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Tag: Ned Lamont
Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Gas Tax Holiday Extension
December 3, 2022 December 2, 2022 The Center Square
Connecticut motorists will continue to see relief at the pumps after the state Legislature approved an extension of the gas tax holiday until next year.
Meeting in a special session on Monday, the Democrat controlled House and Senate approved a proposal to waive the 25 cents per gallon retail tax on gasoline until Dec. 31. The gas tax holiday, which was initially approved in April, was set to expire Nov. 30.
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November 16, 2022 November 15, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Unofficial results on the Connecticut Secretary of State's website suggest Democrats beat back Republicans in state races and in the entire congressional delegation, but the state Democrat Party apparently registered concerns that Governor Ned Lamont (D) underperformed in Connecticut's large cities, areas in which its candidates typically win easily.
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Governor Pledges Fiscal Responsibility in Connecticut Democrats' Trifecta
November 12, 2022 November 11, 2022 The Center Square
Reelected Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday pledged fiscal responsibility for the coming four years in Hartford.
"With a lot of edging and hedging about what we do in terms of fiscal guardrails that help get this state back on track when it comes to getting our fiscal house in order, I call them the Fonfara Rules coming out in 2017," Lamont said. "Basically, it says you are not going to spend more than what you can count on in terms of revenues.
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Connecticut Workers' Compensation Rates Drop for Ninth Year in a Row
October 26, 2022 October 26, 2022 The Center Square
A decrease in workers' compensation rates is continuing in Connecticut for a ninth straight year.
Beginning Jan. 1, workers' compensation rates will fall by 3%, Gov. Ned Lamont said, as the Connecticut Insurance Department approved the filing for pure premium loss costs. However, those companies who have an assigned risk will not see a reduction.
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Connecticut GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bob Stefanowski Vows to Reject COVID Shot Mandate for School Children
October 25, 2022 October 25, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Connecticut GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski said Thursday in a press statement that if he is elected Connecticut governor that the state would never mandate the COVID vaccine for "schoolchildren, public or private employees, or anyone else."
"It's time that we start allowing actual science — not political science — to inform how we approach public health decisions," Stefanowski added. "I challenge Governor Lamont to make this same pledge to the people of our state."
Battleground States, Connecticut, News, School, Science & Technology, The NortheastBob Stefanowski, CDC, childhood immunization schedule, COVID Vaccine Mandate, government schools, Ned Lamont, Parental RightsLeave a comment
Connecticut Gubernatorial Race Is a Re-Match of 2018
Four years ago, Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski faced off in Connecticut's gubernatorial race.
The same scenario is playing out this fall with incumbent Lamont, seeking a second term in office, facing off against Stefanowski, the opponent he defeated four years ago. Also throwing his hat into the ring this fall is independent gubernatorial candidate Robert Hotaling.
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Poll Shows Connecticut Races for Governor and U.S. Senate Tightening
October 18, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
A new poll commissioned by CT Examiner found the races for Connecticut governor and for the U.S. Senate are tightening as the election approaches.
The poll, published Saturday, found Governor Ned Lamont (D) leading Bob Stefanowski (R) 46-40 percent, with 5 percent favoring Independent Party candidate Rob Hotaling, and 10 percent undecided.
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More Connecticut Farmers Added for Disaster Loan Assistance
October 8, 2022 October 7, 2022 The Center Square
Farmers in eight Connecticut counties are now eligible for federal disaster assistance due to ongoing drought conditions.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Gov. Ned Lamont's request to widen a natural disaster declaration for portions of the state affected by drought over the summer.
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Connecticut Farmers Seek More Aid
September 15, 2022 September 14, 2022 The Center Square
If approved on the federal level, more Connecticut farmers could gain assistance for the harsh realities dealt them by the ongoing drought.
A natural disaster request was submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gov. Ned Lamont said, for Litchfield and New Haven counties where drought conditions have caused damage to farms.
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Connecticut Program Up for National Award
A Connecticut family-based program has been nominated for a national award.
Care 4 Kids Parent Portal has been named for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers as a finalist in the 2022 State IT Recognition Awards, Gov. Ned Lamont said. The program, run through the office of Early Childhood, was created in 2021 to give low- to -moderate-income families a subsidy to pay for child care.
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Connecticut GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bob Stefanowski Announces 'Parental Bill of Rights'
September 10, 2022 September 9, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Connecticut Republican candidate for governor Bob Stefanowski announced a "Parental Bill of Rights" that seeks to empower the state's parents to make education and healthcare decisions for their children.
"During the last several years, the pendulum has swung too far against the rights of parents and their ability to make critical decisions for their children in terms of education, healthcare, and the teaching of moral values they hold dear," Stefanowski said Tuesday. "As Governor, I am going to reverse that trend and restore parental rights in a significant and meaningful way."
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Connecticut Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Bob Stefanowski Vows to Target Hundreds of Licensing and Regulatory Fees Small Businesses Forced to Pay
September 6, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Republican candidate for Connecticut governor Bob Stefanowski pledged last week to cease collection of the hundreds of licensing and regulatory fees small businesses and entrepreneurs are forced to pay prior to their repeal by the next legislature.
"Now I know everybody's gonna jump up and down, you can't do that, OK," Stefanowski said Tuesday, according to CT Mirror. "I'm going to tell [the tax commissioner] to do it."
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Pandemic Triggers 89 Percent Increase in U.S. Food Stamp Spending
August 24, 2022 August 23, 2022 The Center Square
Spending on food stamps has increased by $53.5 billion – an 89% increase – in the two pandemic years. By comparison, that's how much the entire program cost in 2009 during the Great Recession.
Spending on the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program grew 88.5% from $60.3 billion in 2019 to $113.8 billion in 2021. Spending on the SNAP program had previously peaked at $79.8 billion in 2013 before declining for the next six years.
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Connecticut Making Investment in Sewer Pollution Prevention Projects
August 5, 2022 August 4, 2022 The Center Square
Preventing sewage pollution is the focus of a new investment in Connecticut.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, who will be challenged by Republican Bob Stefanowski in November's general election, says the state is pledging $580 million to shovel-ready municipal water pollution control projects around the state. The investment is designed to cut down on sewage pollution in the state's waters.
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New Connecticut Law Targets Vehicle Theft
July 20, 2022 July 19, 2022 Cooper Moran
A new Connecticut law will target the state's motor vehicle theft issue, providing updated structure and procedure for law enforcement officials.
Public Act 22-115, which was approved on a bipartisan basis by the Connecticut General Assembly, takes aim at juveniles with a record at repeated theft attempts.
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Connecticut Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate Leora Levy: Blumenthal Has 'Rubber-Stamped' Biden's Failed Policies Making Americans of Every Party Suffer
July 14, 2022 July 13, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
"It's time to retire Dick Blumenthal," Leora Levy states on the home page of her campaign website, but the Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Connecticut says she is ready not only to take on the career Democrat politician, but also the "timid" members of her own party "who will abandon or betray us when it comes down to the important votes."
"Drawing a strong contrast with Dick Blumenthal is the only way to win this Senate seat," Levy says as she campaigns toward the Connecticut primary on August 9.
Battleground States, Connecticut, News, Politics, The Northeastabortion, gas prices, inflation, Leora Levy, Ned Lamont, Parental Rights, Richard Blumenthal, Themis Klarides, U.S. SenateLeave a comment
Sen. Richard Blumenthal Urges Biden Administration to Declare 'Public Health Emergency' After Supreme Court's Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade
July 7, 2022 July 6, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) was at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Waterbury, Connecticut, Tuesday to urge Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to declare a "public health emergency" in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that returns issues about abortion to the states.
"We're pressing President Biden to use whatever authority he has, to the maximum extent to explore the possibility of a national emergency that would enable telemedicine prescription, which could then result in medication abortion through the mail," Blumenthal said, according to the Stamford Advocate.
Connecticut, National, News, The Northeastabortion, Ned Lamont, Peter Wolfgang, Richard Blumenthal, Roe v. Wade, Xavier BecerraLeave a comment
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont Pitches State's 'Family-Friendly' Pro-Abortion Stance to Businesses While Costs Soar Due to Diesel Tax Increase
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont's (D) recent video pitch encourages businesses to relocate to his "family friendly" state where women are welcome to end the lives of their unborn babies, but neglects to mention his now effective 23 percent tax increase in diesel fuel is crushing businesses and consumers already reeling from unprecedented inflation and high gas prices.
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Connecticut Secretary of the State Announces Resignation to Care for Ailing Husband
July 1, 2022 June 30, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill (D) announced she will resign Thursday in order to spend time with her husband who suffers from Parkinson's Disease.
Merrill, 73, told the Associated Press (AP) trying to juggle her job with caring for her husband has grown too difficult.
Battleground States, Connecticut, Election Integrity, News, The Northeastabsentee ballots, Ben Proto, Denise Merrill, dropboxes, Election Integrity, Misinformation, Ned Lamont, Scott BatesLeave a comment
Economist: 'When It Comes to Connecticut, Businesses Are Being Incentivized to Look Elsewhere'
June 23, 2022 June 22, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
LEGO Group's decision to spend $1 billion to build a new factory near Richmond, Virginia, has led economy and industry experts to raise questions about the status of the Denmark company's Connecticut headquarters.
The global toymaker announced at a press conference with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) its plans to build a new factory in Chesterfield, a move that would expand its production in the United States and create about 1,760 new jobs.
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New Home Buying Program Is Now Open in Connecticut
June 15, 2022 June 14, 2022 The Center Square
A new Connecticut program that aids residents with down payment assistance for home purchases is now open, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced the Time to Own program offering down payment assistance to low- and moderate-income homebuyers is now accepting applications. The program is funded with $20 million the State Bond Commissioner allocated in December 2021 to help families purchase homes.
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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont Signs Bill Establishing Juneteenth as a State Holiday
June 13, 2022 June 12, 2022 Kaitlin Housler
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed SB 350 into law Friday which establishes Juneteenth Independence Day as an official, legal state holiday.
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Lamont: Taxpayers Will Help Aspiring Teachers Earn Certifications
June 6, 2022 June 6, 2022 The Center Square
Connecticut is spending taxpayers dollars to help defray testing costs for teachers, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced that $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding will be used to help aspiring teachers defray the costs of certification-related testing in the state over the course of the next two years.
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Connecticut Secretary of State Issues Guidance Broadening Absentee Voting Eligibility, Citing New Law
June 6, 2022 June 5, 2022 Bradley Vasoli
Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill (D) on Friday issued an opinion regarding a new statute that expands absentee voting, emphasizing that voters need not themselves be sick or away all day to vote by mail.
Merrill said she issued the interpretation to "more closely conform" the law, which Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed on April 8, to Article Sixth, Section 7 of the Connecticut Constitution which states, "In all elections of officers of the state, or members of the General Assembly, the votes of the electors shall be by ballot."
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Connecticut to Hire Full-Time 'Misinformation' Expert to Flag Social Media Posts Containing 'False' Statements About Elections
June 4, 2022 June 3, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill (D) plan to channel the Biden administration by hiring a full-time "misinformation" expert who will seek to flag social media posts that suggest "bad information" about the state's elections ahead of the midterms.
"We need to know what's out there before it goes viral," said Scott Bates, deputy secretary of the state, according to the New Haven Register. "We need to get ahead of the curve and knock down bad information to protect people from misinformation that would get in their way of voting."
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Lamont Signs Sikorsky Agreement, Keeping the Company, Jobs in Connecticut
May 25, 2022 May 24, 2022 The Center Square
An agreement with a government contractor to make helicopters and create jobs in Connecticut is now law, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor signed Public Act 22-4 early Monday to seal a deal with Lockheed Martin, the parent company of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Under the agreement, the helicopter manufacturer will operate in Connecticut through 2042 and will support an estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs.
