Today in West Richland we had a potential private party car sale turn into a vehicle theft. If you are selling your vehicle privately here are some tips that could prevent you from becoming the victim.
1. If possible, start and end your test drives at the police department. Meet them in the PD parking lot. This will likely discourage any would-be thieves.
2. Check with your insurance to see what they allow. They may not allow solo test drives.
3. See their driver's license and take a picture of it.
4. Don't leave any valuables in the vehicle.
5. Tell the potential buyer how much time they may have for the test drive. 15-20 minutes is usually sufficient.
6. Trust your instinct! If they make you uncomfortable, don't hand them the keys.


Confused about 개나 in 사과를 몇 개나 샀니?
这句子对不对?我不在乎你监视我,对你我没有秘密, 对你我没什么可隐瞒的!I don't care you were spying on me, from you I have no secrets, I have nothing to hide from you!
Is this sentence correct in Korean?
Is this sentence correct in Korean? 사랑해 말하지마, 미안해, 난 믿지 않아요. 난 사랑을 두번다시 믿지 않아요!
Why is 帰る changed to 帰り in this sentence. うちに帰りたいです。I dont ever recall seeing or hearing about verbs changing to the ending り before.
Saying ' very' in Korean. What is the difference between 너무 and 참?


text:
MB Custom Figures
1/6 Scale Figure Art
email for inquiries:
mbcustomfigures@gmail.com
1/6 Bruce Lee battery nunchaku (GOD)
1/6 Bruce Lee (Game of Death)
1/6 Bruce Lee battle damage (Game of D)
1/6 Dan Inosanto (Game of Death)
1/6 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Game of Death)
1/6 Bruce Lee 45th An (Enter the Dragon)
1/6 Bob Wall "O'Hara" (Enter the Dragon)
1/6 Shih Kien "Mr. Han" (Enter the D)
1/6 Jim Kelly "Williams" (Enter the D)
1/6 Jim Kelly "Williams" (SE)
1/6 John Saxon "Roper" (Enter the D)
1/6 Bolo (Enter the Dragon)
1/6 Chuck Norris (Way of the Dragon)
1/6 Bruce Lee Phone Repair Man (FOF)
1/6 Frank Dux (Bloodsport) SPECIAL
1/6 Frank Dux (Bloodsport)
1/6 Chong Li (Bloodsport)
1/6 Paco (Bloodsport)
1/6 Johnny Lawrence (The Karate Kid)
1/6 Johnny Skeleton (The Karate Kid)
1/6 Tommy (The Karate Kid)
1/6 Dutch (The Karate Kid)
1/6 John Kreese (The Karate Kid)
1/6 Daniel LaRusso (The Karate Kid)
1/6 Daniel Football (The Karate Kid)
1/6 Mike Barnes (Karate Kid III)
1/6 Terry Silver (Karate Kid III)
1/6 Sho Nuff (The Last Dragon)
1/6 Leroy Green (The Last Dragon)
Avatar Figures
1/6 Neytiri Statue REG (Avatar)
1/6 Neytiri Statue WAR (Avatar)
1/6 Neytiri Regular (Avatar)
1/6 Neytiri War Paint (Avatar)
1/6 Neytiri Bust A (Avatar)
1/6 John Saxon "Mr. X/Robot" (6Mio$$Man)
1/6 Callahan Fembot (The Bionic Woman)
1/6 Steve Austin (6Mio$$Man)
1/6 Dr. Rudy Wells (6Mio$$Man)
1/6 Oscar Goldman (6Mio$$Man)
1/6 Morpheus (Matrix Reloaded)
1/6 Seraph (Matrix Reloaded)
1/6 Mara: Operator (Call of Duty)
1/6 Pete Mitchell "Maverick" (Top Gun)
1/6 Johnny w Dirt Bike ( The Karate Kid)
1/6 Elvis Presley, 1977
1/6 Carl Kolchak (The Night Stalker)
1/6 Crow Ghost (Ong Bak 2)
1/6 Tony Jaa (Ong Bak 2)
1/6 Ian Curtis (Joy Division)
The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film produced by Jerry Weintraub. It stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi. The film is an underdog story in the mold of a previous success with Rocky (1976) and features the Gōjū-ryū, Gōjū Kai style of karate. The Karate Kid was a commercial success upon release and garnered critical acclaim, earning Morita a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Please note: The background diorama and the other figures shown in the pictures below are for display only and NOT included in this listing. Disclaimer: Each figure is hand made by MB Custom Figures. Therefore slight imperfections and variations from the pictures below may occur.
The 1/6th scale Daniel LaRusso collectible figure features everything listed below and seen in the LAST picture entitled "Included in this listing":
Authentic likeness of Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid (1984)
One (1) newly sculpted head (by Unbranded Toys) refined and painted by MB Custom Figures
Figure body with over 30 points of articulation
Three (3) pairs of interchangeable hands including:
– One (1) pair of relaxed hands
– One (1) pair of hands half fists
– One (1) pair of fists
One (1) karate gi uniform including:
– One (1) pair of white pants
– One (1) white jacket with Miyagi-do patch (as seen in the movie)
– One (1) black belt with attached small red flag
Certificate of Authentication with figure serial number from MB Custom Figures
Copyright © 2015-2023 Matthias Burger. All Rights Reserved

