Iain Dale: Downing Street is keeping a beady eye on the BBC
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publications, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.
I used to do a lot of speaking to local Conservative Associations, but until last Saturday I had only done one event – and that was in Witney. Well, when the PM asks, it's a bit difficult to say no, isn't it? I thought it was worth at least a knighthood but, hey, I understand that I have to join the queue.
Anyway, the one last weekend was for my local association in Tunbridge Wells, and it was great fun. Andrew Kennedy, the local agent, is another one who it's difficult to say no to, so off I toddled to a magnificent house in Calverley Park, which is in the posh bit of Royal Tunbridge Wells – or RTW, as it is known locally.
I did a short speech, and then we opened it up to a discussion – and very spirited it was too. But in over an hour, the issue of Europe didn't come up once. That's something that would never have happened ten years ago.
Next week, shock horror, I'm doing another political fundraiser. Brace yourselves. It's for Lynne Featherstone – yes, the Liberal Democrat MP. She's a mate and did sterling work on equal marriage, so I've decided to do it – and hang the consequences. All I need now is to do one for a Labour and UKIP MP or candidate, and I will truly be able to say that I have been politically balanced.
Anyone seen Mo Ansar on TV lately? Nope, me neither. Job well done, there, I think.
Sometimes I despair of Conservative ministers, particularly those who are mute. One example is Helen Grant. I've had most ministers on my radio show at some point, but every time we invite her on, the DCMS press office refuse to put her up. Oh, she's far too busy, they say.
Really? Too busy to comment on this outrageous FIFA report? Any Sinister of sport worth their salt would surely want to express their outrage. Not Helen. In fact, it's quite difficult to think of a single thing she has ever said or done while in the post. This ought to be one of the most high profile junior ministerial posts. It's one most MPs would almost kill for. It's one where you can really make a difference, as Hugh Robertson so ably demonstrated. What's the point of being in a job where your civil servants' main task appears to be to keep you off the nation's airwaves?
Isn't it about time we heard from the Bow Group? They've been remarkably silent of late. One can but be thankful, I suppose.
I do sometimes wonder if the producers of the Daily Politics have a plan to keep me and Andrew Neil apart. Every time I go on the programme as their Guest of the Day it's on a Tuesday – the one day of the week Andrew has off.
I quite like it in a way, because you get to stay for the whole hour and get more airtime, but I do love Andrew. He is by far and away the best interviewer on TV, and has such a huge breadth of knowledge. He has such a brilliant way of phrasing a question, so brilliant that my own producer on LBC sometimes says in my ear when I am interviewing a slippery politician "Do what Andrew Neil would do".
Much as I would hate to lose him from the Daily Politics, it is a scandal he was never offered the main presenter's job on Newsnight. He would have been brilliant, and totally owned the programme. Which is, of course, why he was never offered it.
Who are these 'dark forces' Ed Miliband seems so frightened of? Jason Cowley? Toby Helm? Patrick Wintour? I think we should be told.
So six days to go until the Rochester & Strood by-election – or Stroud as Ed Davey likes to call it. Now there was me thinking that the Prime Minister had promised to throw the kitchen sink at this by-election, and do what is now called "a Newark". I have to say I see scant evidence of that having happened. The media have already decided it is a UKIP gain and, from the polls, it's difficult to believe that any other result is a possibility.
Labour should hang their heads in collective shame that they haven't put up a proper fight, though. Admittedly under different boundaries, this was a Labour constituency from 1997 to 2010. It is the kind of seat that Labour ought to be taking seriously if they want to win a majority. Mind you, it's also a seat which the Conservatives need to win back in May 2015 if they want to form any kind of government. And my suspicion is that could well happen. And as for the LibDems? Yet another lost deposit, I suspect.
Sepp Blatter. Twat.
I hosted a business breakfast for LBC yesterday at which Richard Reed, the co-founder of Innocent Smoothies, was the guest speaker. I struggle to remember the context in which he related this anecdote, but it doesn't really matter. He told of an eight year old girl who was flying on Qantas and decided to send a note to the pilot. It read something like this…
"Dear Captain, my name is Nicola and I am 8 years old. This is my first flight but I'm not scared. I like to watch the clouds go by. My mum says the crew is nice. I think your plane is good. Thanks for a nice flight. Don't f**k up the landing. Luv Nicola."
With that the audience clapped. I marched on stage, and said to Richard: "Make sure you don't f**k up the Q&A now…". Perhaps you had to be there…
Andrew Kennedy Andrew Neil Bow Group Conservatives David Cameron MP Ed Davey MP Ed Miliband MP EU Europe Helen Grant MP Hugh Robertson MP Jason Cowley Labour Liberal Democrats Lynne Featherstone MP Mo Ansar Patrick Wintour Richard Reed Rochester and Strood Sepp Blatter Sport Toby Helm Tunbridge Wells UKIP Witney
43 comments for: Iain Dale: And the politician my next fund-raiser will be for is…


LAIKA Studios that powerhouse of stop motion greatness has officially announced the title of it's next film starring Zoe Saldana, Hugh Jackman, and Zach Galifianakis. The film titled MISSING LINK has a Spring 2019 release date and has been described as a globe trotting adventure. This film is anticipated to be one of the largest in scope for LAIKA which means lots and lots of locations. LAIKA has also released its first image of the film which features a Big Foot type character seemingly shooshing the audience from behind a tree. OH MAN THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!!!
To give you the full explanation and all the goods associated with the film we've included the press release below for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
[Cannes, France; May 8, 2018] – LAIKA, the animation studio behind the Academy Award® nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, andCoraline, announces its fifth and most ambitious film to date: MISSING LINK. The title, U.S. release date (Spring, 2019) and complete cast details were revealed today by LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight as he prepares to meet with foreign buyers at the Cannes Film Festival. Missing Link will be distributed in the U.S. by Annapurna Pictures. AGC International, the sales and distribution division of AGC Studios, is handling international sales.
The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman) considers himself to be the world's foremost investigator of myths and monsters. The trouble is none of his small-minded high-society peers seems to recognize this. Sir Lionel's last chance for acceptance by the adventuring elite rests on traveling to America's Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature. A living remnant of Man's primitive ancestry. The Missing Link.
Bursting with humor, heart, and a profound message of acceptance and finding one's place, Missing Link is written and directed by Oscar® nominee Chris Butler (ParaNorman). LAIKA's head of production and Oscar® nominee Arianne Sutner (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings) is producing with Mr. Knight, who earned an Academy Award® nomination and BAFTA win for his directorial debut on Kubo.