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Connecticut Child Tax Credit Application Period Opens in June
Families in Connecticut can begin applying for the Child Tax Rebate in June, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced Thursday afternoon that families who are eligible can earn up to $250 per child through the 2022 Connecticut Child Tax Rebate. The application period opens June 1. Earlier this month, the tax break was signed into law. The rebate is contained in the fiscal year 2023 budget adjustment bill, which includes more than $600 million in tax cuts.
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Connecticut Black Pro-Life Democrat Who Stood Up to Party on Abortion Expansion Bill Faces Primary Challenge
May 21, 2022 May 20, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
A black, pro-life Democrat lawmaker who received national attention for standing up to her party in the Connecticut state House as she voted against its abortion expansion bill, now is facing a primary challenge for her seat by a young white liberal man.
Connecticut State Rep. Treneé McGee (D-West Haven) received praise from the national Susan B. Anthony List in April for her stirring words as she spoke about the harms abortion has brought to her black community.
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Connecticut Democrats Drum Up Fear Young Teen Girls May Require Parental Notification for Abortion to Stave Off Bob Stefanowski Win
Connecticut Democrats are attempting to incite fear among their constituents that young teen girls are in danger of having to notify their parents if they seek an abortion if Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski wins against Governor Ned Lamont (D) in November.
Though Connecticut codified abortion rights into state law in 1990 and, earlier this month, expanded them by protecting the state's abortionists and holding out Connecticut as an abortion haven for women from other states, Democrat State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz (D) framed Stefanowski and other state Republicans during a press conference Tuesday as threats to abortion rights over the Republican's support for parental notification for young teen girls seeking an abortion.
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Connecticut Families Can Soon Get Child Tax Credit
May 20, 2022 May 19, 2022 Bradley Vasoli
Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and other Connecticut public officials announced on Thursday that families will soon get access to the state's new child tax credit.
About 300,000 postcards went into the mail yesterday advising families of how to apply for the relief which comes at $250 per child and up to $750 per family. Qualifying recipients include single tax filers with children and with income under $100,000 annually as well as couples with children filing jointly who make under $200,000 yearly in total. Those with incomes above those levels may, however, succeed in securing some relief.
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Connecticut Republican Senators Find Governor's Oversight of West Haven's COVID Spending Inadequate
Gov. Ned Lamont (D) this week approved the Municipal Accountability Review Board's (MARB) request to heighten state oversight of the city of West Haven which is alleged to have misspent COVID-19 relief money, but Republican lawmakers are arguing that the move falls short.
The state now deems West Haven a Tier IV municipality, subjecting it to the most rigorous financial scrutiny for which state law provides. This comes as a result of an audit MARB issued last month which detailed numerous fiscal-management problems the city has incurred. Earlier in April, a separate review by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management found that the city misused nearly four-fifths of over $1 million in funds it received as part of COVID response efforts.
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Connecticut Governor Signs Climate Change Legislation
Climate mitigation and expanding renewable energy programs are tucked inside two key pieces of climate change legislation that have now been signed, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced early Tuesday afternoon that Senate Bill 10 and Senate Bill 176 which bring together the state's commitment to decarbonizing the electric grid and widening renewable energy programs in an attempt to halt climate change.
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Connecticut Gas Prices Rising Despite Tax Pause
Both Democrats and Republicans in Hartford worked for and celebrated the Connecticut gasoline-tax suspension that Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed in late March, but new data indicate its effect could be lessening.
The center-right Yankee Institute (YI) published an analysis on Saturday showing that the difference between gasoline costs in Connecticut and those in Massachusetts, which did not enact a similar gas-tax holiday, are narrowing.
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New Connecticut Law Will Permit School Logos, Colors in NIL Endorsements
College athletes will be able to use their school names and logos to earn cash under a new law, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The Democratic governor signed Public Act 22-11 into law this week that, beginning July 1, will give student-athletes the right to use their university or college's name, trademarks, mascots, colors, copyrights, and other insignia to earn profits with the name, likeness, and images, known as NIL, for endorsement contracts.
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Former Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Sues over 2020 Firing
Connecticut's former Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell filed a lawsuit this week against the state and the Department of Public Health, for Gov. Ned Lamont's (D) decision to fire her in 2020.
Her lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, alleges that Gov. Ned Lamont (D) dismissed her "simply on the basis that he did not prefer to have an older, African American female in the public eye as the individual leading the State in the fight against COVID-19." The complaint argues that she is entitled to compensatory damages for violations of the anti-retaliation and anti-discrimination components of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the state's Fair Employment Practices Act.
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Lamont Holds Ceremony for Connecticut Abortion Rights Expansion
Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT) held a ceremony at the state Capitol Tuesday to celebrate his recent approval of a bill strengthening legal protections for abortionists as well as those seeking to end their pregnancies in Connecticut.
The legislation also expands the list of practitioners who the state enables to perform abortions.
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Klarides Gets GOP Endorsement for Senator from Connecticut; Primary Still Likely
May 9, 2022 May 8, 2022 Bradley Vasoli
Themis Klarides received the endorsement of the Connecticut Republican Party last week for nomination to unseat Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal but fellow Republicans Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj got sufficient backing at the nominating convention to pursue primary campaigns.
Both Levy, a businesswoman, and Lumaj, a former secretary of state hopeful and former gubernatorial candidate, are running to the right of Klarides, a former minority leader of the state House of Representatives who has voted for gun-control legislation and favors abortion rights. Levy and Lumaj oppose both. Insofar as this year's election will be decided amidst the expected overturning of the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion, Klarides could find her position on abortion a liability in the primary, though possibly an asset in a blue-state general election.
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Lamont Plans to Sign Connecticut Budget
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) indicated Thursday he plans to sign the $24 billion Fiscal Year 2022-23 state budget passed by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly.
Democratic representatives and senators likewise hailed the fiscal plan, noting the nearly $600 million in tax reduction it contains.
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Connecticut Governor Signs First Pro-Abortion Legislation After Anticipated End to Roe
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Thursday became the first state leader to sign legislation affirming abortion rights after a news leak revealed that the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision is likely to soon be overturned.
The bill provides legal protections to those performing or seeking abortions — including those coming in from other states to do so — and expands the list of practitioners who are permitted to perform abortion procedures.
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Connecticut State House Approves Legislative Pay Raise
By a vote of 95-53 on Tuesday, Connecticut's State House of Representatives approved a 43-percent salary increase for state lawmakers and statewide elected officials.
It is the first such pay raise enacted since 2000. Representatives conducted no public hearings on it, having only fleetingly discussed potential adjustments to politicians' compensation during committee meetings.
Battleground States, Connecticut, News, The NortheastBob Godfrey, Connecticut House of Representatives, Connecticut legislators, Connecticut pay raise, Connecticut state House, Doug Dubitsky, Ken Girardin, legislative pay, legislative pay increase, legislative pay raise, legislative salaries, Ned Lamont, Yankee Institute8 Comments
MyHomeCT to Assist Homeowners Financially Impacted by COVID-19
May 4, 2022 May 3, 2022 The Center Square
A federally funded program designed to assist Connecticut homeowners negatively impacted by COVID-19 is now available, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced MyHomeCT, a new state program, is funded with $123 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars that were received by the state's Department of Housing. The program is being administered by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.
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Connecticut House Passes Legislation Barring Work Meetings Discussing Unions
On Friday, Connecticut's House of Representatives passed a bill prohibiting companies' management from requiring workers to listen to discussions regarding labor organization, politics or religion.
The AFL-CIO, to which more than 200,000 Connecticut workers belong, lauded the move in favor of the policy — known as a "captive audience" restriction — which no other state except Oregon has enacted. Union leaders have denounced the kind of meetings banned by the legislation, complaining that such events are unfairly used to inveigh against union-organization efforts.
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Lamont: Sikorsky Deal Keeps Company in Connecticut
May 1, 2022 April 30, 2022 The Center Square
An agreement ratified by the General Assembly will keep a military company in Connecticut for years to come, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced an agreement has been finalized with Lockheed Martin to keep its helicopter manufacturer in the state through 2042. Sikorsky will sustain more than 7,000 jobs in the state under the new deal which could expand helicopter lines being produced at its Straftord facility.
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Carbon Reduction Bill for Connecticut's Electric Grid Awaits Governor's Signature
April 30, 2022 April 29, 2022 The Center Square
A plan to phase the Connecticut's electric grid to zero-carbon status by 2024 is the focus of a bill that now awaits Gov. Ned Lamont's signature.
The governor announced Senate Bill 10 focuses on a reduction on carbon emissions, which was established through an executive order in 2019, that allows state policymakers and companies in the electric sector to fully transition the grid away from natural gas and oil.
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Lamont and Legislators Moving on Connecticut Budget Deal
April 29, 2022 April 28, 2022 Bradley Vasoli
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and leaders of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly are touting a $24-billion budget deal for the next fiscal year that contains almost $600 million in tax reduction.
Most of the tax relief, however, will only remain in effect through the end of the year.
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Committee Passes Bill to Adopt California Emissions Standards for Connecticut Trucks
Legislation to align Connecticut's emissions standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks with California's stringent regulations passed the General Assembly's Transportation Committee on Monday and awaits consideration by the state House and Senate.
The regulations chiefly concern the discharge of nitrogen-oxide which is associated with worsening acid rain and smog as well as respiratory and cardiac ailments.
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Mirador Expanding Footprint in Connecticut
A leading wealth management firm plans to expand in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
Mirador LLC has added 35 new employees in 2022 and plans to add 65 more, the governor announced. The company plans to hire an additional 250 workers over the next three years.
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Connecticut Approved for Federal Funds for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Connecticut has been approved to receive federal funding for new substance abuse treatments, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced the state will receive $30 million in annual Medicaid funding that will benefit residents who are struggling with substance abuse to provide them heightened treatment. Funding will also cover residential care services while increasing provider payment rates.
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Connecticut State Employee Contracts Ratified
By a 22-13 vote, Connecticut's state Senate on Friday ratified contracts with state workers estimated to cost taxpayers roughly $1.9 billion.
The Democrat-controlled state House of Representatives approved the agreements with the State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) 96-52 the prior day. All House Democrats and only one House Republican, Thomas Delnicki (R-South Windsor), voted for the deals. The Senate vote came down along party lines.
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Lamont Sends $8 Million to Fund Connecticut Summer Enrichment Program
An investment of federal funds will benefit schoolchildren throughout Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced $8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds will be invested in the Summer Enrichment Program. The funding will be sent to the Department of Education, which will disperse the funds to programs designed to help students continue to be connected to high-quality education programs when school is not in session.
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I hope you got outside today because real autumn is coming tomorrow. Yikes going from 75 to 45 in 2 days. Anyway, the photo. This is a little Toad that I captured on the rock by my Garden Railroad the other day. I believe it's a young American Toad. It was very small, only about 2 inches at most in length and had this shimmery copper color to it. It was nice enough to pose for me a bit and let me get fairly close.


