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German Masters Final: Ali Carter vs Anthony Hamilton
by David Caulfield on February 5, 2017
Nutcharut Wongharuthai Wins Women's British Open Crown January 18, 2022
'2022, I can tick that one' – Neil Robertson on special streak January 17, 2022
Neil Robertson Captures Second Masters Title January 16, 2022
Ali Carter and Anthony Hamilton will entertain a packed Tempodrom auditorium in search of the 2017 German Masters title on Sunday.
Hamilton lost in the 1999 British Open and 2002 China Open finals. Photo credit: World Snooker
The pair emerged from contrasting semi-finals to book their rightful places in the final, where a ranking event trophy and €80,000 are up for grabs.
For Carter, it would represent a second ranking event victory of the campaign and a fifth in total as he continues his remarkable recovery from recent illnesses which threatened to derail his career and life.
Hamilton, meanwhile, could become the latest in a string of romantic success stories as he bids for a maiden triumph in an event of this status at the age of 45.
The debate surrounding which player boasts the unwanted tag of being the best to have never claimed a ranking event title has inevitably produced an array of top cueists, with Hamilton being many people's favourites at the top of the list.
Joe Perry broke his duck a couple of years ago when he captured the Players Championship and Mark King emotionally prevailed in the Northern Ireland Open just last November.
When Hamilton had agonisingly lost to Barry Hawkins in the semi-finals in Belfast, when he feathered the white in the deciding frame as he looked on course for victory, it appeared as though the "Sheriff" had been gunned down for a final time.
But the Englishman's remarkable resurgence over the last twelve months has continued apace, and he finally has a third crack at raising that elusive silverware – a mere 15 years after his previous attempt.
This time last year Hamilton had fallen outside of the top 64 in the world rankings and, only for a late rally which saw him break into the top eight money-earners who had not already earned their future tour cards, his career might have come to a disappointing end.
Fast forward a year and Hamilton, who began the season from scratch with zero money on his ranking tally, is set to break back inside the top 64 in the standings and, in fact, is in the top 20 money-earners for the campaign up until this point.
Glory for the Nottingham potter would be a popular one, but Carter may well be writing the latest chapter in his fairy tale story.
The 'Captain' could become the first competitor to win the German Masters twice, having previously tasted success in Berlin back in 2013 – when, funnily enough, he beat Hamilton in the last 16.
By contrast to Hamilton who has dispatched of five top 20 players en route to his final appearance, Carter has taken full advantage of arguably a more straightforward passage to Sunday's showdown.
Martin Gould may have been the top seed as the defending champion but, at no.19, was the highest ranked obstacle that Carter was forced to overcome.
In the final, the twice World Championship runner-up will certainly begin as the favourite with his form this week, and a temperament far removed from his usual mercurial mood around the baize, testament to this.
Hamilton and Carter's head-to-head record perhaps unsurprisingly favours the latter, with all four prior encounters in ranking events going the way of the Essex man.
His experience in recent major finals may also give him the edge, but Hamilton will be giving it everything in what might well be his last chance of fulfilling an almost three-decade potential.
Click here to view the draw.
Ali Carter, Anthony Hamilton, German Masters
Pingback: World Grand Prix Draw – SnookerHQ


Inhabitation was possibly found to the west of the cemetery in Lepola area already at the end of the 18th century.
The area had old brickworks, some of which still worked at the end of the 19th century. Lepola cemetery, where for example Juho and Maria Lallukka were buried, dated back to the 1830s. The eastern side of the area was not built until 1920s when new plots were established through a street plan.
Before the 1920s the area was called Kelkkala but in connection with town planning the name was changed to Lepola. Lepola was incorporated into the town in 1928.


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'The View's' Rosie O'Donnell Fails at Proving 'Frozen' Has Any Black Characters (Video)
"There are more black people in the Republican Party," co-host Nicolle Wallace says of the hit Disney movie's lack of diversity
Ryan O'Connell | December 3, 2014 @ 10:53 AM	Last Updated: December 3, 2014 @ 11:02 AM
Parent company be damned, Whoopi Goldberg is calling out "Frozen" for not having any characters of color in the cast. "The View," airs on ABC, which is owned by Disney, the company responsible for the hit animated movie.
See photos: 16 'GMA,' 'Today,' and 'CBS This Morning' Personalities Ranked by Popularity
"There are no black people in this movie," Goldberg said on Tuesday's episode. "They've been asking me not to talk badly about it but there's no black people."
While Goldberg came out as a critic of the film, co-host Rosie O'Donnell has long expressed how much she and her family enjoy the movie. On Wednesday, O'Donnell attempted to prove that there are indeed black people in "Frozen."
Also read: 'Frozen 2' Is 'in the Works,' According to Star Idina Menzel
"Last night while we watched 'Frozen,' as we do nightly, we stopped and took photos of every beige to brown to black person," O'Donnell said.
Showing her snapshots on-air proved to do more harm than good though, as the black characters O'Donnell captured were always in the background and might quite possibly just been the same girl wearing different dresses.
"They keep moving her and changing her dress," Goldberg yelled. "That's the same chick it was when you saw her the first time."
See video: Josh Gad Asks Kimmel 'Do You Wanna Be A Snowman' for Halloween? (Video)
The award for best one-liner of the morning goes to conservative Nicolle Wallace, who told O'Donnell, "There are more black people in the Republican Party."
Absent from the table for the second straight day was Rosie Perez. Goldberg opened the show explaining why Perez was missing again and dispelled any reports that she was being replaced.
"Contrary to anything else you're hearing, Rosie Perez is not going anywhere," Goldberg said. "She is on this show. So all of y'all haters out there or those who are trying to get that job, it's locked. Sorry."
See video: 'The View's' Rosie Perez Apologizes for Her Remarks on Catholic Church
Watch video of "The View" discussing "Frozen" here.
21 Non-Hispanic Actors Portraying Hollywood's Hispanic Roles (Photos)
Robert Downey Jr. as Steve Lopez in "The Soloist" (2009)
Read: Hollywood's Abysmal Record of Casting Hispanic Actors
TheWrap's Hispanics at the Movies Series
Anthony Hopkins as El Zorro in "The Mask of Zorro" (1998)
Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer as Maria and Tony in "West Side Story" (1961)
Ethan Hawke as Nando Parrado in "Alive" (1993)
Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in "Argo" (2012)
Will Ferrell as Armando in "La Casa de mi Padre" (2012)
Jack Palance as Fidel Castro in "Che" (1969)
Eli Wallach as Tuco in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1966) and as Calvera in "Magnificent Seven" (1960)
Hank Azaria as Agador in "The Birdcage" (1996)
Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata in "Viva Zapata!" (1952)
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena in "The Mask of Zorro" & "The Legend of Zorro" (1998 and 2005)
Charlton Heston as Mike Vargas in "Touch of Evil" (1958)
Viggo Mortensen as Captain Alatriste in "Alatriste" (2006)
Johnny Depp as Bon Bon/Lieutenant Victor in "Before Night Falls" (2000)
Cliff Curtis as Pablo Escobar in "Blow" (2001) and as Emilio Restrepo in "Colombiana" (2011)
Madonna as Evita in "Evita" (1996)
Armand Assante as a Cuban in "Mambo Kings" (1992)
Al Pacino as Tony Montana in "Scarface" (1983)
John Turturro as Jesús in "The Big Lebowski" (1998)
Jack Black as Nacho in "Nacho Libre" (2006)
Ingrid Bergman as María in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943)
In TheWrap's series Hispanics at the Movies, we examine Hollywood's abysmal record of casting non-Hispanic actors in Hispanic roles. Here's just a sampling:
'The View's' Rosie O'Donnell Implies Donald Trump Is an 'A–hole' (Video)
By Ryan O'Connell | November 28, 2014 @ 10:41 AM
'The View's' Whoopi Goldberg Overcome With Tears While Remembering Mentor Mike Nichols (Video)
Renee Zellweger's New Look Prompts 'The View' Hosts to Admit Their Own Cosmetic Surgeries (Video)
By Ryan O'Connell | October 22, 2014 @ 11:06 AM

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bolivian Rose Andes Mountain Mineral Salt Fine Grain 16 0z.
This unique mineral salt is mined from salt deposits deep within the Andes Mountains in Bolivia. The unique color variances result from trace minerals preserved by the mountains. The balanced, mild salt flavor makes this variety the perfect finishing touch on grilled meats, roasted vegetables, and baked goods.
You're reviewing:Bolivian Rose Andes Mountain Mineral Salt (Table) Fine Grain 16 0z.


Our Emma works in the marketing team here at HQ and has been part of The Collective team since day dot. Her Straight Up chunky guacamole is a real crowd-pleaser!
Emma's top tip – spice up your guacamole with a few dashes of tabasco!
Halve the avocados removing the stone, then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
Crush the avocado with a fork or masher – keep it chunky.
Add the chopped tomato, onion, chilli and dollop of Straight Up yoghurt and mix together.
Squeeze in the lime and season with salt and pepper.
Add most of the chopped coriander and stir in.
Sprinkle the remaining coriander over the guacamole, and serve up with pitta or tortilla chips.


