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I & U
WRITE UP'S
INNOVATIVE & UNIQUE
DO IT FOR THE LOVE
"The inspiration for 'Do it for the Love' Album came as we were coming out of Lock-down" James said. "Many of us began to see what our real priorities were" he continued.
This eleven track album is described as 'a fusion mix of just good energy'. "I explored areas of creativity I initially wanted to hide from the world, I also made bold statements, confronted, affirmed and just explored every emotion I was going through at the time." James said
The Track List
"If I were to pick four favorite tracks on the album, they'd be 'Not Afraid', 'You', 'Someone Like You' and "Use my Voice'," James Said, "That said, I think all the songs are great but, I felt these four differently when I was recording them" he continued.
James started recording the album early 2022 but decided on the final song selection December the same year.
DESCRIBING EACH SONG WITH ONE WORD
"If I were to describe each song with one word, it'll be
Introduction - Lyrical
Do it for the Love - Honest
You - Smooth
Love will Never Rush You - Reflective
Ready for This - Genius
Someone Like You - Different
Excuse Me - Sassy
Not Afraid - Bold
Use My Voice - Realization
You Didn't Realize - Forgiveness
Outro - Afro"
It takes a lot of time and work to put an album
together, I really hope everyone that listens take in
every lyric, and also support in anyway they can by sharing. And if you haven't already seen the music video for the Album's first single and title track, here it is!
How do you listen to music?
Thanks for answering the question
DO IT FOR THE LOVE album is out on the 1st of September, we'd like to know how you listen to music below, please take a few seconds and tell us
www.iambrjames.co.uk
© 2022 by UStars


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Our Lamb Nuggets is made with 100% all natural lamb lungs which are sourced from and produced in New Zealand. They are cleaned and roasted to enhance their natural taste.
Lamb Lungs are naturally soft in texture making it a suitable treat for puppies and dogs. Regular chewing also helps promote your pets's dental health!


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They create worlds: Outer Wilds
October 23, 2019 October 23, 2019 Matt2 Comments
One of the things that video games can do magnificently is create worlds. These posts are an occasional exploration of games that I love because of where they take me.
One of the biggest differences between computer games when I first started playing them, back in the 1980s, and modern computer games is scope. Open worlds of the kind that we're used to nowadays didn't exist on the 8-bit and 16-bit computers of yore, but these days it's not rare for a game to feature a world many square kilometres in size. In 2001, Grand Theft Auto III let us rampage in a Liberty City that measured 9 km2 in real-world terms; Grand Theft Auto V, which came out in 2013, covered an area of 127 km2. Things get even more insane with the possibilities of procedural generation, so that we got a 1:1 scale simulation of the Milky Way galaxy in Elite Dangerous (released in 2015). As game worlds get bigger and bigger, though, it becomes increasingly difficult to fill them with meaningful content, and arguably Elite's in-game universe is several light years wide and a nanometre deep. Which is one of the reasons why the toy-box solar system of Outer Wilds is so engaging.
Games, They create worlds, Videoapollo, elite dangerous, grand theft auto, groundhog day, gta, le petit prince, liberty city, los santos, mobius digital, outer wilds, the little prince, They create worlds
The Rear-View Mirror: GTA V (2013)
August 3, 2018 September 26, 2019 MattLeave a comment
Each Friday we travel back in time, one year at a time, for a look at some of the cultural goodies that may appear closer than they really are in The Rear-View Mirror. Join us on our weekly journey into the past!
If I ever were to write a GTA-themed memoir of a gamer, it'd have to be titled Driving in Cars with Criminals.
Games, The Rear-View Mirror, Videogrand theft auto, gta v, los santos, michael mann, pam grier, quentin tarantino, san andreas
They create worlds: Grand Theft Auto
August 16, 2015 July 13, 2016 Matt1 Comment
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series has received a lot of flak, from all sides of the political and ideological spectrum. They aspire to being The Great American Satire, and sometimes they achieve moments of wit and insight, but while they're great games, all too often as cultural critique they resort to lazy, crass caricature that says little more than, "America, huh?"
Games, Movies, They create worldsGames, grand theft auto, gta, los santos, rockstar games, They create worlds
January 20, 2014 MattLeave a comment
Let's get it out of the way: GTA V may just be the best Grand Theft Auto game. It may also be the most disappointing – and it is probably one of the dumbest games in the series. Credit where credit's due: Rockstar Games do one thing amazingly well, better than anyone else out there, and that's creating living, breathing worlds. Their obituary to the Old West, Red Dead Redemption, is one of my favourite virtual worlds bar none, the sort of place that I enjoy inhabiting and navigating, even without following the story or sidequests. Just being in the world covers so much of what I look for in games.
Red Dead Redemption also works in one key way that GTA V flubs, and that's the character writing: yes, there are the joke characters, the broad caricatures of two-faced hypocrites, but Rockstar's western knew when to take its cast seriously. It didn't work all the time or with every single character, but by and large the dramatis personae of what could perhaps be called Grand Theft Horse carried the weight of its narrative. I understand that Rockstar might not want to write tragedies all the time – something that Red Dead Redemption ended up being quite effectively – but when it comes to humour the company's writers tend towards the lazy, obvious joke… and then they flog it until way past its expiration.
I admit, there were moments in GTA V where I laughed out loud, and there were others where I sniggered. There are storylines in the game that work due to a combination of fine voice work and their sheer absurdity, but for each of these storylines there's a character whose venality and stupidity is so drawn out, so overplayed it's cringeworthy. What's worse, perhaps, is that these characters are essentially all variations on the same theme: people who are smug and think they're the best thing since sliced bread, yet they are essentially hollow. Which is fine until you realise that GTA V is 90% populated with such characters – and no, this does not strike me as a convincing parody of Southern California, and it's most definitely not an interesting parody – and that the writing itself exhibits the same smugness. By comparison, Rockstar's previous foray into Los Santos and surroundings in 2004's GTA San Andreas (it's already been ten years? now I definitely feel old) also had the broad jokes and the caricatures, but it brought together a band of mismatched characters that genuinely felt like family by the end of the game. By comparison, I don't miss any of GTA V's cast of misfits and murderers, since with so many of them it's clear that the punchline will always precedence over the character. There are exceptions: moments that show genuine wit and complexity, and jokes that don't rely on the nth variation on the theme of "Haha, aren't Californians/Americans/people stupid, vapid and easily fooled?", but compared to Red Dead Redemption it all feels too much like a middling sitcom writer had watched The Sopranos and decided that they could pull this off.
Much was made of the lack of female protagonist in the game, especially since GTA V's main innovation is that there's not just one but three playable characters. Seeing how limited Rockstar's palette is in their latest, I have to say I'm glad they didn't try to write their first female protagonist in this one. In fact, my main recommendation to the company would be this: they've pretty much perfected the creation of living, breathing worlds and mechanisms to enjoy being in that world. They have great artists, they choose fantastic music to add another dimension to their worlds, and they have ideas. What they should do is bring in new writing talent that doesn't just do what they already do. They should get writers whose skills can shake up the by now rather stale mix of HBO Lite (imagine the worst moment in the weakest episode of The Sopranos) and Southpark-style loud parody. They don't need to go for Greek tragedy or the Dickensian sweep of The Wire – but they should stop telling what is essentially the same joke. In brief, whatever they do next, I'd rather not think that it's an improvement on their track record to date in every respect other than the writing. If that's the case, I might just stay in GTA Online, because when the lines are provided by other players I don't expect the writing to be good.
P.S.: For the record, GTA V's most maligned character, Trevor, is actually the most interesting at times. Yes, much of the writing is lazy and repetitive, but there are moments when his lines display a self-awareness that, while not particularly deep, does stand out compared to his usual lazy "Ooh, isn't this edgy, offensive and craaaaaazy?!" shtik, the aftermath of the infamous playable torture scene (ah, to be a gamer in 2013…) being a case in point.
Games, PS3 gaming, The Sopranos, Videogta v, hbo lite, los santos, rockstar games

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Was a Large Disc-Shaped UFO Spotted in Malaysia?
Video of a supposed UFO sighting in Malaysia in 2016 was actually taken from a CGI creation posted to YouTube in 2007.
Bethania Palma
Image Via Youtube Screen Capture
A massive disc-shaped UFO was spotted in Malaysia.
In early September 2016, conspiracy theory and tabloid web sites began posting stories that a large disc-shaped UFO had been seen flying close to the ground in Malaysia, picking up the tale in credulous fashion:
The spooky shots seem to show the object gliding just above the earth before zipping away.
Seconds later, it turns on its axis and sails back for a second look – much to the amazement of gob-smacked villagers.
You can see why they were so spooked as there's bright white light streaming out of the flying saucer.
There's also a weird noise coming out of the UFO that sounds like a low car engine (or maybe an alien?).
The video was apparently circulated in Malaysia and created a stir among residents of Kuala Krai, the town where the object was supposedly caught on tape. But Bernama, the country's national news agency, reported that police had no reports of any such sighting.
The video was apparently shared in September 2016 with the intent of making it appear as though the sighting had recently taken place in Malaysia. But the video seems to have been based on a CGI (computer-generated imagery) creation posted in 2007 by a YouTube user named Damien White, who described himself as a visual and audio artist. In the clip shown below, he explained how the images in his video were generated:
Ferrett, Hannah. "Mystery Surrounds the Huge Black UFO Allegedly Spotted Circling a Remote Village in Malaysia." The Sun. 2 September 2017.
Bernama . "Police Rubbish UFO Sighting in Kuala Krai." 1 September 2017.
Hoax or Fact. "UFO Footage of a Giant Alien Mothership Over Kelantan, Malaysia: Hoax." 4 September 2016.
By Bethania Palma
Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who has been working in the news industry since 2006.
ufo malaysia
Do Facebook 'Copy and Paste, Don't Share' Posts Make Your Account Hackable?