Here are a couple of monsters, Ambrose and Abbott, heading off to work...to do whatever it is that monsters do. It appears that Ambrose had his fill of coffee before he left the house. The same cannot be said of Abbott.
Ambrose is caffeinated. Abbott is non-caffeinated.


text:
Q: Place category Base URL at the end By default the Categories' URL will show like this: example.com/category/category-name/. In this case we say the category URL base is category.
Wordpress allow us to customize the URL base. For example: we can change it to list and our new category URL is going to be example.com/list/category-name/.
Nice.
I want to change the URL base to the end. So my URL category name now should be:
example.com/category-name/list/.
How can I achieve that goal?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Kabard- és Balkárföld egyike a cserkesz népek Orosz Föderációhoz tartozó 3 észak-kaukázusi tagköztársaságának (a másik kettő Adigeföld és Karacsáj- és Cserkeszföld). A türk nyelvű balkárok a nyelvészek szerint valószínűleg a bolgárok névadói, a balkároktól elfoglalt területeken alakulhatott ki a bolgár nyelv is.

Földrajz
Terület: 12 500 km². Legmagasabb pontja az Elbrusz.

Szomszédai délen Grúzia, nyugaton a Karacsáj-Cserkesz Köztársaság (Oroszország), északon a Sztavropoli terület (Oroszország), keleten Észak-Oszétia (Oroszország).

Történelem

Magyar vonatkozásai
A balkár néphagyomány szerint a balkárok őséhez, Malkárhoz sikeres vadászat közben csatlakozott Misaka és Majar (vagy Madyar) s azután együtt éltek.

Minden szempontból a kabardok a legalkalmasabbnak tűnő jelöltek, akiknek közük lehet a magyar őstörténetből ismert, a honfoglalókhoz csatlakozott, bolgár-törökként valószínűsített kabar törzsekhez. "Ott a Kaukázus hegylánca feletti mezőségen és völgyeiben máig is él egy néptörzs, mely magát kabardnak nevezi. A Malka, Bakszán, Csegem, Cserek és Tyerek folyó völgyében laknak, s tartományukat a Tyerek két részre osztja: a nyugati Nagy- és a keleti Kis-Kabardára. Ezeken innen, a Kubán és mellékfolyói mentén, a mostanság cserkesz (saját nyelvükön adighe) gyűjtőnéven nevezett népnek más törzsei élnek: sapsi (sabszik, sapsug), abaza, abaszek, beszléni stb. név alatt. Nyelvük (a kabardokkal együtt) egy és ugyanaz, csak nyelvjárási különbség van köztük. Néptípusuk, ruházatuk, szokásaik, jellemvonásaik, foglalkozásuk feltűnő rokonvonásokat és hasonlatosságot tüntet fel a mi népünkkel. Főfoglalkozásuk az állattenyésztés és a földmívelés. Főként a lótenyésztés az, amire legfőbb gondjuk van. Kitűnő lovakat tenyésztenek (a kabard bélyegű, s általában a cserkesz ló hírneves, keresett árucikk), s ők maguk is mesteri lovasok. Címeres szarvú fehér ökreik, teheneik a mi ősi marhaállományunkra emlékeztet. Ruházatukban a testhez álló cserkeszkabát, amely derékon szíjjal átkötött, s kindsál (cserkesz tőr) lóg le róla, s mellén két oldalt patrontokokkal van díszítve, sokban hasonlít a magyar zsinóros atillához. Téli felöltőjük pedig, a fekete burka (ványolt gyapjúnemezből) a magyar gubának édestestvére. Táncuk hasonló a lassú csárdáshoz, dalaik a mai bús kesergő dalainkhoz. Szőnyegeik olyanok, mint a székely festékesek. Italuk árpasör (sera). Feltűnő - írta egy orosz tábornok - a kabard nők nemzeti öltözetének, s díszítésének hasonlatossága a magyar huszár dolmányához."

Népesség

Nemzetiségi megoszlás
A 2002-ben 901 494 főnyi össznépesség megoszlása a következő volt:
 Kabardok (55,3%)
 Oroszok (25,1%)
 Balkárok (11,6%)
 Egyéb (8%)

Települések
Kabard- és Balkárföldön (a 2010. évi népszámláláskor) 8 város, 2 városi jellegű település és 169 falusi település található, mely utóbbiak közül egy lakatlan. A városi jellegű települések száma 1987-ben még 9 volt, a Szovjetunió megszűnése óta azonban sokuk elvesztette e címét és faluvá alakult, Oroszország más területeihez hasonlóan, egyikük viszont azóta városi címet kapott.

A 2010. évi népszámlálás adatai szerint Kabard- és Balkárföldön 55% a városi (városokban vagy városi jellegű településeken élő) népesség aránya. A legnagyobb falu népessége meghaladja a húszezer főt, és összesen 45-é éri el a háromezret, melyek együttesen a köztársaság lakosainak 32%-a számára nyújtanak otthont. Az aprófalvak súlya a településálózatban kicsi Oroszország más régióival összevetve.

