text:
What Went Wrong With… And What Is Wrong With… Keith Lemon & Leigh Francis?
By What Went Wrong Or Right With...? on March 17, 2016 • ( 16 Comments )
Leigh Francis seems to be the type of comedian who masks his sexism and racism behind various cartoonish characters including that of "Keith Lemon". Judging from his continual one-dimentional comedy however, it's conveniently impossible to tell where Leigh Francis ends and Keith Lemon begins. Even as far back as his appearances on Big Brother as Avid Merion as well as his various celebrity characters in Channel 4's Bo Selecta! you could see a worrying pattern in his comedy; a penchant for out-of-date, crass, and all round cheap jokes regarding race, sex, and sexual orientation.
During the godforsaken decade known as the noughties, Bo Selecta! was incessantly watched by all puerile prats and every lover of prejudice. Along with Sacha Baron Cohen, Leigh Francis' hyper stereotypes were lapped up by all and the public's excuse for the obvious bigotry was somewhere along the lines of satire, irony, and the idea of "pushing the envelope" (which seemed to be continually pushed towards people of colour). Francis' characters in Bo Selecta! included Michael Jackson (and the rest of the Jacksons) jive-talking, Trisha Goddard shouting "rice and pea" with a horridly generic West Indian accent, and Oprah Winfrey showing her love of fried chicken whilst speaking in an uneducated non-specific southern American accent. It was quite strange that only the characters who were of colour seemed to conform to stereotypes, that was of course unless they were gay. The stereotypically homophobic characterisations of George Michael (searching for "crack" in public toilets) and Elton John (saying he loves to "bum" boys) were particularly offensive, although the way Elton John seems to condone this type of crap (as he did with Eminem) I'm not surprised there wasn't more widespread criticism of Francis' prejudice.
To be fair, a few people did call out Leigh's characters for being offensive even during the openly hateful noughties, he then defended his apparent unintentional racism in a 2006 Guardian article. His illogical comeback in this interview has to be read to be believed, if you check out the article you'll witness him strangely stating that it wasn't him being racist but instead it was the "people who are worrying about it, they're the racists!". Amazing logic there, I'd like to see him explain that bullshit on a whiteboard. In the same article he also said that his so-called unintentional racism "didn't kill anyone", a great excuse, but Bernard Manning's comedy never killed anyone either, but it didn't stop all his crap being racist did it?
These days we have Francis in perpetual Keith Lemon mode and Leigh seems unable to detach himself from his latest character. Essentially Francis is now Lemon 24/7, from the tacky panel show Celebrity Juice, the rebooted Through The Keyhole, not to mention his appearances on various talk shows. On the topic of Lemon's various shows it has to be acknowledged that The Keith Lemon Sketch Show is the most repetitive, most unfunniest, painfully humourless, most amateur-looking, shittiest shite ever to be broadcast on British television! Sorry about outburst, on with the write-up…
The character of Keith Lemon gives Leigh Francis the excuse to tell recycled 70's jokes about ethnic stereotypes and the objectification of women, it's either "mock the foreigner" or "let's gawp at some woman's bangers", are we sure we've not been transported to the worst part of the seventies? So in recent years on one channel we have shows like It Was Alright In The 1970's mocking and deriding the past as though society today has evolved into a bigot-free land of amazingness, and on the other side there's Keith Lemon telling 1970's throwback jokes. These days we have to contend with society barking at us, harping on about how we're so mature whilst this oafish twat simultaneously mocks people of colour whilst giving a bad name to northerners, what a great example of our contradictory contemporary society.
Despite Keith having bigger tits than Holly Willoughby or for that matter being a bigger tit than those he ogles, his audience seems to be in some post-modernist hypnotic daze whereby they think all his backward crap is somehow refreshing. On Celebrity Juice in particular we have to endure him making a "hedadadedado" noise every time the Italian-British Chef Gino D'Acampo speaks, and let's not forget that he routinely shouts "potato" whenever he encounters an Irish celebrity. But mocking foreign accents isn't the only thing Lemon does, he once made a joke about "putting olive oil and tomatoes on everything" on the last episode of series 14 of Celebrity Juice. Now if a joke like that was told about a Chinese or Indian guest (you lot put curry powder on everything for example) followed by him making a "butabatatud" noise, wouldn't he be called a racist? Saying Gino can't be from Sheffield by outlining his accent and mixing that with a little irony about his overtly British parents is like mocking a Jamaican and saying he can't be from somewhere like Birmingham because of his "foreign" sounding accent.
I hate these imbeciles who stay quiet when prejudice is targeted toward them, these Irish and Italian "celebrities" could counter Lemon with a caricatured Leeds accent or maybe make some joke about him being a fat ginger wanker who washes in gravy whilst scrubbing his freckled arse with a Yorkshire Pudding as he sits in a bathtub filled with lard, but no, they just sit there and laugh like most minorities today, fine with being the target of a one-sided prejudice joke.
Keith Lemon is of course a character, so the tired-arse defence of satire is brought up yet again, a great never-ending mitigation and rationalisation of people like Leigh Francis, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sarah Silverman, and Natasha Leggero… weird how people of colour never "satirise" white people these days. And on that note, what exactly is Keith Lemon satirising? He wears a bandage on one hand, a shark tooth phallic symbol round his neck, he dresses in gaudy outfits, he's openly prejudice, and he looks like a chubby Hamlin Rule from the Wonder Woman TV Show, but what's all that shite supposed to represent? All I can deduce from his garish clothes and horridly tacky jokes is that he's a convenient non-specific character which allows Leigh Francis to hark back to the days of publicly condoned or overlooked prejudice. I have to reiterate, it's 2016 and for at least the last several years we've constantly been told how "we've moved on so much" and "how far we've come", but with people like Keith Lemon on television what's really changed in the past forty years?
Looking like Richard Attenborough if he'd suffered some kind of brain injury and sporting a hair-do that resembles a cotton mop that's been dragged though a puddle of piss, Keith Lemon is the most annoyingly overrated and most under-criticised creation of Leigh Francis. Constantly seen wearing a "K" necklace, I'd love to know what it really stands for; Keith, Krass, or Kunt?
A Lemon.
Categories: Caricatures, Celebrities, Television
Tagged as: bo selecta, british comedy, caricature, celebrity juice, comedy, funny, keith lemon, leigh francis, racism
What Went Wrong With… Shawn Levy?
What Went Wrong With… Romesh Ranganathan & Ethnic Self-Hatred In Comedy?
i can't stand keith lemon! he's unbearable. and those repetitive jokes like WHAT DOES VT STAND FOR — VIDEO TAPE he's like a broken record. PICK A SECTOR — THATS SEC-TOR IF YOU'RE AMERICAN arrrrrgh!!!!! so annoying.
Toby Jones (not that one) says:
He is one of those comedians whose whole routine is a set of sound bites…
Bang tidy, I'd smash your back doors in, don't be a dingbat, he's the most repetitive 'comedian' on t.v.
Even in Bo Selector he made the same jokes week after week, besides the bigotry it really did become monotonous.
Niyi says:
Hahahahahaha, I 100% agree with your criticism of him, he is the most jarring comedian going. I'll never forget being dragged to go watch his film at the cinema… By far the worst film I've ever fucking seen
But what I find most annoying is his fan base that facilitate his career
Keith Lemon absolutely sucks! Why is Celebrity Juice still on ITV 2?
Idiots like him should have sell by dates. . . . . .mind you he was off even before he started!!
I FUCKING HATE THIS TWAT!!!!!!!! AND NOW THAT HE'S GOT A MAN BUN I WANT TO DECK HIM!!
I worked at London 2012 and seen literally 100's of 'celebs', this loser actually was the only one that actually stayed in Lemon character when at Olympic Park, most concerning.
David Melvyn says:
Hi, I also worked London 2012 and also could not believe that this fuck-knuckle was in character the whole time, what a loser
Kieron says:
And your choice to demean another person in your most venomous call is as a .."fat, ginger, wanker,". I punctuate for a reason… I am fat….I am ginger….I wank….but apparently I do not deserve the same defence of minority you demand……I apparently deserve the very same lazy stereotypical shit that you want to rally against elsewhere…,,,…,.
For fuck's sake. I assume you skipped past the part where I wrote "I hate these imbeciles who stay quiet when prejudice is targeted toward them" after which I proceeded to show how people like Gino D'Acampo could have made a similarly bigoted joke about Keith Lemon – hence the "fat ginger wanker who washes in gravy whilst scrubbing his freckled arse with a Yorkshire Pudding as he sits in a bathtub filled with lard".
CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RETALIATION AGAINST PREJUDICE AND THE INSTIGATION OF PREJUDICE?
There's a difference between simply being racist/sexist/homophobic without provocation and the apt reprisal against such bigotry. That whole paragraph was an example of a notional or hypothetical reaction to xenophobia or racism.
What I would say is that if you were offended by the content of that paragraph, then at least you now know what minorities feel like when they watch something by Leigh Francis (or many other mainstream TV shows for that matter). Welcome to our world.
andybunyan66 says:
Totally overrated and under talented but for some reason known only to ITV bosses, they fucking love him! He can do no wrong! Its about time some stood up to this idoit, which is exactly why he always stays in character. his defence for being a prick! "its not me it my character Keith KUNT Lemon!!"
Gino D'Acampo says:
Gino D'Acampo is obviously above the sort of bigoted retaliation you expect of him, which makes your remarks no less offensive to a reader than those of Keith Lemon.
So in your world, a white man can hurl copious amounts of racist abuse towards a minority but the minority themselves must remain quiet or their retaliation will be deemed "bigoted" and "offensive" by people like you? My remarks are exactly the kind of reply that would change the dynamics of mainstream entertainment, I guess you prefer Charlie Williams' old-school, self-hating schtick to equality.
Don't you know? White people can say what they like but we have to keep quiet and take it!
When they do it it's satire (or any number of other excuses) but when we retaliate it's plain bigotry… the logic of the public at large.
mrblacksmokemonster says:
Brilliant article.


As an agile abstract thinker, Rick is able to make keen observations and clever connections that often lead to insights others might not see. He also uses his unquenchable curiosity, incisive intuition and inventive imagination to create new possibilities.
Over the past 25 years at Procter & Gamble, AcuPOLL Research, and Initiator, he has done new product work with numerous Fortune 500 companies across hundreds of categories and thousands of new ideas. This experience, along with his natural ability to look at things in novel ways, helps him see unique possibilities and convert them into useful ideas.
Over his career he has contributed to many marketplace successes including: Downy Ultra, Oil of Olay Body Wash, Dasani, Johnsons Baby Bedtime Bath, Arm & Hammer Plus OxiClean, Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Cat Litter, and Trojan 2Go.
When he's not working on your business, he's playing tennis, hacking at golf, trying out interesting wines, or getting new inspiration through traveling around the world.
"Enthusiastic", "naturally curious", "a balanced strategic and creative thinker", "results-driven", and at times be a bit "precocious" are some of the words that have been used to describe Mac.
He's passionate about helping brands establish a strategically firm foundation, and from there, working with others to create and craft ideas that can drive sustainable growth for the brand. One of his biggest thrills is that moment when a seemingly disparate nugget of inspiration reveals a completely new possibility for a business or brand.
Mac honed his marketing and strategic skills with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sara Lee/Haneswear, and Heinz. And later at AcuPOLL Research, he applied his expertise in idea identification and communication to help drive growth for a wide assortment of brands for companies such as Kraft, Kellogg's, Johnson & Johnson, and Bank of America.
He earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina, but anyone that knows Mac knows that he is Clemson Tiger at heart.


