text:
USHS Blog
Erik de Lange
Sightings. Mediterranean Surveillance and its Imperial Precedents
Few of us vacationers who currently descend on Mediterranean beaches may notice it, but the sea is always under steady vigilance. When we unroll our beach towels and pitch our parasols, we are actually at the outer fringes of a vast zone of intense surveillance. Warships, helicopters and satellites crisscross as they scan gridded sections of the waving realms. Such surveillance work, a recent report from the Forensic Oceanography group once again indicated, is used in illegal pushbacks of migrants that try to cross the sea, at times leading to their deaths. Contemporary as these questionable efforts are, they are not entirely without precedent. Figuring out who is crossing the sea, in what direction, and with which intentions was also a primary concern in the early nineteenth century, in an age of imperial expansion. Over the last few blogs, we have seen how nineteenth-century security practices begot the beginnings of modern tourism, but there is a flipside to that story too. A flipside, that is, of overseeing and checking movement. A mixture of agendas and interests, both official and private, were at play then, as they still are now. After all, surveillance is not just about looking; it also entails acting. To see just how far its consequences may reach, we need only turn to 1827, to the port of Marseille on the eve of the French conquest of Algeria.
The opening of Marseille's Palais de la Bourse, the current seat of the Chamber of Commerce. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Overseeing the state and the non-state
Anyone who has been fortunate enough to cross borders by flicking a passport or uploading data into a visa waiver program, has experienced the current preeminence of the state in matters of surveillance. In the early nineteenth century, however, such official preeminence was much less clear-cut. Divisions between state and non-state were blurry as sets of information flowed freely between different interest groups. This was a time in which trade companies still carried out duties that we now consider squarely under the state's control, such as appointing and instructing diplomatic representatives. The conduct of surveillance neatly reflected this context.
Organized merchants themselves kept track of what was happening out at sea. In France, that role was for a significant part fulfilled by the Chamber of Commerce in Marseille. On the other side of the sea, the authorities of the Regency of Algiers likewise drew intelligence from the outstretched commercial networks of the most important trading houses, which were manned by Jewish families of Livornian origin. Though it may seem like it, this was no nineteenth-century version of outsourcing surveillance work. Family members of the Jewish houses in Algiers often held other official or advisory functions, while the board members of the Chamber of Commerce in Marseille were directly involved in the functioning of the French consular service throughout the Mediterranean. Still, the ways in which these agents amassed, processed and utilized their knowledge did allow them to push their private agendas of securing overseas markets at low shipping costs.
The launch of a ship near Marseille, by François Barry (c. 1869). Source: Wikimedia Commons
Corsairs and convoys
That those agendas could intertwine with imperial expansion is shown by the case of Marseille. War had broken out between France and Algiers in June 1827 and the merchants of that city faced the consequences. For the first time in decades, they saw their cargoes and vessels targeted by Algerine corsairs. The government in Paris initially did little, adopting a blockading strategy that was mainly intended to buy time. The blockade of Algiers and its adjacent ports was hardly effective, and soon reports came flying into Marseille of captured goods and of captains who dared not go to sea. One example involved a group of vessels carrying olive oil and linen that was stuck in Tunis, for fear of meeting corsairs. The traders who saw their cargoes confiscated or their shipments delayed turned to the Chamber in great numbers, detailing the extents of their losses. Within in the first months of war, the board members of the Chamber already had stores of information in their hands.
That data was kneaded into relevant, usable forms. Whenever a captain in the docks reported on a sighted corsair, the Chamber put the information in a standardized form and posted (or telegraphed) it to the maritime prefect in Toulon – the main base of the French Mediterranean fleet. Claims for indemnities were forwarded to the government in Paris, while complaints over losses and rising insurance rates were grouped together and turned into petitions. The Chamber in Marseille also used the information to bring about convoys – one of which liberated the ships anchored at Tunis from their cautious custody. Yet, these convoys were an obstruction as much as a solution. Letters of complaint from merchant captains and navy commanders arrived on the desks of the Chamber as well. Convoys were too infrequent, while pilots did not listen to commands, sometimes leading to their immediate capture by a nearby corsair.
The fruits and frustrations of surveillance
As discontents mounted, the fruits of surveillance began to be used for more explicitly political ends. Security at sea seemed to be faltering. Therefore, calls for more assertive policies could increasingly be heard. The first French parliamentarians who argued for decisive measures against Algiers were not coincidentally deputies from Marseille. One of them, Pierre-Honoré de Roux, denounced France's 'passive war' in May 1828. He referenced the cases of merchants who fell into corsair hands to argue that a blockade was insufficient. Instead, he proposed to end the conflict through a military expedition. Subsequently, France could create fortified points on the North African coast and 'peacefully' open up the region to further commercial exchange. The intelligence of surveillance was thus inserted in a political proposal that, when eventually executed, had far-reaching and not at all peaceable consequences.
The lading of the French army. Théodore Gudin, 'Attaque d'Alger par mer' (1831). Source: Wikimedia Commons
A sculptured gaze
Of course, the surveillance work of the Chamber of Commerce in Marseille was not the sole instigator of the French turn to conquest. Domestic anxieties, geopolitical aspirations, crusading rhetoric and notions of civilizing benefits featured alongside the concerns over ships and cargoes. It would take until June 1830 before the massive invading army aboard its 700 ships finally set sail from Toulon. By then, the authorities of Algiers had already started manning the defenses, alerted as they were through the tested networks of information. A wealth of factors can be singled as influential in this chain of events, but the political usage of surveillance data was certainly one of them. As the great historian of the conquest Charles-André Julien noted, the arguments of Pierre-Honoré de Roux featured heavily in subsequent official rationalizations of the invasion. The board members of the Chamber of Commerce of Marseille also considered De Roux's role to have been pivotal. In July 1830, just after the victory, they proposed to erect a statue of him, as a monument to the man who made the first public call for an invasion. The statue never materialized, but if it had, with its sculptured eyes permanently fixed on the sea, it would also have been a memorial to the long, troubled precedents of Mediterranean surveillance.


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Next:AIR WEAPONS: Turkey Buys Bunker Busters
Warplanes: Tiger Gets A Vote Of No Confidence
March 8, 2016: In early 2016 Australia announced that it was giving up on its 22 Tiger helicopter gunships which, since 2004 (when the first one arrived in Australia), never become fully ready for combat. That's one reason why none of the Australian Tigers were sent to Afghanistan even though other nations with Tigers (Germany, France and Spain) did. These three nations also had problems with their Tigers but in Australia it was worse in part because it took so long to ship spare parts and upgrades halfway around the world.
The decision to get rid of the Tigers was reached, in part, because it was realized that Australia has had a much better experience with American aircraft and is looking in that direction for a new recon helicopter (like an AH-6 variant) and more heavy transport choppers (like the CH-47). The Tigers will be sold off to nations who are more impressed with the satisfied Tiger users. Australia expects this process to take five years or more.
There are indeed satisfied Tiger users. For example in December 2015 France ordered another seven of them. This came a year after budget cuts forced the military to reduce its planned Tiger force from 80 helicopters to 60. Now there will be 67, mainly because Tiger is more frequently and heavily used (and much appreciated) in Africa (Mali) and the Middle East. The seven additional Tigers are the ground support (HAD) version and will be delivered in 2017 and 2018. These will replace combat losses and lessen the wear and tear on the existing sixty French Tigers.
It was in 2013 that France received the first of its 40 HAD Tiger helicopter gunships. The German Army received its first HAD Tigers in 2008. HAD first entered service in 2005 and benefitted from 14 percent more engine power and better protection from ground fire than the original model. While earlier versions were mainly for anti-vehicle work, HAD is more like the current U.S. AH-64 Apache and optimized for ground support and irregular warfare. Development of Tiger began in 1987, before the Cold War ended. So the anti-tank aspect took a while to disappear and get replaced by a gunship optimized for hunting and killing a large variety of targets.
Tiger is made by European firm Eurocopter and showed up just in time. Until the arrival of the French and German Tigers, American AH-64s provided gunship support for all foreign troops in Afghanistan. France has used Tigers in Somalia and Mali as well as Afghanistan where they have performed well. Tiger has spent nearly 2,000 flight hours in combat zones so far and a hundred have been delivered to Germany, France (which has ordered 80), Spain (24), and Australia (22). A total of 206 Tiger helicopters have been ordered. So far Tigers have spent over 45,000 hours in the air, most of it for training.
The Tiger costs about as much as the AH-64, a ten ton gunship that has been in service since the 1980s. The six ton Tiger has a crew of two and a max speed of 280 kilometers an hour. It cruises at 230 kilometers an hour and usually stays in the air about three hours per sortie. It is armed with a 30mm automatic cannon, 70mm rocket pods (19 rockets per pod), and various types of air-to-ground missiles (eight Hellfire types at once). It can also carry four Mistral anti-aircraft missiles.
Germany also cut its order from 80 Tigers to 57. Germany had a lot of problems with Tiger and decided it had better uses for the money, like bailing out the many European nations having financial problems after 2008. In 2012 Germany got four of its new Tiger helicopter gunships ready for service in Afghanistan and these arrived in 2013. These ASGARD (Afghanistan Stabilization German Army Rapid Deployment) models included sand filters, additional defense systems, a mission data recorder, and communications gear able to deal with systems used by allies. In the years before the German Tigers arrived in Afghanistan there were four crashes during training. No one was injured but in some cases the causes were traced to equipment problems not operator error. German troops in Afghanistan wanted Tiger badly but delivery was delayed several times due to various problems. In addition to the ASGARD upgrades, there were problems with the wiring and a number of less serious shortcomings as well. When Tiger finally made it to Afghanistan it performed very well and got high marks from the German troops there. French troops had the same reaction to Tiger. So it appears after the usual initial problems Tiger has become mature and much more reliable, but not for everyone.
COUNTER-TERRORISM: Blame It All On Saudi Arabia
AIR WEAPONS: Turkey Buys Bunker Busters

