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Home | News | Ethan Bauer: 20 years later, the enduring impact of 'SpongeBob SquarePants'
My first-grade teacher and I share a similar taste in television, and in my 23 years, I've experienced no greater blessing.
The era was the early 2000s, and my parents had just told me my favorite show, "SpongeBob SquarePants," was annoying, dumb and not worth watching. Channeling a confidence that would rival SpongeBob's own, I confronted my teacher, Mrs. Pizarro, the next day at school. "Do you watch 'SpongeBob?'" I asked. And as clearly as I can see my keyboard now, I can see her saying, "Of course I do."
In that moment, I felt so proud and inspired, so seen and heard. And I told myself that when I reached 50 or however-many-years old, I wanted to be like Mrs. Pizarro — an adult who could still appreciate colors, emotion, nonsense and their combined charm.
Nickelodeon is marking the show's 20th anniversary Friday with an hourlong special called "SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout" at 5 p.m. MT. No disrespect to an episode I haven't seen, but an equally fitting tribute could've been re-airing "The Camping Episode." Among other memorable moments (remember, sea bears are only attracted by cubed cheese; sliced is fine), the episode is most known for "The Campfire Song."
SpongeBob …read more
Source:: Deseret News – Top stories
How to invert the colors on your Mac computer's display, and change your display… You can invert the colors on a Mac to provide a change of pace for your eyes, especially if you're getting bored with the same old display settings. Making the change on your Mac is easy to do, and you…
Allbirds just dropped a bunch of limited-edition throwback colors of its popular wool sneakers today Allbirds, one of the most popular online shoe companies right now, has released its best-selling sneakers in new throwback and limited-edition colors. Though the startup sells a simple selection of silhouettes and styles, it keeps its loyal customers engaged and…
Trader Joe's just made major changes to its famous mac and cheese bites You can't call yourself a true Trader Joe's fan if you've never tried their ... ...read more Source:: AOL.com
Adult Acne Is On The Rise — & It Goes Way Beyond Surface Level When considering various plagues and epidemics in recorded history, adult acne does not exactly spring to mind. The Black Death was widespread and devastating; measles is airborne and highly contagious. (Conveniently, it is also easily avoided with vaccine.) Acne, by…
Asleep at the wheel: How a secret study on Utah's roads could be putting drivers at risk


