When Three Points of the Compass started out camping as a teenager there was never any real fuss made as to what torch to take. Presumably because there was little in the way of choice. I took a small plastic Eveready battery powered, hand held torch. To my recollection it did perfectly well. I burnt a hole through the case with a metal skewer heated over the kitchen gas ring when my mother wasn't watching and passed a piece of string through. This provided a hands free capability. I do not recall what happened to it, it probably fell to bits.
Later, in the army, it was the ubiquitous green plastic right angled torch with metal pocket clip. The end cap unscrewed and contained a spare bulb below the spring. Some also had another cap that could be removed, this contained four lens filters of different colours. In the late 1980s I had a brief period with the Post Office where I was reintroduced to the same torch, only this time it was the civvy version, there were no lens filters and it was red plastic. Needless to say, examples of each found their way into my outdoor kit of the time.
I don't really recall when choice of lighting became the supposedly important factor that it is now today. Possibly torches, lamps and lanterns are a victim of very successful PR campaigns for a product that can be produced to suit just about anyone's pocket. None of those that I use now were that expensive but every single one is a decent product, just as many of the dozens of others that I don't possess are. Again, it comes down to personal choice and buying and using what suits the walk in question. A word of warning, many manufacturers will quote run times at specific lumens, I quote some of those hours here. But some lights will dim considerably within that specified time. You can change the battery and it is astonishing at how much brighter the beam suddenly becomes.
This little headlamp was a bit of a game changer when it came out. Flying in the face of ever stronger beam torches being produced, this has quite modest ambitions, and as such, it succeeds admirably. I have the earlier model that came in a small red, plastic case that protects from all but the worst of rain and bumps. The case weighs 18g and can easily be left at home though I keep my lamp in the case as it is easier to find and keeps all of the twiddly thin headband in place with the lamp itself. The lamp itself weighs 28g with two CR2032 batteries fitted. These only weigh 3g each so a couple of spares can easily be included in a pack. The batteries have a ten year life. The lamp can be put around the head or clipped to hat brims, inside of the tent, map edge or book pages, or simply stood up. The beam options are easily determined via the sliding red lever on the face- White beam has Maximum, economy and flashing modes, Red beam has permanent or flashing options. At maximum white beam, it is rated at 16 lumens (newer model 26 lumens) or 5 lumens on economy setting.
The clip to adjust the headband has a whistle built into it. Battery life is 35 hours (apparently 55 hours on newer model) on the maximum white beam setting but can be extended to 45 hours (70 hours on newer model) on economic white beam mode. This is a lovely little lightweight headlamp that is very often taken out on day hikes 'just in case'. A recent just in case scenario was a bit of road walking when completing the Esk Valley Way, the weather was atrocious and visibility was dire. I clipped this to the rear of the pack with the red beam on flashing mode.
The thin headband on my model has been replaced on newer models by an integrated retractable Zip cord. I think I'll stick with mine.
In a nod to the use of portable chargers to keep electronics working and a (partial) move away from disposable batteries, my most recent headlamp purchase has been a Black Diamond ReVolt. This lamp weighs 101g, with three Black Diamond NiMH 1.2v rechargeable AAA batteries fitted (13g for each battery). It has a maximum beam of 130 lumins (with alkaline batteries). However there are also various beam settings built in: full strength in proximity and distance modes, dimming, strobe and red night vision option. I like being able to switch between flood and spotlight modes. It can also be used with standard AAA alkaline or lithium batteries instead of the rechargeable batteries supplied with it. The power level meter is also useful to warn of decreasing strength in the batteries. This shows green for >50% remaining power, orange for 25-50% and red for <25%.
Various LEDs are fitted, one triple power, two single power white and two single power red LEDs so any (unlikely) bulb breakages will not affect being able to see. The charge lead is 550mm long and weighs 20g.
This is a great headlamp, it has the battery life, power and beam options that I want. I cannot see me making a change from this lamp for some years. While not the lightest of options out there, the rechargeable facility, utilising the short charge lead, is an effective solution both for day hikes, taking torch alone, or longer trips taking the lead and charger as well. The lead is also compatible with a Kindle. Despite the manufacturer stating that it cannot be done, it is an interesting option that the torch can also be used to charge other rechargeable AAA NiMH batteries for use in other devices, not that I have any in mind at present.
The best USB plug solution I have found for use with this is a Mu Classic USB folding plug which weighs 42g. It measures 60mm x 55m x 14mm when folded and has an input of AC 100-240v, 50-60Hz and an output of DC 5v 1Amp. There are also 2.4Amp output and two USB port variants available.
Photon Freedom Micro torch. Also shown is the neck lanyard and magnetic clip with swivel head.
Manufactured by Laughing Rabbit Inc. (LRI) the Photon Freedom Micro torch is not a toy or gimmicky little keyring device. Though they can certainly be used simply as such. There are similar little torches out there, even this company produces simpler and cheaper torches, but the Photon Freedom Micro is the real thing. The case is made from glass-filled polyurethane and is virtually indestructible, the LED bulb is almost unbreakable too. The company upgraded the LEDs (white is now Nichia GS LED) a few years ago and the current white model version knocks out up to 4.5 lumin, which isn't a great deal, but suffice for most needs.
There a number of body colours, I have the black and the grey (platinum), there is also a 'covert' body that provides a narrow directed beam. Different LED bulbs are on offer too: White, Orange, Red, Yellow, Green, Turquoise, Blue, Purple (blacklight), Ultraviolet and Infrared.
I use the white and red beam variants. Not only does the red save night vision but the battery life is doubled as well. Annoyingly though, the two take different types of battery. The red light version takes one CR-2032 lithium battery, the white light version takes two CR-2016 lithium batteries. Though you can swap out the two for the one at the expense of brightness. I purchased a black key ring for use with the red torch (to signify night vision use) and the standard silver ring for the white torch. I clip one red and one white onto zip pulls on the pack for convenience. I may one day be tempted to purchase a yellow bulb variant, not only does this preserve night vision but lights the way better than red while still having an extended battery life. Battery life for the white light is up to ten hours but can easily be extended by not using at full brightness. These torches are cheap enough and useful enough that I might also try out the Doug Ritter version from a few years ago, this has a nozzle to better direct the beam with less scatter and a bright yellow body to enable these tiny little torches to be found more easily when dropped.
There are a number of modes that can be activated on these torches. These are Morse code, Slow Beacon, Medium Beacon, Fast Beacon, S.O.S. or constantly on. The desired brightness can be set to anything from dim to fully on. Anything less than full brightness is extending the battery life.
Weights are negligible, there really isn't any excuse for including one of these as part of a gear list. Even on a day walk there is the odd occasion when somewhere dark and dank needs to be explored.
Just about any of those hand torches and headlmaps listed above can be used in a tent. Occasionally it can be useful to have something a bit chunkier. I have found the two lights below to be of use on occasion, though they are probably more suited to car camping or longer, colder nights in the shoulder seasons or winter camping.
This is a bit of 'old school' technology. But I believe these candle lanterns still have a place today. The one I have is the Original Candle Lantern + LED. You can see the LED in the base of the lantern in the picture above. The LED is nothing special, it is powered by two CR2032 batteries which last some 40 hours and the light can be removed and stood up for use. The rest of the lantern, the main part, is powered by… candle.
The design and build of these lanterns is very simple- an aluminium metal body with a slide down-able glass surround/chimney to the candle (don't get wax on it), the candle is inserted from the bottom and is pushed up as it burns by a thin simple spring. There really isn't anything to go wrong on these. They certainly knock out some heat, a small tent is easily warmed by five degrees or more. Also the light from a candle is something to enjoy, the flickering light touches something inside I think, reminiscent in a small way to watching the flickers of a wood fire. As a demonstration on practicality, when John Merrill completed his ten month, 7000 mile circumnavigation of the British coastline in 1978, he went through thirty Blacks' 'longlife' candles for both cooking and lighting, each burned for eight hours and Merrill believed them better than torches. Not that he did much night hiking of course.
The candles are designed especially for these lanterns and it is possible to buy different types. The standard candle burns for around nine hours. There are also blue citronella candles that also burn for around nine hours but give off a slight scent that, in theory, discourages the mozzies, midges and whatever. Another alternative are the beeswax candles. These burn cleaner than the wax candles and for longer too- 12 to 15 hours. Candles weigh around 50g each.
Another factor to be considered with these lanterns is that they actually reduce condensation in a tent. I have never used the smaller Micro UCO tea light candles. While potentially offering similar advantages I have heard of too many stories on how easily these spill molten wax everywhere compared to the relatively stable and apparently safer Original model.
Weight with candle is 201g. Dimensions are 180mm x 50mm when open and 120mm x 50mm when closed, though I keep mine in a 45g neoprene cocoon for safety. The removable LED in the base weighs another 17g.
On occasion I have also used a 28g Pac-Flat reflector. This is a two part reflector that slots together in use to form a shallow cone that slides down to the top edge of the lantern and reflects light downward. Useful when the lantern is hanging above. It can be seen in use in an image below.
This is a virtually unbreakable lantern with a built in piezo ignition (that often fails to work properly). Weighing 121g, it measures 61mm x 62mm x 106mm so is pretty compact. Instead of a glass globe to protect the mantle, it is fitted with a stainless steel mesh globe. It comes with a metal hanger with a hook on to hang from the roof of a tent and has a tiny nylon stuff sack (10g) in which it can be stored. Alternatively it can be kept in the small neoprene cocoon used for the UCO lantern (though not both at the same time) The lantern is powered by screw in LP-gas 70/30 butane/propane gas cartridges. While it could take just about any of the sizes available, I tend to use the small 100g carts. It is possible to alter the light intensity up to 70W (235 lumen). A bit of heat is knocked out too. While not noisy, the hiss is certainly noticeable and I quite like the sound on a blustery, wet night. As usual, despite the flame being enclosed, great care has to be taken.
Another recent entry in to my ditty bag has been the rather excellent little Mont Bell collapsible lantern. This provides an effective cross over from head-torch to tent lantern. Well worth both the expense and few grams that it costs.
The mouth of the 30 denier rip-stop polyester lantern is tightened around a head torch suspended from the roof, the material then spreads and dissipates the beam in a pleasant spread of light. A very effective piece of kit. A bit of a luxury I know, but at only 4g, one I am sure many can accept.
It is also possible to buy small tins containing wax candles infused with citronella, bog myrtle or other natural ingredients. The spin is that these will help ward off midges and the like. This may be true, however even while having one of these burning in a tent door on the Isle of Skye, there seemed to be plenty of midges to go round so their actual effectiveness is uncertain. But, small, pretty light and very convenient, they undoubtedly also give off a little light and warmth.


