text:
A Native Nation's Impossible Fight to Stop Trump's Wall From Dividing Its Land
The Kumeyaay are trying to block construction—and run out the clock on the Trump presidency.
DW Gibson
Members of the Kumeyaay band of Indians and demonstrators rally at the United States-Mexico border to protest construction of new wall being constructed on their ancestral grounds on July 1 in Boulevard, California.Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty
In the remote California desert about 50 miles east of San Diego, five protesters gather around a backhoe parked at the US-Mexico border. The sun owns the cloudless sky, and dust coats everyone's skin. A construction worker flips through a set of keys, preparing to dig a trench for a new stretch of President Trump's border fence, while the protesters try to engage him. He doesn't give them any reaction until the moment before he steps up into the cab: "You're trespassing."
"You're trespassing on Kumeyaay land!" says one of the protesters.
"It's government land," the worker replies, and starts the engine.
"He's going to try to move it," shouts one of the protesters, prompting three others to climb into the backhoe's giant bucket. After a minute, the worker shuts off the engine, descends from the cab, and walks away.
Similar scenes to this one, from July, have unfolded repeatedly. The protesters are Kumeyaay, members of a nation of 13 tribes that have shared culture, language, and land for more than 12,000 years. Originally, they lived in an area that encompassed all of present-day San Diego County and much of Baja California. The Spanish moved into the area in 1769, Mexico drove out Spain by 1821, and the United States drew a border in 1848 after a two-year war with Mexico. That relatively new political line partitioned the Kumeyaay's land, putting half in Mexico and half in the United States.
Since then, the Kumeyaay have become experts at protecting what remains of their sovereignty. When Congress outlawed indigenous religious ceremonies in 1883, the Kumeyaay starting holding "fiestas" that look a lot like county fairs, with baseball games, pie-eating contests, and tug-of-war competitions. Then, late at night, they would sneak in their religious events.
Today, even though the Kumeyaay land includes open desert that abuts the international line and members of the tribes live on both sides, Border Patrol requires that Kumeyaay obtain advance written permission to cross. The person in charge of filing the requests told me it's become harder and harder to get approval under the Trump administration. Some Kumeyaay skirt the system and cross their ancient desert without permission, but that will soon be impossible: In June, the US Army Corps of Engineers began construction on a 30-foot high barrier made of steel bollards which will, for the first time, physically divide all of the Kumeyaay land in half.
On August 11, one of the tribes filed a lawsuit to stop work while various legal questions are settled. Trump has promised to complete 450 miles of new fencing by the end of the year, including the 14-mile stretch through Kumeyaay land. Joe Biden has pledged to stop construction along the border if elected, though he has also said he won't tear down any fencing that's in place when he takes office. The Kumeyaay know that their only hope for avoiding the irreparable severing of their land is to run out the clock on the Trump administration and stave off work for a few more months.
And so they've been showing up regularly to block the tanker trucks and flatbeds, backhoes and cranes. Today, by some estimates, there are 5,000 Kumeyaay living in the United States and 1,500 in Mexico, and sometimes nearly 100 of them show up for the protests. But most days there are about 20 and they arrive by 5:30 a.m. to beat the workers, who in turn are trying to beat the heat, which can reach 90 degrees by 8 a.m. during the summer. Under a dark blue sky, the protesters circle up for a sunrise ceremony with prayers and songs. In the early days of protests, before things became more confrontational with law enforcement, the circle spread out across the border, as Kumeyaay from the United States and Mexico joined together to sing to the pulse of rattles, shuffling their feet in unison. "It's really powerful to have the Kumeyaay from Baja come up," says Olympia Beltran, who's been at the protests regularly since the beginning of July. "To have dancers and singers from both sides meet face-to-face just shows how insignificant the physical line is. It demonstrates the power of an ancient society."
In the early 2000s, fencing through privately owned land near Kumeyaay cultural sites was funded by donors who got to design placards. This one still stands.
The protests gained traction in a matter of days—videos of scenes like the backhoe standoff went viral, and Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted in support. In response, the Army Corps adapted by shifting between locations along the 14-mile construction zone.
"There's no way to catch up," says Angela Elliott Santos, the chair of the Manzanita band of Kumeyaay. "When we stop them at a critical site, they turn on machines at a different site."
There are laws that protect the environment and the Kumeyaay from invasive construction projects, but the Real ID Act of 2005 gave the homeland security secretary broad authority to disregard those laws in the interest of national security. In March, acting secretary Chad Wolf waived 28 laws to build this particular stretch of border fencing, including the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Even so, the US government is legally required to enter into "consultation" with the tribes to make sure their cultural sites are protected. Whether the government has fulfilled this obligation depends on how one defines consultation.
Border Patrol won't answer specific questions about the protests because of ongoing litigation. The agency did send letters to Kumeyaay tribes in March, informing them that the laws would be waived and the work would commence. A written statement from Border Patrol in August emphasized the agency's commitment to "responsible environmental stewardship" and said there had been "several conversations" with Kumeyaay leaders.
Informal conversations at worksites have taken place between Border Patrol and protesters, but "there has never been a formal government-to-government consultation," says Michelle LaPena, the lawyer representing the La Posta band of Kumeyaay. In previous cases involving other tribes, consultation has also included giving certified cultural monitors access to the construction sites. If the monitors make any significant discoveries, such as pottery or human remains, then work stops so these items can be recovered and construction plans can be amended, if possible, to minimize the impact on the site. "Remains should be respectfully treated, moved out of the way, and given to the tribe so they can be respectfully reburied," says LaPena.
Kumeyaay protesters who were onsite when work began in late June say there were no monitors present. After the protests gained attention, the Army Corps started giving monitors access to worksites, but it didn't change much. "They took me to monitor an area where the bedrock had already been blown up," says John Eagle Spirit Elliott, a certified Kumeyaay cultural monitor. "When the dust settles after an explosion like that, you really can't see anything. The rate at which they're trenching and the amount of dirt that's being moved, it's very hard for any monitor—no matter how much experience you have—to really see and protect any artifacts or bones." He adds, "There are no words I can use to convey how terrible the scene is. It's hard for the monitors to go out there—physically and spiritually."
"There's no way to catch up. When we stop them at a critical site, they turn on machines at a different site."
"The equipment operators have no idea that there are cultural resources out there," says LaPena. "The sad possibility is that the dirt comes out of the trencher and potentially has human remains in it. Then that's made into cement and becomes a part of the border wall."
At least two monitors have discovered what they believe to be human bones, according to signed declarations in federal court. Border Patrol told the court it hasn't found any cultural sites within a 60-foot easement along the border. But the footprint of the work goes far beyond this thin strip. New access roads have been created, along with staging areas for supplies and heavy equipment.
Indigenous Americans scored perhaps their biggest legal victory in decades in July, when the Supreme Court affirmed the sovereignty of tribes in Oklahoma, citing the US government's treaty obligations. The Kumeyaay have no such legal anchor. The 1852 Treaty of Santa Ysabel set aside about 20 percent of present-day San Diego County for the tribes. But the Senate never ratified the treaty, and the Kumeyaay's land was eventually taken by a series of executive orders, leaving them with only a fraction of the land they'd been promised. "The lack of ratification of the treaty means there was never a legal transfer of title from the Kumeyaay people," says Kumeyaay historian Michael Connolly Miskwish. "In other words, the San Diego region, and the border itself, sits on un-ceded Kumeyaay land."
Many of the elders who know this history best haven't been able to join the protests because of the pandemic, which has disproportionately affected indigenous people. There is always at least one medic present, to deal not only with the virus and the risk of heat exhaustion but also the ever-present threat of violence. Local landowners, many of them armed, turn up on occasion to tell the Kumeyaay that they're "trespassing on American soil," as one said in a confrontation captured on video. "We're ready for really bad things to happen," says Beltran, herself a medic who regularly carries tourniquets and chest seals.
The Border Patrol agents onsite do little to control the counterprotests. "We have to have the presence of mind to be respectful and speak eloquently to these Border Patrol agents," Beltran says, "because as soon as we start sharing our grief, as soon as we start crying, as soon as our volume gets higher because of the grief that we're experiencing, they don't listen to us anymore. They say, 'Okay, we're done. This is irrational.' But it's not irrational. I'm sure they would feel the same way if their church was bulldozed."
Beltran says she frequently sees "Trump 2020" stickers on the hardhats of the Army Corps contractors, and one worker told her, "You need to just accept that this is America now. Get over it. It's been hundreds of years. Why are you all still out here?"
In August, after nearly two months of protests, a judge denied the Kumeyaay's request for an injunction to pause construction. It was a devastating blow, but Beltran says her elders remind her to take a long view. "The sense of time is very different for Kumeyaay," she told me. "I think we're all feeling grief and sadness having witnessed so much be destroyed, but we have to look at it that it's just temporary."
DW Gibson is the author of the new book 14 Miles: Building the Border Wall.
Native Issues
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Katherine Bagley
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GOP Donors Flock to Mar-a-Lago to Hear Trump Lie About the 2020 Election
Tucker Carlson Defends the Racist "White Replacement Theory"


What was the author's purpose for writing the story, A Picnic in October?
What are some other reasons authors write?
What is a pronoun? What is a reflexive pronoun? Can you give an example?
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How do you use decomposition to solve the problem 758-346? How do you set up the vertical algorithm for this problem?
We enjoyed meeting with many of you on Tuesday at conferences. We appreciate your support!
There will be no school on Monday, November 12th.
Progress reports go home on Thursday, November 15th.
Second grade Grandparent Lunch is on Thursday, November 15th during our regular lunch time (10:30-11:00).
Our field trip to TPAC is Wednesday, November 28th. Students need to wear their 2018-19 field trip t-shirt and bring a lunch from home. We will be eating in our classrooms when we return to school.