text:
'Poppy' is happy with grandson in charge
Joe Blundo
jblundo@dispatch.com
My new boss is utterly charming and often demanding.
He gets people to meet his high expectations with a disarming blend of spontaneity, guilelessness and wide-eyed innocence: Of course he is asking for the moon! Is that unusual or something?
He tends to speak in one-word commands: Sit, read, eat.
For his age, he is amazingly fit. If I tried to run, walk, crawl, jump, squat, kick, squirm and bounce for minutes on end, I'd be exhausted. He does it with little sign of strain.
To be sure, he gets tired, and when he does he crashes into a power nap that can last up to three hours. Then he is back expending extravagant amounts of energy, issuing orders, making clipped observations ("puppy", "ball", " flower") and generally just lighting up every room he enters.
It's great to be 22 months old.
My transition from full-time to part-time columnist, effective last week, was highlighted by four trips to the playground, several hours on the floor with toys and what seemed like 117 recitations of "The Runaway Bunny." As I said, my new boss — who is also my grandson — has high expectations.
My wife has been his part-time babysitter since shortly after his birth, and now I have joined the staff.
We were well-acquainted, but I had to learn some of the subtleties of the daily routine. Why, in midafternoon, did he suddenly start saying "mailbox"?
Because that's when the mail comes, and it has been his job to fetch it. Toddlers have their habits, and you interfere with them at your own peril.
If he hands you a 300-page gardening book and insistently says something that you mishear as "home," it means you are to find a particular picture therein, not of a home but of a gnome. Don't you understand English, Poppy?
But we got in sync quickly, partly because we have some of the same preferences. We both like to eat breakfast twice. We both like to play with a ball, although I favor more-traditional games while he thinks it's fun to just toss it into a thicket of shrubs and then wait for his grandfather to retrieve it.
Well, you can't talk a toddler out of his fascinations. If he wants me to dive into the shrubbery, that's what I'll do, hopeful that within 15 minutes he will hit on some new, less scratchy way to amuse us.
One of his favorite words at the moment seems to be "tunnel." So I made block tunnels, and he tested their structural integrity by destroying them. Then he would say "tunnel" again and the process began anew.
Frustrating? Not a bit. Whether the tunnel stood for 10 seconds or 10 hours didn't matter. Ultimately, we're building something bigger, my boss and I.
Joe Blundo is a columnist for The Dispatch.
joe.blundo@gmail.com
@joeblundo


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Tom Brady Betting: What Now for the NFL Legend
The word legend is often overused in the world of sports but when it comes to describing quarterback Tom Brady there really isn't any other acceptable term.
The six-time Super Bowl winner will be a free agent as of March 18th and there's a great deal of speculation as to where the 42-year-old may end up for next season and the sportsbook is open on potential locations where he might pitch up.
Tom Brady Bets
Next Team Bet
New England Patriots -180
Tennessee Titans +550
Las Vegas Raiders +650
Los Angeles Chargers +750
Following the completion of the last campaign there was a great deal of speculation that after spending his entire professional career at the Patriots that he may look elsewhere to continue his glittering career and a move to the Titans or the Raiders honed into view.
However a new deal to remain at the Gillette Stadium is currently leading the betting, with most US sportsbooks offering around -180 for such an outcome.
Last season the Patriots fell to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs, their first home loss to the Titans since 1993.
The prop bet is now one of the biggest around and there is another option on the cards and that is the possibility that after such a long and successful career Brady may just elect to call it quits and who would blame the superstar performer for making such a decision.
Motivation is clearly going to be a factor for a player who has done it all and all those looking to place a bet would do well to hold off for another week or two.
Los Angeles Lakers Win Again as Hot Streak Continues
NBA MVP Contenders Williamson and Doncic Go Head to Head in Thriller


Rapha Performance Roadwear's new collaboration with tailor Timothy Everest, one of the leading practitioners of the New Bespoke Movement, isn't doing anything to help stop the brand lust I already have for the cyclewear company. I was recently invited by Slate Olsen, Rapha's General Manager for USA operations, to check it out at Signature Cycles' Manhattan showroom near West End Avenue, a trek I made because I know Rapha doesn't disappoint.
Timothy, who travels to New York nearly every six weeks for fitting appointments, was present to give me some details on the bespoke suit, which is the first piece to emerge from the twelve months of discussion with Rapha. The suit, he explained, draws on inspiration from both classic cycling imagery and more recent examples of urban cyclewear while maintaining Rapha's commitment to elegant functionality.
Available in three beautiful patterns, the ensemble consists of a button-down jacket, a vest and either plus-fours or full length trousers (with an integrated button to hold the rolled cuffs while riding). The real beauty of it lies in the jacket. Timothy designed the piece with the utmost attention to a rider's needs. The lower parts of the jacket can be fastened to the pockets so they don't flap about while pedaling. The buttons close high, keeping the fit snug when leaning over the bars. This high cut also allows for a continuous line when the collar is flipped and buttoned.
In the back, Timothy added extra fabric to key stress points around the the armpits and upper spine so there's plenty of room for the coat to expand when the wearer hunche over the handlebars. And, noting how exposed shirtsleeves can be an unintended consequence of cycling in a suit jacket, the coat sleeves are cuffed and can be turned down to make up for the extra arm length of a riding posture. Splashes of Rapha's signature pink highlight many of these details; a smart reveal when the jacket is transformed from office to road ready.
Naturally, the suit wouldn't make any sense in Rapha's collection if the rider suffered from dysfunctional fabric. To this end, Timothy developed a proprietary blend of wool for use on the suit, the fibers of which have been treated with a nanotechnology for incredible resistance to water. He demonstrated this several times by pouring water on the floor, the result of it running right of the coat.
The bespoke suit is available immediately for $3,500. Appointments can be made by emailing the atelier: bespoke [at] timothyeverest [dot] com [dot] uk. Oh, and for those whose wallets are a little slim this year, fret not; plans are in the works for an off-the-rack version of the jacket this fall.


The Aragon Hotel, situated in the city centre of Perpignan, is comfortable and quiet, is air-conditioned and has a lift. The Aragon hotel is a few steps away from the Palace of the Kings of Majorca.
Our two star hotel is ideally situated to visit Perpignan with the free "Petit Bus" stopping nearby, which takes you through the bustling maze of the city centre.
Even though we are right in the city centre of Perpignan, there is free-on street parking in the quiet secure streets around the hotel. If you prefer, there is a nearby public car park which is manned during the day, and locked, with CCTV, at night.
Whether on a business trip, on holiday or on a visit for whatever reason, you will always receive a warm welcome.
Book your next perfect golf holiday or golf break with Golf Holidays Direct. We have a wide range of choice for all types of golf holidays with new deals added weekly.
Simply fill in an enquiry form or call us on 01462488370 and one of our golf holidays specialists will be in touch to arrange your next golf holiday or UK golf break. Golf Holidays Direct - Your golf travel specialist, over thirty years experience booking golf holidays.


Posted January 17, 2017 & filed in Opinion.
Posted January 16, 2017 & filed in Lists.
Posted January 16, 2017 & filed in Episodes.
Is 'Sherlock' really a fantasy rather than a crime drama?
Posted January 14, 2017 & filed in Opinion.
Posted January 12, 2017 & filed in Previews.
Posted January 9, 2017 & filed in Ratings.
Posted January 9, 2017 & filed in Opinion.
Posted January 9, 2017 & filed in Episodes.
'Sherlock' Season 4 episode guide: What happens next?
Posted January 9, 2017 & filed in Episode guides.
Posted January 8, 2017 & filed in Episodes.
Posted December 13, 2016 & filed in Lists.
Posted December 13, 2016 & filed in Guides.
Posted December 5, 2016 & filed in Trailers.
Posted November 23, 2016 & filed in Headlines.
It's the final day of filming on 'Sherlock' Season 4!
Posted July 20, 2016 & filed in Headlines.


