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Jerusalem Post Diaspora Antisemitism
'Jenin, Jenin': A modern day blood libel
MIDDLE ISRAEL: Weapons that were aimed for centuries at our forebears had been unearthed, and were now being aimed at us.
By AMOTZ ASA-EL
FILMMAKER MOHAMMED Bakri is seen in the district court in Lod in December 2017 as part of the libel suit against his movie 'Jenin, Jenin.'
(photo credit: FLASH90)
It used to be free of charge.
Czar Nikolai's secret service was never sued for brewing The Protocols of the Elders of Zion's fantasy about a Jewish plot to conquer the world, and Joseph Goebbels was never tried for concocting filmic atrocities Suss the Jew, The Rothschilds, and The Wandering Jew, which educated millions to fear, hate and wage war on the Jews.
That is why filmmaker Mohammed Bakri, whose pseudo-documentary Jenin, Jenin was a variation on those antisemitic themes, assumed he too could defame the Jews with impunity.
This week – following a 19-year courtroom saga – that assumption collapsed in what looms as a milestone in the Jewish people's war on its most ancient, lethal and elusive enemy: the blood libel.
RELEASED IN 2002 and relating to that year's battle against the suicide bombers who nested among Jenin's inhabitants, the film's distortion of the documentary medium is breathtaking.
Documentaries generally fall into two legitimate categories: the ones that try to be objective and the ones that don't.
Nature series like The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau or David Attenborough's The World About Us, antagonized no one. Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, on the other hand, was a diatribe against America's moneyed elite, accusing it of having betrayed the working class, and also suggesting that capitalism contradicts Christianity.
Moore's type of documentary, in other words, was not out to entertain, but to annoy, an aim he clearly achieved. However, it was still a documentary because he did not invent facts. When he showed an abandoned auto plant in Michigan and lamented its employees' fate, the plant had indeed existed, and thousands who once worked in it had indeed lost their livelihoods.
That is not what Bakri did.
In his film, a battlefield where the UN counted 52 Palestinian fatalities becomes a Gettysburg type of blood field strewn with "thousands" of dead Palestinians. Citing aerial bombardments in a battle where there were no airplanes at all, the film tells of a mass grave that Israeli troops ostensibly dug for their "victims" – a gravesite Bakri did not even seek, let alone find, just like his film did not show a hospital wing it claimed the IDF destroyed, because that wing, like that grave, never existed.
Most fantastically, one "interviewee" claimed to have saved the life of a baby punctured by a bullet that, he claimed, entered from the chest and emerged from the back. The man claimed to have saved the baby by using his finger to open the airway in the infant's throat. Israeli troops, the man then blood-libeled, prevented the baby's evacuation to a hospital, and thus caused the baby's death.
"Who was that baby?" asked Dr. David Zangen, the senior medical officer in the battle, when we discussed those events in his office in Hadassah-University Medical Center, where he treats diabetic children. "What is the baby's name? None of us down in the field ran into a baby with such an injury, and the reason is that there never was such a baby, just like no baby can survive a bullet's passage through the chest, nor can a baby's blocked airway be opened with a finger."
Letting loose pedestrians' imaginations, the filmmaker did not even begin to seek the facts, failing to debrief even one Israeli official, reporter, scholar, general, captain or private.
"There was no massacre in Jenin," asserted the High Court of Justice (Ruling 316/03, March 20, 2003). The Palestinians who died in the battle, wrote Justice Ayala Procaccia, were mostly fighters, the hospital mentioned in the film contained terrorists, and the soldiers "took caution to obey instructions not to harm the hospital, or enter it, or shoot in its direction."
On the contrary, the troops "supplied the hospital with a generator, water, electricity and oxygen," and "made special efforts to treat the injured and ill among the Palestinians and enabled them to receive medical assistance." In all, "257 casualties were evacuated to a hospital in Jenin and 60 injured and ill to hospitals in Israel."
A claim about an Israeli armored personnel carrier having run over people was ruled "patently unfounded," as were stories about children deliberately murdered, and a story about a Palestinian who was caught, cuffed, and shot from a short distance. Instead, Palestinian terrorists "used children to scatter explosives." Bakri's confusion of children and adults was such that one Munir Washihi, whom the film described as "a child," turned out to be a 19-year-old Hamas fighter.
Perhaps most maliciously, Bakri added a gunshot's sound to footage that showed a man being taken away from a row of Palestinians lying on the ground. "That created the mistaken impression that someone was executed there," he ultimately admitted ("Mohammed Bakri: I made a terrible mistake in 'Jenin, Jenin,'" Haaretz, February 23, 2005).
SADLY, BAKRI'S admission of professional malpractice has yet to be followed by moral introspection. Perhaps that will also arrive someday. This week, however, a court banned the film's screening and fined its producer.
The ruling took this long to emerge because the petitioners originally did not identify a specific person as the defamation's victim. Now they have. Exposed and also fined, Bakri has now learned that blood-libeling Jews is no longer what it used to be. It costs.
Middle Israelis used to dismiss antisemitism as the Diaspora's problem. That changed in 2001, when thousands marched in Durban, South Africa, accusing us of "systematic perpetration of genocide" during the very days when we were shielding our children from suicide bombers.
We thus understood that the weapon that was aimed for centuries at our forebears had been unearthed, and was now being aimed at us. Yes, the weapon, its ammunition and marksmen are much the same as those our ancestors faced. The targets, however, have changed.
Israelis will not be libeled with impunity. As Mohammed Bakri can now attest, Israelis are not Dr. Goebbels's Wandering Jew. They fight.
www.MiddleIsrael.net
The writer's bestselling Mitzad Ha'ivelet Ha'yehudi (The Jewish March of Folly, Yediot Sefarim, 2019), is a revisionist history of the Jewish people's leadership from antiquity to modernity.
Tags Jenin Israeli Palestinian Conflict jenin massacre movie antisemitism


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Jaywick Martello Tower is a renovated Martello tower at Jaywick,  south-west of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. It now functions as an arts, heritage and community venue.

History
The tower was one of several Martello towers on the east coast of England. They were constructed to defend the country against invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte and his armies. In total, 103 Martello towers were built between 1804 and 1812, 74 were built between 1804 and 1808 along the Kent and Sussex coast from Folkestone to Seaford, and 29 along the east coast between Point Clear near St Osyth and Aldeburgh from 1809 to 1812. The south coast towers were numbered 1 – 74 and the east coast towers were lettered A – Z. Three other east coast towers are known as AA, BB and CC. The tower at Jaywick is Tower D.

The tower was constructed from around 750,000 London Clay bricks manufactured at Grays and transported by barge. The brick walls are  thick and around  high. The roof held three sea-facing cannon, usually one heavier gun flanked by two smaller howitzers. The tower at Jaywick retains the installations for the cannon.

In 1904, the tower was sold by the War Office and became part of a golf course.

Arts venue

In 2005 the tower opened as a gallery space and arts venue managed by Essex County Council. It also provides a venue for a range of projects and events including community workshops, living history experiences, and live music. In 2011, a couple got married in the tower. In 2019, the tower hosted a meeting to discuss actions following Historic England reporting that several Martello Towers along this stretch of coast are in need of serious repairs.