Home » Posts Tagged "Bar None Wedding Film"
Cristen and Brent invited us to film their day for our second consecutive New Years Eve wedding at Bear Creek Mountain Resort! The day was beautiful and the party was hopping, as can be seen in the film. They were one smooth couple throughout the whole day, even letting us take them all the way to the top of the lake view for some great images, despite the fact that it was soo cold! Between the awesome first meet, the mountain view, and the NYC style countdown for 2012, this wedding was a blast to be a part of!


text:
Jan Szymański (ur. 1881, zm. 1953) – polski działacz przeciwalkoholowy.

Życiorys
Urodził się w 1881. Był działaczem przeciwalkoholowym. Współorganizował Zjazdy Przeciwalkoholowe. Był redaktorem miesięcznika "Trzeźwość" (wydawanego od 1919 przez Towarzystwo Trzeźwość) i kwartalnika "Walka z  Alkoholizmem".

Pełnił funkcję komendanta naczelnego Straży Obywatelskiej w Krakowie. Po odzyskaniu przez Polskę niepodległości pracował na stanowisku referenta do spraw alkoholizmu w Ministerstwie Zdrowia. Był zaangażowany w tworzenie ustawy ograniczającej alkoholizm, uchwalonej przez Sejm 23 kwietnia 1920.

Zmarł w 1953.

Publikacje
 Poezye (1912)
 Zgrzyty. Kilka słów z powodu artykułów pp. dr-a F. Kierskiego i J. Bandrowskiego o mesjanizmie polskim i o naszej poezji romantycznej (1916)
 Jaka powinna być władza zwierzchnia w Polsce (1919)
 Krótki przegląd polskiej literatury o alkoholizmie (1924)
 Obrona ustawy przeciwalkoholowej (1924)
 Społeczne i państwowe znaczenie walki z alkoholizmem (1928)
 Poglądy Krasickiego na sprawę alkoholizmu (1936)
 Antologia przeciwalkoholowa. Wybór prac i wiadomości z dziedziny alkohologii (1947)

Przypisy

Dziennikarze II Rzeczypospolitej
Ludzie związani z Krakowem (zabór austriacki)
Polscy działacze antyalkoholowi
Polscy pisarze
Polscy redaktorzy naczelni
Polscy wydawcy
Urodzeni w 1881
Urzędnicy Ministerstwa Zdrowia II Rzeczypospolitej
Zmarli w 1953

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


When a woman experiences complications during pregnancy, labor, and/or delivery, medical professionals must respond in a timely manner and provide a reasonable standard of care. Sadly, mistakes are sometimes made on behalf of medical care providers. When these mistakes are made during the pregnancy and birthing process, it can have a devastating effect on the baby. Birth injuries may result in short-term problems or permanent disability, both of which require costly medical treatment and other expenses. At Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC, our medical malpractice attorneys in Utah represent birth injury victims and their parents; we can hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions and obtain damages to cover medical fees and any other costs associated with the birth injury.
Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain while it is in its developmental stages. In some cases, the damage occurs before birth while the baby is still in the womb; in these cases, cerebral palsy may result from an infection in the mother or rH incompatibility between the mother and fetus. In other cases, the brain injury occurs during the delivery process; in these cases, cerebral palsy may be caused by head trauma or oxygen deprivation. Our cerebral palsy lawyer in Utah can determine if medical negligence played a role in the development of cerebral palsy.
Erb's palsy refers to upper brachial plexus injuries that affect the arms.
Klumpke's palsy refers to lower brachial plexus injuries that affect the hands.
Spina bifida refers to neural tube birth defects. The neural tube is present during the initial stage of pregnancy; it develops into the brain and spinal cord, along with the protective tissue that encloses these structures. In a normal and healthy pregnancy, the neural tube closes by the 28th day of conception. In those with spina bifida, the neural tube fails to develop or close in a normal manner, resulting in spinal cord and backbone defects. Spina bifida is believed to be caused by nutritional, environmental, and genetic factors. Studies have shown that a folic acid deficiency in the mother may play a role in the improper development and closing of the neural tube.
Sadly, birth injuries sometimes result in the death of the infant or mother. Wrongful death may be caused by lack of oxygen or blood flow, trauma, placenta previa, placental abruption, uterine rupture, bleeding, preeclampsia, and other factors.
Contact our birth injury lawyer in Utah for a case review of your medical malpractice case.


We are thankful and excited to welcome as a DNA affiliate organization HIMserve, a 12-year-old Christian organization in India mobilizing local churches for effective, transformational ministry.
To see communities being transformed by the committed efforts of men and women who themselves have been transformed by the Holy Spirit and challenged to see the church be salt and light within its area of influence.
HIMserve's role in realising this vision is to help the church to broaden its ministry, from being one of purely meeting the spiritual needs of the community, to also addressing its physical, social and economic needs. Hence we endeavour to envision, empower and develop the capacity of motivated and committed men and women, to present and demonstrate the gospel through example, word and deed. We want to see these men and women become agents of change in their respective communities among the Nepali speaking people groups in North Bengal.
Similar to the DNA, HIMserve takes a decentralized approach: Rather than running its own projects, it trains and equips local churches from all denominations to be salt and light in their areas of influence.
HIMserve facilitates health programs in areas without professional medical care, educating adults and children on good health, hygiene and preventive care. This baby was delivered by a trained Health Motivator, a lifesaver in a place where hospitals are unavailable.
HIMserve staff have been using DNA materials since attending a DNA Vision Conference in 2003-2004. Using DNA materials translated by volunteers into Nepali, they created a "Holistic Mission Curriculum" divided into two parts: a basic lesson and an advanced lesson. This training is the start of HIMserve's long-term relationship with a local church.
Mrs. Wasti Rai, a grandmother, wanted to read the Bible by herself, but she was illiterate. Thanks to an adult literacy class facilitated by HIMserve, she learned to read and write. "God fulfilled my heart's desire," she said.
As DNA materials have been foundational to HIMserve's ministry in the past, so this closer affiliation is expected to produce more fruit for God's kingdom. HIMserve expects to make use of DNA's new resources as they are released, also sharing with the global DNA its best practices after more than a decade of ministry.
Learn more about HIMserve at their website, or e-mail himserve@gmail.com.


The scandal of the Obama administration spying on a Trump campaign aide was the worst scandal in American political history.
But the bombshell revelations about using the fake news Steele dossier to obtain a FISA warrant against Carter Page were just the tip of the ice berg.
Secret documents reveal Obama's collusion with the FBI was even worse than you think.
The text messages between anti-Trump FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page continue to be the smoking gun in the FBI and Obama administration spying scandal.
Newly uncovered messages reveal the Obama White House, the CIA, FBI, and Department of Justice all colluded in the beginning of the investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia.
"The investigators say the information provided to Fox News "strongly" suggests coordination between former President Barack Obama's Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, then-Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, and CIA Director John Brennan — which they say would "contradict" the Obama administration's public stance about its hand in the process.
The collusion story was fake news.
McCabe, Strzok, and Page referred to the Russia investigation as "an insurance policy" against Trump winning the election.
During the campaign, it was used to try and rig the election against Trump.
Once Trump won, it became the establishment's weapon to destroy the Trump administration.
Now Americans are learning that it was a giant frame-up from the start.
The Obama administration and intelligence community officials worked hand-in-hand to manipulate the fake news about Russia collusion into a political weapon against Donald Trump.


B&B NEWS — Salon FundRaiser . . . . . . . . . . STEP (1): SET UP YOUR PERSONAL SALON FUNDRAISER ACCOUNT . . . . . . . . . . STEP (2): CREATE A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN OR PAY $100 FOR US TO CREATE ONE FOR YOUR PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . STEP (3): SHARE YOUR CAMPAIGN ON SOCIAL MEDIA THEN ASK FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO GIVE AND HELP SUPPORT YOUR PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . STEP (4): WHEN YOU REACH YOUR GOAL YOU CAN COLLECT YOUR MONEY IN AS LITTLE AS 30 DAYS . . . . . . . . . . . STEP (5): USE THE FUNDS TO FINISH YOUR PROJECT!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Barber and Beauty NEWS (B&B NEWS) is the First up to date News reporting show strictly created for the Barber and Beauty Industry on The HAIR TV Channel!
We will have daily up dates of all the information that we in the B&B Industry is looking for. Everything from new laws and regulations in our fields as well as up to the minute news of past, present and future Trade and Hair Shows! No matter what the situation. Be it in health, money, legal, personal, business, fashion, barber, beauty or anything that pertains to us, We will take care of all your 'News Needs'!


text:
HomeNews & EventsKOKO News
News & EventsKOKO NewsNews in Nigeria
2023 Presidency: I Won€'t Turn Down Calls To Contest – Bola Tinubu
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, says he will not reject any calls from any person or group of persons asking him to contest for the Presidency in 2023.
Tinubu stated this after a closed-door meeting with leaders of the Northern Alliance Committee in Abuja on Tuesday, December 14. While refusing to officially declare his ambition, the 69-year-old politician said political consultations were ongoing.
Read Also: Bisi Akande Is A Pathological Liar, He Sold Yoruba Race To Buhari Because They Want Tinubu To Be President – Afenifere Leader, Ayo Adebanjo
"I am not going to turn them down but I will still effectively and widely consult, particularly brainstorm with my friends and find a date to come out openly and tell Nigerians. But the President is still in office.
I don't want to distract him from all the challenges he might face today. So, don't muddle the political waters. Consult, make our program known to the people later. And the intention is clear. So you can keep guessing,"
Read Also: Sunday Igboho Is A Militant Ethnic Secessionist Conducting Acts Of Terror And Disturbing The Peace – Buhari
Tinubu said Though the former Lagos state governor is yet to declare his intention to contest any office in 2023, there have been rumors he wants to run for president.
Also Read: I Don't Owe You A Successful Marriage - Blessing Okoro Warns
Kanye West 'Not Giving Up' On Kim Kardashian Despite Her Divorce Filing
Tory Lanez Shouted "Dance B***h" Before Shooting Megan Thee Stallion In The Foot – Police Tells Court
Foreign Powers Behind Nigeria's Insecurity – Buhari Reveals

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Director Alfred Hitchcock was the master of the thriller. The film Psycho was one of his best known films. Taking it on, even in the small screen form, is a risky proposition due to its iconic status. It is different (a prequel, set in modern times) yet the same. A series about the events that lead to a young, mentally unstable boy becoming a serial killer in adulthood. An adult man who had the mummified corpse of his mother in his house for many years. All very interesting material in the right hands – actors, directors and writers. Some parts of this A&E series are great (creepiness of the sets, writing) while others are less so (surprisingly the acting of the usually steady Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, who you can both see acting a lot). Still makes for an interesting watch.
The series starts with Norman Bates (played by Freddie Highmore) as a 15-year-old who has a very close relationship with his mother Norma (played by Vera Farmiga). The two have moved to a small town in Oregon to start life anew. Norma is a widow and to support herself and her son she has purchased a rather run down motel. Now despite the fact that they are in a new town and want a fresh start their dark secrets follow them. Norman strange behaviour begins to surface making his mother rather nervous as she seems to know what is going on despite the fact that he remains clueless. Danger looms as murder, secrets, strange behaviour, local villains and overall creepiness begin to surface.
The reason this series works because of the great acting and tight script. Emmy and Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed) is the glue that holds it all together in her turn as Norman's mother, Norma. She chews up the scenery with the best of them as Norma Bates. You don't know whether to blame her for her son's damaged psyche or feel sorry for her. Mother and son are close…too close.