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NECA Appoints David Long as Next Chief Executive Officer
Bethesda, MD – March 5, 2019 – The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) today announced that T. David Long has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Long will officially join the NECA staff on April 1, 2019.
"After a national search, the Executive Committee unanimously selected David Long to serve as CEO," said Larry Beltramo, Chair of the NECA Search Committee and Vice President At Large. "David's experience as an electrical contractor, his current service as NECA President and his unending dedication to advancing our industry make him the ideal leader for NECA at this important moment in time."
With more than 40 years' experience in electrical contracting, David currently serves as the President of Miller Electric in Jacksonville, Florida. He brings demonstrated experience in strategic planning and organizational growth, as well as leadership and mentorship of substantial teams. A dedicated NECA volunteer, David has held many roles within the association, including serving on the Board of Governors, Executive Committee and Council of Industrial Relations and most recently culminating as President of the Association.
"I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve as NECA's Chief Executive Officer", said Long. "My hope is to further position NECA as a critical support system to its contractor members, while advocating on behalf of the members and our industry, providing vision and driving innovation. I am truly excited to begin working with the NECA staff, members, field teams and volunteers to support the continued leadership, facilitation and service provided by NECA to all stakeholders supporting the interests of the electrical contracting industry."
"David will be joining an organization with a strong foundation, and I want to personally extend my sincere appreciation to John Grau for his leadership of the Association. NECA enjoys a reputation for getting things done, for its strong relationships with our IBEW partners, and for its professional staff thanks in large part to the culture that John worked to establish," Beltramo said. "Both John and David are committed to a smooth transition as we look to the future."
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
NECA is the voice of the $171 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light and communication technology to buildings and communities across the U.S. Our national office and 119 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research and standards development. A diverse group of nearly 4,000 member companies account for approximately 300 million manhours per year. Visit www.necanet.org/about for more information about NECA.

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This weekend, I was having a major craving for red meat so I thought to myself: "What could be more perfect for Valentine's Day than a romantic steak dinner for two?" And so, the experiment began! I started with a top quality organic Ontario strip loin steak from my favorite organic butcher here in Toronto; Sanagan's Meat Locker in Kensington Market where everything is always organic and local. To my mind, a good quality steak is key to making it perfectly. I used the whites of the scallions that were left over from my great Fish Fragrant Eggplant experiment that I previously posted, however you could use the whole scallion, a sweet onion or a shallot if you prefer. I bought a steak that was about 8-12 oz and I found that I only needed half for myself along with a green salad, however you could certainly double the recipe if this is not enough for you and your guest. This is a nice recipe for those of us who do not have a barbecue, or live in sub-zero climates as all you require is a pan and an oven!
Rub the steak with the sauces and coriander powder. Ideally, allow to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 375F. Heat your pan with the oil so it's smoking hot. Just before you add the steak to the pan, sprinkle with salt to taste. Sear the outside until the steak has nice colour, but only flip once. Take steak from the pan and put in the oven on a foil-covered sheet pan, keeping the heat on in the pan as you will be making your sauce while the steak cooks. I cooked it another 8 minutes in the oven to get it to rare but you could try cooking it 10 minutes to medium rare or 12 minutes to medium-well.
In the heated steak pan, add the scallions and cook until the rawness has just gone out of them but not burning them, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and allow the alcohol to burn off; scraping all the good steak flavour bits off the bottom of the pan while you do it. The alcohol is usually gone about 30 seconds to a minute after you start smelling the wine in the pan. To this, add the barbeque sauce and stir. Add the chicken broth and allow sauce to cook down to whatever consistency you want it. Adjust salt in the last minute or two of cooking as the broth has quite a bit of salt as well and you may not need more.
I added a nice green salad to my plate as well as my glass of Pelee Island Winery Merlot Reserve that I not only cooked with, but drank as well.
I'm going to have this tonight! Sometimes, though not often, my body screams for meat and this sauce sounds great. I'm going to have to do a Rochester search to see which brands of barbecue sauce we have. Thanks for the recipe:-).
My pleasure! The marinade is my go-to meat marinade for beef, chicken and lamb. Very versatile! If you're ever up in Canada at a Loblaw's-owned store, the Memories of Damascus is a must buy!


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"It Lets The Children Breathe" – Ballet, Boats, and Books in Britain
September 25, 2020	1,216 Views
Homeschooling is the best decision Mrs. Pierlot ever made as it lets the children blossom into who they actually are, not who society might mold them to be.
Let's head across the pond to Great Britain and meet the Pierlot family.
Cedric, husband and father, was born in Concarneau in the north of France. During his teenage years, he lived in Africa in Namibia, where his father worked as a pilot. At age 19, he came to England to complete his studies, where he met Francesca, who would eventually become his wife. Today he works as a compliance manager and is also the Detachment Commander for their local Royal Marines Cadets Unit.
Francesca, known to her friends and family as Cesca and whom Cedric calls Cesca Bella, is also no stranger to international travel. Twice she deferred her university education to travel the world, visiting Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Spain. On her return from these travels, she studied in London to become a personal
trainer, and until her fourth child was two years old, worked part-time at that job. Today she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Honors History Degree.
Cedric and Cesca are the parents of five children: Elodie, 18; Lucia, 16; Dominique, 14; Rafael, 11; and Thea, 3.
Following in the footsteps of Cesca's mother, the Pierlots have homeschooled their children for the past fifteen years. "My mother homeschooled four of my siblings, and I was interested in the lifestyle and the freedom it would give my children," Cesca reflected. "I wanted them to become who God intended them to be without the constraints of peer pressure with all that that entails and with state-run educational expectations."
As in the United States, homeschooling in Britain brings certain challenges in the public square. "We're very lucky with our local county council," Cesca reports. "They're very supportive and really just allow us to get on with our lives. Recently there has been a huge national uptake in homeschooling, which leads me to believe that government policy may change in the future to 'contain the situation,' but so far, so good."
In regard to the Seton Home Study program, Cesca writes "Seton has provided such a solid Faith backdrop for my teenagers. It has given them the confidence to know how to defend and love their Faith as they go out into the world and make their mark on it. I'm exceedingly grateful to Seton for this."
In the Pierlot's homeschool, Elodie and Lucia for the most part study independently until about 4 P.M. Cesca works with Dominique and Rafael, and tries to include little Thea in some of these lessons. And then, with academics out of the way, "It's all systems go with me taxiing them to dance and their Royal Marines Cadet activities."
All Systems Go
"The three older girls do a combined 21 dance classes per week, including ballet, tap, and jazz. Elodie and Lucia recently passed their Grade 8 Royal Academy ballet exam and are now working towards their Advanced Two, which is their final vocational exam. Lucia hopes to go to the Royal Academy of Dance in London to pursue a career as a ballerina. Rafael is in his fifth rugby season with Ampthill Rugby Club and is a Blue Tag in taekwondo. Three of the children take guitar and ukulele lessons, and Thea, our baby, has just started ballet!
"All four older children are Royal Marines Cadets or Sea Cadets so they are lucky enough to sail, kayak, row, and drive powerboats. Elodie was the Senior Girls Rowing National Champion in 2018, and she was also selected to become Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant Cadet last year.
As a result, she met Princess Anne and the Queen's cousin and was the first Royal Marines cadet in the county to become a Lord Lieutenant Cadet. She loves everything about Spitfires—the World War II airplane!—and hopes to become a Weapons Officer in the Royal Air Force.
"Lucia was nominated for the National Westminster Award and has so far passed two of three selection days. If she is selected in the final phase she will go to South Africa to help a community there for two weeks. Last year she sailed a square rig galleon, the TS Royalist, to the Channel Islands. In October, Dominique will be doing her first offshore voyage on the Solent.
"As the only boy, Rafael takes his role very seriously! He is always climbing trees or teaching his baby sister taekwondo. Thea loves giraffes, books, and wearing her backpack.
The Best Decision I Ever Made
"We live in a beautiful village in the countryside," writes Cesca, "with the ruins of a church dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. We are 10 miles from Bedford. We live next door to Woburn Safari Park so on a quiet night we can hear the lions calling!"
The Pierlots attend Christ the King Catholic Church in Bedford, a new parish that Cesca's sister and her sister's husband helped found. Here the Fraternity of Saint Peter offers a Latin Mass, and the community there is growing rapidly, offering catechism for the children, training for altar servers, and a new choir. "My children are meeting new friends and finding their feet in the community," says Cesca. "It's a true blessing."
As to what she considers most valuable in homeschooling, Cesca wrote, "It lets the children breathe! They have time and space, and they are free from pressure. They blossom into who they actually are, not who society might mold them to be. It is the best decision I ever made."
ballet britain catholic faith children community dancing decision featured family flexibility homeschooling Lord Lieutenant Cade pierlot Royal Marines square rig galleon	2020-09-25