See also
Soft Ices, a Jaywick-based arts project

References
Citations

Sources

Towers completed in 1809
Buildings and structures in Essex
Napoleonic war forts in England
Martello towers
Clacton-on-Sea

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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M5.0 - Kuril'sk, Russia
5.0 - Richter scale
Kuril'sk, Russia (169km ENE)
LAT 45.6902, LON 149.9444
Date-Time
Sep 12, 2018 00:28:12 UTC
Sep 12, 2018 11:28:12 UTC +11:00 at epicenter
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID(s)
us2000hd70
Distances from major cities
169 km ENE of Kuril'sk, Russia
435 km NE of Nemuro, Japan
443 km ENE of Shibetsu, Japan
485 km ENE of Abashiri, Japan
1406 km NE of Tokyo, Japan
Tectonic Summary
Seismotectonics of the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc
The Kuril-Kamchatka Arc extends approximately 2,100 km from Hokkaido, Japan along the Kuril Islands and the Pacific coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, until terminating at its intersection with the Aleutian arc south of the Commander Islands, Russia. It marks the region where the Pacific plate subducts into the mantle beneath the Okhotsk mircoplate, a proposed regional subdivision of the larger North America plate. This subduction is responsible for the generation of the Kuril Islands chain, volcanoes along the entire arc, and the deep Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. Relative to a fixed North America plate, the Pacific plate is moving northwest at a rate that increases from 79 mm/yr near the northern end of the arc to 83 mm/yr adjacent to Hokkaido.
In the southern section of the Kuril arc oblique subduction results in the partitioning of stress into both trench-normal thrust earthquakes (e.g., the 12/03/1995 M 7.9 Kuril Island event) and trench-parallel strike-slip earthquakes (e.g., the 10/16/1994 M 6.7 Kuril Island event). This oblique convergence also drives the southwestern translation of the Kuril Arc, and its collision with the Japan Arc. The collision in turn drives the uplift of the Hidaka Mountains, and causes northwest-southeast oriented compressional earthquakes across Hokkaido.
North of approximately 44° latitude, adjacent to the island of Urup, convergence becomes dominantly trench normal. In this area, cross-sections of the subduction zone reveal a well-defined Wadati-Benioff zone extending to depths of 650 km, supporting assumptions that the Pacific plate is relatively old and has been subducting for close to 100 Myr. As the arc approaches its northern terminus off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the character of subduction changes again due to the entrainment of the Meiji Seamount and the influence of transform motion along westernmost extent of the Aleutian Arc. The angle of subduction decreases from 55 to 35 degrees from south to north, and the maximum depth of seismicity decreases from ~600 km to ~200 km, causing a northwestern deviation in the volcanic front.
The Kuril-Kamchatka Arc is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Deformation of the overriding North America plate and associated microplates generates shallow crustal earthquakes, while slip at the subduction zone interface between the Pacific and North America plates generates interplate earthquakes that extend from near the base of the trench to depths of 40 to 60 km. The aftershock zones of great historic earthquakes abut one another along the strike of the arc but generally do not overlap; sections of the subduction zone have typically experienced earthquakes of a consistent size at fairly regular recurrence intervals, though the length of seismicity catalogs is typically shorter than the expected repeat times of the largest earthquakes known to have occurred in the region.
Patterns in along-arc seismicity can reveal seismic gaps, zones where no great ruptures have occurred for an anomalously long period of time. In the Kuril region, a gap between Simushir Island and Onekotan Island that had remained unruptured by a large earthquake since 1780 was the site of an M 8.3 event on November 15, 2006. Minutes after the November 15 earthquake, aftershocks began rupturing one or more faults near the outer rise region seaward of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, adjacent to the location of the main shock. On January 13, 2007, two months after the 2006 event, a great (M 8.1) normal faulting earthquake occurred in this same region. Because the January 2007 event ruptured within the aftershock zone of the November 2006 quake, it is speculated to be the result of changes in the regional stress field following the earlier event, despite occurring on a different fault. The inferred coupling of the 2006 and 2007 events make them one of the largest earthquake doublets to have ever been recorded.
The Kuril-Kamchatka region frequently experiences large (M≥7) and great (M≥8) earthquakes. In the 114 years since 1900, 133 large and 12 great earthquakes have occurred along the arc. Damaging tsunamis followed several of the large interplate megathrust earthquakes, including the September 25, 2003 M 8.3 Hokkaido earthquake, and the November 6, 1958 M 8.4 Etorofu event. The February 3, 1923 M 8.4 Kamchatka earthquake generated an 8 m transoceanic tsunami. On October 13, 1963, a M 8.5 megathrust earthquake off the coast of the island of Urup generated a large tsunami in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk, with run-up wave heights of up to 4-5 m.
The largest megathrust earthquake to occur along the arc in the 20th century was the November 4, 1952 M 9.0 event, to date the 5th largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in history. This earthquake was followed by a devastating tsunami with run-up wave heights as high as 12 m along the coast of Paramushir, causing significant damage to the city of Severo-Kurilsk. Intraplate earthquakes have also been known to cause significant damage in the region. On October 4, 1994, a large (M8.3) intraplate event occurred within the subducted oceanic lithosphere of the Pacific plate off the coast of Shikotan Island, causing intense ground shaking, landslides, and a tsunami with run-up heights of up to 10 m on the island.
While most large earthquakes along the Kuril-Kamchatka Arc occur at shallow or intermediate depths, the region also hosts large events that rupture at depths greater than 300 km. The most significant of these deep-focus earthquakes to date was the May 24, 2013 M 8.3 event beneath the Sea of Okhotsk, currently the largest deep-focus earthquake on record. The earthquake occurred as the result of normal faulting within the subducted Pacific slab approximately 600 km below the Earth's surface, and was felt as far away as Moscow, Russia, nearly 6,500 km to the west.
More information on regional seismicity and tectonics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Can you guess which part of Reiki healing, London customers like more than anything? It's having the ability to truly release everything they are doing, developing, hurrying to and spend some time to really receive positive, peaceful, healing energy. There really is magic in having the ability to absolutely let go and let life look after you. When we do this, life begins to feel more helpful, more energised and a lot more possible and this has huge advantages for everybody that comes to my clinic.
The word Reiki breaks down into Rei– spiritual and Ki– energy. The essence of this healing art is formed from the understanding that behind this life, there is an intelligence that breathes consciousness into our daily experience, an energy that can be harnessed for healing, calming, reducing stress and helping us become as successful as we want to be. This is why I feel it's so essential in cities such as London where we can so quickly forget ourselves and especially our health.
To put it simply Reiki healing is a method of drawing energy from a person's body using the hands of someone else. It does not involve massaging, where there's rubbing or compressing of the muscles. It's a procedure where the Reiki therapist places their hands upon the patient's body until eventually the energy leaves them. The whole treatment usually lasts for a few minutes or a longer time. There isn't any established time for exactly how long it should take to transfer energy from specified parts of the body.
Those people who are dealing with high degrees of anxiety or those who have health problems, quite often have insomnia. Reiki healing can manage insomnia by attacking the root causes. Often the reason for sleep problems might not always be what you might think. In fact it depends upon the levels of energy flowing through your body. You'll need help removing or adding the right energy. A skilled Reiki practitioner will be able to help you with that. They will modify the flow of that energy in order to make certain that you're able to get a good night's sleep.


Invest in these Studded heeled sandals from Valentino GARAVANI for your luxury footwear collection. This contemporary style is crafted with cut out sandal detailing, an ankle strap with buckle closure and an open toe. Finished with a stiletto heel and the brands signature Rockstud accents, these heels are ideal for your weekend look.


the global leader in new generation data protection, and ID Quantique, the world leader in quantum-safe crypto solutions, today announced a joint collaboration to help protect companies from future security threats related to advances in decryption techniques and the arrival of quantum computing. Acronis will work with ID Quantique to bring quantum-safe encryption capabilities to Acronis cloud solutions – making Acronis the first cloud data protection solution provider in the industry to do so. The capabilities will help companies protect the increasing amount of data that is outside of the company firewall and on multiple mobile devices, while also preventing unauthorized users – including hackers and cyber thieves – from accessing Acronis customer data under protection both in transit and in the cloud.
At the same time, today's security technologies are not keeping up with the sophistication of modern-day hackers, as well as advanced technologies, such as quantum computing. The US National Security Agency (NSA) recently advised US agencies and businesses that all e-mail, medical and financial records, and online transactions, will soon be vulnerable to quantum computing technology threats, and that today's encryption technologies will not protect them in the future. As a result, the NSA hasannounced plans to move to quantum-resistant algorithms for greater protection in the future.
"Organizations face a vexing situation where they must improve cybersecurity defenses and oversight while simultaneously adopting new IT initiatives that often involve the cloud," said Jon Oltsik, Senior Principal Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. "To ensure data privacy and security are never compromised, CIOs and IT Administrators will only work with vendors and cloud service providers who make security a big part of their technologies and service offerings."
Acronis is focused on providing companies with complete data protection through an integrated set of solutions, including backup, disaster recovery, and file sync and share. Acronis believes that complete data protection – particularly for access and storage – not only requires the most advanced data safety, but also data security to protect companies from outside threats, and data privacy to ensure that companies stay in control of their data at all times – in transit, in the cloud and on mobile devices.
Quantum-resistant encryption – ensures Acronis cloud data protection customers are safe from future cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities with the most advanced encryption technology for data transfers to and from Acronis data centers.
Quantum key distribution – also known as quantum cryptography, provides future-proof security for the backbone network that links Acronis' worldwide data centers.
Quantum random number generators – produces high-quality, high-entropy, and highly secure keys for users to help prevent unauthorized access of data under Acronis protection.
"Quantum computing opens up a new world of cyber security threats that companies cannot ignore – especially those moving more IT operations like data protection to the cloud," said Serguei Beloussov, Co-Founder and CEO at Acronis. "Acronis believes that data privacy and data security are critical requirements for complete cloud data protection, and we're working with leaders such as ID Quantique to innovate in areas like quantum-safe encryption. The result ensures that our cloud customers get the most secure solutions in the industry and most importantly are protected against future threats and attacks."
"Quantum-safe approaches are essential to guarantee long-term confidentiality of data," said Gregoire Ribordy, CEO at ID Quantique. "This kind of solution will become the de-facto standard for the cloud, and Acronis, as a first-mover, will have a strong edge."