For those in the DFW area, there are several locations. I see that a new Dallas location is in the works! I've been to the Coppell location in the past but since they opened in Colleyville, that's where I go. It's just a short distance from where I live.
Added New DALLAS Location Coming Soon!
*I'm not being compensated in any way ~ I just wanted to share and recommend the service.
Aahh, this is just what I need right now. I bet you were on cloud 9, Pat. Total relaxation for 70 minutes, and a great deal as well.
I feel better just reading about it:) Enjoy your Sunday dear Pat! BIG HUGS and PRAYERS coming your way!
Thanks for the information. I get a massage once a month. There is reflexology included. I love it. I have been going to this brand since 2005. I'm pampered by the same therapist every month. After Dallas opens I may check them out. Who knows 2 massages a month may be the thing I need.
Sounds glorious!!! Glad you got to enjoy it!


Governances create an aspirational world: Needs are turned into visible, measurable actions that fit your goals. An example is healthy food.
Share the post "Digital Governances: New collaborative ways to succeed"


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Greenpeace applauds Coca-Cola decision to make at least 25% of beverage packaging reusable by 2030; group had previously criticized company's production of more than 120 million plastic bottles yearly, noting human health impacts of petrochemical plants
February 11, 2022 (press release) –
The multinational company, which produces over 120 billion plastic bottles a year, has faced criticism from Greenpeace and other environmental groups for the negative impact of its single-use plastic on the environment and communities located near petrochemical manufacturing plants and downstream of the plastic waste.
Coca-Cola announced today its decision to make at least 25% of its packaging reusable. The multinational company, which produces over 120 billion plastic bottles a year, has faced criticism from Greenpeace and other environmental groups for the negative impact of its single-use plastic on the environment and communities located near petrochemical manufacturing plants and downstream of the plastic waste. Coca-Cola has been named the world's worst plastic polluter for the fourth year in a row according to Break Free From Plastic's brand audit.
In response to today's announcement, Greenpeace USA Global Plastics Corporate Lead, Kate Melges said:
"It's great to see Coca-Cola take this significant step to set global targets for reusable packaging. This is a long-awaited move in the right direction that other companies need to follow in order to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. Coke can build on this leadership move by doubling the commitment to 50% reusables by 2030. By embracing reuse, Coke has an opportunity to lead big brands out of their reliance on single-use plastic packaging into the low carbon, zero-waste economy that our planet, communities and climate desperately need."
Coca-Cola is one of more than 70 signatories, including multinationals, that recently signed a statement calling for an ambitious global treaty that addresses the issue of plastic pollution. This month, national governments and multinationals will gather for the next session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2), presenting the international community with a unique opportunity to take substantial decisions on the issue. Greenpeace USA and its Break Free From Plastic allies have called on President Biden to support a bold and binding treaty that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics.
Coca-Cola Co.
Retail Beverage Packaging
Reusable/Refillable/Storage Containers
Sustainability/ESG Goals & Targets


I'm opening my services up for custom pet portraits!
If you'd like a portrait of yours or a loved ones pet, please visit my Etsy Listing and we can have a chat about what you'd like. It could be a memorial, or just because you love your lil fuzzy bb. I can include accessories (like their favourite toy, or a bow, or in Charlies case below; lavender!), simple patterns, specific colours & of course their name as well.
Since getting in to using my iPad for all my drawing and painting, I've hardly opened a physical sketchbook.
Sounds kind of blasphemous coming from me - up until a year ago I was very much "make everything with real pencils and paint and paper alwaaaayss!". It's just so easy to pick up my iPad, sit on the sofa and draw. I don't have to wait for the light to be right, I don't have to make a mess getting all my pencils and pens and paint out - its eeeasy.


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Sonosite LX
Sonosite Synchronicity
USGPIV Care Pathway Program
Improving the Patient Experiences
Understanding MSK Ultrasound Technology
Sonosite Reports 37% Increase in First Quarter 2003 Revenue
Company Begins to Regain Momentum in JapanWorldwide Sales and Marketing Executive Team StrengthenedBOTHELL, WA, April 29, 2004 - Sonosite, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO), the leader in high performance, hand-carried ultrasound, today announced increased revenue and a reduced loss for the first quarter ended March 31, 2004 as compared with the first quarter of 2003. Worldwide revenue in the first quarter of 2004 grew 37% to $23.5 million compared to $17.2 million in the first quarter of 2003. The Company reported a net loss of $1.4 million or $0.10 per share for the quarter compared to a net loss of $2.6 million or $0.18 per share in the first quarter of 2003. As of March 31, 2004, cash, cash equivalents and investments grew to $64.1 million. The Company generated cash from operations of $2.8 million. "The Company's revenue growth resulted from an exceptionally strong performance in Europe as well as excellent growth in the United States. Our installed base now numbers over 15,000 systems worldwide," said Kevin M. Goodwin, president and CEO. "We are beginning to regain momentum in the Japanese market, which we expect to continue to build through the year. Sales of TITANTM continue to ramp worldwide. We received a very good response to the system's new cardiology capabilities at medical society meetings in the United States and Europe, and we are on schedule to begin customer deliveries of this release this summer. Additionally, we will soon begin shipments of an expanded TITAN feature set for the OB/Gyn market. Customers can easily upgrade existing systems by purchasing a compact flash card." Gross margin rose to 64.8% in the first quarter compared to 62.9% in the first quarter of 2003 due to increased sales of TITAN, the company's new high performance system introduced during the second quarter of 2003 and higher margin achieved through growth of the Company's European direct operations. In the first quarter of 2004, US revenue grew 20% over the first quarter of 2003 and accounted for 50% of total Company revenue. International revenue grew 60% over the first quarter of 2003, propelled in part from strong year-end hospital demand in the United Kingdom and Japan, which have fiscal years ending March 31, 2004. Excluding the impact from the change in currency exchange rates, international revenue grew 48% over the prior year comparable quarter. Sales of the TITAN system accounted for nearly half of total revenue in the first quarter. Operating expenses grew 23% during the first quarter over the prior year to $16.9 million due to new domestic and international sales initiatives and training programs, as well as start-up expenses and transition costs associated with the Company's international expansion in Japan, Australia and Canada. Excluding the impact from the change in currency exchange rates, operating expenses grew 20% over the prior year comparable quarter. "Our Japanese subsidiary, Sonosite Japan KK, is now open for business and we have made progress on a number of fronts," Goodwin said. "We have recruited a highly experienced executive to manage our subsidiary and Japan operations. We have contracted with Sonic Japan, a nationwide ultrasound management company with over 20 years of Japanese ultrasound industry experience, to manage and support the dealer network we are establishing as well as to support our customer base. We have established a national sub-dealer network consisting of 23 agents to support our product distribution." Goodwin added, "We have signed a three-year distribution and product collaboration agreement with Olympus Corporation targeted at the endoscopy market. Additional partnership agreements are in process and will be announced as they are finalized. We look forward to Sonosite Japan introducing TITAN to the Japanese market at the annual meeting of the Asian Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology to be held near Tokyo in May." Executive Sales and Marketing Appointments Announced for US, Europe and Japan The Company announced the following key executive appointments and promotions in its worldwide sales and marketing organization: Edison ("Ed") C. Russell as senior vice president, U.S. Sales and Marketing; Daniel S. Walton, vice president, Enterprise Markets; Graham D. Cox, vice president, European Sales; and Tomo Hasegawa, senior director, Japan - International Operations. "I am very pleased to announce the appointments of these superbly qualified individuals to executive sales and marketing positions at Sonosite," said Goodwin. "All have excellent track records of performance and accomplishment and have the experience to drive Sonosite forward to achieve our sales and growth objectives." Ed Russell will have responsibility for all aspects of Sonosite's sales and marketing activities in the U.S. His career includes more than 20 years in the health care industry, most recently as vice president of sales for Immunex Corporation. Mr. Russell has extensive experience in building and leading successful sales and marketing teams, managing large field sales forces, and developing sales and distribution channels. In his new role as vice president, Enterprise Markets, Dan Walton, will drive U.S. sales at the organizational level for both private and public sector customers and expand sales opportunities through development of third party strategic alliances and distribution agreements. Mr. Walton joined Sonosite in 2000 and under his leadership, productivity of the Company's US sales force increased over 50% in 2003. He also established key relationships with the nation's largest health care organizations. His new responsibilities will capitalize on that foundation. Graham Cox, formerly general manager at Sonosite, joined the Company in 1999 and has been responsible for developing its sales and distribution infrastructure in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Under his leadership, sales in these geographic regions grew from $4 million in his first year to just over $21 million in 2003. Mr. Cox has established direct sales subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain and manages over 50 distributor relationships. Tomo Hasegawa joins Sonosite from Philips Medical Systems Corporation and will be responsible for Sonosite's operations in Japan, including its subsidiary, Sonosite Japan KK, and distributor relationships. The subsidiary will provide customer service, quality assurance, sales support and direct sales into certain clinical segments. Mr. Hasegawa has an extensive background in both ultrasound product development and sales and marketing and served as general manager of the ultrasound business line for Philips in Japan. He has authored patents in pulsed Doppler flow mapping and signal processing. Company Updates 2004 Guidance The Company now expects a revenue growth rate for 2004 of approximately 30% and an operating expense growth rate of approximately 20% over 2003 levels. These percentages are higher than the Company announced in a press release on February 12, 2004 due to a change in currency exchange rate assumptions. The Company continues to expect gross margin to be between 64 and 65%. The Company continues to expect the percentages of revenue and expenses by quarter to approximate their 2003 quarterly percentages. The Company added that it expects its financial results to approach breakeven in the second quarter. Conference Call Information Sonosite will hol
d a conference call today at 1:30 pm. PDT/4:30 pm EDT. The call will be broadcast live and can be accessed via the "Investors" Section of Sonosite's website at www.sonosite.com. A replay of the audio webcast will be available beginning April 29, 2004, 4:30 pm (PDT) until May 10, 2004, 12:00 midnight (PDT) by dialing (719) 457-0820 or toll-free (888) 203-1112. The confirmation code 398334 is required to access the replay. The call will be also archived on Sonosite's website at http://ir.sonosite.com/. About SonositeSonosite, Inc. (www.sonosite.com) is the innovator and world leader in hand-carried ultrasound, with an installed base of more than 20,000 systems. The Company, headquartered near Seattle, Washington is represented by eight subsidiaries and a global distribution netwok in over 75 countries. Sonosite's small, lightweight systems are expanding the use of ultrasound across the clinical spectrum by cost-effectively bringing high performance ultrasound to the point of patient care. The Company employs approximately 450 people worldwide.
FUJIFILM Sonosite Canada, 3080 Yonge Street Suite 6100, Box 66, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3N1, Canada
https://www.sonosite.com/ca