TOWNS and villages across Tynedale are famed for their community spirit, with a huge range of groups and activities taking place to help make the communities friendlier and happier places.
So it could be seen as a surprise that the latest figures released by the British Red Cross show that 51 per cent of adults in Northumberland don't feel well connected to their local community.
The Red Cross polled more than 4,000 adults and found that 60 per cent of people in the North-East said they had become much less involved with their community over time, with 27 per cent saying there were not people they knew well in their local community.
The survey also found that 44 per cent of people said their neighbours were like strangers to them.
But in some parts of Tynedale, there appears to be lots going on to prevent loneliness and encourage community spirit.
It was only last month that the district featured on the BBC's Countryfile with the story of how local choir the Song Reivers brought people together around the secluded hamlet of Tarset.
The episode focused on rural isolation and recognised that in the countryside, isolation and loneliness could be a real problem.
Some parts of the Tyne Valley, particularly parts of the Upper North Tyne and Redesdale, have limited bus services which could cut people off further from people and services in larger communities such as Haltwhistle, Prudhoe and Hexham.
Age UK Northumberland said up to 12,000 older people had been identified as lonely in Northumberland.
Factors such as having nobody to talk to, being widowed, retiring, poor health, money issues and living alone are all seen to contribute to the problem – and many of these are more prevalent among the older population.
The charity provides lunch clubs on a Monday and Thursday in Corbridge, and on a Thursday in Allendale, where people can get a hot meal, meet friends and enjoy social activities together.
It also provides falls prevention classes and long-term conditions courses in Hexham and Bellingham, which are exercise classes which help people who are at risk of falls or who live with a long term condition, to improve their quality of life and give them more strength and confidence.
Some smaller communities have shown outstanding commitment to getting the whole community involved in projects, with Humshaugh having a community-run shop and Slaley having a community-run shop and pub – and having recently expressed an interest in taking on the Commemoration Hall.
These provide volunteer opportunities for residents giving them a chance to mix with local people in their area. But despite all that goes on in our thriving and friendly communities, it's worth remembering that it appears that a significant percentage of people are feeling left behind.


text:
Q: Convert from String to Unsigned Long and back How do you convert a string to an unsigned long so that the unsigned long represents the characters in the string as 8bit numbers?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: What I want to do is turn a string of 4 characters into a long of the same four characters in ASCII code format.

A: Assuming "str" is the string (std::string) and "res" the unsigned long you want to write into.
Like this:
for (std::string::iterator i = str.begin(); i != str.end(); ++i) {
    res <<= 8;
    res += *i;
}

But it will only work for a string no longer than 4 characters (assuming the unsigned long is 32 bit wide, 8 characters if it is 64 bit)
It will put the first character into the most significant byte of the unsigned long, if you want it the other way around, you could use rbegin, rend.
Edit: res has to be assigned to itself otherwise the result is lost.

A: largely the same solution, making less assumptions on integral types sizes and checking the maximum string size that can be translated this way:
#include <string>
#include <algorithm>
#include <iostream>
#include <climits>

int main()
{
  const size_t MAX = sizeof(unsigned long);

  std::string s("abcd");
  unsigned long res = 0;

  for (size_t i=0; i < std::min(MAX, s.size()); ++i)
  {
    res <<= CHAR_BIT;
    res += (unsigned char) s[i];
  }

  std::cout << std::hex << res;
}

prints
61626364

the casting to unsigned char is for the case your string contains high ASCII, i.e. values higher than 127, in which case char would be negative. Try the string "\226\226\226\226" instead and you will get incorrect result)
EDIT: BTW, in your subject you say "and back", so here's the reverse transformation:
#include <limits>

std::string tostr(unsigned long x)
{
  // this will mask out the lower "byte" of the number
  const unsigned long mask = std::numeric_limits<unsigned char>::max();

  if (x == 0)
    return std::string("0");

  std::string res;
  for (; x > 0; x >>= CHAR_BIT) {
    res += (char) (x & mask);
  }

  // we extracted the bytes from right to left, so need to reverse the result
  std::reverse(res.begin(), res.end());
  return res;
}

http://ideone.com/Cw7hF

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Tips for optimizing landing page design?
Hi everyone, has anyone had any good learnings for increasing form submissions? I'd love to know what you found. I know the number of form fields can vary, but I'd love to get a general sense of what page designs have worked best for you. If anyone would be up for sharing a winning landing page, I would love to see that too. For reference, my goal is collect more email addresses via content downloads without drastically reducing the overal quality of the collected email addresses.
Re: Tips for optimizing landing page design?
If you are willing to share your landing page, I am sure many members of the community can put forward ideas for things to test based on their experiences!
I tend to find that clarity works best on landing pages. A strong, clear headline, an outline of the benefits for the user and an easy to find call to action!
We've done quite a bit of landing page testing, and our goals sound similar in that we're trying to get people to provide their information in exchange for a download. From research we know that you have under 5 seconds to engage and impress first time viewers before they leave your landing page. So you need to make sure the page is immediately seen as relevant, visually appealing, etc.
1. The landing page should have a single purpose, providing an easy path to conversion. Remove alternate links, navigation, clutter.
2. Have a strong, clear call to action (and test this!). This should basically tell the user what to do, and it should be above the fold.
3. For buttons, contrasting colors tend to work best (test this too!). The call to action on the button should be specific to what the user will get - never use "Submit." For downloads, we've found that "Download Now" tends to work best.
4. Have a strong headline. This is what people will see first and will have the biggest impact on whether they stay or go. Test this of course... but we've found that linking the headline or subheadline with the button call to action works well. For example, if the button says "Download Now," then we've found if the headline or subheadline includes something like "Download our ...[fabulous document]" this works well.
5. Message match is important. How are you promoting your landing page? Banners? Email? PPC? It's important to make sure that there is visual continuity between the ads/promotions/emails and the landing page. And the wording/phrasing should also match pre- to post-click. If using PPC you can also use dynamic keyword insertion to help achieve this goal.
7. We've found for downloads, it helps to use a visual of the document - a 'preview' if you will.
8. You might want to test whether your form is on the right or left... we've had good luck with the form on the left side.
If you could share a little more about your situation, registration process, etc., I can probably give you additional insight on the registration piece. Obviously less fields works best, but for us, we need to collect a lot of information. So we've done a lot of testing on what works best to get a user to provide 'full' information vs. just an email.
Thank you, these are very helpful. I actually don't have a URL to share yet, we are still working on it. Thanks again.
I have been reading the great tips in this chat. I just joined Optiverse and am about to start A/B testing my site. What optimization tips could you give me for avocadosfrommexico.com?