text:
Flat Earth: Fact or Friction?
Posted on August 26, 2018 21:47
An attempt to understand the sudden insurgence in flat-earther followers
For some reason, these past few weeks I've ran across more than a few converted "flat-earthers." According to a Joe Rogan report, this is a common trend with the millennials. As a believer in science (and a Star Trek fan) immediately I started to grill these people and the validity of their theories with a touch of cynicism.
"So if it's flat, what's underneath it?" I asked. I got one response, a doozy:
"It's on pedestals."
"And they're hydraulic," I responded, "that's how the tide works. One lifts and the water pours one way, the other lifts and the water..." That remark garnered some stink eye, let me tell you.
"So if it's flat, wouldn't the water from the ocean run off the edges?" I asked someone else.
"No," the answer came back with conviction, "the North Pole is actually a wall of ice that borders the earth, keeping everything in." Hmm. I couldn't leave it at that.
"So how do planes leave east from Australia, boats leave east from Japan and China and all of them end up in Hawaii? Wouldn't they get blocked by the ice wall and wouldn't people see that?" Another round of silence.
One FE told me that everything revolved around the earth, the stars, the moon, etc. almost like we were in a snow globe. At least that explained earthquakes, you have to shake a snow globe to get the "snow flakes" up in the air.
I won't even get into their opinions on gravity.
Now, as a writer, and a responsibly conscious human being in general, I need to keep an open mind. So I did some research, using the best sources known to us, Google and YouTube. Here were the claims that at least had SOME merit:
1) Nothing can exit or re-enter the ozone layer without burning up. Therefore, the NASA satellites and photos are false.
2) Cellphone and wi-fi transmissions are from lines laid in the ocean and radio towers.
3) You always see the "Man in the Moon". The dark side of the moon isn't there.
4) And the classic "faked moon landing," shot by Stanley Kubrick a year AFTER "2001: A Space Odyssey" (this one I almost believe).
A lot of times it comes down to faith, which I won't question, but the fact is that a lot of the band wagon flat-earth jumpers are agnostic. So there's that. Admittedly, the argument "no one really knows" has merit, and scientific facts are debunked on an almost daily basis. But there has to be more than that to sway this writer. Amen!
The classic cartoon series, Looney Tunes, had perhaps the best answers to this conundrum when Bugs Bunny and Chris Columbus wanted to come over to the new land from Italy. Chris Columbus said, "The world, she's a round like my head." The king took out a mallet and whacked Chris on the noggin and replied, "She's flat like your head."
SpaceX's boosters land simultaneously after rocket launch
Source: Daily Mail
The powerful Falcon Heavy megarocket is outfitted with three recycled boosters and all three are expected to return safely...


All the houses of Westeros cherish hope in their secret hearts of claiming the Iron Throne for themselves. But the challenge is about to become greater than ever, with the addition of a new house and Objective cards. In A Feast for Crows, the newest Print on Demand expansion for A Game of Thrones: The Board Game Second Edition, all tactics and dreams of the future become subject to the will to conquer - and the fate of the draw.
Feast for Crows is a four-player scenario expansion that introduces a brand-new house to the armed marches and backstabbing of Westeros: namely, House Arryn. Led by the hoary Bronze Yohn Royce, and featuring iconic characters such as Littlefinger in their House deck, House Arryn focuses on gathering power tokens, and using them to quickly establish a definitive military and diplomatic advantage. From their home among the perilous peaks and precipices of The Eyrie, House Arryn is ready to join the Starks, Lannisters, and Baratheons in the dangers of throne-hunting.
An alternative setup has been crafted in order to produce a tactical situation reminiscent of the fourth book of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, and with this new setup, deadly conflict is possible on the first turn of the game. With a well balanced four-player game and an advanced unit setup, the game proceeds faster than ever. But a new setup and quicker playtime are not the only additions that are brought to the table in the A Feast for Crows expansion.
The new scenario also features game-changing Objective cards that must shape player's thoughts and plans for their house's strategy. These new Objective cards are the only way to gain victory points in A Feast for Crows, making them the most important cards in the game. Each house holds an open Special Objective, which allows them to repeatedly gain points for each round that they control important bastions and central regions of Westeros.
Other neutral Objective cards are drawn and replaced as they are scored, as while as swapped and traded between players through the events in a replacement Westeros deck. The goals of these Objective cards vary widely, but an innovative ranking system maintains balance by scaling the amount of victory points different houses can gain for fulfilling these objectives.


text:
AD Plastik, hrvatski proizvođač plastičnih dijelova za automobilsku industriju. Društvo je nastalo 1992. godine izdvajanjem iz bivše Jugoplastike. Godine 1996. oblikovalo se kao dioničko društvo, pod današnjim imenom. Privatizirano je 2001. godine. Djelatnici AD Plastika danas su vlasnici skoro jedne petinе dionica svoje kompanije.

Izvori

Vanjske poveznice

Hrvatske proizvodne tvrtke
Dobitnici Povelje Republike Hrvatske


Located among the mountainous regions of the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh in north India are the Kinnauri. Today the Kinnaur region can be divided into Upper Kinnaur, Central Kinnaur and Lower Kinnaur, with the Kinnauri living mostly in the Central and Lower regions. Approximately 85,000 in number, the Kinnauri are small-scale commercial agriculturalists known for their prized cashews, apricots, grapes, and apples. Traditionally they are also known as skilled weavers in producing intricately designed shawls as well as carpets and blankets.
The Kinnauri religion is characterized by a blend of traditional religion colored by Hindu and Buddhist influences. While Lower Kinnaur is predominately Hindu, Buddhist influence increases as one travels north. This blend of beliefs creates a complex pantheon of numerous deities with accompanying religious ceremonies. Education in the Kinnaur district is government funded. While a fairly established government funded education system is in place, the medium is in Hindi a major language of India. The Kinnauri, however, speak a very different language than Hindi and desire literature in their mother tongue.
View Kanaura in all countries.
Location in Country: More than 60,000 Kinnaura people inhabit extremely high altitude locations in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, in Kinnaur District.


It's been years since we were last at Descanso Gardens. I don't know why we don't go more often - it's a lovely place to wander in (mostly) peace and quiet, admiring the flowers, streams and water fountains. Unfortunately for us, today was loud, obnoxious mommy and baby day at the Gardens. One special group seemed to follow us everywhere we went, from the cafe to the lilac forest. (No flowers in the forest. Bummer.) I have nothing against moms or babies. But loud, pushy, baby-voice talking women make me nuts. I kept wanting to say, "Let's all use our quiet voices now." Sorry. Rant over. On to the flowers.
The sound is what first drew our attention. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the Bat House. With real live bats living in it. How cool is that?
Just a few of the flowers we saw: Simply gorgeous.
Where have you been hiding this place? How beautiful! Glenn & I will have to take a trip there.
I *heart* Descanso Gardens. My parents used to trek us over there all the time as children. I loved it then and I still do.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. So nice to meet new blog friends!


Has anybody ever received a payout in person?
Small business checking for gambling??
Who you guys got for MLB games on Sunday?
Andruw Jones- Future HALL of FAMER?
That NFL play juice saiyd.... It be very satisfiable lass year's team!!!!
Ok why did the refs not end up calling the penalty on Denver there?
Is Dusty Baker the dumbest manager in MLB history?
What's the O/U on kickoffs returned in Denver this year?
Nice Try Mitt Romney LOL!!
Any SBR Survivor contests out there? If not join this one!
Could this help me with "beating the odds" ???
Any agents from Bet super bet that can get me signed up for new account?
MLB Trivia...This is a rough one.
A question.... is it possible to change our posting name?
Swinging Johnson - MAX PLAY GAME + 2 others Saturday August 25th!!
nfl preseason degens needing a bail out AFL play?


Kateryna Radchenko is an artist and curator living in Odessa, whose work reveals unheard, forgotten or forbidden stories. Her exhibitions and projects often take place in unusual places, and she regularly works with photo archives to explore Ukrainian history, religion, and political storytelling.
On the 21st of November 2013 Kateryna was passing through Kiev en route home. She had intended to see friends and stay just one night, but she found herself unable to leave. Kateryna remained in Kiev, and in and around the Maidan Nezalesnosti (Independence Square), for two months.
The Maidan revolution is credited as starting with a Facebook message sent by Mustafa Nayem, a journalist from Afghanistan living in Kiev. Mustafa was in the parliament reporting on the president's signing of an agreement that would bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. President Yanukovych had lost the faith of many Ukrainians with his brutal and overbearing pressure on political opponents, journalists and protesters, but the prospect of this agreement had signaled new hope.
When the police started to use tear gas on the protesters, a call came for milk and lemons to counteract its effect. Kateryna sent out a Facebook message that she'd go and buy some and called for others to do the same. Within moments 'the wife of an oligarch' in her SUV picked her up, with a car full of supplies. She dropped Kateryna off at Maidan with the lemons and milk and returned to do the same again. Maidan was now a protest of the many.
Over the bitter winter months the occupation of Maidan continued with the loss of 130 lives, most of them civilian protesters. As artists became activists, so activists became artists, making sculptures, posters, banners, and films to tell the world what was happening. Yanukovych would step down and a new phase in Ukraine's self-governing history would begin.
In 2015 Clymene took part in the British Council Canny Creative Fellowship in Kyiv, Ukraine. The fellowship placed her with the Congress of Cultural Activists and CSM, Contemporary Arts Institute. These blogs reflect her brief time embedded in the culture and politics of Ukraine.
Our culture makes us who we are: It defines our neighbourhoods, our nations, our characters, our tribes. The arts connect our places and people, revealing the stories that celebrate our differences and share our humanity.


