Subject: Re: Is the US Championship no longer a Qualifying event for the W.C.?
Right In Istanbul I didn't know which system it will be because two proposal were on the table but since Teheran things are more clear and this week end I was in Athens to finalize it. It shall be published very soon. Zonal are not abolished but will not counted for WC qualification anymore. Only Continentals shall do. Continents will have more power and more qualifiers i.e Americas will have 19 players who could come from one country. Continents shall also have financial support from FIDE. However for 2001 zonal already finished will be counted.
Subject: Re: Was Jim Eade Drunk in Istanbul?
I could not remember this man in my meeting but very well your President as took and publish the minutes. A gentleman. As for what Eade said I wish to know on which base he said this. I was told it was the most exciting meeting as the subject was very hot. By the way I'm Belgian and living in Israel but travel all the time here or there.
Thanks Sam for the photo. Regulations are finished now with a little modifications on what I said at the time. Those shall be published after approval by the FIDE PB.
Subject: Was Jim Eade Drunk in Istanbul?
During the last few days, Jim Eade has taken to making all kinds of abusive and factually untrue statements about people. There is nothing new about this. He has been doing it for a long time.
What makes it different now is that he has been attacking people for their performance during meetings of the FIDE General Assembly in Istanbul. In other words, he has been attacking foreigners.
Somehow, it seems OK for Eade to be attacking his fellow Americans. We are used to it and can judge for ourselves. However, for Eade to attack the representative of a foreign country seems out of bounds.
For example, Eade has said that the World Championship Committee, the WCC, failed to prepare for the FIDE meetings and did not do a good job. As far as I know, there are no Americans on the World Championship Committee. I know that Willie Iclicki is the Chairman and Stewart Reuben is one of the members. Reuben is from England. I do not know where Iclicki is from. Iclicki is one of those people who likes to change countries all the time.
Eade has also made some very stupid statements about the Continental Championships which are to take place in the new World Chess Championship cycle. Eade has been stating on the Internet that the new system will be just as good for Americans as the old. Apparently, Eade must think that only the USA and Canada are members of our continent. Eade should know better, because his title is Zone President.
I have the minutes if the Continental Meeting - America. The minutes show that Eade was present. The following countries were represented at the meeting: CAN USA MEX GUA ESA HON NIC CRC COL VEN SUR BRA PAR ARG CHI PER ECU BOL BAR TRI JAM CUB BER.
Note that the countries are first listed in North-South order, not in alphabetical order. There were 23 counties present at the meeting. Therefore, Eade should know that representatives of all these countries will be contesting any Continental Championship for America.
I was not going to say this. I was going to keep quiet about it, but I feel that now I must reveal: Eade probably does not remember this because he was drunk at the meetings.
Here is the photo I took of Eade at the meeting of the FIDE General Assembly in Istanbul. Take a look at this photo and come to your own conclusion.
I think it should be noted that on the chess newsgroups Eade has been attacking Beatriz Marinello, the former USCF Scholastic Director, who has every right to be offended. Eade has also made a lot of ridiculous statements, such as his repeated claim that the Schultz Administration lost one million dollars, when this is obviously not true because there was never one million dollars to lose. The balance sheets and consolidated financial statements do not show any such loss. I doubt that they show any loss at all. To that, Eade says that the financial statements were fraudulent, but he has failed to provide any evidence to support this claim.
Anyway, take a look at this picture of Eade and tell me if you think that Jim Eade was drunk or not.
And remember, I supported Jim Eade for zone president. I thought he would do a good job. Go back and take a look at my Internet postings from that time and you will see that I was in his favor.
> On 27 Jan 2001 19:01:59 GMT, jimeade@aol.com (JimEade) wrote: > The USA, as one of three single-country Zones, was allowed to use its> >national championship as its Zonal tournament. This added prestige to the US> >Championship, saved the USCF considerable money and served as a great> >convenience to our players.
> Actually, the new proposal will almost certainly benefit US players. Tim> Redman checked with Yaz and Yvette while we were still in Istanbul, when this> proposal was being floated, and they informed him that the US Championship> would be just fine either way.
> This is incorrect. We are still a single FIDE Zone. Sheesh.
Right, but the zones no longer have any significance. > >As reported by FIDE and condemned by major national chess federations, the> >FIDE> >Presidential Board, at its December Board meeting in Teheran, arbitrarily> >abolished the existing world championship cycle format.
> This is false. FIDE's General assembly delegated the authority to decide these> matters to the Presidential Board. The proposals were discussed many times in> many forums. Anyone who attended the Istanbul meetings cannot pretend to be> surprised by these changes.
I have the minutes. Do you? Where in the minutes does it say this? > It is my opinion that the focus on the Presidential Board as bad guys here is> wrong. The breakdown occurred earlier.
> There is a World Championship Committee, which should've brought detailed> proposals to Istanbul in order to have them fully discussed in workshops and> then voted on in the Assembly. This did not happen.
They did. My friend Stewart Reuben is on that committee. However, they did not know until the FIDE Commerce Deal was presented and passed. Do you remember in the FIDE General Assembly, Willy Iclicki, who was sitting in the audience, raised his hand and asked Makropoulos what the format of the next World Championship cycle was going to be. But, Willy Iclicki was the Chairman of the World Championship Committee. It was surprising that he of all people would ask such a question. > The General Assembly (which I attended, but did not have a vote in) had little> choice but to delegate authority to the Presidential Board. The proper thing> to do now, in my opinion, is to help the WCC do a better job next time around.> That is one place where our focus should be and was one of my recommendations> in my report to the USCF's EB.
How are they going to do a better job when FIDE Commerce now controls the World Championship. The Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules. > The is also the problem of sub-optimal communication from FIDE. This has> allowed people to assume the worst and don the mask of outrage, however> inappropriate it may be to do so.
> As a first time observer, those are two aspects to the organization with clear> room for improvement. Still, it is wrong to write that the Presidential Board> acted arbitrarily. The likelihood of accelerated time controls was clearly> signaled to the delegates, and the possibility of changing from Zonal to> Continental qualifying tournaments was also most certainly discussed.
> The Presidential Board had the clear authority to act as they did. That> doesn't mean we have to like all of the decisions, but it does mean that> Schultz's remarks are out of line.
> The original date for the meeting was over the Christmas Holidays in Iran. You> can understand why Steve gave it a pass. We then had about two weeks of notice> that FIDE "might" pay for someone to go to India. Personally, I think flying to> India on two weeks notice is a lot to ask of our volunteers.
> I did suggest on the conference call held to discuss this, that one of two> Board members should go, but they, quite naturally, also had conflicts. No one> thought that George would have input, but there was a case that he could make> an informed report about what happened at the meeting.
I do not see how they can be changed. It seems to be too late for change. > Again these were not arbitrary decisions. What should be undone or moderated?> The Continental system might be an improvement. How knows? We haven't seen> the details. The accelerated time controls are quite likely to be a boon.> Certainly they deserve to be tried. I spoke with our team captain, Larry> Christiansen, while we were in Istanbul, and he thought accelerated time> controls were the way to go.
I do not see how the Continental system can possibly be an improvement for America. Under the system used in the 2000 World Championship, the USA got to send about seven players directly to the World Championship. However, under the new system, the USA will send presumably about the same number of players to a Continental Championship probably held in South America somewhere. The USCF will presumably have to pay those players the same amount. I find no provision for payment by FIDE Commerce for prizes in the Continental Championships. FIDE Commerce will pay prizes in the Grand Prix and the World Cup, provided that any of our players get that far.
> This is, of course, not the root problem. As I wrote earlier, the root problem> was the lack of preparation by the WCC, so that the GA could not fully debate> and decide on these issue. If we want to improve the process, that's where we> must make the effort.
It appears that you do not know anything about the preparations which the WCC actually made. Also, you were not there. Kelleher was there from the beginning. (Of course, I was the very first to arrive. I walked into the tournament hall with my computer on October 28 at before 7:00 AM on the first day, before even the security guards had arrived.) A day or two later, Kelleher arrived. You came several days after that. Redman was the last to arrive and the first to leave. > After carefully discussing some of these proposals with our top players, I> don't see what there is to complain about. However, I haven't seen the final> details and there are questions of some ambiguity remaining to be resolved.
The reason you have not seen the final details is that obviously you have not read the handouts which were given at Istanbul. By the way, on this point, I credit Steve Doyle. He clearly did read the material. Also, when Polina, Kirsan's right hand woman, refused to give me the agenda, Steve Doyle got one for me and for that I am thankful. > In short, contrary to what Schultz implied, we are still a single Zone in FIDE,> which gives us representation on the Executive Board, the changes are neutral> regarding the US Championship, according to the best sources we had, Yaz and> Yvette, the US players will get more not less opportunity to participate in the> World Championships, and the top players can live with accelerated time> controls.
You obviously do not know what you are talking about. > Schultz misdefined the problem, so it is no surprise that he doesn't understand> the solution.