Kabard- és Balkárföld városai a következők (2010. évi népességükkel):

 Nalcsik (240 203)
 Prohladnij (59 601)
 Bakszan (36 860)
 Nartkala (31 694
 Majszkij (26 755)
 Tirniauz (21 000)
 Tyerek (19 170)
 Csegem (18 019)

A városi jellegű települések:

 Zalukokoazse (9 859)
 Kashataj (5 295)

Közigazgatás és önkormányzatok
Kabard- és Balkárföld (a 2010. évi népszámláláskor) közigazgatási szempontból 10 járásra oszlik. A 8 város közül a 3 legnagyobb köztársasági alárendeltségű, melyek nem tartoznak egyik járáshoz sem, ahogy a Nalcsikhoz és Bakszanhoz beoszott falusi települések sem.

Az önkormányzatok területi beosztása megegyezik a közigazgatási felosztással. A 10 járás mindegyikében járási önkormányzat működik, míg a köztársasági alárendeltségű városok mindegyike (a beosztott falusi településekkel együtt) a járásoktól független városi körzetet alkot, melyeknek egyszintű önkormányzata van, egyszerre gyakorolják a járási és a községi önkormányzati hatásköröket. A járásokhoz összesen 7 városi község – ezek székhelye egy város vagy városi jellegű település – és 112 falusi község tartozik.

A járások és székhelyeik:

Bakszani járás (Bakszan)
Csegemi járás (Csegem)
Csereki járás (Kashatau)
Elbruszi járás (Tirniauz)
Leszkeni járás (Anzorej)
Majszkiji járás (Majszkij)
Prohladniji járás (Prohladnij)
Tyereki járás (Tyerek)
Urvanyi járás (Nartkala)
Zolkai járás (Zalukokoazse)

Politikai vezetés
Kabard- és Balkárföld köztársaság első számú vezetője (glava):
Valerij Muhamedovics Kokov: 1992–2005. szeptember
Arszen Basirovics Kanonkov: 2005. szeptember – 2013. december 6.
Jurij Alekszandrovics Kokov: 2013. december 6. – 2018. szeptember 26. (2014. október 9-ig: mb. vezető). Hivatali idejének lejárta előtt áthelyezését kérte másik munkaterületre.
Kazbek Valerjevics Kokov (Valerij Muhamedovics Kokov fia): 2018. szeptember 26-tól a köztársaság vezetőjének feladatait ideiglenesen ellátó megbízott.

Jegyzetek

Források
 A BBC adatlapja a köztársaságról
 A 2010. évi összoroszországi népszámlálás eredményei

Kapcsolódó szócikkek
 Kabard- és Balkarföld zászlaja

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Moodring is the third studio album by American singer Mya, released on June 26, 2003, by A&M and Interscope Records. Before Mya began to work on what would eventually be her third studio album, she participated in prior engagements which would result in the blockbuster success of 2001's "Lady Marmalade", a collaboration for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, and a supporting role in the 2002 film Chicago.

Production on Moodring was handled by a bevy of producers and songwriters. Mya enlisted the assistance of producers Ron Fair, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Rockwilder, Damon Elliott, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and a handful of others. With this album, Mya wrote "99.9%" of her own lyrics and co-produced many of the album's tracks. While recording the album, Mya funded her own studio time, and used several songs taken from her archive of music, recorded two years prior. Described by Mya as "[s]omewhat of a bi-polar album", Moodring contains elements of R&B, hip hop, techno, pop, and reggae.

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, with AllMusic praising Mya for coming up with her best and most varied set of songs yet. Moodring debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 113,000 copies, marking Mya's highest debut and first-week sales yet. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 589,000 copies in the United States. Moodring spawned two singles, "My Love Is Like...Wo" and "Fallen", with the former reaching the top 40 in several countries. To further promote the album, Mya embarked on the Moodring Tour. In August 2005, after five years with Interscope Records, Mya decided to part ways with the label and her management.

Background
Speaking about the gap between albums, and her transition from one Interscope-distributed imprint University Music to A&M Records, Mya told Billboard magazine, "this has been the biggest gap between projects. Not knowing when my album would come, working with someone like A&M Records president Ron Fair and the transition from moving from an independent label to Interscope sort of left us in limbo."

Development
Although Fear of Flying garnered critical and commercial success, Mya felt unfulfilled and unsatisfied musically and had developed a complex with her last album because it felt more like a concession than her own body of work to her. While speaking with Trace, Mya admitted Fear of Flying was a political war at Interscope Records between her former manager Haqq Islam and CEO Steve Stoute competing with each other. She expressed she was "tired of songs that didn't reveal her vocal capabilities." While acknowledging, that her radio singles were "cool", "nice" and "happy" but didn't really display any of her vocal talent. Mya also bluntly dismissed Fear of Flying as a whole, commenting, "I wouldn't even have bought my last album off of what I presented! In order to buy my last album, I would want more from Mya!"

Frustrated with label politics, she sought to take full control of her next studio effort. Mya named her next project Moodring because she felt there were many facets to this album' "ever changing moods, and ever changing colors". With Moodring, Mya's objective was to record an album that she could firmly stand by, and be proud of. Pushed by her newfound freedom, she was instrumental in all creative aspects on the album and credited as a co-writer, co-producer along with Ron Fair as well as served as executive producer. Of her contributions on Moodring, Harrison commented, "I found all my songs this time, with the exception of one or two. I didn't have a puppet master looking over my shoulder, telling me what to, and not do." Harrison further explained, "This time if I didn't write the song, then I produced it. With every song I was hands-on -- the structure of the track, bringing in musicians, and wanting it to sound the way I wanted it to sound."

Convinced that Moodring was her best work to date, she acknowledged she "fronted her own money for studio time, so she could do her own thing. This was the first time in her entire career that she could say that she could breathe." While noting, she took her time with Moodring because she wanted the music to be a representative of Mya.

Recording

In the beginning stages of her third studio album, Mya booked a lot of her own studio time and invested in equipment on her own. While on the road touring, she would record ideas on her tour bus or in her hotel room, singing to tracks from producers that she'd worked with before and people that she would just run into. Commenting on the process, she elaborated: "I began to write and book studio time. That's how I came up with a lot of lyrical and melodic ideas. However, they weren't fully produced." Impressed with the tracks Mya had worked on while on the road, A&M president Ron Fair offered to serve as the album's executive producer. "He'd bring in a lot of musicians or orchestras or bring a hip-hop track to another level", she said of his contributions. Mya reportedly recorded 60 songs for the album; as a result, only the 16 songs were used. Mya had hoped to work with Shaggy and Prodigy from Mobb Deep, however collaborations failed to materialize.

Tentatively titled Smoke & Mirrors, Moodring was initially characterized as a combination of G-funk, reggae and a little bit of pop rock. Prior to entering a recording studio, Mya had 20 songs already written, produced and mastered before she decided to start recording new material for the album. Admittedly, Mya hoped that the album would show her maturity as an artist. "I've grown up and gone through some things, so I'm expressing what I feel", she noted. Unlike her second album Fear of Flying (2000), which addressed somewhat superficial relationship issues, the singer envisioned her new material to be more real and personal, prompting her to pen her own lyrics for this album, according to Damon Elliott, who produced six songs on the disc. Elliott said Mya's lyrical development was not a shock tactic or an effort to keep up with her racy peers – it is more a sign of her own maturation and her interest in being honest and open. Concluding, "Mya can stand on her own", Elliott said. "Her album is gonna be off the chain. It's gonna be off the hook, man."

Music and composition
Previewed by Trace magazine, journalist Omar Dubois wrote, "thematically Moodring was more consistently optimistic than Fear of Flying which he declared was engulfed in adolescent cynicism. Viewed as Mya's most personal album, Moodring was about the person Mya was in 2003 with songs that ranges from emotional to erotic. Moodring opens with the Missy Elliott-produced "My Love Is Like...Wo", a "sexy, no holds-barred" song about a woman in control sexually and emotionally. It is followed by "Fallen", the titillating mid-tempo jeep-banger which cleverly interpolates the Pharcyde's "Runnin'." Next up, the hypnotic, drum and keyboard-driven, Timbaland-laced "Step". The album's fifth track, "Sophisticated Lady", previously known as "Cold Blooded", is a funk-baptized, palpitating bedding. On this record, Trace magazine described Mya as a spunky, seductive, femme-fatale. An ode to Prince and Rick James, Mya explained the concept behind the song, commenting, "I love that pretty s*$%, that pimp s*$%" "That's the s*$% that turns me on when I go to see a stage show. I love Rick like crazy, but Prince is the ultimate of that crazy, feminine, pretty man s*$%! I love it, it's drama! But it's still masculine, because it turns women on! And now, I just flipped it as a female."

The sultry, invitingly delivered "No Sleep Tonight" served as the album's sixth track. Ninth track, the pop soulish Marvin Gaye meets Neneh Cherry choon "Things Come & Go", featured dancehall rapper Sean Paul. A garage-driven number, "Whatever Bitch" was primarily inspired by a gay dance called wagging, and drag queens at the KitKatClub in Berlin. While previewing the album, Trace noted "Whatever Bitch" had all the potential of being a staple on the club scene stateside, and a contender for the prime position on the European club and pop charts. Unbeknownst to the public, an artist had offered Mya and her label a million dollars for the song. Track fifteen, the soothing, acoustic guitar-laden "Take a Picture" was co-written by former collaborator Pink. As with "Whatever Bitch", Trace noted "Take a Picture" had the potential to be a "towering cross-over smash".