Antibodies are glycoproteins that specifically recognize antigen. They're produced by cells of the immune system - called B cells or plasmocytes - in order to block and neutralize foreign agents while infection occurs. In case of auto-immunity diseases (e.g. diabetes, lupus…) antibodies are secreted against host molecules, and are consequently named auto-antibodies.
Antibodies are part of the immunoglobulin family, composed by 4 chains of amino-acids : two light chains and two heavy chains, shaping a Y letter. Each light chain consists of a constant domain and a variable domain; heavy chains are composed of a variable fragment and three or four constant fragments according to the isotype. For a given antibody, the two heavy chains are identical, likewise for the two light chains.
The association between a variable domain carried by a heavy chain (VH) and the adjacent variable domain carried by a light chain (VL) constitutes the site of recognition of the antigen, called paratope. As for the portion of the antigen that is specifically recognized is named epitope. Thus, an immunoglobulin molecule has two antigen binding sites, one at the end of each arm. These two sites are identical (but intended for different epitopes), hence the ability to bind two molecules of antigen by antibody.
What is the antibody isotype?
The isotype of an antibody refers to its class. In fact, antibodies are divided in class and subclasses depending on their structure of their heavy chain. A different structure of an antibody affects directly its valence, its means the number of epitopes the antibody is able to recognize. The γ, α, μ, ε and δ chains correspond respectively to IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE and IgD immunoglobulins. There are also subclasses of immunoglobulins, reflecting finer differences between heavy chains, and being radically different for each species.
The human thus has four subclasses of IgG and two subclasses of IgA, whereas rat and guinea pig species have only two subclasses of IgG, and rabbit present only one subclass of IgG but fourteen IgA subtypes ! There are also light chain isotypes, which can be κ (kappa) or λ (lambda).
Isotype controls are a type of negative control designed to measure the level of non-specific background signal caused by primary antibodies. They match the class and type of the primary antibody used in your application, and lack the specificity for your antigen. Ideally, the isotype control should match the species, the heavy chain, subclass and light chain of your primary antibody. If using a directly labeled primary antibody, it is important to select an isotype control conjugated to the same fluorochrome.
How is the antibody diversity generated?
Antibodies are encoded by V, D and J genes undergoing recombination in B cells. This recombination is, in association with the phenomena of somatic hypermutation and junctional variability, the source of their diversity.
The B cell leaves the bone marrow without ever having seen the epitope of its antigen: the specificity and the affinity of the membrane antibody, and consequently of the circulating antibody produced, are determined before the encounter. To adjust these parameters to the antigen initiating a humoral mediated immune response, the activated B cell clone will initiate somatic hypermutation: the genetic recombination at the origin of the immunoglobulin produced will undergo mutations in its sequence which will adjust the hypervariable regions to the epitope. Mutations take place on the variable segments of the light and heavy chains.
This phenomenon mainly participates in the modulation of the affinity of the antibody for its epitope: the lymphocyte B whose membrane immunoglobulin has a low affinity for an antigen may, without recruiting another B lymphocyte, increase the affinity of the antibody.
Occurring in all species, the mechanism of somatic hypermutation can be coupled with another phenomenon in rare cases : gene conversion. In guinea pig species for instance, we observe the non-reciprocal transfer of sequence information. The exchange can be between a pair of non-allelic sequence (in this case we speak of gene conversion), or between a pair of allelic sequence (in this case we speak of an interallelic gene conversion).
Discover unique guinea pig antibody repertoire!
A monoclonal antibody recognizes only one epitope of a given antigen and comes from only one single B clone. The polyclonal antibodies are a mixture of antibodies recognizing different epitopes on a given antigen, each idiotype being secreted by a different plasmocyte. During the immune response, an organism synthesizes antibodies directed against several epitopes of an antigen: the answer is called polyclonal. In vivo, meaning in animal, the response is always polyclonal.
Do you know that SYnAbs can offer both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies?
Which cells can produce antibodies?
Producing monoclonal antibodies in vitro has long been difficult, because of the short life of antibody-secreting cells, the B cells. The antibodies were then obtained in vivo by injecting the animal with a given antigen and collecting the antibodies in its blood or ascites after intraperitoneal injection. This method gave antibodies but polluted by many impurities.
In the late 1970s, César Milstein and Georges Köhler developed the hybridoma technique in mouse, while Hervé Bazin developed the hybridoma technique in rat species thanks to unique proprietary myeloma cell line. Hervé Bazin is at the origin of SYnAbs company.
The antigen is injected into the animal, and spleen cells are removed after a few weeks. In these cells are plasmocytes secreting antibodies directed specifically against the selected antigen. These plasma cells are then fused in vitro with myelomas (or fusion partners) - by electrofusion or PEG adding - which are tumor cells with the property of multiplying indefinitely.
Do you know SYnAbs can produce several grams per year of your mAb reference in hybridoma cell culture?
The hybrid cells obtained (called hybridoma) are selected and then multiplied in a suitable culture medium. After limit dilution, they produce monoclonal antibodies, very pure and in large quantities. The key of hybridoma stability is to fuse myeloma cell line and B cell coming from the same species to avoid any chromosomal aberration and to ensure the generation of high producer clones. This is why SYnAbs has developed its own rat and guinea pig myeloma cell lines to create homo-hybridoma cells only.
Genetic engineering today makes it possible to produce monoclonal antibodies that can be used in human clinical practice.
The easiest system for expression of mammalian proteins remains the human embryo kidney cell line 293 (HEK 293). Despite the fact that creation of high producer expression system has been continuously improved, it is still too time-consuming and expensive for research applications, or if large numbers of individual antibodies have to be produced for screening purposes.
In this case, transient antibody expression in HEK cell line is much more suitable because it allows fast and parallelized production without any need to generate stable producer cell lines. We add that transient mammalian antibody production can be easily scaled up by employing batch or fed-batch mode during UpStream process and finally generate grams of desired monoclonal antibodies or recombinant proteins.
The human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines have been widely used for transient recombinant protein expression because they can be very efficiently transfected with plasmid DNA using polyethyleneimine (PEI) or calcium phosphate. This cell line also has several derivatives incuding HEK-293T that stably expresses the simian virus 40 (SV40) T-antigen, or HEK293E transformed with the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1).
While hybridoma cell lines are sufficient for producing small amounts of monoclonal antibodies, a lot of limitations arise when we start speaking about large-scale commercial manufacturing.
When evaluating possible expression systems for monoclonal antibodies production, several factors need to be taken into account. First, they need to easily be genetically modified in order to ensure high productivity capacity and high success rate during stable transfection step. Then, these host cell lines have to confer the proper post-translational modifications of folded recombinant proteins. At last, the chosen expression system has to be safe and not susceptible to adventitious agents.
Through many years of experimentations with CHO cell lines since 1919, it appears they met several of these requirements, also with the ability of fast cell culture scaling-up.
The first product produced in CHO cells, approved in 1987, was a recombinant therapeutic protein manufactured by Genentech called Activase ; the yields were around 100 mg/liter and the media in which the cells grew contained animal products, such as fetal bovine or fetal calf serum.
Today, many blockbusters are produced in CHO cell lines, including Humira (adalimumab), Enbrel (etanercept), Rituxan (rituximab), Avastin (bevacizumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab), Erbitux (cetuximab), Xolair (omalizumab), Orencia (abatacept), Actemra (tocilizumab) and Xgeva (denosumab). Serum free media and animal component free media for this particular expression system are continuously monitored as well as oxygen levels, CO2 levels, and waste product. This information combined with improvements in cell engineering has led to more productive cell culture with average production yields from 2-6 grams/liter.
How long does it take to generate a monoclonal antibody?
A classical project for the generation of a new monoclonal antibody will take an average of three to four months.
After an in-depth analysis of the targeted antigen, SYnAbs start the project with the generation of the antigen if needed, or the subcontracting of chemical synthesis or small peptide generation with our partner. The customer can also provide the antigen if this option is chosen.
Depending of the antigen, SYnAbs offers different species (mouse, rat, guinea pig) and immunization routes. After injection, the immune serum will be tested at day 30 with an ELISA and the best-immunized animal will receive a third immunization and the fusion will be done with this animal after 8 weeks.
Fusion of the splenocytes or the poplitea lymph nodes cells will be done by electrofusion with proprietary IR-983, SYn SP2O fusion cell line depending of the chosen species. After the fusion, the cells are dispensed in 96 well plates (between 10 to 20, depending on the initial number of cells). About 2 weeks later, hybridom begin to appear in wells. When the cells are in confluence and the medium yellow, the supernatant is tested by ELISA.
During the next 4 weeks, the clones will be firstly screened by ELISA on different antigens depending on the specific requirements of the project (cross-reactivity,…) and a maximum of 20 positives clones are kept and stored in nitrogen. The selected clones, will be finally subcloned by limit dilution and adapted in medium.
What are the different antibody formats available?
Greg Winter's team demonstrated in 1989 that it was possible to obtain affinities of the order of ten nanomolar using only the variable domains (V) VH (H for heavy chain) of mouse antibodies obtained by in vitro selection from immunized animals. The authors created for the occasion the term dAb for single domain antibodies. They already mentioned the property of these dAb to target epitopes inaccessible to conventional antibodies. This discovery remained anecdotal until 1993 when a team demonstrated the presence of conventional antibodies but also antibodies devoid of light chains and CH1 domains (C for constant domain) in the serum of camels. These antibodies called HcAb for heavy chain only antibodies bind their targets by a single variable domain named VHH to differentiate it from conventional VH.
By reference to their small size, camel dAb, considered as the smallest active antibody fragments, are sometimes called nanobodies. It should be noted that all camelids, including camels, llamas and vicuñas, express this type of antibody. In parallel, similar antibodies have also been found in some types of sharks. They are then called Ig-NAR (for new antigen receptor) and their only variable domain is called V-NAR.
Subsequently, several teams have developed antibody engineering approaches that first partially confer the properties of lama dAb to human VH (camelization) by substitution of key residues, then finally select in vitro from large libraries of human VH or VL (L for Light Chain) optimized domains, human dAb whose stability and expression performance properties were close to those of natural dAbs.
the others as a "framework" of construction starting from which more complex molecules could be elaborated.
In soluble form, this small molecule dAb has the advantage of being able to penetrate the tissues much more efficiently than a whole antibody, and especially in solid tumors. However, since the nanobodies are smaller than the filtration limit of the renal glomeruli, they are rapidly eliminated in the urine. To avoid this problem, a first approach is to chemically couple a molecule of PEG (polyethylene glycol) to dAb (PEGylation). A much more elegant solution is to fuse a dAb of interest to another dAb affine for albumin, a protein that is very abundant in the serum, thus conferring on the fusion protein a much longer half-life, depending on the Affinity of anti-albumin dAb. Finally, another solution is to multimerize the dAb, so as to simultaneously increase the molecular weight and the apparent affinity of the resulting molecule. The use of these "dAb modules" also makes it possible to create multivalent and multispecific molecules capable, for example, of retargeting cells of the immune system towards target cells.
An important property of dAbs is their ability to maintain their stability in the absence of a disulfide bridge, unlike most conventional fragments such as scFv (single chain variable fragment), VH domain linked to the VL domain by a peptide of linkage.


