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« The Rev. Joseph Lowery: An American Prophet Speaks Truth To Power | Main | The Right Wing Just Hates Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King »
"John Thomas calls for prayer for burned Alabama churches"
Reprinted from United Church News
Nine rural Alabama churches have been hit by a rash of suspected arsons over the past week. Responding to the tragedies, the Rev. John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ general minister and president, released the following statement:
Our hearts go out to all who have experienced the violation of watching their cherished house of worship burned by arsonists. We also know that many others now live in fear, wondering whether their churches will be next.
Scripture reminds us all to weep with those who weep, so our tears are joined to millions across this land who mourn the loss of sacred spaces that have witnessed the faith of many generations. As law enforcement officials bring perpetrators to justice, we call on all in the United Church of Christ to pray for those who have lost so much, knowing that God's spirit will sustain them.
All of the burned Alabama churches are Baptist and all were off rural roads not far from highways. The fires were in two clusters: the first five all in Bibb County, south of Birmingham, and the latest four in western Alabama 10 to 20 miles apart.
"Obviously somebody or somebodies are interested in burning down churches. Whether it's hate against a race or religion in general, we don't know," said Ragan Ingram, a spokesman for the state insurance agency that oversees fire investigations.
Ingram said the first rash of fires early Friday — at four predominantly white churches and one predominantly black church — are believed to be linked. All nine churches that burned included both predominantly black and predominantly white congregations.
The FBI is looking into whether fires are a civil rights violation under laws covering attacks on religious property. State and federal rewards totaling $10,000 have been offered in the probe. FBI acting assistant director Chip Burrus said investigators are working on the assumption that all nine fires are connected.
The federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency (ATF) reports that more than 50 agents are now assigned to the church fire investigation and it is its No. 1 priority nationally.
Related Post: Alabama Church Fires
Posted on Wednesday, February 08, 2006 at 22:38 in Current Affairs, Religion, United Church of Christ | Permalink


12-27-2012- ARIEL SHARON'S SON SAYS, "FLATTEN GAZA"
(11) TAKE GOOD HEED THEREFORE TO YOURSELVES, THAT YOU LOVE YAHWEH.
(13) KNOW FOR CERTAIN, THAT YAHWEH WILL NO MORE DRIVE OUT ANY OF THESE NATIONS BEFORE YOU; BUT THEY SHALL BE SNARES AND TRAPS TO YOU AND SCOURGES IN YOUR SIDES AND THORNS IN YOUR EYES, UNTIL YOU PERISH OFF THIS GOOD LAND, WHICH YAHWEH HAS GIVEN YOU.
I WAS LOOKING TO SEE HOW ARIEL SHARON WAS DOING WITH HIS COMA IN ISRAEL AND AS I WAS SEARCHING, I SAW WHERE HIS SON, GILAD, HAD SAID TO A REPORTER, "THAT ISRAEL SHOULD FLATTEN GAZA.,"AND ALSO ANOTHER ISRAELI OFFICIAL AGREED.
ARIEL SHARON IS STILL IN A COMA STATE AND HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST 6 YEARS AND NOW AS I UNDERSTAND, THEY ARE LETTING HIM STAY AT HIS HOME. THIS ALL HAPPENED AFTER HE HAD REMOVED ISRAELI SETTLERS, OUT FROM AMONG THE PHILISTINE TERRITORY AND GAZA.
THE PHILISTINES, AND ISRAEL, HAVE CONSTANTLY BEEN AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER.
SO, NOW WE HAVE THESE PALESTINIANS, ARABS, AND HAMAS, IN GAZA, WHO ARE WORSE THAN A THORN IN THEIR SIDE AND ARE MORE LIKE SATAN, THE DEVIL, AND HIS DEVILS. THEY HAVE NO CLAIM TO ANY PART OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL AND HAVE BECOME HOMESTEADERS. YAH'WEH, GAVE ALL THE LAND, INCLUDING GAZA, TO ISRAEL AND FORFEITED GAZA'S RIGHT TO OWNERSHIP.
SEA PEOPLE, WERE THE PHILISTINES CALLED, AND CAME FROM THE ISLAND OF CRETE, IN THE TIME OF 2 BC AND WERE TALL AND MIGHTY. EVEN GIANTS LIKE GOLIATH AND HIS BROTHER, WERE PART OF THE PHILISTINE ARMY.
THE PHILISTINES WERE WAR MONGERS AND HAD THE ADVANTAGE IN WEAPONS, SINCE THEY KNEW HOW TO MAKE WEAPONS OUT OF IRON.
THEY INVADED THE AREA OF GAZA AND LIVED THERE AND WERE A THREAT TO ISRAELS PEACE, FROM THEN, TO NOW.
THE ONLY REASONABLE SOLUTION FOR GAZA, RATHER THAN BE FLATTENED, IS TO BE SERVANTS TO ISRAEL, AS THEIR THANKS TO ISRAEL AND THEIR YAH'WEH.
HERE IS THE MODE OF MILITARISM YAH'WEH, HAS TOLD ISRAEL TO DO.
WHEN YOUR ENEMY WITHIN ISRAEL GIVES UP THE SWORD AND DOESN'T WANT TO FIGHT ISRAEL, THEN, MAKE THEM YOUR SERVANTS AND LET THEM LIVE, OTHERWISE, IF THEY FIGHT BY THE SWORD, THE MEN WILL ALL DIE, CHILDREN, WOMEN, AND ALL THE SPOIL, YOU KEEP FOR YOURSELF.
(18) THAT THEY TEACH YOU NOT TO DO AFTER ALL THEIR ABOMINATIONS, WHICH THEY HAVE DONE UNTO THEIR gods; SO SHOULD YOU SIN AGAINST YAHWEH.
(40) SO JOSHUA SMOTE ALL THE COUNTRY OF THE HILLS AND OF THE SOUTH, AND OF THE VALE, AND OF THE SPRINGS, AND ALL THEIR KINGS: HE LEFT NONE REMAINING BUT UTTERLY DESTROYED ALL THAT BREATHED, YAHWEH OF ISRAEL COMMANDED.
(41) AND JOSHUA SMOTE THEM FROM KADESH BARNEA, EVEN TO GAZA, AND ALL THE COUNTRY OF GOSHEN, EVEN TO GIBEON.
(42) AND ALL THESE KINGS AND THEIR LAND, DID JOSHUA TAKE AT ONE TIME, BECAUSE YAHWEH OF ISRAEL, FOUGHT FOR ISRAEL.
GAZA AND THE LAND THEY LIVE ON, AS EVERYTHING ON EARTH DOES, BELONGS TO YAH'WEH, AND HE GAVE HIS LAND OF THE CANAAN HEATHEN AND DROVE OFF MOST ALL OF THEM AND GAVE IT TO ISRAEL FOR THEIR INHERITANCE, PROMISED TO ABRAHAM.
(31) AND I, YAHWEH, WILL SET YOUR BOUNDARIES FROM THE RED SEA, EVEN UNTO THE "SEA OF THE PHILLISTINES," AND FROM THE DESERT, TO THE RIVER (JORDAN): FOR I WILL DELIVER THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND INTO YOUR HAND; AND YOU SHALL DRIVE THEM OUT BEFORE YOU.
(32) "YOU SHALL MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM", NOR THEIR gods.
(33) THEY SHALL NOT LIVE IN YOUR LAND, SHOULD THEY MAKE YOU SIN AGAINST ME: FOR IF YOU SERVE THEIR gods, IT WILL SURELY BE A SNARE TO YOU.
THOUGH THE PHILISTINES AND ARABS RECOGNIZES ABRAHAM, BUT NOT YAH'SHUA, AS YAH'WEHS, SON AND MESSIAH, AND PROPHET, THEY REMAIN A HEATHEN NATION, AND ARE NOT SERVING THE YAH'WEH, THAT THEY SHOULD. OTHERWISE, THEY WOULD BE AT PEACE WITH ISRAEL, AND WOULD BE CO-PARTNERS IN THE LAND.
BUT NO, PHILISTINES, IN THE LAND OF GAZA SERVED gods, WHICH WERE NO gods. THIS WAS PROVEN WHEN THE ARK OF YAHWEH WAS TAKEN BY THE PHILISTINE AND THEY PUT IT IN THE TEMPLE OF THEIR god, DAGON, AND DAGON FELL OVER TO THE GROUND ON HIS FACE, BEFORE THE ARK OF YAHWEH AND DAGONS HEAD, AND BOTH PALMS OF HIS HANDS WERE CUT OFF, ONLY THE STUMP OF DAGON REMAINED. THE PEOPLE OF PHILISTINE WERE CURSED WITH EMERODS, HEMORRHOIDS.
ISRAELS DAVID KILLED THEIR GIANT, GOLIATH, WHICH PROVED YAH'WEH, WAS FOR ISRAEL, AND NOT THE PHILISTINE'S.
MY ADVISE TO THE PHILISTINES AND ARABS IN GAZA IS THIS, KNOWING THE MINDSET OF YAH'WEH, CONCERNING WAR TACTICS, YIELD YOURSELVES TO ISRAEL AS THEIR SERVANTS, AND LIVE IN PEACE WITH EACH OTHER.
IF YOU FIGHT, YOU WILL DIE!