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The AfDB and the EBRD have signed a loan agreement with the Ministry of Development, Investment and International Cooperation (MDICI) and the National Office for Sanitation (ONAS).
The bank stated in a statement that almost 200,000 inhabitants of small municipalities in the country will benefit from significant environmental improvements thanks to the loan.
It will promote better conditions of health, hygiene, the environment and economic development for 33 small municipalities in 19 governorates.
This improvement will help to alleviate environmental pollution and health risks associated with the current low level of sanitation services. It will also increase the amount of treated wastewater by 7.71mn m3 per year, thereby increasing the availability of usable water in the area.
Incorporating a capacity-building component for the National Office for Sanitation (ONAS) and targeted communes, the programme will help Tunisia to sustain the management of its sanitation systems and support private sector participation in infrastructure.
The bank said that the programme will contribute to a new dynamic of development and investment, a source of employment for young people in priority regions.
The signing ceremony at the MDICI headquarters was co-chaired by Zied Laadhari, minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Mohamed El Azizi, director general of the AfDB North Africa office, Antoine Sallé de Chou, head of the EBRD office in Tunisia and Abdelmajid Bettaieb, president and CEO of ONAS.


NEW YORK, March 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC reminds investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited ("China TechFaith" or the Company") (NASDAQ: CNTF) and certain of its officers, on behalf of shareholders who purchased or otherwise acquired China TechFaith between July 12, 2018 through December 19, 2018, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/cntf.
A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/cntf or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in China TechFaith you have until March 11, 2019 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.


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Q: How do I include HSQLDB in a JAVAFX application packaged into exe using jpackage? I am using IntelliJ on a Windows machine. I am able to follow various instructions found on the web to create a HelloWorld JavaFX application. I am building and running using Gradle. I am able to run the application within IntelliJ without any issue. I am using the jpackage plugin to package the app into an exe. This is also successful as I'm able to then click on the generated .exe file and the application launches as expected.
However, my application ultimately will use HSQLDB. I am having trouble figuring out how to include this into a modular application.
In build.gradle I have included the dependency:
implementation("org.hsqldb:hsqldb:2.6.1")

I have then added it to my module-info.java file:
module my.openjfx.hellofx {
    requires javafx.controls;
    requires javafx.fxml;
    requires org.hsqldb;

    opens my.openjfx.hellofx to javafx.fxml;
    exports my.openjfx.hellofx;
}

When doing this I can still run the application successfully within IntelliJ using the gradle 'run' command. However, after I package it up using jpackage, the exe fails with the following error:
Error: A JNI error has occurred, please check your installation and try again
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.InternalError: Module my.openjfx.hellofx not in boot Layer
        at java.base/sun.launcher.LauncherHelper.loadModuleMainClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.base/sun.launcher.LauncherHelper.checkAndLoadMain(Unknown Source)
Failed to launch JVM
Child process exited with code 1

I know for certain it is the line requires org.hsqldb; that is causing the problem because if I comment out that line, I am able to run the packaged program.
Does anyone have experience packaging HSQLDB into a JavaFX modular program packaged using jpackage?
Additional information:
I'm using the badass plugin to package the application. Here are all the files:
build.gradle:
plugins {
    id 'java'
    id 'application'
    id 'org.openjfx.javafxplugin' version '0.0.10'
    id 'org.beryx.jlink' version '2.24.1'
}

group 'my.openjfx'
version '1.0-SNAPSHOT'

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

ext {
    junitVersion = '5.8.2'
}

sourceCompatibility = '17'
targetCompatibility = '17'

tasks.withType(JavaCompile) {
    options.encoding = 'UTF-8'
}

application {
    mainModule = 'my.openjfx.hellofx'
    mainClass = 'my.openjfx.hellofx.HelloApplication'
}

javafx {
    version = '17.0.1'
    modules = ['javafx.controls', 'javafx.fxml']
}

dependencies {

    // https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.hsqldb/hsqldb
    implementation("org.hsqldb:hsqldb:2.6.1")

    testImplementation("org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter-api:${junitVersion}")
    testRuntimeOnly("org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter-engine:${junitVersion}")
}

test {
    useJUnitPlatform()
}

jlink {
    imageZip = project.file("${buildDir}/distributions/app-${javafx.platform.classifier}.zip")
    options = ['--strip-debug', '--compress', '2', '--no-header-files', '--no-man-pages']
    launcher {
        name = 'HelloFX'
    }
    jpackage {
        appVersion = '0.0.7'
        if (org.gradle.internal.os.OperatingSystem.current().windows) {
            installerOptions += ['--win-per-user-install', '--win-dir-chooser', '--win-menu', '--win-shortcut']
            imageOptions += ['--win-console']
        }
    }
}

jlinkZip {
    group = 'distribution'
}

module-info.java
module my.openjfx.hellofx {
    requires javafx.controls;
    requires javafx.fxml;
    requires org.hsqldb;

    opens my.openjfx.hellofx to javafx.fxml;
    exports my.openjfx.hellofx;
}

HelloApplication.java
package my.openjfx.hellofx;

import javafx.application.Application;
import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader;
import javafx.scene.Scene;
import javafx.stage.Stage;

import java.io.IOException;

public class HelloApplication extends Application {
    @Override
    public void start(Stage stage) throws IOException {
        FXMLLoader fxmlLoader = new FXMLLoader(HelloApplication.class.getResource("hello-view.fxml"));
        Scene scene = new Scene(fxmlLoader.load(), 320, 240);
        stage.setTitle("Hello!");
        stage.setScene(scene);
        stage.show();
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        launch();
    }
}

HelloController.java
package my.openjfx.hellofx;

import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.scene.control.Label;

public class HelloController {
    @FXML
    private Label welcomeText;

    @FXML
    protected void onHelloButtonClick() {
        welcomeText.setText("Welcome to JavaFX Application!");
    }
}

fxml file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<?import javafx.geometry.Insets?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.Label?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.VBox?>

<?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
<VBox alignment="CENTER" spacing="20.0" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml"
      fx:controller="my.openjfx.hellofx.HelloController">
    <padding>
        <Insets bottom="20.0" left="20.0" right="20.0" top="20.0"/>
    </padding>

    <Label fx:id="welcomeText"/>
    <Button text="Hello!" onAction="#onHelloButtonClick"/>
</VBox>

Picture of file structure within IntelliJ:

A: Work-around Solution: Set a Module Path
This can be fixed by providing a module path in the jvmArgs to be used when executing the packaged application:
jvmArgs = ['-p', '.']

