KABUL: Kabul has no plans to revive a peace process aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table after a four-nation effort earlier this year produced no results, the spokesman of the Afghan president said Thursday.
Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria, responding to the remarks, reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the four-nation group ─ comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States ─ for revival of the Afghan peace process.
"Peace and stability in Afghanistan has a direct impact on Pakistan and it has been Pakistan's effort to push forward endeavours for peace and stability," he said.
Haroon Chakhansuri, President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman, said the four-nation group has no plans to meet again anytime soon.
"There is no set time for another meeting of the group," Chakhansuri told The Associated Press.
Afghanistan continues to suffer from "terrorist groups that operate from and have a support base in Pakistan", Chakhansuri said.
Commenting on Chakhansuri's remarks the FO spokesman said, "Such remarks will be helpful to elements who do not wish to see the peace process moving forward."
"Pakistan is engaged in the fight against terrorism and the world community has lauded Pakistan's efforts in the fight against terrorism," Zakaria said.
A senior Pakistani security official familiar with the Afghan peace process echoed Chakhansuri's statement. The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
"The peace talks between the Taliban and Kabul are not likely to be resumed soon," he said, adding that "neither the Taliban nor Afghan government are interested in reviving" the talks.
Ghani took office in 2014 promising peace and began overtures to Islamabad aimed at ending the war.
Following a number of large-scale suicide attacks in Kabul, Ghani cut the dialogue with Pakistan, demanding Islamabad cease support for the Taliban and its close affiliate, the Haqqani network.
Earlier this month while speaking at a Nato summit, Ghani said Afghanistan's regional initiatives with neighbours "are beginning to yield significant cooperative dividends. However, the exception is with Pakistan."
He added that despite clear commitments to the quadrilateral peace process, "Pakistan's dangerous distinction between good and bad terrorists is being maintained in practice."
The Foreign Office had responded to Ghani's remarks with 'disappointment'.
"It is unfortunate that Afghan leaders continue to make hostile statements against Pakistan and blame Pakistan for all failures in Afghanistan," FO spokesman Nafees Zakaria had said, adding that Pakistan would continue to make every effort to help bring peace in Afghanistan.
Zakaria said that Pakistan also expects cooperation from Afghan government in its fight against terrorism through effective border management and denying sanctuaries to anti-Pakistan terrorists from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
"The need of the hour is close cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan rather than constant blame game by the Afghan government based on assumptions," the FO spokesman had said.
Yes, now Afghanistan is confident. Keep doing good work Mr. Ghani.
@Desi Dimag confident of what? Failure?
@Ilyas khan success and capability makes people confident. Slowly Afghanistan is coming out of the mess.
Pakistan harboring terrorists? Can someone remind me where Umer Naray was targeted and killed?
Now that they are not interested in talks, I don't know why our govt. is pushing for talks for "them". Send all refugees back and let us focus on our home. Let us clean our soil. Let them do what they want.
"Good terrorism and bad terrorism" when Pakistan will come out from this mess. At least for the sake of its neighbors.
@Iqbal Aswani, Let Afghanistan settle her problems with Talibans. These Talibans are also Afghans. Now Ghani & Karzai should not say again Pakistan is not doing enough.
Good decision. No need to talk, just hit them hard and teach them a good lesson..
I think Pakistan should leave the issue of peace to Afghan government & Afghan Taliban to handle. Pakistan should seal all its border with Afghanistan. Twenty years from now the situation will remain the same in Afghanistan, may be worst only then the Afghan government will request Pakistan to mediate.
No peace is possible in Afghanistan without bringing Taliban on board.
Agree with Mr. Ghani. No point talking to the Taliban and their supporters in Pakistan.
Afghanistan has good relations with all its neighbours except Pakistan.
Good decision by Afghanistan. Taliban do not believe in any negotiations period. Why waste time. Pakistan should realize that the only good Taliban is a dead Taliban.
Afghanistan is a sovereign state and other countries should stop interfering in its internal affairs.
All who believe the Taliban want peace are fools.
@Warshah "Good decision. No need to talk, just hit them hard and teach them a good lesson.."
Didn't US fail miserably trying to do just that for last 13 years ... hit hard. What makes you think Afghan army will do any better.
@Red Planet . Unrelated comment.
They like fighting, not talk for peace.
@Shaukat Ali Khan Talibans will not come on board because they are demands are absurd.
@Timeto stopthis "Agree with Mr. Ghani. No point talking to the Taliban and their supporters in Pakistan."
This is exactly what India and to some extent US wants in Afghanistan i.e. perpetual low level chaos. Talking to Pakistan early on by Ghani was bearing fruits. Taliban were willing to negotiate peace but RAW and it's puppet NDS could not stomach that so did whatever they could to sabotage it.
Why would India want to see peace in Afghanistan because peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan which India will never accept.
@Kamal Pasha poor Pakistan always getting blame from people it helps. Whether it is Afghanistan, India, Iran or USA.
He added that despite clear commitments to the quadrilateral peace process, "Pakistan's dangerous distinction between good and bad terrorists is being maintained in practice." There can't be any more damning articulation of Pakistani policies than this.
Great its Afghanistan own mess and they're supposed to sort it themselves! Plus sort something out and take your trouble making refugees from Pakistan.
@Naveed Can someone please remind me where Osama and Mullah Mansoor was killed?
@Abdulla Hussain Dont hold your breath waiting for that invitation from Afghanistan. They are tired of your interference and want you to stop interfering in their country.
@shahzad One thousand percent agree with you. Hope the people in charge in Pakistan can understand this soon.
@Sudhakar USA Sadly Pakistan continues to remain in denial with its head firmly buried deep in the sand.
Ghani has no independent thinking. He will rather spill more Afghan blood if it means pleasing India.
@Iqbal Aswani, Send all Afghan refugees back if not then send them to India their political mentor.
@Timeto stopthis, Yes, Pakistan should stop help Afghan government talk to Taliban. Pakistan should send every Afghan on its soil back to Afghanistan and let them handle the want they want. Very soon reality will hit.
@Timeto stop this, Its time to stop nonsense, Osama and mansour got killed but the real problem is Haqqani network /TTP which Ghani government is protecting to be used against Pakistan!
Even the very fact are considered assumption by Pakistan, that is the reason that Afghanistan is not more interested in peace talks facilitated by Pakistan. Is it assumption that two Taliban leaders were killed in Pakistan.
More than half of Afghanistan is under Taleban Control so it seems they have no other options. NATO won't be around forever!
@ART KP Get a dose of reality. The Haqqani network is being protected by Pakistan, not by the Afghan government.
Great to see India' neighbor Afghanistan taking a tough stand !
Mind you my dear posters, that Afghans are getting every grain of wheat for their stomachs, every nail for their homes, bricks and mortar from Pakistan "duty free". We have hundreds --perhaps thousands of doctors (IN AFGHANISTAN!) giving free medical checkups to poor Afghans. We invested over $500 dollars in Afghanistan -- including schools and other facilities. Afghans have being brainwashed to think in limited fashion. The second largest ethnic group in Pakistan are the Pakhtuns. We are proud Pakistanis, we will defend every inch of Pakistan with our blood and sweat.
Asking for aliens to leave is not an absurd demand; Sir.
@Kashmiri Nationalist Where did you get your facts sir? Watch out for the new alliance of Iran-Afghanistan.
@Shaukat Ali Khan Lately we all are clamouring about sending our brothers back. Do you think when they go back they will harbour good feelings and intentions about us? Would that be a step forward or backward?
All president Ghani now needs to do is to close his eyes and pray hard that they are gone:-) Despite my deep dislike for Taliban brand narrow mindedness, I hope this is a temporary and tactical pronouncement only by him because like it or not there will never be peace in Afghanistan which Afghans so desperately deserve, without Taliban inclusion. Anyone who is suggesting otherwise is enemy of Afghanistan and wants to waste another 2-3 generations.
@Basit Ali History tells us that Iran and Afghanistan have never been true friends.
There is no point in talking to good taliban.
@Sudhakar USA Don't be fooled by it. That is just Indian money talking.
@Timeto stopthis "Afghanistan has good relations with all its neighbours except Pakistan."
Do you mean Ashraf Ghani or do you mean Afghanistan? These are two separate things.
@Desi Dimag good work??? Look at what he has done to his own country and he is the president of his presidential palace only...on the other hand India busy killing innocent people but this cannot go on for long as nobody can stop their right and we stand besides them.
Why Pakistan keep harping on peace dialogue like a broken record. It has failed to persuade Taliban to participate. It doesn't have any more influence now. why raise expectations and then fail to deliver. It gets nothing but blame. forget it. No matter what Pakistan does or does not, Afghan govt. dominated by northerners will never be friendly. Move on and focus on domestic problems.
Whatever afghans do among themselves or how long they keep fighting for power among themselves, its afghans internal problem. Just stay on afghan side and leave Pakistan alone. Time to isolate Pakistan from afghan turmoil. Chances are afghans will still be fighting among themselves for next fifty years.
What good work ?.Apart from Kabul the US installed and India sponsored, Afghan government has no writ in other parts of the Afghanistan !
It is quite clear that US and India do not want peace there, as that would mean that their presence is no longer needed within the war torn country !
@Iqbal Aswani Yes, time to send back afghan refugees. Time to isolate Pakistan from afghans ongoing problems. Pakistani social and economic fabric has been torn off due to involvement in afghan problems. Pakistan cannot afford to be sucked into afghans problem. Pakistan is not a banana republic. Pakistan need to seal the border with afghan. Pakistanis want to become advance country like Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore, providing better life for its people. (Time to catch all foreign trouble makers, spies and agents of enemy countries and severely punish them).
Similar meeting were held by USA with North Korea under the Convenorship of China. The aggrieved South Korea realised after a long lapse that they do not produce any result. Better Afghanistan realised earlier that all these meetings are to buy more time to make stay of guest more inconvenient for him and better prepare the party it supports to prevail upon thepresent Afghanistan govt.
Could someone provide some idea about situation in Afghanistan: 1. What % of Afghanistan is under control of government? 2. Is it safe to assume that the remaining is under Taliban control? Or is there a third group? 3. In which areas do the TTP that attack Pakistan operate? 4. What is the relationship between Taliban and TTP if any?
@Desi Dimag I am sure it will happen one day with the help of Indians, Hello Desi Dimag, can you ask your Government to send approximate 300 thousands fighting force to fight with Taliban fighters, that will bring peace sooner than later?
@Iqbal Aswani Afghans say that they are living in their home land. Durand line is not recognised by them.
He will be in Islamabad, uninvited, before the year is out, asking for favours. Mark my words.
@Desi Dimag the same mess created with the start of invasion by soviet which was strongly supported by India.
Afghanistan problem cannot be solved without Pakistans help, IOK problem cannot be solved without Pakistan, U.S. in Afghanistan cannot operate without Pakistan, China's CPEC is through Pakistan. You know, it is not easy being so sought after, but in our humbleness we try to help. Ah, Life's so good.
@Naveed "Pakistan harboring terrorists? Can someone remind me where Umer Naray was targeted and killed?"
How long has he lived in Afghanistan? Was he given fake Afghan passport and identity? Was he allowed to routinely travel in and out of Kabul and Kandahar airports? Did Afghanistan complain when he was droned?
Now compare that with what happened in case of Mullah Mansoor.
@Sonny Afridi "Mind you my dear posters, that Afghans are getting every grain of wheat for their stomachs, every nail for their homes, bricks and mortar from Pakistan "duty free"."
Whether imports from Pakistan are duty free or not is the decision of Afghan government not Pakistan. Now that decision has been reversed by Afghan government post Torkham, guess who is suffering, Pakistani flour mill owners.
@Sonny Afridi Instead of thinking of Afghans as your customers and appreciating them for buying Pakistani wheat, you make it appear as though you are doing them a favor.
@Timeto stopthis that's why Iran closed its border for Afghan refugees and it's still closed.
While speaking at a Nato summit, Ghani said Afghanistan's regional initiatives with neighbours are beginning to yield significant cooperative dividends. However, the exception is with Pakistan. Such a BOLD statement....That's called a real leader.