Yes, you have read it right: this soup is made with sauerkraut as a main ingredient. As far as I can tell, it is of Slavic countries or Central Europe origin and there is no need to say that it is a comfort food. My version is more robust then simple soups that use just sauerkraut, potatoes and stock. Again, just use your imagination like I did.
I think that the key in making this soup taste great to unaccustomed taste buds is to soak, wash and drain the kraut in cold water. I dumped the whole jar of sauerkraut into large and deep bowl, filled with cold water and let sit for an hour. Then I drained it in strainer and washed it under running water for half a minute. I let it drain and run it in my lettuce spinner to remove as much water as possible. This was important step for me because I like to chop the long strands of sauerkraut into a size that will stay on the spoon and not hang over like spaghetti.
My soup was fortified with addition of carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, garlic and smoked kielbasa. For the base you can use any stock you have on hand. Ham stock would be ideal but I didn't have any. Next time I'll cook smoked Schweinshaxe or Eisbein (pork hock) I will keep this recipe in mind and keep some meat and skin (for me only) for the soup.
Soak the sauerkraut in cold water for about 1 hour. Drain, squeeze dry and roughly chop.
Crush caraway seeds with garlic in mortar, mini-chopper or chop with knife.
Mix 1/3 cup water with chopped bacon and place in a heavy bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Turn the heat on medium high and render the bacon fat. When bacon starts to get crispy and light brown add onions and garlic-caraway seed mixture and cook until onions start to have light color. Off the heat mix in paprika and stir till onions are coated.
Put back on heat and add carrots, parsnip, celery, potatoes and smoked meat or sausage. Mix for few seconds and then pour in stock. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add sauerkraut and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Soup is ready to be served as is but if you like soups with more body, run about half of the soup in blender, return to pot to reheat and serve. Another option is to liquefy the leftover soup in the blender, add some 35% cream and simmer for few minutes. Sinfully good!
It is rather surprising how good that soup was. I was never very found of sauerkrout but this soup made me say:"encore".
The Official taster of the house.


Relationship & Marriage Talk: Beware Of The Warning Signs!
Photos: Joseph And Sylvia's Dashing Post Wedding Shoot!
It's been years ago since you got married to your better half.
Meet The Proud Polygamist- Mike Musereku, The Man With 4 Wives And 10 Kids!
After The Wedding Then What.............?


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The Organized Poor and Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Sengupta: Be-hind the Beau-tiful Forevers
Mitu Sengupta ▪ May 9, 2012
Behind the Beautiful Forevers:
Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo
Random House, 2012, 288 pp.
In her remarkable book about slumdwellers in Mumbai, India, Katherine Boo brings to light a country of "profound and juxtaposed inequality," where more than a decade of steady economic growth has delivered shamefully little to the poorest and most vulnerable. But though at first a heartfelt indictment of the processes of economic liberalization and privatization underway in India, the book slides into a troubling narrative about the roots of the country's poverty and squandered economic potential. As a result, Boo loses the possibility of making a truly empowering statement on India's current predicament.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers is a beautifully written book. Through tight but supple prose, Boo presents an unsettling account of life in Annawadi, a "single, unexceptional slum" near Mumbai's international airport. The slum lies beside a "buzzing sewage lake" so polluted that pigs and dogs resting in its shallows have "bellies stained in blue." We meet "spiny" ragpickers rummaging through rat-filled garbage sheds, destitute migrants forced to eat rats, a girl covered by worm-filled boils (from rat bites), and a "vibrant teenager" who kills herself (by drinking rat poison) when she can no longer bear what life has to offer. Visitors to the airport, however, are spared the sight of this slum and its struggling inhabitants, who live with the constant fear of demolition. Annawadi is hidden from view by a wall that carries an advertisement for stylish floor tiles—tiles that, unlike the slum, promise to stay "beautiful forever" (hence, the book's title).
As Boo explains in an author's note, everything in the book is real, down to all the names. Though this work of nonfiction reads like a novel, it is the product of years of methodical observation and research. Boo chronicled the lives of Annawadians with photographs, video recordings, audiotapes, written notes, and interviews, with several children from Annawadi pitching in upon "mastering [Boo's] Flip Video Camera."
The intimate view of life provided by Boo is embedded within a larger concern about the government's role in "the distribution of opportunity in a fast-changing country." In these uncertain times—an "ad hoc, temp-job, fiercely competitive age"—has the government made things better or worse? In a bid to answer this question, Boo consulted more than 3,000 public records, obtained through India's Right to Information Act, from government agencies such as the Mumbai police, the state public health department, public hospitals, the state and central education bureaucracies, electoral offices, city ward offices, morgues, and the courts.
The verdict, chilling in its details, is that there is a deep rot at the heart of the Indian state. The utter callousness of government officials is matched only by the utter vulnerability of the poor, who must daily navigate "the great web of corruption." Police officers batter a child, aiming for his hands, the body part on which his tenuous livelihood depends. Doctors, at a government hospital, alter a burned woman's records to absolve themselves of blame for her gruesome death. A school, meant for the poor, is closed as "soon as the leader of the nonprofit has taken enough photos of children studying to secure the government funds" (in contrast, a school funded by a Catholic charity "takes it obligation to poor students more seriously").
In Boo's rendering, the state not only fails to provide the basics of a decent life to vast numbers of citizens, but is wholly predatory. As people learn to survive the blows of this rapacious state, their expectations as well as their "innate capacities for moral action" are altered. Boo tells us that in Mumbai, a "hive of hope and ambition," there is no dearth of young people who believe in "New Indian miracles"—that they can go from "zero to hero fast." In Annawadi, however, a series of encounters with greedy, ruthless government officials ensures that such dreams are crushed, even the modest one of "becoming something different." A boy, wrongfully accused of murder, reconciles himself to the belief that the Indian criminal justice is a "market like garbage," where "innocence and guilt [can] be bought and sold like a kilo of polyurethane bags." His mother, exhausted by her tussle with a "justice system so malign," is one of the many adults who keep walking "as a bleeding waste-picker slowly dies on the roadside."
If Boo's aim is to shatter the smugness of those who still believe that India is "shining" or that "trickle down" is working, she does very well. But in a country where corruption, poverty, and inequality are the subjects of heated and continuous debate, what are the politics of this powerfully written and cleverly marketed book? (The book has elicited nearly universally favorable reviews, in high-profile venues such as the New York Times and the Colbert Report). Where does it fit in the larger conversation?
The truth is that it is no longer terribly novel to challenge the idea of a "shining" India. After more than three years of sagging growth, massive corruption, shrinking investment, and shockingly poor records on health and education, only a handful of ideologues will insist that India is still doing brilliantly. (Boo's narrative spans from 2008 to 2011.) For the garden-variety neoliberal, the argument has shifted noticeably, from celebrating India's "shining" to cataloguing the causes of its all-too-palpable dulling. The lead story in a recent issue of the Economist, "How India Is Losing Its Magic," is but one indicator of this shift.
The major disagreements today are not over whether something has gone wrong, but about why it has gone wrong. The pro-market orthodoxy has a ready diagnosis: "governance failures" are destroying the effects of sound economic policy and youthful, entrepreneurial drive. (The Economist makes this point with characteristic self-assurance. India is "losing its magic" because of "the country's desperate politics," and "the state, still huge and crazy after all these years.") Examples abound of floundering government-funded social programs and botched anti-poverty schemes. Even corruption, now undeniable in its mammoth size and disastrous effects, is seen as a vestige of the old state, a stubborn ancien régime that has refused to keep pace with the liberalizing economy. The attendant prescriptions are easily deduced: scale back the state as much as possible, dismantle its unworkable social programs, and slap on an ombudsman to keep wayward civil servants in line.
Boo offers no such "solutions." A Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist knows better than to swat the reader with overt messages. Yet with its exclusive preoccupation with government failure–Boo does not sift through the public records of international organizations or large corporations, after all–the book's subtle alignment with the neoliberal narrative is unmistakable. For a much-celebrated work that, on the whole, offers an extraordinarily sensitive portrayal of the aspirations, disappointments, and "deep, idiosyncratic intelligences of the poor," this is most worrying. While Boo provides an accurate account of the state's repressive and arbitrary proclivities, she gives less than due consideration to the sort of state the poor might actually want. Some of the most urgent struggles today are to increase public funding for health and education, to universalize the reach of social security measures, and to expand the ambit of the legal system in order to secure recognition and entitlements from the state. Led by slumdwellers' groups and other severely under-resourced organizations, these struggles have rarely met with success. News of municipal bulldozers erasing shantytowns is certainly far more common than that of social movements extracting concessions from the state. Yet in the new India of gleaming skyscrapers and luxury shopping malls, the presence of those who resist—who valiantly fight back—is as undeniable as that of those who are crushed by the weight of change.
It is not surprising that the voice of the organized poor has eluded Boo. She is preoccupied with documenting "poor on poor crime"—and more broadly, the reasons why, in these competitive times, the poor work against each other and have little capacity for collective action. While the Annawadi described by Boo is brimming with individual enterprise, courage, and resilience, there is little indication of meaningful political engagement and organized resistance. Mumbai is renowned for its vigorous housing rights movements, sex workers' unions, and small vendors' associations. It is astonishing that in an otherwise insightful book about a slum in this vibrant city, we find no examples of successful collective action, either among the residents of Annawadi or between the residents of Annawadi and the world outside. Such an absence makes this "single, unexceptional slum" seem exceptional indeed.
One may argue, of course, that a single book can never do everything, that the responsibilities of an individual author are limited. Yet the subject matter of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, along with the recognition it has received, should push us to be more demanding. Boo's work is part of a larger genre of films and writings on the urban poor that has exploded in popularity in the last decade, in India and beyond. While there are many reasons for the proliferation of such works, a central one, surely, is their relative ease of production. It is not difficult or expensive to obtain access to the poor. There are no razor-wired fences and gun-toting guards to contend with. One need not bother with bribing maids or hacking laptops. (In contrast, how much do we know about the bed-hopping, drug-snorting, and verbally abusive ways of the rich—forms of anti-social behavior that are ubiquitous among Annawadians, according to Boo? What we do know, moreover, is not due to assiduous videotaping, interviewing, and rummaging through public records, but to semi-autobiographical observations and other brittle sources that can rarely lay much claim to authenticity.) In many ways, the lives of the poor, especially the urban poor, are already an open story, penetrated, dissected, and acted upon by government officials, global charities, journalists, and even "slum tourism" operators. Indeed, this ease of access to the marginalized should enlarge the scale of responsibility of anyone writing on the subject, especially when the author is as insistent, as is Boo, about the fastidiousness of her research. A special measure of care should be taken to ensure that depictions are representative, and that possible omissions are noted.
Boo's book, to be fair, is a cut above the standard fare on the subject. There is a good deal to be learned from Behind the Beautiful Forevers and its rare micro-view of the slum. Readers may never see "Ribby children with flies in their eyes" in the same light again, and may be pushed to care more about a waiter's meager wages than whether he served their soup on time. These are certainly possibilities. But there is another, less laudable possibility: that the neoliberal establishment will find substance in Boo's book for their wider narrative that the government can only ever fail, and that retracting the already-thin cover of publicly funded programs remains the best bet for getting India back on track.
Mitu Sengupta is associate Professor of Politics, Ryerson University, Toronto, and Director of the Center for Development and Human Rights in New Delhi. An early version of this article appeared in the blog www.kafila.org.
Photo: slum in Mumbai, taken in 2010 by cactusbones (via Flickr creative commons)