text:
Map New Map of the Wonderful, Large and Rich Land of Guiana. Nieuwe caerte van het wonderbaer ende goudrycke Landt Guiana
Download: ZIP JPEG (448x301px) JPEG (896x603px) JPEG (1792x1206px) JPEG (3584x2413px) JPEG (7168x4826px) JPEG2000 (5.9 MB)
New Map of the Wonderful, Large and Rich Land of Guiana.
Nieuwe caerte van het wonderbaer ende goudrycke Landt Guiana
This hand-colored map of Guiana (present-day French Guyana, Suriname, and Guyana) is the work of Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612), the patriarch of one of the most famous Dutch mapmaking families. The map includes annotations in Dutch about the indigenous peoples of northern South America, along with fantastic illustrations of South American animals. The Amazon and Orinoco rivers are both well depicted on the map.
Hondius, Jodocus, 1563-1612 Cartographer.
Amsterdam : [publisher not identified], 1598.
- France--French Guiana
- Guyana
- Suriname
- Amazon River
- Amazon River region
- Animals
- Indians of South America
- Indigenous peoples
- Netherlands--Colonies
- Orinoco River (Venezuela and Colombia)
- Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 1552?-1618
- Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
- Original resource extent: 1 hand colored map; 36.5 x 52 centimeters.
- Original resource at: National Library of Brazil.
- Content in Dutch.
- Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
1 online resource.
https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.165
compressed data
https://lccn.loc.gov/2021668301
National Library of Brazil (651)
World Digital Library - Partner Items (5,089)
Hondius, Jodocus
Amazon River
Amazon River Region
Indians of South America
Orinoco River (Venezuela and Colombia)
Raleigh, Walter, Sir
Hondius, Jodocus, Cartographer. New Map of the Wonderful, Large and Rich Land of Guiana . [Amsterdam: Publisher Not Identified, 1598] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668301/.
Hondius, J. (1598) New Map of the Wonderful, Large and Rich Land of Guiana . [Amsterdam: Publisher Not Identified] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668301/.
Hondius, Jodocus, Cartographer. New Map of the Wonderful, Large and Rich Land of Guiana . [Amsterdam: Publisher Not Identified, 1598] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668301/>.
Guyana, or, the Kingdom of the Amazons.
Guiana, siue, Amazonum Regio This map of colonial Guiana (present-day Suriname) is the work of Jan Jansson (died 1664), a Dutch cartographer who married into the Hondius family of illustrious mapmakers. Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) and his...
Contributor: Jansson, Jan
Brazil, which Coast is a Portuguese Possession, Divided into Fourteen Captaincies, Showing the Middle of the ...
Le Bresil, dont la Coste est possedée par les Portugais et divisée en quatorze Capitanieres, le Milieu du Pays est habité par un trés grand Nombre de Peuples presque tous Incogneus This coastal map of Portuguese Brazil is by one of the greatest of the French cartographers, Nicolas Sanson (1600-67). Sanson gave geography lessons to both King Louis XIII and King Louis XIV....
Contributor: Sanson, Nicolas
Region Between Amazon River and São Paulo.
Região compreendida entre o rio Amazonas e São Paulo This pen-and-ink watercolor map shows the course of the Amazon River, including its minor tributaries and the towns located along its banks. Although much of the area along the Amazon was controlled...
Guiana and Caribana.
Guiana, verdeelt in Guiana en Caribana This map of part of the northern coast of South America is a Dutch version of a map originally produced around 1650 by Nicolas Sanson (1600--1667), royal geographer to Kings Louis XIII...
The Marañon or Amazon River with the Mission of the Society of Jesus.
El gran rio Marañon o Amazonas con la Mission de la Compañia de Iesus This map of the Amazon River is by Samuel Fritz (1654-1728), a Jesuit missionary who mapped the basin of the Amazon River. Born in the province of Bohemia (now part of the...
Contributor: Fritz, Samuel
Introduction to the Guiana colonies. In preparation for the peace conference that was expected to follow World War I, in the spring of 1917 the British Foreign Office established a special section responsible for preparing background information...
Contributor: Great Britain. Foreign Office. Historical Section
The Special Features of Antarctic France, Otherwise Called America, and of Several Lands and Islands Discovered ...
Les singvlaritez de la France Antarctiqve, avtrement nommée Amerique, & de plusieurs Terres & Isles decouuertes de nostre temps André Thevet (1516-92) was a Franciscan friar who traveled widely and, through his writings, helped to establish cosmographie-as geography was called at the time-as a science in 16th-century France. After making trips...
Contributor: Thevet, André
Dance to Fertility Goddess. This photograph from Suriname shows a group of women performing a fertility dance. The photograph is from the collection of the Columbus Memorial Library of the Organization of American States (OAS), which...
The Amazon and Madeira rivers; sketches and descriptions from the note-book of an explorer, Franz Keller was a German engineer who spent 17 years in Brazil. In 1867, Keller and his father were commissioned by the minister of public works in Rio de Janeiro to explore...
Contributor: Keller, Franz
The War. Documents from the Photographic Division of the Army, Fascicle XVIII: The Colonial Army.
La guerre : Documents de la Section photographique de l'Armée, fascicule XVIII In 1916, the Photographic Division of the Army in the French Ministry of War published collections of photographs documenting all aspects of French involvement in World War I. The collections were grouped...
Contributor: France. Ministry of War. Photographic Section of the Army - Ardouin-Dumazet, Victor-Eugène


text:
Covid England: Deaths in care homes DOUBLE in a fortnight to 1,260 – Daily Mail
Coronavirus deaths in care homes have doubled in a fortnight in England, figures revealed today amid a spike in cases across the sector.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report found 1,260 residents died of the virus in the week ending January 15, almost twice the 661 fatalities two weeks ago. The virus now accounts for a startling 40 per cent of all deaths in care homes in England, up from just over a quarter at the end of December.
Ministers have been slammed by furious families and charities for failing to vaccinate care home residents — who are first in the queue because they are most vulnerable to the disease. Even though only half of Britain's 400,000 residents have had their jab since the immunisation drive started six weeks ago, No10 has already expanded the scheme to over-70s.
It comes after two-thirds of the elderly residents at a Lincolnshire died following a sudden outbreak of coronavirus in November which killed 17 people over six weeks. There are now questions over whether the spike in cases and deaths is linked to the Government's controversial policy to send Covid patients discharged from hospitals back into care homes. Under the scheme, designed to free up hospital beds and protect the NHS, care homes which passed inspection and were deemed Covid-secure were once again asked to house infected patients.
The scheme was launched by the Department of Health in October in the hope that every local authority would have access to at least one approved site by the end of the month. But only a third of councils in England had an approved setting as of January 5.
It emerged today that No10 will provide indemnity to care homes approved to take Covid patients, amid concerns that not enough homes were signing up because insurance companies refused to cover them. Industry bosses feared they would come under increasing pressure to accept Covid patients, with too few approved settings and rising numbers in hospitals.
More than 20,000 care home residents died from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic and experts say the decision to discharge thousands of untested hospital patients into care homes in spring was partly to blame. MPs accused ministers of throwing care homes 'to the wolves'.
With history threatening to repeat itself, Britain announced another 1,610 Covid deaths today — the highest daily figure since the pandemic began. Health bosses also posted 33,355 cases, with the outbreak continuing to shrink because of lockdown.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report found 1,260 care home residents died to the virus in the week ending January 15, almost twice the 661 fatalities two weeks ago
Public Health England has also recorded a spike in the number of suspected Covid-19 outbreaks reported in care homes. But it said many of these are be false alarms, although it couldn't say what number turned out not to involve the virus
Ministers have been slammed by furious families and charities for failing to vaccinate care home residents despite the immunisation programme launching six weeks ago and already being expanded to over-70s
Joan Willett (left), a resident in a care home in Hastings, East Sussex, receives her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine today. As does John Mason 82, from Blackburn
LINCOLNSHIRE CARE HOME SUFFERS 'WORST OUTBREAK' OF THE PANDEMIC
A Lincolnshire care home boss has described the 'absolutely horrendous' ordeal of seeing 18 elderly residents die in a coronavirus outbreak.
All residents and 20 staff members at The Old Hall at Halton Holegate, near Spilsby, became infected with the virus in November, with the first resident dying on the 16th.
Over the next six weeks another 17 people died from Covid. Most were in their 90s, with the youngest aged 79 and the oldest 99
Some of the deaths were so sudden staff did not have the chance to administer end-of-life treatment or arrange for loved ones to say goodbye.
Following an inspection by CQC, the care home regulator, the home was found to have been doing everything it could to prevent the spread of the virus.
Diane Vale, the care home's manager, said the situation had been 'absolutely horrendous' and that some deaths were so sudden staff could not administer end-of-life treatment or arrange for loved ones to say goodbye.
ONS statistics revealed the number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes has risen for six consecutive weeks since the start of last month.
There were 444 fatalities registered with the Care and Quality Commission in the seven days to December 4.
But this had tripled to 1,260 by the week ending January 15, the latest date for which data is available.
A separate dataset from Public Health England last week also showed they were receiving more reports of suspected Covid-19 outbreaks than at the start of the second wave.
More than 800 suspected outbreaks with at least one confirmed Covid case were reported in the week to January 10, a hundred more than the previous week.
For comparison, when the second wave began in August fewer than 100 were reported in the space of a week.
A suspected outbreak — or acute respiratory infection incident — is when two or more cases of a virus are thought to have been identified in a home.
But PHE has insisted these don't necessarily represent actual outbreaks, as many turn out to be false alarms — although it doesn't say what proportion of all cases were not actual outbreaks.
There are fears the resurgence of Covid in care homes is the result of ministers' controversial policy to send Covid patients discharged from hospitals into the sector – a move which has worrying echoes of the first wave when hospitals were permitted to discharge patients into care homes without testing them for Covid.
These patients, bosses warned, seeded deadly coronavirus outbreaks in the homes which contributed to the sector's devastating death toll of 19,157 in 2020.
When the plans were announced last autumn, they were met with fury by human rights groups, who described the move as 'like throwing a lit match into a haystack'.
Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International, said: 'The discharge of Covid-19 patients into care homes full of vulnerable residents is widely regarded as one of the biggest and most devastating mistakes of the Government's handling of the pandemic. Yet the same deadly policy from earlier in the pandemic is being pursued, despite the knowledge of how disastrous it was and how many lives were lost as a consequence.'
Killer delays at care homes: My aunt caught virus waiting for jab
By Susie Coen and Helena Kelly for The Daily Mail
The niece of a 95-year-old care home resident has told of her anguish after her aunt caught Covid while waiting for the vaccine.
Ursula Sarsfield, 51, said she has no idea when dementia sufferer Mary Edwards will receive the vital jab.
Last week she was told the home in Liverpool was battling a Covid outbreak after three staff members tested positive. On Monday she was informed former seamstress Mrs Edwards and four other residents were infected.
Mrs Sarsfield, who runs a masonry business, said: 'It's absolutely horrible. I'm very, very anxious.
'Had the residents and the staff had their vaccination a month ago, which was perfectly possible, things would be completely different. I just really feel now that the care homes have been excluded – they're just being left.
'We've fought since May for her safety. We've restricted ourselves from seeing her to protect her and now this happens. The Government says 50 per cent of over-80s have been vaccinated – what about the other half?'
Government guidance states Covid patients must wait four weeks before they can receive the jab, meaning Mrs Edwards will not get it until at least mid-February.
The nephew of a care home resident Michael Pearce, 88, struck down with Covid said he was 'frustrated and angry' he did not receive the jab before getting the virus. Meanwhile, the family of the last surviving member of the Battle of Britain Fighter Command HQ, aged 100, told how they had to 'fight' to get her inoculated
Meanwhile, the nephew of a care home resident struck down with Covid said he was 'frustrated and angry' he did not receive the jab before getting the virus.
Ian Moss had been pushing for his uncle Michael Pearce, 88, to be vaccinated. Former businessman Mr Pearce was found to have Covid after staff tested positive at the Bristol home. Mr Moss said: 'I'm very frustrated that my uncle wasn't given the vaccine in time.' He added: 'He's deteriorated so much and we haven't been allowed to see him. I don't want him to be left to die. It's heartbreaking.'
The family of the last surviving member of the Battle of Britain Fighter Command HQ, aged 100, have told how they had to 'fight' to get her inoculated after she failed to receive a letter from her GP. Gladys May Eva was finally vaccinated. Step-grandson Grant Gibson, 66, intervened after noticing younger residents in Folkestone, Kent, getting the jab.
He told the Mail: 'There are only around 13,000 in the country over the age of 100 so you would have thought my gran would have been first in line.'
The scheme, which launched in mid-October, was for patients only to be sent into homes if they produced a negative test upon being discharged. But documents seen by the Guardian last week revealed the NHS – facing its biggest ever winter crisis – is now is asking care homes to start accepting Covid patients directly from hospitals and without a recent negative test, as long as they have been in isolation for 14 days and have shown no new symptoms.
There are no figures yet to show how many patients have actually been sent into homes, meaning it's impossible to know if the wave of infections in care homes is linked to the policy.
The Department of Health reassured that homes selected to house infected patients would be carefully inspected so the facilities would not turn into breeding grounds for the virus. But leaked documents sent by local councils to care homes — seen by Amnesty International — offered no concrete assurances that facilities will be properly Covid-secure, the human rights group said.
It comes as the Government announced it will provide indemnity for care homes in England approved to safely receive Covid-19 patients discharged from hospital, in recognition that insurance issues have led to too few numbers.
Vaccine Deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi has announced a 'time-limited state-backed indemnity' for care homes registered or intending to register as 'designated settings' who are unable to obtain sufficient insurance cover.
These are care homes or alternative sites that have been inspected and approved by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the rapid discharge of hospital patients with coronavirus.
In mid-October, when the scheme was launched, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it hoped every local authority would have access to at least one approved site by the end of the month.
Figures from the CQC last week show that more than a third of local authorities in England had no approved setting as of January 5.
No10 to provide indemnity for care homes in England approved to safely receive Covid-19 patients discharged from hospital
Families won't be able to sue care homes if a relative dies from coronavirus as a result of taking in infected hospital patients, under new Government plans.
Number 10 said today it will be providing indemnity for care homes in Engand that have been approved to receive Covid-19 patients discharged from hospital.
Since mid-October, the NHS has been sending infected patients into the sector in a desperate bid to free up beds and protect the health service from being overwhelmed.
But not enough care homes have been signing up because insurance companies have been refusing to cover them if the tactic sparks outbreaks.
Vaccine Deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi has today announced a 'time-limited state-backed indemnity' for care homes registered or intending to register as 'designated settings' who are unable to obtain sufficient insurance cover.
When the scheme was launched, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it hoped every local authority would have access to at least one approved site by the end of the month.
There have been fears that, with too few approved settings and rising numbers in hospitals, care homes who have not been approved will come under increasing pressure to accept patients.
Mr Zahawi acknowledged that an inability to get sufficient insurance cover has been a barrier for some care homes wishing to join the scheme.
In a written ministerial statement on Monday, he said: 'This is limiting the ability of a small number of local authorities to operationalise designated settings capacity, and in other areas is limiting the expansion of such capacity in response to rising demand.
'Given the severity and immediacy of the pressures facing the NHS, we want to take all possible steps to remove obstacles to sufficient local designated settings provision.
'This includes ensuring that where the creation of designated settings has created barriers to insurance, the Government will introduce a targeted and time-limited indemnity offer to fill gaps in commercial cover.'
The indemnity will cover clinical negligence, employer's and public liability and remain in place until the end of March, with a review in mid February.
Care England said a lack of insurance has been a 'major stumbling block' in care homes agreeing to become designated sites.
Chief executive Professor Martin Green said: 'We are delighted that the Government has listened to Care England about the critical issue of insurance.
'We look forward to working with the Government to make the best of this important decision and will continue to campaign to have the difficulties associated with securing insurance cover extended to the rest of the care home sector who are crippled by sky-high premiums and lack of Covid cover.'
Care England said it expected further guidance from the Government in due course. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said it welcomes the opportunity to work with the Government and supports the scheme's aims.
Director general Huw Evans said: 'The insurance industry remains supportive of the care home sector and will continue to work with the Government on the detail of this scheme and to assist with ongoing insurance provision wherever possible in these most challenging circumstances.'
The National Care Forum welcomed the scheme but said it does not go far enough, calling for it to be extended to the entire social care sector.
Executive director Vic Rayner said: 'Aside from those care homes operating designated settings who have now received indemnity, care providers continue to struggle to negotiate affordable insurance cover – with many seeing substantial increases to insurance premiums, restrictions and exclusions that prevent adequate cover for Covid-19-related claims.
'We have raised this consistently and it is hugely frustrating that it has taken until now for the Government to act.'
The DHSC will also provide clinical negligence indemnity to community pharmacies carrying out vaccinations, up until June 30.
Mr Zahawi said the need for this was 'extremely urgent' as pharmacy-led vaccination centres were not able to start vaccinating people until this was in place. Vaccination has begun at six centres as of Monday, he added.
He said: 'Delaying would have postponed the rollout of this vital aspect of the vaccination programme, restricting access to the vaccine in some areas of the county. We concluded that such a delay was not acceptable and I hope it is clear why this was indeed a case of special urgency. '
Pace launches out of private beta with a plan to scale virtual group therapy
Covid-19 in Cumbria: Tuesday, January 19 | News and Star – News & Star
by · Published January 19, 2021
Coronavirus news – live: One in eight people in England have had Covid as intensive care units 'overwhelmed' – The Independent