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Ice and fluid dynamics
Publications associated with Ice and Fluid Dynamics
Climate impacts of cultured meat and beef cattle.
Frontiers in sustainable food systems 3 (2019)
J Lynch, R Pierrehumbert
Improved greenhouse gas (GHG) emission efficiency of production has been proposed as one of the biggest potential advantages of cultured meat over conventional livestock production systems. Comparisons with beef are typically highlighted, as it is a highly emissions intensive food product. In this study we present a more rigorous comparison of the potential climate impacts of cultured meat and cattle production than has previously been made. Warming impacts are evaluated using a simple climate model that simulates the different behaviours of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), rather than relying on carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) metrics. We compare the temperature impact of beef cattle and cultured meat production at all times to 1000 years in the future, using four synthetic meat GHG footprints currently available in the literature and three different beef production systems studied in an earlier climate modelling paper. Cattle systems are associated with the production of all three GHGs above, including significant emissions of CH4, while cultured meat emissions are almost entirely CO2 from energy generation. Under continuous high global consumption, cultured meat results in less warming than cattle initially, but this gap narrows in the long term and in some cases cattle production causes far less warming, as CH4 emissions do not accumulate, unlike CO2. We then model a decline in meat consumption to more sustainable levels following high consumption, and show that although cattle systems generally result in greater peak warming than cultured meat, the warming effect declines and stabilises under the new emission rates of cattle systems, while the CO2 based warming from cultured meat persists and accumulates even under reduced consumption, again overtaking cattle production in some scenarios. We conclude that cultured meat is not prima facie climatically superior to cattle production; its relative impact instead depends on the availability of decarbonised energy generation and the specific production systems that are realised.


Got a letter the other day to say that my Dr ( female) is retiring. She has sold her practice to an up and coming new GP. The new GP has spent 6 yrs in our biggest hospital working 12hr shifts in the A&E dept/ and as a Ward Doctor and will have a good grounding in most things she will encounter.
The new GP also happens to be ....................wait for it..........................one of the Desperate Housewives crew that up until Anna ( My cuzzie) left for the USA last August, would come around for dinner most monday nights.
I am of two minds. One part of me knows that she is professional in her work and is a damn good Doctor...............the other part of me wonders whether we would be both comfortable in the change of relationship.
So, here is an interesting question for you guys.
Would you be comfortable with a female Doctor half your age that you have known for the past ten years socially?
............does she have small fingers? There is one thing the doctor does that small fingers would be a plus.
"Cough- - - - -Cough again"
Yes; but, I'd rather she was 1/3 my age.
Bakerman, you beat me to the punch! The last 3 annual physicals I had in the Navy, I scheduled around the duty days of a female doctor who had small fingers!
Alec, go for it! Don't be concerned in the least....this will be a professional relationship!
If she is OK with it, I would not worry about it. If the roles were reversed and you were female and she was male, I would not do that. Application of the "Rules" are a bit different for the gals.
I wouldn't mind. I have always been of the thought if I had to have someone play with the chestnuts and stick their finger in the nether reagions of my person I would much rather it be a woman than a man! I had a female dotor for many years until she quit practice, now I am back to a man again. I much prefer the woman and that I would know her as a friend would make things much better for me.
"what happens in the exam room STAYS IN THE EXAM ROOM"
we used to trade hunts..
I'd take him deer hunting, he'd take me duck hunting.
A close friend of ours is the head of family medicine at the University of Miami, and has kids the same age as our girl. I needed to see someone for my 50 year old check up, including a colonoscopy. I just could not have her do the exams and see her at church every week. Her partner did it.
I don't think it would bother me.


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Q: Having a class with many static functions, and nothing else? Problem Description
I am wondering what is a best practice for classes that start having too many static functions, but no member variables.
class A {
    static void fooA();
    static void fooB();
    static void fooC();
    static void fooD();
    ...
}

/*
 *   #include "A.h"
 *
 *   A::fooA(); A::fooB(); A::fooC(); A::fooD();
 *
 */

Or
class A {
    void fooA() const;
    void fooB() const;
    void fooC() const;
    void fooD() const;
    ...
};

/*
 *   #include "A.h"
 *
 *   A a;
 *   a.fooA(); a.fooB(); a.fooC(); a.fooD();
 *
 */

Question
Is it best to just make an instance of the class and access the functions over the instance, or have the static keyword to all the member functions and access them in a static way?
I am asking this because my class has 8 static functions and it just seems visually weird.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Welcome to Hawaii's Garden Isle of Kauai. Explore lush valleys and timeless canyons, majestic waterfalls and rainforests that merge into the blue-and-green sea. Marriott's Kauai Beach Club is located on beautiful Kalapaki Beach, rated one of the best swimming beaches in the Hawaiian Islands.
Your villa is a vacation sanctuary surrounded by breathtaking views and the island's rich heritage. Witness traditional Polynesian torch-lighting ceremonies and attend a festive luau. Experience Hawaii's many sides, from laid-back leisure pursuits to more active outdoor adventures.


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BSP0006 – Anonymous
Her parents were forced to flee Haiti for political reasons when she was 5 years old and she was raised primarily by her grandmother to whom she grew very attached. At 8 years old she was taken to New York with the assurance that she would return immediately but once she arrived, she was told the truth – that New York was now her new home.
Listening to:
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The 7 Astonishing Ways That Music Affects Your Brain
Music is powerful. It can bring people to tears as they watch an old movie, drive them into the arms of a loved one, or immerse them in a memory from long ago. As schools struggle with budget cuts and reduced opportunities for students to participate in music classes, researchers are questioning the relationship between music and the human body and mind. Why does music have such an overwhelming effect on people? How does music affect the brain of a listener? Could music influence people in ways they don't even realize?
Music affects people's emotions.
Most of the time, it is easy to identify if a song is a happy or a sad one. Surprisingly, however, this is not a subjective decision. Human brains are wired to respond differently to uplifting or depressing music.
In a recent study, after listening to a short music clip, people were much more likely to interpret the neutral facial responses of other people as either happy or sad—based on what type of song they were listening to. Interestingly, the brain can distinguish between emotions that need to be felt and emotions that should only be perceived. This is how people can listen to a sad song and be drawn in by its beauty, while seeming indifferent to the words.
Background noise improves creativity.
For some jobs, cranking up the volume makes sense. Loud, invigorating music helps people do yard work, household chores, and other monotonous tasks faster. For more creative, thoughtful work, though, louder isn't better. Many people instinctively turn off the radio when they're sitting down to read or write. However, it turns out that silence isn't the best option.
Researchers have discovered that ambient noise is an effective tool for creativity and problem solving. With a moderate level of noise, people experience a processing difficulty, forcing the brain to work creatively. Want to get more done? Work with the radio on at a low volume.
Music distracts drivers.
Teens who took a driving test while listening to their favorite music drove more aggressively and made more mistakes than teens who drove while listening to unfamiliar music. Interestingly, those who listened to no music at all were more likely than the other two groups to make mistakes, thus suggesting that it is better to randomly select a station than to simply turn off the radio while driving.
Exercise is more effective with music.
Researchers have discovered that individuals who exercise while listening to music perform faster, endure longer, and require less oxygen than participants who did not have music. A study of cyclists found that those listening to music pedaled faster and required 7% less oxygen than those pedaling in silence. How does music affect athletic performance? Scientists believe that by focusing on music, people can "drown out" the body's cries of fatigue, thus giving them an extra boost that helps them perform at peak capacity.
Music improves fine motor skills.
There is significant evidence to suggest that music improves analysis and nonverbal reasoning, as well as increases vocabulary and reading skills. Students who take music lessons for three or more years also exhibit more highly developed fine motor skills. Playing the piano, mastering the flute, tapping out rhythms on the drums—these all improve dexterity, skill, and speed. Even when tested as adults, music students had significantly better auditory discrimination skills, thereby proving that childhood piano lessons can help people later in life.
Music helps improve focus.
A study of stroke patients revealed a startling fact: classical music helped increase visual attention. When tested with other styles of music, stroke victims had decreased visual attention spans. Patients tested with no music scored significantly lower than either group, thus proving that music in general has a positive effect, while classical music generates the most dramatic improvements.
Music preference may be an indicator of personality.
A small study performed by Heriot-Watt University indicates that the style of music one listens to may be an accurate indicator of one's personality. Participants rated over 100 styles of music, based on their preference, and then took a test relating to personality. The test focused on five key areas: openness to experience, agreeableness, emotional stability, extraversion, and conscientiousness. The results led to a startling conclusion: it may be possible to analyze someone's personality based solely upon the style of music they enjoy.
Music studies have resulted in fascinating information about how the brain responds with music, and how music can affect the listener. As further research is done into the long-term effects of music on the brain, one thing is clear: music has been a part of the human experience since the beginning of time, and it promises to continue to play a significant role in the future.