For example, the jpackage block in build.gradle becomes:
jpackage {
    appVersion = '1.0.0'
    installerType = 'pkg'
    jvmArgs = ['-p', '.']
}

I don't know why the work-around works
I actually do not why this works.  What it does is use the current directory for the module path the JVM uses when the packaged application is run.  The modules need aren't actually in the current directory, they have already been packaged into the application image by the packaging process.  So setting a module path should not be necessary (and isn't necessary if you don't require hsqldb.org).  However, if you require hsqldb.org, just the act of setting the module path to anything rather than leaving it empty will allow the app to function correctly.  Setting the path manually must trigger some different startup logic in the JVM, but I don't know what it is.
I speculate that it could be because the hsql module is binding as an implementation for the standard JDK java.sql module as a service and (for whatever reason it doesn't work unless a module path is set, no matter what it is).  Though that is just speculation, I don't really know what is going on.
Alternate Solution: Non-Modular Application
An alternate solution is to make your application non-modular and use the badass runtime plugin rather than the badass jlink plugin, as noted in the comments on the question:

I switched over to the badass runtime instead of jlink and it does what I want, so all of this may be a moot point but I'm still curious.

However, this, should not be necessary.  It should actually work in the original form of building a modular application and packaging it using the badass jlink plugin, but unfortunately, it does not.
The runtime plugin works because then your application (and hsql) is run in a non-modular way, which, for whatever reason, does not experience this issue.  The issue is caused by packaging and requiring the hsql module in the application created by jpackage (though I don't know why).

Background Investigation
The rest of this answer is just findings from my investigation of the issue, not a solution, so ignore it unless interested.
I was able to replicate exactly the setup you describe. With the requires clause for hsqldb in the module info, executing the packaged application fails with the same error message, comment out the requires clause and the packaged app runs fine.
The actual image created by jlink and included in the package is fine and will run from the command line. But the package adds an additional executable that the launcher uses and it is the execution of that which fails.
This issue is unrelated to gradle, javafx, the javafx plugin, the badass jlink plugin, or jlink itself.  As you can remove all of those, and just try to package a simple modular application that only requires the hsql.db module (version 2.6.1) and outputs hello, world (doesn't even try any SQL operations), and the packaged application will fail with the same error.  The application will work fine when you process it through the jlink tool but will fail when processing it through the jpackage tool.  The issue is platform-independent as I tested on OS X and the original poster was using Windows. It is the combination of jpackage 18.0.1.1 + hsql.db module 2.6.1 which causes an error.
As an example, if the build output for your project is:
<projectdir>/build/

Then the badass jlink plugin will create the following directories for the output of jpackage for a OS X app image named hsqlfx:
<projectdir>/build/jpackage/hsqlfx.app

And with a launcher script (also named hsqlfx), this is what the launcher will try to run:
<projectdir>/build/jpackage/hsqlfx.app/Contents/MacOS/hsqlfx

This will fail with:
Error: A JNI error has occurred, please check your installation and try again
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.InternalError: Module com.example.hsqlfx not in boot Layer
    at java.base/sun.launcher.LauncherHelper.loadModuleMainClass(Unknown Source)
    at java.base/sun.launcher.LauncherHelper.checkAndLoadMain(Unknown Source)

However, the installed app includes the generated jlink image and if you run from the execution point (generated launcher script file) for that image, it all works fine:
<projectdir>/build/jpackage/hsqlfx.app/Contents/runtime/Contents/Home/bin/hsqlfx

You get the expected output:
hello, world

However, the installed application (e.g. when you click the icon) tries to run the failing command and not the working script.  The issue is that the failing command should work.
Reproducible example
com/example/hsqlfx/HelloApplication.java
package com.example.hsqlfx;

public class HelloApplication {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("hello, world");
    }
}

module-info.java
module com.example.hsqlfx {
    requires org.hsqldb;
    exports com.example.hsqlfx;
}

build.gradle
plugins {
    id 'java'
    id 'application'
    id 'org.beryx.jlink' version '2.25.0'
}

group 'com.example'
version '1.0-SNAPSHOT'

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

ext {
    junitVersion = '5.8.2'
}

sourceCompatibility = '18'
targetCompatibility = '18'

tasks.withType(JavaCompile) {
    options.encoding = 'UTF-8'
}

application {
    mainModule = 'com.example.hsqlfx'
    mainClass = 'com.example.hsqlfx.HelloApplication'
}

dependencies {
    implementation "org.hsqldb:hsqldb:2.6.1"
}

test {
    useJUnitPlatform()
}

jlink {
    options = ['--strip-debug', '--compress', '2', '--no-header-files', '--no-man-pages']
    launcher {
        name = 'hsqlfx'
    }

    jpackage {
        appVersion = '1.0.0'
        installerType = 'pkg'
// ### uncomment the next line to allow the packaged app to run correctly ###
//        jvmArgs = ['-p', '.']
    }
}

Alternate jpackage command to using the badass jlink plugin:
/Users/<username>/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk-18.0.1.1/Contents/Home/bin/jpackage --dest /Users/<username>/dev/hsqlfx/build/jpackage --type pkg --verbose --name hsqlfx -p /Users/<username>/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk-18.0.1.1/Contents/Home/jmods/:/Users/<username>/dev/hsqlfx/build/jlinkbase/jlinkjars --module com.example.hsqlfx/com.example.hsqlfx.HelloApplication --dest /Users/<username>/dev/hsqlfx/build/apps/hsqlfx.app --app-version 1.0.0 --jlink-options "--strip-debug --compress 2 --no-header-files --no-man-pages" --java-options "-p ."

Where the jlinkJars directory contains the hsqldb jar and the application jar.
It is the addition of the switch:
--java-options "-p ."

At the end of the command which allows the execution of the packaged application to work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to borrow the brand new Toyota CHR for the weekend and boy was Bobby pleased with the prospect of trying this baby out. I have been a Toyota fan since learning to drive in a Yaris 8 years ago and subsequently bought myself one several years later when I'd saved up enough money. Fast forward to this year and I can't believe that my blog has given me the chance to borrow an incredible car for a whole weekend.
It's a Hybrid meaning it runs on both electric and petrol making it a very economical vehicle.
It comes in both Automatic and Petrol as well as 2-wheel and 4-wheel drives.
It has a super quiet start-up when you switch on the engine – it was eerie to get used to at first.
We borrowed the car on the Friday evening after work and left my trusty Yaris in the care of the dealership as it was due its service the following day anyway. When we went to the dealership the lovely Manager Ian welcomed us before Mark showed us what the car could do and how to use it to the best of its capabilities. Once that was done, it was time to cruise home in the smoothest ride and show off the car in all its glory.
Some of my favourite things in the car were the reversing cameras to assist with parking and pulling off our driveway, the heated leather seats which were a dream, the sat nav which is easy to use and the media screen was simple to navigate. I also really loved driving an Automatic car which I was dreading to begin with but now I'm sad I have to drive my manual car again : ( The camera assists really makes driving a lot less stressful and can be a nice help when parking the CHR.
We decided to drive mainly around York on the Saturday and boy did it catch people's attention! The car really is eye-catching and looks incredible so I'm not surprised as I loved walking up to the car and getting into it. On the Sunday we drove round the Yorkshire Moors showing how well this car really can handle itself on the single track lanes and muddy slopes that we drove down. It was ideal for a bit of countryside driving as well as driving in the city.
Another feature of the car that I loved was having the key in my pocket and being able to open the car without pressing anything. Even if I walked up to the car in the dark, it lit up inside and even projected the car's name onto the floor from the wing mirrors! I mean how amazing is that?
In a nutshell; this car is incredible. Both Bobby and I loved driving it and neither of us had a negative thing to say about it. It is really quiet to drive, has all the tech if you go for one of the higher spec models and has a huge boot for shopping.
Absolutely and we have contemplated it as we are in the market for a new car anyway. This particular model was circa £28k as it had pretty much everything on it but the entry-level versions start from £20k so a more affordable option for some people.
The safety features of the car included braking itself when it felt you weren't quick enough on the pedal, auto sensors that beeped when you drifted over the lines on the road and even technology that read speed limits to alert you to a change in speed limit in case you had missed the sign yourself. When thinking about these features, it's important to remember when your MOT and service are due. If you are ever unsure, you can use this handy MOT Checking tool which requires you knowing the vehicle registration, inputting then receiving the date your MOT is due. As easy as that.