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. Coast Guard is urging mariners, recreational boaters, swimmers, surfers and the general public Wednesday to exercise good judgement and prepare for Tropical Storm Maria along the coasts of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Vessels and facility operators, recreational boaters, swimmers and people conducting activities in the ocean, should pay close attention and monitor this situation through updated National Weather Service advisories and take appropriate action to minimize the risks associated with these predicted conditions; http://www.weather.gov/ and http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.
Do not go out to sea in a recreational boat if you know a tropical storm is approaching.
Take action now. The effects of a tropical storm can be felt well in advance of the storm itself and can prevent the safe completion of preparations.
Do not try to reach your boat if it has been forced into the water and is surrounded by debris. Wait until authorities have made safe access available. Do not try to board a partially sunken boat; seek salvage assistance from a professional.
Storms move quickly and are unpredictable. You can always replace a boat; you cannot replace a life.
The Coast Guard requests that the public not call Coast Guard facilities for weather information, but that they listen to weather broadcasts and track internet updates through: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.


The charity auction for the UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre has been confirmed to take place on the 30th June 2011. My specially commissioned limited edition work Airplanes will be shown and auctioned off along with the other artists who contributed to the hoarding project earlier in the year and other commissioned artists for the new hospital. A brochure will be produced and available before the auction to showcase the works featured. Please join the event at the Her House Gallery on Drysdale Street to raise money for this important building and charity. More details will be posted in the coming two months.


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The Word is God
(Performed in English)
Own: £25.00
This bundle includes All's Well That Ends Well, Doctor Faustus and Much Ado About Nothing from Shakespeare's Globe's 2011 season 'The Word is God'.
All's Well That Ends Well grinds the romantic against the realistic at every turn and brilliantly reverses all the usual expectations of Shakespearean comedy. And some of Shakespeare's most inventive language gives life to not just his single-minded heroine and her churlish lover, but a fantastic cast of frauds, cynics, sentimentalists and buffoons.
This was the first production of All's Well That Ends Well at the Globe.
Doctor Faustus is Christopher Marlowe's most renowned and controversial work. Famous for being the first dramatised version of the Faustus tale, the play depicts the sinister aftermath of Faustus's decision to sell his soul to the Devil's henchman in exchange for power and knowledge.
In the first-ever staging of this menacing drama at the Globe Theatre, Matthew Dunster's production features Paul Hilton as the arrogant, power-hungry Faustus and Arthur Darvill as the sardonic Mephistopheles, and includes several impressive magical stunts along the way.
One of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, Much Ado about Nothing contrasts the happiness of lovers Claudio and Hero, and the cynicism of sparring partners Beatrice and Benedick, who are united in their scorn for love. Trickery plays a large part in the story, as Beatrice and Benedick are duped into declaring their love for one another, and the dastardly Don John deceives Claudio into believing that Hero has been unfaithful.
Marking the debut of director Jeremy Herrin at the Globe Theatre, this production features Eve Best as the feisty and high-spirited Beatrice and Charles Edwards as her cynical counterpart, Benedick.
Plays Included in this Bundle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I met him at halloween! He had loads of people around him!!!
when did u meet him?
i met him on halloween with 5 other people for an whole hour!im serious we asked questions and he answered!it was soooooo cool!
Subject: Re: Gary the gadget guy!


text:
Q: How to apply several time series models like ets, auto.arima etc. to groups in the data in R using purrr/tidyverse? My dataset looks like following. I am trying to predict the 'amount' for next 2 months using either the ets, auto.arima, Prophet or any other model. But my issue is that I would like to predict amount based on each groups i.e A,B,C for next 2 months. I am not sure how to do that in R ?
    data = data.frame(Date=c('2017-01-01', '2017-02-01', '2017-03-01', '2017-04-01','2017-05-01','2017-06-01','2017-01-01', '2017-02-01', '2017-03-01', '2017-04-01','2017-05-01','2017-06-01','2017-01-01', '2017-02-01', '2017-03-01', '2017-04-01','2017-05-01','2017-06-01'),
                  Group=c('A','A','A','A','A','A','B','B','B','B','B','B','C','C','C','C','C','C'),
                  Amount=c('12.1','13','15','10','12','9.0','12.5','13.3','14.8','11','10','12.1','13','12.2','11','10.9','13.4','11.1'))

data

         Date Group Amount
1  2017-01-01     A   12.1
2  2017-02-01     A     13
3  2017-03-01     A     15
4  2017-04-01     A     10
5  2017-05-01     A     12
6  2017-06-01     A    9.0
7  2017-01-01     B   12.5
8  2017-02-01     B   13.3
9  2017-03-01     B   14.8
10 2017-04-01     B     11
11 2017-05-01     B     10
12 2017-06-01     B   12.1
13 2017-01-01     C     13
14 2017-02-01     C   12.2
15 2017-03-01     C     11
16 2017-04-01     C   10.9
17 2017-05-01     C   13.4
18 2017-06-01     C   11.1

I need to forecast multiple univariate time series models (ets, auto.arima and prophet) by groups (A, B, C). Assume the groups are independent of each other.Also how can we extract error metrics and point forecasts say 2 period ahead (in a data frame) and plot the forecasts, again grouped by groups.Need help here!!!
Iterative methods like using packages such as tidyverse/purrr, or sweep etc. may be a solution here. ?