Rejected leaders are better candidates to win the elections, feels the local ruling Congress party in Goa.
To regain both the seats in the tourist state, the Congress has decided to field two former state ministers, including one former chief minister, who had lost miserably in the 1994 Assembly polls.
The criteria however is not their competency but the hold they are having over their respective communities, which may prove to be a nightmare to the sitting MPs of the United Front - union law minister Ramakant Khalap and South Goa MP Churchill Alemao.
The ruling party here has decided to field Ravi Naik, the former chief minister, to cross swords with Khalap. The former had defected from Khalap's Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party in 1991, to head the Congress government.
The Goa pradesh election committee has also recommended Francisco Sardinha, a former minister defeated by Alemao's United Goans Democratic Party in the Assembly elections, who will now fight against the controversial South Goa MP.
Both Sardinha and Naik were miserably defeated in the 1994 Assembly polls and were in hibernation since then. "But their names are proposed by our grass root level cadres", claims Shantaram Naik, the GPCC president.
As most of the leaders have given their consent to the names, the possibility of the central election committee changing it appears bleak. On the contrary, the local Congress leaders seem happy as two ambitious politicians are going away from the state politics.
In a successful bid, the local party has also persuaded former union minister Eduardo Faleiro to withdraw from the race, while assuring him the Rajya Sabha ticket next year. He was the South Goa MP since 1977, till he was defeated in last elections by Churchill Alemao.
Sensing the mood in the party, even Faleiro admits that Sardinha is a better candidate to fight Alemao's hegemony in South Goa. "People want new faces", says the five-time MP.
Though he seems to be happy with the assurance about the Rajya Sabha ticket, a senior local Congress leader laughs it out, stating that such pieces of paper have no meaning in the Congress party.
Faleiro however hopes to enter the House one year later, as the assurance is a resolution passed in the presence of all the groups within the ruling party, including chief minister Pratapsing Rane, rebel leader and Dy CM Wilfred de Souza as well as organisational leaders.
While the Congress is eyeing for its Catholic vote bank in the South, Naik is expected to win over the Bhandari vote bank, the majority community in the North Goa, which is normally a traditional MGP vote bank of Khalap.
While Sardinha's victory is still doubtful given the mass popularity Alemao is having, the union law minister seems to be in a deep trouble with the community card played by the Congress to counter the United Front.


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Rudraksha is a divine seed worn by mankind for good health, religious attainment through Japa (Power) and Shakti and for fearless life. Rudraksha tree and seed both are called Rudraksha. Rudraksha beads in this range are available from 1 to 16 Mukhi, Gauri Shankar and Ganesh Rudraksha in 18 - 20 mm best quality.


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Q: InfoPath repeating table validation I've got several repeating tables sitting in a InfoPath form. Essentially each one lists a load of strings with checkboxes next to them. When the user clicks submit I want to ensure that at least one checkbox per repeating table has been ticked.
I was just in the middle of writing a validating event handler for the table which would set a validation variable to either true or false but I realised that the main data source is read-only on validating and changed events.
How would I go about checking that something has been ticked in the repeating table before the form is submitted?
[NOTE] I'm using repeating tables instead of the multiselection control because the form has to be browser compatible.
Thanks in advance

A: I think you have two options (and these are just off the top of my head / not actually building a similar form solution).
1)  Build an XPath expression that will evaluate whether or not one of your checkboxes has been selected.  Than add a hidden node to your form (one not bound to a control in thew view), and add this validation property to it.
2)  Continue writing your event handler, to cancel the submit event after running your custom validation logic in code.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.infopath.formevents.submit(VS.80).aspx

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USS Lang was a Benham-class destroyer laid down on April 5, 1937 and launched on August 27, 1938. It was commissioned on March 30, the following year under Lt. Comdr. Felix L. Johnson's command with the hull number DD-399 and served in the US Navy for 6 years until it was decommissioned on October 16, 1945. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 184 people on board and had the main missions in New Port, Halifax, San Diego, Sandy Hook, Port Royal or New Hebrides. After the decommissioning, the ship was sold to George Nutman Inc. in Brooklyn and scrapped in 1947. For the services brought to the country during the World War II, USS Lang received 11 battle stars.


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Q: Where is the advanced class trainer for smugglers? Where is the advanced class trainer for smugglers?  I can't find where I am supposed to choose my specialization.

A: As you advance in your class missions, you will eventually (somewhere between level 9-11 usually) receive a mission directing you to "The Fleet". As soon as you exit the first lift that opens to the main area, there will be a quest giver in front of you and a little to the left. They will give you mission to direct you to your advanced class trainer.
Remember, your advanced class can not be changed once chosen! Choose carefully! (The developers have commented that they might allow AC changes in the future, but they're not sure if they're going to or not yet.)

A: There are also trainers in the Senate Commercial District on Coruscant.  For Empire players there are trainers in the upper East part of Kaas City on Dromund Kaas.

A: When you are level 10 as Musafa said, you get to the main fleet wehre there is a questgiver that gives you a quest to talk to 2 of the advanced classes. Each one will give you some explanation about your class and what they are good for. Then after you've done that you need to go back to the questgiver and choose wich advanced class you want to be.
After you chosen please notice that there will be a bag in your inventory containing an advanced class weapon. For example if you took mercenary you'll get a second blue gun ect...

A: If you go to the flight pad on Coruscant, there is a fat guy sitting on crates. Talk to him to start your quest.


What Is The Difference Between Online Poker And Traditional In Person Games?
March 14, 2019 March 15, 2019 adminLeave a Comment on What Is The Difference Between Online Poker And Traditional In Person Games?
Online poker is a game of poker which is played over the internet and has partly been responsible for the dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide today. At the end of 2005 the revenues for online poker was estimated to be 200 million US dollars per month.
So just what are the differences between online games poker and the traditional in person games?
Probably the most obvious difference is that player's do not sit right across from each other, which removes the ability for player's to observe their opponents reactions and body language. Where online poker games are concerned the player learns to focus more on the betting patterns, the other player's reaction times as well as any other behavioral patterns which are not physical in nature. As the game of poker requires a person to adapt a successful online player will learn to master their new surroundings very quickly.
Another difference but less obvious is the rate of play. Where as if you were playing a game of poker at your local casino the dealer will have to collect the cards, then shuffle and deal them after every hand. Because of this and other delays which are associated with traditional games of poker you will find the average rate of play is about 30 hands per hour. However with an online poker game you do not have these delays as the dealing and shuffling taking place are instant. Also there are no delays in relation to the counting of chips (for say a split pot). Plus the play is often faster due to the "auto-action" buttons (where a player can select his action before it is his turn). So it is not uncommon for an online poker game to average between 90-100 hands per hour.
One final difference that has resulted in online poker rooms becoming more popular is that many of them offer online poker schools. Where you can not only learn the basics of playing poker but also speed up the learning curve. Plus many online games poker rooms offer free money play so that players may practice their skills in various different games and limits without them risking losing their own money.
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7:35pm – you jump out of bed because you're late! Yep…it's Monday! You take a quick shower and go wake up your kids.
While they're getting dressed, you go to get some milk because you realise that you're out of it!
Océane is looking for her black trousers which are at the bottom of the basket of dirty clothes while Marine is not happy because she was supposed to get up early to study History before her test this morning!
Quick, it's time to go, otherwise they'll be late for school.
Once you finally get there, you open your PC to find that you already have 5 messages and 25 emails. It's just the start of the day!
You have calls all day, a few appointments and 2 meetings. Fortunately there is coffee to keep you going!!!
You leave the office much later than expected and don't have time to go to the gym. Pity, you would have loved to relax in the sauna after a good workout, but you have to go home to your kids.
Your husband texts you that he will be home late.
It's time to cook dinner and put a laundry on – and no, the day is not over yet!
9pm – your children are finally in bed!
When you work and have children, it's not always easy to balance a family life with a successful career. Even if you are an entrepreneur and you have more freedom, you often work a lot of hours, and it can be difficult to disconnect from work when you get home.
So, when you get back to your kids after a busy or stressful day, you are tired and have little patience with them when they ask for your attention.
You would love to be present and zen but instead are constantly thinking about your work, which is exhausting.
While the girls are at school, I practice my activities of holistic therapist and virtual assistant. And as I'm self-employed, I also do my own marketing, website and accounts.
As well as that, we have a holiday home that I look after (cleaning, bookings and marketing).
My husband is also self-employed and works 7 days a week for the best part of the year, so I'm the main carer for our girls.
That's why I've set up 3 life habits that help me to be more relaxed with my girls so that I can make the most of the time I have with them (they grow up so fast) and be more efficient in my work.
This is really what will give you the energy you need to be the best parent you can be while being devoted to your career. This is key. The priority is YOU.
Practice a sport – there are so many choices!
Dance on Meghan Trainor or Beyoncé !!!
Every day, I do something for ME. Even if I only have 15 minutes, I take the time. I like getting up before everyone else, the house is calm and I can meditate. Afterwards, either I write in my diary, do a short workout or read an inspiring article / listen to a podcast while drinking my tea.
And you, what are you going to do just for yourself?
First, my agenda … I'm a fan of inspiring diaries, those with quotes!
I note the girls classes, our sports activities, my appointments, the arrivals and departures of the holiday home and other important dates (school meetings for example). Once all written in the Diary, I can easily see how much free time I have left. That way, I can plan fun times with girls or important tasks to do.
In short, my Life Binder is where I have my printable planners to keep track of my habits, my finances and my ideas. I use it mainly for my work and my wellness.
So basically everything that goes through my head and I do not want to forget!
As my phone is my alarm clock (I leave it in airplane mode during the night), if I have an idea that goes through my head when I'm in bed, I can write it immediately so I don't forget it the next day. And that way, I can go to sleep!
When my work day is done and before going home, I take a few minutes to breathe and relax. If I have time, I even do a short meditation. It allows me to "close my work day" and resume my role as a mum. It's really very simple, it only takes a few minutes but it's very effective. That way, when I'm back with my family, I'm more present with them.
Remember, taking care of yourself is not selfish, it is essential to be able to give the best of yourself to your loved ones.
Download the weekly planner here to schedule some time for you each week. It's part of the beautiful Wellness Planner that's offered in the Wellness Hub when you join.
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Our client is a Community based housing organisation committed to providing high quality services to the people and neighbourhoods that they work in. The Trust is a "not-for-profit" landlord, based in Didsbury, managing and improving approximately 6,000 homes in South Manchester.
An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Governance and Business Improvement Team for a Business Intelligence Analyst and for the right person they offer a 35 hour week, competitive salary, excellent contributory pension scheme, and 25 days holiday increasing to 30 days.
They are looking for a proactive, passionate Business Analyst, to join the team and make a real contribution to the work that they are doing to improve and expand the business. You will have the ability to share your skills and experience with colleagues and deliver bespoke Business Intelligence training to staff throughout the organisation. The ideal candidate for this role will have commercial acumen, good attention to detail and be committed to a high standard of service delivery.