text:
Q: Delete each file older than X days in Y folder I wrote this but it doesn't work.
In giorni I put the maximum days of stay in the SD andfile_dir is the default location where the files are analyzed.
import os
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

file_dir = "/home/pi/" #location
giorni = 2 #n max of days

giorni_pass = datetime.now() - timedelta(giorni)

for root, dirs, files in os.walk(file_dir):
    for file in files:
        filetime = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getctime(file))
        if filetime > giorni_pass:
            os.remove(file)

A: Solved with:
for file in files:
        path = os.path.join(file_dir, file)
        filetime = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getctime(path))
        if filetime > giorni_pass:
            os.remove(path)

Because "Filenames" contains a list of files whose path name is relative to "file_dir" and to make operations on those files should first get the absolute path, using path = os.path.join(file_dir, file)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
action Remutha
Home action
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is an action role-playing game developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix as a Playstation exclusive. It is the fifth game of the main series and the ninth released game of the franchise. As far as timeline, this game falls between the second and third instalments in the timeline.
"The Pangalactic Federation is nearing the fulfilment of its mission: Peace and Order throughout the galaxy. However, the embers of conflict begin to stir once more on the planet of Faykreed, 6,000 light years from Earth, as a new story begins in the ocean of stars."
Set on the planet Faykreed, the story begins with Fidel Camuze who is now matured somewhat from his teenage self to a 23 year old. Thrown into a relatively undeveloped planet that is in conflict with a more advanced space travelling race, Fidel must first petition with his father, the King, to rally troops to protect cities including Sthal. He is joined by his persistent and loyal childhood friend Miki Sauvester, the heroine of the game, and Relia, a young girl they rescue who quickly becomes the centre of everything.
First announced to be under development in early 2015, this will be a long awaited title for fans of the series. Integrity and Faithlessness has been a labour of love. After Yoshinori Yamagishi left the company the series was thought to be ended. But Shuichi Kobayashi was determined to see the series continue and after a lot of work in secret to ensure the proposal for the newest instalment would go ahead we see this beautiful result. True to its predecessors, Integrity and Faithlessness is a tribute to the franchise and built to bring the best of the game to the fans of the original series.
Fans of the series will find the combat system to be very similar to the other games where the player is able to control up to seven party members during battles. Improved game mechanics feature during conflict, storytelling cutscenes have been minimised so as to draw the player away from play time as little as possible and transitions are relatively seamless. Abilities to create are also present in the game as well as more complex character battle configurations.
When you first enter this stunning world you are guided through a very detailed tutorial on basic gameplay and battle sequences which will show you how to use your long and short range, strong and weak attacks, as well as blocks, dodges and combos.
After the tutorial, Fidel is guided around the city by his friends Ted and Miki to gain an understanding of controls and the world around him. Quickly the friends encounter Eitalon bandits scouting out their beloved city and report to the Mayor who is more concerned with his inabilities in the job than taking action. Fidel decides the best action to take is to see his father, the King of Central Resulia. Miki insists on being by Fidel's side throughout the events that follow and serves as a healer and companion throughout most of the story.
It is at this point of the game that the true scale of the battle is made known to the young companions who seek to prove their worth in the world around them, instead of being discounted for the children they are perceived to be.
Integrity and Faithlessness is a beautiful balance of story, battles and stunning graphics. The endearing characters of Fidel and Miki create a desire to be invested in the story and see it through to completion. The dialogue is simple and to the point, rarely keeping you listening for too long or to anything that won't move the story along or expand on the character bonds.
Fidel is a rather serious character with the weight of his world's fate on his young shoulders. His determination is great and you will him to succeed and become the true master of battle and swordsmanship that he seeks to be. Miki's childlike nature is very cute as is her attachment to Fidel, and it's obvious she is bound to his side, promise or none. Her temperament perfectly balances with Fidel's to make a winning duo.
Fighting can feel a little repetitive at first but fleshes out as the game progresses and more skills are acquired. Emphasis is placed on mastering combos and working moves together. Repeating the same basic moves lends itself to a sluggish combat feeling that can be easily countered, so an investment in learning and perfecting battles is to the player's benefit. Team management is also crucial to guaranteeing a successful battle- but this I will go into below.
Save points are regular but at times feel far away so are definitely worth using whenever you can. One of my major gripes with playing this game was that there were no save points before major battle sequences and if the battle was lost you were booted to the main screen to load the save file and begin the entire process again. While this seems minor it can become highly frustrating when following said save point there is a sequence of 3 general battle, followed by 3-4 major battles before a boss fight. If I happened to get all the way to the boss and then die, there were a good 6 or 7 battles for me to endure to get back to where I was.
The other thing noticed was that while in those 6 battles before the boss all my characters survived with minimal issues, a significant increase in damage was noticed in the final fight which could knock your party down pretty hard and surprisingly quickly. Revitalising my party members also seemed to have no effect, so no healing took place with administration of healing items. This is an issue which I would hope to see addressed.
Otherwise, the battles are highly enjoyable and watching your character speedily take down enemies around them with the greatest finesse was visually satisfying. Especially while listening to the great soundtrack behind each battle- so very retro arcade…loved it! The rewards for battles are also very fair and even generous at times which certainly makes it worth the struggles in the end.
The learning curve in this game is very good. While at the beginning it is a huge download of information to the brain during tutorial, the gameplay which follows is a steady upward slope allowing the player to become well accustomed to the play style and mechanics. Should you choose to have them available, additional tutorial steps are provided as required which is a great support in learning the game and progressively mastering it.
Side quests are also available and are found either through the person issuing them or via a bulletin board. All of these missions will contribute to your EXP and have some monetary gain or value. They also have no time limit which allows you to complete them at will when you feel a change of pace is in order.
All the above said, this is definitely a game worth checking out if you have played the previous instalments or if you are a fan of the earlier Final Fantasy style games. There is a lot that Integrity and Faithlessness has to offer and I've really only scratched the surface. Star Ocean will take you out beyond the solid ground of Faykreed and into space as Fidel follows his destiny.
With such beautiful attention to detail in every part of this game's graphics and mechanics, it is hard not to fall in love with it.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is available now on Playstation 3 and 4.
Publisher: Square Enix Co., Ltd
Developer: tri-Ace Inc.
Character Design: akiman (Akira Yasuda)
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date: 1st July 2016
Remutha
Remutha, or Rem, has been writing for 8 years. Combining this with a love of video games Rem has been writing game reviews for 2 years.