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Quiz: Farm Equipment Identification Quiz: HowStuffWorks
Image: Pixabay / ataribravo99
Get ready to play the field! Here are some awesome pieces of farm equipment which are sure to make you want to go out and plow something!
Farming has been a part of human existence ever since the very first animals and plants were domesticated. The earliest farming techniques utilized crudely made tools which have evolved over millennia into the high-tech, high-power, highly specialized machinery used on farms today.
There is no doubt that farming has always been a labor intensive activity. Most farmers will agree, however, that it is also acutely rewarding. Plus, thanks to modern farm equipment, the time and energy spent preparing the land, planting and reaping are now significantly reduced. As a result, farmers can experience an increase in the quality and quantity of their produce, while also enjoying greater return on their investment.
For instance, while harvesting any crop is essentially the same process, there are machines which harvest specific crops, guaranteeing minimum waste and maximum yield. Some are designed for harvesting underground produce, while others are intended for gathering surface crops. Are any of them "cropping up" in your head? Get started and see if we thought of them, too!
So, is your mind fertile ground when it comes to the wide range of farm equipment out there? If it is, then you are sure to ace this quiz! Prove you've got more than manure for brains - take the quiz!
Wiki Commons by Bill Tyne
What is the name of the cultivator shown in this picture?
post-hole digger
The large number and shape of the teeth on the spring-tooth harrow make it efficient for cultivating (digging into, breaking up and turning over) rough and stony soil. It also works very well when there are bulky tree roots in the soil and the machine must cultivate around them.
Pixabay / ulleo
Which implement sometime referred to as an excavator is shown here?
The term "backhoe" refers to the digging bucket and the arm on which it swings. Thus, some vehicles, such as tractors, can double as both a backhoe and a front-end loader. When the vehicle is designed to carry only a backhoe, then it is called an excavator.
Pixabay / TanteTati
Can you name the common digging tool shown here?
disc harrow
wood chipper
Wooden shovels have been discovered which date back to approximately 2,000 BCE. Before these early tools, archeologists believe people used the shoulder and pelvic bones of large animals for digging and removing soil.
Wiki Commons by Thamizhpparithi Maari
Can you name this handheld piece of farming equipment?
hiboy
The sickle is an ancient farming implement which is still used in many regions around the world. It is characterized by its short handle, curved blade and its use to simultaneously cut and gather grain.
Pixabay / girochantal
Do you know what type of farm equipment is shown in this image?
transplanter
Plows are essential farming equipment used to break up the soil while turning it over. Plows pulled by humans and animals have been used in farming for millennia before tractor-pulled plows were developed. The digging stick was the prehistoric tool used before the plow.
Wiki Commons by Dan
Can you name this machine which flattens the soil?
drag harrow
A roller is typically used on a field after it has been plowed to break up and flatten the raised soil without packing it. Rolling makes weed control easier, plus the soil is now better at retaining moisture.
Pixabay / Gyura88
Do you recognize this hand tool which is often used for throwing hay?
Pitchforks are typically characterized by their long handles and curved tines. They are traditionally made with either two tines, which experienced users can skillfully wield, or with three tines which provide more grip for the less-experienced user.
Wiki Commons by Harry Lawford
Which three-in-one piece of farm equipment is shown here?
cotton picker
The first combine harvester made for commercial use was developed in 1885. It does the job of three sets of farm workers by first reaping or cutting down the plants and then beating them to separate the grain from the inedible chaff. Thirdly, it removes chaff and any other debris which might be among the grains – a process known as winnowing.
Wiki Commons by Joanbanjo
Which piece of equipment for applying fertilizer is shown here?
Sprayers are used to apply liquids such as fertilizer to crops. They come in different forms, including ones worn as backpacks and others which are pulled through the field. Larger self-propelled sprayers are sometimes fitted with sensors to automatically adjust the height of the sprayer above the crops being treated.
Wiki Commons by Lionel Allorge
Do you know what this rotating device is called?
The disc harrow is a soil preparation tool used after a field has been plowed to break up clods and make the soil more uniform. The discs are mounted in groups, called gangs, on steel shafts and the whole assembly can then be pulled along by a tractor.
Pixabay / Ricobino
What is the name of the popular farm equipment shown in the picture?
Front-end loaders used in farming are typically small tractors designed with a multipurpose bucket at the front. Some models allow you to add a tooth bar to the edge of the bucket, turning it into a handy digging machine. Others are made so that the bucket can be interchanged with other equipment such as pallet forks or bale spears.
Wiki Commons by KarlSvensson99
Which machine for making holes is shown here?
The seed drill makes a hole of a predetermined depth, sows a specific number of seeds in the hole and covers the hole with soil. The whole process may seem very complicated and modern, but the earliest seed drill actually dates back to Mesopotamia in 2, 000 BCE.
Pixabay / rolofury
Do you recognize this very common and versatile vehicle?
The pickup truck is one type of farm truck which gets put to a wide variety of uses. Farmers can choose to add a trailer to their pickup truck or purchase one with a long bed for carrying bulky items. A good-quality pickup truck can transport heavy equipment and supplies or perhaps, workers around the farm.
Which specialized type of reaper is shown here?
The potato harvester is specially designed to dig up potatoes and separate them from whatever soil is collected in the process. It does this with minimal damage to the potatoes and with just a few potatoes left behind. There are some potato harvesters which can be used effectively for other types of underground crops such as peanuts, onions and garlic.
Wiki Commons by EditorSFA
Which grass-cutting machine is shown in this image?
The metal cutters (or flails) on the flail mower are usually shaped like a "T" or a "Y." They are loosely hinged to its rotating drum and so, instead of pitching up objects, such as rocks, which they hit against, they are more likely to bounce off.
Wiki Commons by Robbie Morrison
Can you name the excavating tool shown in this photo?
There are many benefits to using a post-hole digger as opposed to a shovel when making post holes. One of these is that whereas a shovel produces a wide hole of irregular shape, the post-hole digger makes a hole which is cylindrical and narrow, offering better support for the sides and base of the pole.
Wiki Commons by Adikpl
Do you recognize this machine which distributes fertilizer?
Animal or plant manure can be applied to a field as fertilizer for growing plants. The manure is loaded onto the spreader which is pulled across the field by a tractor and has a mechanism for evenly distributing the manure along the way.
What is the name of the sowing machine shown here?
The planter is used for precision sowing of relatively large seeds, for example corn and other cereals. When the seeds are small, the farmer will most likely use a seed drill, instead. Planters differ in the number of rows they can sow in one pass, with some planters capable of sowing over 40 rows at a time.
Can you name this machine which is used for rock removal?
After a field has been plowed, it is sometimes necessary to go over it with a stone picker to remove stones and rocks. This makes the soil better for planting in and helps to prevent damage to other farm equipment, such as harvesters, as they move across the field.
Wiki Commons by Santeri Viinamäki
Do you recognize this evolved form of the sickle?
The scythe was developed as a more convenient form of the sickle. For example, its longer handle saves the reaper from having to bend while using the tool.
Wiki Commons by Bruno.karklis
Do you know what this reaping machine is called?
The sugarcane harvester combines several steps of the reaping process into one. It cuts the stalks low to the ground, strips away the leaves, and then chops the stalks into smaller pieces. Some harvesters have space to store the cut pieces of sugarcane while others transfer them to a second vehicle which travels alongside the harvester.
Wiki Commons by Steve Wilson
Can you identify this machine which is used to make rows of hay?
The swather is pulled along by a tractor to cut hay and form it into long rows as the tractor moves across the field. The freshly mown strips are called swathes while the rows of hay are called windrows. For this reason, a swather is called a windrower in some parts of the world. The swather also works on small grain crops.
Pixabay / WikimediaImages
Do you know what this piece of farm equipment is called?
The hay rake is another tractor attachment which can be used on hay before a baler comes along. It is used to make windrows (rows of cut hay) which can be spread out again by a hay tedder if the need arises.
Wiki Commons by Florian Pépellin
What is this machine which is used to chop up timber called?
The wood chipper helps the farmer to recycle wood (tree trunks, limbs and roots) by turning them into either wood chips or sawdust. The woodchips can then be used as mulch around plants or to line walkways around the farm.
Wiki Commons by P 22
Which well-known piece of farm equipment is shown here?
The development of the modern tractor can be traced back to the late 1800s when the first steam-powered plowing engine was developed. By the early 1900s, tractors were being made with internal combustion engines and automobile companies became the primary tractor manufacturers.
Wiki Commons by Македонец
Which machine used for sowing crops is shown here?
Some crops must be first grown as seedlings in one location then, when they are mature enough, they are taken out to the field to be transplanted. One specialized type of this machine is the rice transplanter which is used in paddy fields.
Pixabay / L0nd0ner
What is the name of this hay-rolling machine?
The baler is used on hay or similar material to compress, gather and form it into either round or rectangular bales. Each bale produced by a large baler can weigh up to 2,200 pounds.
Which machine for distributing seeds is shown here?
Many broadcast spreaders work with a rotary action to fling seeds (particularly grass seeds) far and wide across a field. Apart from seeds, the broadcast spreader can be used with a variety of other substances such as granular herbicides and fertilizers.
Can you name the weed cutter shown in the photo?
The rotary mower used in agriculture has sharp rotating blades which it uses to cut through weeds and parts of plants. It is very similar in design to a type of lawn mower, but is typically pulled and powered by a tractor.
Can you name this piece of hauling equipment?
The gravity wagon can be loaded with crops (such as grain) or material (such as fertilizer) and then pulled behind a tractor to whichever location they are needed. Unloading the gravity wagon is easy since its sloping sides allow whatever it is carrying to be gravity fed through the wagon's door.
Which piece of packaging machinery is shown here?
A bale wrapper takes individual bales of hay and wraps them in plastic for storage. By using plastic, the farmer can store hay with a higher percentage of moisture and more nutritive value for the livestock it will be fed to.
Wiki Commons by Daniel Christensen
What is this piece of soil preparation equipment called?
The drag harrow is used to level the soil after it has been plowed. Its teeth can be adjusted for various degrees of penetration into the soil. The drag harrow can also be used for leveling out mulch or gravel.
What is this reaping machine called?
The bean harvester has a series of shakers, beaters and fans which it uses to thresh and clean the beans after reaping. Waste material is passed out of the back of the machine by means of a spreader.
Wiki Commons by Dutchmanindustries
Do you know what this transplanting device is called?
Transplanting a tree was once a labor-intensive process with a high risk of damage to the plant. The tree spade is an easy and effective way to uproot, transport and replant large trees.
Do you know the name of this milling machine?
The grinder-mixer is a type of all-in-one machine. The farmer uses it to make granular livestock feed out of a combination of grain and other ingredients.
Pixabay / 12019
Can you name the harvester shown here?
Cotton pickers come in two general types, both of which function very differently. One is the stripper picker, which removes most of the plant material along with all cotton bolls. The other is the spindle picker, which only takes up the opened bolls and leaves unopened ones on the plant to mature.
Wiki Commons by Flominator
What is the name of the piece of farm equipment shown here?
Hay has the tendency to grow mold if it is collected into bales while still damp. The hay tedder is attached to the back of a tractor and used to spread out the hay, which aerates it and allows it to dry out sufficiently for baling.
Can you name the collection equipment shown in this image?
The chaser bin is towed by a tractor which drives alongside a harvester. The harvester continually empties into the chaser bin as they move across the field. Grain cart and auger wagon are two other names used for the chaser bin.
The Farm Equipment Identification Quiz
The Ultimate Farm Equipment Identification Quiz
Can We Guess What Kind of Farm You Work On?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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DOI:10.1097/MCG.0b013e318234570b
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Relapsing Clostridium difficile Infection in 26 Patients: Methodology and Results
@article{Kelly2012FecalMT,
title={Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Relapsing Clostridium difficile Infection in 26 Patients: Methodology and Results},
author={Colleen R. Kelly and Lauren de Leon and Niren Jasutkar},
journal={Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology},
C. Kelly, Lauren de Leon, Niren Jasutkar
Published 1 February 2012
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
Goals: We aim to present a data detailing our success with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and to provide a simple treatment protocol. Background: Relapse is a common problem in patients treated for Clostridium difficile infection, often requiring prolonged courses of oral vancomycin with limited alternative treatment options. Administration of the entire fecal flora from a healthy individual to restore beneficial physiological species is referred to as FMT (also termed fecal…
View on Wolters Kluwer
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
Central Diabetes Insipidus
Clostridium difficile infection
Compact Disk Interactive
Loose stool
Microbiota (plant)
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Is Superior to Fidaxomicin for Treatment of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.
C. Hvas, Simon Mark Dahl Jørgensen, +5 authors J. Dahlerup
In a single-center randomized trial of patients with rCDI, the FMTv combination superior to fidaxomicin or vancomycin based on end points of clinical and microbiological resolution or clinical resolution alone was found.
Faecal microbiota transplantation and bacteriotherapy for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection: A retrospective evaluation of 31 patients
F. Emanuelsson, B. Claesson, L. Ljungström, M. Tvede, K. Ung
Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases
FMT was found to be effective in patients with recurrent CDI and RBT based on a predefined bacterial suspension was as effective as or better than FMT based on faecal donation; however, multiple installations may be needed.
Faecal microbiota transplantation: a review of FMT as an alternative treatment for Clostridium difficile infection
C. Dowle
FMT appears to be a safe, highly efficacious and affordable treatment option for Clostridium difficile infection and future research should focus on potential long-term safety concerns and optimizing protocols for donor screening, patient selection and FMT administration.
View 3 excerpts, cites methods and background
A Retrospective Comparison of Fecal Microbial Transplantation Methods for Recurrent Clostridium Difficile Infection.
N. Cohen, D. Livovsky, +9 authors N. Maharshak
The Israel Medical Association journal : IMAJ
Lower GI tract FMT is a safe and effective treatment for refractory and recurrent CDI, and yields quicker results than upper GI tractfecal microbiota transplantation.
Fecal microbiota transplantation via colonoscopy for recurrent C. difficile Infection.
J. Allegretti, J. Korzenik, M. Hamilton
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
A systematic approach to patient and donor screening, preparation of stool, and delivery of the stool maximizes therapeutic success and yields excellent cure rates and is also well tolerated.
Fecal microbiota transplant for relapsing Clostridium difficile infection using a frozen inoculum from unrelated donors: a randomized, open-label, controlled pilot study.
I. Youngster, J. Sauk, +7 authors E. Hohmann
In the initial feasibility study, FMT using a frozen inoculum from unrelated donors is effective in treating relapsing CDI and NGT administration appears to be as effective as colonoscopy administration.
Fecal microbiota transplant for Clostridium difficile infection in older adults
Will Tauxe, J. Haydek, +5 authors C. Kraft
Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology
FMT is a generally safe and effective treatment option for older adults with CDI and was not a causative factor in these events.
Fecal microbiota transplant in patients with Clostridium difficile infection: A systematic review
B. Chapman, H. Moore, +4 authors J. Vogel
The journal of trauma and acute care surgery
BACKGROUND Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) restores a diverse bacterial profile to the gastrointestinal tract and may effectively treat patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The…
Treatment of relapsing Clostridium difficile infection using fecal microbiota transplantation
R. Pathak, Hill A Enuh, Anish J. Patel, P. Wickremesinghe
Clinical and experimental gastroenterology
FMT is a cheap, easily available, effective therapy for recurrent CDI; it can be safely performed in a community hospital setting with similar results.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Colonoscopic Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection
L. Brandt, O. Aroniadis, +6 authors C. Surawicz
FMT is a rational, durable, safe, and acceptable treatment option for patients with recurrent CDI and while no definite adverse effects of FMT were noted, two patients had improvement in a pre-existing medical condition and four patients developed diseases of potential interest after FMT.
Fecal Flora Reconstitution for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: Results and Methodology
Faith Rohlke, C. Surawicz, N. Stollman
Fecal Flora Reconstitution is an effective, viable, and simple method of treatment for the difficult to treat patients with RCDI who fail standard therapy.
Success of self-administered home fecal transplantation for chronic Clostridium difficile infection.
M. Silverman, I. Davis, D. Pillai
Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
Fecal transplantation by low volume enema is an effective and safe option for patients with chronic relapsing CDI, refractory to other therapies and has the potential to dramatically increase the number of patients who could benefit from this therapy.
Treatment of Refractory/Recurrent C. difficile-associated Disease by Donated Stool Transplanted Via Colonoscopy: A Case Series of 12 Patients
Sonia S. Yoon, L. Brandt
Fecal transplantation via colonoscopy is a safe, effective treatment regimen for refractory/recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated disease and its use and efficacy should be pursued in prospective controlled trials.
Changes in the Composition of the Human Fecal Microbiome After Bacteriotherapy for Recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated Diarrhea
A. Khoruts, J. Dicksved, J. Jansson, M. Sadowsky
The striking similarity of the recipient's and donor's intestinal microbiota following after bacteriotherapy suggests that the donor's bacteria quickly occupied their requisite niches resulting in restoration of both the structure and function of the microbial communities present.
Breaking the cycle: treatment strategies for 163 cases of recurrent Clostridium difficile disease
L. Mcfarland, G. Elmer, C. Surawicz
American Journal of Gastroenterology
Data show that tapered or pulsed dosing regimens of vancomycin may result in a significantly better cure of RCDD, and the persistence of C. difficile spores suggests that additional strategies to restore the normal colonic microflora may also be beneficial.
Recurrent Clostridium difficile colitis: case series involving 18 patients treated with donor stool administered via a nasogastric tube.
J. Aas, C. Gessert, J. Bakken
Patients with recurrent C. difficile colitis may benefit from the introduction of stool from healthy donors via a nasogastric tube, according to retrospectively reviewed medical records.
Fidaxomicin versus vancomycin for Clostridium difficile infection.
T. Louie, Mark A. Miller, +6 authors Y. Shue
The New England journal of medicine
Fidaxomicin was associated with a significantly lower rate of recurrence of C. difficile infection associated with non–North American Pulsed Field type 1 strains and the adverse-event profile was similar for the two therapies.
BACTERIOTHERAPY FOR CHRONIC RELAPSING CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE DIARRHOEA IN SIX PATIENTS
M. Tvede, J. Rask-Madsen
Six patients with chronic relapsing diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile were treated with rectal instillation of homologous faeces (one patient) or a mixture of ten different facultatively…
Descriptive study of intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhoea.
M. Wilcox
The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
Intravenous immunoglobulin is useful for the treatment of intractable and severe CDD and controlled studies are needed to assess the true value of this and other forms of passive immunotherapy.
Treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea by administration of donated stool directly through a colonoscope
S. Persky, L. Brandt
A patient with refractory C. difficile– associated diarrhea is described that was successfully treated by Golytely lavage, followed by administration of donated stool delivered directly through a colonoscope to all segments of the colon.