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#46 ~1985, July 15-25, The 12th Maccabiah Games
1932... A milestone in Jewish sports history. The vision of a world-wide sporting event becomes a reality. A total of 350 courageous athletes traveled to Palestine for the first Maccabiah Games. Twelve Americans journeyed across the ocean to represent the United States in this landmark athletic event.
1985...Another milestone in Jewish Sports history. Participation has grown to over 4,000 athletes who represented 4-0 Nations. What commonly known as "Jewish Olympics" has become the pinnacle of amateur athletic competition among Jews, who gather in Israel every 4 years from the far reaches of the World.
I was so proud to be a Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach to represent the US at the 12th Maccabiah Games!
On July 8th we all got together at the Rutgers University campus, located in New Jersey for a 3 day preparation camp "Pre-camp". This was the initial gathering of the entire US 12th Maccabiah Games contingent, over 1,000 people. It was so fascinating to meet athletes from all over of the United States in all the different sports. It provided the opportunity for athletes to meet their teammates and coaches prior to departure. It was imperative to disseminate information about the procedures, schedules and events in Israel. We had lectures, we were shown movies, given literature about Israel and the Games, evening entertainment, uniform alteration and of course information on safety.
On July 10th, a 10-bus caravan rolled out of the Rutgers campus for JFK Airport. The surge of energy radiating from each member of the US delegation was unmeasurable!
The ten hour flight to Israel passed swiftly with the buzzing of conversation,card games, walkmans, naps, and even hot bagels. At last the sign flashed "fasten your seat belts"... We were landing in Israel! Clad in red, white and blue Adidas warm-ups, the American delegation promenaded down the gateway to the cheers of the Israeli media. Once through the customs and luggage collection, we all boarded buses to different accommodation centers. We stayed at the Wingate Institute, not too far from Tel Aviv.
Our accommodations were very much military style. Small beds, tiny bedside table and few chairs. But everything was very clean and orderly. We woke up at 7am for breakfast at the big cafeteria: hard boiled eggs, bread, tomatoes and cucumbers. Training at 8am. Free time until 3pm.Training again at 4pm. Dinners were wonderful: delicious food, loud and happy people, singing and dancing afterwards. We did have military protection at all times. Soldiers with rifles on the roofs, in the hallways, on the buses. It was so strange at first, but after few days it was part of our lives.
The opening ceremony, July 15, 1985 was a celebration of pomp and pageantry that will be everlasting in my memory. Ramat Gan Stadium overflowed with 55,000 zealous spectators and over 4,000 Jewish participants from 40 Nations. All were united by a love of sport and a common heritage. Barriers of language, culture, age melted under the stadium lights. Mark Spitz, 2-time Maccabiah participant was the first non-Israeli to light up the torch symbolizing the commencement of the Games.
Our competition was held in the Sports Center in Tel Aviv. Girls did an outstanding job, taking Gold medals All Around and in individual events.
I will treasure every moment of these 2 weeks for the rest of my life!
#45 ~1984 Olympic Games


The willow balls are of various sizes around 600mm across and larger. They look good suspended from branches or placed on the lawn or even in a nature garden. Various designs include random weave or patterned with a spiral willow outer layer. Also can be made from contorted willow which gives it a naturalistic feel. All treated with linseed oil and with repeat 6 monthly doses can last for 5 years or so, a graceful addition to the garden, always attract attention and comment. The birds love hanging on mine, wrens and dunnock search in the crevices for flies.


McRae 1-3 0-0 2, Harris 7-13 0-0 17, Jordan 3-3 0-3 8, Graves 3-6 2-2 10, Massinburg 7-13 4-6 22, Williams 1-5 0-1 2, Fagan 0-0 0-0 0, Perkins 7-14 4-5 18, Segu 0-2 0-0 0, Bivens 0-0 0-0 0, Caruthers 4-7 0-0 8. Totals 33-66 10-17 87.
White 2-4 2-2 6, Hitchon 1-4 0-0 2, Molson 4-14 7-10 15, M.Johnson 5-16 2-2 13, Reese 5-14 1-2 13, St. Louis 1-2 2-2 4, Faulkner 3-6 0-0 9, Sanks 4-8 0-2 10, Henderson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-69 14-20 72.
Halftime_Buffalo 41-35. 3-Point Goals_Buffalo 11-25 (Massinburg 4-7, Harris 3-5, Jordan 2-2, Graves 2-5, Segu 0-1, Caruthers 0-1, Williams 0-1, McRae 0-1, Perkins 0-2), Canisius 8-35 (Faulkner 3-5, Sanks 2-6, Reese 2-8, M.Johnson 1-8, Henderson 0-1, Molson 0-7). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Buffalo 40 (Harris, Perkins 9), Canisius 35 (Reese 8). Assists_Buffalo 15 (Caruthers 6), Canisius 13 (M.Johnson 5). Total Fouls_Buffalo 18, Canisius 18. Technicals_Buffalo coach Nate Oats.


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Homeless man charged with attempted murder for pushing elderly man onto subway tracks
Homeless man Rudralall Baldao, 57, has been charged with attempted murder
He allegedly pushed 72-year-old Shou Kuan Lin onto subway tracks at 145th St station
Lin is now in a critical condition in hospital
By Alex Greig
A homeless man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly pushing an elderly man onto subway tracks in New York.
Rudralall Baldao, 57, was also charged with assault for shoving 72-year-old victim Shou Kuan Lin on the subway platform at 145th Street and St Nicholas Avenue around 4:30pm Friday.
The victim is now reported to be in a critical condition.
Violent: The platform from which an elderly man was allegedly pushed by a drunk homeless man
Shou Kuan Lin was standing on the subway platform with his wife when Baldao allegedly pushed him from behind onto the tracks.
Critical: Lin is in a critical condition after being pushed onto train tracks at 145th St subway station
Lin was quickly pulled up off the subway tracks before a train arrived by good samaritans on the platform.
According to New York magazine, he suffered a fractured skull and a broken collarbone and is now in a coma at St Luke's Hospital.
A ride through 1980s New York: Amazing photographs of the... Deli owners 'gave $1million lottery winner $1,000 and kept...
Police officers, who were at the subway station doing bag checks took the suspect into custody at the scene.
According to the New York Post, the victim's wife told police, 'push, push, push,' and pointed at Baldao.
New York magazine reports that Baldao told officers 'he thought he was in the 59th Street Station at Lexington Avenue and was rushing to change trains,' and appeared to be drunk.
He also claimed that he said, 'Excuse me,' to the victim, who he said fell onto the tracks on his own.
The New York Post reports that Baldao is Guyanese, with a full head of hair and a white beard.
Subway Push Suspect in NYPD Custody
Santa look-alike ¿pushes¿ elderly man onto subway tracks