Release and promotion

Initially, Mya's third studio album was scheduled for release in November or December 2002 with the album's first single expected to be out in September 2002; however, nothing ever materialized. Speaking with Billboard, Mya appointed the album's delay due to her transitioning within the Universal Music system from an independent label to A&M Records. After much delay, Interscope released Moodring on June 26, 2003, in Japan. A month later, Moodring arrived in stores on July 21, 2003, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. Subsequently, Moodring was released on September 8, 2003 in Germany. As strategic marketing, her label, Interscope coupled Moodring with limited-edition calendars. To kick off promotion for Moodring, Mya appeared and performed "Turn The Beat Around" on The Disco Ball. Taped in 2002, the ABC special aired on January 16, 2003.

In late 2002, The Coca-Cola Company signed Mya to star in their new advertising campaign. Joined by rapper Common, their spot featured the two singing an original song based on the 1960s jazz hook of Eddie Harris' "Compared to What". Interspersed are scenes of each singer casting an amused but skeptical eye on the trappings of celebrity. The 90-second commercial aired during the 30th American Music Awards on January 13, 2003. During a press conference, Dominic Sandifer, senior VP of strategic marketing for Interscope, Geffen, and A&M at Universal Music Group, explained the motion behind the ideal joint project for labels nowadays, noting the Coca-Cola's campaign starring Mya and Common. He commented, "the beverage company licensed the song 'Real Compared to What' for use in its spots, placed Mya and Common in the ad and ran the campaign to coincide with the July release of Mya's album Moodring which featured their version of 'Real Compared to What'. The campaign was worth more than $10 million in promotional TV and radio media for Moodring.

During the album's release week, Mya made guest appearances on Live! With Regis and Kelly, BET's 106 & Park, and NBC's Passions. The following month in August, Mya appeared on WB's Pepsi Smash. On September 13, 2003, Mya performed on the sketch comedy show Mad TV. In October 2003, Mya performed at Lifetime's fourth annual "Women Rock!" benefit concert. She performed her own rendition of Lena Horne's "Stormy Weather". She also performed at the GQ Men of the Year Awards. In November 2003, she was invited to perform at 77th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Additionally, in November as well, she was featured on MTV's hidden camera-practical joke show Punk'd. In December 2003 Mya made an appearance on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. Filmed in November, Mya performed on the CBS' fifth annual A Home for the Holidays special which aired in December as well.

Singles
Moodring spawned two singles, including lead single "My Love Is Like...Wo", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The single was a commercial success due to its success on mainstream radio and became Mya's fifth solo top-40 single. It was a moderate success internationally, charting within the top 40 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. The second and final single, "Fallen", peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 35 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Things Come & Go" featuring Sean Paul was initially planned as a single as well. Interscope had selected "Things Come & Go" as Moodrings second international single and commissioned a music video to be filmed in Miami. Interscope's intentions were to push "Things Come & Go" internationally since Sean Paul had achieved recent success, and was keen to make Mya a success in international territories as well. The plans were later scrapped.

Critical reception

Moodring received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 63, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". AllMusic editor Andy Kellman gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "with all the emotional and stylistic range that an album called Moodring should present Mya comes up with her best and most varied set of songs yet." He felt that while "the constant changes of direction can be a little jarring on the first couple plays, they eventually become one of the album's charms." Similarly, Lewis Dene of BBC Music declared the album her "most complete and accessible yet", noting that with Moodring "Mya's set to further remind listeners of her ability to shrewdly bridge the gap between pop/R&B and street-level hip hop."
Sasha Frere-Jones, writing for Slate, called Moodring the "most consistent R&B album of the year."

Tracy E. Hopkins, writing for Rolling Stone, called the album an "ambitious third disc" that "reintroduces the former good girl as a sex kitten – a transformation that began with the Grammy-winning 'Lady Marmalade'." She noted that "whatever her emotion, the eclectic Moodring effectively captures the evolving sensibilities of this rising star." In his review for USA Today, Steve Jones commenced that Mya "has matured nicely since her debut nearly five years ago. She shows no fear of flying off in new, creative directions." Vibe editor Dimitri Ehrlich noted that though Mya "doesn't add any real depth to her artistic sack, she captivates by revealing another stage in her development – as a woman." Entertainment Weekly writer Neil Drumming gave the album a B− rating, commenting that "at best, Moodring exhibits some minor genre dabbling, but truthfully, Mya's source material hasn't broadened much." In speaking of Mya's voice, he said: "Without a commanding voice to override such outdated overtures, Mya's efforts sound strikingly out of touch."

People found that "at times Moodring, with its trip-hop beats and sensual slow jams, is reminiscent of Aaliyah; other times the disc's pop-R&B sheen brings to mind a younger Janet Jackson. Like both of those singers, Mya has developed a feathery sexiness to go along with the natural sweetness of her soprano, which nevertheless wouldn't scare the competition on American Idol. Still, this is the stuff that real pop idols are made of." Blenders James Hunter felt that "Mya gets lost on Moodring. The album has no point of view, no way of joining the great Jam-Lewis moments with the crasser stuff. A lover of dance and Broadway who wants to communicate with teens as well as adults, she faces the tall order of making real mink connect with real asphalt, and being Halle Berry with a mic." Terry Sawyer from PopMatters wrote that "for the most part, Moodring sinks like a stone." Declaring the album mixed to her disadvantage, while declaring Mya's voice as "thin", she felt the album "is supposed to be sexy and yearning, but it doesn't rise to the sincerity of a soap opera." She continued by saying "without the vocal acrobatics, the slower numbers serve only to highlight the squeaky fringe of her voice."

Accolades
Moodring was featured on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop end of the year critics list.

Commercial performance
In the United States, Moodring debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and at number two on Billboards Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, selling 113,000 copies in its first week of release. It marked the highest-selling week of her career up to that point, as well as Mya's highest-peaking album yet on both charts. In its second week, Moodring sold additional 59,700 copies, while dropping to number nine on the Billboard 200. In total, it spent a total of 18 non-consecutive weeks on the chart and was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 25, 2003. As of August 2006, it had sold 589,000 copies in the United States.

Internationally, the album was less successful than her previous albums Mya (1998) and Fear of Flying (2000). While Moodring debuted and peaked at number 74 on the Australian Albums Chart, it failed to enter the top 75 of the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 197. It, however, debuted and peaked at number 25 on the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming Mya's highest-charting album there to date, and peaked at number 53 on the Japan Oricon Albums Chart.

Track listing

Notes
  signifies a co-producer
  signifies an additional producer
  signifies a vocal producer

Sample credits
 "Fallen" contains excerpts and elements from "Saudade Vem Correndo" (1962) as performed by Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfá.
 "Sophisticated Lady" contains replayed elements from "Cold Blooded" (1983) as performed by Rick James.
 "Things Come & Go" contains excerpts from "Aht Uh Mi Hed" (1974) as performed by Shuggie Otis.
 "After the Rain" contains excerpts and elements from "Let Me Make Love to You" (1973) as performed by Lamont Dozier.
 "Take a Picture" contains elements from "(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow" (1994) as performed by Tony! Toni! Toné!

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Moodring.

Performers and musicians

 Alex Al – bass guitar
 Romeo Antonio – guitar
 Kyle Armbrust – viola
 Ravi Best – trumpet
 Sandra Billingslea – violin
 Krystyana Chelminski – violin
 Eddie Cole & His Gang – bass, guitar
 Luis Conte – percussion
 James Czeiner – violin, horn
 Earl Flemming – keyboard
 Steve Ferrone – drums
 Eileen Folson – viola, cello
 Clark Gayton – trombone
 G.A. Grant – horn
 Gary Grant – horn
 Darryl Harper – keyboard
 O.J. Harper – keyboard
 Jerry Hey – horn
 Dan Higgins – horn
 Cecelia Hobbs Gardner – violin
 Jun Jensen – cello
 Natalie Leggett – violin, viola
 Jerry Ney – horn
 Joel Peskin – horn
 Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horn
 Kris Ricat – guitar, horn
 Maxine Roach – viola
 Derek Scott – guitar
 Carl "Butch" Small – percussion
 Michael Valerio – bass

Technical

 Mike Anzel – engineer
 Marc Baptiste – photography
 Patrice Bowie – vocal assistance
 Bruce Buechner – engineer
 Randy Bugnitz – engineer
 Sue Ann Carwell – vocal assistance
 Ian Cross – engineer
 Eric Dawkins – vocal assistance
 Jimmy Douglass – engineer
 Dylan Dresdow – engineer
 Laurie Evans – vocal assistance
 Ron Fair – vocal production
 Drew FitzGerald – art direction
 David Guerrero – engineer
 Mark Harrison – vocal production
 Tal Herzberg – engineer
 Troy Hightower – engineer
 Pete Karam – engineer
 Matt Marrin – engineering assistance
 Sheryl Nields – photography
 Dave Pensado – mixing engineer
 Eddy Schreyer – mastering engineer
 Brian Summerville – engineer
 Brian "B Luv" Thomas – engineer
 Ryan West – engineer
 Katrina Willis – vocal assistance
 Ethan Willoughby – mixing assistance
 Doug Wilson – engineer
 Frank Wolf – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Notes

References

2003 albums
A&M Records albums
Albums produced by DJ Clue?
Albums produced by James Poyser
Albums produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Albums produced by Missy Elliott
Albums produced by Questlove
Albums produced by Rockwilder
Albums produced by Ron Fair
Albums produced by Timbaland
Albums produced by Tricky Stewart
Interscope Records albums
Mýa albums