Boom Beach Hack application is available to you. Over the last couple of days has actually been trying out the appropriate operation of a hack which was a success because the hack is working perfectly and you can already download it. You are actually lucky that you have come across this Boom Beach cheat. This hack is going to operate on all operating systems: Ios, Android and Windows. Just immediately after downloading the hack, connect your mobile device for example iPhone or LG Nexus 4 and run the hack. Just After plugging in device, input required values and hit start button in the software. Application will will need just a few seconds to hack your game. . .
Boom Beach is a combat strategy game in which you battle an epic war towards the wicked Blackguard. Take your expeditionary power to amazing paradise islands invaded by the attacker. Battle for each and every beachhead, free enslaved islanders and investigate the uncharted archipelago. The fight turns out to be a race to safety harness the ancient powers hidden on the islands. Are you prepared for the BOOM?


text:
Catholic school partners to join in 'national conversation'
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
{mosimage}TORONTO - It's touted as the first "national conversation" on Catholic education in Canada.
The Catholic Education: A National Conversation conference is expected to draw 400 parents, students, teachers, school administrators, clergy and trustees to Ottawa Sept. 26-27 for the inaugural conference.
Greg McNally, executive director of the Canadian Catholic School Trustees' Association, which is sponsoring the conference, said it will be a celebration of Catholic education.
"We see this conference not as reactionary, but as an uplifting conference," he said, adding that the idea for a national conference was suggested as far back as 30 years ago but was never implemented.
Speakers include Alexandria-Cornwall Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher and Nobel Peace Prize winner and Dignitas International founder Dr. James Orbinski.
A youth panel of high school students and recent graduates will share their views on the impact of Catholic education on their lives, organizers said.
McNally said the conference's theme, "A sower went out to sow," points to the historical roots of Catholic education.
Catholic schools began hundreds of years ago with the founding of Canada and have spread from coast-to-coast.
McNally said the conference is also a way to "understand the message of Jesus in the way we live our lives and how that has an impact on how our country was formed."
"We have a great education system in Canada and Catholic schools are part of that," he said.
Conference chair Paula Peroni, head of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association, said "the coming together of our unique, broad and dynamic Catholic community" will "set the stage to go forward and ultimately to ensure the future of our Catholic schools in Canada."
The issue of public funding for Catholic schools was thrust into the spotlight during last year's Ontario provincial election.
Conservative leader John Tory initially campaigned on a promise of extending public funding to all faith-based schools but backtracked in the face of vocal public opposition to this plan.
And NDP MPP Michael Prue recently revived the debate during the launch of his party leadership campaign in late July when he said the NDP might want to reconsider its support for publicly funded Catholic schools.
However, he later said the decision would be up to the delegates who would be choosing the next leader.
For more information on the conference go to www.ccsta.ca.
More in this category: « Our schools are communities of faith	New text relates Catholicism to the other world religions »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Check out the new Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus!
It is part of the world of Bakugan and can be used with all the other pieces and cards. The Dragonoid Colossus will add to the Bakugan battle brawlers abilities. Also, the Bakugan games will be enhanced by the cards.
If you're not familiar with Bakugan games, first you have to understand that the Bakugan can't take on human forms. They come to earth as spheres and turn into their original forms once the game has started. There are earth, wind, fire and water Bakugan.
The Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus adds new dimensions to the Bakugan by giving a Bakugan battle brawler more power and a gate card. This gate card allows the player to get into a different level of play. This adds variety to the game and makes for a whole new experience.
The Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus allows you to combine up to five different pieces to create one huge monster. It's considered one of the ultimate weapons by those who play the game. It comes with it's own cards too, giving them different enhancements.
Parents like the fact that the games are inexpensive and kids love them. In this day of high priced toys, it's not easy to find such reasonably priced toys that kids love, but Bakugan is the rare exception to the rule. The modest pricing structure of this particular theme toy makes it affordable for parents, while providing 'hero status' to those lucky enough to have the Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus because it is such an impressive playing piece and one that is much sought after.
Your kids will love getting the new ultimate Bakugan battle brawler that is the Dragonoid Colossus! Watch their eyes light up as they unwrap this years best seller and revel in the holiday fun and festivities as they put their new toy to the test.
Kids love that Bakugan has video games, the card game and the television show. This toy phenomenon is expected to spawn a movie in the near future, so it is set to be more popular than ever. While the cartoon inspires much of the desire for kids to play Bakugan, the other-worldliness of the game and it's ability to reach different levels allows the game to grow with the child, is what will have them coming back for more.
There aren't a lot of games that can hold the interest of kids as they get older, but Bakugan also has an element of skill that is absent in similar games. In fact, there are plenty of adults who enjoy playing Bakugan, too. The Bakugan Dragonoid Colossus is one of the pieces that add to the enjoyment of the game.
All of these things add up to the Dragonoid Colossus being one of the hottest toys for this holiday season. Even though it will be for different reasons, you and your kids will both be happy that you got this toy.


You may have noticed that people are using the words "cross-posted" or "x-posted" on the posts for items that they are selling. This is a wonderful thing to do! What "cross-posted" or "x-posted" means is that the item that they are selling is posted in multiple buy, sell, trade sites. What this does is clear up any confusion that interested buyers might have when they comment first on a post. I've seen this scenario happen many times–someone posts an item on multiple sites, and does not list that it is cross or x-posted (you can use cross-posted or x-posted, it doesn't matter which), then the person who commented first on a page, but is really the second in line, is confused and gets mad when the item is marked as sold. Don't be the person who posts like this because you risk getting kicked out of that buy, sell, trade group. Not worth it, right? Instead, when someone says that they are interested in your item, and you already have an interested buyer who was first on another site, let that person who is second in line know that there is someone else who is first in line on the other page. It will clear up so much confusion, and make for much happier fellow group members!
Previous Post Why do people comment "bump" on their posts in buy, sell, trade groups?


text:
No Other Father Was Doing That": Lewis Hamilton Revealed the Secret Ingredient Behind His 7 F1 Championships
in News, Race, Sports
Lewis Hamilton's journey to Formula 1 has been extraordinary. The driver came from a middle-class family into a sport of the rich, thrashing away the stereotypes as he kept climbing up the ladder. And one person whom he credited for his success is his father, Anthony.
Lewis has credited his father with instilling in him a strong work ethic and a determination to succeed. He has also spoken about how much he values his father's advice and support. But more than that, he was his mentor and manager in the early days of the driver's career.
In a press conference in 2018, after his fifth driver's championship, Lewis talked about mentoring in brief. Recalling an on-track incident with his father, he said, "I always remember driving around Ride House. My dad was the only father that would go out on the track, and he would go and stand where when I was eight years old, he would go and stand where the quickest kid was sitting…"
"And my dad would go and stand where he was breaking, and he would move several meters down and say, this is where you have to break. No other father was doing that. So I'd go around and I'd try and break at that point, and I'd spin off and crash spin-off and crash, and eventually, I could do it. And that's been at the core of I've always been known as a late-breaker," he added.
Lewis couldn't be stopped at five titles, as he won two more and looks determined to get the record eighth as well. However, coming from a humble background, he knows things that need to be valued.
Relationship between Lewis Hamilton and his father
From the looks of it, given how his father is often present in the paddock and has been the driving factor behind Hamilton's success, one can agree that the relationship between the duo is close. However, it wasn't the same earlier, and the two have had a few lows over the years.
In 2010, Hamilton and his father had a fallout, and they did not speak for several months. In an interview, Hamilton said that the break in their relationship was because of a disagreement over his management team. The Mercedes driver also talks about the strict discipline that his father had over him, both on and off the track, which made him look for escape elsewhere
Tags: ConferenceDriver's championshipLewis HamiltonRide house


text:
El Donnet-Denhaut fue un hidroavión de combate diseñado para misiones de patrulla marítima y lucha antisubmarina, producido en Francia durante la Primera Guerra Mundial. Sencillamente denomimados como hidroaviones "Donnet-Denhaut" o "DD", las denominaciones DD-2, DD-8, DD-9, y DD-10 fueron aplicadas retrospectivamente para denotar los distintos cambios de configuración realizados durante su vida de servicio.

Diseño y desarrollo

Desarrollado en respuesta a un requerimiento de la Marina Francesa, se trataba de un hidroavión biplano de configuración convencional, con dos flotadores estabilizadores bajo las alas y un motor rotativo, situado entre los dos planos como disposición propulsora. La Marine Nationale encargó unas 90 aeronaves con esta configuración original (más tarde bautizada como DD-2), y en 1917 solicitó a Donnet-Denhaut una redefinición de la aeronave para aprovechar el nuevo motor Hispano-Suiza V8. Así equipado, la Marina ordenó otras 365 unidades. Para aprovechar el motor más potente, Donnet-Denhaut aumentó la envergadura alar y añadió al fuselaje un tercer puesto elevado para un segundo artillero, pasando la dotación de dos a tres tripulantes. Esta versión (más tarde denominada DD-8) llegó a ser la más producida, con quizás unas 500 unidades construidas. El DD-8 era también conocido como Donnet-Denhaut 300-hp.