A: First convert the dates to yearmon class in order that the months be regularly spaced since Dates are not due to the different number of days per month.  yearmon represents dates internally as year + 0 for Jan, year + 1/12 for Feb, ..., year + 11/12 for Dec. If desired the Date can subsequently be converted from yearmon to numeric using as.numeric to get the internal represntation.
calc represents the function that performs the calculation on a single group.  Replace it with your function. Its first argument should be a data frame with Date and Amount columns.  Additional arguments are optional and only needed if it is desired to pass fixed parameters that do not vary across groups.  In the example below we pass a string, "Hello" to the msg argument.  The function can return any sort of object such as a plain vector, list or other object.
In the last line by will call calc, once per group, returning a list of the return values from calc, one component per group.
library(zoo)

data2 <- transform(data,
  Date = as.yearmon(Date),
  Amount = as.numeric(Amount)
)

calc <- function(dat, msg) {
  print(msg)
  fm <- lm(Amount ~ Date, dat)
  predict(fm, list(Date = tail(dat$Date, 1) + 2/12))
}
by(data2[-2], data2[[2]], calc, msg = "Hello")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


As we enter the mid-summer season, it is worth noting that the two-year surge in home selling prices across the Charlotte area is slowing. For some time, double-digit price increases were the norm. After that, strong single-digit gains became common. Now, selling prices demonstrate little movement from one year ago.


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text:
Unbroken Glass
By Dinesh Das Sabu
When he was six, filmmaker Dinesh Sabu became an orphan when his father died of cancer and his mother committed suicide. Two decades later, worried that he had so few memories of his parents, he turns a camera on his four older brothers and sisters, trying to understand their parent's lives and tragic deaths.
Not everyone in the family is prepared to reopen these wounds. The older children raised the younger ones, depending only on each other and also making a family pact: "We kept our past a secret from everyone around us, and by not talking about it, kept it a secret from ourselves."
To break that secret, Sabu makes a trip to India, a country he barely knows, attending a family wedding and visiting his grandmother's village. It's a journey that forces him to think about the schizophrenia that runs in his family. The trip unlocks memories, some of them deeply painful, and raises new questions about love, anger, mental illness, and forgiveness.
Unbroken Glass - WebsiteUnbroken Glass - FacebookUnbroken Glass - TwitterUnbroken Glass - Press Release
Unbroken Glass | Promo - Preview


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TV Report Card | 'True Blood' Season 6 Review
Overview: The sixth season of "True Blood" found Sookie and Jason trying to find the person who killed their parents, Bill dealing with morphing into Bill-ith and Eric trying to stop the persecution of vampires who have been imprisoned. There was a lot happening this season and the HBO veteran was firing on all cylinders.
Storyline Direction: There were a diverse range of stories this season and each kept a sharp momentum. Nothing seemed to linger past a natural point and each story hit the right beats. New showrunner Brian Buckner found a rhythm that has often been unattainable for the show in past seasons. He managed to strike the right balance, finding a great story clip with every episode, leaving you in eager anticipation of the next.
Between Sheriff Andy's fairy daughters and Jessica fighting her inner demons, there were a lot of layers to the conflicts this season. Alcide (Joe Manganiello) was, once again, not completely utilized in yet another storyline where he fought to be pack-master.
Sam's story proved entertaining with his new equal rights fighting girlfriend, Nicole (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). However, their relationship came off as rushed after we had just spent two seasons with Sam loving Luna. If it hadn't have been so soon, it would've been much better.
Something that continues to hamper "True Blood" as a series is the slow timeline of its stories. The plot actually unfolds within days and characters are swinging from one life-changing decision to another without much hesitation for what happened in an unreasonably short time.
The return of Steve Newlin's ex-wife Sarah (Anna Camp) was one of the best additions of the new season. Her crazed character created a shake-up to the series and between her and Jason (Ryan Kwanten) there were quite a few histrionics to be had. The persecution of vampires was handled in a rather black and white manner.
Vampires admit they are evil, but we should root for them because on "True Blood" antagonists are the protagonists. Eric's scheming and fighting for vampire-kind, despite his brutality, brought a brand of warmth back to the character as crazy as that sounds. Well, on this show crazy passes as sane.
Production Caliber: The production was well done this season. The containment area had the perfect amount of sanitarium coldness. The special effects were also well-done, the flying/take off of the vampires looked magnificent and they didn't overdue it either, instead showing it enough to excite without going overboard. Continued...
Performance Quality: The standout this season was without question, Ryan Kwanten with his portrayal of Sookie's zany and affable brother. His wide-eyed expression and unrelenting enthusiasm brought strong energy to the series. He managed to make anyone working in scenes with him better, his comedic timing as sharp as a blade, he cut through the often campy scripts and gave something that felt, real.
Sam Trammel (Sam), Joe Manganiello (Alcide) and Chris Bauer (Sherriff Andy) all added some much needed dimension to the show. Manganiello proving his teddy bear quality could also give way to some very intense animalism.
Another actor who really impressed was Nelsan Ellis; he has always been great as the sassy, heartfelt Lafayette and this season was no exception. He peeled back the layers a bit this year, giving Lafayette a real dimension as he displayed a softer side.
The fiery Carrie Preston also served up some flair as she saw Arlene through the humorous and sad times, as one of Bon Temps most tortured denizens. New addition Jurnee Somellett-Bell brought ferocity to Sam's new love interest, a woman who was strong while being a bit vulnerable at times.
Anna Camp brought her raging nut of a character roaring back to the small-screen in a turn that never backed down from being over the top ridiculous as it was entertaining. She gave the audience a villain you were dying to see receive her comeuppance. Michael McMillian's turn as her ex-husband Steve gave the series its best line of the season, "I love you Jason Stackhouse!" just before he died, the dark comedy of the moment was an example of what the series does best.
Musical Score: There was a good mix of music this season. The songs going over the credits were always a must listen. It was a tad shocking they used a popular song to close out the season with Imagine Dragon's "Radioactive". However, the song is so fantastic that is easily understandable.
Overall Grade: A, the HBO veteran proved that after 6 seasons they still have the fuel to keep the fire burning. The season had great pace and while there was some meandering (I.e. Terry's funeral) it was well intentioned, a rare sentimentality being expressed.
There was an exaggeratedly disgusting blood and gore death scene that required some serious mental scrub down but that is par for the course with the raunchy nature of the show. All in all, it was a season that stayed true to its roots while, making progress on a sometimes shaky foundation.
What did you think of "True Blood" this season? Eclectic Pop wants to hear from you! You can share your thoughts by tweeting @EclecticPop or leaving a comment below.
[Image by HBO]
Written by Britt Lawrence
Tags: Reviews television True Blood TV Report Card
Britt Lawrence
Britt is a freelance writer, and entertainment enthusiast with an "eclectic" taste in "pop" culture. As a freelancer, she is currently a Contributing TV News Writer at CinemaBlend. You can learn more about her by clicking her name.
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Galen Fott Poser 6 Poser 6 is a fun, powerful, and relatively inexpensive application for creating images and animations of realistic human characters. But the lack of multiple undos is a severe limitation for beginners, and the program needs a powerful PC for respectable performance.
Good price for this level of 3D avatar-creation tool. High-end hair and cloth features. Well-modeled figures and morph shapes. Fun to work with.
No multiple undos. Needs a powerful PC.
Poser 6 is a fun, powerful, and relatively inexpensive application for creating images and animations of realistic human characters. But the lack of multiple undos is a severe limitation for beginners, and the program needs a powerful PC for respectable performance.
Over Poser's ten-year history, the 3D application has grown from a plaything for manipulating virtual Barbies and Kens into an impressively powerful program. Unlike most 3D programs, which allow you to model, texture, and animate any object or creature you can imagine, Poser is specifically designed for creating images and animations of realistic humans.
To this end, the program comes with a handful of prefabricated figures, saving users considerable effort in the modeling, texturing, and rigging departments. (There are also several realistic animal and cartoonish human figures available.) You can pose these highly customizable figures in various wardrobe choices or in the buff (with optional anatomical correctness). For further customization, you can make easy adjustments to facial features and body type by twirling a few dials in the interface.
But Poser also lets you dig surprisingly deeply into the 3D process. The interface is divided into seven "rooms," each devoted to a specific task. The default Pose room lets you position your character, a process made easier with the program's switchable inverse kinematics. Drag a model's hand through space with IK turned on, and the rest of the body follows. In the fun Face room you can import photos of your face and map them onto a 3D head, using Poser's extensive controls to shape the geometry of the head into a dimensional replica of your own.
The Material room allows you to create node-based shaders to determine how your model's skin and clothing respond to light, with complex control over specularity, refraction, and bump and displacement maps. But most impressive are the Hair and Cloth rooms, which allow you to create hair and clothing that respond realistically to an animated character's movement. Rounding out the package are the Setup room where you can construct and adjust a character's underlying skeleton rig, and the Content room which hooks up to Curious Labs' online Content Paradise site.
All in all, the tools used are very similar to those found in high-dollar programs like Maya and Softimage XSI. Users of Poser 5 will find that most of version 6's new features are dedicated to improving render quality, with enhanced shadows, toon shading, image-based lighting, and subsurface scattering. Newcomers to Poser will find portions of the program quite complex, making the program's lack of multiple undos almost criminal. Even worse, many actions aren't undoable at all. And all users should consider Curious Labs' recommended system requirements (700-MHz processor, 512MB of RAM) as a bare minimum for working with this demanding application.
But for creating realistic 3D human avatars, Poser 6 has no peer for the price.
Bottom Line: Poser 6 is a fun, powerful, and relatively inexpensive application for creating images and animations of realistic human characters. But the lack of multiple undos is a severe limitation for beginners, and the program needs a powerful PC for respectable performance.