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Undone by Love: The Neighbor
(Note: This was from last week. The web site was down and this could not be posted.)
There are two streets that run on parallel tracks through North Oak Cliff, the neighborhood where Church in the Cliff and many of its people reside. When I drive down Jefferson Boulevard, I feel like I should have hired a translator for the trip. Everything is in Spanish. There are nineteen quinceañeras. There are mercados and supermercados. There are services for people who live hand to mouth: check cashing, loans, pawn shops. There are also a lot of people walking around. It feels like there is a lot of life being lived on Jefferson Boulevard.
Davis Street has its fair share of Spanish, but it is gradually disappearing. For years, old auto repair shops and warehouses have been turned into shops and restaurants. A couple of years ago, it was rezoned so that no new mechanics could move in. Instead, there are high-end restaurants from some of the best culinary minds in Dallas. Boutique wine shops. Organic food co-ops. And lots of white people. In cars. On one end of Davis, in the Bishop Arts District, the traffic and parking are so bad that many of the locals don't go there anymore, especially on weekends. Something is growing on Davis Street.
So what does all this have to do with church? And God? Well, we've been talking about how love deconstructs systems of power, how God crosses the boundary lines that we hold dear. In order to participate in that, we have to first see those lines and then be willing to cross over.
There are boundaries in our neighborhood and even around our church. I live in Oak Cliff, in part, because I want diversity. But I don't shop on Jefferson Street. I love the new restaurants and shops on Davis. I draw a line around myself; I make my own borders. I stay on my side of them, safely in my comfort zone. Worse, I sit by and watch (and sometimes actively participate) in moving those boundaries, encroaching just a little more on the lives of people I will probably never meet. It's imperialism on a small scale. Divisions are maintained instead of contested. The life of God calls us to something else, even – especially! – in our own backyard.
Please join us this Sunday, 11am at the Kessler, as we talk about the ways we distance ourselves from our neighbors. Whether it's the onerous War on Drugs or simple "economic development," we'll expose the lines that separate us and see if there is a better way.
Grace and Peace,
Vote August 5 to Join AWAB
At the Alliance of Baptists annual gathering in April, I met the Reverend Robin Lunn, Executive Director of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB). The mission of AWAB is "to create and support a community of churches, organizations and individuals committed to the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in the full life and mission of Baptist churches." As a church with a longstanding commitment to this goal of full inclusion, it seems a natural fit for us to join in their efforts.
In order to join, we must do a few things. First, we must decide to do so. Second, we must agree on a financial gift to AWAB. I suggest $150 per year, which will be included in the budget under discussion. Third, we must add a statement of welcome to our by-laws to ensure that our church remains committed to being open and affirming. I suggest we establish a team to put that together and vote on it at our September meeting.
In joining AWAB, we get some benefits. AWAB serves as a vetting organization for a group of partners working for full inclusion, such as Believe Out Loud. In talking to other ministers at the Alliance gathering, we shared stories of the inquiries we have gotten about our inclusivity. After telling the inquirer that we are a welcoming and affirming church, it is a given that the follow-up question will be: "But are you really?" Joining AWAB will allow us to be on lists of churches where people can be sure that they will be fully included. This is, of course, a marketing tool, but there is a larger purpose.
Churches need to come out of the closet. Right now, the discourse around sexuality overwhelmingly features churches that are opposed to the concerns of LGBTQ folk. Many other churches are silent because of denominational politics. The result is that people think that the only valid Christian option is to oppose homosexuality and the civil rights of LGBTQ folk. This creates a cultural inertia to the point that some churches cannot be openly open and affirming because it could compromise the lives and livelihoods of their members. When individuals come out, it is harder and harder for society to exclude them, legally or otherwise. When churches come out, it changes the conversation; it redraws the lines between the just and the unjust.
We have been welcoming and affirming for a long, long time. It's time for us to be more open about it.
Suggestions Wanted
Finally, the Worship Team is looking for suggestions for the next series to begin in mid-August. What would you like to talk about? What are you wondering about? What does your soul need? Email suggestions to sshirley999@yahoo.com.
classeconomic developmentethicsgentrificationloveracesocial justice


Rome? Sounds rough. Have a blast. Cobbler looks great.
Oh Rome! How wonderful, Natalie. I've missed you! 🙂 But this is great news that Fresh TO Go is already so successful. What a wonderful recipe you've shared. You have such an amazing creativity with fresh ingredients. The cheese and basil flour mix just really sets this recipe apart. Enjoy Italy!
Off to Rome sounds as delicious as tomato cobbler!