En desarrollos posteriores se añadió una segunda ametralladora a cada artillero (modelo DD-9) y se adoptaron motores gemelos montados en serie (DD-10). Tras la guerra, unos cuantos DD militares sobrantes fueron remanufacturados como Donnet HB.3, que operaron comercialmente durante un tiempo.

Historial de operaciones
Además de servir con la Marina Francesa, los hidroaviones DD fueron utilizados por la Marina de los Estados Unidos en Europa, volando entre Île-Tudy y Dunkerque para proteger los convoyes del ataque de los submarinos. Los norteamericanos adquirieron 50 de estas aeronaves, y el primer ataque aéreo antisubmarino (contra el SM U-108; sin éxito) tuvo lugar el 23 de abril de 1918.

Operadores

 Marine Nationale

 Aviação Naval Portuguesa

 US Navy

Especificaciones (DD-8)

Véase también

Aviones de función, configuración y época comparables
 FBA Tipo H
 Lohner L

Referencias

Enlaces externos

DD-2
Biplanos
Hidrocanoas
Aviones propulsores monomotores
Aviones de patrulla de los años 1910 de Francia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Son of Massachusetts governor accused of groping woman on flight
Govenor Baker's son accused of groping woman on plane
MASSACHUSETTS (KTRK) -- The son of Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker is being accused of groping a woman on a flight Wednesday.
A.J. Baker, 27, and the woman were seated next to each other on a JetBlue flight.
JetBlue personnel reportedly advised Baker to stop his behavior, and moved the woman to another seat.
The airline says the crew was notified of the incident between the customers after landing, and the plane was met by local authorities.
No charges were filed.
Governor Baker spoke briefly to the media on Monday morning.
"This is an ongoing inquiry involving the U.S. Attorney's Office. We expect a fair and thorough and independent review by them and A.J. is going to cooperate fully with that review. Look I love my son, but this review needs to be done by the U.S. attorney's office. A.J. needs to cooperate, and we expect that that's what's going to happen," Governor Baker said.
The FBI said that they could not confirm or deny whether they are investigating the incident.
massachusettsgovernorgropingu.s. & worldjetblue


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text:
Q: Terminal's "Use custom default terminal size" property does not work I'm trying to make custom property for terminal size. My changes has no effect and Terminal still starts in full screen mode.