Nokia shareholders have approved the 5.44 billion euros (£4.5bn) sale of its mobile phone division to Microsoft, as both firms looks to regan lost ground to Google, Samsung and Apple in the mobile sector.
According to Nokia - which will now become a telecom equipment and services company - the deal was almost unanimously approved (99.7%) by shareholders who voted ahead of an extraordinary meeting in Helsinki.
The transfer of the handset business should take place in early 2014.
Once the world leader in mobile phones, Nokia lost its top place to South Korea's Samsung in 2012.
Although still number two in the overall mobile phone market, ahead of US giant Apple, the company now ranks eighth on the rapidly growing smartphone (internet enabled) market, according to telecom consultancy Gartner.
Nokia has been posting losses - 3.1 billion euros in 2012 and 590 million euros in the first nine months of 2013 - and the sale is an attempt to relaunch into more profitable business areas.
The decision by shareholders to shed the brand's last link to its once great phone empire was largely expected and the company's share price has doubled since the plan was announced in early September.
Stephen Elop, the former president chief executive of Nokia Corporation, was to step down and resign from the company's board under the terms of the deal.
Nokia has faced criticism over the 18.8m euro pay-out Elop is set to receive when he leaves the company. He is due to move over to Microsoft when the sale is completed.
Elop left Microsoft to join Nokia in 2010, and has been cited by some as one of the frontrunners to replace Microsoft's outgoing chief executive Steve Ballmer. Ballmer is expected to leave the company in 2014.


It is important that if you are thinking about coming along as an issue holder you have an understanding of what this workshop involves, and that YOU are genuinely choosing to take part in this.
Working with Judith in a workshop setting is different from long-term therapy and requires a certain adult-adult relationship.
Through the initial interview Judith will develop with you a general picture of how you (Issue-Holder) and your system may be contributing to the presenting issue. This can then be 'tested' though the initial set up of the constellation. It is a process that requires an openness to receive a new picture (to that which you have been carrying in you). Judith will only go as far as your willingness to receive this new information.
If Judith feels it's not appropriate to offer a constellation, and if what she offers instead doesn't match your expectations, she may offer you half of your fee back and invite you to enjoy the rest of the workshop as a representative only.
When booking a place on a workshop you need to decide whether you wish to bring an issue – (be an Issue-Holder).
It is important that anyone who wishes to come along as an issue holder, has an understanding of what this workshop involves, and that they are genuinely choosing to take part in this, and has read this whole page.
In the 1-day workshop, there are six issue holders and the rest of the group holds the space and help support the process by acting as representatives.
What is a Representative (also called Resource)?
The process unfolds via an initial interview with the Judith, in which the issue holder gives a simple description of their situation, and what they wish to be different in their life.
Judith will invite the Issue-Holder to choose people from the circle to represent relevant elements under consideration. An element might be an individual person, a group, or even an abstract concept.
The Issue-Holder then places the representatives in relationship to each other in the centre of the circle – this configuration is a Constellation – which provides a 'living map' of the interconnected issues. The Issue-Holder may then sit down to observe or may be asked to be part of the constellation straight away.
It is useful (but not necessary) for couples to attend a workshop together. The important issue may lie in the current situation or in the family of origin of one or the other members of the couple. However, if you are wishing to constellate your family, your family members do not need to be present.


text:
Critics Contend US Should Offer Stronger Support to Tunisians
January 19, 2011 September 4, 2017 VOA 0 Comments
It is unprecedented in the Arab world and the seeming answer to a U.S. prayer – youth, rising up against a dictator and toppling the government in the span of a few short weeks. This happened in Tunisia as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in the region to advance political, economic, and social reform across the region. Some critics have been asking why the U.S. did not seize the moment and offer stronger support to the Tunisians?
Stephen Zunes, a professor of Politics and chairman of Middle East Studies at the University of San Francisco, says he believes the United States may have missed an opportunity.
VOA's Cecily Hilleary speaks with Stephen Zunes:
<!–IMAGE–>
Zunes: I think the main problem is that there has long been a double standard, under both Republican and Democratic (U.S.) administrations, of looking the other way when the dictatorship happens to be a U.S. ally; that while we gave certain moral support to uprisings such as in Burma and Iran in recent years and even a limited amount of financial support to opposition groups in countries like Serbia and Ukraine.
When it comes to authoritarian regimes that have historically been allied to the United States, such as Tunisia, concern about human rights has tended to take second place to various economic and strategic concerns.
Hilleary: What is the U.S. rationale here?
Zunes: I think in many ways, it's classic realpolitik. But in the Middle East, of course, there's particular concern about radical Islamist groups that have challenged pro-Western regimes. In the case of Tunisia, where the hardline Islamists are probably weaker than in almost any other Arab country, this rationalization seems particular thin.
Hilleary: So you're saying that because Tunisia is a secular society, the United States was happy with the status quo. Is it that simple?
Zunes: Not just secular, but of course pro-Western. They had generally cooperated with the United States in the so-called war on terror. They had generally followed the dictates of the International Monetary Fund in terms of structural adjustment and other economic policies, along with a neo-liberal consensus.
And while there were some concerns about the level of corruption and some human rights matters, they were not taken seriously enough to alter generally good relations. In fact, Tunisia was one of only five countries – the others being Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Columbia – that received direct U.S. security assistance through the regular Foreign Appropriations Bill.
Hilleary: Last week, while she was in Qatar, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Al Arabiya Television that the U.S. would not be taking sides in the escalating Tunisian conflict. Critics accuse the U.S. of being "tone deaf," of dropping the ball. President Obama came out last week praising what he called the "courage" and "bravery" of the activists in Tunisia. Was his statement, in your opinion, strong enough?
Zunes: It may be too little, too late in certain ways. But at the same time, what's significant about this transition in U.S. policy just in the past week, is there's long been a sense of fatalism in the Arab world – that they are simply victims of outside forces.
And the shift in U.S. policy from supporting the Tunisian dictatorship to supporting the pro-Democracy forces, I think it sends an important message: That rather than Washington's policies controlling events impacting the Arab street, the Arab street has impacted Washington's policy.
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Wealthsimple is another highly popular robo advisor. It was founded in 2014, but it was officially launched in the UK in 2017. This service allows you to invest as little as 1 Euro, and the fees are very low. Unlike other robo advisors, Wealthsimple does not stop you from investing if you … Read More . . .


Short Bytes: Installing some distribution of Linux on Android phone generally needs an ARM-supported distro and root permissions. As rooting a phone voids the warranty and opens backdoors for potential attacks, here's a simple way to install a Linux distro on Android without rooting. So, let's get started.


text:
Report on Sangay (Ecuador) — 18 August-24 August 2021
Sangay
18 August-24 August 2021
Global Volcanism Program, 2021. Report on Sangay (Ecuador). In: Sennert, S K (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 18 August-24 August 2021. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Weekly Report (18 August-24 August 2021)
2.005°S, 78.341°W; summit elev. 5286 m
IG reported gas-and-ash emissions from Sangay rising 500-1,500 m above the summit that drifted W and SW during 19-20 and 24 August. During 20-23 August gas-and-steam plume rose 1-2 km above the summit and drifted W, SW, and NW. Weather clouds and rain sometimes prevented visual and webcam observations of the volcano. Ash plumes were identified in satellite images by the Washington VAAC, rising 570-1,500 m above the volcano and drifting W and SW during 19-21 and 23-24 August. During the evening on 19 August explosions accompanied by incandescent blocks were reported around 1852 rolling down the SE drainage. Signals indicating lahars were recorded by the seismic network during 18-19 and 22-23 August.
Geological Summary. The isolated Sangay volcano, located east of the Andean crest, is the southernmost of Ecuador's volcanoes and its most active. The steep-sided, glacier-covered, dominantly andesitic volcano grew within the open calderas of two previous edifices which were destroyed by collapse to the east, producing large debris avalanches that reached the Amazonian lowlands. The modern edifice dates back to at least 14,000 years ago. It towers above the tropical jungle on the east side; on the other sides flat plains of ash have been eroded by heavy rains into steep-walled canyons up to 600 m deep. The earliest report of an eruption was in 1628. Almost continuous eruptions were reported from 1728 until 1916, and again from 1934 to the present. The almost constant activity has caused frequent changes to the morphology of the summit crater complex.
Sources: Instituto Geofísico-Escuela Politécnica Nacional (IG), Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC)


text:
package com.google.bitcoin.core;

import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.Arrays;

// TODO: Switch all code/interfaces to using this class.