Want more in depth info?
If you still need more info you are at the right place.
As you will have noticed throughout this site we have tried to include as much informative content as possible as we feel that the more informed our visitors are the better decisions they will make. This stone and worktop encyclopedia we feel continues this ethos of education.


The T60 Ute has the tough build and all the robust features needed to take you anywhere, be it work or play. Not forgetting the rugged good looks to match. Dont expect you or your passengers to rough it either; cruise in comfort and safety, thanks to the host of innovative technologies, creature comforts and 5 star ANCAP Safety Rating. Youre definitely in good hands. This T60 Boasts the balance of a 5 year 130,000km Warranty and is presented in as new condition.
from workday to weekend, and everything in between.


Not sure if these were featured in the links but anyway..
LOL OMG are you kidding?
Just think, some poor python probably died to make those hideous lobster claw things.
OMG the first and second one look like torture device.
They do. Do you think men would find these attractive?
I can't imagine what I'd do if I saw someone walking down the street with those on.
This is the best thread ever. Keep 'em coming.


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Cornelia Sollfrank (born 1960) is a German digital artist, she was an early pioneer of Net Art and Cyberfeminism in the 1990s.

Life and work
Cornelia Sollfrank was born in 1960, in Feilershammer, Germany. Sollfrank studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (1987–1990) and fine art at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (1990–1994) and she completed a PhD in 2012 at University of Dundee.

In 1997, Sollfrank hacked the "world's first" net art competition, Extension, organized by the Hamburg Art Museum in Germany. Her work, titled Female Extension (1997) involved the creation of 289 computer-generated websites created by combing the Internet and combining fragments of HTML into exquisite corpse-like websites. Each website was submitted under the name of a different artificial female artist name and profile. No women were awarded prizes, but press releases distributed by Sollfrank received widespread attention for her intervention, overshadowing the gallery's own awards.

Cornelia Sollfrank founded the organization Old Boys Network (1997–2001). In 1997, Old Boys Network organized the Cyberfeminist International at documenta x in Kassel, Germany. Old Boys Network published First Cyberfeminist International in 1998 followed by next Cyberfeminist International in 1999. Closely associated with Cyberfeminism, Sollfrank has expressed reservations that it limits the perception of her work as "women's issues".

She has a history organizing and participating in digital protests. Solfrank has also founded the artist groups frauen-und-technik (Women and Technique) and -Innen ("Inside", but also a suffix for feminine plurals in German). Women Hackers (1999) was an essay on hackers, focusing on the lack of recognition of female hackers. Sollfrank is a member of the Chaos Computer Club, Europe's largest association of hackers.

In 2004, Cornelia Sollfrank's monograph titled net.art generator was published by Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg.

Early life and education
Cornelia Sollfrank was born in 1960, in Feilershammer, Germany. From 1987 to 1990, Sollfrank studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and then during the years 1990 to 1994, she took the program Fine Art at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. Besides her study in diverse academic fields of art, Sollfrank also worked as a product manager for Philips Media from 1995 to 1996 in order to gain personal experience in the field of media. Since 1998, Sollfrank has focused on writing and exploring issues regarding the relationship among media, art and gender, and has worked as an educator at a variety of universities. In 2012, along with the publication of her PhD thesis titled Performing the Paradoxes of Intellectual Property, Sollfrank completed her doctor degree's practice-led research at the University of Dundee (UK).

From the mid-1990s, as Sollfrank probed the worldwide communication networks and mass media, she then transformed her traditional artistic strategies and art forms into the digital medium, and her works began to be closely related to the concerns of cyberfeminism, the interaction of feminism and art in the age of the Internet, and relationship between gender politics and the Internet.

Career and activities
Cornelia Sollfrank (born 1960) is a German digital artist, conceptual artist, interdisciplinary researcher and university lecturer whose works mainly apply digital media and the internet as new ways of artistic practices to explore issues regarding mass media and network culture as new forms of (political) organization and communication structures, authorship, copyright and intellectual property, critical internet culture, feminism and techno-feminism.

Sollfrank is committed to activities related to cyberfeminism, she is one of the founding members of the worldwide cyberfeminist network Old Boys Network, and initiated and ran the network during the year 1997 to 2001. She also co-organized three international conferences on cyberfeminism which took place respectively in 1997, 1999, and 2001. In the year 1998 and 1999, she participated in co-editing the First Cyberfeminist International and the Next Cyberfeminist International.

As an early pioneer of Net Art and Cyberfeminism, Sollfrank also has experiences of organizing and participating in digital protests, she puts emphasis on issues of marginalization and the lack of recognition of female hackers in both mainstream and alternative cyborg communities. She is one of the members of the Chaos Computer Club, which is the largest association of hackers in Europe.

Member of Old Boys Network
Cornelia Sollfrank is one of the initial founding members of Old Boys Network (OBN), which is a league constituted by cyberfeminist artists and activists, and Sollfrank describes it as a laboratory for politics of difference.

The term "OBN" is used to describe social and business connection among wealthy white men who often attend male-only elite schools, which also refers to a network of gender ritual and economic privilege where male members support each other to maintain their mutual benefits. Cyberfeminists adopted the term "OBN," although the OBN was still in progress at that time, it "provided platforms for people drawn to cyberfeminism to meet, explore and critique digital technologies as well as the discourses in which they have been embedded" (Paasonen 2011, 339).