text:
using namespace cv;
using namespace std;

static void drawOptFlowMap(const Mat& flow, Mat& cflowmap, int step,
                    double, const Scalar& color)
{
    for(int y = 0; y < cflowmap.rows; y += step)
        for(int x = 0; x < cflowmap.cols; x += step)
        {
            const Point2f& fxy = flow.at<Point2f>(y, x);
            line(cflowmap, Point(x,y), Point(cvRound(x+fxy.x), cvRound(y+fxy.y)),
                 color);
            circle(cflowmap, Point(x,y), 2, color, -1);
        }
}

int main(int argc, const char** argv)
{

 // add your file name
 VideoCapture cap(1);

 Mat flow, frame;
         // some faster than mat image container
 UMat  flowUmat, prevgray;

 for (;;)
 {

  bool Is = cap.grab();
  if (Is == false) {
                         // if video capture failed
   cout << "Video Capture Fail" << endl;
   break;
  }
  else {

   Mat img;
   Mat original;
   Mat cflow;
   Mat flow;
   // capture frame from video file
   cap.retrieve(img, CV_CAP_OPENNI_BGR_IMAGE);
   resize(img, img, Size(640, 480));

   // save original for later
   img.copyTo(original);

   // just make current frame gray
   cvtColor(img, img, COLOR_BGR2GRAY);

   // For all optical flow you need a sequence of images.. Or at least 2 of them. Previous                           //and current frame
   //if there is no current frame
   // go to this part and fill previous frame
   //else {
   // img.copyTo(prevgray);
   //   }
   // if previous frame is not empty.. There is a picture of previous frame. Do some                                  //optical flow alg.

   if (prevgray.empty() == false ) {

    // calculate optical flow
    calcOpticalFlowFarneback(prevgray, img, flowUmat, 0.8, 1, 12, 2, 5, 1.1, 0);
    cvtColor(prevgray, cflow, COLOR_GRAY2BGR);
    // copy Umat container to standard Mat
    flowUmat.copyTo(flow);
    drawOptFlowMap(flow, cflow, 16, 1.5, Scalar(0, 255, 0));
    imshow("flow", cflow);
    flowUmat.copyTo(flow);

           // By y += 5, x += 5 you can specify the grid
    for (int y = 0; y < original.rows; y += 5) {
     for (int x = 0; x < original.cols; x += 5)
     {
              // get the flow from y, x position * 10 for better visibility
              const Point2f flowatxy = flow.at<Point2f>(y, x);
                     // draw line at flow direction
       line(original, Point(x, y), Point(cvRound(x + flowatxy.x), cvRound(y + flowatxy.y)), Scalar(255,0,0));
                                                         // draw initial point
       circle(original, Point(x, y), 1, Scalar(0, 0, 0), -1);

      }

     }

                                 // draw the results
    namedWindow("prew", WINDOW_AUTOSIZE);
    imshow("prew", original);

                                 // fill previous image again
    img.copyTo(prevgray);

   }
   else {

                                 // fill previous image in case prevgray.empty() == true
    img.copyTo(prevgray);

   }

   int key1 = waitKey(20);

  }
 }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


My name is Emily , I'm 21 and I live in California. My family and friends have always told me that I should try modeling, I know I have the confidence and the looks. Just lack the experience, but I'm a very quick learner and I know I can take some damn good photos .


text:
package com.compuware.ispw.restapi.auth;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintStream;
import java.io.Serializable;

import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpRequestBase;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.CloseableHttpClient;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.HttpClientBuilder;
import org.apache.http.protocol.HttpContext;

/**
 * @author Janario Oliveira
 */
public interface Authenticator extends Serializable {

	String getKeyName();

	CloseableHttpClient authenticate(HttpClientBuilder clientBuilder, HttpContext context, HttpRequestBase requestBase,
					  PrintStream logger) throws IOException, InterruptedException;
}


text:
Evaluating Research
Common Research Problems
How to Evaluate a Study
Funding in Science
Foundation and Activist Group-Funded Research
Government-Funded Science
Industry-Funded Research
Home ⁄ Issues ⁄ Funding in Science ⁄ Foundation and Activist Group-Funded Research ⁄ Environmental Working Group
Like a number of environmental non-profit groups, the Environmental Working Group has clear-cut policy goals: eliminating genetically modified foods, shifting the U.S. to energy powered by wind and sunshine, and phasing out a number of common chemicals and consumer products. The group regularly publishes research and consumer advisories that receive significant media coverage, however that research isn't peer reviewed or required to meet the editorial standards to be published in a reputable journal. Since the research is still generally reported by journalists in the same manner that they would report on more rigorously reviewed scientific findings, it can lead the public to unnecessarily worry about the safety of common foods and products.
For instance, the Environmental Working Group annually publishes a "Guide to Sunscreens." The report rates popularly sold sunscreens based on whether the organization believes the ingredients cause cancer or reproductive problems and rates them as low, medium, or high hazard. The report isn't published in any journal or reviewed by other researchers, but it's regularly covered by top media outlets despite significant criticism from dermatologists. And not a single media outlet covered the fact that every single one of the partnering companies (those that have given financial support to EWG's sunscreen campaign) were all given the best ratings. Learn more about EWG's sunscreen issue here.
Measles Resurgence Shows Its Time To Change How We Talk About Vaccines
This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) cited vaccine hesitancy as a top global health threat. The viral spread of anti-vaccine information (pun very much
Public Policy Vaccines
Sorry, veggie burgers won't move the needle on climate change
Throughout the month of January, several independent academic reports concluded that vegetarianism is the only way to combat climate change and chronic disease. The claims
Food Natural Foods Nutrition
Keeping Up With The Chemophobia
The latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians chronicles Kourtney Kardashian's day advocating for cosmetic reform on Capitol Hill. The reality TV star-turned lobbyist
Celebrities Environmental Working Group Public Policy
This Holiday Shopping Season, We Encourage Consumers to Mind the Science
The holiday season is almost upon us, as consumers begin to think about what gifts and goodies to stock up on during Black Friday and
BPA Natural
Periodic Fables
© 2020 Center for Accountability in Science
A project of the Center for Organizational Research and Education


text:
Deep Storage Browser
====================

Deep Storage Browser is a C++/Qt graphical desktop application for interacting
with the Deep Storage REST interface.  Windows and Mac OSX are currently
supported although it should work on any Qt compatible platform.

BlackPearl Compatibility
------------------------

This version of the Deep Storage Browser is only compatible with BlackPearl
version 1.2.