SSNNotify was originally conceived as a replacement for the now discontinued Amazon Services Order Notifier (ASON). Sometime during 2010, Amazon announced that it was discontinuing support for ASON and would stop distributing new copies.
The problem for users was that ASON used X.509 certificates to communicate with Amazon servers and as a way to discover a Seller's account. These X.509 certificates had an expiration date that, when expired, would require the user to install a new certificate to continue using ASON. When Amazon discontinued ASON, there was no longer any way to install a new certificate and the program would stop working.
At the time, we were working on our first public application that was unrelated to order processing but saw this as a great opportunity to introduce our company to the community and decided that we needed to quickly develop a replacement.
We evaluated a few different architectures including web based, but soon decided that we needed a desktop application and, since we wanted to capture as much of the market as possible, wanted to support all the major platforms. The web based application architecture was definitely attractive since we could support all of the major platforms and be certain that users were getting the latest version; all the things we love about the web.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, was the perceived security of the application. As I've discussed, Amazon uses X.509 certificates to authenticate the user and is the only thing that is used to locate your order information. So if a malicious user were to gain access to your X.509/Private Key pair, they would have the ability to view all of your order information. If we were to have built a web application, the user would have had to entrust us, an unknown entity, with this sensitive data and in turn we would have had to have a much higher level of security in place to minimize any issues. So, as an unknown entity there was the possibility of being perceived as an unacceptable risk by the users which may have had an impact on adoption rates.
The second issue with a web based application was infrastructure. As a small company just starting out, and planning the development of a free application, we were unsure if we could support a large amount of users with the small amount of resources available. Looking back, I am confident that we made the right decision, as we have a large amount of users who expect to check for new orders every 15 minutes. Some of our users have a large volume of orders, somewhere in the 10,000 a month range, which could cripple our infrastructure, especially around the holidays, the most crucial time of the year for a retail business.
So it all boiled down to two things: supporting the major operating systems and shipping a desktop application. The language clearly needed to be Java since we needed to support multiple platforms quickly and so we evaluated both the NetBeans Platform and Eclipse RCP.
We liked the fact that Eclipse RCP used native components but in the end this turned out to be a bigger con than a pro. Since we needed to develop SSNNotify quickly, we needed to have access to all the great open source components that were already available for Swing and, since the NetBeans Platform is based on Swing, the winner for this consideration was clear.
The other consideration during evaluation was the need to provide an installer since our target users are considered to be of low technical ability. The NetBeans Platform was the clear winner in this category as well since NetBeans IDE includes the ability to quickly build an installer for your application. So, based on our requirements for a Swing based application, and the need to include an installer, the NetBeans Platform was the winner.
We also use the NetBeans Platform's update capabilities in a custom way to allow SSNNotify users to easily check for and install updates. The module system makes this simple to do and keeps downloads to a minimum as only the modules that have updates are downloaded. The module system has also allowed us to create a subscription based plug-in that adds functionality to SSNNotify that goes beyond the abilities of ASON. We are also grateful for the Lookup system and use it frequently to facilitate a loosely coupled design.
There are of course many other benefits in using the NetBeans Platform such as its Wizard dialogs and the Options system with built in import/export abilities. Overall, we are very happy with our choice and we do not think that SSNNotify would have made it to market as quickly as it did had we chosen another architecture/platform.
We would like to extend our many thanks to Oracle and the NetBeans community for making and maintaining such a fine platform for Java and Swing application development.


Lumwana Mining Company Limited (LMC), a copper mining company owned by Barrick Gold Corporation is situated in the North Western region of Zambia, some 300 km west of the Zambian Copperbelt and 95 km south west of the provincial capital of Solwezi. The mine is a multi-pit, multi staged operation mining approximately 100MT of ore and waste per annum and producing copper concentrates containing an average of 120,000 tonnes of copper metal per year over a twenty (20) year mine life, making Lumwana the largest single open cut copper mine in Africa. The Company is now looking for an experienced and qualified individual to be considered for the position Class Teacher.
Plan programs and develop learning and assessment strategies that are consistent with the school's beliefs about teaching and learning practice.
Understands the cycle of teaching, learning and assessment. Promotes inquiry-based learning.
Experience working with Early Learning Years (ELY) learners preferred.
Develop her own teaching approaches and techniques that maximize students' learning opportunities and achievements for recording student outcomes.
Provide an appropriate role model in language, dress, attitude, enthusiasm and standard of work.
Assist in the professional development of national and non- national staff as required.
Build positive relationships with children, colleagues, families and community.
Attend and participate fully in the school's professional development program.
Provide regular operational reports to enable effective management of the key performance indicators.
Ensure the development and maintenance of up to date job procedures for all tasks performed within the function.
Work with the School Principal to achieve targets in conjunction with the daily, weekly and monthly school plans that correspond with the annual production target.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the school community.
Ability to coach and mentor others to develop their potential.
Highly developed interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to stakeholders at all levels.
Flexible, resourceful and a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances.
Ability to contribute to extra curriculum areas such as Physical Education and Sport.
Has experience with teaching younger children.
Zambian Nationals who meet requirements for this position and are resident in Zambia are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants may be subjected to any of the following: a Security and/or Police Clearance Check; a Competence Assessment, Qualifications, Credit and Reference Checks.


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Section Ten: Plan Funding
Summary of Findings
Federal law (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA) exempts self-funded plans from state insurance laws, including reserve requirements, mandated benefits, premium taxes, and consumer protection regulations. Three in five covered workers are in a self-funded health plan. Self-funding is common among larger firms because they can spread the risk of costly claims over a large number of employees and dependents. Many self-funded plans use insurance, often called stoploss coverage, to limit the plan sponsor's liability for very large claims. Almost three in five covered workers in self-funded plans are in plans with stoploss protection.
Self-Funded Plan: An insurance arrangement in which the employer assumes direct financial responsibility for the costs of enrollees' medical claims. Employers sponsoring self-funded plans typically contract with a third-party administrator or insurer to provide administrative services for the self-funded plan. In some cases, the employer may buy stop-loss coverage from an insurer to protect the employer against very large claims.
Fully Insured Plan: An insurance arrangement in which the employer contracts with a health plan that assumes financial responsibility for the costs of enrollees' medical claims.
Sixty-one percent of covered workers are in a self-funded plan, similar to the percentage reported in 2012 (Exhibit 10.1). The percentage of covered workers who are in a plan that is completely or partially self-funded has increased over time from 49% in 2000 to 54% in 2005 and to 59% in 2010.
The percentage of covered workers differs by plan type: 70% of covered workers in PPOs, 62% in HDHP/SOs, 31% in HMOs, and 31% in POS plans are in a self-funded plan (Exhibit 10.5).
As expected, covered workers in large firms (200 or more workers) are significantly more likely to be in a self-funded plan than covered workers in small firms (3-199 workers) (83% vs. 16%) (Exhibit 10.4). The percentage of covered workers in self-funded plans increases as the number of employees in a firm increases. Seventy-nine percent of covered workers in firms with 1,000 to 4,999 workers and 94% of covered workers in firms with 5,000 or more workers are in self-funded plans in 2013 (Exhibit 10.4).
Fifty-nine percent of workers in self-funded health plans are in plans that have stoploss insurance (Exhibit 10.10). Stoploss coverage limits the amount that a plan sponsor has to pay in claims. Stoploss coverage may limit the amount of claims that must be paid for each employee or may limit the total amount the plan sponsor must pay for all claims over the plan year.
Eighty-eight percent of covered workers in self-funded plans that have stoploss protection are in plans where the stoploss insurance limits the amount that the plan must spend on each employee (Exhibit 10.11).1
Firms with per enrollee stoploss coverage were asked for the dollar amount where the stoploss coverage would start to pay for most or all of the claim (called an attachment point). The average attachment point in small firms (50-199 workers) is about $96,000. For larger firms (200 or more workers), the average attachment point is about $317,000 (Exhibit 10.11).
In anticipation of major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) going into effect in 2014, firms offering health benefits were asked whether they plan to self-insure. Self-funded plans are not required to comply with the medical loss ratio or the essential health benefits rules that apply to some fully insured plans.
Six percent of firms offering fully-insured plans reported they plan to self-insure, 83% reported that they did not plan to self-insure, and 11% did not know (Exhibit 10.13). There were no significant differences between small and large firms.
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded Plans, by Firm Size, 1999-2013
Download Exhibit 10.1
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded Plans, by Plan Type, 1999-2013
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded Plans, by Firm Size, Region, and Industry, 2013
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded Plans, by Plan Type and Firm Size, 2013
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded HMO Plans, by Firm Size, 1999-2013
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded PPO Plans, by Firm Size, 1999-2013
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded POS Plans, by Firm Size, 1999-2013
Percentage of Covered Workers in Partially or Completely Self-Funded HDHP/SOs, by Firm Size, 2006-2013
Percentage of Covered Workers Enrolled in a Partially or Completely Self-Funded Plan Covered by Stoploss Insurance, by Firm Size, Region, and Industry, 2013
Download Exhibit 10.10
Prevalence and Average Attachment Points of Stoploss Insurance, by Firm Size and Region, 2013
Percentage of Covered Workers Enrolled in Partially or Completely Self-Insured Plans which Purchase Different Types of Stoploss Insurance, by Firm Size, 2013
Among Firms which Purchase Insurance Underwritten By an Insurer, The Percentage of Firms which Plan to Self-Insure because of Any Provision of the Affordable Care Act, by Firm Size and Region, 2013
Section Nine: Prescription Drug Benefits Section Eleven: Retiree Health Benefits
Exhibit 10.10
High Deductible Plans
Section One: Cost of Health Insurance
Section Two: Health Benefits Offer Rates
Section Three: Employee Coverage, Eligibility, and Participation
Section Four: Types of Plans Offered
Section Five: Market Shares of Health Plans
Section Six: Worker and Employer Contributions for Premiums
Section Seven: Employee Cost Sharing
Section Eight: High-Deductible Health Plans with Savings Option
Section Nine: Prescription Drug Benefits
Section Eleven: Retiree Health Benefits
Section Twelve: Wellness Programs and Health Risk Assessments
Section Thirteen: Grandfathered Health Plans
Section Fourteen: Employer Opinions and Health Plan Practices
Section 10 - Plan Funding
Employer Responsibility Under the Affordable Care Act
Grandfathering Explained
Assessing the Effects of the Economy on the Recent Slowdown in Health Spending


text:
class CreateAddresses < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def self.up
    create_table :addresses do |t|
      t.integer :environment_id
      t.integer :instance_id
      t.string :address

      t.timestamps
    end
  end

  def self.down
    drop_table :addresses
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson has passed away in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer. He was 89. Last week, Jackson was reportedly hospitalized and was in the final stages and "could not be treated." Jackson was the father of Janet Jackson, the late Michael Jackson and their eight siblings. He was the architect of The Jackson 5 and suffered from a variety of health conditions including strokes, dementia and at least one heart attack.