text:
Home FSC News Releases
Coral Gold Provides Outlook for 2018, Including Barrick's Plans for Robertson Exploration
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Coral Gold Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: CLH; OTCQX: CLHRF) ("Coral" or the "Company") has concluded a watershed year, highlighted by the sale of our Robertson Property to Barrick in June 2017. The agreement included a cash payment to Coral of US$15.75 million (approximately Cdn $21.2 million based on the exchange rate at the time) and a sliding scale 1% to 2.25% net smelter returns royalty (NSR), payable quarterly, subject to potential advance royalty payments. The royalty increases if the price of gold moves higher. Barrick also returned 4,150,000 common shares of Coral, representing approximately 8.7% of the Company's basic common shares outstanding for cancellation by the Company.
Robertson Work Completed by Barrick in Q4 2017
Barrick recently reported on their work at Robertson during the fourth quarter of 2017. Their activities and progress included:
PFS Engineering & Permitting stage 1 budget approved
Completed first drilling program to verify historical data. Three core rigs assigned to the Robertson property drilled 7 PQ holes and 10 HQ holes.
Assay results currently being analyzed; data expected Q1 2018
Existing hydrology data reviewed
Geotechnical logging conducted on four 2017 drill holes with transducers installed
Engaged with metallurgical lab to conduct testing on the 2017 drilling samples; results expect Q2 2018.
2018 Baseline studies programs developed.
Barrick's Q4 2017 work plan was designed to validate the acquisition resource and metallurgical database. The new data from 2017 and a resource model update are expected in Q1 2018. Results of this analysis will determine the 2Q2018-2Q2019 project work plan for further drilling and engineering studies.
Barrick's Multi-Mine Vision Bodes Well for Coral
"We are thrilled to see Barrick use its vast experience in the region which would make Coral's NSR a very valuable asset for shareholders with continued economic benefits for many years to come," said Coral Gold CEO David Wolfin. "There is absolutely no better partner for us in this region than Barrick. Their track record, their investment in the region, and the vast knowledge they have amassed about Cortez area geology, represent one of the world's great success stories in mining."
Part of the Extraordinary Cortez Gold Camp
The Cortez gold camp has produced nearly 20 million ounces of gold since 1994 from the Pipeline and Cortez Hills complexes. From 1997 forward, production has averaged nearly one million ounces per year.
Barrick Nevada Growth through Minex, Technical Innovations May Help Robertson
Barrick recently outlined its growth outlook in Nevada during its Investor Day on February 22, 2018. In addition to project updates on Goldrush and Deep South, Barrick highlighted the success through near mine exploration across the Cortez property.
As reported in our September 18, 2017 news release, Barrick has begun its advanced work program at Robertson to validate the current resource and metallurgical database. Barrick also noted during its recent Investor Day that it will begin definition drilling and target delineation at Robertson this year.
Additionally, Barrick's ongoing technical innovation and operational efforts in the region are aimed at productivity and cost improvements at the mines and process plants.
All of which could positively impact the future of the Robertson Project. For Barrick, Robertson represents a favorable target for possibly adding ounces at Cortez should mineral reserves ultimately be established. The claims adjoin Barrick's Pipeline complex (site of the Pipeline processing plant).
Reducing Issued and Outstanding Shares through the NCIB
As reported in June 2017, the Board of Directors believes the underlying value of Coral Gold may not be reflected in the current market price of the Company's common shares. In June 2017 we launched a Normal Course Issuer Bid ("NCIB"), whereby Coral may purchase up to 3,844,000 common shares representing approximately 10% of the total current public float (being the total issued shares, less shares held by insiders, and their associates and affiliates). The NCIB provides an excellent opportunity to reduce the issued and outstanding share total and add considerable value to the Company.
As of March 2, 2018, we had purchased 1,515,000 common shares at an average cost of C$0.3682 per share under the current NCIB.
Overall, a Major Turning Point for Coral
"This cash, the improved share structure and the potential for long-term royalty income collectively represent a major turning point for Coral shareholders," said Wolfin. "We are evolving, with a fresh business model and strategy, looking to capitalize on our experience, knowledge and relationships in Nevada, and particularly on the Cortez gold trend."
Looking Ahead: 2018 and Beyond
"Looking ahead to 2018, we will be evaluating our three gold properties in the Cortez region: the Norma Sass, JDN and Eagle," said Wolfin. "These properties are ideally located in the immediate vicinity of Robertson, and we now have the funds for proper and thorough exploration. We will also be investigating other opportunities, both in Nevada and beyond.
I am grateful to everyone at Coral, including our Board, for the persistence and vision to get us to this very advantageous point in the Company's long history. I look forward to a very exciting year in 2018."
About Coral Gold Resources Ltd.
Coral Gold Resources is a precious metals exploration company, where it has explored one of the world's richest gold districts in Nevada for over 30 years. The Company's primary asset is a sliding scale net smelter returns production royalty on Barrick Gold's Robertson Property in Nevada. The Company also holds a portfolio of strategically-located exploration projects near Barrick Gold's Pipeline/Cortez Mine Complex on Nevada's Battle Mountain/Cortez Trend. Our overall objective is to generate long-term wealth for shareholders.
"David Wolfin"
Coral Gold Resources Ltd.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release contains statements that are forward-looking statements and are based on numerous assumptions, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including risks inherent in mineral exploration and development, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any projected future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such information contained herein represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
To view the associated document to this release, please click on the following link:
public://news_release_pdf/CoralGold03072018_2.pdf
To view the original release, please click here
Source: Coral Gold Resources Ltd. (TSX Venture:CLH, OTCQX:CLHRF, FWB:GV8)
To follow Coral Gold Resources Ltd. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.
Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. https://www.fscwire.com
Copyright © 2018 FSCwire
Comment On!
Add LinkedIn Connection
To post messages to your LinkedIn account, you must first give authorization from LinkedIn.com
Add StockTwits Connection
To post messages to your StockTwits account, you must first give authorization from StockTwits.com
Add Twitter Connection
To post messages to your Twitter account, you must first give authorization from Twitter.com
Upload limit is up to 1mb only
To post a message to social media, first log in or sign up for free CanadianInsider.com account.
To post messages to your Socail Media account, you must first give authorization from the websites. Select the platform you wish to connect your account to CanadianInsider.com (via Easy Blurb).


text:
Ex-tech workers plead with Facebook to consider the harm they are doing to children
2018.02.09 / Robert / 0 Comments
David Smith, The Guardian:
A gathering of Silicon Valley alumni and whistleblowers and Washington lobbyists in the US capital heard warnings of potential links between tech addiction and sleep disruption, poor academic performance, anxiety, depression, obesity, social isolation and suicide.
Conference organiser James Steyer, chief executive and founder of Common Sense Media, a not-for-profit promoting safe technology and media for children, criticised giants such as Facebook, Google and Twitter. He said: "Talk is cheap. Show me the money. Period."
There were pleas for Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook co-founder and chief executive, and Sheryl Sandberg, the company's chief operating officer, to apply values they advocate for their own families. Steyer added: "Mark and Sheryl at Facebook are good people. They are parents too. They have to think about their own kids when making a big picture decision there."
AddictionAnxietyDepressionObesitySleepSocial IsolationSocial Mediasuicide
Bermudan Olympic team wore shorts in the freezing weather during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony
North and South Korea share historic handshake at Winter Olympics
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.