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BulgarianMilitary.com - Military and defence news, analysis, research and data
Military Systems
Production of the first F-15EX fighters capable of carrying hypersonic weapons began
By Boyko Nikolov On Jul 14, 2020
WASHINGTON, (BM) – The Pentagon ordered the first modernized F-15EX fighters, which are capable of carrying hypersonic weapons. This is stated in the message of the company Boeing, distributed on Tuesday, July 14, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.
Read more: The F-35 and F-15EX Fighter Jets Could Get Drone Wingmen in the Coming Years
According to the document, the US Air Force signed a contract with Boeing for almost $ 1.2 billion for the construction of the first batch of eight modern F-15EX fighters. Such a fighter will be able to carry more weapons than any other, and will launch hypersonic weapons up to 7 m long and weighing up to 3.2 tons.
The US Air Force also announced an unlimited contract for the supply of an unspecified number of this model of fighter aircraft in the amount of $ 23 billion. According to preliminary data, we are talking about 144 aircraft. The first two cars according to the plan should be produced in the II quarter of fiscal year 2021, six more – in fiscal year 2023.
Previously, the Pentagon has repeatedly noted the lag behind Russia and China in the field of hypersonic weapons. In this regard, the States accelerated the program for creating their weapons. Trump announced the appearance of a "super-duper missile," which will be 17 times faster than enemy missiles and capable of hitting a 70 cm target at a distance of 1.6 thousand km.
On June 18, Michael White, Pentagon hypersonic weapons development officer, announced plans to expedite missile testing. A few days before it became known that the latest US hypersonic rocket during the tests almost flew into free flight.
Earlier in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the development of counter-hypersonic missiles. According to him, the means of interception will appear in the Russian Federation earlier than in other countries "hypersound".
Read more: The First Operational F-35A Lightning II for the Needs of the RNLAF Was Celebrated
The United States will also provide F-15EX with drone assistance
As we reported last year the F-35 and F-15EX fighter jets could get drone wingmen in the coming years.
The service is exploring ways to team Lockheed Martin's F-35 and Boeing's new F-15EX with the XQ-58 Valkyrie drone — a low-cost attritable fighter made by Kratos Defense — or similar unmanned platforms. Attritable systems trade attributes like "reliability and reparability" to achieve lower costs, according to the Defense Technical Information Center.
The Air Force is in discussions with Boeing and Lockheed on the prospect, and the Air Force Research Laboratory is working on the technology, Will Roper said May 21 in an exclusive interview.
"I'm very passionate about doing it, and the F-35 has a wonderful opportunity to do this as part of Block 4," Roper said, referring to the F-35's upcoming upgrade program. "We might also have an opportunity to do this as part of F-15EX."
Roper told lawmakers this month that Valkyrie would transition to a prototype program known as Skyborg, where the drone will be outfitted with new sensors and payloads and will be networked to manned fighter jets. In March, he characterized Skyborg as an artificial intelligence wingman that would train and learn alongside pilots, or possibly be incorporated into a manned fighter cockpit to act as an assistant to the pilot like R2-D2 in the "Star Wars" films.
Read more: Cheaper F-35; New Russian Guided Bomb; Gaza Terror Groups Reveal New Rockets; Harris Systems for MQ-25
But until now, the Air Force had not identified the platforms are under consideration to be equipped with Skyborg or teamed with the XQ-58 Valkyrie.
The Valkyrie, which flew its first test flight at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, on March 5, was designed to perform and maneuver like a fighter jet. It can fly at high subsonic speeds, takeoff without a runway, and, according to Kratos, meet or exceed the Air Force's requirement for a 1,500-nautical-mile range with a 500-pound payload.
When produced in volume, Roper predicted that they will cost "a couple million bucks" each — not cheap, but inexpensive compared to the F-35A and F-15EX, which are expected to cost about $80 million per jet over the same time frame.
The Air Force is also assessing whether other unmanned aerial systems would complement the Skyborg program. A March request for information describes "a modular, fighter-like aircraft" that is autonomous and attritable, with open systems that allow it to be updated with new AI software or new hardware. Desired characteristics include the ability to detect and avoid obstacles and bad weather, and to takeoff and land autonomously.
According to the solicitation, an "autonomous airborne system experimental campaign" could occur in fiscal years 2019 and 2020, with the hope of having an aircraft ready by 2023.
Read more: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has begun the production of F-35 wing skins
Roper said teaming fighters with drones could "open up the door for an entirely different way to do aerial combat." For example, take a typical four-aircraft formation and replace it with an F-15EX and three Valkyries.
"We can take risk with some systems to keep others safer," Roper said. "We can separate the sensor and the shooter. Right now they're collocated on a single platform with a person in it. In the future, we can separate them out, put sensors ahead of shooters, put our manned systems behind the unmanned. There's a whole playbook."
For the F-35, the pathway to incorporating Skyborg would involve writing software — similar to an iPhone application —that could be installed on the jet during its Block 4 modernization phase in the early 2020s.
Starting in 2023, F-35s rolling off the production line will be outfitted with improved processors, more memory capacity and new, advanced displays in the cockpit — a suite of changes that the F-35 program office calls "tech refresh 3." Undergirding those upgrades is a transition to an open mission system architecture owned by the government, which will allow the services to create and upload custom software apps, F-35 program head Vice Adm. Mat Winter told reporters this month.
In a statement, Lockheed spokesman Mike Friedman said the F-35 is "ideally suited" for manned-unmanned teaming applications like Skyborg.
"Unlike 4th generation aircraft, the F-35 is a force multiplier able to share its operational picture with ground, sea and air assets in the battlespace," Friedman said. "Lockheed Martin has extensive experience in manned/unmanned teaming and are working closely with our customers to develop and field this critical capability. Any timing for integration would be determined by our customers through the Continuous Capability, Development and Delivery (C2D2) framework for Follow on Modernization (FOM)."
Read more: Lockheed Martin Received a $22.7 Billion F-35 Supply Contract
Meanwhile, Congress must first decide whether to fund the F-15EX program — a likely prospect considering the draft House appropriations bill includes $986 million for eight jets.
Boeing appears receptive to the potential upgrade. In an emailed statement, Prat Kumar, the company's vice president for the F-15 program, acknowledged the company is in talks with the Air Force about a pathway to incorporate the F-15EX into Skyborg.
"We are initiating early discussions with the U.S. Air Force customer on how to insert contemporary technology such as this," he said. "The F-15EX is a uniquely suited platform for such tech insertions as it has available computing capacity and space to continue offering new capabilities to the warfighter."
The biggest challenges, Roper said, may be technological and cultural — not financial.
"I don't think there's a barrier in terms of funding," he said. "This is just different. There are going to be human factors, so how do you get a simulator to get you to do this? How do you get the AI in the attritable system? What do you do? What do you not allow it to do?"
When Roper recently visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the scientists he spoke to acknowledged that their AI research is driven by near-term commercial applications, like extending internet connectivity into everyday electronics. A future generation of AI, like self-driving cars, will have to grapple with questions of trust and audibility, Roper added.
But the AI the Pentagon wants would have to be more advanced from the get-go if the U.S. military is to protect itself from adversaries seeking to exploit system capabilities — such as pattern recognition, feature recognition and data extraction — by feeding it false information.
Read more: Top 5 best fifth generation fighter jets in the World
"The current generation of AI does not deal with a world that understands how AI works and intentionally trying to throw a wrench in its machine. We will deal with that," Roper explained.
"We need to understand when the machine will be at its best and when the human will at its best. … We will need to get the person trained to have an instinct for AI just like they have an instinct for stealth," he said. "When is their AI giving them an advantage, and when is it not?"
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text:
CSC Issues Research Report on Global Apps rEvolution
Newsroom & Media Resources
DXC Media Kit
Analyst Recognition
Contact Media or Analyst Relations
Marcel Goldstein
> Email
Steve Virostek
Investor Relations 703-641-3000
News Release -- October 21, 2013
"Apps Economy" Pegged at over $25 Billion and Surging
FALLS CHURCH, Va., Oct. 21, 2013— CSC (NYSE: CSC) today announced the release of a 49-page research report on the global proliferation and escalating influence that tens of billions of applications are now having on personal lives, business operations and world economies. Entitled Apps rEvolution, the report explores the impact of apps on an astonishing array of consumer and business activities while simultaneously establishing a new model for how information systems will be built and used in the future, reinforcing the growing "apps economy."
According to the study, with apps being embedded into just about everything, the growing influence of mobility and cloud are yielding a dramatic change in how applications are designed and delivered and how work gets done as witnessed by the emergence of finder apps, check-in apps, tap-and-pay apps, etc.
Lead author and CSC senior architectural specialist Dr. Erika Olimpiew contends apps are becoming critical to both product and service leadership in nearly every industry sector, representing the future of how enterprises interact with customers, employees, partners and machines.
Olimpiew reports that in redefining how applications are created, distributed and consumed, the revolution is upending the traditional client-server, browser-centric web model and breaking up monolithic applications. Spurred on by the consumerization of IT, employee demand for in-house business productivity and customer service apps has grown, followed closely by demand for enterprise app stores and app management tools in enterprises and government agencies.
Olimpiew argues that the underlying structure of the information technology industry is changing. Lower barriers to entry and new apps marketplaces have simplified production, distribution and consumption of apps, with open application programming interfaces igniting opportunities for innovation. As industries blur, apps are helping to drive deeper integration between people, things, businesses and society. In the report, she concludes by noting that the Apps rEvolution is creating a robust and growing "apps economy."
Within the report are a progression of apps topics and conclusions:
The user experience of apps combines technical flexibility with an artist's touch. Engagement and context, such as who you are, activity, place and time, a sense of belonging and real world settings, matter. Interactions are becoming more natural and may include touch, gesture, haptics, emotions, biometrics, brain waves, eye movement and wearable sensors. Through app store ratings and feedback via social media, developers are faced with immediate feedback so the experience can be constantly improved.
The pervasiveness of apps generates countless new product and service opportunities in home heating/cooling, medical devices, jet engines, cars, home blood pressure systems and more. The machine-to-machine and smart cities phenomena are logical outcomes, and the "Internet of Things" is leading to both better connected industries and societies.
The wide range of new software choices and architectures used in designing and creating apps is changing the structure of apps. While there isn't currently a definitive "best choice" among native, web and hybrid app architectures, this could change, according to the report. Each individual IT stack has become a mix-and-match stack, and the client device is forever decoupled from the server, which, for the most part, will reside in the cloud.
The selection of the right enterprise mobile platforms is becoming increasingly important to support business goals. The managed desktop is being replaced by dynamic apps, enterprise app stores and bring-your-own technologies. Cross-functional challenges, such as security and governance, take on new forms as employees bring their own apps (not just devices) to work.
The emergence of an apps economy will become the main interface to the Internet and the digital economy. Ecosystems are building around connected things, which are increasingly connected to other things and people. Today, the apps economy is estimated to be $25 billion in size with soaring app store sales.
"IT has a golden opportunity but must adopt different, outside-in thinking and create strong relationships with business peers," said Dan Hushon, CSC's chief technology officer. "IT can lead the enterprise to a 'mobile first' or even a 'mobile only' strategy, but IT must know when to champion application programming interfaces and how to attract developers to build apps leveraging these capabilities. The Apps rEvolution, simply put, is about business change – creating new experiences, inventing new products and services, and redefining customer service while improving productivity and efficiency."
About CSC
CSC is a global leader of next generation information technology (IT) services and solutions. The Company's mission is to enable superior returns on our client's technology investments through best-in-class industry solutions, domain expertise and global scale. CSC has approximately 87,000 employees and reported revenue of $13.8 billion for the 12 months ended June 28, 2013.