Build Requirements
------------------

* [Qt 5.3](http://qt-project.org)
* [DS3 C SDK](https://github.com/SpectraLogic/ds3_c_sdk)
* C++ compiler (Microsoft Visual Studio, Apple XCode, GCC, etc)

Build Instructions
------------------

Building a Qt application is generally the same on all platforms.  It generally
involves using `qmake` to generate Makefiles/project files/etc and then
using your system's native build tools to build the application.  It is
recommended to build within a separate `build` directory to keep the source
directory clean.  This also makes it easy to clean your workspace.

Windows Builds
--------------

The application is currently setup to use Microsoft Visual Studio (Express).
Build the [DS3 C SDK](https://github.com/SpectraLogic/ds3_c_sdk).
In the Microsoft Visual Studio Developer Command Prompt:

    cd <deep_storage_browser directory>
    mkdir build
    cd build
    qmake ../deep_storage_browser.pro
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\src\ds3.h .\
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\win32\output\lib\*.lib .\
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\win32\output\bin\*.dll .\release
    mkdir curl
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\win32\deps\install\curl .\curl
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\win32\deps\install\include\zconf.h .\
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\win32\deps\install\include\zlib.h .\
    copy <ds3_c_sdk directory>\win32\deps\install\lib\zlib_a.lib .\
    nmake release

A release executable will be located under build/release.  Running `nmake`
without any targets specified will build the debug version to build/debug.

Microsoft Visual Studio can also be used to build/develop the application.
To generate a Microsoft Visual Studio project file:

    cd <deep_storage_browser directory>
    mkdir build
    cd build
    qmake -tp vc ../deep_storage_browser.pro

Mac OSX Builds
--------------

Install XCode if you have not already done so.  Build and install the
[DS3 C SDK](https://github.com/SpectraLogic/ds3_c_sdk) and it's dependencies.
Then, in Terminal:

    cd <deep_storage_browser directory>
    mkdir build
    cd build
    qmake ../deep_storage_browser.pro
    make release

A release app bundle will be located under build/release.  Running `make`
without any targets specified will build the debug version to build/debug.

XCode can also be used to build/develop the application.  To generate an
XCode project file:

    cd <deep_storage_browser directory>
    mkdir build
    cd build
    qmake -spec macx-xcode ../deep_storage_browser.pro

Packaging and Deploying
-----------------------

The easiest way to package up and deploy the application is to build the
application and deploy all of its dependencies (Qt libraries, C SDK, etc) along
with the app.  Qt provides `macdeloyqt`, `windeployqt`, etc tools to make this
easy.  They are located in your Qt's bin directory (where `qmake` is located).
Just run the appropriate `deployqt` tool, for your host platform, and point it
to where your built executable is; on OSX, point it to the .app bundle.
On OSX, it copies all the dependencies to the .app bundle.  On Windows, it
copies all the dependencies to the directory where the .exe file is.

Session Persistence
-------------------

The application is currently setup to automatically save the session data
if the user selects that option.  Where the data is saved depends on the
platform.  On OSX, it is stored in
~/Library/Preferences/com.spectralogic.Deep Storage Browser.plist.

OSX Note - OSX Yosemite, and possibly earlier versions, cache the plist files.
Thus, deleting the plist file is not enough to clear the setting.  You must
then either restart, logout/login, or execute `killall -u yourusername cfprefsd`

TODO - Update for Windows

Running Tests
-------------

Qt's unit test framework is used for testing.  A separate `test` console
application is provided under the `test/` directory that will run all the
tests.  To run the tests, build and run the test application like any
other Qt application.

    cd <deep_storage_browser directory>/test
    mkdir build
    cd build
    qmake ../test.pro
    make
    ./test


In the wake of his friend and idol Mac Miller's death back in September, rapper Lil Xan has decided to check into a rehab facility.
Lil Xan -- real name Diego Leanos -- named his rap persona after the very addictive benzodiazepine Xanax, but the 22-year-old has been open about his struggles with addiction and desire to get clean.
After his friend and fellow rapper Mac Miller died from an overdose in September, Lil Xan shared that he was considering rehab.
"I want to get sober now, completely sober, but it's so hard. I just want to be off everything," he shared at the time. "I want to be like a normal person.... if I didn't have a tour coming up I would be in rehab right now."
Since then, Xan's been working on a Mac Miller tribute album, which he said he'll finish recording once he's sober.
Speaking to TMZ Live, Xan said that although his addiction has been "way worse" in the past and he's not currently near "rock bottom", he still needed to help to make it through the final stretch of getting clean.
"I've actually been ten times worse than what I am now. But I want to do rehab so I can get over this last little, like, hump -- like, stretch -- so I can finally get back to being Diego," he said.
The news comes shortly after the one-year anniversary of his fellow Soundcloud rapper Lil Peep's fatal overdose.
Lil Xan's new EP, Xanarchy Militia has just dropped on Soundcloud, and Lil Peep's post-humous album Come Over When You're Sober Pt 2 is now streaming also.
"If I didn't have a tour coming up I would be in rehab right now."
We love a publicity stunt.


text:
Sen. Rubio: No gun law would have prevented Florida school shooting
Updated: 9:08 AM PST Feb 15, 2018
WEBVTT MORNING.SENATOR RUBIO: IT IS A HORRIBLESHOULD HAVE SEEN COMING BUT WEREWE STARTED HEARING ABOUT IT LASTIT WAS KIND OF A RUNNING JOKEOUR HUMAN NATURE IS TO ASSUMEWE WILL LEARN MORE, BUT JUST TOAND NOW THEY ARE NOT COMINGMARK: WE HAVE BEEN REPORTING,HOW ARE YOU AT THE FEDERAL LEVELSEN. RUBIO: THAT NUMBER IS OUTTHE HAVE BEEN 18 SHOOTINGS ATSOME INVOLVED SUICIDES ANDNEVERTHELESS, IT HAPPENED.WE HAVE SEEN AN ACCELERATIONTHE INDIVIDUAL YESTERDAY WAS, ISCHOOLS ARE COMPLICATED PLACESTO VIOLENCE ON A MASS SCALE.THE ACCELERATION OF THESE EVENTSI HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE ANDTO DATE, NONE OF THE GUN LAWSI UNDERSTAND WHEN SOMETHING LIKENONE OF THESE LAWS WOULD HAVEWE HAVE TO LOOK DEEPER AND SAY,THESE GUN LAWS WERE THE SAME 30A 19-YEAR-OLD MAN DECIDES ONEWHITNEY: YOU HAVE -- MARK: YOUTHIS IS WPBF 25 NEWS AT 9:00.-- A PLUS RATING FROM THE NRA.CLEARLY, THE GUNS HAVE SOMETHINGSEN. RUBIO: THEY PASSED A LAWTHERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THATIF SOMEONE DECIDES, I'M GOING TONONE OF THE GONE LAWS THAT HAVEONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE PUSHTHIS PERSON WOULD HAVE PASSEDHE IS 19 YEARS OLD.MARK: YOU COULD ALSO SAY IF ASEN. RUBIO: IT WOULD NOT HAVETHAT IS A FACT.IF YOU COULD CITE ME ONE LAWA FACT CHECKER AT "THEBUNCH OF PEOPLE, WILL FIGURE OUT
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said no gun laws would have prevented the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.As part of comments made in an interview with WPBF, Rubio said "it just takes one individual with a deranged mindset that could lead to violence on a mass scale." "I've said this before, a lot of people don't like when I say it, to date, none of the gun laws that have been proposed here in Washington would have prevented any of these attacks," he said. Hear the full interview in the video above
PARKLAND, Fla. —
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said no gun laws would have prevented the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
As part of comments made in an interview with WPBF, Rubio said "it just takes one individual with a deranged mindset that could lead to violence on a mass scale."
"I've said this before, a lot of people don't like when I say it, to date, none of the gun laws that have been proposed here in Washington would have prevented any of these attacks," he said.
Hear the full interview in the video above


When I was a kid I really didn't like spinach, but it wasn't something that my family ate, either. My Southern born and bred family ate turnip greens, and that was as close as we got to spinach.
Well I'm all grown up now, and I loooove spinach—spinach salad, spinach pizza, sauteed spinach, spinach in sandwich wraps. This is our favorite recipe for sauteed spinach. It's so versatile that you can use it as a side for just about any meat or pasta, as a topping with feta cheese for pizza, and it's great as a bottom layer in Crustless Quiche.
Tear the large spinach leaves into pieces. Fill a large bowl with cold water and wash the spinach. Repeat 2 or 3 times until the spinach is thoroughly cleaned. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid if necessary.
Heat a large skillet. Melt the butter, then add the olive oil, garlic, and chopped shallot. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach by the handful and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted.
Continue to add spinach and stir until all the spinach is in the pan. Add more olive oil as necessary. When all the spinach is wilted and cooked through, season with salt and pepper and toss again. Serve warm.
You can add 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes when sauteeing, or you can squeeze fresh lemon juice over the spinach before serving.
For a more Italian flavor, you can add 2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced when sauteeing and serve with 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
You can skip the butter if you want to do a vegan thing. We just like the extra flavor it adds, and it's not too much so we don't feel overly guilty.