Canine Aggression Issues with Jim Crosby: Understanding perceptions.
It happens suddenly some times.
We are out, or at home, with our Wookie-like companion (yes, this is Star wars release week), and everything is going swimmingly well. People are greeting the Wookie, our Wook is happy and loving the attention, getting pats from strangers...and suddenly Wook gives someone the look and backs away. We don't see a problem. We get defensive and tell Wookie to go say hello, and Wook responds by backing away more, and maybe even growling or raising a lip to show just the hint of teeth. We get upset. Maybe we even scold Wook, and amid profuse showers of apologies we retreat, internally (or otherwise) cursing our stupid dog that chose that moment to go all Cujo. We don't get it, and we might assume the worst-our dog has suddenly developed "aggression problems."
What is going on here? Has the Wookie "snapped?"
The incident makes more sense if we understand that animals assess and classify everything they encounter into one of two default states: safe or unsafe.
Our pets, all animals (ourselves included), are constantly evaluating their environment, scanning for threats. It is not something we have developed as "sophisticated" organisms: this evaluation is a survival mechanism that goes back into what we call the reptilian brain, that part of us that is trying to keep us from being eaten. Dogs have this too. They are, no matter how brilliant and secure, constantly checking for survival cues. Threats may be learned or automatically recognized. The onrushing charge of a bigger animal makes hardwired sense. Dogs understand and avoid this threat. We also recognize big issue threats like this pretty well.
Some threats, or perceived threats, are less obvious. Our dogs have a fine sense of position and body language. Their hearing is different, with a far wider range than ours. Their sense of smell is phenomenal. They pick up cues the we miss. I have said before that I believe dogs think we are their "slow" relatives. Our dogs, while evaluating the environment, are constantly evaluating people too. They are calculating safe versus unsafe.
Cues, subtle and not so much, couple with socialization and training to form the basis for their decisions of how to act or react. We, as good owners, have taught them a lot of different things. We have taught them manners and guided their development as welcome additions to the social scene. We have nurtured their positive interactions with people and dogs, and given them clear but generous boundaries within which they are safe and secure.
But sometimes our Wookie picks up cues that we miss. We may never know just what they are: it could be the scent of something that lingers around a person. It could be small movements that don't add up for Wookie. It may be pheromones that we cannot possibly detect. After all, dogs can detect chemical imbalances like a pending seizure. We only consciously pick up a tiny fraction of those cues, but have you ever met someone who just gave you the willies? That. Exactly. Our best buddy the Wook has picked up…something.
Just because there is something strange in the air, Wookie doesn't get a free pass to be a jerk. We do demand a certain level of civility. No lunging, snapping, or acting like a wild thing towards people. We can, though, pay attention to the Wookie's actions, and reactions, and we can respect Wook's space. Remember that we talked about "Minding the gap" several posts back? If not, take a second and go check out that post here.
Minding the gap and respecting our buddy's space is critical when dear Wookie shows that something is off. Forcing contact and the invasion of Wookie's personal space doesn't accomplish anything other than stressing him out-and maybe setting him up for future problems.
If you place your Wookie in a social situation and he tries to tell you he is uncomfortable, respect that. First, as Douglas Adams said, "DON'T PANIC!". Don't allow Wookie to respond with force, but allow Wookie to maintain his space. Redirect him into a safe, quiet behavior and respect his reaction. Be a buffer between Wookie and the person he is reacting to. Ask them to give Wook his space. Tell them it's not personal, but don't push the issue. Remember when Wookie is calm to reinforce that response. He may well relax enough to reevaluate his perception of the person and decide to solicit contact after he sees your reaction is stable and calm.
We must remember always that our perceptions and our companions' perceptions can be profoundly different. Acknowledge this, respect this, and pay attention.
Personally, if my dog reacts badly to a particular person, I tend to believe the dog.


There is the tube map as you've grown to know and love it, and there are spins offs - many spins off, that I've come across and collected, and are all nicely here for you in one place. Some are useful, some are a little silly.
Click on the smaller thumbnails of each map for the full size version.
Here's what the tube system really looks like if it were drawn accurately! It makes you realise how cool Harry Beck's original is to compress it down into the 'pocket size' map that you've come to know and love today. There are two versions here, a smaller one (fits on screen), or much larger detailed version that doesn't fit nicely on screen!
This map was made by Simon Clarke, who has his own website with other tube maps at www.simonclarke.org/lul/ and I believe that an updated version of the geographical map is being worked upon.
A map which I made myself in a spare hour or two. This is part of a long term plan to have a map that shows you where you can and can't get mobile phone coverage, so to start with I've made a map with shaded areas showing what parts are actually underground.
Slightly deceiving is the fact that many of the 'cut and cover' stations on the circle line do break out into the open occasionally, and some whole stations (e.g. Notting HIll Gate) are in fact in the open, but still technically 'underground'.
The quickest way to get around London is not always to take the train!
Taken from the RodCorp website, this excellent map shows dotted walk lines between stations where less than 500 metres, and thus quicker to walk than to take the train between stations.
There are variations on Rods website including different size versions and a faded out version so that you can see the walk lines more clearly.
Ever wondered how far it is between stations? Ok, maybe not - but if you ever did then this map would tell you.
Someone's taken bloody ages getting all the distances between stations and putting them all onto one map here.
And now you know the distances - how about some realistic timings?
This is fairly amazing - it's a huge JPG but worth downloading and scrolling about on.
It's a physical map of London with surface features with the tube lines then shown on top of it. You get to see where the tube lines really run and where the stations really are in relation to each other, and the overlayed map of London.
I did this one myself! Why? Because I thought it would an excellent test for when my mates are pissed down the pub one night - so it's a blank tube map!
See how many stations you can (correctly) fill in within ten minutes.
This weird, but wonderful creation was sent into me by a chap called James. He took the blank map, and then marked onto it every station that has toilets, so you can see at a glance where you can go to relieve yourself if you get caught short!
This is somewhat 'risque' to put it mildly, so perhaps you'd better not look if you're offended by extreme profanities. But if you like that sort of things, then you'll find it wonderfully funny.
Ok, and here's something I did myself when I had spare 5 minutes. Ok, so it actually took quite a bit longer than that to do - so I hope you appreciate it. It's an inverted tube map!
What would the tube map look like if South London had all the tube trains instead of north London having the majority of them as it does at the moment?
This is quite nice - the person that made this map gives me a credit for inspiring them to do it!
They took the blank 'template' that I offer (above) and added food reference to every station mark to produce 'London Undergrub'. And I love Mornington Croissant - inspired!
Inspired by the 'Great Bear' map (see below), and my whole collection here of alternative maps, a chap called Thomas at his website bluebones.net created this, the MovieMaker Map where lines consist of Director, Actor, Cinematographer, etc..
The clever part being that interchanges now makes sense on all lines (unlike the Great Bear) which is quite neat.
This variation first appeared in February 2006 in The Guardian with a map where every line is a music style/taste and then each station along the line is an artist that fits that genre.
It's been cleverly done so that where lines intersect you could argue that the artist could fall into the mixed genres of the intersecting lines.
Another variation where the standard map has been taken and different names have been written in instead - in this case, someone's taken the effort to work out an anagram of each station name.
Yet another (aren't we getting bored of these yet?) variation where the station names have been changed. This time though, each station name has been cleverly changed to match, or near-match the name of a well known company. e.g."Cannon Street" becomes "Canon Street" - as in the camera company. PDF format only.
An artist called Simon Patterson was probably the first person to bastardise the tube map as we know and love it, when he reworked the map calling it 'The Great Bear'. It makes you look twice when you see one in print for each line covers a particular 'topic', be it philosophers, footballers, scientists or actors; and at each station a 'star' (i.e. like the brightness of the Great Bear constellation) of that particular field is heralded.
I have no small image of it to show here, nor have a local copy, but you get see & purchase the map for real at this site here.
There is also The Motorway Map of the UK - it's based on a Harry Beck tube style map, but isn't really anything to do with the tube. however, the nice man that made it Gerald Higgins mailed me asking if I'd link to it, and hence I am.
I'm not sure of the origins of this one, but it got emailed to me my a friend and thus appeared in my inbox one day.
It's the regular tube map as you know and love it ... but all in German!
Off the back of the silly German named one (above) someone then sent me a link to this version which is a real literal translation of the tube network but all in German. And no, I don't know why either !
Note that this is in PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format, and might not be viewable on JPG/GIF viewing applications.
There's a totally excellent and complete history of all the official LU maps over the years, here at the History of London Tube Maps pages.
There is a website at www.cryptart.com/tube that also contains unusual tube maps.
Owen Masseys Mappers Delight also has many of the maps that I have here, but links to a few other alternative ones too.
Internationally speaking, I found an excellent page here that has the cover shots of all the maps from the New York subway dating back to 1925. It doesn't have the actual designs of the maps unfortunately, but it's still quite cool.
Someone has taken the time to design their own 'Great Bear' style map, but this time for the Birmingham bus system.


text:
Puisserguier är en kommun i departementet Hérault i regionen Occitanien i södra Frankrike. Kommunen ligger i kantonen Capestang som tillhör arrondissementet Béziers. År  hade Puisserguier  invånare.

Befolkningsutveckling
Antalet invånare i kommunen Puisserguier

Referens:INSEE

Se även
 Lista över kommuner i departementet Hérault

Källor

Externa länkar

Kommuner i Hérault


text:
\section{Background and Notation}
\label{sec:sic}

In simple terms, a SIC-POVM (or SIC) may be identified as a set of $d^2$ unit vectors in $d$ complex dimensions, written $\{\ket{x_1},\dots,\ket{x_{d^2}}\}\subset\C^d$, that are equiangular
\begin{align}\label{eq:sic}
|\braket{x_j}{x_k}|^2 = \frac{d\delta_{j,k}+1}{d+1}\:.
\end{align}
Considering the rays in $\C^d$ upon which each outer product $\ketbra{x_k}$ projects, i.e.\ a set of $d^2$ equiangular lines through the origin of $\C^d$, it is also natural to identify a SIC with a subset of complex projective space, now written $\{x_1,\dots,x_{d^2}\}\subset\PCd$.