In 1997, with OBN, Sollfrank contributed to the display of the First Cyberfeminist International that was held in Documenta 10. Documenta is a major international exhibition of contemporary art which holds the show for 100 days and takes place every five years in Germany. During Documenta 10, OBN demonstrated and presented the ideas related to cyberfeminism, and kept the definition and recognition of the term cyberfeminism as open as possible to welcome difference and diversity. As it is stated in the First Report from the First Cyberfeminist International (CI), "there was a strong feeling voiced that this was an historic moment, that this week is a momentous launching of a visible, global presence of cyberfeminism as a networked movement in cyberspace." According to Faith Wilding, cyberfeminism at this time started to "draw on social and cultural strategies from past waves of feminism" (Wilding 1998, 53), and the intervention of cyberfeminism here "could create possibilities of replacing coded, stereotyped, and standardized gendered representations of women with much more fluid, multivocal, recombinant, and hybrid images" (Wilding 1998, 55).

Major works

Female Extension
In February 1997, Extension was announced by the Hamburger Kunsthalle, which was a competition for net artists and acted as a kind of virtual extension of the museum. In response to this competition, Sollfrank created the work Female Extension. Sollfrank designed a computer program that listed over two hundred female artists' names which were actually fictional and simulated by Sollfrank herself. The computer program invented these names and made them look real through creating and assigning individual email addresses, IP addresses and phone numbers for each of them. In order to make this list seem more authentic, Sollfrank also designed another program which had the ability to script and recombine materials from other sites on the internet, and then she made up fake artworks and uploaded these works for each of the female artist on her list. While the entry of the competition closed, more than 120 megabytes of net art works had been uploaded and within these works, more than two-thirds of them came from female artists, however, the prizes were finally awarded to three artworks that were all produced by male artists.

The work acts as an institutional critique that reflects Sollfrank's feminist position, challenges the authority and fixity of conventional and organizational exhibition spaces, and turns viewers to participants to reconsider gender inequality in various art institutions. As it is mentioned by herself, Female Extension "turned the perception into a specific gendered issue by seizing on the original title and expanding it with a 'female aspect' — despite the fact that it plays with the technical notion of male and female plugs" (Sollfrank 2010, 5), and even though in the case of this work, "the museum itself refused to acknowledge the intervention as art, it was the critics and theoreticians specialized and knowledgable in Internet art who recognized the work so that it was subsequently included and discussed in all relevant literature" (Sollfrank 2010, 8).

Have script, Will destroy
In the year 2000, Sollfrank scheduled and did an interview with an anonymous female hacker who went by the name Clara G when they met at a hacker conference in Berlin. Sollfrank recorded their conversation and made it into a video with the title Have script, Will destroy. During this conversation, Clara G shared her experience as being a female hacker, they discussed issues related to the politics of hacking, the role gender played in the field of internet culture during the 1990s, and the way in which cyberspace was a challenging place for females to engage with and manipulate.

As Clara G stated in the interview, "my experience is that most hackers hate feminists. That would be reason enough for me to call myself a feminist. I'm not a big fan of 'isms' in general — like hackism J — but the fact is that we are far from having equal rights and opportunities for men and women. The big problem is that we need to be thinking about what strategies would actually work today" (Sollfrank 2000). Clara G also pointed out that feminism was essential, while it was still important and necessary for women to figure out what kind of feminist ideologies and feminist strategies they truly needed and pursued in the age of the internet.

The interview indicated that gender inequality, marginalization, underrepresentation, and lack of recognition of women in both mainstream and alternative cyber communities were still problems that women had to face in the internet culture during the 1990s. Sollfrank has also talked about issues regarding marginalized and ignored women in cyborg community in her essay "Women Hackers," she stated that "no matter what area of application and no matter what the objective, the borderlines of gender are still maintained," and among all the technological spheres, "hacking is a purely male domain, and in that sense a clearly gendered space" (Sollfrank 1999, 8). Moreover, she also suggested that from a cyberfeminist perspective, to deconstruct the pervasive power and trend of technology, the first has to be "combined with a gender-specific deconstruction of power, since technology is still, primarily, associated with maleness" (Sollfrank 1999, 8).

References

Paasonen, Susanna. "Revisiting cyberfeminism." Communications 36 (2011): 335-352.
Wilding, Faith and Critical Art Ensemble. "Notes on the Political Condition of Cyberfeminism." Art Journal 57, no. 2 (1998): 47-60.
Sollfrank, Cornelia. "Female Extension." (September 2010): 1-9.
Sollfrank, Cornelia. "Have script, will destroy! Interview of the hacker Clara G. Sopht." (February 2000).
Sollfrank, Cornelia. "Women Hackers." Next Cyberfeminist International (March 1999): 1-10.

External links
 Old Boys Network
 Blog
 Cornelia Sollfrank in the Video Data Bank

1960 births
Living people
German artists
German feminists
Postmodern artists
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni
Women digital artists
University of Fine Arts of Hamburg alumni
Alumni of the University of Dundee

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Are you traveling to Athens and don't know what nearby islands to visit? On this full-day trip to Agistri, Moni and Aegina, swim in crystalline waters and enjoy stunning landscapes.
Meet your English-speaking guide at the Zea Marina and climb aboard a boat at 8:45 am.
The first stop of this day tour is Agistri, a tiny island surrounded by emerald water and crowned with lovely scented pine trees. This is the ideal place to disconnect and forget about the hustle and bustle of Athens. The Ancient Greeks would sail to this island on their free day to swim and relax on its sandy beaches.
After exploring Agistri, hop back on the boat and enjoy the views of the endless sea as you head to Moni. On the way, you'll enjoy a delicious Greek meal accompanied by a refreshing glass of wine. Upon arrival, jump into the Mediterranean Sea and snorkel or swim near the island. Moni is a protected reserve, only inhabited by deer, rabbits, peacocks and other numerous wildlife.
The day trip concludes at Aegina Island, famous for its charming white houses decorated with colorful flowers and for the temples of Apollo and Aphaia. After discovering the island, relax as you swim in the crystal blue waters before you head back to Athens.
The boat will drop you off at Zea Marina at approximately 6:45 pm.


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PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) _ Flames fanned by hot, gusty winds swept Sunday over hills parched by the recent Balkan heat wave, burning some houses in Kosovo and setting off unexploded ordnance left over from last year's conflict here.
NATO spokesman Maj. Scott Slaten reported fires in four of Kosovo's five military sectors, including one blaze which destroyed houses near Planeja in southern Kosovo. Residents in several areas were evacuated.
Slaten said ethnic Albanian and international firefighters were hampered by the large number of land mines and unexploded ordnance. The explosives were left behind after the conflict in this southern Serbian province, which ended in June 1999 when Yugoslav forces withdrew following the 78-day NATO air campaign.
``We can't send in our guys until we know that the fire has cleared through the minefield,″ Slaten said.
In the Planeja area, fires triggered several explosions from leftover ordnance, a NATO statement said.
Most of the blazes had been contained by late Sunday, although one was threatening a Kosovo Liberation Army cemetery near Landovica, NATO said. Following record-setting temperatures and no rain, Kosovo's hardscrabble hills are a tinderbox, and the danger of further fires remains high.
Meanwhile, police were questioning witnesses in the Friday shooting of politician Ramush Haradinaj, who was wounded in a pre-dawn encounter with the family of a man named Sadik Musa. Musa's family is linked to Haradinaj's political rivals in the western village of Streoce.
Haradinaj was taken Friday afternoon to the U.S. military hospital at Camp Bondsteel in eastern Kosovo. NATO said Sunday he was later flown to the U.S. military hospital at Landstuhl, Germany.
The case is politically explosive because it raises the specter of armed clashes among ethnic Albanian political factions in advance of local elections in October. Western Kosovo is known as a smuggling center where clans and political groups are competing for power.
NATO has refused to release details of the incident pending completion of an investigation. Haradinaj's followers claim the Musa family opened fire when Haradinaj, his brother Daut Haradinaj and others went to the house to discuss their differences.
Musa told The Associated Press that Haradinaj's men fired on his house and threatened him before he managed to grab a grenade and throw it at Haradinaj.
``Who comes to your house in the middle of the night with armed men who start shooting to have a dialogue?″ Musa asked.