To top off this weekend's matches, Tib Street Tavern will be hosting a special Monday Night Football Quiz! Contact the bar to enter. The quiz will include a Picture Round, and topics on the 2014/15 Season so far, English Football History, and European and World Football. £20 bar tab for the winners as well as a bottle of Old J Spiced Rum and £20 for runners up. In the event of a draw we will have a sudden death playoff.
We kick off with West Brom v Arsenal, the Baggies sit thirteenth in the League with as many points, whereas the Gunners have 17 points to their name, 15 behind the leaders Chelsea. Next in line is Liverpool v Stoke, Brendon Rodgers' side showed glimpses of lasts year's passion in their mid-week Champions League match and will want to push on from such a performance. Saturday's evening kick off will see Chelsea travel to Sunderland, the Londoners will want to increase their ever expanding gap between them and second place. After an exciting game on Tuesday night, Manchester City will head down the country to face Southampton in a match worth more than just pride.


text:
Q: glyphicons button with Bootstrap 3.3.7 I am using a current bootstrap version from the CDN. If I replace
<Link rel="stylesheet" href="// netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.2.0/css/bootstrap.min.css">

by
<Link rel="stylesheet" href="// maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/3.3.7/css/bootstrap.min.css">

then the glyphicons on the buttons are no longer displayed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A comprehensive business system to help you run the day to day operations of your business efficiently and with full visibility.
Where tasks have been allocated, completing the timesheet is 'one click'. Time can be entered separately as needed, you can even draw timesheets. Reports track what is missing.
Managing workflow is complex and often thankless. With JobBag, tasks can be allocated to individuals or teams. This can be when the Estimate is accepted by the client or on the fly as the day unfolds. The benefits are many – including the team knowing what work is ready (and where pressure may be building).
Systemising business has many advantages. Your team knows what to do and what to expect, making responses to clients faster. JobBag has been working in this industry for more than 25 years and all of the best practices are embedded within the system.


Exercise maximum care and good judgment at all times to prevent accidents and injuries.
Contact your supervisor and seek first aid for all injuries, regardless of how minor.
Use safety equipment provided for your use.
Conscientiously observe all safety rules and regulations at all times.
Seek prompt medical attention or first aid, even if the injury appears minor.
Immediately (within 24 hours) report the incident to your supervisor. Complete the Employee Accident/Battery Report and submit the report to the human resources department as soon as possible. Reports can be faxed to 330-505-2814.
Be sure to present your Corvel ID card to the medical provider when you seek treatment. You must contact CorVel MCO prior to beginning treatment or the cost of your medical treatment may be your responsibility.
If the injury requires emergency medical treatment, seek the treatment first. Then contact your supervisor and complete the Employee Accident/Battery Report as soon as possible. You must contact CorVel MCO at 1-800-275-6463 within 24 hours of your initial emergency treatment.
TCESC provides Injury Reporting packets in each of our classrooms. This packet contains forms that must be completed when you are seeking medical attention.
A list of preferred providers is available in the blue box on the right of this page.


A one-week-old baby sea otter was the star of the Great Tide Pool at the Monterey Bay Aquarium this month. This compilation video of its mom grooming the sleeping pup is just too adorable for words.
I love otters so much. Otter videos never disappoint!


Dr. Richard Brown teaches Breath-Body-Mind to begin healing trauma for 400 South Sudanese who have just left slavery by crossing the border from North to South Sudan in 2011.
Our world is experiencing a cascade of natural and man-made disasters - floods, fires, earthquakes, wars, terrorism, oil spills - that leave physical, mental, emotional and economic wounds. Most relief efforts focus on physical survival—rescue, food, water, shelter and medical care. The untreated psychological effects of disasters can last for years and be transmitted to subsequent generations. High levels of poor mental health impair the ability of communities to function, recover and move towards reconciliation. Safe, simple, adaptable, low-cost mind-body interventions support individual and community-wide wellness, essential for healing and reconstruction.
Our mission is to catalyze women and girls as leaders of Conscious Social Change in their communities. Conscious Social Change is the intersection of mindfulness, leadership, and social entrepreneurship whereby individuals initiate change consciously, compassionately, and ethically. Global Grassroots incorporates BREATH-BODY-MIND™ into its women's empowerment programs in Africa.
STWS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well-being of people affected by September 11th attacks, Hurricane Sandy, the BP Gulf oil spill, and military service.


though nothing has ever been proved.
just seven or eight times removed.
It's not that I'm apelike or hairy.
It isn't the size of my feet.
It's more on account of my family.
We're all fairly far from petite.
My sister is kind of a Bigmouth.
My brother could go by Bigsmelly.
My mother is known for her Bighair.
My father? You guessed it: Bigbelly.
And as for myself, I'm attractive.
My family all call me Bigbootie.


I haven't been to my bee hive in a couple of weeks. It was great to see them today. It was late in the afternoon and so cool and cloudy I thought the hive would be fairly quiet, but it was the busiest I've seen it. Bees were landing all over my camera and me today. Pollen was steadily coming in! I was glad they still seemed to recognize me. I've missed them.
I wonder what it means when the antennaes are bent like they are in the photo above? I often see them much straighter. If you're reading this and you know the answer, please let me know!
Bees do not do well in water. This little gal was drowning near the edge of the pond below the hive and I rescued her today. You can see her wet fuzz.
As I left the bees I noticed how much is beginning to bloom. What a lovely time of year -- except for the all wind. I get really tired of it ..


29 Jan @fm6,. You can try resetting the Download manager. Go to Settings > Apps > All > Download Manager > Clear Data > Force Stop. You may. Go to Settings -> Language & input -> Text to speech output -> Google text to speech it may be that 'download over Wi-Fi only' is keeping you from doing it. go to the 'install voice data' section -> select the language that the system is trying . Female for English voice data for text-to-speech is always continued to download how can I stop hogwartsonlineschool.com's irritating and battery consuming I couldn't.
27 Aug The annual International Conference on Text, Speech and Dialogue (TSD), which . organization for providing extra funding that helped to keep the conference .. ing to 49, sentences and , (occurrences of) nodes. .. one particular data subset, a second version of the audio files was created by. ing a constraint satisfaction approach, and new applica-. tions for musical and speech synthesis. 1 Introduction. Data-driven concatenative sound synthesis methods are. gaining more In speech synthesis, they are widely used in multiple com- It keeps the "texture" subclass, excitation style, Midi pitch, lyrics (text and. Text-To-Speech (TTS) Systems A major application of VC is within training of ing much less data from the desired new speaker (Kain and Macon, b; . As the vocal tract constantly changes with the position of the articulators, the filter is. ing the system's input data, and speech generation is used to make this text audible. 1 We prefer . and flexibility, whereas for linguistic generation techniques the opposite holds. It is clear make the speech sound even less fluent. • Second.


When booking a Master Technician, there is a $10 increase in price based on 10+years of experience and continuing education.
Includes clipping, filing, and cuticle care. Followed by a hand massage and your choice of polish or buff to shine.
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Just need the essentials? Come for a warm, softening foot soak, with clipping, filing, heal buff, and cuticle care, followed by your choice of polish or buff to shine.


For identifying the dates are college admission exams on the help of rock. It and remains in this is older. Older fossils and absolute dating utilizes six fundamental principles. Prior to do archaeologists employ both? Jump to determine the known ages in. For example, relative dating method that you to determine the. Methods. For an element. They find their ages. Different methods are used to know which. Jump to determine a very powerful method of these scientists can be adjusted to be valid.
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text:
How to Pick A Lawn Mower That's Easy on Man--And Nature
What is currently available in lawn mowers that are easier on the environment, and run on more than human power?
Dear EarthTalk: What's available now in lawn mowers that are easier on the environment? My yard is too big for one of those "reel" mowers, and I'm no longer a spring chicken, so I have to buy something that runs on more than human power. What's out there?
-- Joel Klein, Albany, NY
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), traditional gas-powered lawn mowers are a public nuisance to say the least. Using one of them for an hour generates as many volatile organic compounds—dangerous airborne pollutants known to exacerbate human respiratory and cardiovascular problems—as driving a typical car for 350 miles. The EPA estimates that, with some 54 million Americans mowing their lawns on a weekly basis, gas lawn mower emissions account for as much as five percent of the nation's total air pollution. Beyond that, homeowners spill some 17 million gallons of gasoline every year just refueling their lawn mowers.
So what's a green-minded property owner to do about keeping the grass down? Go electric, of course!
Electric mowers, which either plug into a wall outlet via a long cord or run on batteries charged up from the grid, create no exhaust emissions and run much cleaner than their gas-powered counterparts. They also need less maintenance, with no spark plugs or belts to worry about, and are easier to use, as they tend to be smaller and come with push-button starters. The icing on the cake might be the fact that electric mowers are cheaper to run, using about as much electricity as an ordinary toaster. Most electric mower owners spend about $5 a year on electricity to keep their grass trimmed just right. The non-profit Electric Power Research Institute reports that replacing half of the 1.3 million or so gas mowers in the U.S. with electric models would save the equivalent amount of emissions of taking two million cars off the road.
But going electric has some minor trade-offs. Electric mowers tend to cost up to $150 more than their gas-powered counterparts, and the plug-in varieties can only go 100 feet from the closest outlet without an extension cord. And the cordless models last only 30-60 minutes on a charge, depending on battery size and type, though that's plenty sufficient for the average lawn (just remember to re-charge it in time for the next mow).
And, of course, just because electric mowers don't consume fossil fuels or spew emissions directly doesn't mean they are totally green-friendly. Most people derive their household electricity from coal-fired power plants, the dirtiest of all energy sources. Of course, running an electric mower on electricity generated from clean and renewable sources (solar, wind or hydro power) would be the greenest of all possibilities, and those days may be upon us soon.
For those ready to take the electric mower plunge, the Greener Choices website, a project of Consumer Reports, gives high marks to Black & Decker's corded ($230) and cordless ($400) models for their efficiency, reliability and ease-of-use. Corded models from Worx and Homelite (both around $200) also fared well, along with cordless offerings from Craftsman, Homelite, Remington and Neuton ($300-450).
CONTACTS: Black & Decker, www.blackanddecker.com; Remington, www.remingtonpowertools.com; Homelite, www.homelite.com; Worx, www.worxpowertools.com; Neuton, www.neutonpower.com; Greener Choices, www.greenerchoices.org.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.