Hospital Radio Crawley - The healthy sound.
Hospital radio Crawley would like to thank all of you who have registered to volunteer. We are working our way through all your applications and will be in touch very soon. Check out our Facebook page for pics and news.
Hospital Radio Crawley are RECRUITING as we look to extend our Live Presentation during 2019.
We are currently looking for Volunteer Presenters who are available during the week so we can introduce daytime shows and we currently have a few weekend slots going spare. We provide full training and the only requirement is you are 17 years old or over.
We are also always on the look out for back office members who can help out with a range of duties, including assisting with the Live Music in our studios on a Saturday afternoon. We are also looking for people who are technically minded!! . If you are interested please email us - hospitalradiocrawley1287am@gmail.com for an informal visit to our studios. or you can message through our Facebook or Twitter pages.
If you are a local musician either a soloist or part of a group we are always looking out for Acoustic acts to come into our studios on a Saturday afternoon with Iain Ridgley on our 'Live Music Sessions' show. It is a very relaxed atmosphere. Please check out our dedicated Live Music Page on Facebook for further details.
We also hold regular Live Music Events in the local area, keep an eye out for details of these or contact us for more details.
Listen to us in Crawley Hospital on 1287AM and ONLINE!!!
Hospital Radio Crawley are proud to be associated with Crawley Town FC .
Come and see Hospital Radio Crawley at The Star in Horsham on Saturday 25th May for our next Live Music Showcase Day from Midday culminating at 9pm with a one and a half hour slot for Straight Circles to get you dancing along!


text:
Q: Web app in standalone, camera is black when app is coming back from background? Im using the camera to take a picture in my web app and it works fine when I start the app the first time, but if I close the app and then return from being in the background then the camera screen is black and I can´t take a picture!?
Im using this to open the camera.
<input type="file" id="files2" name="files[]" multiple accept="image/*" capture="camera"/>

This is working all the time if I open the app in Safari, but not when it is coming back from the background in standalone mode.
I have tried to reload the page when I come back from the background, but no luck.
I think this was working in the earlier iOS.
Any input really appreciated!

A: It is a known bug in iOS https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=206219. Hopefully, Apple WebKit Team will fix it soon!


text:
Critical Reasoning (CR)
The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death
Difficulty: Sub-600 Level Assumption Source: Manhattan GMAT
GetThisDone
The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death [#permalink]
15% (low)
Question Stats:
76% (01:21) correct	 24% (01:43) wrong	 based on 689 sessions
HideShow timer Statistics
The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death penalty. In contrast, the death penalty remains legal in the United States. The difference in the legality of capital punishment demonstrates that the majority of American citizens believe in the death penalty, while the majority of Filipino citizens do not.
Which of the following is an assumption upon which the above argument depends?
A) There are more murders per year in the United States than in the Philippines.
B) The legal status of capital punishment in the United States and the Philippines aligns with how the majority of citizens in those respective countries view the death penalty.
C) There are not strong voices opposing the death penalty in the United States.
D) Most American citizens who believe in the death penalty think that it acts as a deterrent for potential criminals, while most Filipino citizens do not.
E) The legal standard used to determine whether a criminal should be sentenced to the death penalty in the United States is similar to the legal standard used in the Philippines before capital punishment was abolished there.
Main CR Qs link - Main link - http://gmatclub.com/forum/cr-qs-600-700 ... 31508.html
Spoiler: OA
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Re: The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death [#permalink]
In Assumption Question, If you negate the Assumption then the Argument will not hold good.
The argument states that The difference in the legality of capital
punishment demonstrates that the majority of American citizens believe in the death penalty,
while the majority of Filipino citizens do not.
The assumption in above argument is that the legal status of capital punishment depends on the view of the majority of citizens in the respective countries.
Which is exactly what is mentioned in B. And if we negate B, the argument falls apart.
Hope it helps!!!
minwoswoh
Assumptions you can Prethink of BEFORE going to the answer choices
- Death Penalty in a country is established by what the majority of the people of those countries think.
- People is entitled to vote in their respective countries to decide whether Death Penalty should be established.
- There is no Court/Tribunal that decides whether Death Penalty should be established without consulting to the people.
Answer choice B follows the first of these lines of reasonings.
AkshdeepS
Status: It's near - I can see.
Concentration: International Business, Operations
Schools: INSEAD Jan '19
WE: Engineering (Real Estate)
dream21 wrote:
I came down to B and D, and ended up marking D as correct. can,t D be the assumption.
"Do not watch clock; Do what it does. KEEP GOING."
manojsundar1
Concentration: Operations, Sustainability
Schools: Molson '18 (A), Sauder '18 (D), Alberta'18 (M$), Haskayne(Calgary) (A$)
WE: Operations (Manufacturing)
ImHURT wrote:
we dont care about what the ppl think after they vote. We just want to find an assumption as to whether the citizens were connected with the legislation or not. even if the philipinos thought against voting,if they are not allowed to express it,then nobody wil get to know..so B is the assumption reqd
Verbal Forum Moderator
Status: Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone
Schools: Kelley '20, ISB '19
WE: Information Technology (Consulting)
The conclusion of the argument is that the majority of American citizens believe in the death penalty while the majority of Filipino citizens do not. This conclusion is based solely on the fact that the death penalty is legal in the United States while it is now illegal in the Philippines. The argument assumes that there is a link between the legal status of capital punishment and the beliefs of the majority of citizens.
(A) While the number of murders per year might influence beliefs about capital punishment, there is certainly no necessary correlation. Moreover, the difference in the number of murders per year in the United States and the Philippines has little relevance without knowing the relative populations of the two countries.
(B) CORRECT. It is possible that the legal status of capital punishment in the United States and the Philippines does NOT align with how the majority of citizens in those countries view the death penalty. For example, it may be that the governing bodies of one or both countries are out of touch with the views of the populace. The argument assumes that this is NOT the case.
(C) Even if there were strong voices opposing the death penalty in the United States, the argument might still hold. The argument is based on the views of the majority of citizens in the United States, not on all US citizens.
(D) The argument addresses whether or not citizens of the United States and the Philippines believe in the death penalty. The reasons behind those beliefs, as presented in this choice, are irrelevant to the logic of the argument.
(E) The argument is centered on whether or not citizens of the United States and the Philippines believe in the death penalty. While the legal standard used to sentence criminals to the death penalty might impact why individuals hold certain beliefs, it has no impact on the logic of the argument.
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. - Henry Ford
The Moment You Think About Giving Up, Think Of The Reason Why You Held On So Long
nitiny
PREMISE :- The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death penalty. In contrast, the
death penalty remains legal in the United States.
ARGUMENT :-The difference in the legality of capital punishment demonstrates that the majority of American citizens believe in the death penalty,
ASSUMPTION :- b) The legal status of capital punishment in the United States and the Philippines aligns with
how the majority of citizens in those respective countries view the death penalty.
d) Most American citizens who believe in the death penalty think that it acts as a deterrent for
potential criminals, while most Filipino citizens do not.
e) The legal standard used to determine whether a criminal should be sentenced to the death
penalty in the United States is similar to the legal standard used in the Philippines before
capital punishment was abolished there.
Re: The legislature of the Philippines voted recently to abolish the death	[#permalink] 29 Jan 2017, 21:07
Moderators: GMATNinja, gmat1393, GMATNinjaTwo, nightblade354, iamsiddharthkapoor
Each student of the school Z is a member of either club X or club Y
rakeshtewatia0105
MartyTargetTestPrep
A provincial government plans to raise the gasoline tax to give people
ramuramu1838
In the late 1960s, the rising number of American casualties in Vietnam
If x = 5 y, is x > 0?
ArvindCrackVerbal
by Critical Reasoning (CR)