/**
 * A Sha256Hash just wraps a byte[] so that equals and hashcode work correctly, allowing it to be used as keys in a
 * map. It also checks that the length is correct and provides a bit more type safety.
 */
public class Sha256Hash implements Serializable {
    public byte[] hash;

    public Sha256Hash(byte[] hash) {
        assert hash.length == 32;
        this.hash = hash;
    }

    /** Returns true if the hashes are equal. */
    @Override
    public boolean equals(Object other) {
        if (!(other instanceof Sha256Hash)) return false;
        return Arrays.equals(hash, ((Sha256Hash)other).hash);
    }

    /**
     * Hash code of the byte array as calculated by {@link Arrays#hashCode()}. Note the difference between a SHA256
     * secure hash and the type of quick/dirty hash used by the Java hashCode method which is designed for use in
     * hash tables.
     */
    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
        return Arrays.hashCode(hash);
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return Utils.bytesToHexString(hash);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


SIR ALEX Ferguson had anticipated a nervy evening but even he could not have dreamed it would turn into a fright-night.
Manchester United squeezed through to the Champions League quarter-finals for the fifth successive season and 12th time in all, thanks to two goals from Javier Hernandez.
But Marseille spurned a glut of chances to make the last eight themselves. And when Wes Brown glanced a Mathieu Valbuena corner into his own net with eight minutes left, it ensured a tense finale.
United held out to join Barcelona, Schalke, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham and holders Inter Milan in the last eight, but the victory came at a cost – and not just to the nerves of Ferguson, his players and the Old Trafford crowd.
John O'Shea limped off with a hamstring injury in the first half and then his replacement, Rafael Da Silva, suffered the same injury in the second half to deepen United's injury problems.
Before the game, Nemanja Vidic had joined Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans on the casualty list with a calf injury, which could keep him out for three weeks, and United are now desperately short of defensive options for Saturday's Premier League home game against Bolton.
Even new goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard is a victim of the injury jinx, needing surgery after hurting a knee in training and he is facing a five-week lay-off.
Ferguson though, will just be happy his team live to fight another day in Europe. His FA disciplinary hearing today to answer a misconduct charge will be a breeze compared to this.
He will be delighted that Mexico international Hernandez – Little Pea – justified his selection ahead of leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov by taking his tally to 16 in his first season at Old Trafford, three of them now in Europe.
Hernandez gave United the flying start they wanted with a goal after five minutes, even though the early strike failed to make it a comfortable night for the Premier League leaders. His second after 75 minutes failed to ease his side into the comfort zone either, as Didier Deschamps' French battlers took them right to the wire.
Wayne Rooney stepped up to the plate just when United needed him though. He set up the first goal for Hernandez, playing the ball out to Ryan Giggs then running on to his return pass to feed Hernandez for an easy tap-in.
Marseille have proved away day specialists this season, winning 10 games on the road in all competitions, including a record 7-0 win at MSK Zilina.
After a dodgy start to the campaign, with defeats in their opening two group games, Marseille charged through with four successive wins, including 1-0 at home to Chelsea. And they gave United a serious run for their money last night.
They knew that, in effect, the early goal had not changed the dynamic of the game too much. They went into the tie needing a goal after the 0-0 result in the Stade Velodrome and, if they could equalise and secure a 1-1 result, they would go through on the away goal rule.
In fact, they could have had not one but three goals by half-time, with United's makeshift defence creaking badly at times.
Andre Pierre Gignac lobbed a soft chance over the bar, Souleymane Diawara headed wide and Loic Remy volleyed over after a mistake by Chris Smalling.
Smalling and Brown, who had not covered themselves in glory in the defeat at Liverpool, were stretched to the limit at times and their cause was not helped when O'Shea limped off. United were disrupted even further in the second half, when the inexperienced Fabio da Silva replaced his twin brother Rafael. It meant they had only one member of what is regarded as their strongest back four.
In front of Fabio Capello, Rooney worked hard, playing off Hernandez. On three occasions he threatened to unlock the Marseille defence in the second half.
He flicked the ball through but Hernandez was just offside, then Giggs just failed to connect with his carefully flighted ball over the defence, before Gabriel Heinze produced a last-ditch interception to prevent his pass from reaching Hernandez. The game remained in the balance with Marseille causing frequent moments of panic in United's defence. Hernandez looked to have finally put United in the comfort zone with his second, another tap-in from a Giggs' cross.
But Brown's own-goal gave Marseille a lifeline they came close to taking, with Edwin van der Sar making a late save at his near post from Remy.
United held out, but the nerves were frayed at the end.
Man Utd (4-4-1-1): Van Der Sar; O'Shea (Rafael 37, Fabio 70), Smalling, Brown, Evra; Nani (Valencia 62), Carrick, Scholes, Giggs; Hernandez; Rooney. Booked: Hernandez. Goals: Hernandez 5, 74.
Marseille (4-2-3-1): Mandanda; Fanni, Heinze, Diawara, Taiwo; Mbia (J Ayew 80), Cheyrou; Remy, Gonzalez, A Ayew; Gignac (Valbuena 69). Booked: Valbuena, Remy. Goal: Brown 82og.


text:
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MAGPIE TREE PRESS
The good, the bad, and the spaghetti...
My first novel The Bay of Shadows was published in December 2016, and those early months were spent mostly on marketing and building my profile so I didn't get my first review until around early February of this year. There followed a handful more, all five star. Wowza, I thought to myself, I could get used to this. It seemed too good to be true. And because I was so new to all of this (my first book was published in 2003, way before the Internet was a thing.) I sought out the advice of a more-established author friend, who mentioned straight off the bat that readers get suspicious when they see too many five-star reviews. No book can be that good, they think. A valid point too, especially for a first novel. So in preparation for a more broader gamut of responses I did some reading on what other authors had to say about the topic. There were varied opinions about how to deal with them, although there was a bit of a consensus that, in the end, a negative review might not be such a bad thing. So, armed with that advice, I waited for the day to come. And it didn't take long…
The first one was a three-star review on Amazon, and fairly innocuous in the grand scheme of things:
"It was OK. A bit boring, though."
Fair call. Second one, not so much…
"Elena was the most useless and annoying character."
Ouch! Then a real doozy:
"This book is terrible, I'm scratching my head at all the five-star reviews."
At this point I was doing my own impression of Julius Caesar, stumbling around with a hand clutched to my chest. Anyway, by the time the next one arrived I was probably a little more prepared (although I suspect you never toughen up completely; there will always be part of your heart that twinges then rallies) and I confess to a small chuckle as I read the following:
"Daniel's favourite meal at the start of the book is spaghetti, and then at the end it's roast chicken. Too inconsistent."
It wasn't the reader's words that made me laugh – they were valid points, after all. I did forget that Daniel's favourite food was spaghetti, then changed it to roast chicken, but there may be sound reasoning behind that. Ask anyone who has scrolled through my Instagram feed and you'll see that I love food. And I lay the blame entirely on my Mexican family. We are food people. So much so that the term 'favourite' is an ever-shifting and fluid concept. More than likely though, I just forgot.
Of course, all of the above are paraphrased as to put them down verbatim would mean having to read them again, and I don't think I have the courage to do that. Also, I respect that readers are entitled to their opinions. They don't owe you a positive review, really, they don't owe you anything. If you're after unfettered praise and adoration best chat with your mum, then go find the dog. As an author, your role is to deliver a story that is captivating, enthralling and entertaining. That is your obligation to the reader. The thing I was learning, rather quickly, was that while you can't please everybody you can write to the best of your ability and take onboard constructive criticism so that your next book, and the one after that, is better, richer, more polished. I also learned that reviews, both good and bad, tend to even out over time. For every person that doesn't like your book, there is another who thinks it is the best thing ever. And that is the reason most of us keep writing. We are forever searching for that connection with the reader, to offer them an escape from the real world, or touch them in some way with our words, to bring light and magic into their day. That moment for me was a review from an American reader earlier this year. "This story healed my broken heart." At that point I could have picked up my hat and gone home. True it is no profession for the faint-hearted – there is rejection, frustration, disappointment and self-doubt, and that's just one day at your computer. But then you get a review like the one above, and it just makes everything worthwhile.
The Bay of Shadows is available now.
"We are forever searching for that connection with the reader,
to touch them in some way with our words."
WELL IT WAS ONLY a matter of time. Indeed, it probably should have happened sooner. Yet as much as prepared myself for this inevitability, it still took me by surprise when it did happen. So much so that I imagine my expression was not unlike that of Julius Caesar's when he realised his former best mate Brutus was among his merry band of assassins. "Not you too, Bru?" (Or words to that effect.) In his case, it was a knife that went into his heart, in mine, a bad review.
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Copyright 2019 Samantha Wood
MADE IN PIXEL TOGETHER