text:
COMSTOCK RESOURCES, INC. DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
By: Comstock Resources, Inc. via Globe NewsWire
November 01, 2022 at 16:20 PM EDT
FRISCO, TX, Nov. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comstock Resources, Inc. ("Comstock" or the "Company") (NYSE: CRK) today announced that its Board of Directors approved the reinstatement of a quarterly cash dividend on its common stock for the fourth quarter at an annual dividend rate of $0.50 per share. A dividend of $0.125 per common share will be paid on December 15, 2022 to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 1, 2022.
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described herein. Although the Company believes the expectations in such statements to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.
Comstock Resources, Inc. is a leading independent natural gas producer with operations focused on the development of the Haynesville shale in North Louisiana and East Texas. The Company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CRK.
Ron Mills
VP - Finance and Investor Relations
Comstock Resources
rmills@comstockresources.com


Solicitors in Harrogate dealing with Family law and related property settlements.
We are a specialist firm of solicitors handling Divorce, Separation, Financial Settlements, Cohabitation, Children, Civil Partnerships, Collaborative Law, Pre-Nuptial Agreements and all other areas of Family and Relationship Law.
Between our Solicitors we have over 50 years combined legal experience which enables us to confidently support you through what is often a debilitating and confusing situation.
Family Law, divorce, separation, divorce settlements including finances and property.
All fees quoted in advance.
Referral to Experts (we have relationships with a range of experts who will be able to help you on such matters as support and counselling through to professional services such as valuation of assets).


FluxLight's CAT6 Ethernet patch cord products are all tested for 100% functionality and guaranteed compatible for outstanding network performance. Our Fiber Patch Cables come in a wide range of lengths from 1 foot all the way to 100 feet. This particular unit is a 75 Foot Non-Booted CAT6 Ethernet patch cord.


View more examples or get started with Variance.
High 62. High pressure will remain over the area, providing another rain-free day, with a good deal of sunshine. Temperatures will be around normal for this time of year.
Low 48. High pressure will continue to provide dry weather, with mostly clear skies across the region. Temperatures will be chilly but seasonable, with light winds.
High 66. As the high-pressure system moves away, a front will approach from the west. This will bring a mixture of clouds and sunshine, with a few showers later in the afternoon or evening.
In the wake of the front, a weak area of high pressure will bring in drier air from the west. Expect a partly sunny and dry day with mild temperatures.
Wednesday wil be mostly cloudy, with showers possible. The high will be 65.


I am a part of a large investing firm..
I am expected to do this selection stuff day in and out for a living..
I write a blog on investing..
And yet, I don't know. Dumb me.
Now before you curse yourself for having landed here and move on to something else more useful, bare with me for a few more minutes.
By the way, what do you mean by the "best" fund?
Pretty simple right. All we need is to identify a fund which will be the top performer in the next year. And then we shift to a new fund which will be the top performer the year after and so on.
Is it really possible to identify the best performer of the future?
In search of the Best Equity Mutual Fund..
Assuming that the best performing fund for the next year can be identified for real, by some weird algorithm or complex metric, who do you think would be in the best position to figure this out?
Ok. Here is a clue..
It takes one to know one..
Yup. It's the "Mutual Fund" fellas!!
Your only aim in life is to figure out how to provide chart-topping returns.
Everything else would be taken care of.
Further, the top 10 Mutual Funds put together make a whopping profit of ~Rs 2200 cr!!
But here comes the sad news. Even the 2,200 cr profit making top 10 mutual fund companies haven't cracked the code..
As seen below, none of the fund houses have cracked the formula to be consistently in the top 5.
I would request you to read this brilliant article to see as to how even the best long term performers inevitably go through intermittent periods of under performance.
My simple brain says if a Rs 2,200 cr industry armed with the best brains and resources, working to improve returns each and every day for two decades, hasn't been able to crack the code to deliver short term performance year after year, then it simply means any attempt from the ordinary-me to identify the top fund for the next 1 year is a futile exercise.
In other words. There is no way you can identify the best mutual fund performer for each and every year. No one including the fund manager of that fund knows that beforehand.
What we were earlier attempting in cricketing parlance was to identify the top scoring batsmen for the next match. While we can hazard a guess based on the current form of the batsmen, it is still impossible to precisely predict the top scorer. This is the reason why we depend on a team and not a single player.
And again though we have constructed a good team, its extremely difficult to predict the next match's outcome. A good team if chosen well is expected to perform well in majority of the matches it plays over a long term.
Equity Mutual Fund investing is no different!
When building portfolios the key is to build a team of funds (5 to 7 funds is more than enough) with varying styles, strategies, fund managers and market capitalization.
Now the idea is that irrespective of how good a fund you choose, even the best of funds will have to go through periods of under performance. And unfortunately you have no clue when that's about to happen.
So a team of funds ensures that at least 2 to 3 funds at all points in time compensate for the under performance of the other funds and ensures that as a team your portfolio performs consistently over the longer term.
A reasonable way to check if you have constructed a good team is to see if your mutual fund team outperforms the Nifty, BSE 200 and multi-cap peer group average over a 5-7 year period.
Why do even good fund managers have to go through periods of under performance?
How in the world do we build our mutual fund team?
No worries. Let us explore these topics in the coming weeks.
BTW Thanks for dropping by and if you liked what you are reading, do consider subscribing to the blog so that you don't miss out on the next posts in this series.
Disclaimer: No content on this blog should be construed to be investment advice. You should consult a qualified financial advisor prior to making any actual investment or trading decisions. All information is a point of view, and is for educational and informational use only. The author accepts no liability for any interpretation of articles or comments on this blog being used for actual investments.
Nice clickbait headline . Fell for it :).
Very inspiring. Team example is impressive. Keep writing.
Hi, Thanks for sharing the information..


text:
var express = require('express'),
    EXPRESS_ROOT = __dirname,
    EXPRESS_PORT = 8080;

function startServer() {
    var app = express();
    app.set('port', (process.env.PORT || EXPRESS_PORT));

    app.use(express.static(EXPRESS_ROOT));
    app.listen(app.get('port'), function() {
        console.log('App is running, server is listening on port: ', app.get('port'))
    });

}

startServer();


We headed down to Santa Monica Pier for sunset and it was just stunning. Jeanette and Koi joined us as well and I finally got to meet the infamous Koi. He was super duper cool and such a genuine refreshing character. We got so many awesome shots by the pier, and by the ferris wheel, and after hours of spending time there we finally got home around 9, and all devoured dinner. I ate like 5 bowls of beans, rice, salsa, hummus, mustard sauce and tahini. YUMMMMOOO. Then dessert was a few heavenly slices of toast and maple butter. just perfection.


text:
Q: D3.js color proportional to the values of an object i have a Json Tree where each non-leaf node has an object like this
    mime_types={
  "application/octet-stream": 1,
  "application/x-executable": 49,
  "application/x-object": 13,
  "application/x-sharedlib": 47,
  "image/gif": 5,
  "image/png": 3,
  "inode/symlink": 4,
  "text/plain": 58
}

I would like to map each element with a color and for each node is filled with a color that represents the proportion.
For example: if "text/plain" is red (255,0,0) and "application/octet-stream" is blue (0,0,255) and the node have only these two keys, the color of this is node is something like (255,0,1)


Need a fashionable way to listen to your favorite tunes? Check out the Censi Cat Ear Headphones. Available in two color schemes, these headphones sound as good as they look. Not in the cat ear mood? Cat ears are detachable for a more sophisticated look. Headphones fold for easy transport, are adjustable for different head sizes and won't get stuck in your hair. Made with Korean leather and Swedish padding for supreme comfort. The headphones charge fast and come in a pretty box suitable for gifting.
Great gift idea for tweens, teens, cat lovers and cosplay enthusiasts.


Lindsey Wintzinger | BMSS, LLC.
Lindsey joined BMSS in 2018. As a staff accountant, she is responsible for performing tax and audit tasks given to her by her superiors to aid them in the completion of our client projects.
Before graduating from the University of Alabama, Lindsey started her college education at Auburn University. While in college, Lindsey was inspired to go into accounting because it is the language of business. She said, "It provides the opportunity to understand business management and to help others achieve effective, efficient, profitable operations." After growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, Lindsey now resides in Birmingham.