text:
Royal United Hospital
Royal United Hospital admits health and safety failing after Legionnaires' death
Bath man Terry Brooks died from the water-borne illness while he was a patient at the hospital
Terry Brooks died from Legionnaire's disease while he was a patient at the RUH
The Royal United Hospital has admitted to a breach of health and safety law after a patient died from Legionnaires' disease.
Terry Brooks, from Bath, died from the water-borne illness in July 2015 while he was an inpatient at the hospital.
An inquest found the 68-year-old contracted the deadly legionella bacteria from the water supply to the William Budd ward where he was a cancer patient.
The Health and Safety Executive later prosecuted the RUH with failing to discharge its general duty towards health and safety to "a person other than an employee".
The RUH pleaded guilty to the charge in Bath Magistrates' Court today (Wednesday, December 13).
The hospital will be sentenced by a Crown Court judge next year.
A member of Mr Brooks's family was in court but did not wish to speak to the media.
Mr Brooks died while he was a patient at the RUH
An HSE spokesperson said: "The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Royal United Hospitals Bath under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
"This follows a HSE investigation into how Royal United Hospitals Bath managed the risks to patients from legionella bacteria in its hot and cold water systems, between 1 July 2009 and 28 August 2015.
Virgin Care chief comes to Bath and apologises for the 'challenges' staff faced
"We acknowledge the defendant's guilty plea and a further statement will be released on sentence."
District Judge Taylor, who had the option to sentence the hospital in magistrates' court, decided it was "appropriate and necessary" for sentencing to take place in a Crown court.
An inquest into the death of Mr Brooks was held at Avon Coroners Court in February 2016
The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust has a turnover of more than £100 million and could be fined millions of pounds for the breach of health and safety law.
A spokesman for the trust said: "The case is to be heard in due course and we will continue to co-operate fully and openly with the HSE and the court throughout these proceedings.
Royal United Hospital issues black alert as it declares 'significant incident' in A&E
"We are unable to comment further whilst this matter is subject to legal proceedings."
The full charge admitted to by the RUH reads as follows: Between July 1, 2009 and August 28, 2015, "at Bath being an employer, failed to conduct your undertaking in such a way to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, that persons not in your employment who may have been affected thereby, were not exposed to risks to their health and safety."
Bath's ambulance service warns public not to abuse 999 over the Christmas period
Sentencing has provisionally been scheduled for January 17, 2018, in Bristol Crown Court.
Bath & North East Somerset Council136-bed student block for Bath Cricket Club wins approval despite 'significant concerns about flooding'Permission was granted as a report says only 120 new rooms will be needed to keep up with current admission levels at the city's two universities


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Home Global Village Indian leaders' rhetoric reflect Anti-Muslim atmosphere
Indian leaders' rhetoric reflect Anti-Muslim atmosphere
News Analysis|
A BJP legislator stirred the communal pot in Uttar Pradesh and claimed that leaders of opposition parties were "anti-nationals" because they espoused religious beliefs other than Hinduism. Meanwhile in the Jammu area of Indian Occupied Kashmir, Jammu Bar President B.S. Salathia said: "If the people of Jammu have the tricolor in their hands today, tomorrow they could even have bombs and AK-47s if compelled."
Bairia MLA Surendra Singh made the incendiary remark at a rally in UP's Ballia and went on to say that the 2019 polls would be fought along religious lines — between "Islam and Bhagwan (Hindu term for God)", to be precise.
Read more: Art: Tranquil resistance against Indian brutality in Kashmir
"The Opposition is made up of anti-nationals. They have different masters, for some it is Islam, for others it is Italy," he said in an oblique jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "The 2019 election will see Islam pitted against Bhagwan. Now it's up to the people of India to decide who will win – Islam or Bhagwan," Singh railed.
The Bairia lawmaker is no stranger to controversy and over the last few days, his unbridled commentary on the Unnao rape case has caused an outcry. Yesterday, he defended the rape accused, a party colleague, Bangarmau MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar with a bizarre theory about the victim.
Read more: Hindu Nationalists demand release of Asifa Bano's rapists
"I am speaking from the psychological point of view; no one can rape a mother of three children. It is not possible, this is a conspiracy against him," he said.
The victim has alleged that Sengar and his accomplices gang-raped her last year. With police refusing to take action and the perpetrators continuously intimidating and threatening her family members, the victim attempted to immolate herself outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence. The next day, her father died in police custody, and the victim claimed her father was killed at Sengar's behest.
Dismissing the allegations, Singh questioned the veracity of the victim's claims and said: "I have heard that the same girl had filed a false rape case against a man some years back, because of which the man had to spend six months in jail."
In Jammu, amid slogans of 'Bum Bum Bhole', the Jammu High Court Bar Association president raised eyebrows on Wednesday with provocative statements in the light of the brutal Kathua rape. Seeking to turn the spotlight onto the Rohingya debate, another hot-button issue for Jammu the bar president claimed to Use Bombs and AK -47s To Remove Rohingyas.
"If you will not remove Rohingyas from Jammu, then we have the right to remove them with any weapon. If you have the mettle, ask police and the CRPF to stop us," Salathia said amid cheers from the lawyers. Pointing to women lawyers, Salathia said: "We have many lionesses too. If asked, they can tear you apart (yeh aap ko nouch dalenge). We have many lions and lionesses. You will not get a chance to move out of Jammu"
He reminded Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of the 2008 Amarnath agitation spearheaded by the Bar, in which the Kashmir valley was subjected to an economic blockade, and said they didn't even allow Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba to come out of the airport for three hours.
Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Police filed an FIR against lawyers of Jammu who tried to prevent Crime Branch officers from filing a charge sheet in a court on Monday in connection with the Kathua rape and murder case.
Kathua rape victim family's lawyer, Deepika S Rajawat had accused Salathia of issuing open threats to her asking her not to appear in the court. She also alleged that local lawyers were trying to protect the accused.
The words of both these Hindu political leaders aligned under the ideology of Hindutva were aimed against the Muslim minority. With the rise of the Hindutva fundamentalist BJP to power in 2014, Hindutva militants have become prominent in most parts of India. These brutal militants have enacted savage murders of mainly Muslims for various reasons such as "Gau Raksha" (Cow protection) and "Love Jihad". In the name of protecting Hindus, Saffron terrorists have unleashed violence in several parts of India. Increasing incidents of 'mob lynching' and the silence of the Modi government has encouraged more hate groups and terrorists who have struck fear into the hearts of Muslims and the lower-caste Indians.
Most Hindutva extremists spread Islamophobia by exerting hatred within the Indians against the Muslim minority in India. The extremists compare the Muslim population of India with their "archenemy "Pakistan. This helps them to polarize society and convert animosity into votes and popular support. It is through such management that often Hindutva militants get away with horrific atrocities and eventually are hailed as "guardians" of Indian Hindus.
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Bajwa doctrine also holds an olive branch for Modi's India – RUSI Report
UAE "has the right" to maintain bilateral relations with India: FM Qureshi