We used science and data to determine which cities in California are probably voting for Trump.
Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2019. This is our third time ranking the most conservative places to live in California.
And now that we're headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of California would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Golden State?
In order to do so, we turned our sites on measuring how each city in California with populations greater than 5,000 voted and contributed to political campaigns in the past several years. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted republican and gave the most to conservatives where named the most conservative cities in the state.
If you're wondering, San Francisco is the most liberal city in California of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn't form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we'll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in California.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 425 for each of the criteria where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Susanville, is "The Most Conservative City in California For 2019".
Redding, officially the City of Redding, is the county seat of Shasta County, California, in the northern part of the state. It lies along the Sacramento River, is 162 miles north of Sacramento, and 120 miles south of the Oregon border. Interstate 5 bisects the entire city, from the south to north before it approaches Shasta Lake, which is located 15 miles to the north. The 2010 population was 89,861. Redding is the largest city in the Shasta Cascade region, and it is the fourth-largest city in the Sacramento Valley, behind Sacramento, Elk Grove, and Roseville.
The City of Shasta Lake is a city in Shasta County, California, United States. It is the closest settlement to Shasta Dam and Shasta Lake reservoir, which are popular tourist destinations. The population was 10,164 at the 2010 census, up from 9,008 at the 2000 census.
Ione is a city in Amador County, California, United States. The population was 7,918 at the 2010 census, up from 7,129 in 2000. Once known as "Bed-Bug" and "Freeze Out," Ione was an important supply center on the main road to the Mother Lode and Southern Mines during the California Gold Rush.
Well there you have it, the places in California that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Susanville ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.


Eric Kole relaxes on the steps of his Logan Circle penthouse beneath Absolut DC, a lithograph made for the vodka purveyor by Judy Brown.
For Vastu co-owner Eric Kole, art doesn't so much imitate life. Art is his life.The line blurs between a professional and personal passion for beautiful things in the same way that his chic Logan Circle furnishings boutique/ gallery and his swanky duplex loft in the same DC neighborhood share a consistent progressive design aesthetic. He calls his style "warm, comfortable modern." But at home, as at work, it is this designer-entrepreneur's devotion to fine art that really drives him.
That transformation took time to flourish for the fit 43-year-old, who first came to Washington to enter the corporate world after graduating from Cornell with degrees in economics and design. "I rose to become a divisional vice-president for Computer Associates, but I didn't totally use the design part of my education for 15 years," he notes.
Creating attractive residential interiors began as a hobby for him during that period. Friends asked for help with their places and he kept redoing his own. "And that's when I began collecting art," he says.
About four years ago, he'd had enough of the corporate existence. "I couldn't get up one more morning and put on another suit to sell something I had no interest in," Kole recalls.
As the 14th Street corridor began its renaissance in 2003, he and co-owner Jason Claire opened the hip, contemporary Vastu. A new generation of professionals was just moving into the neighborhood and seeking the sleek, modern look. The store—which offers custom furniture, fashionable accessories, design services and, of course, affordable art pieces—was profitable from the day it opened, Kole says.
In 2003, Kole also placed an advance order to purchase a penthouse condominium in the vintage Cooper-Lewis Building. The residence would include a light-filled, bi-level 1,450-square-foot interior and a spectacular 1,100-square-foot, wrap-around roof terrace.
display space for his art collection.
Kole, who was finally able to move into the apartment building last year, had pre-planned where every painting would hang and where each piece of sculpture and furniture would be positioned. "I was able to throw a party in it within 72 hours of moving in," he remembers.
It is that kind of enthusiasm and attention to detail that informs every part of Kole's home. This becomes apparent from the moment you step onto the Brazilian cherry hardwood floor and behold the dramatic expanse, which is punctuated by vibrant canvases in representational themes. The foyer tenders an initial burst with a pair of Javier Cabada's flowers, Red Lily and White Iris, hanging next to one another above a contrasting antique Tibetan cupboard.
Among those, on the right in the main hallway after the entrances to the cozy media/guest room and immaculate kitchen, is Reflections on Soda Fountain. It's one of three lithographs Kole owns by Roy Lichtenstein, the artist known for his comic-strip style. Nearby, on the counter of the functional kitchen with its sleek Scavolini cabinetry, is another example of Kole's love of pop art: a framed Campbell's Tomato Soup label. It is one of a series originally signed by artist Andy Warhol for Campbell's company employees after the artist's own versions of the label gained international acclaim.
While Kole believes that furniture is secondary, it still needs to hold its own against the art. This is apparent in the soaring combined living/dining area, where an iconic Saarinen dining table with an arabescato marble top by Knoll anchors a swirl of forceful, large-scale compositions.
By comparison, a soothing taupe-gray master suite on the opposite side of the great room feels more like a private sanctuary. Resting beside the leather and steel Vastu recalls the greater intention of the residence as an art repository.
Kole's good taste, along with his personal identity, are reflected up the staircase, off the apartment's cool second-story den with its high-tech metal fireplace.Suspended in mid-air is a specially commissioned sculpture, Julie Levesque's Four Square. A stark white grouping of four symmetrical houses dangles together, each slightly different in its features, each one representing a member of Kole's family as described by him to the artist. It is left open to interpretation, though, as to which tiny dwelling symbolizes his mother, father, brother and himself.
Sally Kline, a Washington-area arts and culture writer for 17 years, is a regular contributor to Home & Design. Timothy Bell is a photographer based in Washington, DC, and New York City.
Suspended next to the second-story den that leads to the roof terrace (right), Julie Levesque's Four Square symbolizes the four members of Kole's family. In the living room (opposite), Kole juxtaposes two vibrant paintings, Blue by David DeBilzan and Crema by Carlos Davila Rinaldi, over low-slung furnishings from Vastu.
A Saarinen table brings a sculptural look into the dining area (opposite), where Popi's Power of Money makes a dramatic statement. Sleek cabinets by Scavolini and quartz-stone countertops create a modern vibe in the kitchen (above). The framed soup-can label signed by Andy Warhol was made as a gift for Campbell's employees after the artist's Campbell's Soup Cans gained international acclaim.
Kole's comfortable media room (this page) boasts a Nelson bench, a sofa by Steven Anthony and a side chair upholstered in Knoll fabric—all from Vastu. UPC, a canvas by Genevieve Durang, echoes the lines in the bench. Serenity prevails in the gray-taupe master bedroom (opposite top), where Andy?Warhol's Diamond Dust Shoes shimmers over the bed and Lichtenstein's Venetian School covers a space where there was once a window.
A metallic and epoxy painting by Willie Little sets a tranquil tone in the master bath (opposite bottom).
Suspended next to the second-story den that leads to the roof terrace, Julie Levesque's Four Squares symbolizes the four members of Kole's family.
In the living room, Kole juxtaposes two vibrant paintings, Blue by David DeBilzan and Crema by Carlos Davila Rinaldi, over low-slung furnishings from Vastu.
A Saarinen table brings an sculptural look into the dining area, where Popi's Power of Money makes a dramatic statement.
Sleek cabinets by Scavolini and quartz-stone countertops create a modern vibe in the kitchen.
Kole's comfortable media room boasts a Nelson bench, a sofa by Steven Anthony and a side chair upholstered in Knoll fabric– all from Vastu. UPC, a canvas by Genevieve Durang, echoes the lines in the bench.
Serenity prevails in the gray-taupe master bedroom, where Andy Warhol's Diamond Dust Shoes shimmers over the bed.
The den leads to the 1,100-square-foot wrap-around roof terrace, which offers panoramic views of DC and makes a great spot for entertaining.


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US Firm To Acquire Israeli AI Mobility Startup Waycare For $61M
By NoCamels Team August 09, 2021 2 minutes
The Waycare team. Photo by Yoav Picherski
Israeli startup Waycare Technologies, the developer of an AI-based connected mobility platform for transportation agencies, is set to be acquired by Maryland-based company Rekor Systems, a provider of license plate recognition systems and traffic monitoring solutions.
A public company traded on the Nasdaq, Rekor will pay $61 million in cash and common stock for the acquisition, according to a joint statement. The deal is set to close later this year.
Founded in 2016 in Palo Alto with offices in Tel Aviv, Waycare leverages artificial intelligence and predictive analytics for proactive traffic management optimization, drawing from vast amounts of data points to provide actionable insights, such as crash prediction, irregular traffic detection, and quick incident identification. The platform integrates data from existing transportation networks and sources like city infrastructure, in-vehicle data, navigation apps, and weather forecasts.
The data is synthesized "to create a full holistic picture of what's happening on the road in real-time," Waycare CEO and co-founder Noam Maital told NoCamels four months ago in an interview. "We use all those insights to start building operational tools, based on enabled machine learning and deep learning for real-time traffic operations, incident management and predictive analytics as well."
"Intelligent infrastructure is the foundation upon which smart cities are built," said Robert A. Berman, president and CEO of Rekor, in a press statement. He listed "three key ingredients" to be a best-in-class solutions provider in the emerging intelligent infrastructure industry and they are: the ability to collect accurate data via sophisticated sensors; process data via cutting-edge software; and capitalize on first-mover advantages by rapidly expanding geographic reach and product offerings.
"We call this having real estate. With the Waycare acquisition, we are significantly strengthening our footprint and meaningfully enhancing our service offering. This acquisition accelerates access to new markets and provides us with new vendor relationships to access unique data sources," added Berman.
Maital said both Waycare and Rekor "were on an incredible journey building the infrastructure for smart cities which will benefit generations to come."
"By joining Rekor, we now have access to real-time roadway optical sensors, innovative software and enhanced data. Rekor is uniquely positioned to become a leading force in data aggregation and analysis for roadway intelligence," said Maital.
Rekor's acquisition of Waycare will expand its footprint and provide opportunities to cross-sell products and services, as well as accelerate access to new markets, the companies said. Waycare's AI platform is complementary to Rekor's platform and will be quickly integrated to broaden Rekor's suite of solutions for safety and incident management.
"Waycare is a rare asset as it already has an established and growing customer base, favorable relationships with third-party data providers that would take years to replicate and a highly talented management team," said Berman.
Waycare will be fully integrated into Rekor, according to the announcement.
SEE ALSO: Israeli Startup Waycare Taps AI To Increase Traffic Safety, Reduce Time On Roads

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This video today was is the highly requested updated how to win tilted towers guide/tutorial for Fortnite Battle Royale. The first tilted towers tips video I uploaded on my channel was literally my 2nd every upload and based on the fact I only had about 25 subs at the time I'm guessing not many of you guys have seen it. So, I decided that since both my strategy and Tilted Towers itself has changed from the first tutorial it was time to make an updated version. In the video I show you guys my main Tilted Towers landing, my secondary Tilted Towers landing, as well as some more general tips that I believe will help you guys be more successful in Tilted as a whole. I hope you guys enjoy this video!
No other console player on the planet has my resume of tournament success (24 tournament wins in a month at a 40-50% win rate is unheard of ), high kill games, and overall statistics.