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text:
find_program(R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE
	NAMES Rscript)

if(R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE)
	execute_process(COMMAND
		${R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE} -e "cat(R.home())"
		OUTPUT_VARIABLE R_HOME_DIR
		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)

	execute_process(COMMAND
		${R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE} -e "cat(R.home('include'))"
		OUTPUT_VARIABLE R_INCLUDE_DIRS
		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)

	execute_process(COMMAND
		${R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE} -e "cat(R.version.string)"
		OUTPUT_VARIABLE R_VERSION
		OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)

	string(REGEX REPLACE
		"[a-zA-Z]|[(].*|[ ]" ""
		R_VERSION
		"${R_VERSION}")

	set(R_LIBRARY_DIR "${R_HOME_DIR}/bin/x64")
	if("${CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P}" STREQUAL "4")
		set(R_LIBRARY_DIR "${R_HOME_DIR}/bin/i386")
	endif()
	find_library(R_LIBRARIES
		NAMES libR R
		PATHS ${R_LIBRARY_DIR} "${R_HOME_DIR}/*")
	unset(R_LIBRARY_DIR)

	if(R_FIND_COMPONENTS)
		foreach(component ${R_FIND_COMPONENTS})
			if(component STREQUAL "Rcpp")
				execute_process(COMMAND
					${R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE} -e "library(Rcpp) ; cat(path.package('Rcpp'))"
					OUTPUT_VARIABLE R_RCPP_HOME_DIR
					OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)
				find_path(R_RCPP_INCLUDE_DIR
					NAMES Rcpp.h
					PATHS "${R_RCPP_HOME_DIR}/*")
				if(R_RCPP_INCLUDE_DIR)
					list(APPEND
						R_INCLUDE_DIRS
						${R_RCPP_INCLUDE_DIR})
					set(R_Rcpp_FOUND TRUE)
				endif()
				unset(R_RCPP_HOME_DIR)
				unset(R_RCPP_INCLUDE_DIR)
			endif()
		endforeach()
	endif()
endif()

mark_as_advanced(
	R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE
	R_HOME
	R_INCLUDE_DIRS
	R_VERSION
	R_LIBRARIES)

include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
find_package_handle_standard_args(R
	FOUND_VAR
		R_FOUND
	REQUIRED_VARS
		R_RSCRIPT_EXECUTABLE
		R_HOME_DIR
		R_INCLUDE_DIRS
		R_VERSION
		R_LIBRARIES
	VERSION_VAR
		R_VERSION
	HANDLE_COMPONENTS)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Choosing a videographer is not as easy as it sounds. Let the experienced professionals at Dinosaur Studios guide your decision so you get exactly the right video for you.
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Paseo Nuevo is the South Coast's most distinctive collection of unique, upscale merchants between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The center is located in the commercial and retail heart of downtown Santa Barbara - an international mecca for those seeking luxurious surf, sun and shopping. Visitors can stroll the sun-drenched promenade and the winding paseos surrounded by over 60 boutiques, two department stores, and many eclectic restaurants. Opened in 1990, the center is anchored by Nordstrom and Macy's. Presented in a charming open-air Mediterranean setting, Paseo Nuevo's mix of exclusive local and national shops and restaurants includes bebe, California Pizza Kitchen, Banana Republic, Cotton On, Pascucci, Cache, Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap.


The 'Manifesto against the new anti-Semitism' is ignorant of Islam's history and teachings.
On April 21, 2018, an open letter was published in France by Le Parisien under the title "Manifesto against the new anti-Semitism". The manifesto was written by the former director of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Philippe Val, and signed by more than 250 famous authors, journalists, and politicians. Interestingly enough, former President Nicolas Sarkozy and former Prime Ministers Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve were also among the signatories of this strange text.
The manifesto claims that, based on recent attacks on members of the Jewish community, a new anti-Semitism is rising in France and implies that Muslims are responsible for it. The text opens with the declaration that "anti-Semitism is a problem for everyone, not just Jews," stating that the country has become a deadly theatre of anti-Semitism and adding that "France without the Jews is no longer France because French history, for geographic, religious, philosophical, and juridical reasons, is deeply linked to various cultures among which Jewish thought is decisive."
Those who wrote this manifesto are perhaps unaware that they are contributing to the marginalisation of nearly six million Muslims living in France, who on top of suffering the consequences of widespread Islamophobia, are now standing accused of being responsible for anti-Semitism as a whole. The signatories of this manifesto did not only blame Muslims but also claimed that Islam and its holy book, the Quran, are tools used to encourage anti-Semitic crimes.
The manifesto ends with these sentences: "The verses of the Quran calling for murder and punishment of Jews, Christians, and nonbelievers must be struck to obsolescence by religious authorities, as were the inconsistencies of the Bible and Catholic anti-Semitism abolished by the Second Vatican Council, so that no believer can rely on a sacred text to commit a crime. We expect French Islam to lead the way."
This call is extremely ignorant in three ways.
First: There has never been a proposition to make obsolete phrases that supposedly evoke anti-Semitism from the Christian sacred texts in the Second Vatican Council document nor any other.
Second: The Quran is not a book that commands the killing or the punishment of Jews, Christians or non-believers because of their beliefs. In Islam, human life is sacred.
Third: There is no church nor council in Islam. It is not individuals and institutions that constitute religious authority in Islam, but the book itself. Nobody can touch a single letter of the Quran. This book is under the protection of God.
I will briefly explain each one of these.
As it is known, the Second Vatican Council convened between 1962 and 1965 to adapt the Catholic Church and its institutions to the modern world. In order to put an end to rising anti-Semitism in Europe, Pope John XXIII assigned one of his cardinals the task of preparing a document that regulates relations with Jews.
The scope of the document was extended to include Muslims and members of other religions, over the concern that it would damage the relations with them. The document was published under the name Nostra Aetate, or the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. This document called for Christians, and especially Catholics, to establish dialogue with non-Christians. The fourth article of this document is about Jews, and nowhere in this document is there a proposal or suggestion to make obsolete anti-Semitic expressions from the Christian sacred texts, contrary to the claims of the manifesto.
It can be argued that members of the Roman Catholic Church were, directly and indirectly, responsible for spreading anti-Semitic ideas. When European countries began to grant Jews equal rights in the 19th century, the biggest objection came from Roman Catholic Church leadership. Pius XII, who served as the pope during the Nazi genocide, had been a cardinal in Germany beforehand and had allied with Adolf Hitler in 1933.
The Nostra Aetate was prepared to regulate the relations of Catholic Christians with Jews to reduce the intensity of the anti-Semitic wave, which originated in the Middle Ages and peaked with the Holocaust during World War II. But as one can see, the Second Vatican Council does not even imply that passages from the Christian holy texts should be made obsolete.
1 - When the Jews in and near Roman-occupied Jerusalem rebelled against Rome in 66 AD, the Romans not only quelled it but also destroyed the Second Temple. When the Jewish rebellion led by Simon bar Kokhba against Rome between 132-135 AD was defeated, this time the Romans expelled the Jews from Jerusalem and banned them from living in the city. Even after the adoption of Christianity, Roman emperors kept the ban. But after Caliph Omar bin Khattab conquered Jerusalem in 637, he gave Jews the freedom to enter the city as they pleased.
2 - When the Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade, they massacred many of the Muslims and Jews in the city and expelled the rest. Salah ed-Din took Jerusalem back from the Crusaders in 1187 and allowed the Jews to return.
3 - After Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon ordered the expulsion of Spain's Jewish population in the late 15th century, about 100,000 Jews, facing conversion o Christianity or death, took refuge in the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
These three events clearly show that Muslims, who today stand accused of anti-Semitism, helped Jews and gave them refuge. If the Quranic verses the authors of the manifesto want to delete existed before these three events, and if Muslims are supposedly ordered to kill Jews by those verses, then why have Muslims disobeyed this command and chosen to support Jews and protect them when they faced oppression by the Christians?
Trying to marginalise not just the history of Islam, but also all of its sacred values and depict them as the source of evil by focusing on a vile and murderous "terror" organisation like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a result of reasoning infused with Islamophobia is both irrational and unfair.
Should Muslims understand the West and judge its values on the basis of its history of genocides, Nazism or colonisation? Absolutely not! Because throughout history, there have been and will be murderers and murderous gangs without any belief in values. But Islam teaches us to protect our values and respect those of others. One only needs to look at the basic principles of Islamic law to understand this fact.
Mehmet Gormez is the former President of Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs.