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Blog MeJobs.eu
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About and for everybody!
Hungary's Doctor Shortage
Low pay at home, plus poor prospects and conditions spur hundreds of physicians each year to seek work elsewhere in the EU
For seven months, psychiatrist Ildiko Szabo got up every day before 5 a.m. and caught the first train from Szeged to Budapest. Three hours later she would be sitting in a Swedish language class. In the afternoon she took the train back home to southern Hungary and prepared dinner for her three children. After they went to bed, she would go online to practice her Swedish.
One week after finishing the exhausting course and passing the language exam, and after 23 years of practicing psychiatry in her homeland, Szabo left Hungary with her husband and kids for a job in Orebro County, Sweden.
That was two years ago. Today Szabo is one of 12 Hungarian psychiatrists in the county in central Sweden. She makes several times more money than she did in Hungary, has much more free time to spend with her family and does not have to accept tips from her patients to make ends meet.
Since Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, 500 to 600 doctors have left the country each year, and a recent survey by the Health Services Management Training Center at Budapest's Semmelweis University indicates that 60 to 70 percent of first-year medical students plan to seek a job abroad after graduation. In a country already facing a doctor shortage, the migration has health-care professionals talking about a human resources crisis in the system.
Low pay is the main factor, but poor prospects for professional development and promotion and substandard working conditions also play a part, studies show. Experts say deep structural changes in Hungary's health-care system are needed to stop the exodus.
Since Hungary's EU accession, 2,218 doctors have applied for an official certificate enabling them to work elsewhere in the union. "This step does not mean that they definitely will leave the country, but it suggest a strong will to do that, considering that the certificate costs 40,000 Forints[150 Euros] and the monthly salary of a resident is less than 100,000 Forints", says Dr. Edit Eke of the Semmelweis University team, which has been researching health professionals migration patterns for four years.
The university researchers found that as of the end of last year, 2,065 Hungarian doctors were registerd in EU countries including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Last year 590 doctors applied for an EU working certificate; the annual number of medical-school graduates is 750-800.
Not all those doctors move outright. Many just hop on a low-cost flight Friday afternoon, work all weekend at a British hospital and return with what might amount to triple their monthly pay at home. And many medical students say they only want to spend a couple of years abroad, which Eke says is not a bad thing in itself.
"We are not against foreign experience and learning. But it is a question of how that experience can be integrated into the Hungarian system of training, "she says. Even if a doctor leaves with every intention of coming back before too long, she adds, a good offer of better working conditions abroad could change his or her mind.
Hungary currently has about 35,000 doctors. Eke said there were 2,200 vacancies for doctors in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Those data do not reflect big cuts made in health-care system last year, she noted.
Money remains the chief motivation for doctors to leave. A new medical graduate earns less than 380 euros/month. A security guard or shop assistant can usually expect to take home 300 euros; a 22-year-old with a bachelor's degree working as an assistant auditor for a multinational corporation makes more than 600 euros.
Ildiko Szabo says she saw the situation steadily deteriorate for practitioners during her career in Hungary. She typically had night duty 10 times a month, and hardly had any time with her family. "If you see the light at the end of the tunnel and know how much more you have to take, you will bear the difficulties," she says. "I waited for more than 20 years but only saw things worsening."
For her the informal system of tipping, or hálapénz—typically handed to health-care professionals in white envelopes before treatment—is no help. "The basic strategy of all governments was to save money on health care and to force doctors to accept the tips by keeping their salaries low. & You can't work like that. And this was bad even for us, the doctors," says Szabo, who acknowledges taking tips but says she never favored those who gave her envelopes.
Some doctors leave primarily to pursue professional opportunities unavailable in Hungary. Peter Sipos chose a less typical path, going to Namibia for three years.
"I was aleready doing my practical training and wanted to go into obstetrics and gynecology. But I soon realized that though I could get my certificate easily in Hungary, I would not learn all the most recent techniques in this field," he says. He spent three years in the obstetrics department at a Nambic clinic and says he learned all he needed there. Today he is doing research on stem cells in Britain, although he does not rule out returning to Hungary one day.
According to Eke, poor working conditions and doctors' low standing in public esteem also contribute to the departure of physicians and physicians-to-be. "This is a complex process comprising the workload doctors have to take, their social status and their conditions, as well as many other factors," she says.
Countries like Sweden that also face a shortage of doctors are eager to import medical professionals from Central and Eastern Europe. Intermediary agencies advertise on the internet and in the journal of the Hungarian Medical Chamber. Sometimes they even contact doctors directly.
It was in a professional journal that Szabo saw an offer for psychiatrists willing to work in Sweden. After e-mailing in her CV, she was invited to attend an information session and soon afterward had an interview. Prospects and their spouses were taken on a five-day trip to Sweden to look around; on the final day she signed a preliminary contract and agreed to take an intensive seven-month language course.
Szabo did not have to pay for any of this; moreover, she and the other doctors got a monthly 300,000 forint stipend—far more than she earned practicing in Szeged—plus rent and travel allowances so they could support their families while learning Swedish, and help finding a home and settling in after the move.
In addition to the 590 physicians, 324 nurses, dentists, and other health professionals applied for the EU working certificate in 2007. Opinions vary on how serious an impact labor migration is having on the Hungarian health-care system, although Eke sees a definite effect.
"Officials have always considered this problem to be smaller than the professionals. But every day hospital directors have to face not having enough doctors," she says. "Many of the doctors leaving the country are experienced specialists. They are vital in the practical training of young doctors, and their leaving the country endangers training as well." Almost half of the doctors applying for the EU working certificate in 2007 were aged 40 and above.
Higher salaries alone will not eliminate the problem, but Eke says research indicates it could significantly reduce migrants' numbers. Such an increase could actually be cost-effective, she maintains, given the costs of training doctors who leave (about 40,000 euros for six years of medical school) and filling the health-care vacuum they leave behind, particularly in small towns.
"We asked the medical students how much money they would like to get after graduation and as a young specialist. They are not expecting a million forints, which they might make abroad, but 200,000 forints on average for a resident and 400,000 for a specialist," she said. "These are not unreal numbers and show that even a small increase would help the situation."
Eke says there is talk in the medical community of the Health Ministry working on a new strategy, "but nothing has been made public yet. If there was a strategy people could trust, that salaries will rise in the future, it would have an effect on migration plans."
Source of the article here:
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2008/gb20081217_057023.htm
Author: EGV Recruiting
http://www.mejobs.ro
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Welcome to Peace News, the newspaper for the UK grassroots peace and justice movement. We seek to oppose all forms of violence, and to create positive change based on cooperation and responsibility. See more
"Peace News has compiled an exemplary record... its tasks have never been more critically important than they are today." Noam Chomsky
April 2005 | Issue 2460
Editorial: The ballot box and the lock-on
See more: Editorial
No more gunboat diplomacy
Making people's actual lives central to our campaigns for change
Reasons to be cheerful, Part Two
Revolution means winning big
Skilling up for Brexit
Love your enemy - everyone can change: Sir Jock Stirrup (Comment)
Sexist letters; sweatshops; school uniforms (Comment)
Defending "freedom" (Comment)
Apple pie order (Comment)
Providing an example (Comment)
Bruce Kent (News)
Camp against Star Wars (News)
Devonport disarmament camp (News)
It's not about plane spotting! (News)
Greenpeace takes action for a "nuclear free future" (News)
Stanley Greene, 'Open Wound: Chechnya 1994 to 2003' (Review)
Pit Stop Ploughshares judge orders retrial (News)
We will not forget (News)
Happy birthday! (News)
Albert Camus, 'Neither Victims Nor Executioners' (Review)
Arundhati Roy, 'An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire' (Review)
The challenge of peace for Irish Republicans (News)
International action against the arms (News)
Through war and terror (News)
A Festival for Deserters in Moscow (News)
Scottish police dismantle Trident sub (News)
Comment by Ippy D
March was a good month for taking nonviolent action, all over Britain and beyond - as the positive and energising stories and images in this month's Peace News show.
This issue of PN only manages to squeeze in reports on a small proportion of these actions but, rest assured, there are many more taking place each and every week.
Politicians and commentators may publicly wring their hands in despair at "voter apathy", but they fail to recognise (or are disturbed by) the diverse, committed and vibrant political scene which, for many involved, has little in common with mainstream party politics.
Opportunities for action
But, with a general election on the horizon, it's a good time to make the most of the opportunities the mainstream "campaign season" offers to those of us who spend most - or all - of our time working outside (or even in opposition to) the party-political system.
For the next six weeks or more, all the political parties will be out on the streets, kissing babies, flirting with our grandmas and generally trying to win us over. Ministers (government and shadow) and party leaders, will be followed around by press crews much of the time - presenting activists with a wide range of opportunities for communicating with the wider public about issues of peace and justice.
And, while there is a range of views within the peace movement about the value of parliamentary democracy and whether it should be engaged with or not, many will no doubt feel that there is some tactical value in (to borrow heavily from Irish republicanism, see p5) "the ballot box and the lock-on" approach.
With a substantial number of the traditional Labour faithful no longer prepared to vote for a government they consider to be a "war party", British involvement in Iraq will be a major issue, no matter how hard they try to brush it under the carpet. Though broadening it out, to a wider discussion about war and violence itself, remains a substantial challenge for pacifists and antimilitarists.
In the run-up to the election the peace movement will need to work hard to secure publicity for our actions in a market already crowded out by cross dads and people who like killing animals for fun.
Communicating with people through traditional street campaigning may no longer be in vogue, but as Bruce Kent says (p7) "all you have to lose is your dignity". The results - as experienced by antifascist activists who have door-to-doored in constituencies where the BNP have fielded candidates - can be very encouraging.
It takes guts to talk to strangers and to attempt to influence their thinking through words, but nothing beats human contact and a shared experience for persuading people of the cause of peace.
Ultimately, putting a cross in a box once every few years can never be a substitute for demonstrating our ideals and beliefs through how we live our daily lives.
We can't suggest the odds on the election outcome, but one thing that we can predict with some certainty is the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference - which will take place at the UN in New York between 2 and 27 May.
To coincide, the next issue of PN will carry a four-page section introducing the treaty, the hot topics for both governments and disarmament campaigners, and provide space to hear from groups in Britain working on nuclear weapons issues. Available 27 April.
Topics: Westminster
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text:
Caulophryne bacescui is a species of fanfin, a type of anglerfish. The fish is found in the bathyal zone and is known to live in the Peru Trench in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

References

Caulophrynidae
Deep sea fish
Fish described in 1982

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Are you a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOSB) or Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB)? If that doesn't sound familiar (or you can't find yourself on the VIP list located at https://www.vip.vetbiz.gov/), please read more to find out how you can qualify for the Vets First Verification Program. Signing up is the only way to make sure you're qualified for the VA's Veterans First Contracting Program and aren't missing out on important business opportunities.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has affected a key Department of Veterans Affairs contracting policy. Changes have been put in place aimed at both strengthening and enhancing the VA's use of set-asides to the SDVOSB and VOSB communities under the authority of the Veterans First Contracting Program. The VA's revised procedures affect all competitive VA contract actions, including those conducted using GSA's Federal Supply Schedules (FSS).
The Veterans First Contracting Program allows the VA to set aside specific procurement opportunities for verified SDVOSB and VOSB firms. The Vets First Verification Program ensures that set-aside funds are awarded to accredited firms legitimately owned and controlled by Veterans and Service-Disabled Veterans.
In other words, in order to be given preference under the Veterans First Contracting Program, SDVOSBs and VOSBs must be verified in the VA Vendor Information Pages (VIP) database. Vendors that are Veteran-owned, but don't go through this verification process, can't be listed in the VIP database and will lose out on business opportunities only available through the Veterans First Contracting Program.
A guide explaining the Veterans First Contracting Program and the Verification process can be found online at https://www.va.gov/osdbu/docs/VerificationInitialAppGuide2016_Final.pdf. The VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization website has more information, too, including a link that offers assistance for every step of the verification process.
If you need further assistance in applying for Vets First Verification, VA Certified Counselors are available. Please visit https://www.va.gov/osdbu/verification/assistance/counselors.asp for more information. Again, it's important that all SDVOSBs and VOSBs get verified in the VA VIP database - you won't be able to take advantage of the Veterans First Contract Program business opportunities without it. Get verified today!