A: Your terminal starts in fullscreen mode because you set a size bigger than your current display.
Remember that the size here is not given in pixels but in characters.
The default size is 80x24, so if you tried to set up a 1920x1200 terminal this way you'll always get a fullscreen terminal window.
I'd suggest lower values to solve your problem, try first with 80x48 and slowly increase to see what fits your needs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Tag Archives: female protagonists
YA Female Protagonists in STEM
We need more female protagonists in STEM fields, especially in YA. For those of you who don't know, STEM covers science, technology, engineering, and math. The reason STEM needs to be explored more in YA fiction is to encourage young women to explore those fields in real life more.
Hold the eye rolls.
I get it. I know that there are real-life role models to look up to in those fields already. But a lot of younger people—myself included—enjoy looking up to fictional role models, too. When I was a kid, fictional characters strangely felt more attainable, more inspirational, more…like me.
Sometimes, it's easier for a fourteen-year-old to look up to a fourteen-year-old scientist rather than Marie Curie. (And more fun.) This is why I'm advocating for a bigger emphasis on STEM in YA fiction, but there's another, more personal reason as well.
Oh, hey there, science.
Here's the deal. I hated science in school. Loathed it. Biology was the hardest course for me in high school and college. I hated biology…but I loved chemistry. I also love math. I also love technology and engineering. But as a young girl, I hit a couple roadblocks while studying it.
In school, for instance, I signed up for Tech 101 instead of Home Ec. I was immediately approached by an office clerk who thought I made a mistake. On top of that, one of my teachers actually had to the gall to "make sure" I wanted to take Tech 101 instead of Home Ec since I didn't have a mother at home. If that wasn't discouraging enough, I came second place in a bridge building competition later that semester…only for the teacher to pull me aside and tell me I should've won. (The winner, it turned out, had cheated. But did the school correct it? No. I just got a secret pat on my back.) If I could tell you what it felt like to then see that boy congratulated, to hear my fellow classmates say "You almost lost to a girl, dude" like that was the worst thing ever, I would. But I still don't have words for it.
STEM didn't exactly welcome me.
I recall these moments in my life where I loved science, technology, engineering, and math—and I was good at it, too—but numerous adults in my life discouraged it anyway. Granted, I'm not saying I would've chased an engineering degree if these things hadn't happened. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would've chased English no matter what. Why? Because my university asked me to become a math major after I scored 100% on one of their harder exams…and I still turned it down.
Now I'm an author…and authors are engineers of stories. So, I set out to write a book where my protagonist is involved with science.
Kalina came to me that night. She's sixteen, a botanist, and she invents machines that help water her plants when she's too busy studying them. Botany takes on a huge role in my book. So much so that one of my critique partners asked an interesting question: How are you going to get readers to sympathize with plants instead of people?
Well…I'm not.
I'm not asking readers to sympathize with plants over people. I'm asking readers to see how interesting plants can be. To see an awesome, smart, and talented young woman studying her scientific passion. To open their minds to science.
Kalina opened my mind, and I love everything she taught me. Granted, I still can't grow a flower to save my life (especially with cats in the house), but I have a deeper appreciation for botany. Above all, I have a deeper appreciation for science.
YA readers deserve more of that, too.
Tags: author, blog, Book Review, engineering, female protagonists, females in STEM, Marie Curie, math, novel writing, publish, publishing, read, science, STEM, STEM female protagonists, STEM in YA, STEM options, studying science as a girl, technology, writing, writing female characters, writing novels, writing YA, writing young adult fiction, YA, YA discussion, young adult
Categories Publishing
#WW Help! My Female Character Is Flat
I'm guilty! Oh, so guilty.
While writing my latest manuscript for my publisher, I hit a snag 38,000 words in, and could not—for the life of me—figure out what was wrong with it. Then, I realized what happened.
My female protagonist was flat.
Allow me to back track for a little bit.
I never used to have this problem. When I first set out to write books, I honestly feel like I was a better writer than I am now. At least, in regards to the first draft. I would simply let my work be what it needed to be. Now, I'm bombarded with so many rules and expectations (some awesome, some not-so-awesome) that I end up worrying about what I should be writing instead of worrying about what my book actually is, who my characters truly are, and how things will happen naturally.
Example? Well, let's go back to where I started. My flat female character. Why was she flat? Because she wasn't flawed. So, why wasn't she flawed? Because I was afraid. I kept thinking about all the things readers want (and don't want) a female character to be. Tough but not too tough. Girly but not too girly. A good friend, a completely independent lover, a strong-minded leader, a determined dreamer, and someone who never faints from total exhaustion from all that perfect-ness.
I take issue with too much expectation, especially in young adult fiction where characters are coming of age and still trying to figure out who they are, what they want, and how they're going to achieve it. But I get it. I do. As a reader myself, I know readers are harder on female characters, because the world is harder on females in general. I have my moments, too! It's ingrained into us, after all. But I hadn't realized how much it was affecting books until my paranormal romance trilogy released last year. Spoiler warning now, I was shocked that my male protagonist could take a two-ton car, throw a hissy fit, and crash it at 100 mph without so much as a blink of judgment, while my female character was called all kinds of nasty names because she went underage drinking with her friends and got into some trouble. Personally, I think his choice was much more destructive considering how he could've killed someone else—or an entire car full of innocent people—while her reckless decision really only put herself in danger. (And she was with friends she should've been able to trust.) All that aside, though, only one of them was judged. And she was judged harshly. (Shameless plug: I'm talking about Seconds Before Sunrise.)
Being the heroine of the book means I'll get all the character criticism while the guy gets all the praise. #YAheroineproblems
— Typical YA Heroine (@TypicalYAHero) August 13, 2016
As much as I wish I could say this didn't affect me, I think it did.
Now, when I approach my female characters, I'm hesitant to let them make any mistakes at all. I'm afraid to let them cry (because they'll be deemed whiny), but I never hesitate to let my male characters cry (because when they cry, they are somehow seen as deep and approachable and need to be comforted).
It's extremely frustrating, because I am also a female, and I know these judgments extend far beyond the pages of my books. It's also why I fight my own fears to keep my female characters round. In a world that is constantly trying to flatten female characters, I will fight to keep them round. I will even fight myself—my own misconceptions and…well, flaws.
Before, I held myself back, and therefore, I held my female character back, and I apologize for that.
She is not someone I should hold back. She is strong and weak and happy and sad. She's dealing with trauma and dreaming about the future and falling in and out of what she thinks might be love (but she isn't sure), and she is reckless for all kinds of reasons. She also cares deeply about those around her…and sometimes she forgets to care about herself, too. But she will do her best and she will make mistakes, and the combination of both is what matters, because that is who she is.
I will not worry whether or not readers will hate or love or judge her, because she is her, and that is who she is supposed to be. And this is her story to tell, not mine.
Tags: book blog, female heros, female protagonists, flat characters, flat female characters, heroines, publishing, publishing tips, read, story, Typical YA Hero, write, writer problems, writers block, writing, writing female characters, writing tips, YA, young adult
Categories Writer Wednesday, Writing, Writing Tips, Young Adult
#MondayBlogs Where My Girls At?
Shannon, here, but only for a bit. Today, I have a wonderful guest blogger with an equally as wonderful guest post. Kendra L. Saunders is a time-and-space traveling fashionista author. Even better? She's broadening the horizon for female characters by featuring a protagonist in her late 20's, a very underrepresented group in fiction, and today, she's writing about why it's so important that we give this group a bit more attention. Welcome, Kendra!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in guest articles are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect my own. To show authenticity of the featured writer, articles are posted as provided (a.k.a. I do not edit them). However, the format may have changed.
Where My Girls At? by Kendra L. Saunders
Getting older is weird, isn't it? I guess for some people it happens at a pace that feels normal, and you sense yourself progressing from a teenager to a young adult, falling in love, getting married, settling down, having a kid, or getting divorced and floating around in a mansion with only your fine champagne, pool boy, and fancy lingerie collection to keep you company.
For me, aging has been a cyclical waking dream of confusing beginnings and ends, exciting adventures, and a few too many sinus issues to keep track of.
Maybe it's the artist lifestyle, but I never followed the well lit path from an early romance to a kid, steady job, functioning car, and 10pm bedtime. I've lived in Texas, New Hampshire, Idaho, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York City. I've been a cool/cute music store clerk, a waitress, a skincare saleswoman at NYC's 34th St. Macy's, a telemarketer, a caterer to celebrity guests (yay Oprah), a marketing guru for YA books, and a retail cashier, among many other jobs. I've attended New York Fashion Week (twice, and counting), had a book signing at BEA in New York City, spent two amazing weeks in England all by my lonesome for research and recreation, and been front row at some of the coolest concerts ever.
I've also lived in a haunted apartment, dealt briefly with bedbugs (eww) and saw a gang leap out from behind a parked car and shoot someone right in front of my eyes in Brooklyn one night while I walked home.
Between all of these adventures and misadventures, I've picked up female friends from all over the world, from every pay grade and lifestyle choice. One thing that many of us have in common is that we are in our 20s-40s and still putting the pieces together. The women of our modern world have a new set of challenges that they haven't before… we live in an expensive world, we work hard for what we have, and less and less of us are finding (or keeping) romantic partners, for a myriad of reasons. Many of us are finding our partners when we are older than ever before, too.
After working for a YA publisher, I saw firsthand that many readers of the increasingly popular YA genre are not actually teenagers, but ladies 20-45yrs who enjoy the fun storylines and fast pace of YA novels. At first I wondered if I had just missed out on something huge and everyone else was reliving the best years of their life. My own teenage years were a blur of anguish, loneliness, religious confusion, and abuse. Did everyone else really have all of these great adventures and romances in high school? I mean, maybe some people really did fall in love with hot vampires, go on adventures to Ibiza, sip expensive champagne, and hang out with fashion designers when they were 16. Hey, the Kardashians exist! It's possible, sure.
But the truth is, there's a scary gap in entertainment between sexy seventeen year old girls and the middle age stresses of traditional femininity. Bond girls seem to get younger and younger with every Bond movie. Even the chick lit category seems to be moving younger and older respectively. (Thank God for you, Sophie Kinsella. Please never stop writing!)
Women looking for exciting stories featuring female characters are flooding to the YA genre, because that's where all the fun stories are.
I don't see many of my friends in pop culture, and Amy Schumer can't carry the almost-30-heroine torch alone.
With my upcoming book Dating an Alien Pop Star, I have a female protagonist who's a lot like the women I know. Daisy didn't have the easiest time in her teenage years… or her early 20s… or her mid 20s. Somewhere in her late 20s she decided to take a major risk and throw away the safe life that had been pushed on her, and move to New York City. Of course she's kidnapped by aliens almost immediately, because nothing ever, ever, ever goes how you expect it to in New York.
Daisy also falls on the demi side of the sexuality spectrum, so she's avoided hookup culture and finds herself at the crossroads of 30, single, and not sure if she feels as guilty about it as society says she should. She'd really like a partner, but until she finds one worth her time, she's going to take care of herself and her dreams, thank you very much.
It gets discouraging for people like Daisy (and me, or you) when we see all the great, fun, exciting stories only going to beautiful CW-channel teenagers or twenty-one-year-olds who are preternaturally wealthy and well connected. Those stories are fun, sure, but they shouldn't be all we see. We need first time love stories with a twenty-seven year old woman. With a thirty-five year old. With a forty-one year old. There are vampires, princes/princesses, and cute firemen to be met, even if you're thirty-one. There are quests to go on, even at thirty-six. There are adventures for aromantic/asexual women who want to do something amazing and don't care about falling in love. If guys can have movies and books about their life at every single age from 10-98, shouldn't us ladies?
Kendra L. Saunders is a time-and-space traveling fashionista author who writes books about magical, dark-haired men, interviews famous people, and suggests way too many bands to you via whatever social media platform she can get her hands on. She writes with good humor because humor is the best weapon for a girl who can't learn karate (or ballroom dancing). She is the author of upcoming sci-fi rom-com DATING AN ALIEN POP STAR, upcoming fantastical comedy THE UNLOVE SPELL, the magic realism novel INANIMATE OBJECTS, the dark comedy DEATH AND MR. RIGHT and the poetry collection GEMINIS AND PAST LIVES.
Find her online at www.kendralsaunders.com, on twitter at @kendrybird, and on instagram @kendralsaunders
Dating an Alien Pop Star: Amazon
Want to be a guest blogger? I would love to have you on! I accept original posts that focus on reading and writing. Pictures, links, and a bio are encouraged. You do not have to be published. If you qualify, please email me at shannonathompson@aol.com.
Tags: Amy Schumer, asexual, asexual female characters, author, comedy, Dating an Alien Pop Star, diversity in fiction, female characters, female characters of all ages, female protagonists, guest blog, guest blogger, Kendra L. Saunders, novel writing, publishing, publishing tips, read, romance, romcom, sci-fi, underrepresented characters, write, writing advice, writing female characters, writing tips
Categories Authors, Guest Blogger, Publishing, Writing, Writing Tips