Mystery genre is one of the genre that is very hard to do, or in this case, to adapt. Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider is no exception; in a way it delivers a classic mystery theme complimented with modern setting. It is hard to actually do a satisfying review for this anime: you either hate this anime because of its long-winded, redundant and boring writing or enjoy it for its engaging slow paced, single in-depth mystery theme. Nevertheless, I will try my best to do the review for this anime while avoiding potential spoiler.
The story features a classic 'locked room' problem, where the victim in this story get killed in a room where no one could be seen entering or exiting the crime scene until the victim's (severed) body was found, in a rather horrific way. While the premise is simple enough, the execution was frustratingly slow. It takes a fair amount of scenes for the case to actually start, and for the protagonist to piece the puzzle together. Indeed, the story suffers from a very slow pacing, considering that it takes almost 10 episodes for a single case to finally resolve. While it is good in a way that it helps the viewer to take their time to engage in the story itself and figuring out what happened without rushing too much, it can be really boring for the most part. One of the main reason that such thing happen is the amount of heavy dialogue spouted by the characters on every single scene, which is really redundant and for the most part does not makes any sense at all. For starter, I'm not a philosopher and here to enjoy the mystery instead of pondering about the meaning of life. This is indeed a very 'talky' show. While some people may say that long-winded, 'high quality' writing that features in-depth hidden meaning as a good writing, I found it not enjoyable at all. For starter, anime is a medium that uses its animation as its selling point to convey the story to the reader, instead of long string of words that may get lost in translation; a book or novel is a better medium for that. I do understand that the anime itself is an adaptation of series of novels, but for better or worse it is a not so good of an attempt at doing so. As far as the mystery concerned, it was decent for the most part, especially in the earlier part where it seems logical, but get ridiculous later on when element such as AI and psychology was being put into the fray. When things that help to speed up solving the mystery randomly appear out of nowhere, it is usually a sign that the writing will go downhill afterward. As for the ending, whilst the mystery itself is solved, the story that follows up afterward to tie up the loose end leaves a bad aftertaste.
There are three main characters that play a huge roles in the story; Saikawa Souhei, Nishinosono Moe and Magata Shiki. Souhei role is mainly to become the series detective, and that is effectively all he does; finding out clues one step at a time and piecing them out altogether to solve the mystery. Beyond that he's honestly a quite bland and uninspiring character, but at least he fulfills the role that the story has given him very well. Moe helps to make the story coherent and keep it on track. She ensure that the viewers are able to follow along and don't get confused, by not being quite as sharp as Saikawa-sensei is, and thus making him have to explain most of his discoveries vocally to her, thus indirectly informing the audience in the process as well. Both of this character are mostly used as a plot device so that the story could keep going on. Magata Shiki however, serves as the story enigmatic antagonist and victim. She is a unique character, in both personalities and her role in the story as a whole. She's is a psychotic and messed up, but unbelievably intelligent. Her calm, emotionless, yet calculative manner is something that need to be notice of. Throughout the show, you will learn more about her personalities in the form of flashback, and as of why she is the centre of the story itself. I won't go into detail, but you would be surprised on how clever she manipulate the people around her. As for the other side characters, they're mostly just 'there'; not a whole lot more to say about them really.
The art and animation are both stylistic and simplistic yet effective. There's a hollow feeling that anyone can draw from its backgrounds. Some of the scenery are drawn beautifully. Most characters are also designed to look simple without unusual features. Additionally, the show portrays its mystery with symbolism and disorder. To put it simply, artwork is unorthodox but also stylistically fitting for a show like this. The animation are mostly smooth, with no huge issue whatsoever. It does not have heavy action scenes, except for maybe a more abstract scene here and there. For the most time, the characters are just talking... and searching, so the movement of characters are rather minimum so to speak. The soundtrack is somewhat impressive. The OP song, features whacky rotoscope done effectively while the ED song is a lot more upbeat, featuring pixellated computeresque animation. The OST used overall fits the mystery theme the anime have. More intensified scenes are also adapted with quietness to add on more to the thrilling suspense. Most of them however are rather forgettable, but it doesn't affect the show much.
Overall, I found the anime slightly boring but quite interesting, if you can keep up with it. If you are a fan of mystery anime, or talkative anime featuring heavy dialogues about the meaning of life and human consciousness, you might want to check out this anime.The anime is long winded and can be boring, with its really slow pacing, so it is not recommended if you watched a more action focused or fast paced anime. There are a bit of comedy here and there, but it is not its main focus, as the show itself is rather serious most of the time. There are definitely better mystery anime out there, but Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider has its own charm in its own right.


A. Jaffe is world-renowned for high-quality metals and stones, as well as flawless ring designs. It's no wonder -- the New York-based company has been bejeweling the fingers of brides since 1892. Each gold or platinum engagement, wedding and anniversary ring is individually designed and handcrafted to perfection. An A. Jaffe ring is a piece that will be treasured now and forever.
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Quote of the day: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer shows his famous sense of humor and competitiveness during an interview with Fortune...Do you have an iPod?
No, I do not. Nor do my children. My children--in many dimensions they're as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I've got my kids brainwashed: You don't use Google, and you don't use an iPod.
Think you can you crack the iPod market?
It's going to take an innovative proposition. In five years are people really going to carry two devices? One device that is their communication device, one device that is music? There's going to be a lot of opportunities to get back in that game. We want to be in that game. Expect to see announcements from us in that area in the next 12 months.


During the first school holidays of this year, Newkidz on the Block project managed the erection of a large sturdy carport for this school's feeding area.
Belhar Primary School provides a cooked breakfast and a hot midday meal for approximately 250 of their pupils every day.
Up until now the children have had to stand outside in the sun / wind / rain queuing for their meal and then eating it outside too (some of them are too shy to eat in the classroom or where others can see them).
Phase 1 of this project is now complete where there is a large covered area to shelter these children from the weather elements.
Phase 2 will follow soon which will provide tables & chairs; proper flooring; lighting and retractable PVC sheeting for the sides of the area.
It is imperative that children have food in their stomachs before learning can take place.
Well done to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) for helping to meet a very real need at grass root level and giving these children the dignity they deserve.


Discerning drivers will appreciate the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. This 4 door, 5 passenger sedan has not yet reached the 50,000 mile mark! Under the hood you'll find a 6 cylinder engine with more than 300 horsepower, providing a smooth and predictable driving experience. Mercedes-Benz prioritized comfort and style by including: 1-touch window functionality, variably intermittent wipers, a leather steering wheel, a power seat, front dual-zone air conditioning, an overhead console, and power windows. Mercedes-Benz ensures the safety and security of its passengers with equipment such as: dual front impact airbags, front side impact airbags, traction control, brake assist, anti-whiplash front head restraints, a panic alarm, an emergency communication system, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. Various mechanical systems are monitored by electronic stability control, keeping you on your intended path. It also arrives with a Carfax history report, indicating just one previous owner. We have a skilled and knowledgeable sales staff with many years of experience satisfying our customers needs. We'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Come on in and take a test drive!