text:
'Wolf Hall': Episode Two
Claire Oxlade in History on 1 February, 2015.
Earlier this week, David Starkey (professor, maverick, all-round offender of political-correctness) slammed Wolf Hall for being a "deliberate perversion" of history's facts. But as far as I can tell, the only thing 'perverted', deliberately or otherwise, by Peter Kosminsky's directing are the perceptions that people all too often have of the Tudors. Episode two of the BBC drama began in 1529 and, by this point, Henry VIII had been on the throne for twenty years. He had conquered both the French and Scots in battle and was well into his search for a male heir, only to end up with a long-suffering daughter. Yet, this week was the first time that we really got any insight into Damian Lewis' adaptation of the King. He was neither fat nor odious, and nor was he the serial wife-murderer that he is all too frequently associated with. This Henry, in 1529, was astute, aware and, if I may say so, attractive. And that was the fact.
What I particularly liked about this week's episode was the emerging dualities and complexities of the characters. So whilst Henry exudes an allure that proved why he escaped bachelorhood, he also imparts vulnerability, anxious that Anne Boleyn will trade him in. This is important because it demonstrates that the King was never omnipotent, but reliant on his ministers. These relationships of mutual dependency became increasingly clear as the episode progressed, firstly with Wolsey but most notably with Cromwell. If last week saw the emergence of Cromwell, in this episode he really ascended to power.
Cromwell thinks himself a favourite, aspires to be a favourite but also proves his potential to be a favourite. Whilst 'Wolf Hall' alludes to his insatiable hunger for influence over the King, he is not portrayed as a monotonously megalomaniacal figure. Gardiner's incessant mocking over his background sees to this. So whilst Cromwell treads on eggshells around the King, he strides over them with confidence in his own capabilities as a lawyer and politician. We, the audience, and the King alike are persuaded of his immense intellect. I sat with bated breath as I watched Cromwell interpret Henry's dream to derive an answer favourable to himself and desirable to the King. 'Wolf Hall' succeeds in proving that Cromwell was not always the Machiavellian master manipulator by positioning him as a confidante and consultant. I'm not sure whether the sources corroborate his tendency for sister-seducing (firstly of his wife's sister and secondly of Anne Boleyn's), but 'Wolf Hall' certainly shows Cromwell's sway over the people that matter in Tudor politics.
The obvious exception to this is still Cromwell's relationship with his son; they reminisce about the Christmas pageant in the village, which takes on a poignant irony by the end as Cromwell hints towards the dissolution of the monasteries and the displacement of Catholicism to Protestantism and ultimately Puritanism in England. It is great to see 'Wolf Hall' respecting contemporary disputes: in the stakes of controversy, Tyndale almost represents the Starkey of his day. Although Cromwell is adamant that the vernacular translation of the Bible is not seditious, he is refuted with possibly the greatest post-watershed response ever televised: 'Luther is shit. His mouth is the anus of the world'. Crude, but undeniably reflective of how divisive religion was even before the Reformation.
'Wolf Hall' certainly doesn't shy away from bringing up contemporary issues. Indeed, Catholicism is dealt another blow by the accusation and acknowledgement of Cardinal Wolsey's absenteeism. Exiled back to his see, Wolsey proudly declares himself the Archbishop of York and he is undercut by Cromwell reminding him that he had 'never been'. Like it is now, London then was the place to be.
In part, Cromwell derides Wolsey's departure because he is going to the north. Us Durham students have learnt to love the north, not least because of its cultural output: Greggs! Interestingly, a bakery in Kew have been selling custard tarts using a Tudor recipe, which rumour has it Anne Boleyn enchanted Henry with. As an adopted northern dweller, I took offence when Cromwell insulted the blandness of northern food (clearly anticipating college food!) but this highlighted the interdependence of food and politics, in that decisions and debates occured around the table. Even with a chimp on the table, dining had a ceremonial factor; dining with the King was the privilege of the favourites.
It was somewhat inevitable that this episode would see the demise of Wolsey; even when he was arrested for high treason, there was still a part of me that was rooting for his escape. Even though Wolsey was clearly loathed in court and by the public by this point, 'Wolf Hall' maintains him sympathetically, unwavering in his loyalty to the King even on his deathbed. This does not mean that we come to glorify Wolsey, quite the opposite: Rylance's age enables him to portray the Cardinal with vulnerability. Ten years senior to Wolsey – aged 57 in 1529 – Rylance's Wolsey is simply a man drained and defeated by the volatile Henrician court. In this episode, Wolsey has predominantly been attired in his stately red robes; we then hear of his coffin of plain boards. This starkly reveals just how far he had fallen, in direct contrast to Cromwell on the rise, with scenes of death intermitted with Cromwell being sworn into the Privy Council.
This week's episode was another great one from 'Wolf Hall' and that, Mr Starkey, is certainly a fact! I can't wait to see how Cromwell deals with his new ministry next week, now that Wolsey has gone.


MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A small Vermont environmental organization is leading an international effort to protect the habitat of the Bicknell's thrush, a disappearing songbird that breeds in the highlands of the Northeast and Canada and spends winters in the islands of the Caribbean.
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies brought together dozens of public and private scientists from the United States, Canada, the Dominican Republic and Haiti and developed a long-range plan to increase the number of Bicknell's thrush by 25 percent over the next 50 years.
The species, considered by some bird experts to be the flagship species of New England bird conservation, is estimated to have a worldwide population of up to 126,000, but experts say habitat loss and other environmental threats are causing a decline in the population through much of its range.
The conservation plan for the Bicknell's thrush, due to be formally released later this week, calls for working with timber companies and others in North America to protect high-altitude breeding habit and finding ways to protect its winter habitat, most notably on the island of Hispaniola.
"These are shared species." said Ian Davidson, the executive director of the nonprofit Nature Canada, based in Ottawa, which recently joined the Bicknell's thrush-conservation effort. "We have a joint responsibility for their conservation. If there's something negative happening to Bicknell's Thrush in Vermont, or anywhere along its migratory route, we owe it to the conservation of this species to understand the issue and find effective solutions."
The Bicknell's thrush, Catharus bicknelli, is about the size of the common white-throated sparrow. The International Bicknell's Thrush Conservation Group describes it as "enigmatic" with a swirling song and speckled breast.
Until 1995, the Bicknell's thrush was considered to be a subspecies of the more common gray-cheeked thrush. The Bicknell's thrush spends the summers and breeds at high elevations in New York's Adirondacks, across northern New England and in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The Canadian government lists the Bicknell's thrush as threatened, although it is not on the endangered or threatened species lists in the United States.
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies, based in Hartford, is a 3-year-old nonprofit with seven full-time employees formed by a number of scientists who focus their efforts on a number of bird species, but the Bicknell's thrush has become its signature bird, said Director Chris Rimmer.
In North America, the groups are working to protect the high-altitude habitat where the Bicknell's thrush breeds. There are also threats from acid rain and climate change. The new plan expands on old efforts.
"We've met in the U.S. and Canada," Rimmer said. "This is a sea-shift now in a way to get the focus down there."
Ken Rosenberg, the director of conservation science at the Cornell ornithology lab, said the biggest threat to the Bicknell's thrush isn't in the U.S. and Canada.
"The majority of its problems are on the wintering grounds," Rosenberg said.
But there are variations of the same challenge in North America.
David Pashley, the vice president for conservation programs at the Virginia-based American Bird Conservancy, which isn't involved in the Bicknell's thrush conservation efforts, but he's familiar with them, said arguments can be made about the economic reasons to protect the Bicknell's thrush, such as bringing bird watchers to areas to see it, but it's more than that.
"Personally, I think that we as a society have an obligation to protect things like Bicknell's thrush from going extinct," Pashley said. "To those of us in the conservation community, it's not just aesthetic, it's not just economic, it's not just cultural, it's a moral obligation."


The Love Shortie team attended the Speciality & Fine Food Fair at London's Olympia in September, as part of the Scotland Food & Drink Scottish Pavilion.
The event is a leading showcase of fine food and drink and was an ideal opportunity to introduce the Love Shortie brand and products to prospective buyers.
The Love Shortie team took the opportunity to sample their products and meet a wide range of buyers.


text:
Q: Color coding in VBA throwing errors The color coding in this code has been throwing errors and is not giving me the desired outputs. The code should provide outputs in red and green but unfortunately it is not doing so even after several attempts
Sub FillValues()

    Dim Ws As Worksheet
    Set Ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")

'EUS Values by Case
If Ws.Range("G5") <> "" Then
   Ws.Range("G5").Copy Ws.Cells(15, 9)

        Select Case Ws.Range("G5").Value
                Case Is < "25%"
                Ws.Range("I15").Interior.ColorIndex = 4

        End Select
Else

        Select Case Ws.Range("G5").Value
                Case Is > "25%", Is < "50%"
                Ws.Range("I15").Interior.ColorIndex = 6
        End Select

        Select Case Ws.Range("G5").Value
                Case Is < "25%"
                Ws.Range("I15").Interior.ColorIndex = 3
        End Select

  End If
        'Trials by IF Condition
        ' If Ws.Range("G5").Value < "25%" Then Ws.Range("I15").Interior.ColorIndex = 4

        'ElseIf Ws.Range("G5").Value > "25%" And Ws.Range("G5").Value < "50%" Then Ws.Range("I15").Interior.ColorIndex = 6

        'ElseIf Ws.Range("G5").Value > "50%" Then Ws.Range("I15").Interior.ColorIndex = 3

        'End If

        'HOST Values

'If Ws.Range("G6") <> "" Then
'   Ws.Range("G6").Copy Ws.Cells(16, 9)
'
'    If Ws.Range("G6").Value < "25%" Then Ws.Range("I16").Interior.ColorIndex = 4
'
'    ElseIf Ws.Range("G6").Value > "25%" And Ws.Range("G6").Value < "50%" Then Ws.Range("I16").Interior.ColorIndex = 6
'
'    ElseIf Ws.Range("G6").Value > "50%" Then Ws.Range("I16").Interior.ColorIndex = 4
'

'End If

'HOST Values By Case

If Ws.Range("G6") <> "" Then
   Ws.Range("G6").Copy Ws.Cells(16, 9)

        Select Case Ws.Range("G6").Value
                Case Is < "25%"
                Ws.Range("I16").Interior.ColorIndex = 4
        End Select
        Else

        Select Case Ws.Range("G6").Value
                Case Is > "25%", Is < "50%"
                Ws.Range("I16").Interior.ColorIndex = 6
        End Select

        Select Case Ws.Range("G6").Value
                Case Is < "25%"
                Ws.Range("I16").Interior.ColorIndex = 3
        End Select

  End If

  'MNS Values

If Ws.Range("G7") <> "" Then
   Ws.Range("G7").Copy Ws.Cells(17, 9)

        Select Case Ws.Range("G7").Value
                Case Is < "25%"
                Ws.Range("I17").Interior.ColorIndex = 4
        End Select

        Else

        Select Case Ws.Range("G7").Value
                Case Is > "25%", Is < "50%"
                Ws.Range("I17").Interior.ColorIndex = 6
        End Select

        Select Case Ws.Range("G7").Value
                Case Is > "25%"
                Ws.Range("I17").Interior.ColorIndex = 3
        End Select

  End If

End Sub

A: Here's a quick rewrite that makes use of a for loop so you don't have code duplication. It also fixes the tests to test for decimals instead of string percentages (which I assume is your problem):
Sub FillValues()
    Dim Ws As Worksheet
    Set Ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")

    For i = 5 to 7
        'EUS Values by Case
        If Ws.Range("G" & i) <> "" Then
            Ws.Range("G" & i).Copy Ws.Cells(10+i, 9)
            If Ws.Range("G" & i).Value < .25 Then
                Ws.Range("I1" & i).Interior.ColorIndex = 4
            End If
        Else

                Select Case Ws.Range("G" & i).Value
                    Case .25 to .50
                        Ws.Range("I1" & i).Interior.ColorIndex = 6
                    Case Is < .25
                        Ws.Range("I1" & i).Interior.ColorIndex = 3
                End Select

        End If
    Next i
End Sub

Alternatively (preferred by me):
Sub FillValues()
    Dim Ws As Worksheet
    Set Ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")

    Dim rngCell as Range
    For each rngCell in Ws.Range("G5:G7").Cells
        If rngCell <> "" Then
            rngCell.Copy rngCell.Offset(10, 2)
            If rngCell.Value < .25 Then
                rngCell.Offset(10, 2).Interior.ColorIndex = 4
            End If
        Else
            Select Case rngCell.Value
                Case .25 to .50
                    rngCell.Offset(10, 2).Interior.ColorIndex = 6
                Case Is < .25
                    rngCell.Offset(10, 2).Interior.ColorIndex = 3
            End Select
        End If
    Next rngCell
End Sub

Here's the same code, with lots of comments explaining each action:
Sub FillValues()
    Dim Ws As Worksheet
    Set Ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Sheet1")

    'Declare a new range variable called rngCell
    Dim rngCell as Range

    'Using a "For Each" loop, loop through each cell in the range
    '   Ws.Range("G5:G7") (Three cells). During each iteration
    '   of this loop assign the cell being processed to the
    '   variable "rngCell".
    For each rngCell in Ws.Range("G5:G7").Cells

        'Check to see if rngCell (G5, G6, or G7) is set to "" (empty)
        If rngCell <> "" Then

            'It's empty so copy it to the cell that is 10 rows down and 2 rows right
            rngCell.Copy rngCell.Offset(10, 2)

            'If its value is less than .25 then set the cell that is 10 rows down
            '   and 2 rows right to colorindex 4 (Bright Green probably)
            If rngCell.Value < .25 Then
                rngCell.Offset(10, 2).Interior.ColorIndex = 4
            End If

        Else 'If the cell wasn't blank then do this code

            'As an alternative to the IF statement we can use SELECT Case
            '   So test rngCell's value and do something based on that
            Select Case rngCell.Value

                'Test rngCell's value. If it's between .25 and .50 then set
                '   the color of the cell that is 10 rows down and 2 columns
                '   to the right to have a colorindex of 6 (Bright Yellow, probably)
                Case .25 to .50
                    rngCell.Offset(10, 2).Interior.ColorIndex = 6