Electrical power is required in the oil field for a variety of purposes, from illumination to process heating to pumping of water and oil. Depending on the availability and reliability of local infrastructure, this power may be sourced from a grid, from "alternative" technologies like solar panels, from generator sets, or from a combination of the above.
During the last surge in oilfield development in the US, there were many areas where grid development could not keep pace with additions of new wells and small generator sets were used to provide for electrical needs on an interim bases until grid connections were available. In some of those instances the generator sets would be left on site to provide backup power after the grid was connected, and in other instances the generator sets were removed and used again at other sites. To what extent has the recent slowdown in oilfield activity given the grid time to expand and fill this need? When activity picks up will many wells still require off-grid power solutions? When would you use a generator set, and when would you use another power technology like solar panels?
When a particular site requires generator sets, one of the key factors determining whether natural gas or diesel-fueled units will be used is the expected duration for the generator sets' use on site. For sites where a generator set will be operating continuously for months or more, gas generator sets are preferred due to their lower long-term operating (fuel) costs, whereas for short term needs diesel generator sets have advantage due to their portability and ease of installation. In either case the generator sets can be purchased or rented, but rentals tend to be used in shorter-duration applications while purchased units are used for longer stays. In the US, the impending end of OEM Flex programs for Tier 4 will mean additional challenges for diesel generator sets - their cost will go up and they will require DEF (diesel emissions fluid) to meet emissions which can have logistics implications for remote sites. Gas generator sets on the other hand require installation of an appropriate fuel supply, which may not be feasible for shorter duration needs. What percentage of your generator set needs will be filled by diesel and what percent by gas?
For several years the "rental" and "purchased" markets for generator sets in oil and gas applications in the US were approximately the same size. Since late 2014 however, owing perhaps to a lack of available capital, rental volume has surged and purchases have dropped. When oil prices increase and US drilling and exploration resume, will the market revert to the historical averages (even split), or will rental continue to dominate? My expectation is that to reduce operating costs, most companies with long-term generator set needs will once again purchase them and the rental market will largely service the short-term needs. Is this consistent with your view?
When a particular site requires generator sets, one of the key factors determining whether natural gas or diesel-fueled units will be used is the expected duration for the generator sets' use on site.
Caterpillar is a leading supplier of power generation systems for the oilfield, and likes to be in touch with our customers' needs. We are constantly searching for trends and evaluating the need for new products in the marketplace. If you are involved in the selection of oilfield power generation equipment, generator sets or otherwise, I'm interested in hearing from you about the factors that are driving your choices today and where you see the market going in the future. Connect with me directly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-fox-7aaa7b6.


text:
Carrie Answers Your Questions
by Carrie Cheadle | Oct 8, 2020 | The Injured Athletes Club Podcast
We—Carrie and Cindy—also operate a Facebook group that's also called The Injured Athletes Club. It's a thriving, positive community of other people who just plain get it. This week, in our final episode of season 3, we asked members for their questions about the psychological and emotional aspects of the journey. Here, Carrie responds to concerns about fears, doubts, and understanding what makes you tick, among other things.
Cyclist and Heart Transplant Recipient Mike Cohen: An Incredible Journey
by Carrie Cheadle | Sep 24, 2020 | The Injured Athletes Club Podcast
From cancer to health. Back to the hospital with a heart attack—and home with a new heart. And finally, across the country on a bike, twice. Mike Cohen's life has taken him to places he never could have imagined. In this week's episode, the San Diego-based athlete—who calls himself a professional cyclist riding for a cause—takes us through some of the highs and lows of his travels.
Runner, Coach, and Author Anji Andrews: Facing the Challenge
On most days, British runner Anji Andrews lives the athlete's dream, working in the running industry in several capacities. But this summer, a foot injury that had begun to develop earlier this year worsened just as the country locked down due to the pandemic. Anji found the constant reminders of what she couldn't do difficult to bear. In this week's episode, she talks openly and honestly about the raw emotions of this combination, and how underfueling and overtraining played a role.
Paralympic Medalist Lex Gillette: For Every Vision, a Revision
by Carrie Cheadle | Aug 27, 2020 | The Injured Athletes Club Podcast
Lex Gillette—a world record holder and national champion in the long jump—has had to navigate change before. At age 8, doctors diagnosed him with detached retinas, and couldn't save his sight despite multiple surgeries. Though the transition wasn't easy, Lex credits his support system—and the confidence they inspired in him—with getting him through. The same ability to adapt to change has also powered him through injuries and other setbacks.
Cindy and Carrie Travel Through Time
Your physical being occupies space in the present moment. But often, our thoughts are a million miles away, fretting over the past or fearful of the future: Will I ever run again? What if I hadn't gone on that last ride or collided with that other player? These thoughts can hook us, leaving us unable to move on. We describe how to catch yourself taking these less-than-productive trips. From there, you can recenter your mind, adapt to the existing reality, and act to create a better future.
Olympian Mechelle Lewis Freeman: Finding the Opportunity
by Carrie Cheadle | Jul 23, 2020 | The Injured Athletes Club Podcast
Mechelle Lewis Freeman had put everything on the line to achieve her Olympic dream. She'd walked away from a successful career in advertising, moved to a full-time training facility, and calculated everything from the grams of protein she ingested to the positive mantras running through her head. Injury threatened to derail her, but because she'd invested in training her body and also her mind, Mechelle was able to see opportunity in the obstacle—a mindset she maintains as a coach and non-profit leade
Trans Athlete, Coach, and Activist Chris Mosier: Claiming Your Legacy
by Carrie Cheadle | Jul 9, 2020 | The Injured Athletes Club Podcast
Chris Mosier has made history before, as the first transgender athlete to represent the United States in international competition, appear in the ESPN Body Issue, and be sponsored by Nike. In January, he once again blazed a trail at the Olympic Trials for the 50K racewalk, becoming the first transgender athlete to qualify and compete in the Trials in the gender with which they identify. However, injury nearly robbed him of the chance to make it to the starting line. Chris shares more on this episode.
Paralympic Gold Medalist Alana Nichols: Embracing New Identities
by Carrie Cheadle | Jun 25, 2020 | The Injured Athletes Club Podcast
Basketball, ski racing, sprint kayaking, surfing—Alana Nichols' athletic career has brought her to the highest levels of a wide range of sports. Still, she tells us on this week's show, as a Paralympian she often struggled to get the same care for her injuries as her able-bodied peers. Alana's advocacy has carried over into her newer roles as president of the Women's Sports Foundation and mother of baby Gunnar,
Soccer Coach and Mental Skills Consultant Amanda Ferranti: The Courage to Care
The second time Amanda Ferranti tore her ACL, she had a feeling her soccer career was over. Even as she coped with the challenges of recovery and retirement, she was working on another project: a system to help other injured athletes manage their emotions and thrive through, and beyond, their rehab process. In this episode, Amanda—now a soccer coach and certified mental performance consultant at Ferranti Empowerment—outlines the process by which she journaled and planned her way to a successful future.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"If You Liked…" is a new series where I'll take recently released or upcoming movies, games, or TV shows and make some comic book recommendations.
Earlier today, I had the chance to see Marvel's latest superhero flick, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It astounded me how thematically different it was from its predecessor. The first film, The First Avengers, was for all intents and purposes, a pulp action World War II period piece, similar to The Rocketeer (no surprise, given that they share the same director, Joe Johnstone). Winter Soldier, however, has more in common with more recent espionage thrillers such as the rebooted James Bond series or the Jason Bourne movies. There's a great deal of modern action, smoke and mirrors spy action, and how a time-displaced Captain America fits in a modern setting.
Ordinarily, the "If You Liked…" series would include a number of recommendations, ranging from different creative teams. In this case, however, the movie takes very clear inspiration from one source: Ed Brubaker's run on the title.
A strong word of warning: while many of the stories were widely publicized, there are some major events that I'll be spoiling and discussing. This will not only include some spoilers from The Winter Soldier film, but it is very likely these major events will be adapted and/or mirrored in future Captain America films.
Ed Brubaker's run with the character began in 2004, with a relaunched Captain America #1. Joined primarily by artist Steve Epting, Brubaker focused Captain America's adventures on working closely with SHIELD and doing espionage missions. This hearkened back to Jim Steranko's run on the title in the late 70s, who Brubaker has openly named as an influence. Brubaker's Cap is not only a man out of time, but a man who lives in his work. Aside from some close allies, he lives a life in isolation, focused primarily on the job.
For those that have seen The Winter Soldier, you would know that the movie very heavily mirrors this. Steve says to Black Widow early in the movie that he has no time to date because he's "too busy." In the comic, however, Steve does have time for one woman: Agent Sharon Carter (who appears in the movie). They work close together and at this point, are on again in their on-again/off-again relationship in the comics.
The action is plenty in the comic and Steve Epting's fantastic, detailed sequences never fail to amaze. In fact, nearly all action sequences have little to no dialogue, giving Epting full breathing room to tell the story, which he does with flair. The moment-by-moment panelling is like something straight out of a movie itself.
There are three major events that Ed Brubaker's run is famous for, all of which worked up fandom into quite a frenzy.
First, he brought James "Bucky" Barnes back to life. Bucky had been dead since 1964, when an unfrozen Captain America told The Avengers of Bucky's fate. For years, fans said that death is not permanent in comics…except for Bucky and (Spider-Man's) Uncle Ben. Well, the former was no longer true, as Bucky was back as a brainwashed expert assassin, The Winter Soldier. Ordinarily, making a huge change in comics after 40 years would have many fans demanding the head of Ed Brubaker. Fortunately, there were some fantastic, intense character moments as Steve struggled with not only the realization that Bucky was alive, but how to stop him, and most importantly, free his old friend's mind. The Winter Soldier himself soon became a fan favourite, with most of fandom embracing Bucky's return with open arms, demanding he never go away.
Well, they got their wish, but not in the way they expected. Brubaker's run is most famous for Captain America #25 (April 2007), titled "The Death of Captain America." It's arguably the absolute highpoint of the excellent run, as an arrested Steve Rogers (fallout from Marvel's crossover, Civil War) is brutally shot down on the court steps.
Death, as I mentioned above, is rarely permanent in comics and this was no truer here. While there was some outrage from fans, most knew that Steve Rogers would eventually be brought back to life (certainly in time for his new film coming in 2012). And yet, even with its titular character dead and buried, the comic continued on without him. Characters reeled from the ramifications while the Red Skull moved closer and closer to his ultimate plan. Most readers had a good idea of where the series was moving, especially given that The Winter Soldier – long free from hypnotic control – had essentially taken the role of the series main character.
Personally, I loved Bucky as Cap.
And so, the third major event in Brubaker's series was born: the long-dead and now returned Bucky Barnes became the new Captain America. Complete with a sleek new look and a sidearm, he was a different Captain America. Without a super soldier serum, he struggled with the role more than Rogers did, often needing the help of his allies more than Rogers. He was unquestionably his own man, though, and made the mantle his own in many ways.
Of course, Steve Rogers did eventually return, during the obviously named mini-series, Captain America: Reborn. It would take far too long to explain all the ins and outs of how he returned, but needless to say, he did. However, he actually allowed Bucky to continue on as Captain America while Steve became the new head of SHIELD, wearing an outfit awfully similar to his new outfit in The Winter Soldier film.
Of course, Steve eventually return to wielding the shield, complete with another rebooted series, again written by Brubaker and this time with artist Steve McNiven. The Winter Soldier is also still around, including his own solo series that was also written by Ed Brubaker. In retrospect, it's surprising how long Marvel and Brubaker were able to keep Steve Rogers not only dead (three years), but then out of costume. It goes to show just how well-received Bucky was as Captain America. It was never a matter of if Steve would return to the shield, but when.
Given that actor Sebastian Stan – who plays the role of Bucky Barnes and The Winter Soldier – has signed on for a whopping NINE Marvel films, it's very likely that at some point, he will carry the shield and wear the Captain America mantle. How and when that transpires, though, is anyone's guess.
To be perfectly honest, the absolute best of the bunch is found during the first 50-some issues of Brubaker's run, culminating in Reborn. It's not that the rest is bad. Far from it. It's just that after that wild, consistent ride, I find the rest of Brubaker's run kind of fizzles out. The rest still hits more than it misses, but it doesn't have that same gravitas that this 50-some issue run had. There was less mystery, as well, which was another big driving point behind the first 50 issues. It's still incredibly impressive for one writer to work on one character for eight years. His love for the character and mythos shine through. Arguably, he made Captain America more interesting and relevant than he's been in a long time.
That said, Brubaker's is one of my favourite writers, so I find any of his work to be fantastic. If you wind up picking up his run on Cap, I also highly recommend his creator owned books like Sleeper, Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, and most recently, Velvet. I should note that Velvet reunites Brubaker with his Captain America artist Steve Epting and the series has been strongly compared to their run. It's got a lot of the same high octane action, espionage, and intrigue. You're doing yourself a disservice by not reading it.
If I were to recommend a great series with a solid, satisfying conclusion, I would suggest reading those first 50 issues and Reborn. Throughout the run, it's endless spy games and superhero espionage complete with insane villains, action, and flying cars out the wazoo.
If you're interested, you can find a complete reading list of Ed Brubaker's run with the character here. While they're long out of print and likely impossible to find now, I love having the three huge Captain America omnibuses sitting on my shelf. However, Marvel has been good with keeping the softcovers of the rest in print, including a Winter Soldier omnibus that collects the first 12 issues of the series, as well as the massive Death of Captain America omnibus. I'm hoping someday in the future, Marvel will do a series of omnibuses like they have with the X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, Spider-Man's Clone Saga, and both Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker's runs on Daredevil.
This entry was posted in Comic Books and tagged captain america, ed brubaker, if you liked, marvel comics, steve epting. Bookmark the permalink.