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text:
Pirate ass cops robbing motorists.
By DRUNKEN-ASSHOLE-ONER, May 6, 2009 in Channel Zero
I saw this shit on CNN earlier tonight.
Reminds me of some shit I've witnessed a couple times in Philly where the cops raid parties and tell everyone to either bounce or to jail, then they straight up rob the house all brazy as fuck with people standing across the street just watching them load up their paddy wagons with stereo equipment and TV's and shit all like "what nigga, the fuck you gonna do about it???"
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/05/texas.police.seizures/index.html
TENAHA, Texas (CNN) -- Roderick Daniels was traveling through East Texas in October 2007 when, he says, he was the victim of a highway robbery.
Police in the small East Texas town of Tenaha are accused of unjustly taking valuables from motorists.
The Tennessee man says he was ordered to pull his car over and surrender his jewelry and $8,500 in cash that he had with him to buy a new car.
But Daniels couldn't go to the police to report the incident.
The men who stopped him were the police.
Daniels was stopped on U.S. Highway 59 outside Tenaha, near the Louisiana state line. Police said he was driving 37 mph in a 35 mph zone. They hauled him off to jail and threatened him with money-laundering charges -- but offered to release him if he signed papers forfeiting his property.
"I actually thought this was a joke," Daniels told CNN.
But he signed.
"To be honest, I was five, six hundred miles from home," he said. "I was petrified." Watch CNN's Gary Tuchman try to question officials »
Now Daniels and other motorists who have been stopped by Tenaha police are part of a lawsuit seeking to end what plaintiff's lawyer David Guillory calls a systematic fleecing of drivers passing through the town of about 1,000.
Highway Robbery?
Out of the blue, drivers are pulled over. Their valuables taken ... hundreds of thousands of dollars worth. And you won't believe who's behind it all. "Highway Robbery," an AC360 investigation, tonight at 10 ET.
"I believe it is a shakedown. I believe it's a piracy operation," Guillory said.
George Bowers, Tenaha's longtime mayor, says his police follow the law. And through her lawyers, Shelby County District Attorney Lynda Russell denied any impropriety.
Texas law allows police to confiscate drug money and other personal property they believe are used in the commission of a crime. If no charges are filed or the person is acquitted, the property has to be returned. But Guillory's lawsuit states that Tenaha and surrounding Shelby County don't bother to return much of what they confiscate.
Jennifer Boatright and Ron Henderson said they agreed to forfeit their property after Russell threatened to have their children taken away.
Like Daniels, the couple says they were carrying a large amount of cash --- about $6,000 -- to buy a car. When they were stopped in Tenaha in 2007, Boatright said, Russell came to the Tenaha police station to berate her and threaten to separate the family.
"I said, 'If it's the money you want, you can take it, if that's what it takes to keep my children with me and not separate them from us. Take the money,' " she said.
"AC360°" blog
The document Henderson signed, which bears Russell's signature, states that in exchange for forfeiting the cash, "no criminal charges shall be filed ... and our children shall not be turned over" to the state's child protective services agency.
Maryland resident Amanee Busbee said she also was threatened with losing custody of her child after being stopped in Tenaha with her fiancé and his business partner. They were headed to Houston with $50,000 to complete the purchase of a restaurant, she said.
"The police officer would say things to me like, 'Your son is going to child protective services because you are not saying what we need to hear,' " Busbee said.
Guillory, who practices in nearby Nacogdoches, Texas, estimates authorities in Tenaha seized $3 million between 2006 and 2008, and in about 150 cases -- virtually all of which involved African-American or Latino motorists -- the seizures were improper.
"They are disproportionately going after racial minorities," he said. "My take on the matter is that the police in Tenaha, Texas, were picking on and preying on people that were least likely to fight back."
Daniels told CNN that one of the officers who stopped him tried on some of his jewelry in front of him.
"They asked me, 'What you are doing with this ring on?' I said I had bought that ring. I paid good money for that ring," Daniels said. "He took the ring off my finger and put it on his finger and told me how did it look. He put on my jewelry."
Texas law states that the proceeds of any seizures can be used only for "official purposes" of district attorney offices and "for law-enforcement purposes" by police departments. According to public records obtained by CNN using open-records laws, an account funded by property forfeitures in Russell's office included $524 for a popcorn machine, $195 for candy for a poultry festival, and $400 for catering.
In addition, Russell donated money to the local chamber of commerce and a youth baseball league. A local Baptist church received two checks totaling $6,000.
And one check for $10,000 went to Barry Washington, a Tenaha police officer whose name has come up in several complaints by stopped motorists. The money was paid for "investigative costs," the records state.
Washington would not comment for this report but has denied all allegations in his answer to Guillory's lawsuit.
"This is under litigation. This is a lawsuit," he told CNN.
Russell refused requests for interviews at her office and at a fundraiser for a volunteer fire department in a nearby town, where she also sang. But in a written statement, her lawyers said she "has denied and continues to deny all substantive allegations set forth."
Russell "has used and continues to use prosecutorial discretion ... and is in compliance with Texas law, the Texas constitution, and the United States Constitution," the statement said.
Bowers, who has been Tenaha's mayor for 54 years, is also named in the lawsuit. But he said his employees "will follow the law."
"We try to hire the very best, best-trained, and we keep them up to date on the training," he said.
The attention paid to Tenaha has led to an effort by Texas lawmakers to tighten the state's forfeiture laws. A bill sponsored by state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, would bar authorities from using the kind of waivers Daniels, Henderson and Busbee were told to sign.
"To have law enforcement and the district attorney essentially be crooks, in my judgment, should infuriate and does infuriate everyone," Whitmire said. His bill has passed the Senate, where he is the longest-serving member, and is currently before the House of Representatives.
Busbee, Boatright and Henderson were able to reclaim their property after hiring lawyers. But Daniels is still out his $8,500.
"To this day, I don't understand why they took my belongings off me," he said.
theres not much to be said that hasn't been said before. american cops are bullshit
I believe it
Don't get caught out of pocket in a small county here either
Your shit will get seized and never returned
milesmoodist 8
LEVEL 75 PALADIN 311
POLICE PEOPLE
OGeezuhs 10
Cops in mexico are way worse
Spitfire15 585
LOL THIS DUDES MAD BECAUSE NIGGAS THOUGHT OF SCHEMES THAT TRUMP ALL OTHERS. UMAD CUZ THE COPS STYLIN ON YOU?
CELT 117
2-C+C-2 16
Its the police, what do you expect. Shocking, but still, not unbelievable
LUGR 1,337
The story on CNN was saying how the cop targeted minorities so I was expecting some racist hillbilly Texan. When the news team tracked one of the suspected cops down for a comment he ended up being black...SURPRISE.
swineflu. 14
wow this is an eye opener,
i blame them for the recession
GnomeToys 331
Off a pig.


text:
// Copyright 2022 Google LLC
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.

/**
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package com.google.api.ads.admanager.axis.v202202;

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
«Виклик» () — радянський художній фільм 1986 року, знятий режисером Ігорем Коловським на кіностудії «Білорусьфільм».

Сюжет
Спортсменка Ніна Богуш у найважчій боротьбі виграє титул чемпіонки світу з фехтування. Чоловік Ніни — теж спортсмен, капітан збірної з верхової їзди. Постійні роз'їзди заважають подружжю завести дітей та створити повноцінну родину. Олексій хоче, щоб дружина залишила великий спорт та народила дитину, але Ніна ще не готова розлучитися зі спортивною кар'єрою. А Олексія останнім часом переслідує смуга невдач.

У ролях

 Тетяна Ташкова — Ніна Богуш, лідер збірної країни з фехтування, чемпіонка світу та олімпійських ігор
 Віктор Тарасов — Степан Ілліч Саєнко, тренер з фехтування
 Галина Казакова — Майя Круглова, молода перспективна фехтувальниця
 Юрій Шаршов — Сева, тренер з фізпідготовки команди фехтувальників
 Петро Юрченков — Олексій Вольнов, чоловік Ніни, спортсмен, капітан збірної з верхової їзди
 Павло Кормунін — Павло Васильович, тренер з верхової їзди
 Олег Янченко — Олег, музикант
 Олександр Аржиловський — психолог
 Ростислав Шмирьов — роль другого плану
 Анатолій Длуський — роль другого плану
 Ірина Нарбекова — фехтувальниця
 Мілена Тонтегоде — Сільвія Валлуччі, італійська фехтувальниця
 Іван Мацкевич — Іван, товариш Олексія
 Олександр Домогаров — молодий чоловік у салоні літака
 Тамара Муженко — епізод
 Ніна Розанцева — епізод
 Тетяна Волкова — епізод
 Володимир Зубенко — французький тренер
 Н. Зиков — епізод
 Олександр Кашперов — фотограф
 Юлія Мазанкіна — епізод
 Микола Смирнов — епізод
 Маша Зиміна — епізод
 Надя Шепель — епізод
 Саша Бондаренко — епізод
 Василь Молодцов — епізод
 Абдужабор Турдиєв — артист кінного атракціону

 Знімальна група
 Режисер — Ігор Коловський
 Сценаристи — Фаїна Антипова, Елеонора Мілова
 Оператор — Борис Оліфер
 Композитори — Андрій Леденьов, Олег Янченко
 Художник — Володимир Чернишов

 Посилання
 Виклик на сайті kino-teatr.ru''