text:
Book no.1
MATADORA
Matadora is set in 1930's Spain and Mexico, and centres on a girl named Luna Caballero Garcia. Luna is orphaned young and a servant of the famed Garcia family. She is determined to become a bullfighter, despite her lowly station in life and the fact that women are prohibited from graduating to the status of matador-do-toros. She burns for the ring, and is willing to bend or break any rule to enter it.
Fortunately, Luna finds unlikely patrons in her master's sons. Manuel, an aspiring poet and socialist, sees in his surrogate sister the genius he wishes he was; Pedro sees a chance to make an astonishing amount of money. The trio decides to travel abroad where Luna will have the opportunity to prove her skill, but she knows her true destiny lies in the blood-soaked sands of home.
Matadora is a powerful, compelling exploration of love and ambition. The pain that drives our ambition, the yearning for love it reveals, the lengths we go to win love, and the price we pay along the way. Matadora is about someone like you, trying against all odds, to win love.
In the 1950s, in the Ontario tobacco-growing community of Smoke, a young boy on the verge of manhood is scarred forever. A night out with his buddies, too much booze and a lit cigarette, and Buster McFiddie's life will never be the same. Through the process of healing, one man's voice speaks to him, softly, to ease his pain, spinning yarns of The Purple Gang, the notorious Detroit mob. It is the voice of John Gray, the town doctor, and soon it's clear that telling these tales means as much to Doc as hearing them means to Buster.
In an era of conformity, a disfigured boy tries to move his life forward, and an old man grapples desperately with his past: the convergence of two lives on the cusp will change each of them, and the small-town world that binds them, in ways they could not have imagined.
Elizabeth Ruth's second novel is a tour de force: a potent, richly inventive story of identity and transformation, of reconciliation between the way you are seen, and the truth of who you really are.
TEN GOOD SECONDS OF SILENCE
This debut novel introduces an astonishing new voice to the Canadian literary scene. With fresh, inspiring language, and characters who steal your heart, Elizabeth Ruth weaves together an unforgettable story of loss and landscape of memory.


text:
Author: Ken Oliver
The Epworth Experience
Residents Don and Gail Frost
As part of the Epworth Villa community for more than eight years, Don and Gail Frost know just about everything there is to know about this community. We talked to them about how they chose Epworth, and what their experience here has been like over the years.
Tell us about how you first came to Epworth Villa
Well we lived in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas at the time, and really had no connections to Oklahoma City. We loved our home and loved living there, but it got to a point where maintaining the home was a hassle. So we decided to start looking around. We looked around Arkansas, in Ohio, we probably checked out 50 places or more. When we ran across Epworth Villa's website, we really liked what we saw so we came to visit. Honestly, that's what did it. We knew about all the financial benefits of a Life Plan community, but the feeling we got here made it an easy decision. And we've thoroughly enjoyed it ever since.
What makes Epworth a great place to be on a day-to-day basis?
There's so much to do, on and off campus! We really enjoy our independence here. There are plenty of grocery stores, shopping, and entertainment options nearby. We have a church that's really close. This area is growing quickly! But even on campus, there are so many clubs to join, volunteer options, etc. We have a wonderful activities director, and our residents start up clubs or events for things they want to do that don't exist yet. It's great!
Tell us about the residents here, especially when you first joined.
From the start we were welcomed like family. All across OKC, people are just congenial and friendly. People here are eager to make new friends and experience new things, and we really have enjoyed that. Honestly it would be hard to come here and NOT find people and things that fit your interests. And that hasn't changed a bit since we first moved.
How's the staff here at Epworth?
I believe to really understand Epworth, you need to come here and see this place and meet these people The leadership is great—they keep residents informed as to what's going on. Our maintenance staff is amazing—need a lightbulb fixed? It's done almost immediately. Squeaky door? No problem. Plus we love that there are staff members here who have been here 10, 20, 25 years or more. It shows that they care and are dedicated to making our community the best it can be. You know, by law we can't tip our staff. But we residents appreciate the staff so much that we find ways to say thank you, especially at the holidays. We want them to know we appreciate all that they do for us.
What would you say to someone considering Epworth Villa?
Don't wait—that's the biggest thing. Don't wait until you can no longer take advantage of your freedom to go and do the things you've always wanted to do. Moving here is both about gaining peace of mind and freedom. Your future healthcare needs are taken care of, that's great. But for today, you're free to go and spend your days how you want to! No more home maintenance, no more mowing and cleaning and all of those things. Come and enjoy a great life among friends. Come explore and learn and meet new people. It's a lot of fun, honestly.
Just one of many Epworth experiences.
Stay tuned for other stories of what life at Epworth Villa is all about or fill out the form below to have them delivered to your inbox. To learn more about what it's really like to experience life at Epworth Villa, get in touch with us here. We look forward to chatting.
Staff Member Angela Shaw
The sense of community here at Epworth Villa isn't limited just to our residents. Staff members across our campus are an important part of the Epworth experience. We sat down with Epworth Villa's Certified Dietary Manager to talk about her day-to-day experiences at Epworth and why she sees this community as such a special place to work and live.
Tell us a little about what you do here at Epworth Villa.
For most people, food plays a huge role in our lives, both in those really memorable events like vacations and celebrations, and our day-to-day routines. My job here is to make sure that the food we offer at Epworth Villa nourishes our residents both physically and emotionally. Together with our chef, dining director and kitchen team, our goal is to design menus that help our residents eat smart and stay fit, but we also delight them with new dishes and creative flavors. And our residents are a big part of this—they even get to decide a "resident's choice" menu for some of our events like picnics.
So how is the atmosphere here at Epworth different in your opinion?
I do a lot of tours here, so I hear from a lot of prospects that are visiting other places as well. People always comment on how beautiful and neighborhood-like our campus is. It's comfortable here. And beyond the physical campus, the people here are like family—whether you live here, work here, or are a routine visitor. People here are friendly, they greet you by name. And our residents are remarkable people from all walks of life—they've traveled the world, taught generations, achieved amazing things at work and in life. These aren't bored, tired people. And you can feel it in the halls and across the campus.
What's it like to be part of the staff at Epworth Villa?
Oh I tell people all the time not to wait! People really have no idea how much fun they'll have coming here, both because there's so much to do and because you get to leave behind the typical responsibilities of maintaining a home. It's great! Really the hardest part was downsizing from a larger The most fulfilling part of my job is working directly with our residents. I've been here five and a half years or so, and it's so great to know that the work I do is actually improving people's lives directly. I love just the little interactions with residents and family members in hallways, those day-to-day greetings that seem small but brighten an afternoon.
What would you say about Epworth Villa to someone considering living here?
I believe to really understand Epworth, you need to come here and see this place and meet these people in person. To be here is to understand why people love it here. You can live a great life here. With any current or future healthcare needs covered, you can focus on really enjoying life, meeting new people, having new experiences. The tight-knit community feeling really permeates every part of our campus. Our staff and residents really take care of each other, like family does. There's a lot of love here, and I want people to come experience it for themselves.
Resident Elaine Transeau
While Elaine moved to Epworth in October 2020, her connection to our community goes back further, all the way to 2011. We talked to her about her life here at Epworth Villa.
What was your first impression of Epworth Villa?
In 2011, I began looking for senior living options in the region because two of my sons live close by. I came to check out Epworth Villa, and just fell in love with it. At the time, my husband and I lived in Arizona, and he wasn't as eager to move so we decided to stay there at that point. But yes my impression of Epworth Villa was immediately very positive. There's something about the people of Oklahoma. We're welcoming and open, friendly and nurturing. I hardly ever see a stranger. I knew that was something I wanted.
So when you moved to Epworth years later, did it meet your expectations?
Oh absolutely. As I said, coming home to live closer to my boys was really important to me. And even though I moved in the middle of the COVID pandemic, people here were immediately so welcoming to me—I immediately felt like part of the community. Every day I feel like "boy did I come to the right place." I'm truly home again, very much at ease, and I can be myself without any pretense.
From your perspective, what's it like living here?
Oh I tell people all the time not to wait! People really have no idea how much fun they'll have coming here, both because there's so much to do and because you get to leave behind the typical responsibilities of maintaining a home. It's great! Really the hardest part was downsizing from a larger home, but honestly it made me feel more at ease to have less stuff to worry about. I'm very comfortable here.
You talked about things to do. Tell us more about that.
I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, exactly how I want! How great is that? There is so much here to do—it's not just bingo. This is a place filled with people just like me, with an incredible amount of life experience to share. The people here are active and intelligent and have explored (and are exploring) the world. We really have a lot of fun here in independent living. There's a club or group or activity for just about anything you can think of. And if it's not there, you can start it! This is really a great place to be and to live a full life. I'm so thankful I'm here and want to welcome as many new people as I can.
Family Member Chris Griffith
Chris Griffith is the adult son of Sandy Ross, one of Epworth Villa's newer residents who is a key part of our community already. We spoke with Chris recently about Epworth Villa, his experience with our community, and much more. Here is a recap of that conversation.
How has your experience with Epworth Villa been so far?
Really great! Mom is always telling me how happy she is to be there, how happy she is that they made the decision to move. Her husband had a few more reservations but has really come around and is enjoying it as well. And for me and my family, it's been a huge relief honestly. It's so helpful to know mom's happy, she has friends literally next door, and if she ever needs help there are great people around in an instant.
How was the move itself?
The people at Epworth were fantastic. They really just helped the entire process go smoothly. From Kevin Clark in sales, to the team that came and helped go over my mom's things and plan out the apartment, really everyone involved was just great.
What do you feel has been the biggest benefit for your mom?
Like many of us she didn't always admit when she needed some help, so this has made that process easier since she doesn't have to deal with maintenance and things like that. With her failing eyesight and some other things, she really didn't get out like she used to and she's someone who needs social interaction.
So being at Epworth makes it so easy to see her friends and meet new friends. She can meet for coffee or lunch or just to chat without worrying about driving or anything like that. It's changed her life for sure because it's allowed her to be her usual, outgoing self and not be limited by her health.
Of course you have questions. How can we help?
Ask us anything, click Send, and your answers will be headed your way.