text:
Jehovah's Witnesses and Sexual Abuse: 2. Belgium and The Netherlands
The two Northern European countries commissioned reports on the issue that were largely publicized, but both their methodology and conclusions are objectionable.
Second in a series of four articles. Read article 1.
The Dutch Report, 2019.
In a previous article, I discussed problems raised by the part of the inquiry of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse dealing with the Jehovah's Witnesses. In this follow-up article, I will talk about similar reports from Belgium and the Netherlands, which were influenced by the Australian Royal Commission. The release of the studies in Belgium and the Netherlands have set a fire that is quickly spreading around the world. This issue is actively continuing in the United States and in several other countries, with a campaign and ongoing accusations of there being a large Jehovah's Witnesses cover-up.
The reports from Belgium and the Netherlands were different from the Australian study in one important way. They singled out Jehovah's Witnesses only, while the Australian investigation dealt with sexual abuse in a large number of both secular and religious institutions.
Starting in 2017, a number of articles ran in a Dutch newspaper called "Trouw," which means "Truth." The newspaper has a national distribution, but it operates with the backing of the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. In other words, it is a publication with an active faith commitment behind it. The articles accused the Jehovah's Witnesses organization of covering up or hiding cases of sexual abuse. The journalists worked very closely with at least one activist organization of former Jehovah's Witnesses, Reclaimed Voices, who provided what they claimed to be complaints from more than 200 ex-members. It was because of these articles that two different studies were launched in Europe over the past couple of years.
One study was by the Centre for Information and Advice on Harmful Sectarian Organizations (CIAOSN), which is a Belgian anti-cult organization. The CIAOSN report cited the newspaper articles published in the Netherlands as the rationale for running a study of the activities of the Jehovah's Witness organization in Belgium. The main basis for the Belgian report was thus the "Trouw" series.
The authors of the CIAOSN study claimed that inquiries in the Netherlands had uncovered three complaints that had possible ties to Belgium. In fact, these three cases were allegedly reported from the Netherlands by Reclaimed Voices. The CIAOSN investigators argued that on that basis, an inquiry should go forward and the recommendations from the Australian inquiry should be adopted in Belgium as well.
Yet there was little information that was found or discovered in the Belgian investigation, which relied primarily on newspaper accounts. Instead, the report presented all sort of derogatory information about the Jehovah's Witnesses organization in general, unrelated to the issue of abuse. It is difficult to review the Belgian report, because there is truly little in terms of original research or data about Belgium. It is not enough to say that compared to what it promised, the document is a disappointment. The report fails to meet even basic standards for social science research.
The Belgian study was commissioned and released first. It came before the Dutch one, so there is an overlap in terms of their construction and their being brought forward. It can be confusing to read one report without the other, because both the Belgian and Dutch studies reference inquiries made in the other country. At first glance the studies appear to corroborate each other, but a closer read reveals that they were scaffolded to be mutually supporting.
The CIAOSN study was done in cooperation with the Belgian Parliament. And, similarly, there is government backing behind the study in the Netherlands, which was done by a team of scholars from the University of Utrecht. Their report is called "Sexual Abuse and Willingness to Report Within the Community of Jehovah's Witnesses." The study was commissioned in cooperation with the Center for the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety, with the help of certain government agencies that in the Netherlands have been accused of having politicized scholarship.
In the Utrecht study, the researchers claimed to have examined 751 complaints. As with the study by the Royal Commission in Australia (discussed in the first article in this series), this number was quickly converted by the media into the idea that there were more than 700 Jehovah's Witness perpetrators running at large in society in the Netherlands. I reviewed this study with some colleagues, and the review is available on the Web site of the Dutch government.
The investigators in the Netherlands ran a study with two components. First, it had an online internet questionnaire, and it also had an email address box where participants could send responses. Note, the study was not so much a survey as an invitation for people to post complaints.
The Utrecht researchers made several highly questionable decisions in conducting this study. First, they did not vet the replies for unusable answers. Rather, they decided to include all responses, complete or incomplete and regardless of credibility. And they chose to consider each response as a separate, ostensibly valid accusation.
The "751 complaints" thus represent all the responses to both contact points—the questionnaire and the email address. This is a massive departure from standard practices for research. Institutional review boards around the world recommend special precautions for the collection of electronic data. "Recruitment" and "authentication of participants" are known problems for electronic surveys, because corruption of data can so easily happen.
Incomplete responses were accepted as complaints. If a study participant lost Internet service while writing and had to resubmit their answers, each attempt to resend was counted as a valid accusation from a different person. In fact, the Jehovah's Witnesses provided the court with an affidavit from a member who experienced this when trying to answer the online questionnaire. The respondent, who is a survivor of abuse, discovered that when her session "timed out," her successive attempts to complete the survey were counted as multiple complaints.
Nor did the Utrecht researchers factor in the probability of false accusations. The Jehovah's Witnesses are controversial to people who do not understand their religion, and it is not hard to imagine malefactors using the study to spread false information. But the parameters of the Utrecht study practically invited trolls to write something disparaging about the Jehovah's Witness organization. As someone who is familiar with the requirements of Institutional Review Boards, I feel the studies are completely lacking in ethical oversight.
Another issue is that the Belgian and Dutch studies, just as the Australian one before them, worked with the notion that family abuse could and should be converted into institutional abuse. Family sexual abuse is a grave injustice under all circumstances. But as I discussed in the first article of this series, the true rate of abuse among Jehovah's Witnesses needs to be compared to abuse rates among the general population. To date, there is no evidence that Jehovah's Witnesses have higher rates of abuse, or higher rates of "failure to report" abuse in families than those who are not Jehovah's Witnesses.
An additional concern with the Utrecht study, and the ones from Belgium and Australia as well, relates to the very low number of people interviewed for the inquiries. The CIAOSN study did not include personal questioning at all. You may remember that the Australian study lowered the bar for evidence obtained in "special sessions," and only consulted two survivors formally, in addition to others heard in "private sessions." The Dutch researchers interviewed only ten people in conjunction with their survey. Among the ten interviewees in the Netherlands, four were not raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, and they were likely reporting incidents in the past about situations where the Jehovah's Witnesses had absolutely no role whatsoever. Seven of the ten cases were more than five years old at the time of the study. If for any of these cases a police report were warranted, why wasn't it filed at the time of commission, and why has a report still not been filed?
There are other problems that involve all three reports. One sees encouragement and collusion with anticult associations and activists, who conveyed information to the respective governments and proposed that investigations take place. And in none of these studies have there been any questions about credibility of information.
The similarities across the reports themselves are troubling as well. I teach college writing, and recognize when there is too much textual similarity. My first reaction when I read the Belgian and the Dutch reports was that, if two students had handed me these two documents saying they each had written them, I would have doubted their honesty. The structure and lines of arguments in the papers are identical, and sections of text are so close, that it almost looks like cut-and-paste from one report to the other.
There is a deliberate derogatory framing of the Jehovah's Witnesses in all of these texts, and they make similar arguments. These reports devote much more of their textual attention to negative descriptions of the Jehovah's Witnesses religion than to the complaints of sexual abuse themselves. Inter alia, there is a persistent accusation that the Jehovah's Witnesses are a "closed society," which I feel is inaccurate in two ways. It is inaccurate about "closed" groups, and it is inaccurate to present the Jehovah's Witnesses as closed.
"Closed groups" is a typology that works as a generic descriptor. It is a sociological paradigm, which many sociologists think is overdrawn. While useful for organizing data with shared characteristics, social typologies were never meant to predict or explain how a religious group would conduct itself.
It is also inaccurate to think of the Jehovah's Witnesses as a "closed" group. "Permeability" exists at a personal level even in groups that have strong social boundaries. It is simply not true that the Witnesses do not have regular dealings with the outside world. These are people who have businesses, who are active in society. They do not live in some kind of bunker where they are not able to communicate with the world. There are clearly families and individuals who are much more tightly within the social network of the Jehovah's Witness organization, but I myself have friends who are Jehovah's Witnesses. We can go out for coffee or hamburgers, and even sit down together to drink a beer.
The causality between religion and sexual abuse is not clear. These reports assume that strong beliefs code with higher abuse, but this assumption is based on stereotypes, and overlooks the fact that abuse is endemic in modern society. In fact, the social views of a religious organization like the Jehovah's Witnesses might actually drive down the possibility of sexual abuse. Most religious abuse happens through opportunities. Conservative religions very often separate genders, keeping girls away from boys and men, and keeping children away from casual acquaintances. It is also very important to keep in mind that the Jehovah's Witnesses do not have children's programs such as Sunday Schools or summer camps, and so they have fewer occasions for abuse within a religious setting.
One might reasonably ask why so much negative information that is not relevant to the question of abuse was incorporated into these studies. There is a general portrayal of Jehovah's Witnesses as being deviant for having conservative religious beliefs. Yet, many other religions have similar views, including on the issues of gender and disfellowshipping. My grandparents were both disowned when they got married in the 1930s for marrying out of their faith traditions, so I understand that personally. They were not Jehovah's Witnesses.
Summing up, the Belgian and Dutch studies unfairly single out Jehovah's Witness as an organization uniquely vulnerable to instances of mishandling sexual abuse cases. The reports are based on sensational journalism, faulty social science data, and a misunderstanding of the nature of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization. Their recommendations are not aimed at preventing abuse, but limiting religious practice. It would be very misguided to base political decisions on these studies.
Holly Folk
Holly Folk is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. She has previously taught at Indiana Purdue University and the University of Indianapolis. In 2019, she has served as Program Chair for the Association for the Sociology of Religion annual meeting. She has lectured and published extensively on new religious movements, religion in Eastern Asia, new Christian groups, and communal studies. Her 2017 book "The Religion of Chiropractic: Populist Healing from the American Heartland" (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017) has been favorably reviewed in some of the main academic journals in her field.
18 Jehovah's Witnesses Sentenced to Years in Jail in Xinjiang
Accused of "Foreign Infiltration," Japanese Jehovah's Witnesses Deported
China Supports Russia's Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
For the first time, the article of the Criminal Code against xie jiao ("heterodox teachings") is used in Xinjiang to indict 18 Jehovah's Witnesses.
Tormented Jehovah's Witnesses Missionaries Leave China
Believers from South Korea are packing their things and get ready to go home to escape CCP's persecutions and harassment they face every day because of their faith.
Suppressing Jehovah's Witnesses to "Prevent Espionage"
More than 100 believers were summoned by law enforcement and investigated, numerous foreign missionaries arrested and deported from China.