                'If instead the value of rngCell is less than .25 then set
                '   the color of the cell that is 10 rows down and 2 columns
                '   to the right to have a colorindex of 3 (Bright Red, probably)
                Case Is < .25
                    rngCell.Offset(10, 2).Interior.ColorIndex = 3
            End Select
        End If

    'Tell the for loop to go on to the next cell in Ws.Range("G5:G7").cells
    Next rngCell

    'The loop is finished so we are going to end the sub.
End Sub

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Home » News » India » First Covid-19 Test to Cost Rs 2,500 in Uttar Pradesh Private Labs
First Covid-19 Test to Cost Rs 2,500 in Uttar Pradesh Private Labs
Representative image. (Reuters)
Principal Secretary Health said that the ICMR did not set the fee for the single-step test from the kit, so all the private labs were charging Rs 4,500.
Last Updated:April 24, 2020, 12:47 IST
Lucknow: The first test for coronavirus detection in any Uttar Pradesh private lab will come for a maximum of Rs 2,500, the Yogi Adityanath government has given its approval. earlier the labs were charging over Rs 4,000.
Principal Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad, in an order, said: "The infection can be confirmed in a single step test. In such a situation, those who are not coronavirus positive will have to give only Rs 2,500."
He said that the ICMR did not set the fee for the single-step test from the kit, so all the private labs were charging Rs 4,500.
So far, even if a person is not infected with coronavirus, he had to pay a fee of Rs 4,500 for the initial test. Now the person will get a single step check and if the coronavirus is not confirmed, then he will not have to go for the second step check. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had not yet determined the single-step test fee from the kit.
He informed that private labs have to send their reports online to the ICMR and the CMO of the district concerned. Strict action will be taken if there is a complaint of overcharging. After deliberations, the government has fixed a single-phase check of Rs 2,500.
COVID-19 Outbreak
Uttar Pradesh coronavirus
first published:April 24, 2020, 12:47 IST


text:
Q: Plotly: How to draw a sankey diagram from a dataframe? I have a dataframe:
Vendor Name                 Category                    Count
AKJ Education               Books                       846888
AKJ Education               Computers & Tablets         1045
Amazon                      Books                       1294423
Amazon                      Computers & Tablets         42165
Amazon                      Other                       415
Flipkart                    Books                       1023

I am trying to draw a sankey diagram using the above dataframe, with the source being Vendor Name and target being Category, and the flow or width being the Count. I tried using Plotly, but no sucess. Does anyone has a solution with Plotly for making a Sankey Diagram?
Thanks

A: The answer to the post How to define the structure of a sankey diagram using a dataframe? will show you that forcing your Sankey data sources into one dataframe may quickly lead to confusion. You'll be better off separating nodes from links since they are constructed differently.
So your node dataframe should look something like this:
ID               Label    Color
0        AKJ Education  #4994CE
1               Amazon  #8A5988
2             Flipkart  #449E9E
3                Books  #7FC241
4  Computers & tablets  #D3D3D3
5                Other  #4994CE

And your links dataframe should look like this:
Source  Target      Value      Link Color
0       3          846888      rgba(127, 194, 65, 0.2)
0       4            1045      rgba(127, 194, 65, 0.2)
1       3         1294423      rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)
1       4           42165      rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)
1       5             415      rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)
2       5               1      rgba(253, 227, 212, 1)

Now, if you use a similar setup to the Scottish referendum diagram on plot.ly, youll be able to build this:

That particular diagram looks a bit odd because of the huge difference between the numbers. For illustrative purposes, I've replaced all your numbers with 1:

Here's the whole thing for an easy copy&paste into a Jupyter Notebook:
# imports
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import plotly.graph_objs as go
from plotly.offline import download_plotlyjs, init_notebook_mode, plot, iplot
init_notebook_mode(connected=True)

# Nodes & links
nodes = [['ID', 'Label', 'Color'],
        [0,'AKJ Education','#4994CE'],
        [1,'Amazon','#8A5988'],
        [2,'Flipkart','#449E9E'],
        [3,'Books','#7FC241'],
        [4,'Computers & tablets','#D3D3D3'],
        [5,'Other','#4994CE'],]

# links with your data
links = [['Source','Target','Value','Link Color'],

        # AKJ
        [0,3,1,'rgba(127, 194, 65, 0.2)'],
        [0,4,1,'rgba(127, 194, 65, 0.2)'],

        # Amazon
        [1,3,1,'rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)'],
        [1,4,1,'rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)'],
        [1,5,1,'rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)'],

        # Flipkart
        [2,5,1,'rgba(253, 227, 212, 1)'],
        [2,3,1,'rgba(253, 227, 212, 1)'],]

# links with some data for illustrative purposes ################
#links = [
#    ['Source','Target','Value','Link Color'],
#
#    # AKJ
#    [0,3,846888,'rgba(127, 194, 65, 0.2)'],
#    [0,4,1045,'rgba(127, 194, 65, 0.2)'],
#
#    # Amazon
#    [1,3,1294423,'rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)'],
#    [1,4,42165,'rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)'],
#    [1,5,415,'rgba(211, 211, 211, 0.5)'],
#
#    # Flipkart
#    [2,5,1,'rgba(253, 227, 212, 1)'],]
#################################################################

# Retrieve headers and build dataframes
nodes_headers = nodes.pop(0)
links_headers = links.pop(0)
df_nodes = pd.DataFrame(nodes, columns = nodes_headers)
df_links = pd.DataFrame(links, columns = links_headers)

# Sankey plot setup
data_trace = dict(
    type='sankey',
    domain = dict(
      x =  [0,1],
      y =  [0,1]
    ),
    orientation = "h",
    valueformat = ".0f",
    node = dict(
      pad = 10,
    # thickness = 30,
      line = dict(
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text:
The End Of Californication, One of My Favorite TV Shows Ever.
July 1, 2014 October 27, 2014 / jasondannelly
Last night was the series finale of "Californication" on Showtime. This has easily been one of my favorite shows ever on TV. Early on the writing was comical, sexy, controversial and left me binging new episodes as I caught up three seasons into the show
But even as a big fan of the show, I have to say the last couple of seasons have been disappointing. It's almost like the writers were expecting that season to be the last and phoned it in until the found out "crap, we need to leave this open for another year!"
Hank Moody is probably a top five all-time television character for me. I'd be lying to you if I didn't point out I often found Moody to be someone I could relate to given my life and some of the situations I have gotten myself into.
While the Moody character often was seen as someone with little self control and his own worst enemy, in the end he cared deeply about those who were close to him and was always trying to do good for them despite the mess he found himself in.
It's corny to say, but his character has made me write more about my life experiences to get them down on paper. Someday it might be a book, or maybe someday I'll go all Hunter S. Thompson and "gonzo" some of those experiences into something that might be entertaining.
As for the finale itself, it was pretty unfulfilling but most finales are especially when they try to tie everything up all neat and perfect. It seemed like this entire season was thrown together as a way to get "hot chick" Heather Graham onto the show, add an awkward young character and inspire Moody to get right with his life. The season was funny and had it's share of fun moments, but nothing like the seasons where Professor Bates was running around naked, Mia was hitting on Hank or when Lew Ashby had to do one more hit before seeing the love of his life.
Those seasons tore at your heart, made you laugh and grew you closer to the characters.
This year had none of that.
I'm happy with how the entire show ended and I won't spoil that for you. However, in my opinion this series ended when Hank got off the bus and came back knocking on Karen's door.
To me the show will always be remembered for those big emotional moments, the breakdowns and probably the best soundtrack ever for a television show. You heard everything from Tommy Stinson to the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Elton John, Warren Zevon and unhead of artists like Beth Hart or even solo stuff from Johnny Thunders.
Every week, I was downloading new music. Even if I had heard the songs 1000 times, the way they were intertwined in the show gave them that much more meaning.
The great thing about the show being over is the ability to go back and watch it all over again or even turn a few new people onto it. Unlike most shows on premium movie channels, Californication is only a 30 minute weekly show. So anyone looking to plow through a few episodes can take a few hours to check out the show and determine if it is worth the watch.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes edgy humor, crazy emotions and the occasional naked female. The show certainly has plenty of that. And I'm not going to try to convince you it's always tastefully done.
Goodbye Hank Moody, you will be missed. I'll do my best to not replicated every mistake you made along the way. Although I'd certainly take the happy ending.
californication, finale, Jason Dannelly, Ramblings of Dannelly, showtime
← JD Show Podcast: Jason Dannelly talks with Bruce Parker the new AD of Rocky Mountain College.
JD Show Podcast: Thoughts on Opie and Anthony and a little Lebron talk. →


In order to use shell and remote file access services at delink.net, you will need to have a registered VPN account on the system. This page will contain more detailed instructions in the future. For the more technically-inclined, please generate a CSR containing your email address and email it to postmaster@delink.net. Your signed certifcate will be returned to the email address in the CSR along with further instructions.