Volunteer at Housing Families First!
Looking for community service hours?
Last year, the organization found itself $50,000 in debt with a month to come up with the money, or their shelter would close. With the help of NBC 12, the shelter received an outburst of empathy and assistance from caring citizens across Virginia and stayed open. Mothers and children in Virginia depend on the shelter to return to a steady lifestyle and to keep their families off the streets, safe and warm.
This year, with newly imposed budget cuts to facilities like homeless shelters, Housing Families First could use assistance from anyone willing to lend a helping hand, no matter the age. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact Terri Iguina via her email: [email protected] or by phone: 804-236-5800.


LONDON -- British lawmakers on Monday voted to turn down all the four proposed Brexit options on the table, the second time since Friday that none of MPs' proposed Brexit options wins clear backing in the House of Commons.
UNITED NATIONS -- Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday asked the international community to protect principled humanitarian action in the context that the shape of conflict has undergone a rapid transformation in recent years.
WASHINGTON -- Four people were killed in a homicide in the city of Mandan, the U.S. state of North Dakota, local police said Monday.
ALGIERS -- Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he will resign before his term ends on April 28, said a statement from the presidency carried by the official APS news agency.


text:
layout: post
title: In which I code up a tic-tac-toe game
---

I've gotten very comfortable solving problems on CodeWars and Project Euler. This has been great for increasing my fluency in JavaScript, and helping me fine-tune my problem solving skills. But, all the code there is self-contained. No file systems, no servers, and no DOM model. So this week, I'm scaling back on algorithmic complexity and coding up simple interactive games, to help me review the native JS DOM model (for code this small, there is really no need for jQuery).

Two things I learned from writing this game:

1 HTML collections are not arrays. It took ages to figure out why the cells in my gameboard were not responding to the click handler I had set up with forEach. Once I realized that I could use Array.prototype.forEach.call on my HTML collection of cells, everything worked.

{% highlight js %}

var cells = document.getElementsByClassName("cell");
Array.prototype.forEach.call(cells, function(element) {
    element.addEventListener("click", cellClick, false);
});
{% endhighlight %}

2 Be careful with incrementors! I originally made incrementing the number of turns the last step in the turn handler, which resulted in the turn variable initializing to 1 in reset games.

{% highlight js %}

function cellClick() {
    gameCounter.turns++;
    if (this.classList.contains("o") || this.classList.contains("x")) {
        alert("Click a different cell");
    } else {
        if (gameCounter.turns % 2 === 0) {
            this.classList.add("o");
            gameCounter.olist.push(this.id);
            if (win(gameCounter.olist)) {
                alert("O has won the game! Click to restart!");
                reset(gameCounter);
            }

        } else {
            this.classList.add("x");
            gameCounter.xlist.push(this.id);
            if (win(gameCounter.xlist)) {
                alert("X has won the game! Click to restart!");
                reset(gameCounter);
            }

        }
        if (gameCounter.turns >= 9) {
            reset(gameCounter);
        }

    }
}

{% endhighlight %}


As teachers and researchers, we endeavour to understand the complexities of our students' learning processes from their perspectives. Qualitative research offers uniquely powerful ways to do so, and has become popular in studies exploring learner development. Approaches such as narrative inquiry, qualitative case study and ethnography provide frameworks for gathering data using interviews and focus groups, reflections and diaries, and class observations and field notes; and exploring them using a plethora of methods including qualitative, discourse and textual analysis. More deeply, the exploratory nature of qualitative research permits us to open up learning processes and investigate them together with participants, to develop our understanding of the experiences of our participants without pre-conceived expectations of what we will find. Despite these benefits, qualitative research into learner development itself raises many thorny issues that deserve investigation, discussion, and debate.
What are the practical concerns and issues we face in formulating research questions, in the approaches and methods that we use, in the settings that we choose to explore, and in how we gather and analyze 'data'? What do we mean by 'data' and 'analysis' in qualitative research?
What ethical issues arise and who 'owns' the research?
Full articles should be between 5000 and 7000 words. We would also like to encourage book reviews, author interviews or annotated reading lists. We are looking for around four to five full articles and three to four other papers for this issue.
Please submit the following information in a Word document.
Proposal: Approximately 400 to 600 words for a research article*. 300 words for other texts.
The Learner Development Journal is the online, open-access journal of the JALT Learner Development SIG. Published once a year, the Journal is devoted to practitioner-driven research, reviews and interviews exploring learner development issues in second language education. The Journal represents a commitment to group-based professional development and shared exploration. It provides a forum to explore issues related to specific learner development themes in a collaborative and supportive environment. Each issue of the Journal contains five to seven papers of varying lengths related to the common theme, reviews of key texts, an interview with or a contribution from a key researcher in the field, and an introduction and conclusion written by the issue editor(s) to provide an overview and context to the whole collection of work. Contributors will work with each other to read and respond to one another's work during the research and writing process. We are especially interested in practitioner research, student participatory research, and co-authored works.


Harkhoe, K., G. Verschaffelt, Andrew Katumba, Peter Bienstman, and G. Van der Sande. 2018. "Integrated Delay Based Photonic Reservoir Computing." In IEEE Photonics Benelux Chapter/ Annual Symposium 2018, 1–4.
Harkhoe, K., Verschaffelt, G., Katumba, A., Bienstman, P., & Van der Sande, G. (2018). Integrated delay based photonic reservoir computing. IEEE Photonics Benelux Chapter/ Annual Symposium 2018 (pp. 1–4). Presented at the IEEE Photonics Benelux Chapter/ Annual Symposium 2018.
Harkhoe K, Verschaffelt G, Katumba A, Bienstman P, Van der Sande G. Integrated delay based photonic reservoir computing. IEEE Photonics Benelux Chapter/ Annual Symposium 2018. 2018. p. 1–4.
Harkhoe, K. et al. "Integrated Delay Based Photonic Reservoir Computing." IEEE Photonics Benelux Chapter/ Annual Symposium 2018. 2018. 1–4. Print.


text:
Q: C++ calling constructor for passing new object causes missing data So I have a class RadianButtonComponent and I want to have a vector contain an uncertain number of objects of RadianButtonComponent.  However, I want to do something along the lines of -- myButtons.push_back(RadianButtonComponent(font, "text", ...)) However, when I do this, I lose some information.  I know that calling the constructor like that will basically make a temporary object.  However, when I try to pass font over (which is a pointer to an address) I lose that address even if the pointer is passed by reference from an outside source.
(To give some code to help explain)
class RadianButtonComponent
{
private:
    sf::Font myFont;
    sf::Text myText;
    /* ... */

public:
    RadianButtonComponent();
    RadianButtonComponent(sf::Font& font, std::string text, ...)
    {
        myFont = font;
        myText.setFont(myFont);
        myText.setString(text);
    }
    ~RadianButtonComponent();
};

int main()
{
    sf::Font font;
    font.loadFromFile("...");

    //No memory lost, font address not removed.
    RadianButtonComponent workingButton(font, "Text", ...);

    //Memory lost, font address not found.
    RadianButtonComponent brokenButton;
    brokenButton = RadianButtonComponent(font, "Text", ...);

    return 0;
}

Now I know that when the constructor is called like this it basically makes a temporary object of the class, however, if BrokenButton is set to this temporary object and its pointer to font is set to the address from the outside font source's address it should work (at least I think it should), but I still lose the address.
Why does this happen and how can this be fixed? Is there something more I should know about what happens when the constructor is called like this?
(I feel that I have given enough information, but if you need more code to help pinpoint the problem I will update it asap)

A: From the spec:

It is important to note that the sf::Text instance doesn't copy the font that it uses, it only keeps a reference to it. Thus, a sf::Font must not be destructed while it is used by a sf::Text (i.e. never write a function that uses a local sf::Font instance for creating a text).

So in the copy constructor, you must copy the font and then reset the font of the new object's myText.
Alternatively disable the copy constructor, and create a vector of smart pointers of your buttons.

A: You are not following the "rule of 3".  Your class lacks a user-defined assignment operator and copy constructor to handle these sf_Font types.  So when you do this:
RadianButtonComponent brokenButton;
brokenButton = RadianButtonComponent(font, "Text", ...);  // assignment operator is called

Then all bets are off when = is applied, as you're doing on the second line above.  Since your explanation (and the other answer's explanation) of what an sf_Font is, your RadianButtonComponent may or may not be safely placed in a container such as std::vector.  The object must have the correct copy semantics beforehand.
In other words, if this program does not work correctly, then you need to fix it so it does work before even considering placing it in a vector:
int main()
{
   RadianButtonComponent b1(font, "Text", ...);
   RadianButtonComponent b2 = b1;
   RadianButtonComponent b3(font, "Text2", ...);
   b3 = b1;
}

That program (and any program that can be a variant of the above) must be able to compile and run without any flaws (including clean up of memory).
If the program doesn't work, then the suggestion of using a vector of smart pointers is a possible solution instead of a vector<RadianButtonComponent>.

A: Thinking about this problem more, storing sf::Font inside an object is the wrong approach. I suggest you have a global std::map<std::string, sf::Font> data structure somewhere, which stores the fonts with their font name. (You could also use an int or enum id instead of a string). A button's constructor will take an sf::Font reference, which originates from this map, but does not copy it. Therefore all sf::Text objects will refer to the sf::Font instance stored permanently in your map.