As we wind down this series, we're going to explore a few odds and ends. Yes friends…we're nearing the end of these Star School lessons!
In this lesson, we'll look at the Lunar Nodes, Chiron, and the Part of Fortune.
This is brief look at the Lunar Nodes, Asteroids and Part of Fortune. While these may not be the most significant components of an astrological chart, most modern astrologers do find these to be useful. Hence, we've gotta talk about it.
The Lunar Nodes are not planets (took me a while to figure that out). They are actually mathematical points. According to Wikipedia, "a lunar node is either of the two orbital nodes of the Moon, that is, the two points at which the orbit of the Moon intersects the ecliptic." The Lunar Nodes show up in pairs, opposite signs, in the chart. The symbol looks like a horse shoe.
The South Node, which is the "dragon's tail" indicates past life energy and the skills you brought in from previous incarnations. This is where it's "easy" for you to go. Think of it as a past life comfort zone. If you hang out here too much, you miss opportunities for growth.
The North Node, also known as the "dragon's head," shows where you actually need to go. This is where you will want to press on, the part of your life that feels difficult but allows you to develop your fullest potential. It's your ultimate life lesson.
I highly recommend Astrology for the Soul by Jan Spiller for more on the nodes.
Chiron is an asteroid. It's named after the Centaur who was known for his kindness, wisdom, and ability to heal. Ironically, he was accidentally maimed by a poison arrow and could not heal himself.
In the astrological chart, Chiron represents the sacred wound or the wounded healer, that part of yourself that is deeply hurt. If you work with Chiron, it can become your greatest strength – and your medicine for healing others. The symbol is a circle with a little "k" on top.
There are other asteroids well worth exploring. Recommend asteroid book: Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology, and Astrology of the Re-Emerging Feminine by Demetra George and Douglas Bloch.
Like the Lunar Nodes, the Part of Fortune is not a planet. Instead, it's a mathematical equation and part of the Arabic Points. There are many Arabic points but this one is the most widely used in astrology.
The Part of Fortune is where you're blessed and wealthy. It's your luck. The symbol is a circle with a cross in the middle.
Recommended reading: The Part of Fortune in Astrology by Judith Hill and Seth Thomas Miller.
Let's look at our friend Kim Kardashian's chart. Find her Lunar Nodes, Chiron, and Part of Fortune. What does this say about her karma, sacred wounds, and luck?
Homework! Grab your chart and Where are they in your chart? What does this mean to you?
Next month, I'll give you the quick way to read any chart!


Abelles Bina, third best boerboel in the world 2009, scoring 93,9% in sabt! Living at "oak view boerboel" in Usa.
Bina may be the highest scoring female ever breed in europe! She has god health and many god qualitys to pas on to the future of the breed.
Abelles Beatrix, also present on the world top 10 list from 2009, she has place 10 with the total score of 92,7% sabt. She is #7 best female in the world 2009.
Beatrix is also living in usa at oakviews , she as her sister shows great potential for future breedings, personaly i like her the most of these two girls:-) majbe it is the way she looks.


Through their membership, these organizations and individuals provide a substantial portion of TNCPE's financing. Learn more about TNCPE membership and its benefits to you. Apply to become a TNCPE Member here.
RPM Pizza, LLC, Gulfport, Miss.
Joyce L. Bates, Sheffield, Ala.
James R. Hill, Winter Haven, Fla.
Cheryl Janoski, Mills River, N.C.
Marie B. Williams, Jacksonville, Fla.


text:
"I've Never Seen A Move Like This In The 21 Years I've Been Watching This Market"
In Turkey's ongoing attempt to crush currency manipulators, yesterday we reported that in addition to launching a "probe" against JPMorgan, the biggest US bank, for daring to cut its TRY price target, as well as threatening unnamed "manipulators", on Monday Turkish authorities took a page of the Chinese currency manipulation playbook, when they made it virtually impossible for foreign investors to short the lira as they soaked up virtually all intermarket liquidity, potentially threatening to kill the economy.
As we reported yesterday, the overnight swap rate on Monday soared more than ten-fold over the prior two sessions to more than 300%, the highest spike on record going back to the nation's 2001 financial crisis as offshore funds clamoring to close out long-lira positions failed to find counterparties and the cost of a lira short exploded.
Think Volkswagen short squeeze but for a currency, or FXwagen.
Well, FXwagen went turbo on Tuesday, when this unprecedented move continued as Turkish Lira swaps exploded again, more than doubling overnight, and hitting an insane 1338%.
With the cost of borrowing liras overnight hitting unprecedented levels - because local banks are under pressure not to provide liquidity to foreign fund managers who want to bet against the lira - this forced investors who want out of their lira positions to instead sell other Turkish assets to access the currency they need to close those trades.
This forced investors to dump Turkish bonds and stocks on Wednesday, sending local markets in freefall, and pushing the yield on two-year Turkish bonds jumped above 20% on Wednesday while stocks slid the most since August.
Fund managers including Japan's Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. said they are rethinking investments in the country.
"I've never seen a move like this in the 21 years I've been watching this market," Julian Rimmer, a trader at Investec Bank told Bloomberg. "This amounts to sacrificing long-term pragmatism for a short-term political expedient. Such tactics will make many traders question the investability of the lira."
"With the swap moves, I'm now forced to take an unusual strategy," said Takeshi Yokouchi, an emerging-market fund manager at Daiwa SB who backtracked on a plan to add to his Turkish bond investments because of the constraints in trading. Instead, he's going to rotate some of his lira holdings into longer-duration bonds or cash.
By engineering a situation whereby there isn't enough lira liquidity for investors to move in and out easily, Turkish authorities have averted a currency slide before a March 31 vote that'll determine who governs Turkey's cities. That's good for Erdogan, who's already contending with a recession, soaring inflation and opposition parties trying to undermine him. But it comes at the cost inflicting huge pain on the investors he needs to sustain the economy that consistently needs to fund current-account deficits.
There was just one problem: whereas on Monday this "shock therapy" meant to force out the shorts did in fact work, sending the Lira soaring, and the USDTRY tumbling, the continuation of this painful squeeze no longer has a positive impact on the currency, where as of this point most of the shorts had already been stopped out. As a result, the USDTRY actually rose for the day, and was up to 5.4272, after hitting 5.3051 on Monday. However, despite the surge in overnight rates, the Lira has begun to slide back...
Commenting on this unprecedented move in swaps, Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore notes that he doesn't recall "seeing this happen to any liquid and freely tradeable currency in the past 15 years."
For any fund that has any Turkey exposure, VAR levels will now have shifted significantly. This means that such funds will be pressured to reduce risk elsewhere until any Turkey exposure is closed. Although, the situation in Turkey has not evolved suddenly and it's unlikely that any but dedicated EM funds have much exposure.
It also means that Turkey is doing its best to burn bridges with all foreign investors, both bulls and bears, which for a country that for the past decade has been entirely reliant on outside capital inflows, could spell a death sentence.
Meanwhile, unable to express their negative views on the economy via the currency - for now - Turkey bears have found a different way of betting on a Turkish economy implosion, namely Credit Default Swap, which soared to 454bps on Tuesday, a 40bps spike, and the highest since last summer's crisis.
Of course, Erdogan's vendetta against the shorts, and the elimination of virtually all liquidity just to force an FX squeeze, means that the broader economic slowdown and raging inflation, which is the true reason behind Turkey's simmering crisis, is about to get much worse. Meanwhile, with local banks burning through reserves to defend the currency on the front-end, and with shorts no longer present, it is only a matter of time before the currency collapses once more, only this time driven not by a flood of shorts but as longs capitulate ahead of what increasingly looks like another Turkish crisis.


text:
Aygehovit är en ort i Armenien.   Den ligger i provinsen Tavusj, i den norra delen av landet,  kilometer nordost om huvudstaden Jerevan. Aygehovit ligger  meter över havet och antalet invånare är .

Terrängen runt Aygehovit är huvudsakligen kuperad, men åt sydväst är den bergig. Den högsta punkten i närheten är  meter över havet,  kilometer söder om Aygehovit. Närmaste större samhälle är Ijevan,  kilometer sydväst om Aygehovit.

Omgivningarna runt Aygehovit är en mosaik av jordbruksmark och naturlig växtlighet. Runt Aygehovit är det ganska tätbefolkat, med  invånare per kvadratkilometer.  Klimatet i området är tempererat. Årsmedeltemperaturen i trakten är  °C. Den varmaste månaden är augusti, då medeltemperaturen är  °C, och den kallaste är januari, med  °C. Genomsnittlig årsnederbörd är  millimeter. Den regnigaste månaden är maj, med i genomsnitt  mm nederbörd, och den torraste är augusti, med  mm nederbörd.