Фільми СРСР 1986


text:
Tag: Virant
Awaiting Virant's Call, Bratušek Mulls Minority Government
While caretaker PM Janez Janša was busy signing a memorandum on Ljubljanska banka (LB) bank with his Croatian counterpart Zoran Milanović, his likely successor Alenka Bratušek was busy hammering out a deal that would see her cabinet sworn in on Thursday. And while the deal between two Balkan states is to delegate the problem, indeed the very decision what in fact constitutes the problem, to the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements (and got a perfunctory pat on the back for it), Bratušek is seeing her problems shape-shift, forcing her to come up with plan B, that is to say, the possibility of forming a minority government.
Plenty of people fretted about the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH) and the bad bank which were seen as the main sticking points between Igor Lukšič's Social Democrats (SD) and Gregor Virant's Citizens' List (DL). The brain-child of outgoing finance minister and DL's no. 2 man Janez Šušteršič these issues were seen as possible deal breakers, especially since Šušteršič was adamant about how bad bank collecting bad debt and then covering it by selling assets concentrated in SDH is the only way to go about solving the crisis.
But some days ago, while he was in a head-to-head with his predecessor of social-democratic persuasion Franc Križanič, he made a seemingly off-hand remark about how there will still have to be some form of bank recapitalisation directly by the state (i.e. taxpayers). Which goes along the lines of his being adamant how not an euro of taxpayers' money will be spent on recapitalising the NLB but did precisely that only months later. Križanič, on the other hand, was in his merry-go-happy mood and went on how state recapitalisation is cheaper and more transparent and is basically just an accounting operation as the state already parked vast amounts of cash in the banks. If it's so easy and effective, why hasn't it been done yet, then? Preferably while Križanič was the head-beancounter in the country?
However, that seems to be water under the bridge. For all its importance, the SD/DL spat was apparently solved fairly easily. But the bill is being presented to Bratušek personally. The deal with SD brought DL on the verge of a schism. The Šušteršič-led faction in the party fell out with Virant-led part over leaving Janša's coalition and those wounds haven't even begun to heal when the bad bank/state holding compromise was reached, further alienating the Šušteršič wing. Which means Virant has to give them something fast, lest he sees his party break into two for good. That "something" is, predictably, the energy department.
Under existing government organisation, the said department is within the portfolio of ministry of infrastructure. It is to be a part of DL quota, but Bratušek was looking to move the energy department into a PS-ran portfolio (possibly economy). Latest reports indicate that Virant won that particular round and got Bratušek to back down. While no details have emerged yet, pengovsky is speculating Bratušek agreed to Virant's demands on condition that she gets to veto a nominee for that particular ministerial post.
But while the horse-trading session is still on, PM-designate Bratušek is being dragged through the mud by the more rabid part of the right-wing (i.e.: the Party and its media entourage). Riding on the coat-tails of several high-profile plagiarising cases recently discovered in Slovenia, an anonymous (!) letter circulated the interwebz, supposedly revealing that Bratušek did not write her master's thesis according to academic standard. The university had initiated proceedings in establishing authenticity of her work, but the story stuck and the damage was done.
This allowed Virant to be righteous yet again (after walking out on Janša over the anti-graft report) and demanded Bratušek resign all positions should her thesis be shown plagiarised. Apparently, Bratušek agreed. But the thing is that for the more fervent part of the right-wing, she is already guilty beyond any reasonable doubt and will be dogged by this for the entire duration of her term. That the Party faithful are serious banging this particular drum for the foreseeable future is obvious by the fact that they've even set up a Wikia page, citing alleged academic transgressions of the would-be prime minister.
In case you're wondering about SDS connection into these plagiarism accusations: Party-friendly media reported that, university inquiry aside, the "lead investigators" in this matter are Bernard Brščič, a never-realised economic wunderkind of Hayekian persuasion and Janez Janša's recent edition to his ever-increasing number of staff-appointees and Matej Makarovič, former head of SDS youth organisation, dean of FUDŠ, a right-wing-friendly university and a regular talking head when the cause of the Party needs to be advanced. Not only does the academic Duo Fantasticus not instil confidence in their work, they're doing it at the behest of the Party which – as we know – doesn't really have a clean bill of health when it comes to handling of archive material.
EDIT (12/03/12@1000hrs): SDS youth organisation just announced on Twitter it will deliver an annotated copy of Bratušek's M.A. to every parliamentary group, supposedly proving plagiarism accusations. Of course, potentially different findings of the university committee will be dismissed as a conspiracy.
This is the setting in which Bratušek is waiting for DL to make the call. If Šušteršič wing prevails, she will have to put forward a minority government, which could be confirmed with an absolute majority with the understanding that DL or any other party or parliamentary group will consider its support on a case-by-case basis. Alternatively, the whole deal can still go down the drain, with the PM-designate being blocked to name even two thirds of her ministers in three consecutive votes, thus triggering early elections.
At any rate, until a new government is sworn in Janez Janša is still very much holding the reins of power since there is no legislation on dos and donts of a caretaker government. More will be known tomorrow, so watch this space.
P.S.: Apologies for being mum for a week. Things to see, people to do and all that jazz…
Posted on March 12, 2013 March 12, 2013 Categories SloveniaTags Alenka Bratušek, Bratušek, Gregor Virant, Igor Lukšič, Janša, Janez Janša, Slovenia, Virant
Indecent Proposal (How Many Ways To Say "Fuck You"?)
The SDS of Janez Janša and DLGV of Gregor Virant had a bit of a fall-out in the past few days over the position of the State Prosecution office after the ongoing reshuffle of public administration. The whole thing escalated into a very public spat with DLGV saying that SDS made an unacceptable offer when they offered that the coalition agreement be suspended in the part which provided for the prosecution to be moved under the jurisdiction of the minister of interior, but under the condition that justice minister Senko Pličanič of DLGV resigns if no viable results are shown within a year.
Janša and Virant a month before the elections (photo: Borut Kranjc/Mladina)
Now, as you very well know, little love is lost between DLGV and pengovsky and truth be told, they've more or less themselves to blame for this latest cock-up. It all goes back to the time when Gregor Virant thought he has everyone by their balls and was trying to play both ends (Janković and Janša) against the middle during the coalition negotiations. Back then he demanded that the prosecution be moved under the interior portfolio, having already earmarked his man Jani Soršak for the post. But once Virant gave the finger to Zoran Janković, he was stuck with Janša no matter what and all of a sudden found that his ego was writing checks his body couldn't cash. Janša came back hard, had Soršak move out of the arena via a quick-and-dirty smear campaign and had his very own Vinko Gorenak installed as minister of interior.
Naturally, DLGV had a very quick change of heart and demanded that the prosecution remain within the justice department "for reasons of political hygiene" (in other words, they saw the light). They were not heard and the government (including DLGV ministers) approved the reorganisation of the public administration, moving prosecution into the interior portfolio. Thus an SDS minister had within his sphere of influence both the police and the prosecution at the time when his party boss is being tried for charges of corruption and bribery.
Still, DLGV wouldn't let go of it as Pličanič and Virant demanded the coalition agreement be amended and prosecution returned to the justice portfolio, which was part crying over spilt milk, part gutsy move. You see Janša and his SDS could have stonewalled the issue. The move was made, decision passed, case closed, et cetera. Instead they wanted to teach Virant a lesson, offering him to move the prosecution back to justice department, provided that minister Pličanič resigns his post if no results are shown within a year.
Yep, you read it right the first time. A senior coalition party said a minister of another coalition party must pack his bags should he not perform according to its expectations. This fact alone speaks volumes about how the SDS sees the coalition as its own backyard where everybody dances to their tune. The goal of the exercise was not just protecting political gains brought to them on the platter by way of Virant being overambitious early in the game, they had to humiliate DLGV as well. Had the latter accepted the deal, it would have thrown itself at Janša's feet and Pličanič might as well have resigned immediately, because the SDS does not specify what exactly it means by "viable results of the prosecution". Presumably shaping the justice after their own image.
Be that as it may, DLGV obviously had to turn down the offer if it wanted to keep some sort of a face. In fact, by saying that the offer insulting, DLGV came as close to a "fuck you" as humanly possible without them being carried out of the coalition legs-first. Whether or not this is a first real crack in the coalition remains to be seen. Sure enough, the SDS faithful went after Virant and Pličanič with full force when the news broke. But then again, they were praising DLGV as a god-send when Virant picked Janša over Janković, so their acid out-pour was to be expected. But since the end result equals zero and the prosecution remains with the ministry of the interior, you can be sure that neither side will soon forget the acts of one another. But at the very least, the DLGV managed to wash their hands of their foley and can now put the blame for any future cock-ups in this department squarely at the SDS. Oh, and one more thing: this is the final proof that Virant's election adventure was not just a Janša spin-off, but rather the real deal.
Posted on March 8, 2012 March 9, 2012 Categories SloveniaTags DLGV, Gregor Virant, Janša, Janez Janša, Janković, Karl Erjavec, SDS, Virant4 Comments on Indecent Proposal (How Many Ways To Say "Fuck You"?)
In what was something of a surprise, president Danilo Türk said in a press conference earlier today that he asked Marko Voljč if he'd take on the nomination for the post of the Prime Minister. Formerly CEO of Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), the largest bank in the country, he was forced to step down in 2003 in the wake of the so called Sigma Affair, when the bank entered a prolonged period of epic fails after implementing a new IT solution called Sigma which wasn't all that was cracked up to be and wrecked temporary havoc with people's bank accounts. Voljč moved on to become head of the regional division of the Belgian KBC which bought 34% of NLB in 2002. But today is not Voljč's first foray into politics.
Marko Voljč in the middle (source: Vijesnik.hr via Delo.si)
Way back in 1992, when it became obvious that the first democratically elected government of Lojze Peterle was more or less in disarray, Marko Voljč (who was until then with the World Bank in Central America) was put forward as a challenger to Peterle in a no-confidence vote but lost by five votes. Eventually Peterle was ousted by Janez Drnovšek and soon thereafter Voljč became CEO of NLB where he stayed until 2003.
Testing waters
The President's announcement today doesn't mean that Voljč is nominated. What The Prez did was floated Voljč's name for the political parties to consider whether the 44-44 stalemate between left- and right-wing parties could be broken. Specifically, this puts the spotlight on DeSUS of Karl Erjavec and DLGV of Gregor Virant. The former is apparently under pressure from party ranks not to join a possible Janša coalition, whereas Virant said more than once that a third person should be put forward, i.e. someone who is neither Janez Janša nor Zoran Janković.
While on the surface the Prez's suggestion might seem bi-partisan and an attempt to break the political impasse, it could very well backfire. Sure, Virant will have a hard time explaining how or why he wouldn't support someone from outside the immediate political field, but since his ratings are on the low end of the single-digit territory, his clout is all but gone and he seems to be already in Janša's pocket. OK, so anything can happen and Virant is more than capable of shooting himself in the knee repeatedly, but reneging first on Janković and then on Janša will only speed up his political demise.
But as things stand, Virant may actually stand a chance of skipping Voljč and living to tell about it. Namely, what President Türk did today was not the most brilliant of political moves. True, the PM need not first be elected to the parliament to take the post, but nominating someone who did not even run, much less got elected while there's a potential PM nominee on the political right is not exactly kosher. Sure, Janez Janša faces exactly the same problem as Zoran Janković did, in that he can only count on 44 votes and then lure "rats" from the left side of the spectrum across the isle, but if Zoran Janković was extended the privilege of being nominated, the same courtesy should be extended to Janša.
Speak now or forever hold your peace
In round two of the "find the PM" reality show things admittedly get much more serious. This is the final round where an absolute majority is needed and a reasonably stable government can be formed. Should this round give us no PM, however, a third round is possible, where only a relative majority is needed. In pengovsky's opinion, president Türk should have waited with his "outside of the box" solution until then.
Regardless of the outcome, it would be only fair to let Janša have a crack at forming the coalition. It was also due to his actions that round one failed and leader of the SDS should be allowed to try and pick up the pieces. Namely, if he failed (something that depends heavily on Karl Erjavec and DeSUS), he'd be hard pressed to do anything but forever hold his peace and press the "yes" button during votes. Optimistic, I know, but there you have it. But what the President did was go head to head against Janša, who now only needs keep Virant in check, thus undermining Voljč as a nominee (the banker-man apparently said he'd want bipartisan support) and politically humiliate President Türk, who would thus score his second strike-out.
Zoran Janković said minutes ago that his PS would support Voljč, but that only means 28 votes. Luckily, Türk didn't officially nominate Voljč, but the damage is done. Shitstorm continues.
Posted on January 18, 2012 January 18, 2012 Categories SloveniaTags Danilo Türk, Gregor Virant, Janša, Janez Janša, Karl Erjavec, Prime minister, Virant, Zoran Janković2 Comments on The Prez Floats Banker As Possible PM Nominee