I created this list of pizza toppings to celebrate Mediterranean vegetables, using for each pizza a typical regional cheese to enhances each produce and its flavour. To make pizza I use the traditional Italian Pizza dough recipe.
Pizza is a fun dish to write about, originated from Naples, it has travelled the world with the Italian emigrants. Everybody love pizza, besides my Uncle Nicola who must be the only one in the entire universe.
Each country has created its own version and chefs around the world have experimented new toppings using local flavour and preferences. There are so many pizza's versions around the world, some completely different from the one originated in Naples.
So Pizza has now become a source of lively discussions on social media: what should and shouldn't be a pizza topping. But while very few people take the debate seriously, most of the time those discussions are exchanges of some funny jokes and images.
Of course, I will always defend the original Italian pizza and if any of you eat pizza with pineapple please let me know……..
…..and I will pray for your soul!
In the meantime, I will show you a list of typical Italian Pizzas with vegetables, and I hope you will soon convert.
Because even if I like meat, I prefer to eat cheese and vegetable pizzas especially in the evening as they are easier to digest ( I know, Italian always talk about digesting).
So I will start with some few examples, but I will add more once the vegetables are in season or if I came across a cheese that is worth melting on pizza.
I make this pizza often as it is easy to make and the ingredients are easy to find. It is a regular pizza Margherita in which I add fresh portobello mushrooms and some basil leaves.
As you can see I don't add too many mushrooms as they tend to release water when cooking and I don't like a soggy pizza. I use regular mozzarella cheese as its sweet flavour well combines with the earthy mushrooms.
This is also a very simple pizza with fresh tomatoes instead of tomatoes sauce.
Pizzas without tomatoes sauce are called White pizza in Italian Pizza Bianca and it is usually made with fresh vegetables whose taste can be overpowered by a tomato sauce.
You can make this pizza with cherry tomatoes, but use enough so that the pizza will be nicely moist.
Add some fresh extra viring olive oil at the end and it becomes a melted Caprese. Do not even think of adding Balsamic Vinegar, I am not sure who had this idea of adding it over the Caprese.
Definitely no one in Capri!
If I go out for Pizza I would always order Pizza with aubergines. I prefer grilled aubergines, but some pizzeria use fried ones.
I always add some fresh Parmesan at the end, a winner.
This Pizza is another favourite. Every time I go to Italy I stock up on Stracchino and fresh basil to make the pesto.
This is my list for the moment and more ideas will come later.
Bread Machine Kenwood BM450 and this is my affiliate link, it is very convenient and it always comes out perfect.
If you don't have the bread machine, see post: How to make the Pizza dough without a bread machine.
Pour the ingredients into the machine and set the program for fresh dough, number 13 on the Kenwood. NB: when using the bread machine the ingredients should be placed in the exact order as listed above, liquids first.
For best result, let the dough rest in the fridge overnight, well floured and wrapped in a plastic bag, otherwise, it will crawl all over the fridge.
Once the dough is ready, cut it into 3 equal sizes and lay them down on a well-floured baking sheet.
When the dough is rolled flat, it needs to rest for at least 10 minutes before it rises. In the meantime, put the pizza stone in the cold oven and set the oven at 220 C.
Once the oven reaches the temperature of 220C, take the pizza stone out of the oven and lay the dough on top.
These pizzas look so delicious! I cannot decide which one I would like to try first! Although, I totally love the pesto pizza! Wonderful post! Thanks, Laura!
I could easily have these all at once. I love pizza so much. I really like these toppings idea and will definitely try them. Thank you for sharing Laura.
I'll take a slice of each pizza, Laura! They all look delicious! I may have to wrap a few up for later consumption though!
I am a huge fan of pizza – I could eat it every day and never get tired. While I do love one piled high with meats, it's these simple vegetable and cheese pizzas that I turn to time and time again!
This is a great round up of pizza. I think in the UK that we think of pizza as tomato sauce, meat, a tiny spatter of veg and loads of mozzarella! I'm getting a pizza education Laura!