Kommentarer

Källor

Orter i Tavusj

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
Big Brother 20
Big Brother 20 Live Feed Updates
Please Help Support Big Brother Updates
Live Feed Updates-July 4, 2018 (Day 14)
sdkgeo
Please remember that ONLY the Live Feed Updates should be posted on this thread.
~ No Discussions ~
We have a daily Live Feed Discussion Thread for everyone to add comments about what's happening in the Big Brother 20 house.
You can find the Daily Live Feed Discussions HERE.
Don't forget the BBU Cafe Thread HERE for other discussions, and catching up with your BBU friends!
If you haven't signed up for the Live Feeds ( CBS ALL Access) you can CLICK HERE to get signed up and help support this website at the same time.
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Thanks for any support you can give
Last edited by sdkgeo; 07-04-2018, 07:27 AM.
4:20 BBT
All HGs asleep.
Ladycop
Big Brother Addict
It is 1:22 CDT and some of the HGs are cleaning up the pink bedroom. Angie says they have an infection pile, which is random tissues that they found under beds and around the room. Meanwhile, Steve and others are talking about making paper "footballs" to play a game. They talk about having no toilet paper so they will need to start using Kleenex. No game talk at this time.
Kaitlyn and Faysal have branded themselves as #fromance. They were on a break, but they're back they say together.
Bay and Chris are in HOH bathroom looking for something he lost...it is an article of clothing. They keep kissing and then she has to remind him to wipe the lipstick off.
Sam is back and girls talking about her getting dressed up for the 4th in her red clothing.
Rachel is running Kaitlyn through the paces of doing dance moves like they do in Vegas. While the girls are dancing, the guys are playing football in the kitchen. (this is killing my brain cells seriously).
Sam and Tyler in HOH bedroom.
Sam asks if Tyler knows who Kaitlyn is voting for. He tells her it is still up in the air for now and he thinks it will have to be a last minute push to get her vote. He says he might say to her that he knows who has the power and if she votes for Steve she will be screwing her game. Tyler then says that Sam can tell her about her power if she wants to.
Sam - is that what she wants me to do? Does she think I have it?
Tyler - No, no one knows.
Sam - no one thinks I have it, no one knows?
Tyler - no.
Sam - they still think it's Brett or JC.
Tyler - yeah, every single person.
They then talk about people thinking it was Angela for a while. Tyler says he didn't want people to think that because they were trying to target her and Sam agrees that was not what she wanted.
Sam - I like Angela as one of my keepers. I like Angela.
Tyler - um hmm.
Tyler asks if Sam would like to sit down with he and Kaitlyn and explain to her that Sam has the power. Sam doesn't want to do that as she thinks if she reveals it to Kaitlyn she will be forced to use it because Kaitlyn doesn't like her or want her there.
Tyler assures her that Kaitlyn does like her and the more they (Kaitlyn/himself) talk, the more he is sure of that.
Tyler - more and more, she is leaning to wanting to keep you.
Sam says that she tried to get that same point across to her in the geometry room. We talked about a lot of things that they both see her doing. She has the guys on lock down. Kaitlyn put Fessy's sock on him today. She needs to do those things for them, but Sam wants her to understand that there are girls there that can do stuff as well. (I think she is referring to the fact that girls can win comps)
Tyler goes into the fact that Fessy has never had a girl as a friend and Kaitlyn wanted to be that for him, but now that he is looking at a romance with Haleigh it drove Kaitlyn away. Sam acts surprised about the showmance. Tyler explains that Fessy is trying to get Haleigh to sleep in his bed with him, and Haleigh has been sleeping up in the HOH room and that is causing problems between Fessy and him and he wants Haleigh to get away from him because he doesn't want Fessy to think anything is going on.
Sam - that is absurd. So why is Kaitlyn all over him all of the time?
She keeps questioning what is going on there and Tyler tells her he doesn't know. Kaitlyn is just afraid that she will no longer be Fessy no. 1 so she is coming to him to be her no. 1. He says he is telling Kaitlyn that he will be that.
Tyler - That's how I'm playing that with Kaitlyn.
He tells Sam that he hasn't told Kaitlyn he is on the other side, rather he is asking her if they should move to the other side.
Sam - so how are you playing it with Haleigh?
Tyler says there is nothing there. She has no play with anyone. They agree she is on the other side. He does admit that Haleigh is going to vote for Steve.
Sam - why?
Tyler - because he is a number for Swaggy's side. Cause they reeled him in for their side.
They go over who will be the votes for that side. (Sam doesn't understand that Steve doesn't get a vote).
Sam thinks that Scottie might go in and vote for her to stay. She thinks they have a lot in common and the fact that it has been easier for him to talk to her while she is a robot. She wants to know if Scottie is cool with Kaitlyn and Tyler says they are.
Sam says she has to bite her tongue when Steve is around because he spouts all kinds of stuff as though it is fact and she thinks that Scottie is getting tired of it. We aren't going to call him out about it, but we know it ain't right. He thinks he's a know it all, but we aren't going to correct him. Sam says that Scottie told her that Steve is so aggressive about things. Tyler says that Scottie thinks Steve is his number 1. Scottie has to agree with what Steve says because he doesn't want to disagree with him.
They say they can't rely on Scottie to flip, they need to get Kaitlyn. Tyler says if the vote is 8-5 to keep her they guys will go nuts trying to figure out who the votes were. They will have no clue what is going on.
Sam - I am willing to lay some things out there for her, but I'm not going to tell her everything (Kaitlyn).
Tyler - Ok, I was just wondering where your head was.
He continues about trying last minute with her. He is a bit concerned that the other group was trying to get him to do their dirty work so he knows they are questioning him.
Sam is still nice to Swaggy, she has a handshake with them. She says that Steve has agreed to be with them (the other side) and she hasn't. She says they do like her because she cleans. She was cleaning the bathroom and Chris and Bay finished it up. She thinks they could all vote for her to stay and then tell her after the vote that they were just saying they were voting Steve, but they want her on their side. Tyler burst her bubble by telling her he doesn't think that's what will happen. That they all gave Steve their word and if they go back it's out in the open. If Scottie is really with Steve he would be upset and stay away from them. Tyler believes they will vote for him. Sam says that Scottie told her last night that Steve was staying and she just turned into sad robot trying to hit him in his heart strings. She is still thinking that he wants to keep her and Tyler looks frustrated about not being able to get through. In comes in Angie and all talk stops.
Bayleigh and Chris in bathroom and they are flirting. Chris tells her that America loves her. She tells him just because he likes her and he says no. They love you and then Angie. They are showing you two the most. (Not sure where he keeps his magic 8 ball).
Tyler goes into the pink bedroom where Kaitlyn gets out her "oils" and rubs them on his head.
Sam and JC in kitchen. Sam is cleaning a pineapple. JC is cooking. In the bathroom, Angie is playing a game with Scottie, asking questions.
Sam goes over her speech with Angela and Rachel while they eat all the pineapple she is trying to cut to fry with the chicken.
Last edited by Ladycop; 07-04-2018, 04:25 PM.
Brett is lying down because heartburn has been really bad for him. Rachels gets him some pepto for it. He reads the directions and then takes one. He says his stomach is really wack.
Sam is cooking dinner for some HGs and Steve is frying loose hamburger. The HG try to sing a patriotic song and we get FISH. Now Rachel is doing a pepto commercial and she is doing a really good job. Of course, we keep getting FISH.
Sam's cooking for everyone and then running around to make sure everyone has eaten. She told JC earlier that she was a waitress at one time and told him she has worked two jobs most of the time because she likes to keep busy. Tyler says that her food is the best he has had this season.
Now HGs are in the storage room complaining that all the food is gone. No milk, not even Almond milk. (The horror). I guess the guys are off slop and they ate everything up, so Chris and Bay are complaining while they kiss.


text:
After 17 years, comics store to close
January 13, 2020 at 9:23 am | By Clint Wolf
Clint Wolf/Beloit Daily News David Loftus stands among the comics, graphic novels and action figures sold at his store, AK Comics, at 2000 Sutler Ave. in Morgan Square in Beloit. After more than 17 years in Beloit, AK Comics will close in March.
BELOIT - David Loftus' customers at AK Comics are more than just people who buy comic books from him. They are friends.
"It's closer than a customer-seller relationship. We have conversations. I've been to their weddings and some funerals," Loftus said.
That is why it is difficult for him to close his business after more than 17 years in Beloit.
AK Comics, at 2000 Sutler Ave., in Morgan Square, is set to close in March. He is planning a clearance sale that will start in February and go through most of March, he said.
He will miss his customers, most of whom he sees regularly as they come in to pick up their regular comics from their "pull list." He said most of his customers are in their late 20s and older, and some have been customers for years.
"One started when he was in the eighth grade and now he's in college," Loftus said.
In addition to his comics and graphic novels featuring Superman, the Flash, Thor and Spiderman, he sells action figures and hero-related items. He also sells cards for Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon games.
Loftus got started in the comic book selling business because he has had an interest in the comics since he was a boy.
"It's always been a love for me. I'm one of four kids and my dad was in the Navy. He would always come home with a bunch of comics he bought at the PX and he'd toss them on the end table," Loftus recalled.
He began collecting comics and finding new items to add to his collections.
Now, he decided it was time to call it quits at AK Comics.
"I'm not getting any younger, and I kind of want to do something else," he said.
But he's not abandoning his regular customers. He still will order comics for his regulars who have existing pull lists of their favorite titles. He just won't sell them at his store. He said he will keep in touch with his customers through his Facebook page and he will still continue to live in the Beloit area.


text:
<?php
defined('BASEPATH') OR exit('No direct script access allowed');

class Admin extends CI_Controller {

	public function __construct() {
		parent::__construct();

		$this->_isAdmin();

		$this->load->model('products_model');

		$this->load->library('cart');
	}

	public function index() {
		$arrProducts = $this->products_model->getProducts();

		//Set variables
		$arrData['strTitle']            = 'Administrator';
		$arrData['strTemplate']         = 'admin/index';
		$arrData['numTotalCarProducts'] = $this->cart->total_items();
		$arrData['arrProducts']         = $arrProducts;

		//Load the view
		$this->load->view('layout/general', $arrData);
	}

	private function _isAdmin() {
		if ( !$this->session->userdata('is_admin') ) {
			redirect('products');
		}
	}

}

/* End of file Admin.php */
/* Location: ./application/controllers/Admin.php */