The Attorney General for Northern Ireland, John Larkin QC, today visited the University of Ulster and revealed a new and exciting career opportunity in his own office.
Addressing final year law students on the Jordanstown campus he said: "Like everyone else, these are difficult times for solicitors and even harder times for those wishing to enter the profession.
"Everyone is feeling the squeeze and as a result not as many solicitors are taking on the role of 'master' (a solicitor with whom a trainee serves an apprenticeship).
"With this in mind, I have instigated a traineeship in my office starting in September 2012.
Full details of the scheme will be revealed online tomorrow but interested students must by April 12 this year, hold a first round result letter from either the Graduate School or the Institute and be provisionally accepted for a place on the solicitor's course.
The successful applicant will receive a salary of £15,000 and will also have 50 per cent of their tuition fees paid.
"It is an honour that the Attorney General has taken time to visit our final year law students.
"The majority of students graduating with a law degree in Northern Ireland apply to undertake professional training in this jurisdiction and, because the number of places is limited, this has always been a highly competitive process.
"However, the economic downturn of recent years has had a particular and detrimental impact on the prospects of those considering becoming solicitors because, in order to be in a position to commence professional training, each applicant must also be able to find an established solicitor willing to act as their 'master'.
"Increasingly, as firms economise, the availability of masters has become a decisive factor in determining how many trainee places can be taken each year. In that context the announcement today by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland is both timely and welcome.
The announcement of any traineeship will always be welcome, however the chance to be trained within the office of the Attorney General and to experience the particular workload and expertise of that office represents a unique opportunity for a successful graduate.
Full details of the scheme and an application form will be available on the Attorney General's website (www.attorneygeneralni.gov.uk) from tomorrow (Tuesday 13 March 2012).


Investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office have arrested Niklaus Anthony Bennett, 20, of 8 Rosemary Lane, Greenville in connection with the murder of Jamel Wingfield, who was shot and killed on January 26th. Bennett has also been charged with the shooting death of William Ramirez, which occurred on January 27th, on Lakeside Road in Piedmont. During the course of investigation, investigators learned that Bennett, Ramirez and several other parties went to 25 Fleetwood Drive with the intent of committing a robbery. Once at the apartment, Ramirez shot and killed Jamel Wingfield. The next day, Ramirez, Bennett and 20 year-old, Stephon Rasheid Sherman drove to the end of Lakeside Road where Ramirez was ultimately gunned down by Bennett and Sherman. Bennett has been charged with two Counts of Murder and two Counts of Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime. Sherman, 500 Winwood Rd. #2021, Greenville, has been charged with Murder and Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime. Investigators are continuing to investigate both incidents in an effort to identify other potential suspects and ask for anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers of Greenville at 23-CRIME.


text:
Luhrs, Sarah J. – Obituary
Sarah J. Luhrs, 88, formerly of North Powder and La Grande, died Tuesday March 11 in Eugene.
A service will be start at noon Monday at West Lawn Funeral Home in Eugene. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to noon at West Lawn Funeral Home.
Mrs. Luhrs was born March 1, 1920 in North Powder to Dick and Enolia (Gorham) Brothers.
She married John Luhrs on Aug. 23, 1938 in Wallowa. They were married 47 years. John Luhrs died Feb. 16, 1984.
She was a foster home care giver in La Grande, Corvallis, and Clarkston, Wash. She had lived in the Lane County area since 1961.
Mrs. Luhrs was a 63-year member of and past president of Eagles 275. She had received the Lady of Charity Award, the Eagle of the Year honor and was in the Eagle Hall of Fame.
Survivors include a son Richard of Eugene and daughters Carrie (Pat) Biggs of Eugene, Lola Gray of Dinuba, Calif., and Jean (Lynn) Funk of Salem.
She had 18 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren.
Contributions may made to Sacred Heart Hospice, Northside Baptist Church or a charity of choice in care of Forest Lawn Funeral Home, P.O. Box 22210, Eugene, 97402.
La Grande Observer – Obituaries for the week ending March 15, 2008 – Published March 13, 2008
Submitted by Dixie Ricker
Luhrs,
Asotin County WA, Benton County OR, Clarkston Washington, Corvallis Oregon, La Grande Oregon, North Powder Oregon, Union County OR, Wallowa County OR, Wallowa Oregon,
White, Judy Wallis. Union County, Oregon Obituaries. Published by AccessGenealogy.com. Copyright 1999-2013, all rights reserved.


LEXINGTON, MA — October 6, 2011 —Imprivata® the #1 independent single sign-on (SSO) and access management provider for healthcare and other regulated industries, today announced that it has received a Strong Positive rating in Gartner's report entitled, MarketScope For Enterprise Single Sign-on1. Strong Positive is the highest possible Marketscope rating and a vendor rated as such is viewed to be a provider of strategic products, services or solutions. Gartner advises current customers to continue with planned investments, and potential customers to consider a vendor in this category as a strong choice for strategic investments.
According to Gartner's report entitled, Single Sign-On and the Real-Time Healthcare System2, "the requirements and demands of the Real Time Health System are opening up new opportunities for SSO vendors in healthcare — particularly in the areas of shared workstation support, seamless roaming and workflow." Imprivata's No Click Access® has set it apart from other solutions, especially in healthcare where it has become the de facto standard for simplifying clinician workflows required for the adoption electronic health records (EHR). "The objective analysis and findings in the Gartner SSO Marketscope, and Imprivata's Strong Positive rating, reflect what we believe our customers experience: Imprivata OneSign is the foundation for highly-efficient electronic workflows optimized by fast and simplified access to critical data such as protected health information", commented Ed Gaudet, Chief Marketing Officer at Imprivata.
Imprivata OneSign® is an identity and access management platform that integrates user authentication, user access, password management and aggregated audit data in one secure and easy-to-manage appliance. Access control is simplified with centrally managed authentication and access policies that integrate physical and IT security across your entire organization, around the globe.
Imprivata has received numerous product awards and top review ratings from leading industry publications and analysts, including a Strong Positive rating in Gartner's 2010 and 2011 ESSO Marketscopes, the #1 ranking in the KLAS SSO Performance report and the #1 rating in 2010 Best in KLAS and Category Leaders report. Headquartered in Lexington, Mass., Imprivata partners with over 200 resellers, and serves the access security needs of more than 1,300 customers around the world. For more information, please visit www.imprivata.com or follow us on Twitter at @Imprivata.