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Q: Is there a way to copy code from eclipse including ine numbers I am writing a little bit of documentation and code explanation. I would like to copy code from eclipse including line numbers, so that it becomes easier to reference the code in the text.
Is there any way to do this in eclipse or some other IDE, editor?

A: Since Eclipse 3.4 and bug 19602, you will print the line numbers if you have activated them on the Eclipse editor.
alt text http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/7605/eclipseshowlines.png
Printing a source will give you:
alt text http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9899/eclipseprint.png

A: You can do it by printing a PDF of source file, then copying source with line numbers from the PDF document.
It works for me with eclipse PDT + CutePDF, it should also work with Acrobat PDF printer

A: Another not-so-clean work-around to achieve this. This is specific to the Subversive plug-in.
3 steps to follow:

*

*Delete the piece of code you need to copy and save the source file.

*Right click the file and chose option Team -> Create Patch.. and save it to a file, say copy.patch

*Undo (Ctrl + Z) the changes  to revert the deletion done in step 1 and save the source file again.

Open the patch file and use the contents.
This also includes the file-name (if desired) along with the line number and retains the indentation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In this episode of the Mobile Home Park Investing Podcast, Kevin shares the mic with Michael Renz; An Environmental Geologist and Founder of Renz & Associates, INC.
Michael's Renz's boutique firm specializes in the conduction of environmental studies for sites potentially impacted by pollution by hazardous materials, and providing remediation for any potential problems. Examples include cleanup from oil spills, leaking underground storage tanks, ruptured pipelines, dumpsites and the like.
Every investor needs to understand the importance of conducting an environmental survey on their property before a purchase, as it can carry a potentially huge liability. Enjoy this episode as Michael covers what to look for, and various stories from working in the field.
[15:55] What's the strangest discovery Michael has made during an examination?
[24:48] What is the average turnaround time and cost of a Phase I environmental study?
[29:08] When is a Phase II environmental study initiated?
[34:08] What kind of questions do buyers need to ask a firm for an environmental assessment?


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Science and the Search for Meaning: Five Questions
What Does Evolution Want?
Are human beings just an evolutionary accident? What if the evolution of humans, or some brainy creature like us, was inevitable once life first appeared on Earth? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, maverick paleontologist Simon Conway Morris explains why he believes evolution must ultimately lead to intelligent beings.
Original Air Date: November 28, 2010
Is there some design intention behind the apparently random choices made by the evolutionary process? Steve Paulson visits with renowned British paleontologist Simon Conway Morris in his office at Cambridge University in England to talk about Morris's radical idea that humans, or something like them, were the inevitable outcome of the appearance of life on earth.
Press Play to Listen (Running Time 16:15)
Download Audio Podcast (7.8MB mp3)
Historian and philosopher of science Robert Richards tells Steve Paulson that Charles Darwin himself believed evolution marches inevitably toward greater complexity. Also, Ruth Padel is an acclaimed British poet and a direct descendent of Charles Darwin. She's now written Darwin: A Life in Poems, having grown up hearing stories about her famous ancestor. She talks about it with Jim Fleming, and reads some of her poems.
John Haught is a Roman Catholic theologian at Georgetown University, and the author of God After Darwin and God and the New Atheism. Haught talks with Steve Paulson about his theology of evolution. Also, paleo-anthropologist John Hawks shows Anne Strainchamps around his lab at the University of Wisconsin and they talk about how human beings have evolved since their cave man days, and how the process is continuing.
Does the "Soul" Still Matter?
Can Islam and Science Coexist?
Can Science Be Sacred?


Stripped ribbon made from soft 100% cotton fabric. Ribbon is about 3/4" wide with frayed edges for cool rustic look and feel. Decorate your country cottage or dress up gifts and packages. It's also great for weddings--florists love it too.
* We hand rip each piece of ribbon in a single continuous piece for a stronger length of ribbon. Larger special orders of 10+ yards will have breaks every 5 yards.


Flashing some interplanetary gold bling and sipping "space water" might sound far-fetched, but both could soon be reality, thanks to a new US law that legalizes cosmic mining.
In a first, President Barack Obama signed legislation at the end of November that allows commercial extraction of minerals and other materials, including water, from asteroids and the moon.
That could kick off an extraterrestrial gold rush, backed by a private aeronautics industry that is growing quickly and cutting the price of commercial space flight.
The US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 says that any materials American individuals or companies find on an asteroid or the moon is theirs to keep and do with as they please.
While the Space Act breaks with the concept that space should be shared by everyone on Earth for scientific research and exploration, it establishes the rights of investors to profit from their efforts, at least under US law.
Christopher Johnson, a lawyer at the Secure World Foundation, which focuses on the long-term sustainable use of outer space, said the law sets the basis for the next century of activity in space.
"Now it is permissible to interact with space. Exploring and using space's resources has begun," he said.
The US move conjured visions of the great opening of the United States' Western frontier in the 19th century, which led to the California Gold Rush of 1849.
But for the moment, the costs of pioneering the economic exploitation of space remain exorbitant and the risks high.
Large companies are still studying their options, but smaller startups are impatient to get going, like Planetary Resources, launched in 2012 by Google co-founder Larry Page.
"It has often been a question as to whether a commercial company will be able to go out and develop a resource," said Chris Lewicki, president of Planetary Resources, which bills itself as "The Asteroid Mining Company."
But now, the Space Act "allows us to give assurances to our customers and investors as we build a resource business in space," Lewicki told AFP.
"Since the passage of the law, we've been getting a lot of support messages and our current investors are very excited," he added.
Meagan Crawford, vice president at another ambitious asteroid miner, Deep Space Industries, said that with the law's passage, investors are no longer fretting that they are wasting their money.
"This is absolutely a big win for us. We don't seem crazy any more. We don't have to work very hard to convince investors."
According to NASA research, of some 1,500 asteroids within easy reach from Earth, possibly 10 percent have valuable mineral resources.
Both companies see great possibilities in space: deposits of nickel, iron ore, gold and platinum that could support the space industry in the same way that the huge deposits of iron ore in the US upper midwest laid the foundations for the Detroit auto industry.
But their first target is water frozen in substantial deposits on relatively close asteroids.
The water's value, more than just to drink, is in providing hydrogen fuel for space vehicles. It could supply a refuelling station for the rockets, for instance, destined to explore Mars. And it could be used to refuel satellites in orbit.
Lewicki says an in-space fueling station could save hundreds of millions of dollars in water transport costs.
"If we can store that water there, we can refuel rockets, satellites -- it will be a huge opportunity.
"You can refuel your rocket in orbit; that makes it easier to get it there, and cheaper."
The first space prospecting missions could be launched from 2017, the companies say, and extracting minerals could begin as early as 2020.
Deep Space Industries is planning the deployment of 25-32 kilogram (55-70 pound) mini-satellites to asteroids with good prospects to better assess their resources and bring back samples.
For its part Planetary Resources has already identified asteroids for exploitation using space telescopes place in orbit last year. It plans to launch a small exploration satellite early next year, Lewicki said.
The two companies estimate that the new space gold rush could need several billion dollars over the next 10-15 years, not greatly different from the costs of terrestrial mining.
For that, they need global support for their operations, and need to begin pressing other governments to adopt laws similar to the US Space Act that will recognize a company's rights to any space mineral riches it can harvest.


Urbanears Mint Green Humlan Headphones are the world's first headphones with a removable headband and ear cushions that can be washed. So your headphones are always clean, even if your music isn't.
Humlan Headphones also feature the ZoundPlug for instant sharing of music or movies with a friend, a microphone for taking calls and a remote to pause music.