Teaser: In our proposed reconstruction method, both the vertex positions and connectivity are improved as iterations increase (from left to right).
Surface reconstruction from point cloud is of great practical importance in computer graphics. Existing methods often realize recon-struction via a few phases with respective goals, whose integration may not give an optimal solution.In this paper,to avoid the inherent limitations of multi-phase processing in the prior art, we propose a unified framework that treats geometry and connectivity construc-tion as one joint optimization problem. The framework is based on dictionary learning in which the dictionary consists of the vertices of the reconstructed triangular mesh and the sparse coding matrix encodes the connectivity of the mesh. The dictionary learning is formulated as a constrained l2,q-optimization (0<q<1) , aiming to find the vertex position and triangulation that minimize an energy function composed of point-to-mesh metric and regularization. Our formulation takes many factors into account within the same framework, including distance metric, noise/outlier resilience, sharp fea-ture preservation, no need to estimate normal, etc., thus providing a global and robust algorithm that is able to efficiently recover a piecewise smooth surface from dense data points with imperfec-tions. Extensive experiments using synthetic models, real world models, and publicly available benchmark show that our method improves the performance of the state-of-the-art in terms of accu-racy, robustness to noise and outliers, geometric feature and detail preservation, and mesh connectivity.
Figure 1:Reconstruction of the Merlion model by our proposed method and state-of-the-art: SP [Kazhdan and Hoppe 2013], APSS [Guen-nebaud and Gross 2007], RIMLS [ ¨Oztireli et al. 2009], and SC [Dey and Wang 2013]. It can be seen that our reconstruction can recover different levels of details better.
Figure 2: Zoom-in results of the cube model with 4\% noise using different reconstruction methods. The EAR algorithm is used to resample the input point cloud for the four comparative methods. The second column visualizes the normal produced by EAR.
Figure 3: Various reconstruction results of the chair model. The point cloud is scanned by Kinect. The EAR algorithm is used to resample the noisy input into a clean point set with reliable normals.
Figure 4: Various reconstruction results of the FIFA model. The point cloud is scanned by a laser scanner. Note that here we use locally weighted PCA instead of EAR to estimate normals for the comparative methods. This is to demonstrate that the inferior performance of the comparative methods is not due to the inaccurate normal estimation of a particular preprocessing method.
The authors thank Hao (Richard) Zhang, Daniel Cohen-Or and the reviewers for their valuable comments. We also thank Hao Li for his help to prepare the video. This work was supported by the NSF of China (Nos. 61303148, 61222206), NSF of AnHui Province, China (No. 1408085QF119), Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education under contract (No. 20133402120002), One Hundred Talent Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Singapore MoE AcRF Tier-1 Grant RG30/11, Multi-plAtform Game Innovation Centre (MAGIC) and BeingThere Centre funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation under its IDM Futures Funding Initiative and administered by the Interactive & Digital Media Programme Office, Media Development Authority.


text:
Bhakti Caru Swami – The Business Buffoon
9:17 AM administrator
Bhakti Caru Swami Bankruptcy Appeal Committee:
Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
There have been reports on Internet websites regarding questions of His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami engaging in business activity.
It is well known that he had engaged in the manufacture of yogi bars and his cinematic endeavors with the video series on Srila Prabhupada. However, this is not the limit of his business efforts. Some years ago, he purchased a Canadian aerial survey company, McPharr Geosurveys, in Toronto, Canada.
This business involved many devotees in its management including but not limited to Bhagavan dasa and Dayarama Prabhu from Mayapura. Unfortunately, throughout its history, the company never fared well.
McPharr Geosurveys engages in aerial surveys searching out mineral deposits. This is done by sensitive machinery and senors being flown over specific geographical areas gleaning data which is later analyzed as to the area's existing mineral content.
The business is technical and the investment required is high. Various industry members have told members of the Committee that novices getting involved in such a sophisticated and expensive industry is ill-advised. However, the amounts of money churned is high and therefore intoxicating. As a result, His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami found the attraction irresistible.
McPharr ran into constant problems in both technical and financial challenges. The company leased planes to assist their survey work, which led Ambarisa dasa, an investor in the company, to purchase a plane to do their flying. A plane was purchased and a new company, Skyvision Exploration Inc. was started and held title to the plane.
It is said that the money used was earmarked for the Mayapura temple project and Ambarisa was convinced to have the money be put to work to produce more profit for the temple.
To cut a long story short, His Holiness' company fell on bad times. McPharr was forced into bankruptcy in order to escape their creditors and a new company was started, AMG India, to continue on the work of McPharr.
In the end, as of 2010, Bhakti Caru Maharaja's debts totaled just under eleven million (11,000,000.00) to nearly 150 creditors.
The Maharaja solicited loans from many disciples to purchase a property in Ujjain, India. Taking this as collateral, the Bank of India issued a line of credit to AMG for approximately five million dollars. Millions more were also borrowed from disciples for the McPharr enterprise.
According to industry sources, AMG is also now in the red for about eight million dollars. As a result of the approximate six million dollars in loans from disciples, the near eleven million dollars in debts listed above and the large debt owed by AMG, His Holiness has dug himself a very deep well of debt.
There has been further action to raise loans from other disciples in the hope of paying down these debts. Unfortunately, to date, these efforts have fallen short and the debts to the devotees will not be repaid.
So, in the mood of trying to help the Maharaja out of his business mess, with this article, we would like to open up the canvassing effort to the international community of devotees. BCS has preached actively throughout the world and it is likely that many devotees will enthusiastically chip in to help out the poor swami. Why should the whole responsibility of repaying these debts fall on the shoulders of his disciples. Especially, when some of them have been so generous in the first place.
In this regard, a committee has been formed to solicit funds to assist Bhakti Caru Swami's bankruptcy.
Our committee's goal is to assist the Maharaja with his financial difficulties so that he can realign his focus one hundred percent back to preaching, as he is obviously a better preacher than businessman.
This effort has not sought the endorsement of BCS, though he has been informed of its inception, as we realize that the Majaraja's humility will not allow him to accept any financial assistance.
So, please help, by making a pledge to help put to rest the debts of the devotees and hopefully those of the two bankruptcies. We will follow up on all pledges and guarantee that 100% of the funds will go to retire BCS's business debts. Nothing will be taken for administrative fees, etc., other than bank fees, if necessary.
Our email address is: bhakticarubankruptcyappeal@gmail.com


A man has died and a van driver has been arrested after a serious crash in Basildon last night.
The collision between a Vauxhall Zafira a VW van happened at Burnt Mills Road shortly before 7.10pm (July 21).
The driver of the Vauxhall was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin are being supported by officers.
He remains in police custody today.
The collision happened at the junction with Cockerell Close and police would like to ask residents who live nearby, to get in touch with information or CCTV.