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Colorado HealthCare Assoc. - Safety National Casualty Corp.
Garden Regional Hospital & Med Center, Inc.
CERTIFIED POWER TRAIN SPECIALISTS, INC.
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES GRP. SELF-INSUR. ASSOC.
HEALTH CARE GRP. SELF-INSUR. ASSOC.
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RED LAKE BAND OF CHIPPEWA IND.


Are you ready for the next step in auto-enrolment pension contributions?
*Set 2 – where pensionable pay is at least 85% of total earnings.
Hopefully you will have already budgeted for the additional pension contribution cost increase to the business. If not, it is important that you consider the cost implications which will arise from these increases.
You should think about a communication strategy for your employees which explains the changes, as they are also likely to need to budget for the increase.
Consider whether your current scheme and pensionable pay definition is still appropriate. Many companies reacted to the initial auto enrolment legislation and put in place a basic scheme with contributions at the lowest possible level, which may not be competitive in the market. Pension contributions are likely to be your biggest employee spend after salary so making sure your employees understand and value your pension scheme is important.


Eimear Mulhern was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Robert J Goff & Co. Plc in March 2008 and has been Chairman of Goffs Bloodstock Sales since 2005, when she succeeded Michael Osborne. She is an established and successful breeder and consignor through her Abbeville & Meadowcourt Studs.
Eimear has given considerable service to the bloodstock industry over the years and has been involved at every level of the business including; Chairman of The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Chairman of the European Breeders Association,Chairman of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, Director Irish Horse Racing Authority,Board Member of the Irish Equine Centre, and Board Member of the Racing Apprentice Centre.
Eimear currently holds the following positions; Chairman of Robert J. Goff & Co. Plc, Chairman of Goffs Bloodstock Sales, Director Arqana SA, Director Horse Racing Ireland, Committee Member Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, Council Member Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association. Eimear also serves on the Board of the Mater Hospital Foundation.


A couple months ago I finally had the opportunity to delve into last October's release of Universal's Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection on Blu-ray, a simultaneously rewarding and frustrating experience. In each case the Blu-ray versions offer visible, and in some cases major, improvements over the older DVDs. But a number of the discs also betray a surprising degree of inconsistency and carelessness. Based on what I am seeing in the transfers, it appears that many (but not all) of the problems in the set are due in part to improperly applied or overly broad "grain-management" or digital video noise reduction tools at the encoding stage. Since Universal is releasing many of discs individually starting this summer, it will be interesting to see whether some of the problems identified below get fixed in the stand-alone releases.
There are already numerous reviews online, so I will forego detailed reviews for every disc in the set; the bulk of this piece will focus on the grain problems I observed. I recommend that you track down the reviews by Robert Harris in his column at Home Theater Forum. His takes on the individual discs are summarized here. Another knowledgeable source is Nick Wrigley, a longtime DVD and Blu-ray producer for Masters of Cinema, who authored the must-read essay "Crimes Against the Grain" for the December 2012 issue of Sight and Sound. He has reviewed the Hitchcock Blu-rays on his blog.
On the positive side, the black-and-white films (Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt) look excellent. In Rope the encoding seems OK, but the 35mm print used contains prominent color fringing due to misaligned Technicolor matrices. This might require an expensive restoration to fix, assuming that it is even technically possible. The Man Who Knew Too Much benefits from the enhanced detail of the VistaVision format, but the color is very uneven. Not only do some sequences have a prominent yellowish tinge, but even within individual sequences the color timing does not always match up well between shots. I think that Universal could have gotten much better results with this film if they had spent more time on it. The Trouble with Harry is largely excellent, though it has a curious visual artifact–occasional ghosting in the image–that I believe has to do with jumping frames or registration problems and may be inherent to the VistaVision negative. Since VistaVision used a horizontally fed 35mm negative, any such jumping would have been side-to-side rather than vertical, and indeed the ghosting is horizontal. My initial impression is that Vertigo looks strong throughout, perhaps because it was shot in Vistavision and thus has high density of detail and a finer grain structure. I found myself spotting many details in the production design that I had not noticed before.
Here is where we get to the grain problems.
Rear Window. The new transfer mostly looks gorgeous. But in one shot at the beginning, mesh-patterned grain briefly appears in the sky. Several shots also have had too much grain removed. The iconic shot of Grace Kelly kissing James Stewart is marred by sharp horizontal banding in the background, an basic video compression artifact. This is difficult to forgive, since it is one of the best-known shots in the film. Still, the detail and color are mostly excellent on this Blu-ray.
The Birds. I recently saw a new 35mm print of the film, and the Blu-ray's overall look closely follows that print, including the minor discrepancies in the look of location versus studio footage and the heavily diffused closeups of Tippi Hedren. I am sympathetic with Harris's point about the need to use noise reduction and grain equalization for a consistent look on video because of the many process shots and complex production history of the film. Even so, there are places where the grain seems to swim on top of the image, and at times it becomes distracting.
Marnie. The color looks good, but the encoding contains a very obtrusive layer of digital noise (or faux grain). If you are viewing from a smaller screen or from a distance, it may be less obvious. I found it obvious indeed on my 46" Samsung LCD TV. As Nick Wrigley observed, for some strange reason it clears up suddenly in the last couple reels of the film. However, the color timing also changes markedly at that point–the skin tones take on a purplish hue. The kind of mesh-patterned grain mentioned above in Rear Window is very prominent in the first shot of the film. Some reviewers have expressed uncertainty whether this mesh pattern in the sky is something inherent to the photographic image, but I am inclined to say that it is a video encoding artifact given its brief presence in Rear Window as well. Marnie should have looked a lot better than it does.
Frenzy. A monumental failure. They have gone completely overboard with DVNR so that the image has a waxy look throughout; critical detail has been scrubbed away. During a key point in the film–when the camera backs down a stairway and out the door–digital banding becomes all obvious, blunting the scene's emotional impact. As with Rear Window, these artifacts appear in what is arguably the film's most famous shot. How can a major company like Universal release a Blu-ray like this for the most important film in late-period Hitchcock?
Family Plot is indeed the disaster that everyone claims, and if there were any justice Universal would recall the disc and set up an exchange program. The encoding software appears to be fighting the heavily fluctuating grain levels on the print and losing badly. Many shots crawl with digital faux-grain as a result. I suspect that Universal could have obtained better results simply by dialing down the filters and allowing the grainy, mediocre look of the old transfer to stand on its own. Nobody would have been thrilled with the results, and it still would have been the weakest Blu-ray in the set, but it might have been acceptable. Even so, it still looks better than the DVD in the older red velvet Masterpiece Collection DVD box set. Revisiting that DVD, I was surprised at just how bad it looked in retrospect.
To be fair, the films in this collection were made over a span of more than thirty years (1942-1976), during which time film stocks changed a great deal, as did studio production practices in general. Moreover, it is understandable that Universal would invest more resources into the transfers of Rear Window and Vertigo than they would some of Hitchcock's lower profile films. But even allowing for these practical considerations, Universal still could have spend more time and effort to bring these Blu-rays up to the level of standard catalog releases by the other major studios. They are Hitchcock films, after all.
I'm glad I bought the set, but equally glad that I picked it up for a substantial discount (a well-timed Amazon Lightning Deal late last year) – I reckon I ended up paying a fair price for the high-quality Blu-rays and could regard the mediocre-to-terrible ones as a free bonus.
I'm a lot more inclined to forgive The Birds' faults than some have been because a film with that many process shots is always going to be a challenge to render convincingly on Blu-ray, but Marnie, Frenzy and especially Family Plot are indeed abysmal, with the latter very possibly the worst Blu-ray transfer in my entire collection.
That's a fair-minded way to approach it.
Honestly, The Birds might not have looked problematic if I had not been viewing it alongside all the more seriously flawed titles and considering them together. Its faults are quite minor compared to those in Marnie, Frenzy and Family Plot. What annoys me is that Marnie and Frenzy are two particular favorites of mine.
I'm glad that I did not buy the set, even at a discount, but checked out my library's copy a couple of times for close study. It may be too much to hope for, but perhaps Universal will fix the most problematic titles when they release them individually.
Family Plot is indeed a disaster on Blu Ray. I recently bought an upcoding Samsung 4K 65 inch TV. On this set, the super grainy Family Plot is so hard to look at I turned it off. I'll wait until someone figures out how to do this transfer better. It's a shame that Hitch doesn't get more respect. I found Frenzy to be OK, although it has a little of that "soap opera effect" look. I looks like the boys in the lab must've been distracted or maybe they just didn't care.