The most promising route towards a general construction of SICs involves translating a fiducial vector under the {\em Weyl displacement operators\/}:
\begin{align}
D_p &\coloneq \tau^{p_1p_2} V^{p_1} U^{p_2} \:,\qquad V\ket{k}=\ket{k+1\md{d}} \:,\qquad U\ket{k}=\omega^k\ket{k}\:,
\end{align}
where $p=(p_1,p_2)\in\Z^2$, $\tau=e^{\pi i(d+1)/d}$, $\omega=\tau^2=e^{2\pi i/d}$ (meaning $\tau^{d^2}=\tau^{2d}=\omega^d=1$), and we have fixed an orthonormal basis for $\C^d$: $\ket{0},\dots,\ket{d-1}$. Defining the symplectic form
\begin{align}
\spf{p}{q} &\coloneq p_2q_1-p_1q_2\:,
\end{align}
these operators obey the relations
\begin{align}
D_p D_q &= \tau^\spf{p}{q}D_{p+q} \label{eq:disprel1}\\
{D_p}^\dag &= D_{-p} \\
D_{p+dq} &= \begin{cases} D_p\:, & \text{if $d$ is odd;}\\ (-1)^\spf{p}{q}D_p\:, & \text{if $d$ is even,}  \end{cases}
\end{align}
and together generate a variant of the {\em Heisenberg group\/}:
\begin{align}
\H(d)\coloneq\{ e^{i\xi} D_p: p\in\Z^2,\xi\in\R \}\:.
\end{align}
Modulo its center, $\I(d)\coloneq\{e^{i\xi}I:\xi\in\R\}$, the Heisenberg group is simply a direct product of cyclic groups, $\H(d)/\I(d)\cong{\Z_d}^2$, where $\Z_d=\Z/d\Z=\{0,\dots,d-1\}$.

It was conjectured in ref.~\cite{Renes04} that, in every finite dimension, a SIC can be constructed as the orbit of a suitable {\em fiducial vector\/} $\ket{\phi}\in\C^d$ under the action of the displacement operators:
\begin{align}
\ket{x_{p_1+p_2d+1}}=D_p\ket{\phi}\:.
\end{align}
The condition for equiangularity (\ref{eq:sic}) then becomes
\begin{align}\label{eq:whsic}
|\bra{\phi}D_p\ket{\phi}|^2 = \frac{d\delta_{p,0}+1}{d+1}\:.
\end{align}
To bolster this conjecture, such {\em Weyl-Heisenberg covariant SICs\/} were found with high numerical precision in all dimensions $d\leq 45$. Unbeknownst to the authors of ref.~\cite{Renes04}, however, a stronger conjecture had already been put forward by Gerhard Zauner in his doctoral dissertation~\cite{Zauner99}. Zauner claimed that, in every finite dimension, a fiducial vector for a Weyl-Heisenberg covariant SIC can be found in an eigenspace of the matrix
\begin{align}\label{eq:Zmatrix}
\bra{j}\Sz\ket{k}&\coloneq \frac{e^{i\xi}}{\sqrt{d}}\,\tau^{2jk+j^2}\:.
\end{align}
\begin{con}[Zauner~\cite{Zauner99}]
In all finite dimensions there exists a fiducial vector for a Weyl-Heisenberg covariant SIC that is an eigenvector of $\Sz$.
\end{con}
Setting $\xi=\pi(d-1)/12$, it can be shown~\cite{Zauner99} that $\Sz$ has order 3: $\Sz^3=I$. The eigenspace with eigenvalue $e^{2\pi ik/3}$ will be labeled $\mathcal{Z}_k$ ($k=0,1,2$). Then
\begin{align}\label{eq:Zeignenspaces}
\dim \mathcal{Z}_k &= \lfloor (d+3-2k)/3\rfloor \:.
\end{align}

Under the action of conjugation, $\Sz$ defines an automorphism of the
Heisenberg group, $\Sz^{-1}\H(d)\Sz=\H(d)$, and therefore belongs to
the normaliser of $\H(d)$ in $\U(d)$,
\begin{align}
\Cl(d) &\coloneq\{U\in\U(d):U^{-1}\H(d)U=\H(d)\} \:,
\end{align}
which is called the {\em Clifford group\/} in quantum information theory, but more widely recognised as a variant of the {\em Jacobi group\/}. The significance of $\Cl(d)$ to SICs follows from eq.~(\ref{eq:whsic}): if $\ket{\phi}$ is a fiducial vector for a Weyl-Heisenberg covariant SIC, then so is $U\ket{\phi}$ for any $U\in\Cl(d)$.

An explicit description of the Clifford group can be easily deduced in odd dimensions, which we now summarise. In general dimensions, for each symplectic matrix $F\in\SLtwo(\Z_d)$ and $p\in{\Z_d}^2$, let
\begin{align}\label{eq:Fpnotation}
\ce{F}{p}=\left(\begin{array}{cc|c} F_{11} & F_{12} & p_1 \\ F_{21} & F_{22} & p_2 \end{array}\right)\coloneq\begin{pmatrix} F_{11} & F_{12} & p_1 \\ F_{21} & F_{22} & p_2 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{pmatrix} ,
\end{align}
and define the matrix group
\begin{align}\label{eq:cstruct}
\cl(d) &\coloneq  \bigl\{\ce{F}{p}:F\in\SLtwo(\Z_d),p\in{\Z_d}^2\bigr\}\cong \SLtwo(\Z_d)\ltimes{\Z_d}^2\:,
\end{align}
which follows the multiplication rule
\begin{align}
\ce{F}{p}\ce{G}{q} &= \ce{FG}{p+Fq} \:.
\end{align}

Now assume $d$ is odd. Then for each $\ce{F}{p}\in\cl(d)$ there is a unique unitary $C_{\ce{F}{p}}\in\Cl(d)$, up to the multiplication of a phase $e^{i\xi}$, for which
\begin{align}\label{eq:metaconjugation}
C_{\ce{F}{p}}D_q{C_{\ce{F}{p}}}^\dag &= \omega^\spf{p}{Fq}D_{Fq}
\end{align}
for all $q\in\Z^2$. All Clifford operators take this action and, in fact, $C_g$ is a faithful projective unitary representation of $\cl(d)$ (i.e.\ $C_gC_h=e^{i\xi(g,h)}C_{gh}$ for some $\xi:\cl(d)\times\cl(d)\rightarrow\R$)
that defines the group isomorphism
\begin{align}
\cl(d) &\cong \Cl(d)/\I(d)\:.
\end{align}
The Clifford group describes all automorphisms of $\H(d)$ that leave its center pointwise fixed: the inner automorphisms are just displacement operators, $D_p=C_{\ce{I}{p}}$, while the outer automorphisms are specified by the operators $C_{\ce{F}{0}}$, which are more widely recognised as {\em metaplectic operators\/}. Since eq.~(\ref{eq:metaconjugation}) defines each Clifford operator uniquely, up to a phase $e^{i\xi}$, it can be used to derive formulas, e.g., by multiplying on the right by ${D_{q}}^\dag$ and summing over $q$ to obtain
\begin{align}\label{eq:oddCdefn}
C_{\ce{F}{p}} &= \frac{e^{i\xi}}{d\sqrt{\eta(F)}}\,D_{p}\sum_r D_{Fr}{D_{r}}^\dag\:,
\end{align}
where $\eta(F)\coloneq |\{q\in{\Z_d}^2|Fq=q\}|=|\tr\,C_{\ce{F}{0}}|^2$. To check eq.~(\ref{eq:metaconjugation}), simply replace $r$ by $r+q$ in the sum, and use $\spf{Fr}{Fq}=(\det F)\spf{r}{q}$ and eq.~(\ref{eq:disprel1}) repeatedly to obtain:
\begin{align}
C_{\ce{F}{p}} &= \omega^\spf{p}{Fq}D_{Fq}\,\frac{e^{i\xi}D_{p}}{d\sqrt{\eta(F)}}\sum_r\tau^{(\det F-1)\spf{r}{q}} D_{Fr}{D_{r}}^\dag\,{D_{q}}^\dag \\
&= \omega^\spf{p}{Fq}D_{Fq}C_{\ce{F}{p}}{D_{q}}^\dag\:,
\end{align}
since $\det F=1 \md{d}$ and $\tau^d=1$ for odd $d$. In even dimensions we would need $\det F=1 \md{2d}$, however, or we would need to generalise eq.~(\ref{eq:metaconjugation}) so that the factor $\tau^{(\det F-1)q_1q_2}$ appears on the right. The former approach was taken by Appleby~\cite{Appleby05} which we now summarise.

In even dimensions, the metaplectic operators can introduce sign changes to eq.~(\ref{eq:metaconjugation}) unless we instead take $F\in\SLtwo(\Z_{2d})$. We also take $p\in{\Z_{2d}}^2$ for simplicity. In general dimensions, let
\begin{align}
\db &\coloneq \begin{cases} d\:, & \text{if $d$ is odd;}\\ 2d\:, & \text{if $d$ is even,}  \end{cases}
\end{align}
and identify
\begin{align}
F &= \begin{pmatrix} \alpha & \beta \\ \gamma & \delta \end{pmatrix} \in \SLtwo(\Z_{\db}) \:.
\end{align}
Now, and hereafter, for each $\ce{F}{p}\in\cl(\db)$ define
\begin{align}\label{eq:genCdefn}
C_{\ce{F}{p}} &\coloneq D_p V_F\:,
\end{align}
with
\begin{align}\label{eq:Vdefn}
\bra{j}V_F\ket{k} \coloneq \frac{1}{\sqrt{d}}\,\tau^{\beta^{-1}\left(\alpha k^2-2jk+\delta j^2\right)}\,
\end{align}
if there exists an element $\beta^{-1}\in\Z_{\db}$ with $\beta^{-1}\beta=1\md{\db}$; otherwise, we find an integer $x\in\Z_{\db}$ with the property that $(\delta+x\beta)^{-1}\in\Z_{\db}$ (whose existence is guaranteed~\cite[Lemma~3]{Appleby05}) and take  $V_F=V_{F_1}V_{F_2}$, using eq.~(\ref{eq:Vdefn}) now for $V_{F_1}$ and $V_{F_2}$, where
\begin{align}
F_1 &= \begin{pmatrix} 0 & -1 \\ 1 & x \end{pmatrix} \quad\text{and}\quad F_2 = \begin{pmatrix} \gamma+x\alpha & \delta+x\beta \\ -\alpha & -\beta \end{pmatrix}
\end{align}
fulfill the decomposition $F=F_1F_2$. In odd dimensions, eq.~(\ref{eq:genCdefn}) is equivalent to eq.~(\ref{eq:oddCdefn}). In all dimensions, now choosing $\xi=0$ in eq.~(\ref{eq:Zmatrix}), Zauner's matrix is $\Sz=C_{\ce{\Fz}{0}}$, where
\begin{align}\label{eq:Fz}
\Fz &\coloneq \begin{pmatrix} 0 & d-1 \\ d+1 & d-1 \end{pmatrix}.
\end{align}