Teenager Ben Ikin's introduction to the Queensland Maroons camp back in 1995 is one of the all-time great rugby league stories.
Ikin, the host of Fox League's panel show NRL 360, which airs weekly on Monday to Wednesday nights, is our very special interview guest on this week's edition of Dead In Goal.
You all know the story by now. A young veteran of just a handful of first grade rugby league games for the Gold Coast, Ikin rocks up to Maroons camp, having been selected for Queensland smack-bang in the middle of rugby league's Super League war, in which Murdoch-paid players were ruled ineligible for Origin selection. Vautin didn't know him from Adam and the rest is history.
Tune-in to this week's episode of Dead In Goal for Benny's engaging retelling of that classic yarn, and for his thoughts on a wide range of league issues, such as Queensland footy and the never-ending rugby league news cycle. RIP in!


The Dachstein West ski resort offers three modern gondola lifts as feeder lifts up to the ski resort. Since 2014, the 8-person Donnerkogel gondola lift brings guests from Annaberg-Astauwinkel up to the ski resort. It has a middle station and provides access to a practice area in the lower area. The 8-person Panorama Jet Zwieselalm gondola lift also has a middle station since 2014. In the ski resort itself, there are mainly chairlifts, including some with weather protectors. There are also still some tow lifts functioning as connection lifts in the ski resort. In the three villages (Annaberg, Gosau und Rußbach), there are magic carpets and practice lifts for beginners. Free WLAN is offered at the main lifts.


From 1890 he was actively sought by the authorities of the Russian Empire. Bielinis could not come home and had to hide. He escaped at least five times after being captured by gendarmes, despite a large monetary reward promised for his capture. This encouraged him to organize the book distribution even better. Bielinis became an ultimate professional book smuggler and the main organizer of the Lithuanian book distribution in northern Lithuania. He founded the Garšviai knygnešiai society, the largest book smuggling organization at the time. Bielinis developed a newspaper subscription system and delivered newspapers and magazines to the subscribers.His organization also delivered forbidden Latvian books to Latvia. For his active participation in underground book smuggling, Bielinis was nicknamed as knygnešių karalius (The King of the Book Carriers).
Bielinis also published his own newspaper Baltasis erelis (for this purpose he bought a printing press from Martynas Jankus) and wrote several brochures on the history of Lithuania. He was among the first who spoke openly about Independent Lithuania. Bielinis died January 18, 1918 in Katinai, near Panevėžys while walking by foot to attend the Vilnius Conference and He is buried in Suostas' churchyard however his important contribution is commemorated and Bielinis's birthday is celebrated in Lithuania as the Day of Knygnešys.
No Selfies Day takes place annually on 16 March. The first No Selfies Day, took place in 2015 and was started by the staffs of the Ocala Star-Banner and The Gainesville Sun, at the suggestion of Khoi Ha, who said, "With all of the social media nowadays, we're turning a lot of people into narcissists," and warned that, once posted, the picture sharing quickly spreads beyond the control of their originators.
Freedom of Information Day takes place annually on 16 March It was proposed in 1979 by Jim Bohannon, talk show host, to the Society of Professional Journalists, in order to commemorate the anniversary of the the birth of American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, philosopher, and Founding Father James Madison who was born March 16, 1751 into a prominent Virginia planting family.
Madison served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. However he became dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation and helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution to supplant the Articles of Confederation. Madison's Virginia Plan served as the basis for the Constitutional Convention's deliberations, and he was one of the most influential individuals at the convention.
After the ratification of the Constitution, Madison emerged as an important leader in the United States House of Representatives and served as a close adviser to President George Washington. He was the main force behind the ratification of the United States Bill of Rights, which enshrines guarantees of personal freedoms and rights within the Constitution. During the early 1790s, Madison came to oppose the economic program and accompanying centralization of power favored by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Along with Thomas Jefferson, Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party, which was, alongside Hamilton's Federalist Party, one of the nation's first major political parties. After Jefferson won the 1800 presidential election, Madison served as Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809. In that position, he supervised the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States.
Madison succeeded Jefferson as President with a victory in the 1808 presidential election and served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. After diplomatic protests and a trade embargo failed to end British attacks against American shipping, he led the United States into the War of 1812. The war was an administrative morass and ended inconclusively, but many Americans saw it as a successful "second war of independence" against Britain. The war convinced Madison of the necessity of a stronger federal government, and he presided over the creation of the Second Bank of the United States and the enactment of the protective Tariff of 1816. He retired from public office in 1817 and died in June 28, 1836. He is generally considered to be one of the most important Founding Fathers of the United States, and historians have generally ranked Madison as an above-average president.
Madison also co-wrote The Federalist Papers, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party, and became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution, and he joined with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of political science in American history and He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution and the United States Bill of Rights.


text:
Impact on human intestinal microflora of an Enterococcus faecium probiotic and vancomycin
Lund, Bodil
Södertörns högskola, Avdelning Naturvetenskap. Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital.
Edlund, Charlotta
Barkholt, L
Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital.
Nord, C E
Tvede, M
Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Poulsen, R L
Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Vise andre og tillknytning
2000 (engelsk)Inngår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases, ISSN 0036-5548, E-ISSN 1651-1980, Vol. 32, nr 6, s. 627-632Artikkel i tidsskrift (Fagfellevurdert) Published
The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of a fermented milk product containing viable Enterococcus faecium on human intestinal microflora and to evaluate any risk of development of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Twenty Danish and 20 Swedish healthy volunteers were given 150 mi of the fermented mill;. product once daily, equivalent to a daily dose of 4.5 x 10(9) to 7.5 x 10(9) CFU E. faecium, for 10 d. Half of the volunteers also received 125 mg vancomycin orally q.i.d. for 10 d. Faecal samples were collected on day 0 before intake, on day 10 directly after end of intake and on day 31, 3 weeks after the end of the experiment. There,Fas a significant increase in the total number of enterococci on day 10 (p < 0.01) in the group receiving only the E. faecium supplement, but 3 weeks later the level was as before intake. In the vancomycin group, the total number of enterococci was reduced on day 10 (p < 0.01) but had increased on day 31 (p < 0.01) in relation to day 0. In none of the Swedish and 4 of the Danish volunteers, VRE were sporadically detected, but without relation to intake of the probiotic or vancomycin. In healthy young Danish individuals the VRE carrier rate tended to be higher than previously found.
2000. Vol. 32, nr 6, s. 627-632
URN: urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-32072DOI: 10.1080/003655400459531ISI: 000166340400007PubMedID: 11200372Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-0034525626OAI: oai:DiVA.org:sh-32072DiVA, id: diva2:1074652
Inngår i avhandling
1. Different roles of enterococcus faecium from a human perspective
Åpne denne publikasjonen i ny fane eller vindu >>Different roles of enterococcus faecium from a human perspective
Södertörns högskola, Avdelning Naturvetenskap. Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet.
2003 (engelsk)Doktoravhandling, med artikler (Annet vitenskapelig)
Food supplements containing viable bacteria, so called probiotics, have been suggested to have beneficial health effects due to their influence on the normal microflora. However, there has been safety concern regarding probiotics containing Enterococcus faecium. Although part of the normal intestinal microflora in humans, enterococci can cause infections such as urinary tract infections, septicaemia, and endocarditis. Enterococci are also inclined to develop antibiotic resistance and their hardy nature promotes survival and dissemination in the hospital setting. Although the importance of E.faecium as a bloodstream isolate is increasing, little regarding its virulence is known. One virulence trait attributed to E. faecium is the enterococcal surface protein, Esp, encoded by the esp gene. Since enterococci have different roles from the human perspective, such as occurrence in food, as probiotic strains, members of the normal intestinal microflora, and as the cause of nosocomial infections, it is important to study differences and similarities between strains of different origin. The aims of the present investigation were to study some safety aspects of a probiotic product containing Efaecium, the colonization and transmission of enterococci from a nosocomial perspective, and differences between E.faecium isolates of different origin in some characteristics of probable importance for virulence. Faecal samples were collected from healthy volunteers administered an E. faecium probiotic. Half of the volunteers received simultaneous peroral vancomycin. The E. faecium isolates were subtyped and an in vitro conjugation assay was performed. The investigated strain could survive gastrointestinal transit in humans, and intake temporarily increased the number of enterococci in the faecal microflora. The vancomycin administration prevented detection of the probiotic strain. The probiotic strain could gain the vanA gene cluster under in vitro conditions. Samples from the respiratory tract and stomach were collected from 20 consecutive patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. The enterococci isolated were subsequently subtyped. Seventeen of the 20 subjects were colonized with enterococci in the respiratory tract. Genotype analyses suggested that 13 patients were involved in a transmission event, including all patients intubated more than 12 days. The E. faecium isolates were more resistant to antimicrobial agents compared to E. faecalis. The E. faecium isolates from different origins, i.e., infections, faeces, and probiotic products, were investigated for the presence of esp, their ability to conjugate, and adhere to epithelial cells in vitro. The esp gene was significantly more common among blood isolates. E. faecium strains enriched with esp adhered significantly better, were less genetically diverse, and had a higher conjugation frequency compared to esp-negative blood isolates. Antibiotic resistance was only detected among the infection-derived isolates. The adhesion among esp-negative isolates from the normal microflora was higher compared to the esp-negative bacteraemia isolates. In conclusion, the investigated probiotic E. faecium strain can survive gastrointestinal transit in humans, and intake may transiently increase the number of enterococci in the faecal microflora. The same strain can gain the vanA operon. Enterococci are frequently disseminated between mechanically ventilated patients, and isolates from different subpopulations seem to have different characteristics in terms of occurrence of esp, adhesion properties, antibiotic resistance, and conjugation frequencies.
Stockholm: Karolinska Instiutet, 2003. s. 79
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-32071 (URN)91-7349-607-3 (ISBN)
2003-10-15, Birkeaulan 2, F-huset, plan 5, Huddinge Universitetssjukhus, Huddinge, 10:00 (engelsk)
Möllby, Roland
Karolinska Institutet.
Södertörns högskola, Avdelning Naturvetenskap. Karolinska Institutet.
Forlagets fulltekstPubMedScopus
Lund, BodilEdlund, Charlotta
Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases


Belle Eubanks, 75, passed away on Monday, August 3, 2015 at her home in Mt. Olive. She was born on June 12, 1940 to the (late) Everett Thomas Norris and Lula (Vaughn) Norris.
She is survived by four sons; Billy Carl Eubanks, Russell (Rusty) Eubanks, Douglas Eubanks, Stanley Eubanks; one daughter, Sissy Power; two sisters, Lucille Hart and Evelyn Kinsley; ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Richard Dewayne Eubanks; four brothers, Haskell Norris, Tommy Norris, Frank Norris, Sam Norris and two sisters, Faye Ishee and Grace Norris.
Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4 ,2015 from 4:30 - 8:00 pm at Tutor Funeral Home in Magee, MS. There will be additional visitation from 12:00 - 3:00 pm on Wednesday, August 5, at New Sardis Baptist Church prior to the service beginning at 3:00 pm. Interment will follow in New Sardis Baptist Church Cemetery. Officiating will be Bro. David McCord and Bro. Reese Douglas.


Sophie Calle: The Eruv of Jerusalem will open at The Jewish Museum on June 20 and remain on view through October 17, 1999. This installation by French artist Sophie Calle, featuring photographs and texts, has been inspired by the concept of an eruv, a rabbinic prohibition against carrymg objects outside one's home on the Sabbath. Observant Jews erect an eruv, a boundary made of walls, wires, or neutral barriers that establishes a collective property transforming public to private space through which one can move as through within a home. For this work composed of 14 sites or "stations", Calle asked 14 inhabitants of Jerusalem - Israelis and Palestinians - each to take her to a public place they considered private. She then photographed the sites and transcribed interviews with the subjects, who revealed intimate stories about ordinary public places in Jerusalem that became special private spots for them, becoming conceptually transformed from natural sites to symbolic or sacred space.
Some of the stories are politically charged: a wall symbolizing separation between people; a bench on which an admirer kept vigil. Others hold deeply personal significance for the participants: a hotel in the old city named Casanova where two lovers met; a rock where a child used to play in a field that later became the grounds near the President's Residence. While the locations have no particular objective significance -- a triangle of light or a road -- because of a personal experience, they have acquired special meaning.
The 14 photographs and corresponding texts will be installed on a large table in the center of the gallery, on which a map of Jerusalem has been placed. Around the walls of the gallery, visitors will view Calle's photographs of electric poles to which the wires are attached in order to evoke an eruv. This work is on loan from the collection of the new Musee d'art et d'histoire du Judaisme, Paris.
Born in 1953, Sophie Calle lives in Paris and is now one of France's best-known Conceptual artists. Her work has been exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions at prestigious galleries and museums throughout the world including France, the United States, Austria, Israel, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Spain, England, Germany, Slovenia, and Denmark. Recently she had large exhibitions at the Centre National de la Photographie in Paris and the Camden Arts Center in London, and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as part of the show The Museum as Muse, had an installation recalling the famous art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990.
Susan T. Goodman, Senior Curator-at-large, is the curator of Sophie Calle: The Eruv of Jerusalem.
Shari Rothfarb: Water Rites, an installation by the young New York artist, Will be on view at The Jewish Museum from June 20 to October 17, 1999. In this work, a multimedia installation at The Jewish Museum with a Quick-Time video component on the Museum's Web site (http://www.thejewishmuseum.org), artist Shari Rothfarb focuses on the Jewish tradition of mikvah (ritual bath). Part of The Jewish Museum's Contemporary Artist Project series, the installation shows how water is used in mikvah as a unique vehicle of symbolic and spiritual transformation. In Shari Rothfarb: Water Rites, the artist combines fact, personal testimony, storytelling, and visual metaphors which relate to this sanctified tradition which has survived oppression throughout the ages. The exhibition is comprised of three components. Ms. Rothfarb's short film, Ocean Avenue, will be screened repeatedly. In an adjoining gallery, the experimental documentary video Water Rites will be projected onto a shallow pool of water at the room's center. Images of flowing water, bodies of water, and rain will be projected onto the surrounding walls.
Both Ocean Avenue and Water Rites focus on the Jewish purification ritual of mikvah although each takes a different methodological approach. The issues and concerns addressed are universal: hope, legacy, and procreation. Water Rites is an experimental digital video documentary in which women are interviewed about the role of the mikvah in their lives, chronicling their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Ocean Avenue is a black and white narrative short film centered on a childless woman's final trip to the mikvah and the spiritual crisis that ensues.
Mikvah is a tradition based on the literal Hebrew definition of the word mikvah -- hope. A mikvah is a pool of precisely measured rain water. Immersion in a mikvah renders ritually clean a person who has become ritually unclean through contact with the dead or any other defiling object or through an unclean flux from the body. Currently, the most pervasive use of the mikvah is for menstruating women. Jewish law forbids marital relations during niddah (a time of ritual impurity which starts with the first day of menstruation and then continues for seven clean days after menstruation ends). Jewish women, at times risking everything, have maintained this sacred link to Judaism for thousands of years. Jewish law emphasizes that the purpose of immersion is not physical, but rather spiritual cleanliness.
Water, with its purifying abilities as well as its life sustaining role, plays a central and reoccurring theme throughout Ocean Avenue. Luna, the protagonist of Ocean Avenue, is an Orthodox woman in her early fifties. In an attempt to find her daughter and thus herself, she traverses the streets of Brooklyn, video camera m hand. She questions the diverse population of the borough, asking all of those she meets which they would choose if given a choice between long life and having children. Luna creates a film within a film thereby aligning herself with Shari Rothfarb. Like Rothfarb, Luna must decide whom to ask her provocative question.
While Luna could be the age of Rothfarb's mother, each woman reckons with the same issue - the combined impact of societal pressure and personal desire regarding having a family. When Luna asks her question of her husband, Jack, he answers, I choose you. Isn't that enough?"
In Ocean Avenue, the cinematography, editing, and sound track reflect both the real and imagined worlds that Luna inhabits. Scenes of Brooklyn are shot with a hand-held camera, the edits are quick and precise, and the soundscape is loud and multicultural. For the mikvah and fantasy sequences, an underwater camera is used. The experimental techniques are coupled with sparse, minimalist sounds.
The women interviewed by Rothfarb in her experimental documentary video Water Rites explain that the inherent principles of life and death are present in the mikvah. For them, visits to the mikvah allow a washing away of tears, sorrow, and loss and a reinvigoration of hope, faith, and marital excitement. In addition to real life accounts, Water Rites includes footage of ancient and modern mikvahs; images of water in nature including the Jordan River, waterfalls, and the Mediterranean, and women preparing themselves for immersion by brushing their teeth and combing their hair. The soundscape of the film includes voice overs of the interviews, Israeli folk music, and the chanting during immersion.
For those who believe and participate in the mikvah ritual, immersion offers a woman elevation to a higher spiritual level and prepares her for a spiritual reconnection with her husband. For others who have no knowledge of or experience with the ritual, Rothfarb's films address real life issues. She explores common contemporary fears surrounding having children, maintaining the excitement and intrigue of a marriage, how long one might live, and how that time should be filled. These films pose difficult questions while maintaining that spirituality (such as the mikvah ritual) offers the possibility of renewed hope and even enlightened peace.
Shari Rothfarb is a recent M.F.A. graduate in Film at Columbia University. Her award-winning 1997 film, Fur, was included in an exhibition at the Weatherspoon Art Gallery at The University of North Carolina, and in several international film festivals.
Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, Phyllis Wattis MATRIX Curator at the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, is guest curator of the exhibition.
Shari Rothfarb: Water Rites is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Challenge Program. Additional generous support has been provided by Philippa and Dietrich Weismann, and Sara and Axel Schupf.


New Delhi, Apr 02 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari said that the promise of Congress to amend Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) is a sad statement. Speaking to ANI he said, "If they review AFSPA, their intention is hidden in it.
I understand people will answer them."


The Driver Open Street Festival is a community led Bull City Play Street in East Durham. Play Streets close neighborhood streets to traffic, and open that space to the community to encourage physical activity and healthy living. The festival will have fun activities for kids and families, organizations sharing resources and information with residents and a space for neighbors to get out and get to know each other. We hope you can share in the fun with us!
If you are an organization that wants to share information or lead an activity, please register by submitting this form. Please note, organizations will not be allowed to sell anything at the event.


Carol A. Starkey will be accepting the President's Award on behalf of the Boston Bar Association's (BBA)Mentoring Program at the BBA Law Day dinner on June 1st. The President's Award is given out at the President's discretion to recognize extraordinary achievement in any area of the BBA. The mission of the Mentoring Program is to develop the next generation of diverse leaders within the BBA and in Boston's legal community.