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Increasingly, corporations have to make sensitive information – board minutes – M&A intentions – handling of reputation – available, not only to people on internal networks like Boards of Management, but also to key people outside of corporate control – supervisory board members, major shareholders, key investment groups or VC fund managers.
As a result of regulation, the fig leaf is no longer a defense. Boards of Management are being told in no uncertain terms by their auditors that a cavalier attitude to information protection is a sure route to personal prosecution. Now there's nothing like making it personal to motivate the mind!
Today there are many acts of legislation that must be complied with. Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) is probably the single piece of legislation to hit almost all businesses – the US inspired Sarbanes Oxley Act has sharply increased the focus on proper and secure control of corporate information. Then there is the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) which came into full force in April 2005, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) which is focused upon the financial sector, and NIST SP 800-171 for Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Non-federal Information Systems and Organizations.
Locklizard digital rights management products, PDF security, and document copy protection software are ideal for helping you comply with all these regulations. To show you what can be achieved we have identified the different compliance requirements you face, and how Locklizard document DRM solves them for you.
Locklizard document DRM can help with all process compliance requirements. You can use our document security to ensure that only those authorized can view information and prove that it cannot have been seen or used by anyone else. So you can prove that your business processes are sound and secure – better than relying on encryption where once information has been decrypted the user can distribute it to anyone they want.
You can demonstrate who actually registered to read information, and who did not, even if they were authorized to read it through document security and document controls. And if it is necessary you can prove when they read specific documents, and the location they were at when the documents were accessed. Also if any of the documents were printed that can be monitored and logged.
In many circumstances you are only legally required to maintain information for a specific time period (commonly 6 or 7 years) and after that you may destroy information after that time. It can be very important for you to be certain that information will become destroyed at the actual time, and not be capable of recovery from backups or personal copies. Locklizard document DRM allows you to set an end date by document, so you can be certain that from that end date the document is inaccessible, and effectively destroyed. For further reading see document retention.
Since Locklizard document security uses the best available encryption methods you can be sure that your protected documents cannot be accessed by anyone who is not authorized. Authorized users do not have the ability to pass on their authority to others, so lines of accountability are clear and precise. Our document security products can be readily used to support the open use of corporate information both inside and outside the corporate network whilst preventing outsiders from being able to access information – even when it is held on a laptop or mobile device.
You may need to be able to prove that documents could not have been used before a given date (SEC reports, analyst briefings, formal reports to statutory bodies). Locklizard document DRM can control access so that they cannot be seen before the date on which they are authorized.
You may need to provide access to privileged documents to lawyers or other investigators as part of the legal process known as discovery, or because you need to provide documents to your own advisers. You want to be sure that only documents that you have authorized can be used and be able to know which parties have used them. This is an ideal way of being sure that others can only gain access to specifically authorized information and cannot go on 'fishing trips' through your information. It also allows you to comply with the NIST SP 800-171 rules concerning controlled access to information. You can set an expiry date for information and instantly revoke access when needed.
Why Locklizard for Document Security & Regulatory Compliance?
Meeting compliance does not have to be the difficult task that some suppliers make out (perhaps because they figure they can charge you more?). If you publish sensitive documents in PDF format then Locklizard provide you with simple, easy to use tools that leverage state-of-the-art DRM controls over your sensitive information.
You require best practices to demonstrate that unauthorized individuals could not access information, because the information was strongly encrypted and use licensed. This approach allows corporations to allow sensitive information (trade secrets, personal data including social security numbers, board of management documents etc.) to be stored on laptop computers and mobile devices, and distributed outside of their organization without any loss of control.
Locklizard document security prevents all the simple compromises – use of the print screen key, stopping any form of editing or saving so that your information can't be passed on to those who are not authorized, watermarking dynamically to expose the people who try to compromise your security, preventing screen grabbing, and, if you feel compelled to allow people to print the sensitive information you have sent them, creating dynamic watermarks to make copying more problematic for the information pirate.
We also prevent forwarding – there are no 'Save' or 'Save As' features in our Secure Viewers, and we do not use root kits, temporary files or similar mechanisms, so typical compromises cannot be achieved.
So for a modest price you can achieve a state-of-the-art protection service for your sensitive information that meets auditors requirements (indeed it is used by auditors and governments to protect their own information) at the same time as being able to distribute information electronically, quickly and cheaply. The ROI and cost/benefit arguments are obvious. Complete document security for regulatory compliance – but not at any price.
See also internal document control, external document control, and content management.
Ensure only authorized users have access to confidential documents.
Control when documents can be first used and how long they can be used for.
Ensure documents can only be used with the restrictions you have applied to them.
For example, stop users sharing, printing, and screen grabbing documents.
Comply with document retention policies by having documents automatically expire so they are no longer accessible.
Expire documents on a fixed date, after a number of days use, views or prints.
Revoke access instantly regardless of where documents reside.
Lock document use to locations (e.g. the office) to control BYOD use.
Prevent users using confidential documents at home or in other potentially insecure locations.
See who has opened and viewed documents, when and from where.
Demonstrate who has or has not read information.
Why Locklizard for Document Security Compliance?
Locklizard takes your document protection seriously. We provide total PDF protection with US Gov strength AES 256 bit encryption, public key technology, DRM and licensing controls, to ensure your PDF files remain protected no matter where they reside.
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See our customer testimonials and read our case studies to see why thousands of organizations use Locklizard PDF security for document protection, regulatory compliance, and secure document sharing.


If you have any questions about my work, please feel free to contact me either by filling out the form, sending me an email or just call. I will get back to you as soon as possible!
Thank you for your inquiry! Meg Cooper Photography will respond to your message as soon as possible.


-Name of fumigant -Start date/time & end date/time of fumigation -Name and address of applicator -Applicator's phone number Use a grease pencil or china marker to enter data on the sign then wipe off with mineral spirits. Sign's ink and .030-ga. plastic material are treated for a long outdoor life. Can be used with our galvanized steel sign holder (Item # FH1421) sold separately.


The blue barrier in the wall blocks access to steps which lead to the northern end of the Greenway.
The Greenway is a pedestrian path, urban wildlife and conservation area which runs through the New England Quarter. The section nearest Prestonville hasn't been completed yet but you can now see the access point on New England Road between the two railway bridges. The entrance leads to steps that take you up and over the railway bridge and on to a path that was the original 1841 London-Brighton line.
According to Cityparks, the Greenway won't be open to the public until the planting scheme has become more established, and the adjoining developments are complete.
At the Prince Regent, the King Alfred, and also St Luke's in the Queen's Park area. Details in this flier.


As seen in Hawaii Wedding Style Magazine. Photo credit goes to Chrissy Lambert.
If you'd like to learn more about getting married on Vida Mia, click below for more information.
Copyright © 2018 Vida Mia. All Rights Reserved.


Since our establishment to today, we have been awarded the trust of hundreds of demanding, ethical, creative and prestigious business users.
All of them entrusted our dedicated team with the task of managing the accounting of their business projects, as well relying on us for consulting services regarding their optimum execution.
We return the trust placed in us with honest and devoted care for all of our clients, continuous professional development and training, a professional approach and by providing prompt solutions to all of the business challenges that stand in the path of our clients. Your satisfaction always remains our greatest passion.
Our team of experts is dedicated to finding the best possible measures to help your business develop. With over 25 years of experience, we remain devoted to doing what we love – and that is helping you achieve success and growth with your business.
Highly knowledgeable in their job. They are always available to assist and offer advice when requested to. They pay a lot of attention to detail which helps to ensure that all aspects of their job are done in a correct manner.
Artists are often at odds with numbers and social norms. That's why it is imperative that we have a reliable partner to take care of us.
Fortunately, we stumbled upon a Poreč-based accounting company's website, and since then we have been better informed and safer in terms of the Croatian tax system and laws. Keep up the good work!
We have been doing business together since 1994, whichmeans that our ˝professional love affair˝ will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2019. BDM's professionalism, quality, and promptness make them one of the best accounting companies. And here is proof for you. We haven't been fined by any tax inspection ever. BDM Business Club started in this office, and I am the Club's oldest member (in terms of age). The Club has been active for years and I believe it will be active for years to come, because I believe it to be the best place there is if you want to learn about balance sheets, sales, procurement, communications, and other business-related topics, as well as Croatian regulations I'm certain that BDM and BDM Club will remain among the best in their class for many years to come!
Good accountants can make or break a company. That's why we've chosen BDM.
We at Adriatic Wave are thrilled to have B.D.M. from Poreč with us. It goes without saying that it's far easier to go from strength to strength when there is a top-notch accounting company supporting you and providing top-quality services.
After our previous bookkeeper stopped working we moved to BDM. It then appeared that lots of issues were not well arranged in our two d.o.o.'s. Through a major cleanup operation BDM put everything to rights in tune with the inspection. BDM is professional and communicative and has a good network. We experience them as an excellent partner.
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As a travel agent specialising in European destinations, we have been in business for more than 20 years. Since 2017, we have been involved in the business of supplying ships in nearby ports and providing transport within the GoOpti transport business model, which is also present in Croatia. For that reason, we invested quite a bit of time in finding a reliable partner. We have found such a partner in BDM. BDM has offered all the support we need, and we sincerely hope to continue our business relationship for many years to come. Ever since we signed a contract with them, settlement of our accounts has become easier to handle and to read, as well as more transparent. They are our valued partner and we want to keep it that way in the future.
Given our inexperience and unfamiliarity with anything related to accounting, we were expecting a lot more issues on our hands. However, BDM are so good at their job that we can fully devote our time to ours. They are first and foremost professional, but it also needs to be stressed that they are very friendly and cooperative in their interactions.
Ever since we started working with BDM, their level of integrity, honesty, and accuracy has not dropped an inch. They are also excellent at reading their clients' individual needs. From their interactions, it is clear they are reliable and keen on achieving optimal results. In short, BDM helps you work smarter, and gives you the opportunity to focus on what you do best.
As a person who is somewhat allergic to paperwork and desk work, I am glad that my office's paperwork and deskwork have, since the day I started my medical practice, been taken care of by professional and reliable persons, persons of confidence who are above all kind and never act in violation of business etiquette.


text:
Women in Kosova
30 sept. 1996 — warresisters
"MOTRAT QIRIAZI" is a woman's group in Kosova which is working on the empowerment of rural women, changing traditions and responding to educational needs. We would be very happy to correspond women working on similar issues by email and to hear your comments, suggestions or about your experiences.
"MOTRAT QIRIAZI", the Society for Education of Women in Prishtina, Kosova, was named after the two sisters Qiriazi, who founded the first school for girls in Korca (Albania) 100 years ago. Two sisters from Prishtina, Safete and Igballe Rogova, formed the society for women's education "Motrat Qiriazi" (Sisters Qiriazi) in February 1995, with the formation of the Women's Network in Prishtina and with the collaboration of other women's groups.
Motrat Qiriazi began its work in the Has region (an isolated region in western Kosova) which suffers under the domination of many oppressive patriarchal traditions. It is the only region in Kosova where more than 50% of the girls are promised in marriage by the time they finish primary school. Very few girls attend high school. After marriage, often to boys they have never met, the girls go to live in an unfamiliar village with their husband's extended family. In this environment a woman's life is controlled by her mother-in-law, senior males in the family and by the power of the social circle.
In this way the customs of bygone centuries are reproduced generation after generation. Motrat Qiriazi emphasizes the preservation of tradition and at the same time the elimination of customs and practices that are detrimental to women.
At present Motrat Qiriazi is working in 13 villages in this region. Thirteen local activists take part in the project's organization and implementation and carry on the work when Motrat Qiriazi brings the project to other regions.
One of the key goals at present is to create and maintain a regular forum of weekly meetings in the local primary schools. The meetings provide a forum where women gather to exchange ideas with each other and with visitors from outside the village, where they can begin to examine the ideological and mental parameters of their lives. In some cases this is one of the few occasions where women can meet with other women outside of their family circle.
Motrat Qiriazi is dedicated to the following principles:
Understanding the problems, needs, and desires of rural women. - Raising the consciousness of rural women and breaking the isolation by facilitating the exchange of ideas and skills between rural and urban women.
Supporting the democratization of the family and aiding in the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
Addressing issues like health education and the importance of high school education for girls.
We bring gynaecologists, pediatricians, and general practioners to hold discussions about pertinent health issues, answer questions and provide information on contraception, pregnancy, childbirth; the care of infants and children; personal and household hygiene; the cause, prevention and treatment of diarrhoea and other water-related diseases.
In June 1995, in collaboration with the group "Home Economics", from Prishtina, Motrat Qiriazi started sewing courses in response to women's requests. It is hoped that this will eventually lead to income generating activities. In September 1995, a literacy component started; women who need training in basic literacy skills follow a six-month literacy course with two or three lessons per week. Also in September 1995, a six-month English language course started for local activists and other women who want to learn. It is hoped that this will eventually give women greater access to diverse types of information and world views.
In September 1995, collaboration with the local paper of Has, "Etja" began. There is now a minimum of four pages (out of 31) set aside for women. The publication is an important vehicle for social change; it is read in every home, and its content directly reflects issues important to the local people.
We are looking for examples of women's problems and solutions found in other parts of the world--to break the isolation of Has women and to provide ideas of how they might change their lives.
So, if you have stories of women changing their lives and their communities, PLEASE SEND us these stories. If you work in a similar project PLEASE CONTACT us so we can exchange ideas and learn from each other. Contact by email: I.ROGOVA@ZANA-PR.ZTN.APC.ORG


text:
building characters, Writing, Writing Romance
Getting Inside the Romantic Hero's Head—Part VI
August 1, 2018 July 30, 2018 donnalhsmith
This time, we'll conclude our series of Getting Inside the Romantic Hero's Head. Because there is so much to writing a romance. I'll be getting to some "Nuts & Bolts" of writing "clean" romance while satisfying the reader. It's not just "chemistry" that brings two people to love. Love is a decision based on factors of attraction. Click to Tweet #InsideHerosHead #donnalhsmith #almostanauthor #writingromance101
For the past number of posts, we've been working on various aspects of creating a contemporary story called "Romancing the Rabbi." Our two main characters are Tovah and Judah. We've been looking at both the romantic lead characters. Tovah is a rabbi who lives in Brooklyn. Judah is a CEO who lives in Manhattan, but is originally from Jerusalem, Israel.
What does bring people together? Qualities of attraction. Physical qualities, their personalities, their fun little "quirks," and their personal tastes.
We've established that Tovah, a rabbi, gets tongue-tied around Judah. There's just something about him that attracts Tovah. She likes the kinder and gentler type of hero. Alpha males don't like her, because she's too strong for them. She likes to be in charge, because she has a teaching and leadership gift. But the gung-ho soldier-type bull in a china shop male is not for Tovah.
So, when she meets Judah, instinctively, she knows he's not an alpha male. He's strong in character because he's had to be, but his personality type is that calm, laid-back kind of guy who is sensitive to a strong female without feeling inferior to her.
When Judah meets Tovah, and she stumbles around her words, it actually endears her to him. He's sensitive, and instinctively knows Tovah is nervous around him. He doesn't know why, but he is amused and sensitive enough to want to get to know her better. Her being a rabbi in charge of the synagogue Judah attends, doesn't bother him at all.
Let's revisit a scene from several weeks ago — when they first meet.
The lady rabbi greeted everyone as if she were at a wedding reception and she was the bride. Judah wiped his hand on his pants. The last thing he wanted was for his sweaty palm to touch the rabbi's in a welcoming handshake. Almost immediately, Judah's palm moistened again. Was he nervous? There seemed to be something pass between them when he handed her the papers that had flown from her podium.
Uh oh. He was next in line. His heart began to beat faster. For the life of him, though, he didn't know why.
"Hello. Welcome to synagogue today." Her voice was just as natural as it had been while speaking the message.
He swallowed. "Shabbat Shalom."
"Shabbat Shalom." The lines around her mouth crinkled as she smiled. A sweet little smile that seemed to light up his heart. Where'd that thought come from?
"I—I wanted to thank you for picking up my papers today. I—I can't imagine what happened." Her lip quivered a bit.
"You're welcome. Anyone else would have done the same." Was she as nervous to meet him as he was meeting her? How could that be? She's a rabbi. He'd never known a lady rabbi before. He'd grown up conservative in Israel. But he knew things were changing little-by-little.
He smiled to himself. She stumbled over her words in conversation, even though eloquent from the stage. She was human, after all. A woman…with likes and dislikes. He liked her.
What factors, characteristics, and qualities do you look for in a date, or a mate? The romantic lead will need to recognize what she likes and doesn't like. The hero also needs a certain amount of self-knowledge to know what kind of woman he is attracted to. Click to Tweet #InsideHerosHead #donnalhsmith #almostanauthor #writingromance101
Tagged Getting Inside the Romantic Hero's Head, Writing Romance, Writing Romance 101, www.donnalhsmith.com
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text:
Fort Pierce College Students Terrified By Ghost
Students at Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce have long been visited by the presence of a spirit roaming their theater.
Students claim that when he appears to them he is shrouded in a blue mist.
One account states that when the ghost appears, the temperature in the room drops a significant amount, leaving the witness covered in goose bumps.
Photo credit left: google street view right: tumblr/darkaart
Updated 2/10/2020 – Another account states that Lenny, the name given to the spirit, is benevolent but rambunctious, messing with the theater's spotlights and the backstage radios.
Fort Pierce's Local Spirit
Students say that Lenny frequents the theater regularly, oftentimes watching the show from the President's booth or hanging out backstage in wardrobe.
Lenny appears as a man with a tall lanky stature and labored gait.
He has become such a consistently present apparition that he hardly frightens anyone anymore.
Many who have witnessed him say that he gives a gentle nod or a wave whenever he presents himself.
Lenny has been known to take on several appearances.
Sometimes he is as transparent and elusive as a midnight mist.
Other times he appears as opaque and real as an actual human.
Not All Is Well At Indian River Community College
Although seemingly well intentioned, Lenny's presence isn't always welcome.
In fact, there have been several accounts in which Lenny's appearance has been described as terrifying or uneasy.
The theater's broom closet is one place inside the building where students have been scared to venture.
One student states, "I'm positive there is more than one spirit, and whatever is in the broom closet is not as friendly."
Some accounts have seen the apparition inside the closet and their tales are all too terrifying.
The spirit is described as having long sharp fingers, akin to knives or blades.
Instead of eyes, the spirit supposedly has two mouths with razor teeth.
Photo credit: tumblr/darkaart
The movements of the apparition are quick, like a demonic contortionist.
Paranormal experts say that whenever a spirit takes on an ungodly, disfigured form it is because of the heinous crime they committed in their lifetime.
Interviews with local alumni have suggested an intriguing theory.
The theory goes; sometime in the 1960's a teacher was having an affair with a student inside the broom closet in the theater building.
Lenny, whose name has never been confirmed, accidentally caught the two during an intimate moment.
The teacher, fearing losing his job, murdered Lenny and buried his body somewhere beneath the stage.
Two weeks later the teacher committed suicide.
The teacher is said to haunt the broom closet.
No documents have been uncovered in Fort Pierce's archives to prove that this indeed happened or that such an event had occurred.
But, from time to time, walking by that broom closet, people have sworn that they heard a whisper bounce off the walls saying, "Please don't tell."