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1263m2 large building block in a well-established part of Kings Meadows. Only minutes to Kings Meadows shopping precinct and Launceston City, with impressive mountain and urban views! Let this block be your vision into your future. An Opportunity That Will Not Wait!!!!


text:
Frederic Michael Tarnok (born November 24, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2022.

Amateur career
Tarnok attended Riverview High School in Riverview, Florida, where he played baseball. In 2017, his senior year, he went 7–0 with a 0.66 ERA while also batting .393. Following his senior season, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Braves, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Tampa.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves
Tarnok made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves, going 0–3 with a 2.57 ERA over 14 innings. In 2018, he pitched with the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League, with whom he was named an All-Star. Over 27 games (11 starts), Tarnok went 5–5 with a 3.96 ERA, striking out 83 batters over  innings. Tarnok missed time during the 2019 season due to injury, but still started 19 games for the Florida Fire Frogs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, pitching to a 3–7 record with a 4.87 ERA. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tarnok missed the beginning of the 2021 season while rehabbing and made his first appearance in mid-June for Rome, now members of the High-A East. After  innings pitched with Rome, he was promoted to the Mississippi Braves of the Double-A South in mid-July with whom he finished the year. Over 16 games (14 starts) between the two teams, Tarnok went 6–4 with a 3.44 ERA and 109 strikeouts over  innings.

On November 18, 2021, the Braves selected Tarnok's contract and added him to the 40-man roster. He returned to Mississippi to begin the 2022 season. In early July, he was promoted to the Gwinnett Stripers of the Triple-A International League. On August 16, 2022, Tarnok was called up to the majors. He made his MLB debut on August 17 from the bullpen. He pitched two-thirds of an inning with no hits or walks and his first career  strikeout against Tyler Naquin.

Oakland Athletics
On December 12, 2022, the Oakland Athletics acquired Tarnok from the Braves in a three-team trade in which the Atlanta Braves acquired Sean Murphy, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired William Contreras, Joel Payamps, and Justin Yeager, and the Athletics also acquired Manny Piña, Kyle Muller, Esteury Ruiz, and Royber Salinas.

Personal life
Tarnok's parents are Jeff and Neung. He has a brother, Christopher, and a half-brother, Nick. Through his mother, Tarnok is of Thai descent.

References

External links

1998 births
Living people
Atlanta Braves players
Baseball players from Florida
Florida Fire Frogs players
Gulf Coast Braves players
Gwinnett Stripers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mississippi Braves players
People from Brandon, Florida
Rome Braves players
American sportspeople of Thai descent

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Stuck at the beckoning photos, think, postpone?! Need right now meet .
Seductive girl, I want carefree dating with the continuation. Surprise me, dial phone and come to visit, i will fulfill all, as you want!
You can admire looking at photos passionate skank in Kingston-upon-Hull, and then call the number skank and agree on a meeting.
I'm not like that. I like it when you put your tongue in it. Prostitutes in Kingston-upon-Hull - Pamela formerly of Sydney's Golden Apple. One of the most requested ladies to have worked in the adult brothel industry ever since we opened 44 years ago, is back by popular demand. Don't miss this amazing experience. Located in a very established industrial area Well established for the last 5 years Simple menu ,with a very solid client base and growing Well equipped with full commercial kitchen Lease: Mon - Sat Closes 7pm. Sunday Hours 10am - 3pm. The Same Vendor For 24 Years.


text:
package com.octoperf.metrics.service.api;

@FunctionalInterface
public interface Gauge {

  double getValue();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Detailed with a textured black mesh leather design, the Wimbledon Wallet opens to a smooth leather interior, featuring the signature Westwood Orb emblem studded to the front.
Wore these as my wedding shoes. They fit as expected and were a big hit with my guests. They don't have much cushion or arch support, but the toe box was a great fit for my slightly wide feet.