When Apollo 11 and its three-man crew—Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin—rose into space 45 years ago, this week, on the morning of 16 July 1969, they embarked on the grandest adventure ever undertaken in human history: the first piloted voyage to the surface of the Moon. Yet, strangely, even after surviving a tumultuous launch atop the Saturn V rocket, performing the translunar injection burn, and entering the mysterious region between Earth and the Moon, known as "cislunar space," the main part of the mission had yet to begin. Their mission would really start after Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on 19 July, and the series of increasingly bold and epochal events thereafter.
The quiet time was interspersed with inevitable chores, mainly performed by Collins: purging fuel cells, charging batteries, dumping waste water and urine, preparing food, dechlorinating the ship's water supply, and, notably, performing a midcourse correction burn to refine their path toward the Moon. Twenty-six hours into the mission, and almost 110,000 miles (175,000 km) from home, the Service Propulsion System (SPS) engine of the command and service module Columbia roared silently into the void for three seconds in what flight controllers lauded as an "absolutely nominal" firing. In his autobiography, Collins related that, for those few seconds, he was in active control. Several months earlier, his 5-year-old son had asked who was "driving" Apollo 8 to the Moon: was it Mr. Borman, the ship's commander? No, Collins replied, it was Sir Isaac Newton—or, at least, the influences of Sun, Earth, and Moon, which affected the spacecraft's path just as the great English scientist's law of universal gravitation had helped predict three centuries before.
The accuracy of the midcourse burn was so good that two subsequent SPS firings were deemed unnecessary, and late on 18 July, precisely on schedule, 62 hours into the flight and some 43,500 miles (70,000 km) from their target, Columbia and Eagle slipped into the Moon's sphere of influence. For the past three days, still under the tug of Earth's gravity, their speed had rapidly decreased from 24,200 mph (39,000 km/h) immediately after Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) to just over 2,000 mph (3,200 km/h); now, as the Moon's gravitational pull became dominant, they began to "fall" toward it, gradually speeding up to 5,600 mph (9,000 km/h). Earlier in the evening, Collins had again removed the probe and drogue from Columbia's docking mechanism and reopened the tunnel to allow Armstrong and Aldrin to enter Eagle and begin checking out its systems.
Both men considered the "down-up-up-down" trip into the lunar module—as they moved from the "floor" to the "ceiling" of Columbia, then found themselves diving headfirst toward Eagle's "floor"—as one of the most unusual sensations of their mission, although Aldrin described the transition as "perfectly natural," akin to the motions of a swimmer. For two and a half hours, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EDT, they verified that the lander was ready to support an undocking and a landing attempt on the afternoon of 20 July and viewers in the United States, western Europe, Japan, and most of South America were treated to the sight of Aldrin performing an equipment inventory inside the tiny cabin.
That evening offered some more quiet time before the historic events to come. Aldrin recalled asking Armstrong if he had decided what he was going to say when he stepped onto the lunar surface, to which the commander, between sips of fruit juice, replied that no, he was still thinking it over.
The sheer grandeur of the Moon itself was something totally different from the ever-present pale lamp in the sky that they had watched nightly as they grew from infancy. "The Moon I have known all my life," Collins wrote, "has gone away somewhere, to be replaced by the most awesome sphere I have ever seen. To begin with, it is huge, completely filling our window." It also appeared more menacing than the two-dimensional circle in Earth's skies; he perceived it to be an intensely unwelcoming and forbidding place, "formidable," "utterly silent" as it hung "ominously" in the void.
Back on Earth, journalists had frequently posed an inevitable question before the flight: Was Collins jealous that Armstrong and Aldrin were about to take the first steps on the Moon, while he remained in orbit? Collins had responded that in all honesty he was more than happy and content to be flying 99.9 percent of the journey. He would, it is true, be mad to suppose that he had the best seat on the mission, but he had already decided that this would be his final space flight; the strain on his wife and children, the constant grind of training, and the lengthy spells away from home were too much for them.
Shortly before Apollo 11 was launched, during a cross-country T-38 flight with Deke Slayton, the man who picked crews had offered Collins the chance to serve as backup commander of Apollo 14 and most likely command Apollo 17 to the Moon. This would give Collins the chance to walk the lunar surface himself. Collins had declined. Now, as he neared the Moon on this midsummer's evening in 1969 and looked down onto the threatening barrenness of its terrain, then recalled Earth with its waterfalls and valleys and enchanting iridescence of life, he knew he had made the right choice.
Getting into orbit around the Moon on the afternoon of 19 July was a triumph of celestial mechanics and human ability in itself. The LOI maneuver actually comprised two firings of the SPS engine. The first, lasting five minutes and 57 seconds, reduced their speed from 5,600 mph (9,000 km/h) to 3,700 mph (5,970 km/h) and "dropped" them into an elliptical orbit of 168 x 60 miles (270 x 97 km) with the high point on the nearside; and the second, lasting only 17 seconds, came about four hours later and almost circularized their path at roughly 65 x 54 miles (105 x 87 km). To this day, it remains remarkable that they could be guided so precisely across such an immense distance and achieve such a perfect orbit around the Moon. "Those big computers in the basement in Houston," wrote Collins, "didn't even whimper but belched out super-accurate predictions." When one considers that the computing power of one of today's mobile phones would dwarf the entire computing power that guided Columbia and Eagle to the Moon, the act of inserting Apollo 11 into lunar orbit was truly a stupendous achievement.
Other regions and landmarks were enthusiastically identified by the crew by their nicknames—the small hills of Boot Hill and Duke Island, the snake-like rilles of Diamondback and Sidewinder and the twin peaks of "Mount Marilyn"; the latter unofficially bestowed by Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell in honour of his wife—although, of course, the vast plain of Mare Tranquilitatis (the Sea of Tranquility) was of principal interest. "The Sea of Tranquillity," wrote Collins, "is just past dawn and the Sun's rays are intersecting its surface at a mere one-degree angle. Under these lighting conditions, craters cast extremely long shadows, and to me the entire region looks distinctly forbidding." In Collins' mind, it looked far too rugged to set a baby's buggy down, let alone a lunar module.
By the early evening of 19 July, following the LOI-2 burn, which Collins had timed to the split second using a stopwatch, everything was ready for the final checkout of Eagle in advance of undocking and the Powered Descent. Luckily, since Aldrin had successfully lobbied to do much of the checkout a day early, the task took barely 30 minutes, and by 8:30 p.m. EDT all was in place as the three astronauts bedded down for a night of surprisingly fitful sleep in Columbia.
Next morning, a very groggy Mike Collins responded to Mission Control's wake-up call and, after breakfast and a round-up of the morning news, all three men plunged into their respective checklists. Among the most important tasks were donning their space suits and, in the case of Armstrong and Aldrin, getting into the liquid-cooled underwear which would help to maintain a comfortable body temperature during their time on the lunar surface. Collins shoved the remainder of their gear— "an armload of equipment"—through the tunnel to them, then disconnected umbilicals, reinstalled the docking probe and drogue and sealed the hatch. "I am on the radio constantly now," he wrote, "running through an elaborate series of joint checks with Eagle. In one of them, I use my control system to hold both vehicles steady while they calibrate some of their guidance equipment." Inside the lander, anchored to the floor by bungee-like cords, Armstrong and Aldrin also had their hands full: punching entries into the computer keypad, aligning their S-band antenna with the Earth-based tracking network, checking and cross-checking VHF communications with Collins, and deploying Eagle's landing gear.
At length, it was time to bid farewell. "You cats take it easy on the lunar surface," Collins called cheerily. "If I hear you huffing and puffing, I'm going to start bitching at you." A few minutes later, at 1:44 p.m. EDT on 20 July, he flipped a switch to cast Eagle loose. Yet this momentous beginning of Eagle's descent occurred unseen by Earth, for both craft were behind the Moon at the time. Before losing radio contact, Capcom Charlie Duke gave them the good news that they had a "Go" for undocking. His infectious North Carolina drawl and endearing personality would certainly help to lift some of the tension in the hours ahead.
The Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR) at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas, was packed with virtually everybody who mattered in the space program—Wernher von Braun, Tom Paine, George Mueller, Sam Phillips, Chris Kraft, George Low, Deke Slayton, and many astronauts, all waiting for more than a decade of hard work to pay off. In addition, an estimated third of the world's population was either watching or listening on television or radio.
Still out of direct radio contact with the ground, Collins watched, his nose pressed against one of Columbia's windows, as Eagle drifted serenely into the inky darkness. Armstrong executed a little pirouette, fully rotating the lander to enable Collins to verify that the landing gear was in good condition. This had required Collins to take a trip to the Grumman assembly plant in Bethpage, N.Y., to familiarise himself with the lunar module, its fully extended landing legs and the long sensor prongs affixed to three of its four footpads. (One leg—the one holding the ladder—was originally to have had a sensor, too, but according to James Hansen, Armstrong requested its removal, lest he or Aldrin trip over it during their climb down to the surface.) There were other worries. One side of the descent stage held the Modular Equipment Storage Assembly (MESA), a carrier brimming with a television camera, rock boxes, and geology tools, which Armstrong would use on the lunar surface. Was it still firmly secured in place or had it accidentally swung open during the separation process? Collins assured him that all was well.
With such assurances ringing in their ears, all three men could afford a brief moment of light-hearted banter, with Collins telling Eagle's crew that they had a pretty fine-looking machine, despite being upside down, to which Armstrong retorted that, from his perspective, someone was upside down.
At 2:11 p.m. EDT, Collins fired his thrusters for a nine-second separation burn, "to give Eagle some breathing room." And at 3:08 p.m. the first of two firings of the lander's descent engine got underway. Known as Descent Orbit Insertion (DOI), this lasted 30 seconds and reduced the lowest point (or "perilune") of Eagle's orbit to a height of 9.4 miles (15.2 km), at a position convenient for initiating powered descent. The laws of celestial mechanics now became increasingly evident to Collins: In a lower orbit, Eagle was moving faster and was actually ahead of Columbia by about one minute.
The best thing Collins—and an anxious world—could do now was keep quiet and wait.
This is part of a series of History articles which will appear each weekend, barring any major news stories. Next week's articles will focus upon the landing of Apollo 11 on the surface of the Moon.


text:
using DataCommand.Core.Postgres;
using Moq;
using Npgsql;
using System;
using System.Reflection;
using Xunit;
using System.Linq;

namespace DataCommand.Core.Tests.Postgres
{
    public class PostgresDataOptionsTest
    {
        [Fact]
        public void ConnectionTypeTest()
        {
            var dataOptions = new PostgresDataOptions();
            dataOptions.ConnectionString = "Host=localhost;";

            Assert.IsType<NpgsqlConnection>(dataOptions.CreateConnection());
        }

        [Fact]
        public void ShouldRetryTest()
        {
            var dataOptions = new PostgresDataOptions();
            dataOptions.ConnectionString = "Host=localhost;";

            var mockServerEx = new NpgsqlException();
            var postgresEx = new PostgresException();
            var generalEx = new Exception("some error");
            var anotherSpecificEx = new AggregateException("some aggregated error");

            // Should retry only on server specific errors
            Assert.True(dataOptions.ShouldRetryOn(mockServerEx));

            // Otherwise, should not retry
            Assert.False(dataOptions.ShouldRetryOn(postgresEx));
            Assert.False(dataOptions.ShouldRetryOn(generalEx));
            Assert.False(dataOptions.ShouldRetryOn(anotherSpecificEx));
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Report: L.A. Private Equity Titan Buys Hawks
Antony Ressler, the chief executive of Century City private equity and debt firm Ares Management, has agreed to buy the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks for about $850 million, sources told ESPN. Ressler, who owns part of pro baseball's Milwaukee Brewers – and bid on the Los Angeles Clippers last year – led a group that also includes former NBA player Grant Hill and Spanx founder Sara Blakely. Both Ressler and Blakely are billionaires. Ares Management is the largest L.A.-area private equity firm with $21.2 billion under management, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal. Ressler is not the first L.A.-area money man who's agreed to buy Atlanta's basketball team. Alex Meruelo of Downey conglomerate Meruelo Group had a deal in 2011 to take a majority stake in the team, but it fell through later that year over financial concerns. Hollywood movie producer Thomas Tull, chief of Legendary Entertainment in Burbank, also was rumored to be interested in buying the Hawks this year. The Hawks are the first pro basketball team to sell after last year's record-breaking $2 billion purchase of the Clippers by former Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer. A representative for Ares Management did not immediately return a request for comment.
Briefs: Hollywood Software, Burt Rutan Startup, Valley Home Sales
Insurance Commissioner Calls Anthem Rates 'Unjustified'