Home Uncategorized Will National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan address gill nets?
Gillnets are used both legally and illegally as there are mesh size limits and site limitations for proper use. Oceana Belize has called for the ban on the use of gillnets and a ban would have an impact on traditional users. Love News asked the CEO for the Ministry of Fisheries about the plan of action for the National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan and if there were any suggested changes to the use of gill nets.
Dr. Percival Cho CEO Ministry of Environment: "NBSAP is available online, as you know there are several targets in that NBSAP that have to do with Ecosystem management ,species, conservation etc. There are some areas that have to do with, that we are currently working on like the new Fisheries Bill as well as the Northern Corridor and the Central corridor that are activities that are targets that are under the NBSAP sop currently its not a document that has targets that we are not achieving. We are working actively towards achieving some of those targets within the next few couple years or so. Some of the targets are currently being achieved at this time and I think we are well on the way to achieving that within the time frame.
Dr. Percival Cho CEO Ministry of Environment: "Sure as you know Cabinet asked the Ministry to develop a task force and we have done so to look into the improvements of the use of Gill nets. Whether or not that leads to additional closed off areas because currently there are areas where Gillnets are banned within this country or wether or not it leads to a full scale ban within our waters it will be based on evidence and data so we will be making an informed decision and the process has begun, we are doing consultations, we expect to ask the general public for comments in the next few weeks or so and so yes Gillnets is one of the things on the radar. Certain institutions in Belize have their opinions on what should be done in respect to Gillnets and several other things but again we have to be based on evidence on our decision making and on people's real conners.
The National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan was first revealed to the public in July. Consultations are expected with the public soon.


As of 2015, 22.7 percent (15.9 million) of Filipinos smoke tobacco and an estimated 21.5 percent (3.6 million) are exposed to tobacco smoke, also known as secondhand smoking. The numbers are alarming, but as we're working on the cessation of this unhealthy habit, there are other risk factors on the rise.
Our sedentary, confined lifestyles are to blame. In this study from 2014, physical inactivity has been linked with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, as well as certain cancers. If you're going through the same situation at work every day, it's time you start taking standing breaks.
In the U.S., loneliness is considered a worldwide epidemic.
Sleep loss is considered as a public health problem in the U.S. Insufficient sleep increases the risk of stroke and heart attack to the same degree as regular smoking. "Poor sleep should be considered [as] a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease along with smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet," said professor Valery Gafarov of the World Health Organization.
Believe it or not, loneliness is actually labeled as a worldwide epidemic. Because of the surge of social media and a decrease in in-person contact, people are more cooped inside their homes, away from any social interaction. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology at Brigham University, found that sadness can shorten people's lifespans by an equivalent of using 15 cigarettes per day.


text:
require 'singleton'
require 'rex/socket'
require 'rex/socket/tcp'
require 'rex/socket/ssl_tcp'
require 'rex/socket/ssl_tcp_server'
require 'rex/socket/udp'
require 'rex/socket/ip'
require 'timeout'

###
#
# Local communication class factory.
#
###
class Rex::Socket::Comm::Local

  include Singleton
  include Rex::Socket::Comm

  #
  # Creates an instance of a socket using the supplied parameters.
  #
  def self.create(param)

    # Work around jRuby socket implementation issues
    if(RUBY_PLATFORM == 'java')
      return self.create_jruby(param)
    end

    case param.proto
      when 'tcp'
        return create_by_type(param, ::Socket::SOCK_STREAM, ::Socket::IPPROTO_TCP)
      when 'udp'
        return create_by_type(param, ::Socket::SOCK_DGRAM, ::Socket::IPPROTO_UDP)
      when 'ip'
        return create_ip(param)
      else
        raise Rex::UnsupportedProtocol.new(param.proto), caller
    end
  end

  #
  # Creates an instance of a socket using the supplied parameters.
  # Use various hacks to make this work with jRuby
  #
  def self.create_jruby(param)
    sock = nil

    # Notify handlers of the before socket create event.
    self.instance.notify_before_socket_create(self, param)

    case param.proto
      when 'tcp'
        if (param.server?)
          sock  = TCPServer.new(param.localport, param.localhost)
          klass = Rex::Socket::TcpServer
          if (param.ssl)
            klass = Rex::Socket::SslTcpServer
          end
          sock.extend(klass)

        else
          sock = TCPSocket.new(param.peerhost, param.peerport)
          klass = Rex::Socket::Tcp
          if (param.ssl)
            klass = Rex::Socket::SslTcp
          end
          sock.extend(klass)
        end
      when 'udp'
        if (param.server?)
          sock = UDPServer.new(param.localport, param.localhost)
          klass = Rex::Socket::UdpServer
          sock.extend(klass)
        else
          sock = UDPSocket.new(param.peerhost, param.peerport)
          klass = Rex::Socket::Udp
          sock.extend(klass)
        end
      else
        raise Rex::UnsupportedProtocol.new(param.proto), caller
    end

    sock.initsock(param)
    self.instance.notify_socket_created(self, sock, param)
    return sock
  end

  #
  # Creates a raw IP socket using the supplied Parameter instance.
  # Special-cased because of how different it is from UDP/TCP
  #
  def self.create_ip(param)
    self.instance.notify_before_socket_create(self, param)

    sock = ::Socket.open(::Socket::PF_INET, ::Socket::SOCK_RAW, ::Socket::IPPROTO_RAW)
    sock.setsockopt(::Socket::IPPROTO_IP, ::Socket::IP_HDRINCL, 1)

    # Configure broadcast support
    sock.setsockopt(::Socket::SOL_SOCKET, ::Socket::SO_BROADCAST, true)

    if (param.bare? == false)
      sock.extend(::Rex::Socket::Ip)
      sock.initsock(param)
    end

    self.instance.notify_socket_created(self, sock, param)

    sock
  end

  #
  # Creates a socket using the supplied Parameter instance.
  #
  def self.create_by_type(param, type, proto = 0)

    # Whether to use IPv6 addressing
    usev6 = false

    # Detect IPv6 addresses and enable IPv6 accordingly
    if ( Rex::Socket.support_ipv6?())

      # Allow the caller to force IPv6
      if (param.v6)
        usev6 = true
      end

      # Force IPv6 mode for non-connected UDP sockets
      if (type == ::Socket::SOCK_DGRAM and not param.peerhost)
        # FreeBSD allows IPv6 socket creation, but throws an error on sendto()
        # Windows 7 SP1 and newer also fail to sendto with IPv6 udp sockets
        unless Rex::Compat.is_freebsd or Rex::Compat.is_windows
          usev6 = true
        end
      end

      local = Rex::Socket.resolv_nbo(param.localhost) if param.localhost
      peer  = Rex::Socket.resolv_nbo(param.peerhost) if param.peerhost

      if (local and local.length == 16)
        usev6 = true
      end

      if (peer and peer.length == 16)
        usev6 = true
      end

      if (usev6)
        if (local and local.length == 4)
          if (local == "\x00\x00\x00\x00")
            param.localhost = '::'
          elsif (local == "\x7f\x00\x00\x01")
            param.localhost = '::1'
          else
            param.localhost = '::ffff:' + Rex::Socket.getaddress(param.localhost, true)
          end
        end

        if (peer and peer.length == 4)
          if (peer == "\x00\x00\x00\x00")
            param.peerhost = '::'
          elsif (peer == "\x7f\x00\x00\x01")
            param.peerhost = '::1'
          else
            param.peerhost = '::ffff:' + Rex::Socket.getaddress(param.peerhost, true)
          end
        end

        param.v6 = true
      end
    else
      # No IPv6 support
      param.v6 = false
    end

    # Notify handlers of the before socket create event.
    self.instance.notify_before_socket_create(self, param)

    # Create the socket
    sock = nil
    if (param.v6)
      sock = ::Socket.new(::Socket::AF_INET6, type, proto)
    else
      sock = ::Socket.new(::Socket::AF_INET, type, proto)
    end

    # Bind to a given local address and/or port if they are supplied
    if param.localport or param.localhost
      begin
        sock.setsockopt(::Socket::SOL_SOCKET, ::Socket::SO_REUSEADDR, true)
        sock.bind(Rex::Socket.to_sockaddr(param.localhost, param.localport))

      rescue ::Errno::EADDRNOTAVAIL,::Errno::EADDRINUSE
        sock.close
        raise Rex::AddressInUse.new(param.localhost, param.localport), caller
      end
    end

    # Configure broadcast support for all datagram sockets
    if (type == ::Socket::SOCK_DGRAM)
      sock.setsockopt(::Socket::SOL_SOCKET, ::Socket::SO_BROADCAST, true)
    end

    # If a server TCP instance is being created...
    if (param.server?)
      sock.listen(256)

      if (param.bare? == false)
        klass = Rex::Socket::TcpServer
        if (param.ssl)
          klass = Rex::Socket::SslTcpServer
        end
        sock.extend(klass)

        sock.initsock(param)
      end
    # Otherwise, if we're creating a client...
    else
      chain = []

      # If we were supplied with host information
      if (param.peerhost)

        # A flag that indicates whether we need to try multiple scopes
        retry_scopes = false

        # Always retry with link-local IPv6 addresses
        if Rex::Socket.is_ipv6?( param.peerhost ) and param.peerhost =~ /^fe80::/
          retry_scopes = true
        end

        # Prepare a list of scope IDs to try when connecting to
        # link-level addresses. Read from /proc if it is available,
        # otherwise increment through the first 255 IDs.
        @@ip6_lla_scopes ||= []

        if @@ip6_lla_scopes.length == 0 and retry_scopes

          # Linux specific interface lookup code
          if ::File.exists?( "/proc/self/net/igmp6" )
            ::File.open("/proc/self/net/igmp6") do |fd|
              fd.each_line do |line|
                line = line.strip
                tscope, tint, junk = line.split(/\s+/, 3)
                next if not tint

                # Specifying lo in any connect call results in the socket
                # being unusable, even if the correct interface is set.
                next if tint == "lo"

                @@ip6_lla_scopes << tscope
              end
            end
          else
          # Other Unix-like platforms should support a raw scope ID
            [*(1 .. 255)].map{ |x| @@ip6_lla_scopes << x.to_s }
          end
        end

        ip6_scope_idx = 0
        ip   = param.peerhost
        port = param.peerport

        if param.proxies
          chain = param.proxies.dup
          chain.push(['host',param.peerhost,param.peerport])
          ip = chain[0][1]
          port = chain[0][2].to_i
        end

        begin

          begin
            Timeout.timeout(param.timeout) do
              sock.connect(Rex::Socket.to_sockaddr(ip, port))
            end
          rescue ::Timeout::Error
            raise ::Errno::ETIMEDOUT
          end

        rescue ::Errno::EHOSTUNREACH,::Errno::ENETDOWN,::Errno::ENETUNREACH,::Errno::ENETRESET,::Errno::EHOSTDOWN,::Errno::EACCES,::Errno::EINVAL

          # Rescue errors caused by a bad Scope ID for a link-local address
          if retry_scopes and @@ip6_lla_scopes[ ip6_scope_idx ]
            ip = param.peerhost + "%" + @@ip6_lla_scopes[ ip6_scope_idx ]
            ip6_scope_idx += 1
            retry
          end

          sock.close
          raise Rex::HostUnreachable.new(param.peerhost, param.peerport), caller

        rescue ::Errno::EADDRNOTAVAIL,::Errno::EADDRINUSE
          sock.close
          raise Rex::AddressInUse.new(param.peerhost, param.peerport), caller

        rescue Errno::ETIMEDOUT
          sock.close
          raise Rex::ConnectionTimeout.new(param.peerhost, param.peerport), caller

        rescue ::Errno::ECONNRESET,::Errno::ECONNREFUSED,::Errno::ENOTCONN,::Errno::ECONNABORTED
          sock.close
          raise Rex::ConnectionRefused.new(param.peerhost, param.peerport), caller
        end
      end

      if (param.bare? == false)
        case param.proto
          when 'tcp'
            klass = Rex::Socket::Tcp
            sock.extend(klass)
            sock.initsock(param)
          when 'udp'
            sock.extend(Rex::Socket::Udp)
            sock.initsock(param)
        end
      end

      if chain.size > 1
        chain.each_with_index {
          |proxy, i|
          next_hop = chain[i + 1]
          if next_hop
            proxy(sock, proxy[0], next_hop[1], next_hop[2])
          end
        }
      end

      # Now extend the socket with SSL and perform the handshake
      if(param.bare? == false and param.ssl)
        klass = Rex::Socket::SslTcp
        sock.extend(klass)
        sock.initsock(param)
      end

    end

    # Notify handlers that a socket has been created.
    self.instance.notify_socket_created(self, sock, param)

    sock
  end

  def self.proxy(sock, type, host, port)
    case type.downcase
    when 'sapni'
      packet_type = 'NI_ROUTE'
      route_info_version = 2
      ni_version = 39
      num_of_entries = 2
      talk_mode = 1 # ref: http://help.sap.com/saphelp_dimp50/helpdata/En/f8/bb960899d743378ccb8372215bb767/content.htm
      num_rest_nodes = 1

      shost, sport = sock.peerinfo.split(":")
      first_route_item = [shost, 0, sport, 0, 0].pack("A*CA*cc")
      route_data = [first_route_item.length, first_route_item].pack("NA*")
      route_data << [host, 0, port.to_s, 0, 0].pack("A*CA*cc")

      ni_packet = [
        packet_type,
        0,
        route_info_version,
        ni_version,
        num_of_entries,
        talk_mode,
        0,
        0,
        num_rest_nodes
      ].pack("A8c8")
      # Add the data block, according to sap documentation:
      # A 4-byte header precedes each data block. These 4 bytes give the
      # length of the data block (length without leading 4 bytes)
      # The data block (the route data)
      ni_packet << [route_data.length - 4].pack('N') + route_data
      # Now that we've built the whole packet, prepend its length before writing it to the wire
      ni_packet = [ni_packet.length].pack('N') + ni_packet

      size = sock.put(ni_packet)

      if size != ni_packet.length
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to send the entire request to the proxy"), caller
      end

      begin
        ret_len = sock.get_once(4, 30).unpack('N')[0]
        if ret_len and ret_len != 0
          ret = sock.get_once(ret_len, 30)
        end
      rescue IOError
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a response from the proxy"), caller
      end

      if ret and ret.length < 4
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a complete response from the proxy"), caller
      end

      if ret =~ /NI_RTERR/
        case ret
        when /timed out/
          raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Connection to remote host #{host} timed out")
        when /refused/
          raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Connection to remote port #{port} closed")
        when /denied/
          raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Connection to #{host}:#{port} blocked by ACL")
        else
          raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Connection to #{host}:#{port} failed (Unknown fail)")
        end
      elsif ret =~ /NI_PONG/
        # success case
        # would like to print this "[*] remote native connection to #{host}:#{port} established\n"
      else
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Connection to #{host}:#{port} failed (Unknown fail)")
      end

    when 'http'
      setup = "CONNECT #{host}:#{port} HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n"
      size = sock.put(setup)
      if (size != setup.length)
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to send the entire request to the proxy"), caller
      end

      begin
        ret = sock.get_once(39,30)
      rescue IOError
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a response from the proxy"), caller
      end

      if ret.nil?
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a response from the proxy"), caller
      end

      resp = Rex::Proto::Http::Response.new
      resp.update_cmd_parts(ret.split(/\r?\n/)[0])

      if resp.code != 200
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "The proxy returned a non-OK response"), caller
      end
    when 'socks4'
      setup = [4,1,port.to_i].pack('CCn') + Socket.gethostbyname(host)[3] + Rex::Text.rand_text_alpha(rand(8)+1) + "\x00"
      size = sock.put(setup)
      if (size != setup.length)
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to send the entire request to the proxy"), caller
      end

      begin
        ret = sock.get_once(8, 30)
      rescue IOError
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a response from the proxy"), caller
      end

      if (ret.nil? or ret.length < 8)
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a complete response from the proxy"), caller
      end
      if ret[1,1] != "\x5a"
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Proxy responded with error code #{ret[0,1].unpack("C")[0]}"), caller
      end
    when 'socks5'
      auth_methods = [5,1,0].pack('CCC')
      size = sock.put(auth_methods)
      if (size != auth_methods.length)
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to send the entire request to the proxy"), caller
      end
      ret = sock.get_once(2,30)
      if (ret[1,1] == "\xff")
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "The proxy requires authentication"), caller
      end

      if (Rex::Socket.is_ipv4?(host))
        addr = Rex::Socket.gethostbyname(host)[3]
        setup = [5,1,0,1].pack('C4') + addr + [port.to_i].pack('n')
      elsif (Rex::Socket.support_ipv6? and Rex::Socket.is_ipv6?(host))
        # IPv6 stuff all untested
        addr = Rex::Socket.gethostbyname(host)[3]
        setup = [5,1,0,4].pack('C4') + addr + [port.to_i].pack('n')
      else
        # Then it must be a domain name.
        # Unfortunately, it looks like the host has always been
        # resolved by the time it gets here, so this code never runs.
        setup = [5,1,0,3].pack('C4') + [host.length].pack('C') + host + [port.to_i].pack('n')
      end

      size = sock.put(setup)
      if (size != setup.length)
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to send the entire request to the proxy"), caller
      end

      begin
        response = sock.get_once(10, 30)
      rescue IOError
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a response from the proxy"), caller
      end

      if (response.nil? or response.length < 10)
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Failed to receive a complete response from the proxy"), caller
      end
      if response[1,1] != "\x00"
        raise Rex::ConnectionProxyError.new(host, port, type, "Proxy responded with error code #{response[1,1].unpack("C")[0]}"), caller
      end
    else
      raise RuntimeError, "The proxy type specified is not valid", caller
    end
  end

  ##
  #
  # Registration
  #
  ##

  def self.register_event_handler(handler) # :nodoc:
    self.instance.register_event_handler(handler)
  end

  def self.deregister_event_handler(handler) # :nodoc:
    self.instance.deregister_event_handler(handler)
  end

  def self.each_event_handler(handler) # :nodoc:
    self.instance.each_event_handler(handler)
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Run a Macro from Shape or `Button (Form control)` leads to hang the Excel Ribbon, Office 2016 32_Bit This issue can be produced only on Office 2016.
I have a sheet with name Test , then I hide it manually or by this code:
Sub Make_Sheet_Hidden()
    Sheets("Test").Visible = xlSheetHidden
End Sub

Problem: If the below code Make Visible assigned to Shape or Button (Form control), and run it then used excel Ribbon, like click on Bottom Border this leads to hang the Excel Ribbon.
But, strangely If run the below code from Command Button( ActiveX Control) or run from code window , then no problem at all.
Sub Make_Sheet_Visible()
    Sheets("Test").Visible = xlSheetVisible
    Sheets("Test").Select
End Sub

Note: This is the link for the Workbook Link
to produce the issue , the sheet Test must first be hidden , then click on Shape or Button 1
Kindly what is the explanation of that issue and How to solve?

A: Note 1:  the above issue happens even there is only one workbook opened in Excel.
Note 2:  this issue is not specific with my workbook ,I created new one from scratch and the same issue exists.
Note 3:  that issue is specific with office 2016.
 Answer:
I replaced Select in the below line with Activate
Sheets("Test").Select
So , the good working macro is
Sub Make_Sheet_Visible()
    Sheets("Test").Visible = xlSheetVisible
    Sheets("Test"). Activate
    End Sub

Actually: I do not know the technical explanation of why using (Activate) instead of (Select) fixed that issue.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Auto updated okay on Win 10.
Are there supposed to be different colours here?
We made a small mistake with this beta release which has been corrected already.
if you update EAM, it will get the correct driver and EAm should start normally.
Only system where Secure Boot is enabled got the above issue.
Update was smooth on W8.1.
What does "New feature to register the license key with your user account" mean? Where is the feature and why would one want to use it?
Instead of entering a license key , you only have to login with your registered email address and EAM will automatically register the software.
This is interesting for new users, new installs etc.
So, when you say "login" ... would you be telling EAM the email address you used when purchasing the licence, or the one you use (if you do this at all) for the "My Emsisoft" thing?
If one does this login, does EAM then remember the email address and password you specify, and send them to Emsisoft every time (every day?) that there's a licence check?
If the email address and password are being stored, are they stored encrypted?
After login, EAM gets a list of licenses linked to the used email address, no data is stored. We automatically create an account in my.emsisoft.com for the email address used with purchase.
If there is 1 license only, it will be used to register EAM without user interaction. If there are multiple licenses, the user will be presented with a list and can select which license to use for this EAM.
So ... it's a licence-lookup process, and after one's done this once EAM would then show the selected licence code as if it had been entered in the older manner?
I'm seeing quite a bit of lag when opening files, especially when opening Office 2003 excel and word files.
With the latest beta, opening an 'empty' excel spreadsheet from my desktop takes 12 to 14 secs - the same order of lag happens when opening a word document. If I roll back to the latest stable release, the same files open in a couple of seconds.
I've also noticed some lag, although to a lesser extent, when opening pdfs, jpgs, text files, etc.
Windows Explorer also seems slower to display folder contents and file details - I see the message 'Working on it..' when opening folders.
I've tried disabling File Guard and/or Behaviour Blocker but this doesn't seem to make any difference.
thanks @marko, this is a known issue and we're working on a fix.
Thanks Frank - that's good to know.
Making AV software bug lists available for the public isn't best practice and might compromise your system.
Most bugs are rare and won't be noticeable for most users, no sense to inform everyone about a bug on W7 *32, while most of us run *64 bit sytems.
Besides that, the list will contain minor bugs which have low prio and will be fixed in a future releases.
When you notice unexpected behavior, like current performance lags, it's good to post such findings here in the beta testers channel so all beta users will be informed, or you can ask me in PM.
Sometimes issues are known, sometimes they are not, so its good to post findings here, although in some circumstances such feedback might be obsolete.
FYI: we've just released 2 new files to beta that fix the performance issues. EAM version nr doesn't change.
the Terms of Service link in the new Log in to MyEmsisoft window leads nowhere. The window will get empty by clicking on that link.


School Bus GPS tracking is similar, except it stays with the bus instead of the student. ?With a GPS system as part of the bus, you can keep track of where the bus is. Schools appreciate the ability to monitor where a driver is in their route.
Need easier vehicle maintenance? ?What if an electronic vehicle inspection report could take the guessing out of repair work? EVIR allows you to place ?throughout the car. ?The transmitters track the degradation of the components of the vehicle. ?It?s that easy to have vehicle maintenance captured for you.
If you?re like millions of Americans, your life means you?re constantly running. You can rely on these three ways to keep track of all your maintenance and vehicle needs. ?Keep up with your student?s bus schedule or track your vehicles maintenance. ?It?s all possible with Zonar Systems ingenious technologies.


text:
L'église Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini se situe dans le centre historique de Rome, dans le Rione Regola, à proximité du  Palais Farnèse, du Pont Sisto et de la Via Giulia, sur la place éponyme.

Historique

L'église a été construite entre 1587 et 1597 par l'architecte Martino Longhi pour l'Archiconfraternité de la Très Sainte Trinité des Pèlerins, fondée par saint Philippe Néri en 1548. Cette confraternité avait pour vocation l'accueil et l'assistance aux pèlerins qui se rendaient à Rome.

C'est en 1722 que G. Battista de Rossi commanda à Giuseppe Sardi la construction de la façade actuelle, sur des plans du romain Francesco de Sanctis. Les travaux furent terminés en 1723. La façade est en travertin, légèrement incurvée. Douze colonnes encadrent quatre niches décorées. Au milieu s'ouvre le portail, et au-dessus une haute fenêtre surmontée d'une tête de chérubin. Dans quatre niches, entourées de colonnes, se trouvent les statues des évangélistes, œuvres de Bernardino Ludovisi.

L'église est en forme de pseudo croix latine où s'ouvrent six chapelles latérales rectangulaires au plafond en forme de voûte en berceau. Elle est surmontée d'une coupole construite en 1612, elle-même terminée par un lanternon.

Sur le maître-autel se trouve La Sainte Trinité réalisée par Guido Reni.

Actuellement, l'église a été confiée à la Fraternité sacerdotale Saint-Pierre par le pape Benoît XVI en 2008 ; il y est célébré la Messe selon le rite tridentin.

Voir aussi

Bibliographie
 Sandra Vasco Rocca, Ss. Trinità dei pellegrini, Le chiese di Roma illustrate, Roma 1979

Articles connexes

 Liste des églises de Rome

Liens externes

 Site de la paroisse
 Photos de l'église

Trinita dei Pellegrini
Patrimoine du XVIe siècle
Patrimoine du XVIIIe siècle
Rome, Trinita

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A nostalgic look back at digital music piracy in the 2000s
by Abhimanyu Ghoshal — in insights
Credit: TNWCreative / Ashley Evans
A couple of decades ago – well before a $10 monthly fee would unlock access to virtually every song ever recorded through streaming services – digital music piracy was rampant around the world. Whether it was because you were young and couldn't afford to buy MP3s, or simply couldn't access them in your country, it was all too common to download music shared by other people on the web.
What was particularly interesting back then was the wide range of ingenious methods people used to share tunes. Back in the day, people went beyond simply hosting music on public-facing websites, and instead, found ways to send and receive tracks directly with other internet users. Let's take a walk down memory lane and take a look at some of the ways people grew their music collections in the late 90s and early 2000s.
But first, a little bit about MP3s
In the 90s, digital music was most commonly available in the form of albums on CDs, which stored about 700MB worth of uncompressed audio tracks – good for a full-length album. But with internet bandwidth and speeds being what they were back then, it didn't make sense to copy those music files and send them to friends over the internet. A single four-minute song would weigh in at about 42MB in WAV format, and would take roughly three and a half hours to download.
Credit: Moving Picture Experts Group / Wikimedia Commons
Lucky for music fiends, the MP3 compression format came along in 1993 and made things a lot easier. It allowed for reasonable audio fidelity with comparatively small file sizes, making it easier to rip music from CDs, store them on hard drives (remember, this was back when the average household didn't have a more than a couple hundred GBs of storage space at best), and distribute them online. That four-minute song I told you about? You could shrink it down to 3.84MB, at an acceptable bit rate of 128kbps.
And with that, we were off to the races.
The rise of Napster – and the fall of the music industry
While a small number of web users had already begun sharing music online through channels like the Internet Underground Music Archive, digital piracy really took off with the launch of Napster, a free file-sharing network that connected people around the world directly to one another.
Credit: Tommy Ferraz
A screenshot of the Napster desktop client for Windows
It was developed by 18-year-old Shawn Fanning while he was a student at Northeastern University, achieved in a 60-hour coding marathon that he put himself through. In 2000, Napster was believed to have experienced the fastest growth of any digital service in history, having amassed some 80 million users at its peak, during its short life span of about two years.
The app was shut down in 2001 after many a legal battle with artists, companies, and music industry bodies in the US – including Metallica, Dr. Dre, and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) – for its role in countless copyright violations.
But while it was around, you could simply fire up Napster, search for a song, album, or artist, and see a list of files hosted by people who were online at that time and had what you were looking for. When you clicked 'download,' you'd essentially initiate a direct peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfer between your computers, and have those tracks on your hard drive in minutes. It was genius. Undeniably illegal genius, but genius nonetheless.
Napster knocked the music industry on its ass from the time it launched, taking revenues down big time. Though music industry revenues are still below the heights they reached in 1999, they've seen an uptick in recent years, with an increase in industry revenues of 16.5 percent in 2017.
I remember checking out Napster briefly, but it closed down before I got much use out of it. But as you'd expect, there were several alternatives back then.
P2P madness
Alongside the monumental growth of Napster, the year 2000 saw the rise of many rival P2P networks, and even more desktop clients for each of them – despite the dangers of building such services being painfully obvious, thanks to the US music industry cracking down on them with all the legal firepower they could muster.
Arguably the most notable of these was Gnutella, which is said to have been the first large-scale decentralized P2P network on the internet, and to have cornered some 40 percent of the file-sharing market at its peak. It was developed that year by Justin Frankel and Tom Pepper, who you might remember as the people behind the popular Winamp music player.
The Gnutella network powered several client apps like LimeWire, Morpheus, BearShare, and Shareaza. Of these, LimeWire was perhaps the best known of the lot, and was estimated to have been installed on every third PC in the world at one point in its existence. In addition to facilitating file transfers, it also included an XMPP-based instant messaging service, so you could chat with people you were sharing content with.
Credit: Navy Blue / Wikimedia Commons
Limewire's Windows desktop client from 2008
LimeWire was sued by several record labels in 2006, and eventually shut down in October 2010. Most other P2P apps met a similar fate during the 00s, as the RIAA and other bodies and companies from the music industry went legal on them as quickly as they could.
There were other apps that used their own networks, including Soulseek, Ares Galaxy (which spun off from Gnutella and launched in 2002), and WinMX, which offered compelling features like chat rooms and the ability to download files in small pieces from multiple users simultaneously. Here's the latter in action:
While those were simply shut down over copyright infringement concerns, KaZaa went through a completely different sort of trial. The service, which was developed in Estonia, was sued to hell as well – to the tune of $100 million, in fact – and eventually turned into a legal music subscription service. That's similar to what's going on with Napster, which is now owned by Rhapsody and is the brand used by the company for its streaming music service.
Truly old-school: IRC
While you could certainly hop on P2P networks like the ones we've mentioned, the OGs opted for IRC instead. It's a basic chat protocol that was first invented in the late 80s and is still around today. For the most part, it's designed for text chat, and using IRC involves finding relevant servers that host chat rooms of interest to you.
So if you wanted to download music, you'd first need to find a server that had people sharing tunes in public genre-based chat rooms, and pop into one of them. You'd then have to ask around to see if people in the room had the kind of music you wanted, and initiate a file transfer.
Of course, some folks got clever about it, and set up scripts to crawl their hard drives for songs, and catalog them into text files. Next, they'd employ a script to periodically post 'advertisements' promoting the kind of music they had to offer in the chat room, with eye-catching ASCII art banners and lists of artists or albums that you could grab from them.
Credit: FekLar
Using mIRC, an IRC client, to find and download music
Once you spotted something you liked in a user's music catalog, you'd have to request those specific files by entering them along with an IRC command, and that's it – as long as that user was online, you could download files from their hard drive to yours.
What struck me was that these people sharing music had nothing to gain except goodwill, and perhaps some notoriety in an anonymous chat room. There's a lot less of this now, but researching this method for this story brought back fond memories of chatting with strangers to learn what was worth listening to – and spending valuable bandwidth to download.
An oldie but a goodie: Audiogalaxy
Launched in 1998 (and therefore predating Napster), Audiogalaxy was one of the oldest services for sharing music. It evolved from an index of FTP sites that hosted music into an excellent sharing service with a quirky workflow.
You'd have to first visit the site, search for music that you wanted, and then add files to your Satellite – a piece of desktop software whose sole task was to facilitate anonymous file transfers. Once you'd added the files you wanted to download, Satellite would automatically grab them for you when they were available from other users, all without exchanging any user details publicly.
Credit: Loadion
Audiogalaxy's site and app for finding and downloading music anonymously
I was probably around 12 or 13 at the time, and I was just getting into modern rock and nu-metal. It wasn't always easy to find that sort of stuff in India as it hit the airwaves, so Audiogalaxy was one of the only ways to get my hands on records by Creed, Linkin Park, and Limp Bizkit.
Those were the days – or were they?
While many people found various ways to justify their pirating in the early 2000s, it's obvious that it didn't serve the artists behind our favorite records. At the same time, we were discovering new music like never before. Our own Nino de Vries summed up the experience well:
Growing up, I was way into hardcore punk, so much so that I got a Minor Threat tattoo when I was 18. Around I found Soulseek to be the perfect tool to steal music from hard-working musicians who barely made enough money to pay their rent. I had a couple of favorite users who had gigabytes and gigabytes of the best hardcore and I would just leech their entire hard drive in my quest for new music. After that, I found a good local message board where people swapped download links via DMs.
I can't say that I'm proud of any of this. Sure, I was a young kid with nothing but debt to my name — but stealing music I loved was inexcusable. I'm extremely grateful for modern streaming services; Spotify has every song I could ever want and I happily pay the ten bucks per month for their platform. It's way easier than having to leave your computer on overnight for Soulseek to complete it's slow-as-fuck downloads back in the day.
Our Plugged reporter Callum Booth explained how that era turned him into a music aficionado:
I once worked out that I've spent close to £15,000 (about $16,600) on recordings of music in my life – and loads more on instruments or gigs. From when I got my first job at 13, up to this very day, I've been splurging on CDs and vinyl.
But it was downloading (and sharing) music that really kickstarted my love affair with the format. The first track I downloaded? Basment Jaxx's 'Where's Your Head At.'
I was around 11, and I remember in such vivid detail lying on the wooden floor with KaZaa open on an old laptop screen, waiting for the file to download. It took hours over the dial-up connection. And this is what it was like for a couple of years: an achingly slow progress to grab a couple of songs. It was magical.
Things really changed for me a few years later. I'd moved houses and internet connections had improved massively. One of my friends had a sick computer, loud speakers, broadband, and an office in the loft so we weren't disturbed. And you know what was on that computer? Motherfucking LimeWire.
At this point in my life (I guess I was around 15), I still bought music magazines. In this age of instant musical gratification, it's strange to think that I'd read about bands and have to imagine what they sounded like.
So, almost every week we'd crowd round the computer, boot up LimeWire, and download not only the latest singles from bands, but also old classics. And each week I'd leave with a CD filled with that week's tracks, and blast them endlessly on the stereo in my room. Until the next week. The cycle continued, until my folks got a comparable internet connection. I still have nothing but fondness for those times.
Downloading music exposed me to a world I could've never afforded otherwise. I can say with no doubt that I've spent more on physical music because I downloaded. It let me experiment with genres. It let refine and discover my taste. And it totally fucking ruled.
My experience was similar: these services opened me up to a world of music I hadn't come across elsewhere. As a teen in India during this golden era of piracy, it wasn't easy finding communities and friends who shared my tastes in music. But on P2P networks and IRC chat rooms, there were loads of folks who were only too happy to recommend artists and albums worth checking out – and to beam them across a few kilobytes at a time.
Now that I'm older and wiser, I wouldn't condone pirating music, especially given how hard it is to make it in the industry in 2018 and earn a living. But I'm certainly a more avid fan of the art than I would've been without that experience during my teens, and I'm happy to spend as much as I can afford on records, concerts, and merchandise to support my favorite artists.
Read next: 2018: The year Congress and social media collided
InsightsStreaming mediaMusicInternetNapsterMusic industryRecord label

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Candice from the Foodbank's Outreach section helped me get in contact with New Jerusalem Ministries, who were doing a food drive and needed bags. Yesterday I stopped by their office and dropped off all the bags they needed, and let them know to ask if they needed more. We should know how much food was donated in a few weeks!
New advances in technology help us to combat food insecurity!
Norfolk Collegiate School to run a food drive!
The results from First Presbyterian Church are in!
First Presbyterian Church gears up for their food drive!


text:
June 21, 2020 August 1, 2020 Mr. Wapojif
SimCity: SNES Port Of City-Builder Worked a Treat
Rather!
Although the SNES was largely about platforming games, some construction and management simulations did make it on there. This was one of the best.
SimCity on the SNES
Will Wright came up with the idea and the American co-founded the developer Maxis (now a division of the notorious Electronic Arts—EA).
The original turned up in 1989 and hit the Amiga and Macintosh first, before porting over to the Commodore 64 and IBM PC.
It was a commercial hit and something of a landmark title, helping to bring in adults to play video games at a time when the belief was they were "for kids" (or hopeless losers).
After discussions with Nintendo, a port to the NES was planned, but then abandoned.
The decision to shift it onto the SNES led to better graphics and an all-time great intro scene for the console.
Nintendo's involvement also significantly improved the gameplay, meaning the SNES version was the definitive port for a while.
And that helped it shift some two million units on the console. Rightfully so, it's a terrific game! We haven't played it in decades so it may not have aged well for all we know, but at the time it was addictive and engaging.
It's a city-builder. You get a patch of land and scale up from there, managing your budget, housing, industries, and attempting to control pollution.
The idea is to create an incredible landscape and a fully functioning urban environment—a tad more difficult than it sounds.
But you can end up with a total metropolis as with below. The reward for this is a Mario statue you can add to the city.
Along the way you have to deal with natural disasters, such as earthquakes, plane crashes, and a Godzilla type monster storming over the city.
That's actually Bowser in the SNES port, Maxis taking advantage of Nintendo's involvement there.
We have very fond memories of the gaming, whiling away the hours as kids building up a city and revelling in the moment.
Playing it compared to more modern management titles such as Factorio or Dungeon Keeper and it's a tad more simplistic.
But that adds to its accessibility in many ways. It's a pick up and play type experience, one which ISLANDERS mastered rather well in 2019.
So, it's a good old laugh! Especially if you played it back in the day—it has a relaxed nostalgic oomph to proceedings we love.
SimCity: Past and Present
The series is still trundling away, but has an uncertain future. Interestingly, Nintendo and HAL teamed up for a version on the largely failed 64DD.
It was a Japan-only release as a result, but had some interesting ideas going on.
After the first outing and ports, we got SimCity 2000 in 1993. This shifted the title over to the PC, where it's best suited.
With the access to more memory and a mouse as a controller, management sims just work better on a desktop computer or laptop. Behold!
Since then, EA's involvement in the series (as with Dungeon Keeper) seems to have left recent editions crumbling.
The last outings were in 2013 and 2014, respectively, with the former receiving widespread criticism.
It launched packed out with technical issues (quite a common modern issue, as developers desperately try to launch on deadline and then quickly patch up problems).
SimCity: BuildIt followed the year after and is a freemium mobile game. And that means lots of microtransactions, something EA really, really loves.
So, that's it! Nothing since then. We hope they make another, but there are plenty of modern options to pick from. Cities: Skylines remaining a fine example.
construction and management simulation
Previous Theme Park: SNES Construction Sim Port is Good
Next Homebland: A Great Spy Thriller Show That Never Was
Matthew Wright says:
Sim City was one of my favourite games, back in the day – I think I bought every version from 2 to 4, and this back when such games were around $100 each. Simple by modern standards and yet a great deal of fun – I use games for a bit of relaxation, not a way of carrying on with the same thought processes I use for work (ie: writing). I'd still play 4 if it ran properly under current systems. I did pick up Cities:Skylines, but I really couldn't be bothered with the learning curve. As for the company that bought the Sim City franchise… well, I have a rating system for corporate conduct which adds the letter 'e' to the beginning of the word 'vil'. The number of multiples of 'e' denotes the extent to which the corporate openly treats their customers purely as a device for maximising profit. They all do anyway, but it's the extent to which they are blatant about it that generates the score.
Mr. Wapojif says:
I was addicted to this SNES one, there's something strangely relaxing about it. Don't know if you've heard of GOG (Good Old Games). That's basically a retro gaming version of Steam that makes sure old games run on present systems: https://www.gog.com/game/simcity_4_deluxe_edition.
I got Dungeon Keeper from there again, which is brilliant if you never played that.
Cities: Skylines is pretty good, but the learning curve is very high. Sometimes you just need something simple.
I played this one quite a bit, even if I was too young to actually know what I was doing. Good times.
Being young and not knowing what you're doing is the best of times.


text:
By Compiled from wire service reports by Robert Kilborn and Kristen Broman-Worthington
Two of the world's highest-profile banks, Mizuho Holdings Inc. and Crédit Suisse Group, either forecast or said they'll post massive losses for the 2002 business year. Mizuho, which has more assets under management than any competitor, warned of a $16.9 billion deficit, the largest in Japanese history, mostly due to write-offs of bad loans. Crédit Suisse reported a European record $2.48 billion loss, blaming it on a combination of nonperforming loans, investment writedowns, and cash set aside to deal with lawsuits involving its troubled First Boston securities unit.
Energizer Holdings Inc. will pay just under $1 billion for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.'s Schick-Wilkinson Sword brand of razors, The Wall Street Journal reported. The move brings St. Louis-based Energizer into greater competition with personal-care products specialist Gillette Co., owner of Duracell, the US's best-selling battery brand.
More than 1,000 layoffs were announced by BAE Systems, the giant British aerospace and defense contractor, almost all in its shipbuilding and underwater systems units. The Financial Times reported, however, that the move could be an attempt to pressure the British government, which is expected to award a $4.6 billion contract later this week for two new aircraft carriers. Meanwhile, BAE dismissed as "speculation" a published report that it's exploring a merger with US aerospace giant Boeing. The two have collaborated on several projects.
Major League Baseball said it had no knowledge of the possible sale of one of its premier franchises, the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite a published report that "serious" efforts are under way to dispose of the team and its 56,000-seat stadium. Citing sources close to the situation, The Sporting News said media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which has owned the Dodgers since 1997, has hired Allen & Co., a New York investment bank specializing in entertainment industry transactions, to find a buyer. The publication put the asking price at more than $400 million for the team and 41-year-old Dodger Stadium.
Senators take on offshore tax evasion under the mantra, every billion counts
How to stop corporate lawbreaking: Prosecute people who break the law
Levin: Time for IRS to tackle Swiss bank tax evasion. Again.


text:
Man charged in Halifax pedestrian death out on bail
Dennis Donald Patterson faces two impaired driving charges
By Trent Erickson
January 29, 2018, 7:27 pm ADTLast Updated: January 30, 2018, 12:54 pm
Dennis Patterson enters the courtroom in Halifax provincial court for his hearing on Monday. Trent Erickson
Friends of a pedestrian killed on a Halifax street last weekend confronted the driver accused of hitting him Monday in court.
Dennis Donald Patterson, 22, appeared briefly in Halifax provincial court on Spring Garden Road. He was charged with impaired driving and impaired driving causing death.
After the judge granted Patterson a bail of $5,000, a friend of Wray Hart held up a sign with Hart's name on it and said, "his name was Wray and he was a legend." Another looked at Patterson and said "you're a piece of shit."
A friend of Wray Hart held up this sign in court. Trent Erickson
Hart, 63, was struck by a car just before 3 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Queen Street and Victoria Road in south-end Halifax. He died at the scene.
Patterson, a Saint Mary's University student from New Brunswick, was arrested nearby and taken into custody. Halifax Regional Police charged him the next day.
Under the conditions of his bail, Patterson is not allowed to drive a vehicle or use any non-medical drugs or alcohol. He is also under curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day.
He is scheduled to appear again in provincial court on Feb. 27 to enter his plea.
Public auctions to sell foreclosed properties in Nova Scotia often attract few if any outside bidders. That's bad news for borrowers.
By King's Investigative Workshop
InvestigativeStreet clinic
MOSH brings health care to people living on the streets, while Halifax faces HIV outbreak.
By Jessica Sundblad
InvestigativeThe problem with power
Can the lights stay on in Nova Scotia?
By Nicholas Frew
InvestigativeImmigrants face challenges in Nova Scotia: so do their kids
Second-generation Canadians make about 7.6 per cent of Nova Scotia's population
By Sonia Koshy
InvestigativeSearching for the meaning of 'moderate livelihood'
It's been 20 years since the Supreme Court's Marshall decision, but First Nations say fisheries rights still not fully recognized
By Olivia Blackmore
Spring cleanup begins at Public Gardens
After winter, there's gardening, painting and other work to do
By Natalie MacMillan
Halifax Search and Rescue in 'intensive' need for more funding
HSAR relies on donations, including $10,000 from 100 Women Who Care
By Talia Meade
'Who's still in Yemen? The people who cannot leave'
Halifax woman recalls harrowing days in her home country
By Cameron VanBuskirk


People love images and will respond to them so it's essential to provide engaging, appealing and evocative imagery on your website, blog, or any other marketing you do via social media.
A high quality relevant image related to your text can help boost search engine rankings.
Images result in 94% more views, which shows a clear user bias toward articles with images.
Photos and videos in press releases increase views by 45%.
When purchasing a product online, 67% of consumers note that the quality of the image depicting the product is of great importance in following through with a purchase.
On Facebook, engagement with photos is 37% higher than engagement with text.
Over half of consumers are more inclined to contact businesses which include an image in their search results locally.
If you want to truly personalise your website employ the services of a photographer.
When selling products online demand good photos from your suppliers. If this isn't possible or you are producing your own goods, take your own (providing they are up to standard) or use a professional photographer.
Need more help with your images or contact details for recommended local Cambridgeshire photographers? Get in touch.


Las Vegas Aces - Our favorite city now has a wnba team that will be playing at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. And, last year, cost you only 45 to attend in 2017. Be ready for crowds! Tickets..
The open plan living area contains eloquent, majestic decor, full of whites, pinks and wooden furniturem this lodge is fabulously combining the traditional with the modern. Open for lunch and dinner Dress code: Casual Phone: Learn More Italian,.5..
Get De-tan bleach, hair spa, body polishing, head massage, full body waxing more Offer *Face D-Tan Bleach (2 sessions) *Facial (Lotus/ Red Wine/ Insta Glow /Pearl/ De-tan / Wine / Skin Whitening / Skin Polishing/ Rose and Wine) depend on the skin 2 sessions *LOreal. More See more offers in Foods. Bangalore, India We are extremely proud of our. Full body chocolate wrapping, gold bleach, vlcc facial. Click to view the best. You only need to pay Bellezza Unisex Salon Nail Bar as per the Offer Details. M/best-product-company- bangalore / Category: All categories Show All Coupons Groupon Reviews in Bangalore, India Glassdoor 38 Groupon reviews in Bangalore, India.


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Q: Meteor / NodeJS run own code before migration start (Meteor startup) is there a possibility to execute own code inside a Meteor / Node application before the migrations run?
I know about Meteor.startup but this code runs after the DB Migrations afaik.
Edit: The migrations package i use idmontie:migrations@1.0.3

A: The migration package you use doesn't seem to support that. If, however, you are able to switch to the more common percolate:migrations then you can fully control when the migration happens, because you actually need to call it explicitly, e.g.,
Meteor.startup(() => {
  /* the code you want to run first here.. */
  Migrations.migrateTo('latest');
});

In the past, I've even done things like this, where I was running some code between migrations to certain versions:
Meteor.startup(() => {
  /* some code to run before ... */
  Migrations.migrateTo(3);
  /* some code to run in between... */
  Migrations.migrateTo(5);
});


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STAR FOX 64 3D PLATINUM SOUNDTRACK
STAR FOX 64 3D PLATINUM SOUNDTRACK was released on December 26, 2011. Redeemable to Platinum members of Club Nintendo in Japan. The soundtrack is composed by Koji Kondo, Hajime Wakai and Satomi Terui(also arranger). The Star Fox 64 3D Platinum soundtrack consists of 42 tracks, compared to the Star Fox 64 Original Soundtrack which has 39 tracks. The tracks on the 3DS version aren't necessarily new, they just have a more polished sound to them—as you would expect. So, the track flow is the same as the original but with more orchestral as opposed to a synthesized sound of the original Star Fox 64.
There are some used copies on ebay going from $60-90 if you're looking for a physical disc but STAR FOX 64 3D PLATINUM SOUNDTRACK is uploaded in both FLAC and MP3. Enjoy!


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From the frontline of poverty
Father Oliver Coss is a Small Heath vicar who sees the effects of deprivation every day. He is speaking at a Birmingham City University debate on child poverty this Friday…
My work leads me to some of the most deprived Birmingham residents in Small Heath.
I see families in poverty for multiple reasons. They can be recently arrived in the country, or experiencing problems with addiction or unemployment.
I also do work in schools and more is now being done to take away the stigma of poverty. It's important to remember that children aren't in themselves poor. They are growing up in households which are poor, and so what affects the parents will affect the children.
It's not the children's fault and they are the ones who are most vulnerable in these situations.
More needs to be done to tackle the rise in young people self-harming in the city.
Depression, self-harm and suicide rates in our young are personally devastating and we need a determined effort to raise awareness and find people who can champion the cause.
The statistics on child poverty are terrible, as is the evidence of poverty among the population of Birmingham, but with a combined effort these figures can be changed.
We must provide for the most precious group of people in Birmingham, by giving our children a new deal that will harness their hopes and aspirations.
The most vulnerable people have been failed in the past by services that are supposed to help, and so people became afraid the safety net isn't there.
There are multiple factors at play but recent investment by Birmingham City Council in Children's Services is addressing a history of failings in the past few years.
Where the cuts to services continue, we need groups from the third sector, from faith groups, and out in the community to step up so that people can take on roles previously fulfilled by the council.
We need to help these organisations take things on, by providing help on the ground. Enthusiasm isn't enough. We need training so that enthusiasm is turned into aptitude.
The Child Poverty in Birmingham debate takes place in the Parkside Lecture Theatre, Millennium Point, Curzon Street on Friday 6.30pm – 9pm. Free tickets and more information are available at www.newsinbrum.com
louisepalfreyman
Latest posts by louisepalfreyman (see all)
From the frontline of poverty - March 11, 2015
By louisepalfreyman|2015-03-13T14:38:43+00:00March 11th, 2015|In The News, Opinion|Comments Off
Is the Tide about to Turn for Music Streaming?
Another 'old friend' disappears
Why did Microsoft's Internet Explorer fail to deliver?
Boy Band Breakups: Let's not be so cavalier to the "Directioners"
Experience Elemental at Flatpack Film Festival: Swipeside
Become a financially savvy student on National Student Money Week
Serial Thriller: Killer Psychopaths with Professor David Wilson
Why Harry Potter is Gothic and Twilight isn't
Dealing with the exam winter blues - a student's guide
ITV 1 'Tonight' - Thursday 29th March 19.30 Bamber: The New Evidence
City North Campus
B42 2SU
Web: http://www.bcu.ac.uk
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LOOK: Gilas Pilipinas Eliminations Schedule [2019 SEA Games]
As its brothers and sisters in Team Philippines frolic in the ongoing Southeast Asian Games on home ground, Gilas Pilipinas jumps in on the action Wednesday night, poised to play true to its reputation and romp off with the country's 13th consecutive men's basketball crown in a week's time.
The highly-favored squad coached by Tim Cone sets off its golden bid against Singapore at 8:15 p.m. before an expected full-house of supporters at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Cone has assembled a high-powered cast led by the PBA's five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, FIBA World Cup campaigners Troy Rosario, Japeth Aguilar and Kiefer Ravena, and veteran LA Tenorio as they seek to capture the gold closest to the hearts of basketball-crazy Filipinos and contribute to the Philippine delegation's quest for the overall title.
The two-time grand slam champion coach said the team has prepared as much as it can under the circumstances.
"For the (short) time that we have had, we feel we have the guys, not exactly where we want them, but where we need them to be," said Cone.
After the Singaporeans, Gilas takes on Vietnam and Myanmar back-to-back nights on Dec. 6 and 7 and is tipped to be in play for the medal rounds.
2019 SEA Games Gilas Pilipinas Men's Greg Slaughter Japeth Aguilar LA Tenorio Stanley Pringle Tim Cone
Pringle, Aguilar, Thompson in Top 10 of BPC race
WATCH: Kings with a Crown [Part 2]
Tim Cone pays tribute to Robert Jaworski after becoming Brgy. Ginebra's winningest coach
LA Tenorio sets sights on Grand Slam after winning first PBA Philippine Cup title


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Everything from Google Pixel Event 2017
From Phones to Clip-on, Everything from the 2017 Edition of Google's gala
in Gear & Gadgets, Tech
The Google Pixel Event 2017 was going to be all about the second generation Pixel phone, or so everyone thought. Pixel lived up to all expectations, but it was just one of the multiple, notable announcements by Google today. From phones to clip-ons to Virtual reality, here's a rundown of all the gadgets coming soon by Google.
Check out the complete stream on YouTube here
Google Home Mini & Max
First up, the Google Mini, a miniature version of Google Home. Drawing comparisons to Amazon's Echo Dot, the Mini is instead wrapped in a fabric much like the larger Home. Google is said to have tested over 150 shades of grey (#NotMyChristian) before going with charcoal and two other colors: coral and coal.
A well designed circular shape, the Speaker produces perfect surround sound in a package you'll want to flaunt (unlike the Amazon's Echo Dot).
With Google Assistant's cool new upgrade called Broadcast, it will turn a combo of Google Home/Google Home Mini's into a smart intercom system. On giving it the appropriate commands, you can "broadcast" a message to the entire house or, individual rooms wherever the speakers are located. Feels a bit creepy but it seems cool.
Google Home Mini will be available on October 19.
We go from smaller to bigger versions, we have Google Max, quite simply a larger Google Home. The Max is a cloth-wrapped speaker as well, but one you can position either vertically or horizontally.
This beautiful smart speaker packs a new feature, Smart Sound. Smart Sound uses machine learning to let Google Max bring you tailor-made audio experience suitable for your space, your room, your house.
Max comes out in December priced at $399. It's initially only available in the US in two colors: charcoal and chalk.
Google PixelBook
The Google PixelBook
At just 10mm (0.39 inches) and weighing 1kg (2.2 pounds), Pixelbook is the thinnest, lightest laptop Google has ever made. It's incredibly portable and according to Google at the Google Pixel Event 2017, is the first convertible laptop that truly feels like a tablet.
Pixelbook comes with 512GB SSD, up to 16GB of ram, and a battery that only needs 15 minutes of charge to give a whole two hours of battery backup.
Another cool feature is Instant tethering. When there's no WiFi network nearby, Pixelbook automatically tethers to Pixel phones for internet access anywhere. For now, this will work only with Pixel phones and not all Android devices.
Pixelbook starts at $999 and the accompanying Pixelbook Pen is $99. You can preorder both and will start shipping October 31.
Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL
Now for the main event of Google Pixel Event 2017, the Pixel 2. The phones will come in 2 varieties of the 5-inch original and the 6-inch XL, both equipped with Android Oreo, and the Pixel 2 comes in a couple of nice colors: blue, black, and white. The Pixel XL will come in just 2 colors: just black or black and white.
Google said it won't shortchange on the best features for the smaller of the two Pixel devices stating both will offer a uniform experience, regardless of the size. Clearly taking a jab at Apple's practices.
The camera is hands down the best in the market and scores a 98 on 100. According to DXO, that's nine points more than the first-gen Pixel and a full four points higher than the iPhone 8. Pixel 2's camera will take brilliant portrait shots without needing a second camera and, using dual-pixel technology, the single sensor can recognize multiple layers of a single pixel, combine them for effects similar to those we see on dual-sensor phones.
Pixel also packs super-fast charging, a vivid OLED display, the fastest fingerprint sensor, water-resistance, and now, the world's highest-rated camera.
Report: Google has been paying Apple a fortune to be Safari's default search!
The UI unexpectedly looks great. Squeezing the phone brings up Google Assistant. The AI is smart enough to know accidental squeezes from intentional ones, even with the phone inside a case.
Google Lens, which uses image recognition, analyzes image information to provide a lot of insights. For example, scanning an album label will bring up information about the artist. Taking the photo of a flyer or business card will automatically grab contact information, so you can call or message without inputting anything beforehand.
Thought that was amazing? The mind-blowing part is that the accuracy, according to Google, is more than 95 percent. That's even better than the human eye.
You can preorder both the Pixel and Pixel XL starting at $649/$849 offering variants of 64GB or 128GB versions.
Daydream View
Google Daydream View VR Device
Google announced the Daydream View today at the Google Pixel Event 2017 but didn't give us a lot to go on. The main takeaways are that it's coming with >250 VR titles, video content like YouTube VR, and Pixel owners will get exclusive access to IMAX 3D movies for free. Daydream will come with the ability to cast, so people outside the headset will get a glimpse of the action.
That's about it. We'll bring you more on the View as soon as we know more.
Google Pixel Buds
Unlike Apple AirPods, both Pixel earbuds are connected with a sleek single wire that sits on the back of your neck — so no more worrying about losing one should they fall out. Basic controls are on the right earbud, and the Pixel Buds offer super easy access to Google Assistant as well.
But one of the coolest features unveiled at the Google Pixel Event 2017 has to be the real-time translation offered by the new Pixel Buds. As presenters took to the stage and spoke in real-time using two different languages (Swedish & English), the speakers connected to a smartphone made magic — they translated English to Swedish (and vice-versa) in a crowded auditorium in near real-time. Right out of the gate, they'll translate more than 40 languages.
They go on sale starting November, priced at $159.
Google Clips
Lastly, we have the Clips at the Google Pixel Event 2017. Clips is a hands-free clip-on camera that clips to anything while looking like a slightly bigger GoPro camera. Its custom-built AI ensures clear and stable photos all the while trying to recognize the primary subject of the image. It grabs "Clips" or snippets in a high-resolution image which you can send instantly to Google Photos to automatically stitch together clips right away.
Google Clips is "coming soon" and starts at $249.
Google turns 19! — It's Google's birthday and here's a 19-year timeline
Via: Made by Google
Tags: AndroidGooglePixelTech
Around 500 Million VPN Apps were downloaded this past year!
New Google Maps feature is set to turn Local Guides into Influencers
The World's Best Snorkeling Location : Red Beach


Over the weekend, Stylesight was at Coachella in full force! Capturing the famed music festival's vibe and off the chart fashion. One thing is for certain though…it was hot! Hotter than hot! We're talking temperatures in the 90s to 100s during the day where sunscreen is a must and protection from heat is beyond belief needed. Cut to stage left…literately.
Behind the scenes at Coachella's massive main stage, we met one of the event's stage managers. (Essentially, he's the man who runs the ship, handles production and makes sure equipment is in place for musicians.) We had to stop him and ask about what he was wearing….a long sleeve performance shirt by Under Armour. It was interesting to see someone, not exercising, wearing active apparel. He shared, "I bought these shirts specifically for Coachella. They keep me dry from sweating so much in this heat!" Under Armour's long sleeve t-shirts have Anti-Odor Technology, UPF 30+ protection, Armour®Stretch and quick-drying technologies. Ideal for these kinds of conditions.


Sarah Green, Harvard Business Review: Amazon Should Partner With Independent Bookstores.
Writer LJ Sellers on the Crime Fiction Collection, speculating whether Amazon is taking on the role of 'curation' in pointing out editing flaws in self-published books.
Writer Bob Mayer's Ten Daring Predictions for 2012 From the Indie Author Trenches.
Writer David Gaughran: The Self-Publishing Year in Review.
Rachel Thompson, blogging about how she shakes her social media groove and the success of her books this year.
This entry was posted in E-Publishing, Fiction, Marketing, New Media, Self-Promotion and tagged Bob Mayer, Crime Fiction Collection, David Gaughran, Justine Musk, LJ Sellers, Nate Hoffelder, Rachel Thompson, The Digital Reader. Bookmark the permalink.
Amazon Should Partner with Independent Bookstores.
Considering Amazon is starting new physical publishing ventures, it would make basic sense to sell their new paper books in as many stores as possible. Particularly in Indie stores that have a real, vested interest in promoting books that big chain stores do not.
I thought this was a really interesting idea, too, and it's too bad Amazon is so cutthroat and would never consider it.


text:
Gas engineer called Bristol woman and started 'pleasuring himself' while breathing heavily down phone
The call was made late at night while the woman was in bed with her husband
Michael YongEducation and news reporter
An engineer caused a woman to have sleepless nights after downloading pictures of her and "masturbating" while harassing her on the phone.
Avon and Somerset police have launched an investigation into the incident after the victim, a young woman in her 20s, received the unwanted messages and call.
It happened on Tuesday last week while the Bristol woman, who does not want to be named, was in bed with her husband.
Violent brawl breaks out on Park Street
She received a text from an unknown number which read: "Hi Miss Beautiful xx" before receiving pictures of herself which the man had downloaded of her.
After the messages, he rang around 11pm that night, describing her and saying how beautiful she was.
Her husband told the Bristol Post: "It was the middle of the night and we were both sleeping. He proceeded to tell her how beautiful she is and he was breathing heavily, which I believe was because he was masturbating."
The gas engineer had come to their house previously
He said the man was describing what he was doing at the time to his wife while on the phone with her.
"That is really sick. I challenged him and he hung up and refused to take my calls," her husband added.
"He had my wife's number and said he was 'the boiler man'. My wife's number is on the gas certificate, so I guess that's how he found it."
Armed police in town centre after man seriously hurt in attack
They dug out their old gas safety certificate which the engineer had issued and the numbers matched up.
"It was really worrying. My wife is really distressed and she couldn't sleep at all. It was so shocking because you don't expecting anything like this to happen," he added.
The incident was reported to police and Gas Safe, the regulator for gas engineers. He said he was told the watchdog could not do anything about it.
"They advised me that unless it was do to do with his workmanship there was nothing they could do.
It left the woman with sleepless nights
"This is very worrying as a lot of old people or vulnerable women rely on the Gas Safe badge before allowing strangers into their home."
A spokeswoman for Avon and Somerset police said they were investigating the call.
"We received reports on Tuesday (March 27) of harassment in which the victim received unwanted messages and calls," she said.
The MOT mistake that could see you fined £2,500 and banned for six months
"We take reports of this type of offence very seriously. An investigation is underway and enquiries are ongoing."
A spokeswoman for Gas Safe said it was inappropriate to comment at this time because there was an ongoing investigation.


New evidence points to an origin 4.1 billion years ago.
The finding from Bell et al. is consistent with another discovery by John Valley of the University of Wisconsin and colleagues about a year ago, of a zircon nearly 4.4 billion years old. Their study indicated that Earth's early magma ocean must have cooled enough already by that point that the planet was able to form a rocky crust. Once temperatures cooled down enough to allow liquid water, life could have originated on Earth.
The new report by Bell and her co-authors suggest that this might have happened as early as 4.1 billion years ago. It probably wasn't much earlier, because the researchers found that only one in more than 10,000 zircons included these graphite inclusions. Previous estimates of the first appearance of life on Earth ranged from 3.5 billion to 3.8 billion years ago (based on fossil evidence) to about 4.0 billion years ago (based on isotopic evidence from some of the oldest rocks on Earth, found in Greenland). Earth formed about 4.55 billion years ago, which means that life must have originated rather quickly after its formation.
Determining the date when life first appeared on Earth is of extreme importance, not only to understanding our own planet, but also to understanding our neighboring planets Venus and Mars, which are thought to have had liquid water oceans on their surface during the Hadean. If life existed on Earth that early, all three planets would likely have harbored a biosphere, as there was a great deal of meteorite exchange between these worlds early in the Solar System's history.


RV Park for sale in south lower Michigan. Includes 40 plus acres with over 100 licensed campsites. Well-established park has its own private lake and borders state land. Sets off the road for added privacy. Includes resident home. Confidential listing. Serious qualified buyers. Contact us for more details!


text:
Search OU Magazine
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Oakland University launches new initiative to celebrate linguistic diversity
OULDI to host virtual celebration of International Mother Language Day on Feb. 21
true /Categories/Sites/Linguistics Department /Categories/Sites/News at OU /Categories/Sites/College of Arts and Sciences /Categories/Events/Type/Multicultural /Categories/News/General /Categories/News/Community Outreach /Categories/News/College of Arts & Sciences /Categories/News/Campus Life
The Oakland University Linguistic Diversity Initiative (OULDI) will promote an agenda of celebrating linguistic diversity and advancing linguistic justice at OU and its affiliated communities.
Oakland University's Linguistics Department recently launched a new inter-departmental, campus-wide initiative to promote an agenda of celebrating linguistic diversity and advancing linguistic justice at OU and its affiliated communities.
"As our mission statement explains, the Oakland University Linguistic Diversity Initiative (OULDI) was created because linguistic profiling and discrimination are everywhere, yet the role of language is often overlooked in efforts for diversity, equity, and inclusion," said Dr. Kuniko Nielsen, associate professor and chair of the Linguistics Department at OU. "As a proxy for identity, the way we use language affects things like access to jobs, housing, education, and equal treatment in the justice system.
"We believe it's time to raise such awareness, and that with this new initiative, OU is poised to become a regional leader in linguistic justice education and programming," Nielsen added.
The mission of OULDI is to foster and support linguistic diversity at Oakland University by:
• raising awareness of linguistic diversity in our communities,
• expressing affirmation of the linguistic diversity on campus, and
• practicing advocacy for the legitimacy of linguistic diversity and the importance of linguistic justice.
Toward these ends, OULDI will support linguistic diversity and linguistic justice in the Department of Linguistics itself through greater emphasis on linguistic diversity in departmental course offerings and promoting student research projects on under-studied languages.
OULDI will also collaborate with other campus units and academic departments on student demo- graphic data collection, campus programming, and community outreach and engagement.
"Understanding the range and value of all languages and varieties of English prepares Oakland students to be better teachers, doctors, supervisors, voters, co-workers, neighbors, etc.," said Dr. Carly Overfelt, a special lecturer in the Linguistics Department. She developed OULDI with Dr. Jason Overfelt, an assistant professor in the Linguistics Department.
"The Linguistics Department at OU already has a strong tradition of educating about linguistic diversity in its introductory courses, and reaches a lot of students that way," she said. "We wanted to build on that and reach outside of the classroom."
In an effort to raise awareness of linguistic diversity and the importance of linguistic justice, OULDI will host a virtual celebration of International Mother Language Day at noon on Sunday, Feb. 21 on Zoom.
The event will include a screening of Signing Black in America, a live talk on linguistic justice featuring Ph.D. candidate Aris Clemons from the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Rebecca Mercado-Jones from Oakland University, and a showcase of students' projects on linguistic justice and diversity.
The virtual event is open to the public and no pre-registration is required.
"All are welcome and invited to join OULDI and help shape its mission," Nielsen said.
For more information, or to learn how to become involved, visit oakland.edu/linguistics/ouldi or email ouldi-group@oakland.edu.


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Feeling Blue: how one Boerboel brought a community together
06/06/2019 /in JOCK Legends /by jocksfood
When three dogs went missing in Westville, west of Durban, their owners, Blake and Karin Louwrens, had no idea how firmly the community would stand behind them. Not only did Blue become an unlikely poster girl — she also inspired a new non-profit organization called the Blue Bundu Brigade. JOCK spoke to the Louwrens' friend and co-founder Karen Janisch to find out more.
The story starts with a small human slip: a gate left open. Out went the Louwrens family's three dogs, exploring the neighbouring nature reserve. Two of the wanderers were soon found. But not Blue, a Boerboel cross with a mind all of her own.
"Blue is a skittish fur baby, but when she loves, it's definitely a love you can feel," says Janisch.Desperate to find Blue, the Louwrens family went to social media for help.
"The response was phenomenal," says Janisch. "People joined the searches from various areas at times that they could. Searches were well conducted using drop pins to show where teams were searching. All searchers had to join the WhatsApp group so they could be in contact with someone at all times."
The search took on a life of its own, with strangers coming together and cooperating, even risking their own safety.
"Three searchers were hurt during the search: one searcher slipped and fractured her fingers which required surgery, another searcher fell off a log into the river, injured herself and was airlifted to hospital for medical attention and another searcher was stung by bees and re-quired medical attention," says Janisch.
"The most amazing thing to see was how so many people came together to look for a fur baby that was not even theirs — people who didn't know each other or even seen each other be-fore gave of their time to search, asking nothing in return."
The help of animal communicators, including Kim Tully, was eventually also brought in, which gave valuable insights. Finally, after 10 days, the hard work paid off and Blue was found by Blake in a community member's yard. Understandably, Blue was a little dehydrated and suffered minor injuries, but apart from that, was declared perfectly fine by a vet.
However, with all of the positive energy going around, the story couldn't simply end here. Mem-bers of the search party continued to look for lost dogs and they decided to register a non-profit organization called the Blue Bunda Brigade — a homage to the heroin that inspired the move-ment.
Registering a fundraising platform on Candlesticks, the aim is to raise money for food, vet bills and other costs in order to help a range of non-profit organization in the area.
"Working in rescue, there is just so much going on out there. So many unwanted animals, injured animals, abused animals and the list goes on," says Janisch.
"We strongly believe in working together and to assist where we can, because at the end of the day, it's our responsibility to help our furry friends."
To make a contribution, visit the Facebook page or email [email protected].
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Today's post is inspired by a request from Jeannalola, who reminded me that revised capsule wardrobe sheets are long overdue..
Beautiful and elegant as usual! Thank you for the inspiration. I hate to ask you to do more tasks, but you seem to have added many items to the capsule wardrobe. Any chances that you will be doing a review of the capsule wardrobe items? I think I may be losing track!
The pieces below are a recapitulation of all wardrobe items featured since last summer. Pieces with small variations (medium blue vs dark blue jeans, v-neck vs round neck sweater, jersey shirt vs cotton shirt etc) are pictured only once.
Love your outfit combination, my dear MaiTai!
Find this kind of post very useful. Thank you.
love this post and will use it to sort out my winter clothes.
The orchid decorated the check-out counter in H's Rue de Sevres store. They always have the best flowers.
Danke, eine wunderbare 'Lektion', dass man mit einer absolut überschaubaren Anzahl an Kleidungsstücken immer perfekt aussehen kann.
Liebe Sanne, es freut mich sehr, dass Ihnen das Konzept gefällt, vielen Dank für die lieben Zeilen und guten Wünsche!
Love your capsule wardrobe and pics you always have the best ideas and are very generous sharing with your loyal followers.
Thank you, dear Jane. I'm so happy you love the capsule wardrobe posts, they are very close to my heart.
J'espère vous avez passé une très belle semaine à Paris, chère Myriam!
I have enjoyed your winter wardrobe ensembles and I look forward to seeing your creations for Spring!
We had a lovley time away, many thanks for the good wishes!
Thank you Dear Mai Tai and have a wonderful ski holiday with your family.
Thanks so much again for inspiring this post, dear Jeannalola!
Happy Hollidays and looking forward to seeing again your beautiful pictures etc.
Mai Tai maintenant que je sais que vivez en Provence, je voulais vous dire qu'à Genève, je viens de recevoir une invitation de Hermes pour une découvrir les mille et une façon de nouer un carré par une certaine Valérie Evrard-Langlois. Je pense que vous êtes aussi calée qu'elle et pourquoi ne pas en faire votre métier finalement.
Bonjour à Genève! Je vous souhaite un excellent journée avec Mme Evrard-Langlois. Il y a quelques semaines on a eu la même événement dans la boutique H de plus proche de chez moi, et j'ai appris un meilleure façon de faire le 'shrug'!
Dear Madame Mai tai, Hope you are enjoying a terrific snowtrip on the Alps.
I so look forward to your new posts and classic fashions.
Many thanks for the good wishes, dear Mandy!
It's always inspiring to see these capsules pieces again. Thanks for the post. Hope that you're enjoying a wonderful time on holiday with the family.
Merci pour votre gentil commentaire, chère Frédérique!