text:
Barack Obama - I'm sure we've seen him somewhere before
Like Will Smith, who in the new film I Am Legend wakes up to find himself the last man alive in a world of zombies, am I now the only person left on the planet who finds Barack Obama a little bit dull? Every time I listen to him, I start off thinking I'm about to wet my pants, but a minute-and-a-half later find my mind wandering, asking itself things like: 'What does "the challenge of hope" mean?'
Sunday, January 13,2008 02:44
by Armando Iannucci Guardian
Like Will Smith, who in the new film I Am Legend wakes up to find himself the last man alive in a world of zombies, am I now the only person left on the planet who finds Barack Obama a little bit dull? Every time I listen to him, I start off thinking I"m about to wet my pants, but a minute-and-a-half later find my mind wandering, asking itself things like: "What does "the challenge of hope" mean?"
Yet I turn and look around and everyone is shouting and screaming. Obama chants: "Something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it" and there"s a collective swoon from grown pundits and hardened reporters, all of them tearing off their shirts and pleading for Obama to sign their chests with indelible marker pen. Will Smith woke up to a world of zombies: in my personal nightmare, everyone around me has an overactive thyroid.
So why does Obama, billed by everyone as a cross between Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln, but without the terrible looks of either, just leave me puzzled? Maybe it"s because his is a rhetoric that soars and takes flight, but alights nowhere. It declares that together we can do anything, but doesn"t mention any of the things we can do. It"s a perpetual tickle in the nose that never turns into a sneeze. Trying to make sense of what he"s saying is like trying to wrap mist.
But, rhythmically, it"s quite alluring. It can make anything, even, for example, a simple chair, seem magnificent. Why vote for someone who says: "See that chair. You can sit on it" when you can have someone like Obama say: "This chair can take your weight. This chair can hold your buttocks, 15 inches in the air. This chair, this wooden chair, can support the ass of the white man or the crack of the black man, take the downward pressure of a Jewish girl"s behind or the butt of a Buddhist adolescent, it can provide comfort for Muslim buns or Mormon backsides, the withered rump of an unemployed man in Nevada struggling to get his kids through high school and needful of a place to sit and think, the plump can of a single mum in Florida desperately struggling to make ends meet but who can no longer face standing, this chair, made from wood felled from the tallest redwood in Chicago, this chair, if only we believed in it, could sustain America"s huddled arse."
Speeches full of hot air ...
Maybe Obama is so successful because he"s the supreme master of what American politics excels in: high-flown language that denotes as little as possible. America is curious in that it is the most powerful, influential nation on Earth, it"s a doing country, but its politicians rarely spend time on the stump specifying what precisely they will do in case it makes them lose votes. Instead, they settle on emotive, intangible phraseology, such as Hillary Clinton"s recent "I intend to be the President who puts your futures first", uttered in New Hampshire.
I listened to all the victory speeches of the winning candidates last week and it was impossible to spot any difference in the message. Mike Huckabee said: "This election is not about me, it"s about we", while Clinton came up with the variant: "You want this election to be about you."
Thus both of them appealed to voters who believed strongly that elections should be about types of people. This is a theme Clinton developed when she said: "I believe in what we can do together", a brave message this, since there was always the risk she could alienate people who don"t believe in what a lot of people can do together. It may well be that the people who do believe in what people can do together came out in droves at the last minute to vote for her, hence her remarkable comeback. Similarly, John McCain"s pledge that as President he would "make in our time another, better world than the one we inherited" might have won over a lot of voters who were dead against making another, worse world than the one they inherited.
... and empty promises
This abandonment of specifics is the opposite of how politics is articulated in Britain. Here, politicians have less power, less international influence and are at the mercy of the markets and even the weather, so they try covering this up with language that is all about pledging and specific target-setting - anything, in fact, that sounds like action.
"We intend to provide a chair, which, over the next five-year period, will guarantee stability for anyone who sat on it." "We will introduce the most sweeping measures yet to ensure that all four chair legs are of exactly the same length and we will measure every leg on the chair twice a year and place those results in national chair-leg database." "We will stop other people coming over to use the chair before us."
American politicians take time out from their busy lives to makes speeches that sound empty; British politicians fill the emptiness of their lives with words that make them sound busy. The chair, by the way, was made in China.
Posted in Election Coverage , Reports , Obama
US Seen in Middle East Policy Retreat
Did Hillary Really Win New Hampshire?
Arab Media and US Policy: A Public Diplomacy Reset
Return From the Dead in New Hampshire
The Neoconservative Persuasion and Foreign Policy
From Former American Ambassador John Dean, American policy toward Palestine
The Hillaire Belloc fallacy
Will U.S. Democratization Policy Work?
Two scholars say pro-"Israel" lobby has warped U.S. policy
American Foreign Policy and Islamic Renewal
U.S. Policy on Muslim Brotherhood


Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2019-04-20 22:25:46 EDT and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on http://www.amazon.com/ at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Dry air can cause all sorts of unpleasantness from itchy skin to sore throats to irritated eyes. The Aircare MA1201 Evaporative Console Humidifier helps improve your indoor humidity and create an oasis from the outdoor conditions. This compact humidifier is easy to use and services a wide area (up to 3,600 square feet). A digital display and controls makes it simple to set your desired humidity level and monitor the humidifier's progress. A 4-speed motor (with automatic setting) lets you control the output power while an evaporative wick intercepts particulates and impurities to ensure you're only producing crisp, clean air. The easy-fill 3.6-gallon tank has filter-check and refill indicators, letting you add up to 12 gallons of moisture to the air per day. Casters are included for mobility. Dimensions: 21.5W x 14.5D x 20.5H in.. Durable gray plastic frame. Covers up to 3,600 square feet. Easy-fill 3.6 gallon tank. 4-speed fan motor with auto setting. Adjustable humidistat with auto shutoff.


Lettering can be created out of various materials and in different styles.
Metal dimensional letters can often times convey a sense of integrity and permanence to customers. Plastic and foam letters are easily customized and do an excellent job of identification. Vinyl letters can be used for windows, vehicles and boats. You can rest assured that our experts at SIGNARAMA will tailor what lettering you need to your needs.


We decided to get spontaneous and take a mystery trip. We didn't know where we were going until the morning we flew out!
My morning started pretty early, 3am to be exact! After 2 hours of sleep, I'm surprised I'm awake!


Many different parts can be tested and inspected using computed radiography.
Computed radiography, a form of X-ray imaging, has been embraced widely by many major manufacturing companies. Its application is now core for testing within a range of sectors including aerospace, oil and gas, industrial gas turbines, medical implants and prosthetics.
Industry 4.0 moves into the leak testing space.
Leak testing is a method of product quality control that identifies manufacturing inconsistencies by porosity testing a manufactured part or system leaks.
Element Acquires Orbit Industries Inc.
Headquartered near Cleveland, OH, Orbit is a Nadcap and ISO 17025 accredited laboratory that also operates out of four other satellite inspection facilities across Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.


text:
Никлас Дюрхауг (; род. 6 июля 1987 года, Тронхейм) — норвежский лыжник, двукратный чемпион мира в эстафетах (2015 и 2017). Специализируется в дистанционных гонках.

Спортивная карьера
В 2015 году в Фалуне Дюрхауг стал чемпионом мира в эстафете 4×10 км, в скиатлоне занял 7-е место.

В Кубке мира Дюрхауг дебютировал в 2009 году, в феврале 2012 года одержал, пока единственную в карьере, победу на этапе Кубка мира, в эстафете. Лучшим достижением Дюрхауга в общем итоговом зачёте Кубка мира является 16-е место в сезоне 2011/12.

Примечания

Ссылки

Лыжники Норвегии
Чемпионы мира по лыжным гонкам

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Choose the perfect number for your area. Promote your business in any town or city across India.
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Mark Kennedy does some work on fleshing out villains, using a personal example from the recent Disney film 'Tangled', based on Rapunzel. Yes, there are a few spoilers, but c'mon, no analysis without spoilers, right?
I'm not a big fan of movies where the antagonist is just "evil" and wants to "control the world". As much as there are people in the world who crave unlimited power and money, they always have a specific reason why they turned out that way, and they always have a very specific overall goal they're heading for.
Mark goes through the process during development of the movie, and the changes that they made to the character after feedback from test viewers.
[...] a lot of people had sympathy for Gothel and the fact that she was the victim of a theft, especially because the first crime - the one that started the whole thing - wasn't committed by her, it was committed against her.
Many viewers sent us notes saying that they had so much sympathy for Gothel and they felt so bad for her having her property stolen that they never had any empathy for the King or Rapunzel.
As a reader, I sure don't want cookiecutter villains, and reading this exploration of the development of a villain's motivation is worth your while.