They were clustered around in a circle, Kindle holding paper and a faerie pen, and Marie leapt up.
"I don't know about that, but if you are, you're our stupid," Tiggy said, smiling at her.
Marie nodded once, looking at the paper. "Okay, so it says to be 'firm and loud'. Don't shout, just be loud, and firm, like you're scolding a naughty Puppyblew or something." They nodded and took a deep breath, pointing their wands at the eyes. "Atertou," they said firmly.
The eyes dropped from their fingers, liquefying. They left a sticky, slimy substance on the witchlets' fingers, and they went to the tap to wash them off.
"Golly we're going to have some cleaning up to do afterwards," Kindle muttered, looking at the powder and the goop.
There was a loud sounding of javveSTIP and four bolts of lightning were shot out of four wands. The product was four flaming eyeballs in their hands, but they quickly went out from the liquid in them. Allison laughed.
"Take that, eyeball!" she yelled, giggling.
"Do we have to do all of those things?" Kindle asked tentatively.
When the voicing of bassfuory came, there was such a bang. It was so tremendous and everyone reeled back in surprise. It sounded like a bomb. It had been an explosion, and it seemed to ripple through the air with an after-shock, like after an earthquake.
"I have but one thing to say: wow," Tiggy said, her eyes wide.
"Did that just happen?" Allison asked, blinking quickly.
"No wonder witches are feared," Marie said, a chill creeping up her spine at what she could be – what she would be.
She was frightened. She didn't want to be some strange, magical thing that could disintegrate someone with barely any thought at all. She didn't want to be a Morguss, Edna or Sophie – after all, Kauvara really was too commercial to add to the list of greats – but rather she wanted to be a Marie, a simple, normal Marie. She had always thought how painfully normal she was, in the eyes of most people, because they never saw the weird things that happened to her; now she was definitely not normal and she was complaining! How fickle I am! she thought, shaking her head.
They cooked the stew and it went marvellously. After they were washed up, the girls went back to their usual pastimes: putting on makeup, reading magazines and writing about scientific findings. Only Marie was left to do nothing.
Walking over to the box of eyeballs, she wondered what they would do with the remainder. She started to count them for something to do. At the very bottom of the box, she stumbled upon something.
Examining it closely, she could see that the iris, the pupil and the flecks of light in it were jewels, studded into it with careful precision.
"What the heck is that?" Tiggy asked, punctuating every second word.
"What do you mean?" Allison asked.
"Let's say that you hated Sloth," Kindle said.
Everyone's eyes widened and Marie looked back at the little golden orb in her hands. It was beautiful... but so dangerous.
"I – I do not want it!" she exclaimed, placing it on the ground and backing away hurriedly.
"I would like to mess with whosoever brain it was that gave us that bath and supplied the food," Allison grumbled.
"Yeah, I agree," Allison said.
When they all agreed, they had to decide where to hide it. They whispered, as well, because they thought that the Witches might be listening in.
"I think we should hide it in that little nook behind the toilet," Allison whispered.
"I think we should hide it in the closet, under all of the clothes," Tiggy suggested.
"I think we should hide it behind the bookcase," Kindle said softly.
"Great idea, Tiggs," Allison said, smiling.
They spent the rest of the day hollowing out an eye – it was a lot fiddlier than it sounded, and they wrecked a fair few eyes – and then placing it in. There was no handy bottle of superglue around, so they had to find a gluing spell in the massive, insanely dusty book of spells that lay on the ground.
"Ugh, it's so heavy," Allison complained. There was an intricate pattern on what appeared to be the twisted vine of a rose, complete with thorns. It sort of looked like the bubble for dark faeries in Faerie Bubbles.
"Awesome! I bet the Twisted Roses made it," Tiggy said unhelpfully upon seeing the cover, and Marie sighed.
"No, duh, Kindle; that's a bit obvious," Allison said, rolling her eyes. She flipped to G.
"Now you should find the G-Ls," Marie put in, because Allison seemed to be going from G-A.
"Oh. That would help," she said.
"Hey, why do you say that she is helpful when I was equally helpful?" Kindle said, her bottom lip sticking out.
"Because I actually didn't think of that," Allison said teasingly, and Kindle stuck her tongue out.
"Y'know, the Witches don't really prepare us for things – I mean, in the real witch world you don't get supplied with helpful hints on pronunciation!" Tiggy complained.
"Good. Let's go!" Kindle said excitedly.
The Eye's case was covered in sticky glue, but it was definitely sealed shut.
Marie was awake early; much earlier than everyone else and she wandered about the little house absently, thinking. She went to the fridge, and she rummaged through the many eyes, looking for the one with the tiny, almost invisible seam that ran along its length.
"What's wrong, Marie?" Kindle asked, blearily rubbing her eyes.
"What's gone?" Allison asked, walking out anxiously.
Mmm, cake! Happy Birthday, Neopets!


Where do they run off to when everyday people find it harder to sleep?
Narrow Minded Social Club by The Rifles lyrics provided for personal use only and educational purposes.
Narrow Minded Social Club Lyrics are copyright and property of their owners.


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The secret to the increased noise reduction is the differential signal output. The IAA300 outputs the amplified signal over a wire pair, leaving the receiving DAQ or PLC to determine the voltage difference between the wires and therefore the corresponding load. This method of signaling and the hardware used has resulted in a noise of 2 mVp-p,. Coupled with this significant noise reduction, the IAA300 offers user-selectable bandwidths up to 50 kHz.
Built-in shunt resistors and remote shunt activation return bring greater ease of use to signal conditioning amplifiers. Shunt resistance is selected by toggling an 8 DIP switch block, allowing the operator to dial in their exact shunt resistance. Shunt activation can be accomplished by pressing the button on the unit exterior or by applying power remotely to the shunt activation pin, allowing system verification without ever having to push a button.


Winners: Benny from Australia and Eran from Israel.
There are many ways to ensure you don't become another fatal statistic while cycling , but the most interesting and sure fire way I've found is with this kitsch pair of Bike To Work Pants from Cordarounds. Fashion Divas need not despair as the pants come in a variety of colors and materials. Hit Jump to find out how you can win 2 of them!
Prance around your office in a totally awesome pair and when it's time to bike off homeward, simply roll up the hems and lined cuffs and pull out the rear pockets. The Illuminite Teflon reflectors and 3M Scotchlite lining make these pants your prefect biking companion.
We at YD love the pair of pants so much that we convinced the San Fransisco based Cordarounds to sponsor 2 pairs for a FREE Giveaway!
All you need to do is tell us where else besides the cuff, hems and back pockets do you think the teflon reflectors would look good.
2 lucky winners get to take home either a pair of Bike To work Pants or a pair of classic Cordarounds.
Cordarounds are an online exclusive, so you won't find them in stores.
I would suggest detachable suspenders with scotchlite lining. It would make the upper torso visible from front and back. This keeps with the wearable pants theme, but basically doubles the reflective area. Suspenders look kind of cool without the scotchlite anyway.
I think that the seams would be the next best place but it would have to be subtle.
I also think that it would work if the pants were reversible so that one could wear them inside out on the way to work and have all of it reflective and then just flip them in the bathroom so that they are regular pants again.
Another idea is being able to buy a lining for your pants that you already own so that they can act as reflectors so you can attach it to any pair of pants and or shorts.
++ i think the whole bike should be covered. hott.
I agree that the knees would be good.
I'd suggest the side seams as well. It would also be great to have knee reflectors. Maybe a loop of reflective fabric that could be fastened to velcro or a button loop on the inside leg seam?
Maybe a back liner from waistline followed by the length of the pants then wrap around the ankle will be nice. Could be a cool retro design pattern.
The belt loops could be reflective.
Pinstripe stitching would be great during the day and not change the nature of the work look. You could do along the seams or in clusters as part of the fabric design.
I'd recommend the knees, as they'll appear to bob up and down to anyone in a car and a moving object is more noticeable than a still one – this is why the reflectors embedded in pedals are considered to be highly effective.
Putting reflectors on the pocket opening so you wouldn't have to flip your pocket inside out, cause that just looks silly. I would also like a pair of pants that converted to shorts like hiking pants. You could add reflection to the zipper flap there as well!
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I second Anna – you could make pants for women! That would be a new place for your reflectors.
I think some sort of snap/clip something to hold up the rolled cuff would be good.
Also (as has been mentioned several times already) a narrow tux-style piping down the side would look good and be really reflective. I think knee patches would take away from the work-suitable aesthetic.
I like the idea of reflective pads on the knees. or just below the knees, maybe with a flap to cover during day use. Great Idea.
Reflective suspenders or a reflective crotch pouch that pulls out through the flies or over the top of the waist band and hangs down.
Trim on the outside of the cuffs/calfs if the pants are rolled all the way down.
Make the seams running down the side and just the belt loops reflective.
Reflective knee pads would definitely make these pants perfect!
I say put reflectors on the fly!
How about reflective piping sown into the seams down the side of the legs.