Prime rate funds have started to provide an alternative to the traditional mutual fund or CD as an investment. Prime rate funds are mutual funds that aim to mimic the prime rate and provide investors with a larger return on investment. Here are the basics of the primary fund and what you should consider before investing in them.
This type of fund is actually considered a closed-end mutual fund by design. Therefore, only a certain amount of investors can get involved before the doors are closed. This fund has the objective of trying to stay with the prime rate in the market. With this type of fund, the assets are not made up of your traditional forms of investment. Instead of buying stocks and bonds, these funds actually invest in floating rate loans. These loans have been made to corporations by commercial lenders and insurance companies.
In order to achieve the high interest rates that are necessary to copy the prime rate, they have to invest in loans that were made companies with less than perfect credit. These companies are charged a higher interest rate for the money that they need, which therefore provides a larger rate of return for investors. In order to qualify for these loans, the corporations had to secure them with some form of collateral. This may come in the form of accounts receivables, physical property, or some other form of collateral that they can use. This makes it a slightly safer investment, since it is backed by some type of collateral.
Senior debt: One of the major advantages of this type of investment is that the loans that make up the funds are considered senior debt. This means that in the event of bankruptcy, their debt will be satisfied first. These funds will be repaid before any other bondholders or creditors. This increases the likelihood that they will get their money back if the companies become insolvent.
Stable share price: Another advantage of this type of investment is that the share prices tend to remain somewhat constant. Yields can fluctuate based upon the short-term interest rate in the market. However, since this type of fund mirrors the prime rate, it will tend to go with the market. This can present you with a type of hedge as an investor.
Diversification: When investing in this type of fund, you can rest assured that the investments will be diversified. These types of funds typically hold many different loans in their portfolios. This means that the bankruptcy of one or two companies will not greatly impact the performance of the fund overall.
Liquidity: This type of investment does not carry with it very good liquidity. You may only be able to redeem your shares once a month or once every quarter.
High expenses: This type of fund also has higher than average expenses as compared to other types of mutual fund. While the returns will be better, you will have to pay a premium to get them.


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At Engelbrechts, we know the most important thing in life aren't things. This is one of the reasons why we celebrate originality and the people behind. We help setting the scene, and with our passion for perfection, simplicity and versatility, we shape furniture of significance, hoping to complement the life of others. Through a series of portraits, we want to showcase true dedication and combine it with the originality of our furniture.
We have met some cool and passionate people, worked with them on stage and saw how they shine when they work hard and go beyond. We have captured that unique moment when dedication and passion blend together as an inspirational force.
Mikael Santana is one of the best break dancers in Denmark, and he loves that he can combine his passion with his job. He started dancing when he was just a kid. Through the years, his passion evolved, and today he is a professional dancer always working to refine his talent.
We met with Mikael to discuss his passion and what inspires him to keep up the hard work.
Don't just work your whole life, but focus on the journey, with good friends, family and great experiences.
I discovered break dance when I was 13 years old. I started mainly because I wanted to do something athletic and do something that was cool. I think it is typical for a teenager to think like that.
What is passion to you?
Passion comes from a lot of things. I see my dance as a passion, of course, but also my dance reflects my health, and is a way to understand the body, and how important it is to eat well and to exercise. If the body is healthy, the spirit is healthy.
The main thing for me in dance is that people get excited. It is important to create this feeling. My grandmother is 95 years old, and she can still dance salsa. That is so inspiring. I want to be able to do some kind of dancing, when I am that old, because she looks so happy when she dances. I teach young kids to break dance, and watching them develop is also really inspiring.
The most important in my life is establishing some sort of inner peace. Because through life, we tend to stress a lot, people tend to think negatively about themselves, and not think they are good enough. But each individual moment is still very important and should be valued. The journey through life has to be cherished, and not just focus on the results. Don't just work your whole life, but focus on the journey, with good friends, family and great experiences.


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Performance Pipe Resources
Wastewater Replacement Project Uses HDPE Pipe to Protect Natural Resources
Fairfield, Idaho is known for its abundance of outdoor recreational activities and beautiful snowcapped mountains. So when studies uncovered that old, cracking wastewater pipe was leaking raw sewage into the area's pristine lakes and streams, city leaders immediately took action. Studies showed that Fairfield's aging infrastructure was incapable of supporting new growth, making it impossible to issue new wastewater connections and essentially halting any new development. Armed with a grant and low-interest loan from the USDA and Idaho Department of Commerce, the city of Fairfield chose to replace its entire wastewater system.
The Specifications
In 1964, Fairfield installed concrete pipe; however the pipe's tendency to develop cracks and holes was exacerbated by Fairfield's extreme cold and icy winters. In the mid-1980's, Fairfield replaced the concrete with PVC pipe which should have lasted up to 50 years. Unfortunately the poorly installed PVC pipe began to crack. In an effort to find a long-term solution, the city of Fairfield elected to use Performance Pipe's HDPE pipe for its flexibility, leak-free reliability, and ease of use in trenchless installation. "We wanted a fused pipe system free of joints without infiltration or exfiltration to reduce the possibility of willow tree root intrusion which has been a big problem," said J.L. Staley, public works superintendent, City of Fairfield.
Performance Pipe manufactured 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-inch DR 17 and DR 21 for the main sewer lines. Trenchless pipe bursting was selected as the method of repair. "For trenchless applications, HDPE pipe is the material of choice. I wouldn't use anything else," said Brian Jones, technician for Titan Technologies, a contracting firm in Boise, Idaho.
HDPE pipe provided the City of Fairfield with both financial and environmental benefits. "Utilizing trenchless pipe bursting instead of traditional open cut methods saved the city at least $1.5MM," explained Scott Marolf, Fairfield city councilman. "This project will save the community untold future dollars from infiltration problems and will protect the environment from the release of raw untreated sewage," said Terry Lee, Fairfield city councilman.


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China opens world's longest sea-crossing after 9 years of construction
New Delhi, First Published Oct 23, 2018, 11:00 AM IST
Chinese President Xi Jinping was in the city of Zhuhai to cut the ribbon on the 55-kilometre-long bridge linking it to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Zhuhai: China opened the world's longest sea-crossing bridge linking Hong Kong to the mainland on Tuesday in a feat of engineering carrying immense economic and political significance.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was in the city of Zhuhai to cut the ribbon on the 55-kilometre-long bridge linking it to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Digital fireworks exploded on a screen behind him as leaders of the three cities looked on.
The $20 billion bridge took almost a decade to build while incurring major delays and cost overruns. It includes an undersea tunnel allowing ships to pass through the Pearl River delta, the heart of China's crucial manufacturing sector.
Its opening will cut travel time across the delta from several hours to just 30 minutes, something China hopes will bind the region together as a major driver of future economic growth. Heavily regulated traffic using permits issued under a quota system will begin flowing on Wednesday.
The bridge forms a physical link between the mainland and Hong Kong, an Asian financial hub that was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997 with the assurance it would maintain its own legal and economic system for 50 years.
That carries major political significance for Xi's administration, which has rejected calls for political liberalization in Hong Kong, sparking fears Beijing will clamp down further on civil liberties before the end of the "one country, two systems" arrangement in 2047.
The bridge's opening also comes a month after the inauguration of a new high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to mainland China that runs along a different, shorter route. That line has vastly decreased travel times but also raised concerns about Beijing's growing influence because mainland Chinese law applies within part of the line's Hong Kong terminus.
In Zhuhai, however, sentiments were all about economic growth and national pride.
Airline pilot Liu Gang said he'd been eagerly anticipating the opening of the bridge, calling it a symbol of the mainland's increasingly close ties with Hong Kong and Macau.
"We've been waiting eight years for this," Liu said Monday afternoon while strolling along a walkway and shooting photos of the structure. "It'll bring us even closer together, make us more flexible, economically and in many other ways. We're now one family."
Luo Fengzhi, who works in real estate, cited the bridge as evidence of China's growing economic and engineering prowess. "For Chinese people, this makes them feel proud," she said. "I hope that every patriotic Chinese person can come and see this great feat of engineering, and I welcome foreigners to come and see for themselves as well."
Last Updated Oct 23, 2018, 11:00 AM IST
world longest sea crossing
political significance
Anamika Jain Amber is the youngest poetess of India to recite poetry on Red Fort
Dr Harika ENT Care Group of Hospitals Opens Its Fourth ENT Hospital in Gachibowli, Hyderabad