Short term health insurance plans are a great option for many uninsured individuals. Here are six benefits you'll get with one of these plans.
Short term health insurance plans serve the coverage needs of many Americans, but far too often, they're blown off as so-called "junk plans." Sure, this type of insurance isn't exactly the same as a traditional major medical plan, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good option, especially if you're in good health and just want something in place for accidents or unexpected trips to the ER. In fact, the more you get to know short term health insurance, the more you might find that it's just the kind of coverage you've been looking for. Here are six surprising benefits that might change the way you think about temporary health insurance.
Major medical plans (that comply with Obamacare regulations) are required to cover 10 essential health benefits. Any ACA-compliant plan that you buy must offer prescription coverage, maternity care, mental health services and more – whether you want or need those benefits or not. Most plans come with standardized sets of coverage, which make them a good deal for those who can afford these plans. But hefty benefits also mean big prices, and you can't customize them as much as you can with short term options.
Now, short term health insurance isn't a pick-and-choose buffet, but it does give you more flexibility to opt out of benefits that you don't plan to use. If you don't ever visit the pharmacy, then you can save money by choosing a temporary health plan that doesn't include prescription drug coverage.
Likewise, you'll find plans with very basic benefits and even some offerings that include limited coverage for pre-existing conditions. (IHC Group is one company offering coverage for people with health problems, a first for short term carriers.) Maybe "choose your own adventure" is a generous way to describe these plans, but there's no denying that temporary coverage gives you greater flexibility and control over your coverage.
ACA health plans must allow you the option to renew your coverage year after year. There's peace of mind in knowing that your health insurance coverage isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But renewability contributes to the high premiums associated with Obamacare coverage.
In 2017, short term plans were capped at three months at the federal level. The Trump administration rolled back those regulations and allowed plans to last for up to just under a year, which took effect in October. Plus, the new regulations allow short term health plans to be renewable for up to 36 months. If you like the idea of being able to keep the same plan for three years, you can pay for that privilege.
Note that longer short term plans are estimated to cost 35 to 50 percent more than the ones that last for three months or less. If you don't care about renewability, you can save money by opting for a cheaper, nonrenewable short term insurance plan or one that doesn't last as long.
Short term health plans accept only customers who meet their health requirements, and they don't usually provide any coverage for injuries or illnesses that began before your policy took effect. These restrictions mean that temporary health plans generally have healthier risk pools than major medical plans. In other words, the people buying them have fewer medical problems and need less care.
Why does that matter? Healthier risk pools lead to lower premiums. Short term health plans cost about 54 percent less than ACA plans, which must accept everyone regardless of health status (and can't charge people with pre-existing conditions more for coverage). According to some estimates, even if the only difference between temporary plans and ACA plans were that the temporary ones excluded pre-existing conditions, short term plans would still cost 38 percent less than their major medical counterparts.
When you pay your health insurance premiums, the money goes into the insurance company's pool of funds. The money isn't set aside specifically for you. It could be used to pay any customer's claims. You might be someone who's avoided purchasing health insurance out of a concern that your premiums could be used to fund treatments to which you're morally opposed, such as drug rehab, birth control pills or abortion.
Many short term insurance plans cover only basic care, so they don't include the type of services to which you might object. Because of this, buying a limited-duration health plan can be a good way to meet your need for insurance without compromising your values.
Now, we don't want to oversell the morality of a health plan here. The truth is you won't know how your premiums are being used other than for your own claims. Your short term carrier could cover abortion services, for instance. But since many short term plans exclude maternity care and preventive services specifically, you have a better chance of not funding some services (via your premiums) with these plans than you do with major medical.
Many ACA insurance plans attempt to limit premium costs by restricting their provider networks. Some offer coverage only for providers within one hospital system, and they pay nothing for out-of-network care.
On the other hand, most short term health plans allow you to see nearly any provider that takes the insurance plan. This gives you the freedom to use the doctors and hospitals that you like most. It also allows you to travel around the country without worrying about what you'll do if you get sick or hurt on your trip. If something comes up, you can seek treatment from a nearby provider and then get back to enjoying your vacation as soon as possible.
The Trump administration didn't manage to repeal the ACA in 2018, but that doesn't mean that Obamacare opponents haven't entirely given up on the idea. Repeal and replace could end up back on the agenda in 2019. Since the Democrats gained control of the House in the 2018 midterm elections, a Republican bill to get rid of the ACA has a negative chance of passing, but anything's possible.
If you're tired of feeling that the fate of your healthcare coverage is constantly hanging in the balance, a short term health plan can offer you a comforting reprieve. Even if the ACA were to go away tomorrow, with a temporary plan, you'd still be covered.
With a temporary plan, you can get coverage for the weeks, months or years when you don't have a traditional plan and then drop it once you find a more permanent solution. You can cancel a short term plan at any time, so you won't have to worry about paying two premiums at once if you end up getting other coverage sooner than you expected. In fact, some companies will refund your entire premium if you cancel an unused policy within 10 days of signing up. And buying a plan that offers a trial period can be a great option for filling very short gaps in coverage.
Health insurance is vitally important. If you're facing a time in life when you can't get major medical insurance for one reason or another, don't be tempted to skip out on coverage altogether. A medical crisis during that time could quickly burden you with thousands in unexpected medical bills. Short term health insurance was designed to provide protection during coverage gaps.
Can I Deduct Short Term Health Insurance from My Taxes If I'm Self-Employed?