text:
How to Find the Aries Constellation (Easy)
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By Elena Stone February 9, 2019 7 Mins Read
Venus is one of the planets in our solar system we know the most about. This is because it is very close to earth, which allowed ancient astronomers to study it early and also makes it easier to send probes to study it or use telescopes to take pictures of it.
There are many interesting things about Venus, so let's get started.
Fun and interesting facts about Venus
Venus photographed by the Japanese space probe Akatsuki
1. Venus can be seen from Earth with the naked eye
You don't need any special equipment to see Venus in the night sky. Because it is close to Earth and it is very bright, it can be seen with just your eyes, however, if you don't know what you are looking for, it is easy to confuse it with a star. In fact, for many years, ancient people thought it was two different stars. During history, some people have even reported seeing Venus during daylight.
2. Venus and Earth are almost equal in length
It is surprising how similar in size are Venus and Earth. Venus diameter is barely a few miles shorter than Earth's and its mass is about 81% that of Earth's. These similarities have earned Venus the title of "Earth's sister planet"
3. On Venus, one day is longer than one year
Venus rotation is very slow and it takes it 243 of our earth days to complete one single rotation (a day). Meanwhile, the planet still moves around the sun and it takes 225 earth days to do so, meaning that Venus years are longer than it's days.
4. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system
The average temperature on Venus' surface is 462°C (863°F). Because of these high temperatures, all the water molecules that Venus might have had many millions of years ago have now evaporated and the planet is now inhabitable.
5. Venus rotates in a different direction compared to other planets
Most planets in the solar system rotate counter-clockwise, but Venus rotates in the other direction. Some scientists think this could have happened because of an object that impacted Venus a long time ago and changed its rotation. The only other planet that rotates in the same direction is Uranus.
6. The Romans named Venus after a goddess
It is known that Romans knew of the existence of at least four planets besides Earth. Because of its brightness, they decided to name Venus after their goddess of love and beauty. It is the only planet that was named after a female goddess.
7. Venus could have looked like Earth in the past
Astronomers have the theory that at some point in the past Venus could have been even more similar to Earth and even had an ocean full of water. Because it's climate changed, Venus went through transformations that turned it into the inhabitable planet that is today and all the water it once had has now evaporated.
8. Venus doesn't have a moon
Venus is one of the two planets in the solar system that do not have a moon. The other is Mercury. It is possible their closeness to the sun is the reason why neither of these planets could hold a moon.
9. All craters and mountains on Venus have female names
Following the female naming convention for the planet, all the geological places that have been located and categorized on Venus have female names. Mountains are named after female goddesses while craters are named after famous women or simple use a female first name.
Venus, The Moon and Jupiter seen from Earth. Photo by NASA/Bill Dunford
Venus Fact Sheet
Radius 6,051.8±1.0 km (0.9499 Earths)
Surface area 4.6023×108 km2 (0.902 Earths)
Volume 9.2843×1011 km3 (0.866 Earths)
Mass 4.8675×1024 kg (0.815 Earths)
Gravity 8.87 m/s2 or 0.904g
Rotational period (One Venusian day) 243.025 earth days
Orbital period (Time it takes to go around the sun) 224.701 earth days (1.92 Venus solar day)
Surface temperature 462°C (737 K)
Atmospheric composition 96.5% carbon dioxide
3.5% nitrogen
0.015% sulfur dioxide
Frequently asked questions about Venus
Is Venus the closest planet to Earth?
Because orbits around the sun are elliptical, planets don't maintain a constant distance from each other. Sometimes they can be closer and sometimes they are farther away. Venus closest distance to Earth is 38 million kilometers (24 million miles) and it's farthest it is 261 million kilometers (162 million miles) away. When you compare that to our other neighbor, Mars, whose distance is 56 million kilometers (35 million miles) when it is closest and 401 million kilometers (249 million miles) at its farthest and you could say that on average Venus is the closest planet to Earth.
Why is Venus brown/red/orange?
Venus gets its color from a combination of factors. First, the surface is covered with volcanic rocks which give Venus a brownish/orange background. On top of that, the atmosphere is composed mostly of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid, giving it a light yellow tone. Most of the pictures you see have been retouched to emphasize some of the planet's characteristics. If you were to see it with your own eye, you would see a light-yellow planet.
How long would it take to get to Venus?
The travel distance between two planets constantly changes because they are moving and they are at different points in their respective orbits. It is difficult to say how much time it would take to get to Venus because it depends on when you launch and where the planets are located at that time, but the latest spacecraft that was sent, the ESA Venus Express, took five months to get there. In 1961, a Soviet spacecraft made the trip in only 97 days (about three months).
Have humans ever traveled to Venus?
No. A manned mission to Venus has never been attempted, however, several unmanned probes have been sent to orbit and explore Venus successfully.
Why is Venus called the "morning star"/"evening star"?
Because of its brightness, ancient civilizations thought Venus was a star. In fact, because Venus sometimes appears at sunset and sometimes at sunrise depending on where it is in its orbit, they thought it was two different stars. The Greeks named them Phosphoros and Hesperus (star of the evening) and the name of the "morning star" and "evening star" stuck from there even after scientists realized it was a single object and it was a planet instead of a star.
Why is Venus hotter than Mercury?
Since Mercury is closer to the Sun than Venus, it would be easy to assume the first would be hotter, but that's not true. The atmosphere in Venus is thick and made of carbon dioxide. This creates an effect called greenhouse effect, containing the heat and therefore raising the planet's temperature.
How many craters does Venus have?
Mead Crater on Venus, photographed by the Magellan probe, 1990 NASA/JPL
Venus is one of the objects with the most craters in the Solar System. Currently, there are 900 named craters on Venus, all of them have been named using female names. The biggest crater on Venus is Mead, named after anthropologist Margaret Mead. It has a diameter of 280 kilometers (174 miles).
What's the biggest mountain on Venus?
The tallest mountain on Venus is Skadi Mons, with an approximate height of 6.4 km (4.0 miles) from base to peak. In comparison, that is 1.8 km (1.12 miles) taller than Mount Everest (also from base to peak).
AstronomyFactsPlanetsVenus
Author Elena Stone
Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher. She has been looking at the sky for years and hopes to introduce more people to the wonderful hobby that is astronomy.
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We opened our sales department in Loughborough in late 2014, and over the past three years, we're delighted to have been able to match so many properties to the right buyers. Our ethos is the same as for lettings in that we look to give you the best service in a friendly and approachable manner, whilst striving to help you achieve the best possible price for your property.
We specialise in buy-to-let property, as our 20 years' worth of experience in the region and the fact that we are part of a large network of Belvoir offices across the UK give us unrivalled access to thousands of investors and landlords. But we also have a very strong track record of selling residential properties, especially to first-time buyers.
The service we are offering is a premium service and we strive to operate with honesty, integrity and trust. We like to take a personal approach to selling your property and you would have one member of our team who will be personally responsible for dealing with your property from start to finish.
We will list your property on the most visited property websites – Rightmove, Zoopla, Primelocation and our award-winning Belvoir site, as well as displaying one of our eye-catching boards, sending out details to our current database of applicants and contacts who may be interested and via our social networking channels.
Our marketing is second to none and we take high-quality photographs, create colour floorplans and with our presentation, we are always confident of generating interest quickly but we also ensure that viewers are well vetted to weed out the time-wasters who are not serious about buying.
We carry out all viewings of the property so you don't have to. We also feel that this helps us to get honest feedback and we can ensure that the buyers are in a position to proceed.
One of the most frustrating things when buying and selling property is the lack of communication and this is another area where we really stand out – we will keep you updated at each stage of the process, always reply to your emails, phone calls and messages and we will aim to ensure the process is as smooth, fast and stress-free as possible.
We offer a no sale, no fee service and will not charge any setup, withdrawal or any other hidden fees.
We will always look after your interests and negotiate the best price for you. Once an offer is agreed, we will continue to work just as hard and make sure we do all we can to keep pushing the deal through to completion.
When all things are said and done, we work for you. We can tailor the marketing, give you advice and take on board any feedback you give us in whichever way, shape or form you prefer. Our aim is to sell your property and make it as stress-free as possible for you.
Call us today so we can arrange to come out and meet you at your property to discuss our services and give you a suggested marketing price. The number to call is 01509 260777 option 1 and ask to speak to Steven.


Utilizing Thailands inbound tourism statistics for the period 1996 to 2015, we focus on the change and differentiation of its inbound tourism sources from the ASEAN countries. The results are as follows: first, the number of tourists to Thailand from ASEAN countries and Thailands foreign exchange earnings saw an average growth rate of more than 10%. Second, we find that only few ASEAN source countries are star markets, while most of them belong to the dog or child market categories. Third, by employing the distance decay pattern, we highlight a significant Boltzman curve between inbound tourists and travel distance; moreover, bilateral trade emerges as an important factor for Thailands inbound tourist flows. Fourth, using five indicators, we investigate scale differentiation within these countries, and find a Primacy Index value greater than 2, suggesting that although the market seemed highly concentrated, a balanced development trend is apparent.


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Q: Disable all other page except index,register,login till user login I need to block access to all other content except Index,wp-login.php, register.php till the user login. how to accomplish it.
i created everthing but, when i try mysite.com/members it shows the page how to disable it..

A: Functional code written using PHP 5.3+ Closures. Read the comments throughout to understand concept and flow.
// Hook right before Themes kick in
add_action('wp', function(){
    // Allow viewing of home/front_page
    if(is_home() or is_front_page()) return;
    // Maybe allow access to archives (non singulars) to?
    // (when you hide important content after )
    // if(is_archive()) return; // Uncomment to allow access to archives
    // Allow access to BuddyPress registration/login page (experimental)
    if(is_callable('bb_get_location')){
        if(preg_match('~^(login|registration)-page$~i', bb_get_location())){
            return; // Allow access
        }
    }
    // Skip BuddyPress registration page directly (slightly experimental)
    if(is_page() and is_array($bp_pages = get_option('bp-pages'))){
        $current_page = get_queried_object_id();
        // Allow direct access to registration page
        if(!empty($bp_pages['register']) and ($bp_pages['register'] == $current_page)){
            return; // Bail on registration page
        }
        // If you also want access to other special BuddyPress pages do this:
        if(in_array($current_page, $bp_pages)){
            // return; // Uncomment me to allows access to them
        }
    }
    // Allow access to BBPress registration/login page (experimental)
    if(is_callable('bbp_get_query_name')){
        if(preg_match('~^bbp_(login|register)$~i', bbp_get_query_name())){
            return; // Allow access
        }
    }
    // If user is logged it let it be
    if(is_user_logged_in()) return;
    // Block Robots using X-Robots-Tag: header
    // (no point in allowing Robots to index this)
    if(!headers_sent()){ // Be defensive
        header('X-Robots-Tag', 'noindex, nofollow, noarchive');
    }
    // Redirect to Login URL here
    wp_redirect(wp_login_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']), 302);
    die; // Bail here
});
// And add some Memberhsip info on wp-login.php
add_action('login_footer', function(){
    // Print some information here about Membership and site
    echo '
', 'Awesome Memberhsip stuff.', '
';
});
// Block indexing of login page
add_action('login_init', function(){
    // Block Robots using X-Robots-Tag: header
    if(!headers_sent()){ // Be defensive
        header('X-Robots-Tag', 'noindex, nofollow, noarchive');
    }
});

Regards.

A: /members shows because it's rewritten to index.php?pagename=members or index.php?category=members when the WordPress Rewrite engine kicks in.
Depending on what 'members' actually is, and what other pages are you'll be able to restrict access to certain areas by using the is_user_logged_in() function and use it to conditionally redirect when certain criteria are met when user is not logged in.
As the simplest example (this goes in your template file):
if ( !is_user_logged_in() ) exit( 'Access is restricted' );
You can also write you plugin to hook into the query and let it block the page or redirect in case certain criteria are met, like so:
function wpse31700_restrict_access() {
    global $wp_query;
    $query_vars = $wp_query->query_vars;

    // Allow by returning
    $allowed_pages = array( '', 'contact' );
     if ( in_array($query_vars['pagename'], $allowed_pages )
        return;

    // Or restrict by redirecting
    $restricted_pages = array( 'members', 'pricelist', 'etc' );
    if ( !is_user_logged_in() and in_array($query_vars['pagename'], $restricted_pages )
        wp_redirect( ... );
}
add_action( 'wp', 'wpse31700_restrict_access' );

The above code is simply there to illustrate the concept, it will not work out of the box. You can check pagenames, postnames, author_name, or even meta values of a post/page by ID to see if they contain a 'restricted' value for example.

A: So you're looking to "lock-down" everything but the front page (or does it have to be index.php?) and the admin side of pages for register and login, correct?
Unfortunately there is no template conditional tag to tell us when we're on the registration or login pages, but I found a blurb here that gives us that conditional tag: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5266945/wordpress-how-detect-if-current-page-is-the-login-page
From there it's a matter of writing the functions. I hooked it into the wp action hook because it's late enough that the template has been selected (we know if it's the home page). Anyway, try this script out.
function is_login_page() {
    return in_array($GLOBALS['pagenow'], array('wp-login.php', 'wp-register.php'));
}

function access_control(){
    if ( !is_front_page() && !is_user_logged_in() && !is_login_page() ){
        wp_die('Sorry, you must be logged into access this content', 'Access Denied', array(
        'response' => 401,
        'back_link' => true
        ));
    }
}

add_action( 'wp', 'access_control' );

A: I wrote the exact code you're looking for in a project a while back. The below code presumes you are using a child theme and that a 403.php file exists in your child directory. (I copied 404.php and made minor changes to it.)
Note that Login/Register pages are available with this code, even though there is nothing in the code that might suggest that.
function wpse31700_403_error( $template ){
    if( !is_user_logged_in() && !is_front_page() ){
        header('HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden');
        return get_stylesheet_directory().'/403.php';
    }
    return $template;
}
add_filter('template_include', 'wpse31700_403_error', 1, 1);

Additionally, if you want to modify your main menu to not include other links when the user is not logged in, you can utilize the wp_nav_menu_items filter. A good guide on playing with that filter is located here.


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