t(14;18)(q32;q21) with additional cytogenetic abnormalities in a hepatic MALT lymphoma. FISH demonstrated an IGH-MALT1 rearrangement.
Disease t(14;18)/IGH-MALT1 was detected in MALT lymphoma first. The frequencies at which the translocation occurs vary markedly with the primary site of the disease. IGH-MALT1 rearrangements were described also in other B-NHLs such as DLBCL (Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma).
Cytogenetics Morphological The t(14;18)/IGH-MALT1 is cytogenetically indistinguishable from the t(14;18)/IGH-BCL2. FISH with gene specific probes is suitable to distinguish between these two different rearrangements.
Protein Stimulation of either the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) or B cell antigen receptor leads to stimulation of protein kinase C isoforms that phosphorylate the scaffolding protein CARMA1, which subsequently recruits both Bcl-10 and MALT1 to form what is now referred to as the CARMA1-Bcl-10-MALT1 (CBM) 'signalosome'. Once the CBM signalosome is assembled, MALT1 functions as the 'effector' protein and mediates activation of the IKK complex, a multi subunit kinase that phosphorylates the Ikappa B proteins, which bind to and sequester the transcription factor NF-kappaB in the cytoplasm. Phosphorylation and subsequent degradation of Ikappa B leads to the release of NF-kappaB, which then translocates to the nucleus and regulates the transcription of 'target' genes involved in the immune response to foreign antigens.
Note Breakpoints upstream the coding exons of MALT1 resulting in an in-frame deregulation of MALT1.
Molecular pathogenesis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.
MALT lymphoma: from morphology to molecules.
MALT1 is deregulated by both chromosomal translocation and amplification in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Sanchez-Izquierdo D,Buchonnet G, Siebert R, Gascoyne RD, Climent J, Karran L, Marin M, Blesa D, Horsman D, Rosenwald A, et al.
Variable frequencies of MALT lymphoma-associated genetic aberrations in MALT lymphomas of different sites.
Streubel B, Simonitsch-Klupp I, Müllauer L, Lamprecht A, Huber D, Siebert R, Stolte M, Trautinger F, Lukas J, Puspok A, Formanek M, Assanasen T, Muller-Hermelink HK, Cerroni L, Raderer M, Chott A.
Uren AG, O'Rourke K, Aravind LA, Pisabarro MT, Seshagiri S, Koonin EV, Dixit VM.
Mol Cell 2000; 6: 961-967.
Atlas Genet Cytogenet Oncol Haematol. 2009;13(3):232-233.


Description: The Ohio Digital Resource Commons (DRC) may be searched by keyword or browsed by the following communities : Art & Architecture, Educational and Instructional Videos, Government Documents, History & Archives, and Science. The DRC member sites include Wright State University, Bowling Green State University, The Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives, Knowledge Bank (Ohio State University), Youngstown State University, Oberlin Digital Commons, Scholarly Commons at Miami University, and University of Cincinnati.
Description: Digital Video Collection contains full-length educational videos covering a wide variety of subjects. The collection currently includes videos from two distributors, Ambrose Video and Films for the Humanities & Sciences.


In the first weekend Mr Jump became available, more than 5 million people downloaded the game to see if they could make it past the first level.
Mr Jump, like the viral hit Flappy Bird last year, had managed to strike the sweet spot between difficult and addicting, and the charming platform game featuring polygon-based artwork reached 10 million downloads by the two-week mark.
The concept of Mr Jump was simple: Tap on the screen to cause Mr Jump to jump over the spikes and water, and survive long enough to make it to the end of each of the 12 levels.
"The reactions were similar to Flappy Bird — 'This is impossible, I can't beat level one' — and that makes people download the app," Thomas Castel, one of the three developers behind Mr Jump, told Business Insider.
"There was a lot of virality to the game, a lot of sharing on Twitter on Facebook and other social networks, so Mr Jump just rocketed to the top of the charts and it was top free app in the U.S. for more than a week which was great."
Castel and the two other developers behind the game, Jérémie Francone and Alexandre Konieczny, started making apps together in 2010 after graduating from the same engineering school. Mr Jump was their second big hit.
Their first big hit, Mr Flap, was a Flappy Bird clone.
"Last year, we had our first really big success, Mr Flap, during the Flappy Bird craze," Castel said. "We wanted to make a Flappy Bird clone, our take on the concept, and it did really great and after that we made more puzzle games. The most successful was Bicolor, a simple puzzle game based on two colors, which was promoted by Apple."
Mr Flap (left) and Bicolor (right).
The success of Mr Flap and Bicolor ensured that the three friends could continue making apps full time, which wasn't always the case. While the three had been creating utility and social networking apps on the side since 2010, their first app only made them $18, and they didn't have enough money to start their company 1Button until three years later in 2013.
Castel, who worked at telecommunications company developing video-on-demand apps, was the first to quit his job in 2012, followed by his childhood friend Jérémie Francone, who dropped out of his PHD program in computer science after three years of study and creating glasses-free 3D display for the iPad. Alexandre Konieczny, who met Castel and Francone at engineering school, was the last to join the team full-time in 2014 after quiting his job developing software for the Airbus A350.
"We started by making puzzle games because it's simple and we loved them on game consoles, so we thought it was a good place to start because it is easy to do and doesn't require years of development," Francone said.
Fast iteration quickly became a core theme for the 1Button team, who could now afford to purchase a small office in the French Alps — complete with a TV and every Nintendo game console to serve as inspiration and a way to wind down at the end of the day.
"We mostly make small apps that take less than two or three months to develop, and we don't try to force the success of an app," Castel told Busines Insider. "If an app doesn't work and doesn't gain users or make money, we just give up and start a new app."
One of these experiments later evolved into Mr Jump, which originally started out as an endless runner-style game with one endless level.
Mr Jump in its early stage of development.
"In November last year, we had an epiphany, we realized we should make finite levels instead of an endless runner," Castel said. "After that, we had the idea for the graphics, these kind of isometric graphics that Mr Jump has, and everything was perfect so we started to really develop the game and make the levels."
The rest is history, and the Mr Jump team is already busy putting the finishing touches on a big update to Mr Jump that will double the size of the game, adding an additional 12 levels and a new power — the jetpack.
To allow players who haven't beaten all of Mr Jump's original 12 levels a chance to play the new expansion, 1Button is dividing things into two sections: World A, with the original 12 levels, and World B, with 12 new levels and the jetpack.
The update is launching April 30th, but 1Button has shared a preview of the expansion with Business Insider, which you can see below.
The new Mr Jump title screen.
Looking to the future, Castel says 1Button will set to work on a new game after the Mr Jump update goes live.
"We are going to continue making new games, and I can tell you that our next game will be a puzzle game — so we won't stop, it's really what we love."
You can download Mr Jump for free over at the App Store.


text:
Public Safety and Protection Sub-Committee B
This page lists the meetings for Public Safety and Protection Sub-Committee B.
More information about Public Safety and Protection Sub-Committee B
Show meetings for the year: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
21 Mar 2023 10.00 am
24 Jan 2023 10.00 am


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Crowded Race in CD-8 for Independent Anthony Adams
by Bob Morris, published Jun 5, 2012
Anthony Adams is the sole independent in the primary for the newly drawn 8th U.S. Congressional District of California. It spreads from Mono Lake in the north to below San Bernardino in the south. There are thirteen candidates - ten Republicans, two Democrats, and Adams, a former Republican who served in the State Assembly from 2006-2010. He survived a bruising recall attempt in 2009 after he voted with Democrats to raise taxes and break the budget deadlock and is rather understandably is an independent.
"I believe the citizens of this District are fed up with the partisan bickering that has deadlocked Congress...Democratic and Republican extremists are putting their party ahead of our country," says Adams. "I believe there is a better way."
The 8th Congressional District is 42% registered Republicans, 33% Democrats, and 19% with no party preference. This would normally to give Republicans an edge except there are so many of them running. Underestimating the strategic realities of an open primary, the Republican vote could easily be splintered in the district. Three Republicans claim to be Tea Party and could further fracture the vote. In fact, the Republican field is so full, and so quarrelsome, that the party could not decide who to endorse and thus has endorsed no one.
"You know that cartoon where there is the big dust cloud, and all you see is arms and feet? It's like that," said UC Riverside political scientist Shaun Bowler.
The district has considerable mountains and deserts. People who live in such areas often tend to believe that small government is better and that the federal government can be overly intrusive.
"Out here, everyone has a gun, a dog and a pickup. Even the Democrats," says Democratic candidate John Pinkerton.
Republican candidate Don Imus is a co-founder of the border patrol Minutemen group and another Republican, Phil Liberatore, is an anti-tax crusader. San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt and Assemblyman Paul Cook from Yucca Valley are also running as Republicans.
The race comes down to independent Anthony Adams vs. five or six Republicans. The Democrats don't appear to be mounting much of a race making it certainly possible former Republican Anthony Adams running as an independent will advance and face a Republican in November.
Editor's Note: Stay with IVN throughout the day for updates and election analysis.
Bob Morris
Bob has been blogging since 2003 at Politics in the Zeros on progressive politics, populism the economy, renewable energy, and cleantech. He helped organize numerous antiwar protests from 2004-2007, some of which were massive. He was Co-coordinator of the Green Party of Los Angeles County Council from 2002-2004. His politics tend towards left-wing populism and is especially interested in issues that transcend party lines and bring people together. He and his wife live in Silicon Valley.


text:
from __future__ import with_statement

import unittest

import IECore

import Gaffer
import GafferTest

class ContextVariablesTest( GafferTest.TestCase ) :

	def test( self ) :

		n = GafferTest.StringInOutNode()
		self.assertHashesValid( n )

		c = Gaffer.ContextVariablesComputeNode()
		c["in"] = Gaffer.StringPlug()
		c["out"] = Gaffer.StringPlug( direction = Gaffer.Plug.Direction.Out )
		c["in"].setInput( n["out"] )

		n["in"].setValue( "$a" )
		self.assertEqual( c["out"].getValue(), "" )

		c["variables"].addMember( "a", IECore.StringData( "A" ) )
		self.assertEqual( c["out"].getValue(), "A" )

if __name__ == "__main__":
	unittest.main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub