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HBO Now Binge-Watch List and Drinking Games
In TV Dramas
For years, people were tied to their cable TV just so they could watch Game of Thrones. Now, HBO has a stand-alone service through an app called HBO NOW.
When you sign up for HBO NOW, you can watch all that HBO offers, without having to do it through a cable or satellite service. You can get HBO NOW from iTunes, Roku, Amazon and other online stores.
Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, Media Medusa earns a small commission.
What Is HBO NOW?
Don't get confused. HBO NOW is different from HBO GO.
HBO GO is the app you use if you already subscribe to HBO through a cable or satellite service, like Comcast.
HBO NOW is all by itself.
If you'd rather not pay for HBO NOW, but you're curious about Girls or Veep or one of the other TV shows and movies on HBO, you can sign up for a free 30 day trial. Then, binge like Hannah eating Cronuts before you cancel it.
To help you get the most out of your 30 day free trial, binge-watch these HBO series first.
If you're one of the ten people on the planet who isn't watching Game of Thrones, here's your chance to watch every episode on HBO NOW. Although this last season seemed to be dibbin' and dabbin' with nothin' happenin', it's still, by far, one of the best TV shows to watch.
Synopsis: Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones is an epic story of treachery and nobility set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years, and only the lust for power is eternal.
Drinking game: Take a shot every time someone dies. Take a sip every time you see a boob on screen. Whenever anyone on screen drinks, obviously join in and take a sip. Each time there's a sex scene, drink until it's over. Or play the full Game of Thrones drinking game from Buzzfeed.
How good is Silicon Valley? So freakin' good. It's so good that I was as nervous for Richard in the second season finale as I was for, well, everyone in Game of Thrones.
Watching Gavin Belson, the Hooli CEO, walk into a conference room full of board members was like watching Lord Walder Frey's guards bar the doors just before the Red Wedding massacre.
Silicon Valley is a comedy, but not always a laugh-out-loud comedy. I have laughed out loud, plenty of times. ("Outed by wifi.") But like Mike Judge's other comedies — King of the Hill, Office Space, Extract — Silicon Valley earns those laughs by making the characters surmount tough obstacles, which isn't funny, but heart-rending and thought-provoking.
Synopsis: Partially inspired by co-creator Mike Judge's experiences as a Silicon Valley engineer in the 1980s, this comedy series follows the misadventures of introverted computer programmer Richard and his brainy friends as they attempt to strike it rich in a high-tech gold rush.
Drinking game: Take a drink every time someone says "algorithm." Take a drink every time someone uses a technical acronym without explaining it. Or play the full Silicon Valley drinking game from Reddit.
I came late to the Girls party. I avoided watching Girls for a long time because I had no interest in 20-something, entitled, spoiled women trying to find themselves. I got enough of that in my own 20s from some of the women around me; why would I want more?
I was wrong. Girls doesn't celebrate the women's entitlement, but examines it. We go on a journey with these young women as they figure out just how entitled they are, and that it's time to put on their big girl pants and grow up. The journey is bumpy. They fail more often than they succeed, but their failures are huge, painful, and ultimately endearing.
There are differences between their generation's culture and mine; my friends and I couldn't "drop a pin" to our location or stalk exes on Facebook. But a lot of the scenes on Girls play out similarly to scenes from my own life (too simiarly, sometimes). Girls has universal themes about love, loss and coming of age.
Synopsis: Created by and starring Lena Dunham, the Emmy-winning HBO series Girls takes a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of women in their 20s.
Drinking game: Take a drink if Hannah is naked. Take a drink if Adam is shirtless. Drink your whole drink if someone other than Hannah is naked. Or play the full Girls drinking game from Vulture.
True Detective / HBO
The first season of True Detective was ground-breaking. The dialogue isn't so much about the crime at hand, as it is an existential conversation about life. The washed out colors add to the dreary feeling of this Emmy award-winning series. Matthew McConaughey's and Woody Harrelson's misery are a joy to watch. Each season has a whole new cast and mystery. All of them are available on HBO NOW.
Synopsis: 1995 – Detectives Martin Hart and Rust Cohle, partners in Louisiana's Criminal Investigation Division, are assigned to a macabre murder by a killer with disturbing occult leanings. As they attempt to uncover the secrets of this bizarre crime, their own lives collide and intertwine in unexpected, sometimes catastrophic ways. 2012 – When a similar case leads to an investigation of the original '95 murder by two new detectives, Martin and Rust separately tell the story of both the investigation and their lives, including why Cohle left CID in 2002.
Drinking game: Take a drink when you see an animal head, skull or antlers. Take a drink the Yellow King is mentioned. Take a drink when you see a dream catcher. Or play the full True Detective drinking game from Admit One.
The Wire has reached the status of cult legend, because this amazing drama flew under the radar when it aired. However, The Wire has earned rave reviews and millions of fans since it ended. In the first Entertainment Weekly article on binge-watching I ever read, The Wire was one of only a handful of series the mag recommended.
Synopsis: The Wire depicts an American urban dystopia, framed in our time, in which easy distinctions between good and evil and crime and punishment are challenged at every turn. In five successive seasons, the series depicts a Baltimore in which institutional prerogatives, economic inequalities and a brutalizing drug war confound the efforts to advance the city and its people.
Drinking game: Take a drink when there's a visible drug deal. Take a drink when "the game" is referenced. Drink your whole drink when the street corner boy gets killed. Or play the full The Wire drinking game from Reel Drinking Games.
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie became, well, not household names, but names in households that are hip and cool. Flight of the Conchords is part Spinal Tap, part Seinfeld and part Saturday Night Live. The series also introduced the hilarious Kristen Schaal to the world.
Synopsis: The show follows the desperate lives of New Zealand natives Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie as they struggle to jump-start their music career in New York City. Watch as Bret and Jemaine contend with unrequited love, inept criminals, prostitution, and epileptic dogs, breaking into song as they clumsily try to break into the New York scene.
Drinking game: Take a drink every time someone mistakes them for being Australian. Take a drink every time someone mistakes them for being British. Take a drink if there's a band meeting. Take a drink every time Mel is wearing a band t-shirt. Take a drink every time Murray refers to himself as the band manager.
True Blood (Seasons 1 -4)
True Blood / I Found You / HBO
True Blood had everything: Great characters, humor, sadness, violence, sex and vampires. But after the fourth season, it all went to hell, or rather, a fairy land that made no sense. That's about when the books started to fall apart, too.
The first four seasons told great stories and kept me interested in the relationship dynamics between the characters. But beginning in the fifth season, too many new characters were introduced, and the stories had little to do with the original exploration of what love is, what can a person settle for in life, how to trust, and how to love yourself.
So binge-watch the first four seasons on HBO NOW, and if you want to know anyone's fate, shoot me an email and I'll give you the bullet points; it will be just as entertaining as watching the (painful) end of the series.
Synopsis: Thanks to a Japanese scientist's invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed from legendary monsters to fellow citizens overnight. And while humans have been safely removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures "coming out of the coffin." In the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, local waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is open-minded about the integration of vampires – particularly when it comes to Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a handsome 173-year old living up the road. But at the service of Bill's less virtuous vampire associates, Sookie is drawn into a series of catastrophes that will put their love to the test.
Drinking game: Take a drink every time Bill says, "Sookie." Take a drink every time Eric says, "Sookie." Take a drink every time Sookie says, "Vampire." Take a drink every time Arlene mentions her kids. Take a drink every time Lafayette calls Tara "cousin" or "cuz."
You can also binge-watch The Sopranos and Sex and the City on HBO NOW, but I'm assuming everyone has already watched these two shows because, you know, you all watch TV like a boss.
Thanks for reading! Which HBO TV show is your favorite? Tell me in the comments!
game of throneshbo
'Divergent' Movie: 9 Things They Got Wrong
What is cosplay? A complete explanation


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Q: Create my own addresses, roads and ways on a custom world map I'm currently new using Google Maps API v3 Javascript, and I have some questions.
The project
It's for a specific RPG. This is a game with its own world map, its own cities, frontiers and roads. So a full map, which I can create easily any data to import in any database, xml, json, kml... ANYTHING ! :)
So I'd like to use any API to make a map for this game.
What I need
In fact, I'd like to create a whole new map, completely out of our world map.
So, I need to import datas about towns, cities, frontiers and roads.
Then, I need a system that can calculates the way between 2 cities by searching the available roads between the points.
I know it can be hard because it's almost making another full Google Map but for another "world", and I'd really like to make it.
My questions
Is it possible with Google Maps ? Or do I have to look for, like Openstreetmap or another ?
Do I have to develop a whole "Geocoder" server ? For sure it's gonna be less weight than Google, because this RPG's world is not bigger than France or England, and it's an RPG so there is not as much details as in our real world, but if it's really needed to make an API, let's do it then !
I put an example of the project on the web but I can't show it in public for security and copyright reasons, so I can send the link to some of you if you really need something more "concrete".
It would be such a real pleasure for you all to help me, or at least to guide me for all the "how-to's", cuz if this project comes to birth, it would be such an amazing unique work in any RPG game !

A: Google Maps will give you a "slippy map" framework, plus a lot of stuff specific to Earth: geocoding, places, routing over roads, etc.  The stuff specific to Earth is, well, specific to Earth, so not all that useful to you: I think all you could use Google Maps for is the slippy map framework, and given Google's licensing restrictions, you are probably better off using a different one, like Leaflet.
The Open Street Map project has two things: data about the Earth and tools for populating the data set.  While the data won't be interesting to you, the tools probably would be, and keeping the data on OSM format would allow you to use OSM routing and search tools.
For geocoding: it's your world, so you can determine what the street addresses look like, which might make it easier to geocode.  (One of the things that makes geocoding difficult on Earth is ambiguity: 234-3410 Mt. St. Michel Rd SE, Fooville, WA might be the same as 3410 SE Mount Saint Michel Road #234, Fooville, WA, 98279.)

A: Using software from the OpenStreetMap ecosystem would work, but only if you are willing to invest considerable effort to set up all of the required software components, databases and so on.
To be clear, you wouldn't upload your personal data to the OpenStreetMap servers, but rather convert it to OpenStreetMap's data format. Depending on the size of the project, whether you want multiple users to be able to edit your database or are fine with a one-way export etc., you might either get away with just saving all data to a .osm XML file, or you would have to set up your own instance of the "Rails Port" (the OpenStreetMap database/API server). Either way, you can use editing tools such as JOSM to view that data, which makes it much easier to e.g. debug your export code.
Once you have successfully exported your data to one of the OpenStreetMap data formats and have verified that it looks ok in an editor, you should be able to feed it to the existing tools for rendering, routing and geocoding that work on OpenStreetMap data. You'd have to plug several programs together, though, because there is no "one-stop-package" for all that functionality. Honestly, I'm not sure whether it's worth the effort, especially if you have no prior OpenStreetMap experience.

A: You might like to take a look at Open Geofiction, which uses OpenStreetMap technology to create an imaginary world. The fact that it's in standard OSM format allows you to use any OpenStreetMap-compatible route calculation system, and in fact any other software that handles the format.
You can sign up and build your own country, and the fact that your country is intended to be no larger than France means that there is plenty of room for your project. You can request your own territory.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Tonight I'll be joined by five of Vancouver's funniest people for Say Wha?!
Join us at the Cottage Bistro (Main and 29 ave) at 8 PM for a night (ok, 2 hours) of terrible books made into jokes and satire.
Bring your book club, bring your friends, or bring that dude you met online twice whose sense of humour you're not sure about to test his judgement.
What are you waiting for? Netflix will be there when you get home & these books will never be read again.


New York just redesigned its website–for the first time in 15 years.
Until this week, the New York State government hadn't updated its website since 1999, thus fulfilling all the stereotypes about outdated and out-of-touch government services. The font was tiny, the design non-responsive, and the navigation a total nightmare. Someone looking to do a simple task might have to jump between multiple different government sites with different structures to collect all the information. It was exactly what people expect a government entity to be: inefficient.
Since a website acts as the face of a government–all sites related to New York state government attract 730 million page views per year–Governor Andrew Cuomo made it his priority in 2014 to create an online destination that better reflects his vision for a more efficient, more effective, and more modern government.
The new website, which launched Wednesday, does just that.
The guiding design principle was utility. "This project wasn't just simply about look and feel; it wasn't about making pretty websites. It was really about creating a useful functional design system that would be efficient and would solve for a multitude of use cases," said Mike Treff, a managing partner at Code and Theory, the creative agency that worked on the project.
The website also tries to give people new reasons to visit NY.gov. Using location data, the homepage is personalized to a visitor's current city, offering useful local resources. If a Manhattanite heads to the homepage, for example, the "Now In" section provides the trusty updated subway service ticker so many of us rely on for our daily commutes. In addition, when more people want to visit the site than usual, NY.gov will respond. In the event of an emergency, when government sites tend to get overloaded, NY.gov will use lightweight customized pages with quick load times. On tax day and other times of year when more people seek government assistance, the homepage will update to reflect those needs.
As for design, the website looks a lot like popular websites around the web, with big, full-bleed tiled images. The pictures reflect all aspects of New York State, from the rural to the urban. And, of course, the design is responsive and will look just as good on a cell phone as it does on desktop."We wanted it to feel modern, we wanted to use color and give it a look and a feel and a tone that was more representative of an active dynamic engaged government, not the bureaucratic archetype," Treff said.


NEWPORT BEACH, CA. – Colleges and universities could do much more to lower their costs, argues a leading expert on the business methods of these institutions.
If they did, they might attract more students and establish more secure foundations for the future, said Richard Staisloff, whose consulting firm advises colleges and universities about financial matters.
Increasing slightly the number of students per class, combining academic programs, and measuring the return on investment of each department at colleges and universities were some of the ideas proposed by Staisloff, founder of rpkGROUP, at a conference on higher education finances Thursday, hosted by the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education.
Staisloff told the roomful of academic leaders that places of higher learning rarely break down their costs in program-specific ways that could lead to money-saving measures. Examining their budgets in more fine-tuned ways, he said, could yield some surprises about which programs or institutions make the most of the money they have.
Schools "want to have a healthy business model, otherwise [they] can't do the things [they] want to do," Staisloff said, which is to educate and graduate more students.
"The best way to reduce cost is not to cut costs, but to reduce incompletion," he added, referring to students who don't graduate.
For every $100,000 that two-year colleges spend, three students complete their programs; for four-year public colleges, the number is 1.75 and for nonprofit private colleges it is one.
To that end, schools should forecast the fiduciary outlook of each program they offer, and should use a common set of metrics for all of them, he said. The upshot shouldn't be to shutter programs with fewer students. Instead, Staisloff argued, deans within each college or university should meet to exchange ideas on reducing costs and on how to do more with less, without hurting student achievement. That could mean combining academic departments; expanding a popular program, like nursing, or relying on more part-time staffers to teach certain courses.
For example, in one college analysis, Staisloff said he surprised deans in finding that religious studies, not business or law, was the program that produced the most income after factoring in expenses.
Studies show mixed results on whether adjuncts, who are typically lower-paid instructors, produce the same academic results in lower-level courses as tenured scholars, who collect far larger salaries.
At the University of Central Missouri, an effort to pare spending led to a decrease in the number of academic departments from 33 to 25, saving the university more than $600,00 annually, according to a case study Staisloff wrote in 2013.
One key measure of a school's financial efficiency, Staisloff said, is the rate of student degree completions for every $100,000 spent. In an analysis of federal data using the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, known as IPEDS, Staisloff looked at virtually all colleges and universities from 2003 to 2013, and found that two-year public colleges produced more degree completions for the same amount of money than four-year public and private schools.
For every $100,000 that two-year schools spend, three students complete their programs, and that financial efficiency has been rising over time. At four-year public colleges and universities, the number is 1.75 completions for $100,000 spent, while at nonprofit private schools, it is one completion for every $100,000 spent.
Staisloff also believes that the more money an institution receives, the more it will spend, a contentious view among higher-education finance scholars.
Whatever the reforms, the recent recession jostled the finances of many colleges and universities in the United States. In December, 2015, Moody's released an analysis of the economic health of colleges that found that 20 to 30 percent of the schools rated would have difficulty maintaining their financial health in the next 12 to 18 months.
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Read more about Higher Education.
This story has been corrected; an earlier version gave incorrect figures for the number of students completing degree programs per $100,000 spent by various colleges or universities.


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Yankees Vs. Rays Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers And More
The New York Yankees can put some space in the AL East and wild card races between themselves and the Rays this weekend.
By Josh Brokaw Sep 14, 2012, 9:49am EDT
Share All sharing options for: Yankees Vs. Rays Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers And More
Sep 13, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Steve Pearce (left) celebrates with third baseman Alex Rodriguez (13) after scoring a run against the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE
The New York Yankees can put a serious hurting on Tampa Bay's playoff chances this weekend when the Rays visit the Bronx for a three-game set. Tampa was swept in Baltimore this week; a Yankees series win could go a long way to making the AL East a two-team race, with the loser having a good chance at a wild card spot.
The Rays (77-66) get David Price on the mound Friday night. Price (17-5, 2.54) hasn't started since Sept. 2 due to soreness in his pitching shoulder, but the southpaw -- who leads all major league qualifiers in the ERA race -- is expected to be near full strength and won't have an innings or pitch count cap.
The Yankees (80-62) throw their own lefty ace Friday, as CC Sabathia (13-5, 3.56) takes the hill for the Bombers. Sabathia's last start on Sept. 8 was a struggle; he allowed five runs to Baltimore over 6 1/3 innings.
TV: YES, MLB Network
Radio: WCBS 880, WADO 1280
Time: 7:05 p.m. ET
AL East Standings
Baltimore 81 62 .566 0 Won 3
New York 81 62 .566 0 Won 2
Tampa Bay 77 66 .538 4 Lost 2
Toronto 65 77 .457 15.5 Won 1
Boston 64 80 .444 17.5 Lost 2
(updated 9.14.2012 at 9:47 AM EDT)
For more on the Yankees, please be sure to check out our blog Pinstripe Bible
Yankees Vs. Rays: New York Defeats Tampa Bay, 6-4, In Series Finale
Yankees 6, Rays 4: Russell Martin's 3-Run Home Run Propels New York In Series Finale

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Cocos2d Using 1 class for multiple enemies Score error Thank you for taking the time to look at my question, As I am very new to programming any help or pointers in the right direction is much appreciated.
Overview...
I have a simple game I am trying to create and it includes a class for 'Ball' sprite that is fired from the left of the screen to the right. The speed at which this "Ball" sprite is created is random and each time the "Ball" moves past the right of the screen a point is added to the score.

Problem....
The problem I have is when 2 "Balls" fire at almost the same time (which happens some times as its random) they pass the right hand of the screen less then a second apart and when this happens it only seems to add 1 when it should be adding 2 to the score (as 2 balls has passed the right side).
Below is the code for my Ball launcher class (use this class to call the ball randomly).
If you have used or gone through 'Ray Wenderlichs' Learn Cocos2D then allot of this will look familiar as after going through his book I have tried to edit his code to do what I want (to me after reading the book its the best way to learn, by messing with the code etc).
@implementation BL

@synthesize delegate;
@synthesize lauchingAnim;
@synthesize afterlauchingAnim;

-(void) dealloc {
    delegate = nil;
    [lauchingAnim release];
    [afterlauchingAnim release];

    [super dealloc];
}

//--The below shootPhaser method takes the current direction the launcher is facing and asks the delegate (gameplaylayer) to create the ball moving in that direction.
//--The below createPhaserWithDirection method was declared (created) in the GamePlayLayerDelegate protocol.

-(void)shootPhaser {
    CGPoint phaserFiringPosition;
    PhaserDirection phaserDir;
    CGPoint position = [self position];

    float xPosition = position.x + position.x * 0.51f;
    float yPosition = position.y + position.y * 0.045f;

    {
        phaserDir = kDirectionRight;
    }

    phaserFiringPosition = ccp(xPosition, yPosition);

    [delegate createPhaserWithDirection:phaserDir andPosition:phaserFiringPosition];

}

-(void)changeState:(CharacterStates)newState {
    [self stopAllActions];
    id action = nil;

    characterState = newState;

    switch (newState) {
        case kStatespawning:
           // CCLOG(@"launcher->Changing State to Spwaning");
            [self setDisplayFrame:
             [[CCSpriteFrameCache sharedSpriteFrameCache]
              spriteFrameByName:@"lancher_1.png"]];
            break;

        case kStateIdle:
           //  CCLOG(@"laucher->Changing state to idle");
            [self setDisplayFrame:
             [[CCSpriteFrameCache sharedSpriteFrameCache]
              spriteFrameByName:@"lancher_1.png"]];

            break;

        case kStateFiring:
           // CCLOG(@"launcher->Changing State to firing");

            action = [CCSequence actions:
                      [CCAnimate actionWithAnimation:lauchingAnim],
                      [CCCallFunc actionWithTarget:self
                                          selector:@selector(shootPhaser)],
                      [CCAnimate actionWithAnimation:afterlauchingAnim],
                      [CCDelayTime actionWithDuration:2.0f],
                      nil];

            lauchingAnim.restoreOriginalFrame = NO;
            afterlauchingAnim.restoreOriginalFrame = NO;

            [self changeState:kStateIdle];

            break;

        case kStateDead:
            CCLOG(@"launcher->changing state to dead");

            break;

        default:
            CCLOG(@"unhandled state %d in launcher", newState);
            break;
    }

    if (action !=nil) {
        [self runAction:action];

    }
}

-(void)updateStateWithDeltaTime: (ccTime)deltaTime andListOfGameObjects:(CCArray*)listOfGameObjects {

    if (characterState == kStateFiring) {

        // 5
        if (characterState != kStateFiring) {
            // If RadarDish is NOT already taking Damage
            [self changeState:kStateFiring];
            return;
        }
    }

    if ((([self numberOfRunningActions] == 0) && (characterState != kStateDead)) ) {
       // CCLOG(@"launcher Going to Idle!!!");
        [self changeState:kStateIdle];
        return;
    }

}

-(void)initAnimations {

    [self setLauchingAnim:[self loadPlistForAnimationWithName:@"lauchingAnim" andClassName:NSStringFromClass([self class])]];

    [self setAfterlauchingAnim:[self loadPlistForAnimationWithName:@"afterlauchingAnim" andClassName:NSStringFromClass([self class])]];
}

-(id) initWithSpriteFrameName:(NSString*)frameName{
    if ((self=[super init])) {
        if ((self = [super initWithSpriteFrameName:frameName])) {

            CCLOG(@"### Laauncher initialized");
            [self initAnimations];
            characterHealth = 3.0f;
            gameObjectType = kBallLaucher;
            // 3
            [self changeState:kStateIdle];

        }
    }
    return self;
}

@end

Below is the code for my "Ball" class...
#import "Ball.h"

@implementation Ball

@synthesize delegate;
@synthesize myDirection;
@synthesize travelingAnim;
@synthesize ScoreAnim;

-(void) dealloc {
    delegate = nil;
    [travelingAnim release];
    [ScoreAnim release];
    [super dealloc];

}

-(void)changeState:(CharacterStates)newState {
    [self stopAllActions];
    [self setCharacterState:newState];

   CGSize screenSize1 = [CCDirector sharedDirector].winSize;
   CGPoint position = [self position];

   CGPoint endPosition = ccp(screenSize1.width*1.5f, screenSize1.height*0.20f);

    id action = nil;
    //id action1 = nil;

    switch (newState) {
        case kStatespawning:
        CCLOG(@"Spawning Ball");
            [self setDisplayFrame:[[CCSpriteFrameCache
                                    sharedSpriteFrameCache]
                                   spriteFrameByName:@"Ball_1.png"]];

            break;

        case kStateTravelling: {

    movementAction = [CCMoveTo actionWithDuration:5.0f
                                                 position:endPosition];

            }

            break;

        case kStateScore:

            PLAYSOUNDEFFECT(SCORE);

            CCLOG(@"Ball Past Left Of Screen => Add 1 to Score");

            action = [CCSequence actions:
                      [CCCallFunc actionWithTarget:self selector:@selector(removeSelf)],
                      nil];
            break;

        default:
            CCLOG(@"Ball -> Unknown CharState %d",
                  characterState);

            break;
    }
    if (action !=nil)
        [self runAction:action];
}

-(void)removeSelf{
    CCLOG(@"Removing Ball Object Has Scored.");

    [self setVisible:NO];
    [self removeFromParentAndCleanup:YES];

    return;

}

-(void)updateStateWithDeltaTime:(ccTime)deltaTime andListOfGameObjects:(CCArray *)listOfGameObjects {

    CGPoint currentSpitePosition = [self position];

    CGSize screenSize = [CCDirector sharedDirector].winSize;

    if (currentSpitePosition.x > screenSize.width*1.1f)  {{

             [self changeState:kStateScore];
        }
    }

    return;
    }

    if ([self numberOfRunningActions] == 0) {

        if (characterState == kStatespawning) {
            [self changeState:kStateTravelling];
            return;
        }

}

}

-(void)initAnimations {

    [self setTravelingAnim:[self loadPlistForAnimationWithName:@"travelingAnim" andClassName:NSStringFromClass([self class])]];

    [self setScoreAnim:[self loadPlistForAnimationWithName:@"ScoreAnim" andClassName:NSStringFromClass([self class])]];
}

-(id) initWithSpriteFrameName:(NSString*)frameName{
    if ((self=[super init])) {
        if ((self = [super initWithSpriteFrameName:frameName])) {

            CCLOG(@"### Ball Initialised");
            [self initAnimations];
            characterHealth = 3.0f;
            gameObjectType = kEnemyTypeBall;
            [self changeState:kStatespawning];

        }
    }
    return self;
}

@end

Below is the code for my "GameplayLayer" class...
    #import "GamePlayLayer.h"
#import "Ball.h"
#import "BL.h"

@implementation GamePlayLayer

@synthesize delegate;

-(void) dealloc {
    delegate = nil;
    [super dealloc];
    }

-(void) update:(ccTime)deltaTime {
    CCArray *listOfGameObjects =
    [sceneSpriteBatchNode children];

    for (GameCharacter *tempChar in listOfGameObjects) {
        [tempChar updateStateWithDeltaTime:deltaTime andListOfGameObjects:listOfGameObjects];
    }

    GameCharacter *tempChar = (GameCharacter*)[sceneSpriteBatchNode
                                                getChildByTag:kEnemyTypeBall];

    if ([tempChar characterState] == kStateScore)  <==HERE I AM SEEING IF THE BALL HAS SCORED - THIS IS ALSO WHERE I THINK I MAY BE GOING WRONG SOMEHOW.
    {
        CCLOG(@"Add 1 Points To Score");

        [self addPoint];
        return;
     }

}

-(void)addPoint
{
score = score + 1;
   [scoreLabel setString:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"$%i", score]];   <===ADDING THE POINT TO THE SCORE
return;
}

-(void) createObjectOfType: (GameObjectType)objectType
                withHealth:(int)initialHealth atLocation:(CGPoint)spawnLocation withZValue:(int)ZValue {

if (kBallLaucher == objectType) {
        CCLOG(@"Creating launcher Object");
        BL *ballLauncher = [[[BL alloc] init] initWithSpriteFrameName:@"launcher_1.png"];
        [ballLauncher setCharacterHealth:initialHealth];
        [ballLauncher setPosition:spawnLocation];
        [sceneSpriteBatchNode addChild:tBT z:ZValue tag:kBallLaucher ];
        [ballLauncher setDelegate:self];
        [ballLauncher release];
    }

}

**BELOW IS HOW I CONTROL WHEN THE BALL IS FIRED**

-(void)ChangeStateLaucher:(int)brandnewState withState:(CharacterStates)newState andObject:(GameObjectType)objectType; {

    BL *bL = (BL*)
    [sceneSpriteBatchNode getChildByTag:kBallLaucher];

    int x =  (arc4random() % 2);

    if (x==0) {
    CCLOG(@"Start Laucher Firing");
     [bL changeState:kStateFiring];

        count = 0;

    }
    if (x==1) {
    CCLOG(@"No Laucher Firing");

      count = count + 1;

        if (count == 2) {
            CCLOG(@"No Laucher Firing x2 - Start Laucher Firing");

            [bL changeState:kStateFiring];

        } else if (count > 3) {
            CCLOG(@"No Laucher Firing x3 - Start Laucher Firing");

            [bL changeState:kStateFiring];

        }
    }

    [delegate ChangeStateLaucher:x withState:kStateFiring andObject:objectType];
    }

-(void)createPhaserWithDirection:(PhaserDirection)phaserDirection andPosition:(CGPoint)spawnPosition {
   CCLOG(@"Creating Ball from Gameplay Layer");
  Ball *ballSprite = [[Ball alloc]initWithSpriteFrame:[[CCSpriteFrameCache
                                                                  sharedSpriteFrameCache]
                                                                 spriteFrameByName:@"Ball_1.png"]];
   [ballSprite setPosition:spawnPosition];
    [ballSprite setMyDirection:phaserDirection];
    [ballSprite setCharacterState:kStatespawning];
    [ballSprite setCharacterHealth:3.0f];
    [sceneSpriteBatchNode addChild:ballSprite z:20  tag:kEnemyTypeBall];

    [ballSprite release];
}

-(id)init {
    self = [super init];

    if (self !=nil) {
        CGSize screenSize = [CCDirector sharedDirector]. winSize;

        self.TouchEnabled = YES;

        srandom(arc4random()); // Seeds the random number generator

            [[CCSpriteFrameCache sharedSpriteFrameCache]
             addSpriteFramesWithFile:@"scene1atlas.plist"];          // 1
            sceneSpriteBatchNode =
            [CCSpriteBatchNode batchNodeWithFile:@"scene1atlas.png"]; // 2

        [self createObjectOfType:kBallLaucher  withHealth:3 atLocation:ccp(screenSize.width * 0.05f, screenSize.height * 0.822f) withZValue:10];

        [gameBeginLabel setPosition:ccp(screenSize.width/2,screenSize.height/2)];          // 2
        [self addChild:gameBeginLabel];                                    // 3
        id labelAction = [CCSpawn actions:
                          [CCFadeOut actionWithDuration:2.5f],
                          nil];                                          // 4
        [gameBeginLabel runAction:labelAction];

        lives = 3;

        scoreLabel = [CCLabelBMFont labelWithString:@"$0"
                                            fntFile:@"BallTest.fnt"];

        scoreLabel.position = ccp(screenSize.width * 0.5f, screenSize.height * 0.9f);
        [self addChild:scoreLabel
                     z:-1 tag:kNewScoreTagValue];

        [self scheduleUpdate];

    }
    return self;
}

@end

Once again I would like to thank anyone that has taken the time to look at this question regardless if you have posted a pointer or answer or not.
Thanks.

A: I think that when there are more than one Ball objects on the screen, the GamePlayLayer update method is unable to pick up on the state change on one of the balls at times because that ball is removed as soon as it enters kStateScore.
If you add a certain delay before removing the ball , the update method should pick up the changes in all the balls and your problem should be resolved.
In your Ball.m -(void)changeState:(CharacterStates)newState function , modify the action on state kStateScore like
action = [CCSequence actions:[CCDelayTime actionWithDuration:0.2],
                      [CCCallFunc actionWithTarget:self selector:@selector(removeSelf)],
                      nil];

Try this out and let me know if this worked for you!
EDIT
The above solution would end up adding more than one point as the ball would remain in kStateScore state for a long time due to delay. In order to counter that problem , we can introduce a new state call kStateDead and change the ball state to kStateDead after adding the point. This will ensure a point is added only once and also we can put the responsibility of removing the ball in kStateDead state. The new code would like as follows :
Ball.m
case kStateScore:

            PLAYSOUNDEFFECT(SCORE);

            CCLOG(@"Ball Past Left Of Screen => Add 1 to Score");

            break;

case kStateDead:

        action = [CCSequence actions:
                      [CCCallFunc actionWithTarget:self selector:@selector(removeSelf)],
                      nil];

        default:
            CCLOG(@"Ball -> Unknown CharState %d",
                  characterState);

            break;

and in your Gameplayer.m
if ([tempChar characterState] == kStateScore)  <==HERE I AM SEEING IF THE BALL HAS SCORED - THIS IS ALSO WHERE I THINK I MAY BE GOING WRONG SOMEHOW.
    {
        CCLOG(@"Add 1 Points To Score");

        [self addPoint];
        [tempChar changeState:kStateDead]; //change the state to dead after the point is added
        return;
     }


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In response to a terrorist attack Monday in the center of Jerusalem, the Israeli government has pledged to follow a more aggressive and preemptive policy to fight the rise in terrorism.
The gun and grenade attack, which Israeli officials say was carried out by three Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists, wounded 52 Israelis. The attack has led Israel to step up efforts to control PLO activities in Lebanon.
In recent weeks, Israel has witnessed a rise in terrorism, sabotage, and guerrilla attacks. Last Saturday, Katyusha rockets were fired on Kibbutz Misgav Am on the Lebanese border. For the first time in several months the Israeli military retaliated Sunday by shelling what the Israeli government said were PLO bases in Syrian-controlled eastern Lebanon.
Since then, suspicions have been aroused among Israeli government officials that terrorists are being permitted to cross the Syrian-controlled Lebanese border. On Monday, Israeli military sources announced that the Jerusalem raid was carried out by terrorists infiltrating from Lebanon. In an effort to prevent further infiltration, Israel closed its northern frontier Tuesday with Lebanon. It also closed the bridges over the Awali River, which forms the northern edge of Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir reassured the Israeli public that the security services and other security elements will find ways to prevent actions of this type.
Over the past few months, Israeli officials have reported that PLO fighters have started to filter back into Lebanon. Israeli intelligence estimates put the number of PLO members in Lebanon at 7,000. Israeli officials claim that the PLO forces represent the most radical, aggressive, and best-armed elements of the movement.
One such group, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, led by Nayef Hawatmeh, claimed responsibility for the raids in Jerusalem. Israeli defense sources stress that Mr. Hawatmeh would be unable to act without the full support of the Syrians.
Hawatmeh's group not only claimed revenge for the September 1982 massacres at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, but also said that raids would continue until Palestinians in Israeli prisons are released.
The recent increase in the number of attacks undoubtedly reflects the frustration mounting among Palestinians in Lebanon. It also demonstrates that the remnants of the PLO groups are renewing their commitment to the armed struggle against Israel.
Since the abrogation of the May 1983 Lebanese-Israeli accord, Israel has redoubled its efforts to implement measures that will control PLO activities in southern Lebanon. Israel is shaping a new militia in southern Lebanon to foster conditions that will halt terrorist activities.
An Israel Defense Force spokesman reports that significant strides have been made to strengthen the Southern Lebanese Army, formerly the Christian militias under the late Saad Haddad. By last week the force numbered close to 1,700, and by the end of March another 300 Lebanese were expected to have joined.
The Israeli authorities hope to change the image of this army from that of a Christian force to one of a mixed unit, heterogeneous in religious composition and thus acceptable to all of the south Lebanese populace. Military sources say the composition of this is 60 percent Christian, 20 percent Shiite Muslim, and 20 percent Druze.
Senior Israeli officials also say that Israeli attempts to organize Shiite militias and develop special relations with the Druzes are progressing. Israeli authorities are working under the assumption that it will be in the interests of the Shiites and the Druzes to control Palestinian activities in southern Lebanon.
Israeli planners say that decisions in the Shiite community offer the possibility for at least tacit cooperation. As an example, Israeli military forces claim that there now exists in the Southern Lebanese Army a company of Shiites which formerly was a branch of the Shiite Amal militia.
The Israeli government is moving ahead with determination to implement plans that will keep the PLO out of southern Lebanon. Israeli officials also stress they will not be deterred by the rise in attacks. Quite the contrary, it heightens Israeli resolve to implement whatever security measures are deemed necessary to halt attacks. Senior defense officials still seem to be under the influence of former Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, who believed that there was a military solution to guerrilla and terrorist activities.


While the City of Miami fines AT&T Broadband for missing its deadline for installing fiber optic, commissioners are also looking into charging the cable and telecommunication giant a fee if service is poor.
Commissioners last week authorized City Manager Carlos Gimenez to send surveys to the 68,000 cable subscribers in Miami to help determine AT&T's programming quality and repair-service response.
Since September, the city has fined AT&T about $2,000 a day for missing its deadline to lay fiber-optic cable. Although the company was to have finished replacing old cables six months ago, AT&T has yet to finish 40% of the city's upgrade, city Commissioner Tomás Regalado said.
Mathew Leibowitz, with Leibowitz and Associates, the city's legal adviser and expert on Federal Communications Commission issues, said AT&T would owe the city about $750,000 by year's end. The company has paid nothing so far.
Mayor Manny Diaz last month interceded and asked commissioners for more time to negotiate an amicable settlement. He wants to propose allowing AT&T to make a corporate donation instead of paying a fine.
"It will be a great opportunity for AT&T to make a corporate contribution," Mayor Diaz said at a city commission meeting. He said AT&T could donate at least part of the fine money to a city fund aimed at cleaning up neglected neighborhoods.
"I am sure AT&T doesn't want to have in its records that it was fined in Miami," Commissioner Arthur Teele Jr. said.
And Commissioner Regalado also wants to charge a penalty for poor service, but prior to that the city would need evidence, which is what led to the idea for a survey. If a survey shows customers in Miami aren't happy with the service, the city would start the process required to fine AT&T for breach of contract, Mr. Leibowitz said.
"The survey would determine if there is sufficient cause," he said.
The city doesn't regulate channels or programming but does oversee cable services, said Mr. Regalado, who chairs the city's initiative. He said on Nov. 29 that he received complaints related to image, sound and repair services. And complaints have not decreased since, he said.
Commissioners hope to find room for leveraging the fine settlements later this year when AT&T realizes its plans to merge with Comcast Corp., he said. Under the current contract, he said, the city has the right to approve or reject the fusion.
Mr. Gimenez said the $50,000 survey would be paid by AT&T's pending fines due to upgrade delays, now totaling $400,000.


text:
Specifications Manual for Joint Commission National Quality Measures (v2020A1)
Home » First Pass of a Mechanical Reperfusion Device
Version 2020A1
First Pass of a Mechanical Reperfusion Device
First pass (i.e., deployment) of a mechanical reperfusion device to remove a clot occluding a cerebral artery at this hospital. A mechanical reperfusion device is also known as a clot retrieval device. Clot retrieval devices are designed to treat ischemic stroke by removal of the clot from the cerebral artery. Several brand names are used to identify clot retrieval devices which include, Merci, Penumbra, Trevo, and Solataire. For purposes of this data element, "pass" means mechanical deployment of a clot retrieval device.
Is there documentation in the medical record of the first pass of a mechanical reperfusion device to remove a clot occluding a cerebral artery at this hospital?
Y (Yes) There is documentation of the first pass of a mechanical reperfusion device to remove a clot occluding a cerebral artery at this hospital.
N (No) There is no documentation of the first pass of a mechanical reperfusion device to remove a clot occluding a cerebral artery at this hospital, OR unable to determine from medical record documentation.
If the first pass of the mechanical reperfusion device at this hospital is unable to be determined from medical record documentation, select "No".
If a diagnostic test report conflicts with other sources documenting the first pass of a mechanical reperfusion device to remove a clot occluding a cerebral artery, use the documentation found in the diagnostic test report.
Attempt
Discharges 01-01-20 (1Q20) through 6-30-20 (2Q20)


text:
Home / Blogifesto
Getting Books to the People
May 31, 2019 — by Briana Ybanez
My Microcosm Adventure
by Briana Ybanez
intern, Spring 2019
I grew up in a quiet suburb in Southern California, and as someone who is a biracial, Mexican American I didn't feel like I'd ever have access to literary spaces.
When I was twenty-two I changed my major from business to English. A year later I made an even bigger life change and moved to Portland, which in many aspects is considered a literary mecca. It seems like everyone here reads- encouraged by an endless downpour of rain nine months out of the year. Being in such close proximity to best selling authors and aspiring writers trying to make it in the industry helped lift a creative roadblock that I was experiencing in California. Doubt and fear, all those general symptoms that come with pursuing your dreams, melted away. I began exploring avenues of opportunity available to writers that I wasn't aware of before.
Part of lifting that mental roadblock that was getting in the way of my success was re-thinking my own relationship with books and reading; rethinking what I was told to regard as a great work of literature and what I actually felt was great. Up until college I was told that the best pieces of literature were written by white men or white women. Period. That was it. But then I was exposed to books that were equally as powerful, if not more so, and were written by Chicana writers, like Lorna D. Cervantes, or Chilean-American Isabel Allende. It's tragic that this revelation didn't happen sooner. It took nearly twenty years for me discover these authors, but when I did I finally began to recognize pieces of myself in literature, and that was key to piecing together my own identity — I was finally proud of my roots, not ashamed.
St. John's Bridge, as photographed by Briana
I can say with confidence that I ended up at Microcosm because a seed had been planted during this time period, a desire to figure out how to succeed in spaces that weren't originally designed for someone like me. I was a big fan of their books and zines after discovering them at Portland's Book Festival. I thought they were cool and edgy but also geared towards empowering audiences that you typically don't see represented in publishing: LGBTQ, people of color, activists, people with mental disabilities, and even those who struggle with mental health.
During my interview for the internship position, I was asked why I wanted to join a publishing company. "What are you looking for?" they asked. At the time, I wasn't sure how to answer that. I only knew that reading and writing had been a lifelong passion of mine. I was always the weird kid with my nose in a book, looking for the answers to my curiosities, or waiting until the moment when I could run home from school and find out what happened to whatever character I was currently reading about. Did I actually know anything about how those books that I loved so much were published? Definitely not.
When I learned that I got the internship, I was ecstatic. Reading their titles alone was a breath of fresh air and it is what ultimately brought me to Microcosm, because I knew that inclusivity for anyone that isn't middle class, or white, is a huge problem in book publishing.
An infamous survey by Lee and Low Books, The Diversity Baseline Survey, indicates that the industry is 79% white, and only 4% identify as Mexican, Hispanic, or Latino. A 2016 Publisher's Weekly article highlights that the homogeneity of the industry is not entirely due to publishing companies' hiring practices. Although the industry giants have made claims to diversify their workforce, census data shows that the lack of diversity in publishing is also a symptom of a lack of access to higher education for people of color. Recent census data shows that 73% of Americans with college degrees are white. So a lack of authors, editors, and publishers that aren't white can be traced to a much larger issue rooted outside of the industry itself.
Why does this matter and what does this have to do with Microcosm? It matters when you consider the immense power that the book publishing industry holds. Its impact on civilization is so far reaching, it's scope is beyond measure. It's an industry that is responsible for cultural production and intellectual movements, a vehicle of influence for individual minds and entire societies. Clearly, it's time that the industry take notice of a wider audience, one that would like to see itself reflected in what they read. Microcosm intends to do just that and it shows in their business practices. They recently broke most of their ties with Amazon because their monopoly on the industry has been harmful for authors and publishers. And they not only offer their books and zines for underrepresented groups, but they offer them on a sliding scale price, to reach people that are disenfranchised by a lack of money.
After struggling with the idea that this industry may not accept me, you can imagine my excitement after taking this position. I knew this was where I wanted to be and where I could explore my place in the industry. But I was still worried that the environment would be cut throat and I'd crumble under the pressure. Now, nearly two months into my internship, I haven't crumbled and the environment isn't cut throat — quite the opposite in fact. Interns are encouraged to ask questions and grow from our time spent here. Once, the interns were invited in on a meeting where they reviewed the company's past year performance. I was surprised by how business-focused the whole meeting was, and it was also eye opening because as an avid reader, it's easy to forget that the book you're holding in your hands didn't end up there because of the author alone.
Microcosm has taught me that behind every book is an entire community of people. In this environment, it's hard to ignore the work that goes in to getting books to the people. On a daily basis there's constant contact with customers, from mailing catalogs, to making phone calls, to talking face to face with people who stop into the store.
This little community at Microcosm has revealed to me the importance of the day-to-day efforts required to publish and sell books in an ethical way. A small, independent company that stands on a firm foundation of integrity, its ultimate goal is to use their resources and means to carry a message that empowers their audience, to preserve and transmit knowledge, one book (or zine) at a time.
Tags: About Us, Intern Experiences, Year of Adventure
What About Tomorrow?
May 28, 2019 — by Elly Blue
Alexander Herbert's oral history tells the stories of punk rock in western Russia, from the Soviet era to today.
Hardcore Anxiety
Punk rock and mental health have been intertwined since the very beginning. Nervous breakdowns, anxiety, seeking acceptance, attempting to overcome internalized demons, and reacting to harmful and oppressive systems—punk rock embodies and emboldens all our feelings and experiences, positive and negative. Hardcore Anxiety charts and tracks punk movements from the 70s till today, from small towns to stadiums, from the struggles in our heads to the people actively harming us in our communities. Told from the point of view of a young man discovering punk and working through mental illness in Evansville, Indiana, this stunning nonfiction graphic novel gives punks the most important advice of all: "You aren't alone. You're going to make it through alive."
From Chaos to Creativity
Need to find more time and energy to work on your creative projects? Jessie Kwak helps you develop a creativity system so you can complete the work that matters to you.
From Chaos to Creativity Workbook
May 22, 2019 — by Lydia Rogue
Kick procrastination to the curb and start designing your productivity system today! This zine gives you space to start designing a productivity system and implementing it into your life. Designed to go with the book From Chaos to Creativity.
Beyond Throwing Milkshakes: 5 Books and Zines to Help You Fight Back
Are you angry enough to start throwing milkshakes? Well, yeah. So are we. It makes for a fantastic statement – while making the opposition look like a fool – but it sometimes feels like it's the only thing you can do.
It can be easy to feel like there's nothing you can do about the world right now – but honestly, that's what the people in charge want you to think. Take a look at these books and zines and learn how to fight back and make a difference in your community. (But I'd keep buying milkshakes – just in case.)
Becoming A Citizen Activist: Stories, Strategies and Advice for Changing Our World by Nick Licata
Do you not even know where to start? This book will give you inspiration by telling the story of previous activists who made a difference in their communities. Learn from the best of the best when it comes to learning how to protest and become an activist.
Resist! How to Be an Activist in the Age of Defiance by Michael Segalov
Want more straight-forward advice and have things broken down step-by-step? This book walks you through organizing protests, talking to politicians and playing the long game when it comes to creating change in your community. Each section also has a real-life case study so you can read about what it looks like when the advice is put into practice.
Want to get your kids involved? Try Girls Resist! By Kaelyn Rich for a young adult-friendly version!
Street Journalist: Understand and Report the News in Your Community by Lisa Loving
Just as important as organizing protests is getting accurate information out there. Corporate media is corrupt and, while they aren't quite as bad as Trump claims, they certainly aren't the unbiased view of the world they claim to be. Learn how to cover the news in your communities and fight back against corporate media with this easy-to-follow guide on how to become a journalist.
How to Boycott: Make Your Voice Heard, Understand History, & Change the World by Joe Biel
We talk about boycotts a lot and how they can force change, but how do you do it effectively? What does it mean to organize a boycott – and how do you follow through? Read this zine to learn about the intricacies of boycotts and their long history – and why just refusing to shop at a specific store isn't necessarily a boycott.
Keep Marching: How Every Woman can Take Action and Change Our World by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner
Are you upset about the attacks on women's rights? Did you march in 2017 during the Women's March and don't know how to get that momentum going again? This book dives deep into how to take that momentum and keep the protests going.
When you're gearing up for your protests, grab some of the zine How to Plan for Action to pass out – it helps protesters understand their rights and how to be a more respectful protester in their community. (Or brush up on How not to get Arrested at a Demonstration.)
And don't forget to tell your elected officials exactly what you think of them trying to take away your rights with the easy-to-write postcards found in Make Your Voice Heard Postcard Book.
Need more than 40 postcards? Check out other postcard designs – teach them something with Art of Instruction or have a woman be the face of your protest with Rad American Women. Sending angry letters to politicians has never been easier!
We've also got you covered when it comes to protest swag – stickers, buttons and patches galore! So get out there and start fighting back – it's the only way to turn things around.
Tags: books, Listicles
Open Letter to Kickstarter on the Topic of Unions
A little back-story: We asked, and were invited, to comment to Kickstarter's executive team about this week's news that they will not voluntarily recognize employees' efforts to unionize. Here is the letter we sent to them; we decided to make it public in the hopes that fellow users of the platform, both creators and backers, will be inspired to also make their voices heard on this matter. This decision affects not just the workers at Kickstarter, but will set a precedent for other tech companies, many of whom employ large teams of lower-paid manufacturing workers.
Dear executive team,
For the last decade, I've been a heavy user of Kickstarter as a creator (I have something like 40 projects under my belt) and a backer, and I have advocated strongly for your platform to any of our publishing colleagues who will listen. Without Kickstarter, it's unlikely I would have a career creating books and connecting with readers. Being able to use it now substantially helps us to create an equitable workplace and pay a living wage to a growing staff—and in publishing, that's no mean feat.
Just this past Saturday, my partner and I traveled to New York so he could participate as a panelist in the Next Page conference organized by your publishing lead. I nearly cried during the conference because it is the first publishing event I've ever attended where the majority of participants and the assumed audience were not white, wealthy, able-bodied cis people; and not coincidentally, the only such event I've attended where every session furthered an idealistic and practical conversation about how to make our industry more inclusive. It cemented to me something I've always implicitly believed about Kickstarter—that at its very bones, the company is committed to leveling the playing field and has goals beyond profit.
That's why it was so painful to return home and read in yesterday's Verge article that you have chosen not to voluntarily recognize workers' efforts to unionize. Worse, the CEO's comments seemed to place blame on the workers for cultural issues like trust. I don't know the situation at Kickstarter, but in my experience as a manager, that culture comes from the top, and labor complaints don't happen without cause.
We are currently running a Kickstarter project for a book we care deeply about. But this week, we find we can't promote this project in good conscience. I would describe the reactions in our office as ranging from bummed to pissed. Your decision is bafflingly, profoundly at odds with the ethic Kickstarter projects in every piece of its branding and behavior—and which has been upheld by every single worker I've encountered over the years. Kickstarter and its people are part of our community, and this feels personal. It's also at odds with our own company's ethics and history—our founder and publisher is the grandchild of immigrants who were brought out of poverty by labor unions. Our owners and managers make a comparable wage to the rank and file and we are in the process of becoming worker-owned.
We've put our efforts on our current project on hold and are discussing canceling it altogether; we'll decide next week. Our decision will likely be swayed by communication we received from one of the Kickstarter union organizers thanking us for the solidarity and urging us to continue with our project, as everyone's shared goal here is to fund and promote creative work. We truly look forward to getting back to focusing on this! But in the meantime, if it comes down to it, we will not cross a digital picket line and we'll urge our community to do the same.
I'm writing to urge you to reconsider accepting the union of your own accord. Your workers deserve it, the rest of the tech industry needs you to set a strong example, and you'll re-earn the lifelong loyalty of backers and creators—well, ourselves, certainly. It's difficult to see what you can't win.
Thanks for the opportunity to write to you about this.
Elly Blue
What it Means That We're a Wholesaler
The publishing industry was shook last week with the news that Baker + Taylor would no longer wholesale to bookstores and will be closing two warehouses in July. This leaves only one major player for stores to purchase books from—essentially a monopoly. Which, let's face it, historically tends to be less than great for everyone else.
For those of you watching from the stands, what this all means is there is now only one (well, kind of two, but really just one) big business left to supply books to bookstores. Stores can order directly from publishers, but it usually makes more sense for them to order all those publishers' books at once from the same wholesaler, rather than trying to track down and manage dozens or hundreds of different accounts.
What you may not know is that, along with publishing and distributing our own books, Microcosm is also a specialty wholesaler, offering a curated selection of titles from major houses, large indies, small presses, self-publishers, and DIY zine-makers! Alongside our 500 or so published titles, we carry thousands of others, selected for their interest and alignment with our mission and values. An overwhelming 8,000 new books are published every day, and we've already sorted through them to find the best ones.
Anyone who sells books can order stock directly from us at wholesale rates. Set up a MyCosm account on our website and select "wholesale" at checkout. You can also drop us a line or an email. We have no paperwork, no credit approval process, fast turnaround times, and extremely kind customer service.
If you're buying for a bookstore, you can access our whole catalog through your sales reps for Book Travelers West on the west coast, Fujii in the midwest, and Como out east. Your sales rep can brief you on terms. Please get in touch with them (or with us to connect you) to find out more.
Our Adventures Brought Us Here
Continuing our year of adventure theme, a few of the Microcosm staff talk the many types of experiences that brought them where they are today. BONUS! Some even describe their life as if it were an adventure novel.
Ruby the Service Dog watches the store, ready to help!
This year we went Independent with a big I, which means we both publish and distribute our own books on our own (with the help of lovely reps and teams) and also sell other publishers' books, rather than having our books available through a single mega-distributor. This change has meant a lot of longer days and more complicated paperwork, new challenges and incredible possibilities. There's no fantastical reason we've gone independent- it's just the best way to do the best work. But there is a fantastical individual reason for why each of us have joined Microcosm in the first place. What brought us here, in so many cases, was adventure, big and small.
We all had the audacity to go after what we believed was a better way; to believe we could find a way to contribute to affecting people's lives for the better, and in turn be changed for the better, too. We all took the step, often many steps, to become better versions of ourselves, one way or another, and want to share that sense of possibility with the world. Guess the real adventure was inside us all along (we say with cheesy jest).
Ruby the service dog naps in the sun.
Twenty five years ago Joe's life expectancy would be minutes, not hours. The adults around him behaved like children, and morals were adopted to be convenient to the person pretending to exhibit them. Suicidal ideation was the norm, not the exception. Through a series of brief solaces and windows into a more meaningful life, Joe discovered punk rock and his life was forever changed. Publishing became a daily task rather than an occasional hobby. Before long he began coaching suicidal teens and twenty-somethings off the ledge on a weekly basis. It became the mission.
But is it possible to create tools so those people never find their way to the ledge in the first place?
What adventures brought me to [creating] Microcosm? I was a drunk, autistic teenager who needed a hobby and wanted to create the resources that I lacked as a child. It seemed better than rotting in the gutter. It was!
Sidnee
Sidnee reps Microcosm at a con
In a world where little brown girls are told time and again that they'll have to work twice as hard and be twice as smart to get ahead, this little brown girl is taking names and kicking ass with half as much imposter syndrome and double the self-love than ever before. Follow Sidnee on her quest to slay her to-do list, vanquish the disorganization, charm every customer, and manage and encourage the emotional well-being of the Microcosm Staff. She may be short, disheveled, and perhaps a little too perky but you'll never guess where she's headed next — and neither can she!
What kind of adventures brought me to Microcosm? Finishing college, falling in love, and realizing no matter how noble it was I didn't want to work in the constantly heartbreaking social service sector.
In 2014 my partner and I decided to move to Portland. We left that summer and made it to Nevada where we ran into car trouble and had to stay and work the rest of the year to be able to save up enough for a new vehicle and to fund the rest of the trip. When we made it to Portland in February, 2016, the housing arrangements that had been made fell through and so we lived in a van for 3 months until we had again saved enough for an apartment. When we weren't working temp jobs we were in the van, usually in the parking lot of a library or Walmart so that we could use their wifi, and I would work on beefing up my portfolio and search for full time work. It was during our time in the van that I first discovered Microcosm.One afternoon, we were parked in the Multnomah County Library parking lot and I stumbled across Microcosm's website. I was blown away by their selection of books and zines and the way they utilized the publishing business as a form of activism. That same day I sent them a note through the FAQ page and tried to bribe them with food for an interview. Joe said sure and I've been working for them in some capacity ever since.
Adventure?
I was in Port Peril, trying to rescue someone off a pirate ship, and suddenly found myself conscripted into a life of piracy. I've been fighting bilge rats and trying to make friends on the ship The Wormwood ever since, but it sounds like there might be a mutiny on the horizon and I'm not so sure I'm going to make the cut. [grins]
Probably not the best to ask me about adventure the day after my bi-weekly D&D game. That's all I have on my mind. We're doing Pathfinder's Mutiny on the Wormwood, if you were wondering. We're on day 3 right now so shhh, no spoilers!
Cyn dreamed of travel and books her whole life, but the last place she had ever expected to be was the Pacific Northwest. But after stagnant years of underemployed depression, a manic period, and a craving for more, she pushed her life in a new direction. She packed up their little family and drove across the country to try a new kind of life and follow their weird dreams. As it turns out, the weird dreams are the most fun to realize …
Driving across the country to get here with my partner and our dogs and all our shit was an adventure. Driving back across again together was stressful as fuck, then driving back again by myself with the dogs and also my little sister was a nightmare. What changed? Was the first an adventure because it was the first time? The other trips stressful because they were no longer as exciting, just necessary? I guess it's like when you start a new group or job or activity, everything is just a little bit exciting, but once you've done it for months, or years, most of it's just work. Sometimes that work leads to the raddest results, sometimes just the right ones.
Is work just adventure we've become used to? Is life?
Excuse me while I go have my existential moment elsewhere.
Photo by Kellie
Kellie didn't mean to fall in love again. Hadn't she admitted that the wounds from her last relationship were still healing? But this time was different. Nightly chats turned into dating, months turned into years, and soon she was finding herself flying out to Oregon, a magical land full of nature, bicycles, and stations where you DON'T pump your own gas. Spurred on to pursue her dreams even further, Kellie seeks out a publishing house as a volunteer base, hoping to gain valuable knowledge of the industry in preparation to create a children's book, but as she walked through the doors of Microcosm Publishing, Kellie realized that her life adventures were just beginning….
Adventure, for me, can be anything. That edge of the sidewalk bordering the street? That's not a sidewalk at all. It's a tightrope, and if you fall into the ocean below who knows what's lurking beneath it to eat you. That right fork on the hiking trail? It might lead to Mordor if you're not careful, but it might also lead to Rivendell, and it would be a crime not to find out which it is.
As a kid, my sisters and I were always on an adventure. Sometimes we'd shape it; sometimes it would shape us. As I got older, parts of life got more boring, and so, to keep the excitement alive, I'd turn average, everyday things into an adventure.
What brought me to Microcosm? The adventure of romance and exploration. My boyfriend lived an entire state away and we'd been feeding off of Skype as supplement for four years. Further continuance just would not do. I moved to Oregon to continue the adventure, which turned into further exploration as I looked into developing a children's book. My wanderings led me to Microcosm, where the adventure has continued as I learn more and more about the publishing industry, which was, after all, the reason I volunteered.
Chock-full of political science degrees, Kristine declined job offers from cab companies and the CIA to do the only thing that made sense in this crazy world: open and run a COMIC STORE. Highlights: meeting Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Phoebe Gloeckner, and R. Crumb; what a weird superhero team they make!
Wading knee-deep into publishing was the next logical step – promoting comics-as-literature, fighting monsters and apathy, here and abroad. Bonus: smuggling books to 5 continents. It's a good life.
Elly delivers books by bike in Portland, OR
What adventures have gotten you where you are now? What do you still look forward to?
Tags: About Us, Microcosmonauts, Year of Adventure
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Political demography is the study of the relationship between politics and population change. Population change is driven by classic demographic mechanisms – birth, death, age structure, and migration.

However, in political demography, there is always scope for assimilation as well as boundary and identity change, which can redraw the boundaries of populations in a way that is not possible with biological populations. Typically, political-demographic projections can account for both demographic factors and transitions caused by social change. A notable leader in the area of sub-state population projection is the World Population Program of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria.

Some of the issues which are studied in the context of political demography are: surges of young people in the developing world, significantly increasing aging in the developed world, and the impact of increasing urbanization. Political demographers study issues like population growth in a political context. A population's growth is impacted by the relative balance of variables like mortality, fertility and immigration.

Many of the present world's most powerful nations are aging quickly, largely as a result of major decreases in fertility rates and major increases in life expectancies. As the labor pools in these nations shrink, and spending on the elderly increases, their economies are likely to slow down. By 2050, the workforce in Japan and Russia is predicted to decrease by more than 30 percent, while the German workforce is expected to decline by 25 percent by that year. The governments of these countries have made financial commitments to the elderly in their populations which will consume huge percentages of their national GDP. For example, based on current numbers, more than 25% of the national GDPs of Japan, France and Germany will be consumed by these commitments by 2040.

Political demography and evolution
Differential reproductive success is the mechanism through which evolution takes place. For much of human history this occurred through migrations and wars of conquest, with disease and mortality through famine and war affecting the power of empires, tribes and city-states. Differential fertility also played a part, though typically reflected resource availability rather than cultural factors. Though culture has largely usurped this role, some claim that differential demography continues to affect cultural and political evolution.

Uneven transition, democratization and globalization
The demographic transition from the late eighteenth century onwards opened up the possibility that significant change could occur within and between political units. Though the writings of Polybius and Cicero in classical times bemoaned the low fertility of the patrician elite as against their more fecund barbarian competitors, differential fertility has probably only recently emerged as a central aspect of political demography.

This has come about due to medical advances which have lowered infant mortality while conquest migrations have faded as a factor in world history. Differences in immunity levels to infectious diseases between populations also play no major role in our age of modern medicine and widespread exposure to a common disease pool.

It is not so much the trajectory of demographic transition that counts as the fact that it has become more intense and uneven in the late twentieth century as it has spread into the developing world. Uneven transitions lend themselves to differential growth rates between contending groups. These changes are in turn, magnified by democratization, which entrenches majority rule and privileges the power of numbers in politics as never before.

Indeed, in many new democracies riven by ethnic and religious conflicts, elections are akin to censuses while groups seek to 'win the census'. Ethnic parties struggle to increase their constituencies through pronatalism ('wombfare'), oppose family planning, and contest census and election results.

Ethnic, national and civilizational conflict
One branch of political demography examines how differences in population growth between nation-states, religions, ethnic groups and civilizations affects the balance of power between these political actors. For instance, Ethiopia was projected to have a larger population than Russia in 2020, and while there were 3.5 Europeans per African in 1900, there will be four Africans for each European in 2050. Population has always counted for national power to some degree and it is unlikely that these changes will leave the world system unaffected.

The same dynamic can be witnessed within countries due to differential ethnic population growth. Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland increased their share of the population through higher birthrates and the momentum of a youthful age structure from 35 to nearly 50 percent of the total between 1965 and 2011. Similar changes, also affected by in- and out-migration, have taken place in, amongst others, the United States (Hispanics), Israel-Palestine (Jews and Arabs), Kosovo (Albanians), Lebanon (Shia, with decline of Christians) and Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenians).

In the US, the growth of Hispanics and Asians, and Hispanics' youthful age profile as against whites, has the potential to tilt more states away from the Republican Party. On the other hand, the fertility advantage of conservative over liberal white voters is significant and rising, thus the Republicans are poised to win a larger share of the white vote - especially over the very long run of 50 to 100 years.

According to London-based scholar Eric Kaufmann, the high birth rates of religious fundamentalists as against seculars and moderates has contributed to an increase in religious fundamentalism and decrease of moderate religion within religious groups, as in Israel, the US and the Muslim Middle East. Kaufmann, armed with empirical from a number of countries, also posits that this will be further bolstered by the higher retention rates of religious fundamentalists, with individuals in religiously fundamentalist households less likely to become religiously non-observant than others. See also .

Age structure and politics

Youth bulges
A second avenue of inquiry considers age structures: be these 'youth bulges' or aging populations. Young populations are associated with a ratio of dependents to producers: a high proportion of the population under age 16 puts pressure on resources. A 'youth bulge' of those in the 16-30 bracket creates a different set of problems.

A large population of adolescents entering the labor force and electorate strains at the seams of the economy and polity, which were designed for smaller populations. This creates unemployment and alienation unless new opportunities are created quickly enough - in which case a 'demographic dividend' accrues because productive workers outweigh young and elderly dependents. Yet the 16-30 age range is associated with risk-taking, especially among males.

In general, youth bulges in developing countries are associated with higher unemployment and, as a result, a heightened risk of violence and political instability. For some, the transition to more mature age structures is almost a sine qua non for democratization.

Population aging
Population aging presents the obverse effect: older populations are less risk-taking and less prone to violence and instability. However, like those under-16, they place great strain on the social safety net, especially in countries committed to old-age provision and high-quality medical care.

Some observers believe that the advent of a much older planet, courtesy of below-replacement fertility in Europe, North America, China and much of the rest of Asia and Latin America, will produce a 'geriatric peace'.  Others are concerned that population aging will bankrupt the welfare state and handicap western liberal democracies' ability to project power abroad to defend their interests. A more cautious climate could also herald slower economic growth, less entrepreneurship and reduced productivity in mature democracies.

However, some argue that older people in the developed world have much higher productivity, human capital and better health than their counterparts in developing countries, so the economic effects of population aging will be largely mitigated.

Other branches of political demography
Other areas in political demography address the political impact of skewed sex ratios (typically caused by female infanticide or neglect), urbanization, global migration, and the links between population, environment and conflict

Emerging discipline
The study of political demography is in its early stages and can be traced back to the works of figures such as Jack Goldstone, whom is often considered to be the father of Political Demography. Since 2000 the subject has drawn the attention of policymakers and journalists and is now emerging as an academic subfield. Panels on political demography appear at demography conferences such as the Population Association of America (PAA) and European Association for Population Studies (EAPS). There is now a political demography section at the International Studies Association. A number of important international conferences have also taken place since 2006 on the subject.

See also
 Natalism
 Religious demography
 Quiverfull
 Jack Goldstone
 Philip Longman
 Myron Weiner
 Ben Wattenberg
World population
Demographic engineering

References

External links
The Political Demography of Ethnicity, Nationalism and Religion Eric Kaufmann's website
 Webcast of book launch of Political Demography, at Woodrow Wilson Center, Jan. 10, 2012 - featuring Jack Goldstone, Eric Kaufmann, Mark Haas, Elizabeth Leahy, and chaired by Geoff Dabelko
Demography and Security: The Politics of Population Change, conference at Weatherhead Center, Harvard University, May 7-8, 2009
International Studies Association, Political Demography Section
Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Religiosity, Fertility and Politics
Ruy Teixeira US political demographics website
William Frey US political demographics site

Politics
Demography
Population

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It seems as if the soap I make loses its scent after a while. How do I prevent that?
Thanks for visiting our blog! There are a number of reasons why your soap may be losing it's scent.
First it could be how they are stored or packaged. We keep our soaps stored on drying racks away from heat or sunlight until they are ready to be packaged. We find that when we wrap our soaps in tissue and in bags it helps to keep the scent strong! Even when we go to farmer's markets we find our samples soaps lose their scent very quickly because of the air and light!
Also, the oils or blends you use can be the cause of the fleeting scent. We usually use around 3% of essential oils in our recipes. We also try to use a balanced blend of three or more essential oils. A low, middle, and top note. Top notes, like an orange, tend to lose their scents a lot quicker. So try balancing it with another oil like Lavender or increase the percentage. If you're not opposed to using fragrance oils they will always be stronger and last longer then essential oils.


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Визначення платоспроможності
Фінансова надійність страхової компанії насамперед визначається її рівнем платоспроможності, який має підтримуватись постійно.

Платоспроможність страховика (страхової компанії) - це об'єктивний показник його поточного фінансового стану шляхом його прогнозування в осяжному майбутньому. Інакше, це можливість виконання в осяжному майбутньому його зобов'язань завдяки тим активам, які є в розпорядженні страховика, являють собою реальні цінності, а тому є ліквідними.

Платоспроможність означає можливість, здатність страховика відповідати за своїми зобов'язаннями.

Види зобов'язань
Зобов'язання поділяються на:
 зовнішні;
 внутрішні.
Зовнішні зобов'язання — це зобов'язання перед страхувальниками, бюджетом, позабюджетними цільовими фондами, контрагентами, своїми партнерами тощо. Їх обсяг є основним при визначенні рівня платоспроможності страховика.

Внутрішні зобов'язання - це зобов'язання перед засновниками, акціонерами, філіями, працівниками.

У практиці страхування вважається, що якщо активи страхової компанії більші, ніж узяті зобов'язання, то вона має достатній рівень платоспроможності.

Умови платоспроможності страхової компанії
Законом України про страхування визначено умови, які забезпечують відповідний рівень платоспроможності страхової компанії. А саме:
 наявність сплаченого статутного фонду;
 наявність гарантійного фонду;
 створення страхових резервів, достатніх для майбутніх страхових виплат;
 перевищення фактичного запасу платоспроможності страховика над розрахунковим нормативним запасом платоспроможності.
Згідно чинного законодавства страховики повинні відповідно до обсягів страхової діяльності підтримувати належний рівень фактичного запасу платоспроможності.

Оцінка платоспроможності страхової компанії
Оцінка платоспроможності страхової компанії проводиться у два етапи. Спочатку необхідно визначити фактичний та нормативний запас платоспроможності страхової компанії. Після чого необхідно зіставити ці показники. Далі наведено детальне визначення цих показників.

Визначення фактичного запасу платоспроможності страхової компанії
Фактичний запас платоспроможності  страховика визначається вирахуванням із вартості майна (загальної суми активів — ) страховика, суми нематеріальних активів ( і загальної суми зобов'язань ) , у тому числі й страхових:

  (1)

Для забезпечення відповідного рівня платоспроможності за вимогами законодавства фактичний запас платоспроможності  повинен перевищувати нормативний його запас  на будь-яку дату. Тобто постійно повинна виконуватись умова:

  (2)

Визначення нормативного запасу платоспроможності страхової компанії
Нормативний запас платоспроможності страховика, який здійснює ризикові види страхування (інші, ніж страхування життя), повинен дорівнювати більшій із розрахованих величин:
 Розраховується шляхом множення суми страхових премій за попередні 12 місяців на 0,18 (останній місяць буде складатися із кількох днів на дату розрахунку), при цьому сума страхових премій зменшується на 50% страхових премій, належних перестраховикам.
 Розраховується шляхом множення суми страхових виплат за попередні 12 місяців на 0,26 (останній місяць буде складатися із кількох днів на дату розрахунку), при цьому сума страхових виплат зменшується на 50% виплат, що компенсуються перестраховиками згідно з укладеними договорами перестрахування.
Нормативний запас платоспроможності страховика, що здійснює страхування життя, на будь-яку дату дорівнює величині, яка визначається шляхом множення величини резерву довгострокових зобов'язань (математичного резерву) на 0,05.

У визначенні надійності страхової компанії та її можливості ефективного функціонування розраховують показник ліквідності. Ліквідність означає можливість страховика здійснювати поточні виплати з поточних надходжень, тобто здатність платити негайно за своїми терміновими зобов'язаннями. Необхідно підкреслити, що платоспроможність є більш широким, узагальнюючим показником по відношенню до ліквідності.

У практиці господарювання рівень платоспроможності страхової компанії є показником, за яким здійснюється постійний контроль з боку:
 фінансової служби самого страховика;
 державного уповноваженого органу контролю;
 аудиторських служб;
 рейтингових агенцій (за певних умов).

Джерела
1. Страхування: https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220146/http://insins.net/insurance/81-platospromozhnst-strahovoyi-kompanyi-ta-yiyi-pokazniki.html.

2. Закон України «Про страхування»: http://zakon4.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/85/96-вр.

3. Електронна бібліотека: http://www.readbook.com.ua/book/9/316/.

Страхування


What Jesus proclaimed in the synagogue was a declaration that the moment of salvation had arrived and that he was the long-awaited Messiah. The message of the gospel, first preached in Galilee, is to be spread today through us. The Word of God which first came to birth in our souls at baptism is anxiously waiting to burst forth and take root in the lives of others. There are so many ways we can make these words of Christ our very own and have them fulfilled in our hearing. When we help those whose hearts have grown cold and are heavily weighed down, the love of God shines through us and we make them realize that Jesus Christ is not a memory but is living among us today. We can touch people's lives and be healers in times of estrangement, sympathetic in moments of sorrow and towers of strength and loving care on the occasion of tragedy. To be successful channels of his message we have first to put our own house in order, by accepting the good news of Jesus, inviting him into our lives, so that he can show us the way. If we are privileged to receive the gospel, then the challenge arises as to what extent do we pass on this portrait of God's favour to others by what we are. There is nowhere we can walk in life without leaving the imprint of who we are, good or bad, upon the ground we tread.


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La Fara deis Oliviers (en francès La Fare-les-Oliviers) és un municipi francès, situat al departament de les Boques del Roine i a la regió de Provença – Alps – Costa Blava. L'any 1999 tenia 6.334 habitants.

Demografia

Administració

Referències

Municipis de les Boques del Roine


Buying & selling on Facebook, Craigslist, in-person sales, and more!
This is super topical for me since we're planning to move into our new house soon, but you may be interested if you're a serial redecorator, or just need some new pieces (or to clean out old pieces) in your current home!
This week on the Your Home Story podcast, Ashley and I are sharing what works well for both buying and selling secondhand home items direct from sellers (online or in-person). You can get some amazing pieces and deals!, but it takes work to find them. Plus, selling your used furniture, rugs, etc. can be a great way to get some extra cash to cover new purchases!
We talk about using Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell groups, garage sales, and more.
Here's one of my favorite Craiglist finds--this vintage dresser. It's been a dresser in our townhouse and a TV/media stand at our last house, and it's one of the few big pieces of furniture we kept when we moved last!
Another favorite is this vintage rug!
Also, in the episode I mentioned tips for shopping at estate sales; there's the link for you.


text:
Nevada members of the US House of Representatives:
Mark Amodei
twitter.com/MarkAmodeiNV2
hres864 - Jan 10 2022
Expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Harry Mason Reid, Jr.
To modernize the Fallon Range Training Complex in Churchill County, Nevada, through the withdrawal and reservation of additional public lands for military use, to provide for transfer of ownership of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada, to authorize the disposal of certain Federal lands in northern Nevada for economic development, to promote conservation in northern Nevada, and for other purposes.
To reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, and for other purposes.
To amend title 31, United States Code, to save Federal funds by authorizing changes to the composition of circulating coins, and for other purposes.
Debts Owed $9,000
Steven Horsford
Statement from Congressman Horsford on Kabul Airport Attack
Congressman Horsford Votes to Pass Landmark Bill to Protect the Freedom to Vote
twitter.com/RepHorsford
To amend the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage to disclose the percentage of in-network participation for certain provider types, and for other purposes.
hr8661 - Aug 5 2022
To improve equity and accountability in State unemployment programs, recover fraudulent payments, and prevent future fraud in the unemployment insurance program.
To protect consumers from price-gouging of residential rental and sale prices, and for other purposes.
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an advanceable refundable credit for individuals who own or lease certain motor vehicles.
To amend the Apex Project, Nevada Land Transfer and Authorization Act of 1989 to include the City of North Las Vegas and the Apex Industrial Park Owners Association, and for other purposes.
twitter.com/RepSusieLee
To reauthorize the program for mental health awareness training grants, and for other purposes.
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make improvements to the redistribution of residency slots under the Medicare program after a hospital closes.
To amend the Water Resources Development of 2000 to modify the authorization of appropriations for the Las Vegas Wash program, and for other purposes.
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to award grants to States to develop, convene, or expand industry or sector partnerships, and for other purposes.
To establish a program ensuring access to accredited continuing medical education for primary care physicians and other health care providers at Federally-qualified health centers and rural health clinics, to provide training and clinical support for primary care providers to practice at their full scope and improve access to care for patients in underserved areas.
Dina Titus
twitter.com/RepDinaTitus
To improve individual assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes.
To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a working group relating to best practices and Federal guidance for animals in emergencies and disasters, and for other purposes.
To amend title 40, United States Code, to establish requirements for outleasing certain Federal buildings, and for other purposes.
Confirmed & Pending Nominations in Nevada
Jennifer P. Togliatti
Jennifer P. Togliatti, of Nevada, to be United States District Judge for the District of Nevada, vice James C. Mahan, retired.
Lawrence VanDyke
Lawrence VanDyke, of Nevada, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, vice Jay S. Bybee, retiring.
John P. Abizaid
John P. Abizaid, of Nevada, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


Nestled within the tranquil surroundings of swaying palms, yet minutes from the island's most famous beaches, tourist attractions and restaurants, The Ridge villas are the perfect vacation home in tropical paradise. Cool off in your private infinity pool, take a stroll along beautiful Choeng Mon Beach, visit the golden statue of Big Buddha, dine in the charming restaurants of Fisherman's Village and enjoy the nightlife of Chaweng.
The Ridge only has 1 unit left. Hurry up and schedule a visit!
This incredible property will not stay on the market long.
What are you waiting for? Invest in your corner in paradise today.
A long standing and renowned team on Samui including Developers, Architects and lawyers, have brought together a superb development, making it a one of it's kind in both design and features. High quality fittings are being used throughout with large floor to ceiling doors and windows, maximizing the light coming into the villa. There is ONLY 1 of 8 modern villas available.
With panoramic views and 3 different villa designs – Pure, Palladium and Platinum – by an award-winning architect, these stunning villas are the perfect resort investment. The recent opening in Koh Samui of the 90,000 square-metre Central Festival Shopping Centre is also expected to have a positive impact on tourism and residential property prices in the surrounding area so timing is perfect for investors seeking high returns and capital growth (with "pre-construction" prices at a discount to market value, capital growth of 12-15% is anticipated between purchase and completion).
Prices starts from THB 28.8 M (about USD 900,000 ) with a payment schedule over 12 months in relation to the construction stages of the villa. The payment schedule is structured so the land is registered to the buyer after the first payment, which means the buyer controls the their land from the outset.
If you would like to receive more information or to arrange a site visit, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Great rental returns are expected at 12% net return.
The landscaping throughout the development shall make each villa private but not compromising on the unforgettable views.
The Ridge is located in Choeng Mon. 10 Minutes to Chaweng and 5 Minutes to the airport.


I've never whitened my teeth at home before, but I've wanted to do it for ages! It can be quite pricy getting it done professionally so I thought I'd do some research into a safe way to whiten my teeth at home. I'm currently trying out the whitening strips by SmileLab*.
I found the whitening strips super easy to apply, you just peel off the strips and place them over your upper and lower teeth and press them on! You leave these on for 15 minutes then peel them off and give your teeth a quick brush. It does leave a bit of gel on your teeth but this comes right off once you've brushed them.
I loved the results – I'll admit now it's not a dramatic change, but my teeth definitely look a few shades whiter. I didn't want them to go too bright either as not only did I not want to damage my teeth but I wanted to avoid any accidents like Ross from Friends! My teeth still feel healthy and I didn't have any pain or discomfort whatsoever after applying the strips. It was really simple and I'm already planning to use them before an event I have!
These are priced at £38 on Boots but are on sale for only £28.50 at the moment! I'm planning to stock up before next year as I love the way they make my teeth look!
Have you tried teeth whitening strips before?