In July 2015, Commissioner's Regulations governing enrollment of students in public school were amended to ensure that all students, and in particular unaccompanied youth, have timely access to school. The Regulations require that school districts accept a broader range of documents to establish residency and establish timelines for making residency determinations. The New York State Education Department has produced brochures that districts can provide to parents so that they better understand the enrollment process.
The brochure in English is available at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/homeless/docs/EnrollmentBrochure_English.pdf and in Spanish at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/homeless/docs/EnrollmentBrochure_Spanish.pdf. Translations in other languages will be made available shortly.
For more information on enrollment requirements, please contact the NYSED Office of Student Support Services at (518) 486-6090. For information about enrollment of immigrant youth and children, please contact, the NYSED Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages at (718) 722-2245. For information about enrollment of children and youth in temporary housing, please contact the NYSED State Coordinator for Homeless Education at (518) 473-0295.
On Friday, August 28, 2015, the Office of P-12 Education sent a memo to BOCES District Superintendents, Superintendents of Public Schools and Administrators of Public and Charter Schools regarding Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Requirements for the 2015-16 school year. The memo can be accessed at: Academic Intervention Services Requirements for 2015-16.pdf.
The memo includes details about the process by which the New York State Education Department ("The Department") plans to ensure that existing support services, including Academic Intervention Services (AIS) and Title I compensatory services, remain relevant and appropriate during the continued implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards.
The memo states that the Department is recommending to the Board of Regents that it take action in September to establish cut scores for AIS for grades 3-8 ELA and math for the 2015-16 school year that would be the same as those established for the 2014-15 school year and that the cut scores not revert to the previous requirement that all students below Level 3 receive AIS.
The proposed regulations would require each school district to continue to implement a uniform process by which the district determines whether to offer AIS during the 2015-16 school year to students who score below Level 3 but above the established cut scores for the provision of mandatory AIS. These districts would also be required to either post to its website or distribute to parents, in writing. a description of this process no later than Monday, November 2, 2015.
Inquiries regarding the requirements for the provision of AIS to students during the 2015-16 school year can be directed to David Bryant in the Office of Student Support Services via e-mail at david.bryant@nysed.gov or by phone at 518-486-6090.
On Thursday, August 27, 2015 a memo regarding guidance for "School Transportation for Students in Foster Care" was sent to District Superintendents, Superintendents of Public Schools and Charter School LEA Administrators.
The purpose of this guidance document is to provide information to child welfare staff of local departments of social services, voluntary agencies, and local educational agencies (school districts, charter schools), and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) about the provision of transportation to and from school for children placed in foster care.
For more information about guidance related to school transportation for students in foster care, please visit: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/memos.html.
As stated in the memo, the Department began the implementation of new Common Core Regents Examinations in mathematics in June 2014. Students who in the 2013-14 school year or thereafter, regardless of grade of enrollment, began their first commencement-level mathematics course culminating in a Regents Exam in June 2014 or later, were required to take the New York State Common Core Learning Standards Regents Exam in mathematics that corresponded to that course (as available), and be provided with Common Core instruction.
In response to educator feedback requesting an extension of this policy, the Department plans to recommend that the Board of Regents amend the regulations to provide a similar option for the new Regents Examination in Algebra II (Common Core) and the current Regents Examination in Algebra 2/Trigonometry (2005 Standards). Students enrolled in Algebra II (Common Core) would be allowed, at the discretion of the school, to take the Regents Examination in Algebra 2/Trigonometry (2005 Standard) in addition to the Regents Examination in Algebra II (Common Core).
Questions concerning the new Regents Exams or the implementation timeline will be addressed by the Office of State Assessment via e-mail at emscassessinfo@nysed.gov or by phone at 518-474-5900.
E-mail invitations with the corresponding applications for DTSDE Specialized Programs, were sent on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 to Superintendents of Focus Districts. These documents are located at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/diagnostic-tool-institute/DTSDESpecializedProgramming.html.
Interested candidates should complete the application(s) and submit them via e-mail to: DTSDEreviews@nysed.gov at the deadlines listed below for each program. If you have any questions about the programs, please contact the NYSED Program Liaison listed by program below.
To ensure that all representatives are presented with a consistent message concerning DTSDE review practices, several of the DTSDE-related sessions offered during the year will be repeated at the 2015-16 Focus District Institutes.
In August 2015, Focus District Superintendents received notification via e-mail regarding Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE) Integrated Intervention Team (IIT) review dates to take place in their district for the 2015-16 school year. All review dates have been confirmed.
For questions regarding the upcoming DTSDE IIT visits, please contact: DTSDEReviews@nysed.gov.
Section 1003(a) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires that State Education Agencies allocate funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for Title I Priority and Focus Schools to meet the progress goals in their District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and School Comprehensive Education Plan(s) (DCIP/SCEP) and thereby improve student performance. These funds are to be used to support implementation of school improvement activities, as required in the 2015-2019 ESEA flexibility waiver.
Title I Districts that were identified as Focus Districts and Title I schools identified as a Priority or Focus Schools as of June 1, 2015 that were subsequently removed from that status and will provide instruction to students during the 2015-16 school year.
*The 2015-16 lists of Focus Districts, Priority Schools, Focus Schools and LAP Schools are posted online at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/ESEADesignations.html.
Applications for funding will be accepted on a rolling basis until Monday, November 30, 2015, but all activities are subject to review and approval of funding. Applications with activities starting in September were due by Monday, August 31, 2015. Districts may submit a full or partial application in August and then submit revisions as needed until June 30, 2016.
For more information about the 2015-16 Title I 1003(a) Basic School Improvement Grant Application, please visit: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/funding/2015-16-title-1-basic-sig-1003a/home.html.
For more information about technical assistance for the 2015-16 Title I 1003(a) Basic School Improvement Grant, please visit: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/T1/1516basicsigata.html.
The Department will be hosting a live webinar on selecting Demonstrable Improvement indicators on Friday, September 18, 2015 at 2 p.m. The link to attend the webinar will be e-mailed to superintendents with Persistently Struggling and Struggling Schools prior to the meeting. Districts with Persistently Struggling and Struggling Schools are required to submit selected Demonstrable Improvement indicators along with any district proposed local indicator(s)/climate survey to the Department by Friday, October 2, 2015.
Commissioner's Regulations §100.19 requires that Receivers in Persistently Struggling and Struggling Schools submit the first required Quarterly Report for School Receivership no later than Wednesday, October 30, 2015 to Receivership@nysed.gov.
Please send questions about Required Quarterly Reports for Receivership to Receivership@nysed.gov.
Struggling Schools and Persistently Struggling School notifications to parents and public hearings must take place no later than 20 days after the district is notified that schools have been identified. For more information please write to: Receivership@nysed.gov.
Pursuant to Commissioner's Regulations §100.19 all identified Persistently Struggling and Struggling schools are required to submit the Community Engagement Template and evidence; the Public Notification and Hearing Requirements Template and evidence; and the Demonstrable Improvement Template. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, September 30, 2015, regardless of the type of school improvement plan submitted to the Department. The required templates can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/de/SchoolReceivership.html. These materials must be submitted to the Department at Receivership@nysed.gov.
However, in order to provide adequate time for each Community Engagement Team (CET) to review and provide suggestions for revisions to the provisionally approved plan, NYSED has revised the required timeline for this requirement. Districts now have 60 days from the date of the Department's provisional approval of the plan (or until Wednesday, September 30, 2015, whichever date is later) to provide evidence that the CET has reviewed and provided recommendations on the plan, to respond to the CET recommendations, and to submit any revisions made to the plan based upon the CET recommendations.
To review the specific examples to understand the differentiated timelines, please review the following guidance posted at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/de/documents/August2015MemoReReceivershipRequirementsandTimelines081915.pdf.
Please send questions about Receivership timelines and requirements to Receivership@nysed.gov.
The School Receivership website has been updated to include Frequently Asked Questions which can be accessed at: http://p12.nysed.gov/accountability/de/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html#Top.
In addition, the School Receivership website has been updated to include the video: NY Educators, Parent's Voice Support for School Receivership which can be accessed at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/de/SchoolReceivership.html.
Please send questions about Receivership to Receivership@nysed.gov.
Commissioner's Regulations §100.18(f)(6) requires that all schools and districts be included in the State accountability system and that Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) be determined for each public school, charter school and district. This requirement also pertains to schools/districts with fewer than 30 continuously enrolled students who have participated in State assessments during the prior two years combined, or any configuration of grades K through 12 that do not participate in the regular state assessment program.
In order to comply with this requirement for the 2014 -15 school year, the schools/districts described above are required to complete and submit a Self-Assessment form by Friday, October 9, 2015.
The Self-Assessment form can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/APA/Forms/Forms_home.html.
Completed Self-Assessment forms and any questions regarding the Self-Assessment process must be submitted via e-mail to: selfassessment@nysed.gov.
Local Assistance Plans are due to the Department on Friday, November 20, 2015. For more information please write to: accountinfo@nysed.gov.


Israel plans to build a Jewish tourist center in East Jerusalem on private Palestinian land, a local information center said Tuesday.
Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a statement that the new center would be built east of the Silwan neighborhood and south of the Al-Aqsa mosque, without specifying when.
The building and the land surrounding it will feature a "museum of Jewish history" and a "Jewish national park," the statement said.
The government-led project is sponsored by the Ir David Foundation, an organization that promotes a Jewish connection to parts of the Silwan neighborhood, including the "City of David" archaeological site.
According to the Information Center, the tourist center will be built on 1,200 square meters of Palestinian land in the al-Ain area.
Municipality crews have already issued notices to seven families in the al-Ain area, informing them that the project will be implemented on their lands, the statement said.
The families were given 60 days to appeal the decision to Israeli courts. All appeals will need to include various legal documents, such as building permits, according to the statement.
Twenty-two houses on five dunams (1.2 acres), holding members of the al-Abbassi, Abu Mayala, Abu Subeih, and Abu Sneineh families, are threatened by the decision.
Lawyer Sami Irsheed, whose privately-owned land could be affected by the project, will appeal on behalf of the residents, the statement said.
According to the UN, 33 percent of all Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem lack Israeli-issued building permits, potentially placing at least 93,100 residents at risk of displacement.
Figures from Israeli NGO Bimkom show that 95 percent of Palestinian applications for a building permit are rejected.
Since 1967, the Israeli authorities have demolished some 2,000 houses in East Jerusalem. Over 1,630 Palestinians were made homeless in house demolitions carried out by Israel between 2004-2012, B'Tselem says.