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Q: C# check for member of enum using input value Let's say I have an enum called eEventID that contains 10 events, mEvent1 - mEvent10 with int values 10001 - 10010 . I want to use an input value (e.g. 10007) to check if a member in the enum has the corresponding value. Once I find the event with the corresponding input value, I then take that event and register a method to it by hooking up a delegate (This is assuming I have all the necessary code). I just need to know if a member in the enum has a value that is the same as the input value, then register a new method to that event. How do I look for a certain event using only an input value? I'm guessing a for-loop or any other loop isn't my best bet.
EDIT: this is what I have so far...
public delegate void EventDel(int mEvtIdx);

public enum eVtEvtId
{
    Event1,
    Event2,
    Event3,
    Event4,
    Event5,
    Event6,
    Event7,
    Event8,
    Event9,
    Event10,

}

public void Subscribe(int mInVal)
{
    eVtEvtID mEventID;
    int mEventIndex = mInVal;

    if(Enum.IsDefined(typeof(mEventID), mEventIndex))
    {
        mEventID += EventDelegate([insert method here])
    }

    else
    {
        // will warn the user that the event does
        // not yet exist in the enum
    }

}

A: Use the TryParse method of your enum.
Basically its like this:
YourEnum enumVal;
if (Enum.TryParse(yourInputString, out enumVal)) {
   // use enumVal here
}

A: Here's an example that demonstrates how you would take a value (reading it from the console) map it to the numeric value corresponding to an enum member, locate the corresponding event (in this case on the Program class) and attach an event handler to it.
using System;

namespace ConsoleApplication6
{
    public enum Events
    {
        Event1 = 10001,
        Event2 = 10002,
        Event3 = 10003,
        Event4 = 10004,
        Event5 = 10005,
        Event6 = 10006,
        Event7 = 10007,
        Event8 = 10008,
        Event9 = 10009,
        Event10 = 10010
    }

    public class Program
    {
        public static event Action Event1;
        public static event Action Event2;
        public static event Action Event3;
        public static event Action Event4;
        public static event Action Event5;
        public static event Action Event6;
        public static event Action Event7;
        public static event Action Event8;
        public static event Action Event9;
        public static event Action Event10;

        private static void OnEvent1()
        {
            if(Event1 != null)
            {
                Event1();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent2()
        {
            if (Event2 != null)
            {
                Event2();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent3()
        {
            if (Event3 != null)
            {
                Event3();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent4()
        {
            if (Event4 != null)
            {
                Event4();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent5()
        {
            if (Event5 != null)
            {
                Event5();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent6()
        {
            if (Event6 != null)
            {
                Event6();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent7()
        {
            if (Event7 != null)
            {
                Event7();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent8()
        {
            if (Event8 != null)
            {
                Event8();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent9()
        {
            if (Event9 != null)
            {
                Event9();
            }
        }

        private static void OnEvent10()
        {
            if (Event10 != null)
            {
                Event10();
            }
        }

        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            while(true)
            {
                var input = Console.ReadLine();

                if(input == "q")
                {
                    return;
                }

                int value;

                if(int.TryParse(input, out value))
                {
                    var eventValue = (Events) value;
                    var eventName = Enum.GetName(typeof (Events), eventValue);

                    var matchingEvent = typeof(Program).GetEvent(eventName);

                    if (matchingEvent != null)
                    {
                        var action = new Action(() => Console.WriteLine("Event " + eventName + " has been handled"));
                        matchingEvent.AddEventHandler(null, action);
                    }

                }

                OnEvent1();
                OnEvent2();
                OnEvent3();
                OnEvent4();
                OnEvent5();
                OnEvent6();
                OnEvent7();
                OnEvent8();
                OnEvent9();
                OnEvent10();
            }
        }
    }
}


A few years back, I was working on a project in a facility that had a number of groups using the space. There was a group of students doing the props and furniture for a show, and they were so proud of how far under budget they had come. They were given $300 to do all the props and furniture, and they had only spent $30. Here's the thing though: it looked like they had only spent $30, and spending a bit more money could have made it look a whole lot better.
We talk about the importance of not going over budget, but we rarely talk about the flip side: not using enough of your budget. As props people, we are always looking for a great deal or a bargain that other mere mortals may think impossible. And it's great to get an item for a fraction of the price you would normally pay… if it looks like the full-priced item. If you have $300 to spend, it should look like you spent $3000.
It's a great skill to try and produce as much as possible for as little money as you can. If you have zero budget and you only spend $30 on all the props and furniture, that's quite the achievement. But if you are given a budget of $300 and you still come in with the $30 solution, it makes me wonder what happens when you have a budget of $1000. Or $3000. Or $10000. Are you still going to show up with the $30 solution? Because managing larger budgets has its own set of skills: knowing when to buy nicer materials, or when to buy certain items to save time fabricating them; paying money for little details that make your prop look more like the real thing; hiring extra help or outside contractors to help you get more done in the same limited time frame.
It makes sense if you compare it to your other resource: time. If you only have two hours for a project, you will probably come up with a very creative and inventive solution, albeit not a very impeccable one. Now, if you have two weeks for the same project, imagine showing up with a prop that looks like you whipped it out in two hours. You wouldn't let your time go to waste just to prove you can make a prop with minimal effort, so don't let your budget go to waste just to prove you're a spend-thrift.
The same is true with the budget. I allocate all the money I have to specific items; I don't leave any large chunks sitting around (other than contingencies, which I build into the budget). Of course, as rehearsals progress, the budget shifts around; items are added or altered, I discover solutions that allow me to save money, etc. If a change requires me to spend more money than I was anticipating, I take that money from something less essential. However, if new conditions cause me to save more money than I was anticipating, I find somewhere else to spend it. Maybe I was using a cheap solution for a nonessential prop, and now I can buy a nicer version for stock that I know I will use in later shows. Maybe I buy some hardware that I was planning on fabricating, and save myself some time that I can use elsewhere. Or maybe I just buy some more dressing, because you can never have too much dressing. If everything works out, by the time I get to opening, my budget is pretty much on the nose.
Sometimes, things are cut or changed at the last second, and the opportunity to spend the money never comes up, and I come way under budget. I don't just run out and start buying random things. The important point is that I had plans for that money. You should have a plan for how you are going to spend every dollar in the budget given to you, rather than trying to avoid spending any dollar. You can tell when things were done for cheap.
In the first act of "A Social Highwayman," at the Garrick Theatre, a game of poker is played. One of the players, William Norris, puts a fifty-dollar bill, stage money, on the table and makes an uncomplimentary remark about thieves just as Edmund M. Holland, who plays the part of a valet, is entering the room. Mr. Holland approaches the table when nobody is looking and steals the fifty-dollar bill.
The property man forgot to give the bill to Mr. Norris last Wednesday night and Mr. Norris did not discover that he had forgotton to ask for it until he was on the stage. Then there was great finessing to get a bill without letting the audience know anything was wrong.
Finally Mr. Norris slipped toward the wings and asked several employes of the theatre to let him have a bill. The stage carpenter was the only financier in the party, and he promptly handed to the actor a five-dollar bill, good money.
Mr. Holland has a habit of destroying the stage money after he makes his exit. The act is unconcious and due to nervousness.
After the performance Mr. Norris went to Mr. Holland's dressing room and asked that the stage carpenter's bill be returned to him.
"Oh, I tore that up," remarked Mr. Holland, pointing to a lot of pieces on the floor.
Mr. Norris said a few terse words, looked ruefully at the small pieces of greenback, and went sadly away.
He gave the stage carpenter $5 and tried to keep the story quiet.
First published in The New York Times, February 9, 1896.
The ever-inspiring prop maker Ross MacDonald has a post on some of the period paper props he has made for HBO's Boardwalk Empire over the past four years. His props are always well-researched and produced on vintage machines as close to how they were originally produced.
Collector's Weekly has a great piece on the fifty year history of Easy-Bake Ovens. If you have never checked out their blog, this is a great piece to start on. Their stories are always a cut above the rest, filled with tons of great photographs, and delving into the history of various objects in great detail.
If you are interested in making props while spending barely any money on materials, check out the Cardboard Armory. As the name suggests, this blog details various armor and weapon projects built with little more than cardboard, hot glue and the occasional piece of PVC pipe.
Though directed at woodworkers, Popular Woodworking's "Top 6 Ways to Become a Better Woodworker" is just as relevant to the prop maker. Ok, it's actually five ways, since one of the ways is to read Popular Woodworking (though if you build prop furniture from wood, it's a good magazine to check out).
Alpha Officium makes historically-accurate coins out of real metal. His website has some common coins like Florins and Groats, and he can also do custom orders if you need something more specific.


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John Seddon - Beyond Command and Control - Book Tour
Leeds University Business School event Thursday 23 January 2020
Date: Thursday 23 January 2020, 17:00 – 19:00
Location: Business School Maurice Keyworth LT (G.02)
Celebrating the launch of Beyond Command and Control.
We are very excited to host John Seddon at Leeds University Business School. John is an occupational psychologist, researcher, professor, management thinker and leading global authority on change and adapted the Toyota Production System and the work of W. Edwards Deming and Taiichi Ohno into his 'Vanguard Method' for the service sector.
In this new book, John offers to solve the UK productivity conundrum, dramatically improve health and care services while reducing their cost and much more besides. And it is no promise or dream; it is evidenced by those who have followed John's prescription, which is to change the way they think about management.
As well as covering familiar ground in an unfamiliar way this book says more about the 'how' of change and the need for whole-system change in our service organisations, in other words, what is the new role for HR, Finance and IT? John also takes on Agile, the most dysfunctional of fads, to point out its fallacies and describe how to design digital services that work without any of the rituals, roles and new-speak that Agile has brought. And more besides…
Read reviews of the new book
John Seddon has received numerous academic awards for his innovative contribution to management science. Hear it from the horse's mouth.
"…the thinking behind traditional management and the resulting practices are both ruthlessly challenged."
Bjarte Bogsnes, Chairman, Beyond Budgeting Institute.
"Aviva PLC sees the change method described in these pages as a strategic signature…"
Darren Cornish, Aviva PLC Group Director.
"If you are curious as to how you can lead differently - look no further than this book."
Awen Morwena Edwards, Corporate Director and Statutory Director of Social Services, Gwynedd Council
"Eliminating demand caused by failure in our health and care systems could provide a huge opportunity for us to improve people's experiences of care… What are we waiting for?"
Iolanthe Fowler, Clinical Director Integrated Community Care and Primary Care Interface Services, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.
"…an insight into the progressive business perspective on the use of software and IT in business."
Bob Marshall, Organisational Psychotherapist, Digital Transformation specialist and flow-chain sensei.
"This book… gets into the 'how' and 'why' of the Vanguard Method in practice."
Stephen Thorpe, Director, City Operations, Wyndham City, Australia
"Beware, this book will transform your organizational culture."
Walter Weber, President and CEO of UTEX Scientific, Ontario Canada
This event is hosted by Leeds University Business School and co-sponsored by CERIC Research Centre
See all Leeds University Business School events
Be part of the Business School Strategy
Leeds University Business School - Wednesday 20 January 2021
Research with Impact seminar
Leeds University Business School - Thursday 21 January 2021
Webinar: Design thinking - How to create more innovative solutions


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Tag Archives: agent 47
What's In a Character? – Agent 47
With yet another bomb of a video game movie out, I'm beginning to think Hollywood is picking the wrong games to adapt to film. When I heard of the first Hitman movie, I wondered how the hell it would even work as a film.
For starters, Agent 47 isn't really a character. He has an iconic style and is very precise, but he doesn't show much emotion or development. He is a link from which the player gets to enact their prowess. He exists solely so you don't have to get attached.
That is the basic premise behind his design. He is bald, white and of average build. He is a John Doe if there ever was one. What makes him work is that the game world built around him is incredibly detailed and fully interactive.
The Hitman series is more about how you, the player, approach a situation then how Agent 47 would do it. If you suck and just want to shoot everything in sight, you can. If you actually want to painstakingly follow NPCs and murder by numbers, you have the options and tools at your disposal.
Hollywood seems to think that 47 has something to develop, so I figured that we could take a look at his various incarnations to see if there ever was a chance of him becoming an interesting protagonist.
Hitman: Codename 47
The start of the Hitman series is actually rather bland. While it had some cool new technology in the way of rag-doll and cloth physics, the game was a bit of a mess. Sloppy controls, frequent crashes and unstable performance; Codename 47 felt rushed out to the market.
In more recent times, the game's issues have mostly been worked out, but it still remains a rather unremarkable game when placed against it's sequels. I suppose it is more faithful than Hitman: Absolution, but that game is basically a mess.
Anyway, Agent 47 doesn't really get much development in this game. From our actions, we learn he is super intelligent and very detached. His work is what he was bred to do (literally) and he is a master of his craft.
These aren't really personality traits more so than a skill set. I guess 47 is really angry; he does emote that much. Having a single characteristic doesn't really make for a compelling lead. Like I said above, 47 works because he is so bland.
I really love his suit and tie, but he is an efficient killer. There are no hairs on his head because that would leave traceable DNA. He wears a black suit to hide blood stains. He is always wearing gloves to not leave fingerprints (though knowing him, his fingerprints were burnt off long ago).
Even the end of the game doesn't really show off much. 47 kills his creator and doesn't shed a tear or even get too frustrated. It's just another day on the job for him. So is the way of a genetically altered super killer.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Hitman 2 is where Eidos started to make this series worth a damn. I can accept that the first game was too ambitious for it's time, but to fail to improve for the sequel would have been a crime. That thankfully didn't happen and Hitman 2 became a genre staple.
Expanded levels with more choices then ever; better controls and smoother flow; smarter AI and greater detail to their path finding; Hitman 2 was an instant classic upon release in 2002.
Was anything done differently for the story? Yes, actually. Agent 47, apparently, had a desire to get out of the game. Faking his own death to get out of the agency, he is now a groundskeeper for a monastery in Sicily.
The plot kicks off when some thugs come and capture the father at the church. Their motive was getting 47's DNA to make their own super assassin. They leave a ransom note for 47 to collect an obscene amount of cash or else they will kill the father. 47 gets pulled back into a life he tried so desperately to escape.
It's a fantastic start to a game that has some great moments, but 47 remains a blank slate throughout. Even if we got a little bit of development during the introduction, nothing else of substance happens. Again, this works in the context of a videogame about killing people, but not so much in making a fascinating lead.
There are some moments where 47 gets in touch with his agency to get an update on the father and those do show a bit of concern on his part. He obviously feels guilty for getting an innocent person involved in his past. He should have been smarter then to think he could escape his rivals.
But other than fleeting moments, the game just ticks along until you kill everyone and get to a dramatic finale. It's a well executed and paced mission in which the thugs from the beginning storm the monastery looking for you and 47 has to stealth around to find equipment.
After you load up, you get to bring the lead to your foes. In a game focused on making you silent, it's cathartic to let lose and give it to some truly despicable people (then again, you could be a psychopath the whole game).
Killing everyone sees 47 saving the father and then giving up his peaceful life. He obviously isn't longed for a world where he doesn't assassinate. Whatever the agency had started, 47 is going to have to weather this burden until he can discover the real reason behind his existence.
Hitman: Contracts
Contracts is an interesting game. At the time of release, the game was seen as a bit disappointing following the stellar Hitman 2, but I believe the years have been kind to it. Hitman 2 has some wonky AI, even if it is an improvement over the original game.
Contracts is a lot more consistent with it's enemies. It also remakes some of the first game's missions in a much more refined engine. Getting to redo the assassination in China is beautiful.
The plot line is a bit convoluted, but it starts when 47 retreats to a secluded hotel room after being wounded. In typical Tarantino fashion, the game is starting from the end and working backwards.
47 ingests some pills and begins to hallucinate about his past. Mixed in with missions from the first game are some new levels. This game basically exists as a retelling of the first title. While I can't say I truly understand what the plot is about, the game is fun.
The level design remains vast and diverse and the improved AI makes for a more challenging and fair game then Hitman 2. The game takes a step back, plotwise, and focuses more on gameplay.
47 doesn't get a single hint of development in any facet. He's never really angry and he doesn't explain his feelings towards the past or his present predicament. You just experience a setting and are thrust into his shoes.
The final mission is mind-blowingly awesome (which seems to be a trend with the series). After that, 47 escape into the night and we are left to wait for the sequel. It's kind of a bummer, but whatever.
Blood Money is, hands down, the best game in the series. While I once argued that Hitman 2 was the pinnacle, time hasn't been entirely kind to it. I'd rather take a game with more complex level design, better set-pieces and extremely proficient AI over what feels like random chance.
Blood Money seems to understand that 47 isn't really a two dimensional being, either. Missions in the earlier portion of the game give you incredibly detailed descriptions of your targets with all of their evil deeds being mentioned.
By the end of the game, your agency contact kind of gives up. You are basically told the target is well guarded and has a few habitual problems. No lecture about how evil they are or whether life is too good for them. You're a detached killer; why would any of that matter to you?
The narrative does at least try to set up some Bourne style intrigue. Apparently the plot in Contracts was more important then one would have believed. 47 was attempting to discover the location of his enemies and take them out.
Having failed at that, his contact at the agency, Diana, devises a plot to fool everyone. She poisons 47 with atropine lipstick and fakes his death. With 47 disposed of, the director of the CIA steps in to brag about his accomplishment and extract 47's DNA in a vein attempt to recreate him.
The game works in a similar fashion to Contracts in that the story is told through the eyes of his enemies. You play out levels that were basically heard second hand by the victim's survivors. It's really neat and the multitude of options makes for playthroughs that are rarely the same.
This game also sets up a sort of mystique about 47. His enemies believe him to be a mystical being with super human powers. He is cold, efficient, precise, brilliant and unrelenting. His targets will die; the question is just when.
We get the most vocal proclamation of 47's personality in Blood Money. When Diana "betrays" him, 47 lets out a, "YOU BITCH!" That is about it. Through that short exclamation, we can deduce that 47 trusted Diana. It's something, even if it's vague.
The finale, once again, is excellent. Diana kisses 47 with the antidote to his fake death and you rise off the cremation table to kill every last witness. I love how the series builds up to some dramatic climax and then delivers better then most action games.
With all of his enemies defeated, 47 is left with questions about why Diana had double crossed him. Unbeknownst to him, she was trying to protect him. Still, he isn't exactly happy and is looking for revenge.
I could go on about how much I loathe this game. I could detail about why I think it is a crappy action game and a terrible sequel to an excellent series. That isn't why I'm writing this blog.
I took the time to detail some of the reasons why I loved the series in the previous game descriptions, but Absolution doesn't deserve that. It's basically a failed attempt to make Hitman and 47 "modern."
With that said, his game is truly where Eidos tried to create a fully defined character for 47. I believe they failed, but that isn't to say there aren't moments where he is given clear motives for his actions and some characteristics to bounce off the scenes.
The game starts with Diana goes rogue from the agency. After the events of Blood Money, she reveals that the agency was corrupt. 47 apparently never got the memo, as he rejoins the agency under a new handler.
This man tasks 47 with killing Diana and bringing in the little girl that was with her. Upon pulling the trigger on Diana, 47 comes to a realization that he is being played (*nudge* *nudge*). 47 then defects from the agency and goes on a quest to figure out why this young girl is important.
There are a lot of Bourne Identity style twists and turns and the game loses a lot of focus as it goes on. Instead of making the central antagonist the shadowy agency, the story introduces some redneck by the name of Blake Dexter. He's wonderfully acted, but he's so unnecessary and goofy in terms of what Hitman is.
The series never really put much effort in establishing villains. That may sound insane for a series so focused on eliminating targets, but the deliberately ambiguous backgrounds to your foes is what made you truly feel like a hitman.
Learning the how and why to a person's actions kind of takes away from your severed connection to the game world. You aren't supposed to be more interested in what makes a bad guy tick. You're just tasked with finding them and killing them.
It's similar to how Grand Theft Auto V included a torture scene. It was purely for dramatic click-bait headlines, but it also tremendously impacted the effect GTA has. The game has never up close and personal about it's violence. Now this one scene came and made the game very intimate.
Anyway, 47 eventually goes through some ridiculous plot points (need to hit that shooting range!) and kills people for reasons unknown and eventually tortures some guy. You make a rudimentary choice that obviously shouldn't even exist (47 kills people for a living!) and then you proceed through more action set-pieces.
Somehow 47 makes a connection with the young girl and won't let anyone take her. It's basically the same thing with Kratos in God of War III and Pandora. There isn't much reason to have this tertiary character other than a shoddy attempt at character growth.
I'm also really baffled why some levels are basically cut-scenes. One has 47 go to a shop and get a new suit. That's beyond pointless; it's padding for the sake of making a "cinematic" game. I don't want cinematic qualities; I want to kill people!
Eventually the game wraps up with a generic action scene on the roof of a building. While the final missions were typically the best of the bunch, Absolution throws a wrench into the mix and makes this one a chore.
If you love quick-time events, then I'm sure you'll dig the closer to this story. Otherwise, we get some anger out of 47 and nothing more. After erasing the villain from existence, 47 drops the girl off at a church and the game ends.
So, what does this whole blog show? Basically, I don't know how Agent 47 was ever supposed to make for a quality movie leading man. As I've hopefully demonstrated, 47 doesn't evolve much as a character.
While that should be a death knell for any narrative driven experience, the Hitman games have functioned on their mechanics. Like how Miyamoto bases his games on ideas first, Hitman is all about the central premise and not much else.
I know Eidos has tried with their "genetically engineered agent" backstory, but all of that doesn't matter much. It's just an excuse to have 47 wind up in shootouts. The ability to avoid those shootouts is awesome.
Still, the series has made some kind of impact on the gaming world. It's surprising how we've seen the likes of 2 movies based on this series and the game is looking to reboot soon. I never thought gamers would gravitate towards a bald, emotionless man.
It speaks to the ingenuity of game mechanics and how gripping gameplay will almost always take central stage. Even if a story is the most dramatic thing ever written, a game is about how you control the outcome of certain events.
Something like Bioshock may have a great story, but I've never really clicked with it due to the gameplay being simplistic. That isn't to lobby a complaint, but I just feel like that series could do a whole lot better.
On the other hand, I think that stealth action games tend to try too hard. Splinter Cell, for how awesome those games are, has a very mind-numbing plot that takes way too much precedent from the 4th game onwards.
Metal Gear Solid is an entirely different beast, basically relying on story more than gameplay. It makes for thrilling and industry defining stuff, but I've never really felt that it was a true stealth game.
Hitman, though, nails it. It even allows you to forgo stealth if you want. That makes for a rather short and unfulfilling game, but the option is there. There is more than one solution to any given problem (something that Absolution forgets).
So while the games will continuously be enjoyable, I don't think 47 is ever going to make a great protagonist in a film. Removing the connection a player makes destroys pretty much everything that makes Hitman fun.
Tagged adaptations, agent 47, classics, discussion, eidos, films, gamecube, gaming, HD remake, hitman, microsoft, nintendo, ps2, ps3, sony, square enix, xbox, xbox 360
Critical Retrospect
Throughout my middle school years, I was known as a bit of a divisive person. My opinions were very binary and I often described things in short terms. This things sucks or that thing is sweet; it was very basic.
I still knew what I liked and what made things work, but I suppose I lacked the vocabulary to do justice to my critiques. As I grew older, I worked tirelessly to amend that, but I still don't forget the analysis I gave to older games.
I never saw a real desire to go back and play those games. With the internet taking off and a vast array of gamers bringing hidden gems to light, there was hardly a need to look back and re-think my position on previously detested software.
Then recently, I saw ProJared's video on Sonic Adventure 2. I've long held the opinion that the game was the final nail in the coffin for Sonic, but most gamers disagreed. When the title initially launched, I didn't own a Dreamcast. My first foray into 3D Sonic was with the Gamecube release.
Y u no start sooner?!
While I was beyond excited to finally get to play this lost treasure, even at the young age of 15 I knew something was awry. I could never quite put my finger on what, but I didn't hesitate to tell my friends that the game was garbage.
This led to my pals saying that I "hated everything." Nearly every massively popular game that people were clamoring about I disliked. This misconception about what I found good just didn't make sense to people around my age.
When you're young, pretty much anything is exceptional. You look at the world with bright eyes and zero expectations. Everything you encounter is brand new and joyous. For me to rain on people's parades must have been a total shock.
Seeing ProJared bash that game, though, I felt vindicated. With his more mature eye, he was able to explain exactly what I found so troublesome about Sonic's 3D forays. Pacing issues, sloppy controls and meaningless character fluff were all mentioned.
When I read the name Sonic, I expect a Sonic game. I didn't want to bother with Tails, Knuckles, Robotnik or Rouge. Shadow I was willing to accept as he stuck to a similar pattern with Sonic, but even he lacked a lot of imagination.
I smolder with generic rage.
The adventure games focused on being so much more than what fans expected that, in hindsight, they are pretty terrible games. Where as Mario made a successful jump to the third dimension by embracing the spirit of Mario's character, Sonic failed to take notice of why fans enjoyed the Genesis classics.
Everything was now attitude, pure speed, flashy graphics, warped camera angles and exterior characters. The size of the cast in the first Sonic Adventure is insane. Why would I want to play as 4 other characters who are not Sonic?
As a more mature critic, even I will admit that certain areas of Sonic Adventure 2 aren't that bad. There is a particular reason everyone remembers the intro to that game and it has nothing to do with it being 3D or novel. That level is exceptionally well made.
Then the rest of the levels try to through new ideas with mechanics that don't change. Sonic is built for speed, whether his character relies on that or not. Sega didn't think to give Sonic a speed other than balls to the wall fast.
Even the secondary characters blitz around the maps with reckless abandon. This makes otherwise simple arenas take upwards of half an hour to complete. Couple that with the random elements contained in the Knuckles/Rouge sections and you've got a recipe for nonsensical padding.
JUST ONE MORE!
I have no qualms with long games (I often enjoy them), but to needlessly extend the life of a Sonic game doesn't make sense. If everything really loves the speed aspect of Sonic, why should his game take around 12 hours to finish?
This all started with the Dreamcast adventure games. I love that system, but holy cow did Sega lose their mind. In a last ditch effort to save the company's console market, they took far too many risks with their beloved franchise. Sonic has never recovered.
I couldn't voice all of that as a youngster. I don't even think ProJared was capable back then. As we grow older, it becomes far easier to discern why we gravitate towards certain things. Trends become standard and expectations keep rising. You never want anything in your life to become a lifeless husk.
I just wish I could go back in time and use my knowledge to properly show my friends what I meant. I have that ability now, but being able to really explain my mind would have worked wonders for my depression in high school.
Then again, Sonic is still getting made and crappy movies still exist. Maybe people just won't listen to someone who doesn't share similar interests. There is always someone, but the masses eventually win.
Even if that realization is bleak, I mostly was concerned with how my mind has changed. It was fascinating to see ProJared come to the realization that Sonic Adventure 2 is a pretty awful game. It made me feel vindicated.
SUCKAS!
It was also quite a trip to think of how I missed so many obvious flaws. Things I take for granted now were lost on me in my youth. I suppose that is all just a darkly beautiful part of life.
Posted in Gaming, Op/Ed, Personal
Tagged age, agent 47, discussion, dreamcast, gaming, genesis, growing, nostalgia, projared, retrospective, saturn, sega, simpsons, sonic, sonic adventure 2, sonic the hedgehog, youtube


text:
package edu.ur.ir.person;

import edu.ur.persistent.BasePersistent;

/**
 * Represents the death year.
 *
 * @author Sharmila Ranganathan
 * @author Nathan Sarr
 *
 */
public class DeathDate extends BasePersistent{

	/** Eclipse generated id */
	private static final long serialVersionUID = 841348115525533292L;

	/** Person */
	private PersonNameAuthority personNameAuthority;

	/** year the person died  */
	private int year;

	/** Package protected death date  */
	DeathDate(){}

	/**
	 * Constructor to create death Date
	 *
	 * @param year year
	 */
	public DeathDate(int year){
		setYear(year);
	}

	/**
	 * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
	 */
	public int hashCode()
	{
		int value = 0;
		value += year;
		return value;
	}

	/**
	 * @see java.lang.Object#toString()
	 */
	public String toString()
	{
		StringBuffer sb = new StringBuffer("[ id = ");
		sb.append(id);
		sb.append(" death year  = ");
		sb.append(year);
		sb.append("]");

		return sb.toString();
	}

	/**
	 * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
	 */
	public boolean equals(Object o)
	{
		if (this == o) return true;
		if (!(o instanceof DeathDate)) return false;

		final DeathDate other = (DeathDate) o;
		return year == other.getYear();
	}

	public int getYear() {
		return year;
	}

	public void setYear(int year) {
		this.year = year;
	}

	/**
	 * Get person
	 *
	 * @return
	 */
	public PersonNameAuthority getPersonNameAuthority() {
		return personNameAuthority;
	}

	/**
	 * Set person
	 *
	 * @param personNameAuthority
	 */
	public void setPersonNameAuthority(PersonNameAuthority personNameAuthority) {
		this.personNameAuthority = personNameAuthority;
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
New Delaware law imposes tougher sentences for embezzlement
The crime of embezzlement now carries tougher penalties in Delaware.
Supporters of the revision hope it sends a message to those who are tempted to steal from nonprofits or local governments, which sometimes take years to recover from losing tens of thousands of dollars.
Governor Jack Markell has signed a bill into law that imposes up to eight years in prison if an embezzler steals $50,000 or more, where current sentences may range from three to five year. If the loss is more than $100,000, maximum terms of up to 25 years are possible.
"These so-called white-collar crimes might not be violent felonies, but they can have a dramatic impact on society," State Representative Larry Mitchell, D- Elsmere, said. "When you're talking about a nonprofit group or a small town, $50,000 could be the difference between being solvent or running in the red."
Embezzlement now joins the crimes of theft, health care fraud and new home construction fraud that carry ehnanced penalties when losses reach $50,000 or more. Recent high-profile embezzlement cases in Delaware include that of former Kenton Treasurer Stephanie Mickle, who received eight years in prison for stealing town funds and forging documents.
"Small town governments, charities and other organizations can take years to recover from the damage caused by an embezzler," Attorney General Beau Biden said. "As a result of this new law, those who steal for personal profit face tougher punishments that better fit their crimes.


text:
Q: simple looking congruence problem I need to prove a lemma. I have reduced the proof to the case of the following simple congruence problem:
Let $p$ and $q$ be two positive integers.
Let $a = q + \frac{p+1}{2} + \frac{(q)(q+1)}{p} = \frac{2pq + (p)(p+1)+2(q)(q+1)}{2p}$ and
$b = q + \frac{p+1}{2} - \frac{(q)(q+1)}{p} = \frac{2pq + (p)(p+1)-2(q)(q+1)}{2p}$
I claim that $a$ and $b$ are either both (proper)rational or both integer.
Equivalently, $c \cong \,0\, mod\, 2p \,\text{iff}\, d\, \cong \,0 \,mod \,2p$ where $c = (2p)a$ and $d = (2p)b$.
Let $m = 2pq + (p)(p+1)$, then $c = m + (2(q)(q+1))$ and $d = m - (2(q)(q+1))$.
Case 1 : $p$ is odd
In this case $m$ is divisible by $2p$ and the claim follows.
Case 2 : $p$ is even
I  dont know, how to proceed in the case when $p$ is even.
Any hint or suggestion would be very helpful
Have a good day

A: Clearly from the definition, $a$ and $b$ are both rational and equidistant from a central value, $q+\frac {p+1}{2}$, which is either integer or an integer plus one-half.
This inevitably means that whatever the value of the other term, $\frac{q(q+1)}{p}$, it must take either both $a$ and $b$ to integer value, or neither. This can be shown by considering the cases described for the central value, but is most simply demonstrated by Kelenner's observation that $a+b = 2q+p+1$ is integer.


text:
Quest for Gold: Olympic cyclist Christian Vande Velde becomes Peloton trainer
by: WGN Radio
Overall winner Christian Vande Velde riding for Garmin-Sharp leaves the start house on the way to a second place finish in the individual time trial during stage seven of the USA Pro Challenge on August 26, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)
CHICAGO (WGN RADIO) — In our first Quest for Gold of 2020, we begin the march to the Summer Games in Tokyo.
Japan has announced what athletes will be sleeping on this summer.
A couple former U.S. Olympic medalists are campaigning for presidential contenders in 2020.
The U.S. Women's Soccer roster is getting sorted out for 2020.
And we talk with two-time U.S. Olympian and Tour De France cyclist Christian Vande Velde. He retired in 2013, but still remains active in the sport — whether broadcasting for NBC Sports, or pushing people on Peloton bikes. We talk with him about his appearances in the 2000 and 2008 Olympics, the doping scandal that dogged the sport a decade ago, and turning a love for biking in suburban Chicago into an international racing career.
https://serve.castfire.com/audio/3711917/Episode_24_2020-01-10-225417.64kmono.mp3
Having trouble hearing the audio? Click here.
More Japan 2020 Stories
Soccer players union promises to defend Olympic protesters
by GRAHAM DUNBAR / Jan 22, 2020
GENEVA (AP) — Soccer players who defy Olympic rules by making protest gestures at the 2020 Tokyo Games will be supported by their global union.
Freedom of speech on issues like anti-discrimination and gender equality needs to be protected from "a hypocritical rule," FIFPro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said Wednesday at a United Nations labor agency conference.
Gold-medalist Allison Schmitt seeks 4th Olympic swim berth
by STEVE MEGARGEE / Jan 21, 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Going back to school and training with Arizona State's swimmers occasionally reminds four-time Olympic gold medalist Allison Schmitt of her relatively advanced age by her sport's standards.
"I almost feel like a mom sometimes," the 29-year-old Schmitt said during a recent TYR Pro Swim Series event at Knoxville, Tennessee. "I'm like, 'What does that mean?' They have to tell me what things mean, the new slang words."
The Cat Comeback: Pitcher aims to rewrite the end of her Olympic story
by Erin Cargile / Jan 20, 2020
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — If they time it right, neighbors walking by Cat Osterman's house just might catch a glimpse of her Olympic training in action. When the 2-time Olympian and 4-time All American University of Texas softball star wants to practice her 60-plus mile per hour pitches, all she has to do is step out onto her driveway.
Her husband, who is a college golf coach, puts on a catcher's mask and squats down in front of the backyard fence — and the warm-up begins. At the age of 36, Osterman's still got it.


Sophisticated surface design, such as embossing, or complicated box construction, creative shape and functional shape.
Physical protection and resistance to stacking, handling and stresses from the environment.
Conversion and treatment of paperboard such as embossing, cutting, creasing, and folding. Important for packaging and conversion efficiency.
• complex (less well-defined) physical properties.
Examples of well-defined properties are those where generally accepted definitions and methods (from physics) are applied to paperboard. An example is tensile strength. Complex, or less well-defined, properties are those where one or several properties are combined into a functional characteristic or where methods are used that try to simulate a user's situation. Box compression strength and tearing resistance are examples of this category.
In packaging applications, protection is the primary paperboard function. Therefore the paperboard's ability to withstand a range of applied stresses is an important consideration in the choice of paperboard. This need is achieved by the strength and toughness properties of the paperboard.
A first step in choosing a paperboard is to identify the applied stresses to which the paperboard will be exposed in printing, conversion, packaging, distribution, and consumer use. Any exposure to extremes of temperature or humidity in the environment results in changes to the moisture content of the paperboard. If high moisture contents occur there will be a significant loss in strength. The weight of the product, its shape, whether it has sharp edges, whether it is a solid, granular, a powder or a liquid, are all features which influence the paperboard requirement.
Strength and toughness are complex properties, which are defined by characteristics such as elasticity, elongation, stiffness, tensile strength, box compression strength, etc. Some properties are well defined and easy to measure, such as tensile strength. Others are more difficult, such as box compression strength. The contribution of the structural design to complex properties such as box compression strength is best examined by box compression tests, travel tests or other realistic handling testing.
Converters often have requirements on the strength of paperboard, in order to perform certain operations, such as printing and cutting, without stoppages and production delays. Sometimes the demands from the conversion operations on the strength properties are contradictory. A low tearing resistance might be needed when a pull tab is to be used for opening but a higher value would be better if the package is to be opened and closed a number of times. Because paperboard is a visco-elastic material, permanent deformation occurs during creasing and embossing but that must be avoided during printing. Delamination strength must be balanced to allow the paperboard to delaminate when creased but to stay intact during other operations and use.
The different types of fibres have an effect on the strength properties, the longer the fibres the higher the strength. Solid Bleached Board (pure bleached chemical pulp) has good strength properties and Folding Box Board (mechanical pulp with bleached chemical pulp in the surface plies) has high stiffness. The printing, conversion and end-use application determines the relative importance of the various strength properties. For any given type of paperboard strength properties vary with grammage and thickness.


text:
AT&T releases video to prevent texting and driving
The mobile network giant AT&T will launch a video to go with their campaign to end texting and driving.
AutoWeek reports that the video will be posted before New Year's Eve, often a time when unfit drivers hit the road after drinking one too many celebratory beverages. Lack of judgement leads them to think it's OK to text and could end up causing a serious car accident.
AT&T calls the video "The Last Text," an 11-minute confessional that tells what kind of dark mark the act of driving and texting can leave behind. People whose lives were changed forever speak of their pain in the video, such as the parents of Mariah West, who died in a car accident while texting. Her last text? "Where u at."
Schools and government agencies will receive hard copies of the video and a digital version will be posted on YouTube.
Launched in March, the video is part of the "It Can Wait" campaign - a TV, print and online effort to encourage drivers to take a pledge not to text and drive. Friends can sign up on Facebook or do it on their own.
According to the Department of Transportation, 5,500 people died in 2009 from distracted driving, many of whom were under 20 years old.


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text:
Private sector support for the performing arts grows to record levels
Arts / Entertainment / Marketing / Ticketing / Venues /
Revenue from donations, corporate sponsorship and fundraising events in Australia's major performing arts sector grew by 15.2% in 2016, increasing to a total of $95.7 million, according to a recently released report from the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG),
Releasing its latest annual survey of fundraising by the country's major performing arts companies, AMPAG Executive Director Bethwyn Serow congratulated the sector for achieving such a positive result in challenging times.
Commenting on the report, 2017 AMPAG Tracking changes in corporate sponsorship and donations, Serow stated "the growth revealed by this year's survey represents the largest percentage increase since 2011. This result is a clear indication of the extent to which both the corporate sector and individual donors continue to value their engagement with the performing arts."
Overall, private sector support for the major companies contributed 17% of their total income in 2016, with 42% coming from performance income, 28% from government grants for core funding (federal and state), 3% from grants for specific projects/initiatives and 10% from other sources.
The largest increase was in donations income, which rose $10.3 million or 23.4%, to $53.5 million in 2016, and now contributes 57% of total private sector support, up from 54% in 2015. This continues a trend that saw donations overtake corporate sponsorship in 2010 as the major source of private sector income for the MPA companies.
Corporate sponsorships grew by just $0.9 million to $37.1 million in 2016, and income from fundraising events by $1.4 million to $4.1 million – a significant increase of 51.4% on 2015. The revenue generated from fundraising is affected by the number of companies using this as a method to raise funds. In 2001, only four companies reported earning income from this source compared to 21 companies in 2016.
Serow added "what is particularly pleasing about the growth in income from donations is that, for at least the past five years, it has been driven more by an increase in the number of donors than the size of individual donations.
"2016 saw 43,485 individual donations, up 7,195 (19.8%) on 2015. This continued broadening in the donor base demonstrates how engaged audiences are with the work of these companies."
However, Serow cautioned that the results were not uniform across all companies, adding "for individual companies, donations income can vary significantly each year as a result of targeted fundraising campaigns or substantial one-off donations and bequests.
"In 2016, eight of the 28 MPA companies reported increases in donations income greater than 20%, but eight companies reported earning less from this source compared to 2015.
"Private sector support cannot be taken for granted in an increasingly competitive environment, and the smaller and mid-sized companies in particular are vulnerable to year-on-year fluctuations.
"This volatility underlines the importance of maintaining a strong core of government support to ensure Australia's companies can remain stable and sustainable as well as artistically vibrant."
AMPAG Chair John Irving reinforced the unique contribution the private sector makes to the vitality of the performing arts in Australia.
Irving concluded "it's a two-way relationship.
"Private sector support not only contributes to the companies' ability to innovate, inspire and deliver world-class performances. It's a partnership that also helps connect the companies themselves to their audiences and the Australian community more broadly."
The 2017 AMPAG Tracking changes in corporate sponsorship and donations report was prepared in partnership with Creative Partnerships Australia.
For more information go to www.ampag.com.au
Images: West Australia Symphony Orchestra (top) and the Queensland Theatre (below).
5th October 2017 - LIVE PERFORMANCE INDUSTRY GENERATES $1.43 BILLION REVENUE AND 18.78 MILLION ATTENDANCES
30th November 2016 - HISTORICAL FUNDING ENTITLEMENTS OF MAJOR ARTS COMPANIES ARE 'COWARDLY'
25th October 2016 - REVIEW OF AUSTRALIAN OPERA WARNS AGAINST USE OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOR 'COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES'
14th June 2016 - ARTLANDS DUBBO CONFERENCE TO EMPHASISE THE STRENGTH OF REGIONAL ARTS
7th May 2016 - AUSTRALIA'S CULTURAL ECONOMY IN A QUAGMIRE
21st April 2016 - LIVE PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIA CALLS FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HAND BACK ARTS FUNDS
10th March 2016 - ARTS LEADER LYNCH LABELS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ARTS POLICY AS A DISGRACE
21st November 2015 - SCALING BACK OF NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS A 'BITTERSWEET MOMENT'
1st October 2009 - PERFORMING ARTS MOST POPULAR WITH SPONSORS: ABAF SURVEY
10th July 2009 - PERFORMING ARTS FUNDING SET TO DECLINE?
AUSTRALIAN WATERSLIDES AND LEISURE
A leading designer and manufacturer of innovative waterslides and attractions, Australian Waterslides and Leisure (AWL) is also able to advise clients in the areas of concept and design, feasibility…
Aquatics / Attractions / Play / Waterparks
QUAYCLEAN
Quayclean are a national cleaning and waste services partner with proven results in the understanding and delivery of cleaning needs and challenges faced by facilities including; major venues and…
Aquatics / Hospitality / Surfaces / Venues
SeatGeek Asia Pacific
SeatGeek is a search engine and mobile-focused ticket marketplace that allows fans to buy and sell tickets for live events. As of August 2018, SeatGeek has exited the Australian, New…
Entertainment / Sport / Technology / Ticketing / Venues
MYRTHA POOLS
Founded in 1961, Myrtha Pools® quickly became Italy's première swimming pool company, and has since grown into one of the world's leading swimming pool construction…
Aquatics / Design / Play / Waterparks / Wellness
Sportybots
We are the leading providers of kids fun multi-sports programs for Sport and Recreation Centres. Programs cover twelve common sports as well as Gross Motor Skill Development and suit children from as…
Fitness / Play / Recreation / Sport / Wellness


text:
Orrice Abram "Abe" Murdock, Jr.  az Amerikai Egyesült Államok szenátora (Utah, 1941–1947).

Élete

Források

További információk

Kapcsolódó szócikkek
 Az Amerikai Egyesült Államok korábbi szenátorainak listája

Utah állam szenátorai
1893-ban született személyek
1979-ben elhunyt személyek
Bottal létrehozott amerikai szenátor cikkek
Az amerikai Demokrata Párt szenátorai

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The race for promotion. Who will be in the Championship Playoff finals?
We all know how exciting the Premier League is this season, but have you even looked at the Championship?
Not only are three huge former top-flight clubs battling for automatic promotion but right now any team from 8th-placed Bristol City up have a chance of being promoted via the play-offs.
Earlier this week the EFL confirmed this year's dates for the Championship play-off fixtures, with both of the semi-final first legs taking place on Saturday May 11th, the second legs the following midweek and the final set for Bank Holiday Monday on May 27th.
Fans can watch how this season's play-offs conclude on Sky Sports and Now TV and there are also plenty of online sports live streaming services which are worth checking out too.
What has yet to be confirmed however is the four teams that will take part, as the battle for promotion to the Premier League looks set to go to the wire and with most teams having just four league games to go, neither the automatic promotion spots, nor the four remaining play-off spaces, have been sealed.
It's probably safe now to say that Norwich will be plying their trade in the Premier League next season, with the Canaries leading the pack on 88 points and are 1/20 with William Hill to clinch promotion.
The Canaries are currently a best-priced 1/5 with Betfred to win The Championship. Behind Norwich, it looks like a fight between Leeds and Sheffield United for second place, while any three of seven other clubs can still mathematically make up the remaining spots in the top 6.
So who will be in this season's play-offs?
With back-to-back losses, Leeds now sit three points behind Sheffield United and have looked somewhat jaded, and for that reason we wager that Premier League football will be returning to Bramall Lane next season as Sheff United also go up via automatic promotion.
Leeds are guaranteed a play-off spot if they miss out on the automatics however, and given the points tally already amassed by fourth-placed West Brom, it would be a pretty safe bet to say that The Baggies will join them.
Villa have been on an outstanding run of form of late, winning ten consecutive matches to soar from dwindling in mid-table to lying in fifth. They are the league's form side and historically it has been the side who enter the play-offs with the most momentum, rather than the team finishing in third, who go on to succeed in the play-off final.
The final play-off spot is where it gets really interesting. Taking out those who will desperately be requiring snookers to make the cut, the realistic candidates for those places are Bristol City, Middlesbrough and Derby County.
Currently only goal difference separate Middlesbrough and Derby, though Boro have played a game more than their rivals.
Until a 2-1 defeat at Villa ten days ago, Bristol City had been in a rich vein of form and they also currently occupy 6th place. If you had to put your money somewhere, it would probably be best-placed siding with The Robins to make up the top 6.


As the winter season has arrived, our skin becomes dry, rough, itchy and cracked due to cold and harsh winter weather, and also because during the winters we tend to drink less water that cause dryness as well.Taking care of your skin is very much necessary specially throughout the winter, eat foods like almonds, walnuts, sardine, mackerel, different types of seeds such foods contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, E, C and do not forget to drink water. Along with drinking water and having a good diet, try the home remedies for skin care, lip care during winter.
You may click the links below for more hair care and skin care home remedies.
Due to environmental effects our skin becomes damaged, to minimize the environmental effects and to remove dead and dry skin cells use of a cleanser is recommended by skin specialists, here I am going to share the recipe of a natural home made cleanser I hope you will have all the ingredients in your kitchen easily.
Mix all the above mentioned ingredients thoroughly, wash your face and clean with a towel to get rid or oil and dust particles now apply the mixture on your face for 15-20 minutes then wash your face with water.
Melt beeswax in a double boiler at slow heat, stir with rubber spatula while melting and pour the melted beeswax in a blender.Allow it to cool. Combine aloe Vera gel, almond oil, and vitamin E. Now start the blender and pour the bowl mixture very slowly and continuously into the melted bee wax (pour the mixture slowly while blending otherwise the oils will separate), until all ingredients combine to form a homogenous lotion. Apply this moisturizer regularly before going to bed in order to save yourself from winter dryness and itch.
During winter lips become rough, dry and irritating, to avoid this in any season I am going to share a home remedy that is very effective in all seasons for having natural looking pinkish lips.
Combine all the ingredients and apply regularly before bed to maintain natural looking pinkish lip tone.


The current MYR/SCR exchange rate is 3.30. (Last updated on April 19, 2019 02:15:01 UTC).
It means you will get SCR 3.3021 for 1 MYR or MYR 0.3028 for 1 SCR.
SCR exchange rate was last updated on April 18, 2019 21:18:49 UTC.