With these definitions, Appleby~\cite[Theorem~1]{Appleby05} showed that the map $g\mapsto C_g$ defines a group isomorphism
\begin{align}\label{eq:Cstruct}
\cl(\db)/\ker(C) \cong\Cl(d)/\I(d) \eqcolon \PC(d)\:,
\end{align}
obeying eq.~(\ref{eq:metaconjugation}), where
\begin{align}
\ker(C) &= \begin{cases} \bigl\{ \matcv{1}{0}{0}{1}{0}{0} \bigr\}\:, & \text{if $d$ is odd;}\\ \bigl\langle\matcv{1+d}{0}{0}{1+d}{0}{0},\matcv{1}{d}{0}{1}{d/2}{0},\matcv{1}{0}{d}{1}{0}{d/2}\bigr\rangle\:, & \text{if $d$ is even.}  \end{cases}
\end{align}
Combining eqs.~(\ref{eq:cstruct}) and (\ref{eq:Cstruct}) we can deduce the size of the Clifford group. It is known that
\begin{align}
|\SLtwo(\Z_d)|=d^3\prod_{p\mid d}\bigl(1-p^{-2}\bigr)\:,
\end{align}
where the product is over all primes $p$ dividing $d$, which means $|\cl(\db)|=32|\cl(d)|$ for even $d$. But since $|{\ker(C)}|=32$ in even dimensions, we can conclude that
\begin{align}
|\PC(d)|=|\cl(d)|=|\SLtwo(\Z_{d})||{\Z_{d}}^2|=d^5\prod_{p\mid d}\bigl(1-p^{-2}\bigr)
\end{align}
in all dimensions.

Finally, note that there is a complex-conjugation symmetry apparent in eq.~(\ref{eq:whsic}). Let $\hat{J}=\hat{J}^\dag$ be the anti-unitary operator with action $\hat{J}\sum_k c_k\ket{k}=\sum_k {c_k}^*\ket{k}$ for a vector rewritten in our standard basis. Then,
\begin{align}
\hat{J} D_p \hat{J}^\dag &= D_{Jp}
\end{align}
for all $p\in\Z^2$, where
\begin{align}
J &\coloneq \begin{pmatrix} 1 & 0 \\ 0 & -1 \end{pmatrix}.
\end{align}
It thus follows from eq.~(\ref{eq:whsic}) that $\hat{J}\ket{\phi}$ is a fiducial vector for a Weyl-Heisenberg covariant SIC whenever $\ket{\phi}$ is. To analyze this additional symmetry, define the matrix group
\begin{align}\label{eq:ecstruct}
\ecl(d) &\coloneq  \bigl\{\ce{F}{p}:F\in\ESLtwo(\Z_d),p\in{\Z_d}^2\bigr\}\cong \ESLtwo(\Z_d)\ltimes{\Z_d}^2\:,
\end{align}
where $\ESLtwo(\Z_d)\coloneq\bigl\{F\in{\operatorname{Mat}_{2,2}}(\Z_d):\det F=\pm 1\md{d}\bigr\}=\SLtwo(\Z_d)\cup J\,\SLtwo(\Z_d)$ is the union of all symplectic and anti-symplectic matrices. The {\em extended Clifford group\/} is then defined as the group of all unitary and anti-unitary operators that normalise $\H(d)$, i.e., the disjoint union
\begin{align}\label{eq:ECdefn}
\ECl(d) &\coloneq \Cl(d)\cup \hat{J}\,\Cl(d) \:.
\end{align}
Appleby~\cite[Theorem~2]{Appleby05} showed that
\begin{align}\label{eq:ECstruct}
\ecl(\db)/\ker(E) \cong\ECl(d)/\I(d) \eqcolon \PEC(d)\:,
\end{align}
through the map $E:\ecl(\db)\rightarrow\ECl(d)$, where
\begin{align}\label{eq:genEdefn}
E_{\ce{F}{p}} &\coloneq  \begin{cases} C_{\ce{F}{p}}\:, & \text{if $\ce{F}{p}\in\cl(\db)$;}\\ \hat{J}C_{\ce{JF}{Jp}}\:, & \text{otherwise.}  \end{cases}
\end{align}
From eq.~(\ref{eq:ECdefn}), we know that $\ker(E)=\ker(C)$ and thus have $|\PEC(d)|=2|\PC(d)|$.

Lastly, in eqs.~(\ref{eq:Cstruct}) and (\ref{eq:ECstruct}) we have
defined projective versions of the Clifford and extended Clifford
groups, respectively. The notation $[U]\coloneq
\{e^{i\xi}U\}_{\xi\in\R}$ is used to
denote members of these groups, which are equivalence classes of
unitary and anti-unitary matrices that differ only by a factor of unit modulus.  We also use the shorthand notation
\begin{align}\label{eq:Eclassdefn}
\cle{F}{p} &= \left[\begin{array}{cc|c} F_{11} & F_{12} & p_1 \\ F_{21} & F_{22} & p_2 \end{array}\right] \coloneq [E_{\ce{F}{p}}]\in\PEC(d) \:.
\end{align}

See ref.~\cite{Scott10} for more.

\section{Numerical Methods}
\label{sec:num}

Another characterisation of SICs comes from design theory. A finite set $\mathscr{D}\subset\PCd$ is called a {\em complex projective $t$-design\/} if
\begin{align}\label{eq:tdesign}
\frac{1}{|\mathscr{D}|}\sum_{x\in\mathscr{D}}\ketbra{x}^{\otimes t}&=\mathop{\int}_{\PCd}\d\mu(x)\,\ketbra{x}^{\otimes t}\:,
\end{align}
where $\mu$ is the Haar measure. In these terms, SICs are precisely equivalent to {\em tight\/} complex projective 2-designs, which are 2-designs that
meet the absolute bound on their size: $|\mathscr{D}|\geq d^2$. All 2-designs with $|\mathscr{D}|=d^2$ are necessarily sets of equiangular lines (SICs)
and these are the only 2-designs with this structure.

Our numerical approach makes use of the {\em Welch bound\/}: for any finite $\mathscr{S}\subset\PCd$, and any positive integer $t$,
\begin{align}\label{eq:welchbound}
\frac{1}{|\mathscr{S}|^2}\sum_{x,y\in\mathscr{S}}\,|\braket{x}{y}|^{2t} &\geq \tbinom{d+t-1}{t}^{-1}\:,
\end{align}
with equality if and only if $\mathscr{S}$ is a $t$-design. Setting $\ket{x_{p_1+p_2d+1}}=D_p\ket{\phi}$, $|\mathscr{S}|=d^2$ and $t=2$, we can
translate eq.~(\ref{eq:welchbound}) to our case: {\it for any\/ $\ket{\phi}\in\C^d$,
\begin{align}\label{eq:sicbound}
\frac{1}{d^3}\sum_{q,p}|\bra{\phi}{D_q}^\dag D_p\ket{\phi}|^4=\sum_{j,k}\Big|\sum_l\braket{\phi}{j+l}\braket{l}{\phi}\braket{\phi}{k+l}\braket{j+k+l}{\phi}\Big|^2 &\geq \frac{2}{d+1}\:,
\end{align}
with equality if and only if\/ $\ket{\phi}$ is a fiducial vector for a Weyl-Heisenberg covariant SIC.\/}

We search for SIC fiducial vectors by minimising the LHS of the inequality in eq.~(\ref{eq:sicbound}), parametrised as a function of the real and
imaginary parts of the $d$ complex numbers $\braket{j}{\phi}$, until the bound on the RHS is met. In practice, this is done by repeating a local
search from different initial trial vectors until a solution is found. The local search uses a C++ implementation of L-BFGS. Generally, local minima are found quickly but an enormous number of trials are
required to locate the global minima, i.e. the SICs.

In order to exhaust the search space to arrive at a putative complete list of unique SICs, we choose initial points uniformly at random under the unitarily invariant
Haar measure on $\PCd$ (using the Hurwitz parametrisation). Once enough solutions are found, and their precision refined (using GMP/MPFR multi-precision arithmetic), we identify unique extended-Clifford orbits by comparing each
solution $\ket{\phi}$ to every other translated solution $E_{\ce{F}{p}}\ket{\phi'}$ with $E_{\ce{F}{p}}\in\ECl(d)$. This brute force approach to the classification, while stubborn, gives the
symmetries (i.e.\ the stabiliser $\stab(\phi)$) essentially for free, if $\ket{\phi}$ is also compared to $E_{\ce{F}{p}}\ket{\phi}$.

Any symmetry conjectured to exist in general dimensions allows us to lower the dimension of the search space without much effort. For suppose
$U\ket{\psi}$ = $\lambda\ket{\psi}$ for some unitary $U$ of order $n$, $U^n=I$. Then the projector onto the eigenspace with eigenvalue
$\lambda=e^{2\pi im/n}$, where we will have $m$ integer, is
\begin{align}
P = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{j=0}^{n-1} e^{-\frac{2\pi i j m}{n}}U^j
\end{align}
and we can search this subspace by simply replacing $\ket{\phi}$ with $\ket{\psi}=P\ket{\phi}$ in eq.~(\ref{eq:sicbound}).

There is a similar approach to anti-unitary symmetries. Suppose instead that $\hat{J}U\ket{\psi}$ = $\lambda\ket{\psi}$ for some unitary $U$
with $\big(\hat{J}U\big)^{2n}=\big(\hat{J}U\hat{J}U\big)^n=\big(U^*U\big)^n=I$, where $U^*$ denotes complex conjugation of matrix components
in the standard basis. We must have $|\lambda|=1$ and may in fact assume $\lambda=1$ for coneigenvalues. Now given that the projector onto the
eigenspace of the unitary $U^*U$ with eigenvalue 1 is
\begin{align}
Q = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{j=0}^{n-1} \big(U^*U\big)^j
\end{align}
it is easy to check that the (unnormalised) $\ket{\psi'} = U^*Q^*\ket{\phi^*}+Q\ket{\phi}$ solves our coneigenvalue problem. We can therefore
replace $\ket{\phi}$ with $\ket{\psi}=\ket{\psi'}/\sqrt{\braket{\psi'}{\psi'}}$ in eq.~(\ref{eq:sicbound}) to search the set of coneigenvetors.

\section{Solutions}
\label{sec:sol}

Contents of the folder \texttt{../solutions} \\

\newcounter{c}
\setcounter{c}{0}
\noindent
\foreach \d in {51,...,350}
  \foreach \l in {a,...,z}
    \IfFileExists{solutions/sicfiducial.\d.\l.150.txt}
      \small{\texttt{sicfiducial.\d.\l.150.txt}
      \addtocounter{c}{1
      \ifnu
        \value{c}=
        \\%
        \setcounter{c}{0
      \els
        \hspace{0.5cm
      \f

\end{document}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


The most successful companies are focused on emergent leaders to add value to their organizations. Learn why in this opinion piece.
Emergent leadership is a type of leadership in which a group member is not appointed or elected to the leadership role; rather, leadership develops over time as a result of the group's interaction. The most successful companies are focused on this new type of leader to add value to their organizations.