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Why American Sniper Is Having A Big Effect On Chris Kyle's Murder Trial
By Sean O'Connell published 6 February 15
It's not often that something as frivolous as an Oscar campaign has an impact on something as significant as a murder trial, but that's what the courts in Texas face as they prepare for the trial of Eddie Ray Routh, the veteran accused of killing Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.
Kyle's story currently is powering Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, a box-office juggernaut that has collected $326 million worldwide, in addition to its six Oscar nominations. The movie is up for Best Picture. Kyle is being portrayed by the ridiculously famous Bradley Cooper, who also received an Oscar nomination. And the film's popularity is threatening to affect jury selection, according to reports in the L.A. Times.
Fort Worth-based attorney J. Warren St. John, who is representing Eddie Ray Routh, doubts that his client can get a fair trial in Texas due to the overwhelming popularity of American Sniper. The attorney has filed for a change of venue, though the judge in the case has rejected the request so far. Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University, has told the L.A. Times that court cases involving celebrity is "always an issue," but that "you can multiply that by a thousand with Chris Kyle" because of the current white-hot spotlight shining on the case thanks to American Sniper. Denno made a comparison to a Michael Jackson trial, stating:
There was not an Oscar-nominated movie about [Jackson] involving one of the most covered stars in Hollywood, Bradley Cooper, and all these spinoffs. It has inspired almost an industry around this talent, snipers.
Jury selection has begun, and legal experts have said that American Sniper -- both the movie and the book on which it is based – will be a focal point when questioning potential candidates to sit in the box and listen to the case. In a separate story, The L.A. Times reports that the judge told potential jurors who had been summoned to court this week that knowledge of the book, or a viewing of the movie, will not disqualify them from sitting in the jury on this particular case.
The timing of the case is complicated. Warner Bros. pushed Clint Eastwood's biopic into December so that it would qualify for an Oscar run. The movie paid off. But that means that while the movie is grabbing headlines – as it has for weeks due to its various successes – it's also pulling focus both toward and away from the actual man and his tragic murder. We'll continue to track the progress of both American Sniper, and the Texas murder case tied to Chris Kyle's death.
Sean O'Connell
Managing Director at CinemaBlend. ReelBlend cohost. A movie junkie who's Infatuated with comic-book films. Helped get the Snyder Cut released, then wrote a book about it.
Teyonah Parris Shares Throwback WandaVision Dance Video On One Year Anniversary Of The Show
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New statue of the late former South African President Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the Union Building.
Pretoria - A 9m high statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled on Monday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, a day after the anti-apartheid icon's funeral in Qunu.
The unveiling of the bronze statue was delayed on Monday when dignitaries had to wait for members of the Mandela family.
Minutes later, Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela walked down the red carpet to the VIP marquee.
President Jacob Zuma arrived soon afterwards with his wife Thobeka Madiba Zuma.
Several dignitaries, including former president Thabo Mbeki, Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, and Dali Tambo, head of Koketso Growth, which made the statue, were present.
Zuma is due to unveil the nine-meter-high statue of Mandela on Monday morning. The R8m statue was created by South African sculptors Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren.
"The unveiling, taking place just a day after the burial of the former president, signals the start of celebrating and living the late Madiba's legacy and the end of the mourning period," presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj said on Sunday.
"The statue is expected to draw large numbers of people to the Union Buildings."
Mandela died at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, aged 95, on December 5. He was buried in his childhood village of Qunu on Sunday.


text:
Coronavirus: What Does This Mean For The Indian Market?
Satish Anand
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes 9 seconds
What is Coronavirus?
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, including some that cause the common cold to some that cause major diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
The coronavirus outbreak came to light when on December 31, 2019, China informed the World Health Organization of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan City in Hubei province.
On January 9, 2020, WHO issued a statement saying Chinese researchers have made "preliminary determination" of the virus as a novel coronavirus.
The virus has been named "SARS-CoV-2" and the disease it causes has been named "coronavirus disease 2019" (abbreviated "COVID-19").
Effect on Markets
Since this is not an economic problem, the effect on the markets will continue as long as the problem continues. If the problem intensifies, then the effect on the market intensifies.
While at this moment, we do not even have a proper cure for the disease, besides the virus is not like the previous ones of the type of Ebola, SARS, etc. where the infected person will show immediate symptoms. Contrary to earlier expectations, the virus does not look likely to disappear in the warm weather as countries like Hong Kong and Singapore also reported cases of casualty. South Korea has the most number of confirmed novel coronavirus infections — 1,766 (and 13 deaths) outside mainland China. Italy (528), Iran (245) and Japan (189) are the other countries with most cases.
The initial observations indicate that the disease will continue to spread at different speeds across continents and countries. The spread will result in slowing economic output and higher healthcare costs. The longer the spread time, the longer the efforts to reduce the future spread and therefore the longer the stress on the economy and the markets.
The markets will keenly watch the following:
The results of the containment efforts of the countries affected by the virus in the developed and the developing economies.
The progress on the vaccine trials.
The mortality rates.
The positive things are that
It does not look likely that the mortality rates are higher than 2% though the numerator and denominators may not be properly accurate.
In China, the number of fresh cases every day has started to decline.
It is already clear that the majority of people who have got the virus especially among the young have not got worse than a cough and a fever. The mortality rate is definitely higher in the case of older people and those with chronic health problems such as heart disease or diabetes
About a week ago Hong Kong and Singapore had the most cases, but these two countries appear to have largely contained the spread, with Singapore reporting 93 and Hong Kong with 92 cases as on February 27.
More than the effect of the disease it is the fear of the disease that will be affecting the global economy and therefore, the financial markets. In the fear of the disease, there will be shut down in factories, slower movement of raw materials and semi-finished goods, lower GDP output, higher healthcare expenditure and therefore more government fiscal support.
While in the near term of 6 months, we do not see an immediate recovery in the markets, but we will definitely see more clarity on both the emerging economic scenario and the necessary financial executions to be undertaken as per the situation. However, post the coronavirus threat, India is likely to see more inflows of foreign funds, some reasons that we find reasonable are as below:
Whenever the world gets familiar with both the virus and the cure for the virus, the world will look at alternatives to China. While the trade war was a precursor to the world looking for alternate sources, the current outbreak would accelerate the alternative countries.
Part of the correction that could have happened due to low growth and high valuation will get overlapped with the virus led correction and reduce the overvaluation.
Low-interest rates will continue as that is the only tool in the hands of the central bankers. Which means that the end of panic will see a quick reversal.
India has as of now, been able to restrict the spread after the initial reporting of 3 cases. This would be a crucial indicator as well and India could relatively outperform if it is able to restrict the spread. Any increase, on the contrary, could cause more than a linear effect on the financial market as well.
Equity - We continue to increase investments towards the small caps and the mid-caps, and this is validated by the fact that the small caps and the mid-caps have corrected to a lower extent than the large caps as shown below:
Mutual Funds Category 1 Month Return
Large Cap Mutual Funds -5.95%
Multi-Cap Mutual Funds -4.90%
Mid-Cap Mutual Funds -3.95%
Small-Cap Funds -4.56%
The international equity exposure is mostly on the software side which is likely to do well compared to other industries.
Debt Funds - If the disease continues to affect people on a time scale of say 6-9 months, then NBFCs and longer maturity government bonds may see selling pressure or yields rising. However, our portfolio currently has exposure to mostly short-term papers.
Gold - it is likely that the commodity will do well if the asset classes correct and fear continues to remain large.
Liquid Funds - In the worst-case situation, any financial asset can be liquidated and therefore having a liquid fund allocation means that you can readily invest without liquidating any other asset class which may also be falling in value.
Financial Planning Point of View
It becomes necessary to hold 6 months of expenses as emergency funds in cash or liquid funds that are outside of the asset allocation requirement. It is necessary that money is not diverted to illiquid investments as that will have maximum uncertainty. Also, there could be NFO's of closed-ended funds that will be marketed and one needs to be careful not to invest in those as it will reduce the availability of funds to take future action based on the various outcomes or the duration till the virus is contained.
The writer is the CIO of Mitraz Financial and can be contacted through micontact@mitraz.financial


text:
Keith Jarrett: Radiance & The Out-of-Towners
By FRANCIS LO KEE
Keith Jarrett's career in music is rich in details. A sideman with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis and one-time leader of two immensely creative quartets (one based in the US, the other in Europe), both of which have featured his unique compositions. He's also written for string quartet, string ensemble, brass quintet and has performed classical music (incredible performances of Shostakovitch and Hovhaness come quickly to mind). Some might say he is resting on his reputation and not "pushing the envelope , but his "standards trio is a brazenly creative band and now with Radiance, his first extended solo recording in almost a decade, Jarrett is back and ready to push people's buttons again.
ECM Records
Comparisons to The Köln Concert are inevitable with Radiance. While Köln starts with a simple, attractive melody, "Radiance Part 1 starts in a more complex fashion, a two-handed counterpoint that develops into an almost Cecil Taylor-like texture of density and dissonance before traveling onto the beautiful romantic lyricism of the sort people associate with Jarrett. However, the 17 parts of Radiance are diverse in sound and timings (from 1:27 to 13:34), from its short low register bebop statements ("Part 11 lasts just over a minute) to the Celtic folk song qualities (complete with a piano version of the bagpipe drone on "Part 12 ).
Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette
The Out-of-Towners
Though The Out-of-Towners (recorded live in Munich in July, 2001) is yet another CD by his standards trio (bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette), there is overlap with Radiance in that the extended "Intro is credited to Jarrett as a composer (it serves as an intro to "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me ), as is the title track, "The Out-of-Towners, a free-ish blues. "You've Changed is a touching ballad performance complete with the very dynamic touch of Jarrett and a lyrical bass solo from Peacock. Cole Porter's "I Love You is taken at a brisk tempo and features the pianist's creative, fleet melodic lines floating over DeJohnette's propulsive ride cymbal. DeJohnette's solo uses mostly the ride cymbal at various dynamic levels leading into something that evokes a gong trance ritual that, in turn, leads back into some of the greatest American jazz drumming you will ever hear.
Gerry Mulligan's "Five Brothers finds Jarrett trading eights with DeJohnette and it's once again a great display of the drummer's comprehension of the vocabularies of Gene Krupa, Philly Joe Jones, Elvin Jones and many other drum pioneers, turning it into his own vocabulary right before our very ears. "It's All In The Game is a gorgeous solo performance and a great way to end a CD with all the ingredients of a great jazz performance: fire, tenderness, sophistication and direct uncontrived statements.
Tracks: Radiance, Pt. 1-17.
Personnel: Keith Jarrett: piano.
Tracks: Intro/I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me; You've Changed; I Love You; The Out-of-Towners; Five Brothers; It's All in the Game.
Personnel: Jack DeJohnette: drums; Keith Jarrett: piano; Gary Peacock: double-bass.
Keith Jarrett Multiple Reviews Francis Lo Kee United States New York New York City
About Keith Jarrett
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Nazo no Tokkuri – The Enigmatic Sake Bottle
09 Feb 2012 8 Comments
by Zack Davisson in Yōkai Stories Tags: kaidan, Tengu
In July 28th, in the seventh year of Kaei (1854), a sake seller plied his trade between the Kamakura riverbanks and the lower valley. On that day, an old monk of about sixty years of age came to the sake dealer, bearing a small sake bottle that could hold no more than three or four swallows. "Please fill this with three masu (about three cups) of sake" the monk said. Now, there was absolutely no way three masu of sake would fit in the old monk's bottle. The young sake seller was suspicious of some trick, but he did his job dutifuly and smoothly poured the three masu into the small bottle. Much to his surprise and wonder, the sake bottle held the volume.
The monk readily paid for three masu of sake, then went on his way. Overcome by the enigma of the sake bottle, the young sake seller silently followed the monk. He followed the monk to a temple in the Jinai area of Asakusa, and crouched by the Yadaijin statue near the front gate.
"Why have you followed me here?" the monk said in a reproachful.
"Because I have never seen such a mysterious thing in my life as your sake bottle." the young sake seller answered.
"There is no mystery," came the voice. "I am a servant of the goddess Kannon, and I have something to tell you. This year, at the closing of the month of July, a terrible illness will ravage the land. You will want to flee to safety, but instead you must make peony rice cakes and eat them for the rest of this month. Go home quickly and tell the people of your house!"
With that said, the monk vanished.
The young sake seller ran home as fast as he could and told his master what he had seen and heard. The people of the house did as the monk said and ate the peony cakes, and when the sickness came not one of them fell ill.
There is another example of this kind of story.
Tales are told of the tengu of Ohira mountain. This is one of them.
In Ohiru mountain, in the country of Dewa (Modern day Yamagata prefecture), an old man came into a sake dealers shop. The old man was carrying a sake bottle, but ordered only a single spoonful of sake. To the sake dealer's surprise, the sake bottle was filled to the brim by that one spoon. He decided to follow the old man, and learn the secret behind his magical bottle.
Following him into the mountains, the old man showed his true form as the tengu of the mountain, and prophesied both a rich harvest and a terrible disease for the coming year. If the old man wanted to escape the ravages of disease, then he must take an image of the tengu to a temple and place it before for the gates and pray to it.
The old man did as he was told.
Previous Kimodameshi – The Test of Courage Next Nure Onago – The Soaked Woman
Sounds like a Scots fairy legend to me. According to Katharine Briggs:
The Laird o' Co was one day returning from a ride around his lands. Near the castle gate he met a very small boy with a wooden tankard in his hands, who begged for a drink for his old mother, who was ill. The Laird did not know the child, but he told the boy to go to the butler and tell him to fill his tankard.
The butler had a half-empty barrel of ale on tap, and he turned it on. But though the ale ran and ran into the tankard, the tankard stayed half fulll. The butler thought half a barrel was enough for the wee boy's mother, but the wee boy would not go.
"The Laird says it's to be fu'," he said. "And ye maun fil it."
At length the butler sent to ask the Laird what he was to do.
"Broach the next cask, man" said the Laird. "I promised the wee laddie his can should be filled, and filled it shall be."
So the butler broached the second cask, and at the first drop the can was full, and the wee boy went with many thanks.
[There is a second half in which the Laird later is captured by his enemies and condemned to death, but the wee boy magically enters the dungeon and transports him back to his castle, saying, "Ae guid turn deserves anither,/Tak ye that for being kind to ma mither."]
[A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales, Part B (Folk Legends), v. 1, pp. 298-99. Bloomington: Indiana U Pr., 1971.]
Photobooth Journal
Wonderful story!
That is a cool old story! I used to live in Scotland as well, so I love Scottish folktales. I visited a few fairy spots in Scotland.
I think the "never filling vessel" is a standard fairytale trope. #564 in the Aarne-Thompson clasification sytem, I believe. "The Marvelous Pitcher."
The twist with these two stories is that the enigmatic sake bottle is not the main thrust of the story, but only a lure. The magical creature (monk; tengu) uses the sake bottle to con the sake dealer into following him, so that he can warn the dealer about some upcoming calamity, and how to avoid it.
Both of those endings are so non-sequitur, I assume they were added later. Folktales and mystery stories often had Buddhist morals or characters tacked on them to make them palatable for official government censors.
A wonderful post, Zack. Do peony cakes still exist? Are they rice cakes? Have you had one?
Yes, they ARE rice cakes! I meant are they flavoured rice cakes.
Yes, I have had peony rice cakes before. They don't actually have any peonies in them … they are just named after the color. But they are very good!
I do love japanese sweets!
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Tag: April 3
(1958) Alexander Rae Baldwin III Filmography as Actor: Working Girl 1988 Director: Mike Nichols Starring: Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith Born April 3 1958 Amityville, NY (USA) Occupation Actor Awards Emmy Golden Globe
(1924–2004) Marlon Brando, Jr. Filmography as Actor: The Godfather 1972 Director: Francis Ford Coppola Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino Born April 3 1924 Omaha, NE (USA) Died July 1 2004 Los Angeles, CA (USA) Cause of death Respiratory…
(1924) Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff Filmography as Actress: Midnight Lace 1960 Director: David Miller Starring: Doris Day, Rex Harrison Born April 3 1924 Cincinnati, OH (USA) Occupation Actress Singer Awards Golden Globe Grammy Awards Hollywood Walk of Fame…
(1617–1682) Works: Sagrada Familia del pajarito (Holy Family) c.1650 Oil on canvas, 144 x 188 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid La Anunciación (Annunciation) c.1665 Oil on canvas, 183 x 225 cm Museo del Prado, Madrid …
Elizabeth Boleyn
(c.1480–1538) Elizabeth Howard Boleyn née Lady Elizabeth Howard Countess of Wiltshire Countess of Ormond Viscountess Rochford Elizabeth Howard Boleyn in Film: Anne of the Thousand Days 1969 Director: Charles Jarrott Starring: Richard Burton, Geneviève Bujold The Other…
Maria di Cosimo I de' Medici
(1540–1557) Maria di Cosimo I de' Medici in Art: Bronzino (1503-1572) Ritratto di Maria de' Medici (Portrait of Maria de' Medici) 1551 Oil on panel, 52 x 38 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Firenze Born April 3 1540…
Births: • Baldwin, Alec (1958) • Brando, Marlon (1924-2004) • Day, Doris (1924) • Medici, Maria di Cosimo I de' (1540-1557) Deaths: • Boleyn, Elizabeth (c.1480-1538) • Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban (1617-1682)


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Shop our Wood Look Porcelain Tiles. Wood Look tiles are sold per box. Each box covers from 10.7 sq. ft. up to 16 sq. ft.


Innovayt has assisted a consortium of leading Danish wind industry suppliers – LM Wind Power Blades, Svendborg Brakes, and kk-electronic – in their successful bid for an 8 year lease of a wind turbine test station in Høvsøre, Denmark. In the bidding process, Innovayt contributed to the presentation of the joint research programme to be implemented by the consortium at the site.
Together, the consortium represents globally strong market players, each holding different roles in the overall wind industry supply chain. All the partners share ambitions to position themselves as technology forerunners in the years to come, as this is a simple requirement for sustained success in the wind power industry. Winning the test site will be a key aspect in fulfilling this ambition. The consortium is already investing heavily in research and development, and is engaged in a number of collaborative R&D projects, several of which will be implemented at the Høvsøre site.
More information on the consortium and the winning bids can be obtained here.


JOHANNESBURG - Gospel star Lundi Tyamara has died after a long battle with stomach TB and liver complications.
Sources close to the musician confirmed he died in an Edenvale hospital at 12.40am.
The Ndixolele hitmaker was moved to ICU on Monday after his condition took a turn for the worse.
Insiders confirmed that the singer was placed on oxygen machines as his liver "had practically stopped working".
"Lundi put up a gallant fight against his illness, but God's will prevailed. We ask that his fans, supporters and followers join us in celebrating his life. We will always remember him for how he brightened up our days with his God-given talent. Rest in peace Lundi," said Anele Hlazo, his manager and family spokesman.
Despite the dire situation, his family remained hopeful that "God's intervention" would help get him through the ordeal and called on the nation to pray for him.
Lundi was first admitted to hospital in December after returning from a trip to China.
Details of his funeral will be communicated at a later stage.


text:
Q: Display high resolution image I'm saving both high resolution and compressed version of high resolution image in the database.
When the user requests a high resolution image, i need to display that else the compressed one. here is my code.
The issue is : when i set that image byte array into a stream and bitmap, file size has compressed 2.27MB to 339kB.
What i'm doing wrong here?
private void DisplayImageFromBytes(byte[] byteArray, int resizeWidth, bool isHiResImage)   {

if (isHiResImage)
{
    Stream stream = new MemoryStream(byteArray);
    System.Drawing.Image img = System.Drawing.Image.FromStream(stream);
    Bitmap bitmap = null;

    if (resizeWidth > 0 && img.Width > resizeWidth)
    {
        int newHeight = (int)((float)img.Height * ((float)resizeWidth / (float)img.Width));
        bitmap = new Bitmap(img, resizeWidth, newHeight);
    }
    else
    {
        bitmap = new Bitmap(img);
    }
    Response.ContentType = "image/Jpeg";
    bitmap.Save(Response.OutputStream, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg);
    stream.Dispose();
    img.Dispose();
    bitmap.Dispose();
}
else
{
    DisplayImageFromBytes(byteArray, resizeWidth);
}

}

A: You are using same image format to save it to stream for all the different format of images that came into you.
For now just replace
bitmap.Save(Response.OutputStream, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg);

with
bitmap.Save(Response.OutputStream, img.RawFormat);

RawFormat: will get the current file format of this Image.
N.B: You don't need to create a new bitmap that don't need any conversion. you can directly save it to stream from System.Drawing.Image img


Indian Island Winery originated from Winterhaven Vineyard and Nursery. Winterhaven Vineyard was established in the spring of 2000. The vineyard currently covers over 12 acres with over 6000 vines, and growing. We have 17 different varieties at this time and adding more every year. We are focusing on the newest cold hardy varieties. Winterhaven Nursery was established a year later in 2001. For two years we grew our nursery plants indoors. These plants were potted, live growing plants. In the spring of 2003, we started growing our nursery stock outdoors in nursery beds. We now sell many bare-root grape vines. We have also built a greenhouse so we can supply new varieties sooner as potted plants.
Indian Island Winery became an extension to the vineyard and nurseries. After nearly three years of construction, the winery is now open. We produce fine wine from grapes grown from our own vineyard and other local growers. Grapes include cold hardy varieties such as Frontenac, LaCrescent, Marquette, St. Croix, Brianna, and many others.
Indian Island Winery and Winterhaven Vineyard and Nursery is a family operated business, owned by Ray and Lisa Winter in partnership with son Tom, daughter Angie, and daughter-in-law Angela. Each person plays their own part in the business. Tom is Ray's right-hand man; Angie has taken over the winemaking. Lisa is managing the tasting room, and Angela is keeping books. Although we each have our own roles, we all work together in each part of the business.


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