Green energy, it seems, just doesn't produce enough long green for the Oil Lords.
The company said it would concentrate on developing other cleaner ways of using fossil fuels, such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. It hoped to use CCS to reduce emissions from Shell's controversial and energy-intensive oil sands projects in northern Canada.
The company said that many alternative technologies did not offer attractive investment opportunities. Linda Cook, Shell's executive director of gas and power, said: "If there aren't investment opportunities which compete with other projects we won't put money into it. We are businessmen and women. If there were renewables [which made money] we would put money into it."
You can't put it much plainer than that. And it's true: the business of business is to make money, not to pursue social policy or sustain the common good. The latter is what citizens are supposed to do through their political systems -- which is why they aren't allowed to control those systems. But anyway, given this inherent nature of business, it sort of makes you wonder about all those "green entrepreneurs" who believe that the private sector will save us from global warming -- like this worthy gentleman from over Carthage way, who has teamed up with an ex-Goldman Sachs exec to manage billions of dollars in "sustainability-driven" investments.
Yes, Al Gore, like Bono and other world worthies, is in the high-end investment business, seeking to make big money from the global disaster. (The environmental one, not the economic one.) No doubt "Little Al" (as we used to call him around home when he was our kid senator, and when -- full disclosure -- my cousin used to work for him) really would like to see a more balanced earth and all; who wouldn't? But wouldn't it be refreshing if just one of our world-straddling noble crusaders could crusade for their noble causes without also milking it for millions?
This story was published on March 20, 2009.


text:
Q: RestRequest params do not handle multiple query params with the same name I am working with a custom REST class that accepts @HttpPost requests. The main problem that I am facing is that when the content-type of the incoming request is set to application/x-www-form-urlencoded, the values coming from the multi-select picklist are lost.
As per Salesforce documentation, usually REST request is stored in RestRequest.requestBody attribute. However, because Salesforce is able to parse application/x-www-form-urlencoded request, it assigns all values into the RestRequest.params map and leaves requestBody attribute blank. Unless Javascript is used to manipulate the information on the basic html form, the encoded data will look like
myMultiselectPicklist=value1&myMultiselectPicklist=value2&myMultiselectPicklist=value3&...

So I have the following questions:

*

*Is this the expected behaviour?

*What are my options of retrieving all values from the request without modifying the html form?

Test Code
Here is a sample html form that I use for testing this behaviour:
<!doctype html>

        <meta charset="utf-8">
        <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge">
        <title>Test Form</title>
        <meta name="description" content="">
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">

Test Form

        <form action="https://bcstest-developer-edition.eu5.force.com/rest/services/apexrest/bcs_test/test/123" method="post" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded">
            <select name="cars" multiple>
              <option value="volvo">Volvo</option>
              <option value="saab">Saab</option>
              <option value="opel">Opel</option>
              <option value="audi">Audi</option>
            </select>
            <textarea name="description"></textarea>
            <input type="submit" value="Submit" />
        </form>

Code for the apex class:
    // test url: https://bcstest-developer-edition.eu5.force.com/rest/services/apexrest/test/123
@RestResource(urlMapping='/test/*')
global with sharing class TestPublicRest {
    @HttpGet
    global static void doGet() {
        RestContext.response.headers.put('Content-Type','text/html');
        RestContext.response.statusCode = 200;
        RestContext.response.responseBody = Blob.valueOf('Hello World' + RestContext.request.requestBody + '');
    }

    @HttpPost
    global static void doPost() {
        RestContext.response.headers.put('Content-Type','text/html');
        RestContext.response.statusCode = 200;
        List<String> items = new List<String>();
        for(String key : RestContext.request.headers.keySet()) {
            items.add(key + ' => ' + RestContext.request.headers.get(key));
        }
        RestContext.response.responseBody = Blob.valueOf('Headers
' + String.join(items,'
') + '

Request Body
' + EncodingUtil.urlEncode(RestContext.request.requestBody.toString(), 'utf-8') + '

Params
' + RestContext.request.params + '
');
    }
}

A:
Is this the expected behaviour?

Yes, this is a limitation of the system's parameter handling mechanism.

What are my options of retrieving all values from the request without modifying the html form?

You'll have to parse it manually using RestContext.request.requestBody. Something like this:
String[] uriParts = RestContext.request.requestBody.split('\\?');
Map<String, String[]> params = new Map<String, String[]>();
if(uriParts.size() == 2) {
  for(String nameValuePair: uriParts[1].split('&')) {
    String[] nameValue = nameValuePair.split('='), temp = params.get(nameValue[0].toUpperCase());
    if(temp == null) {
      // Following line uses inline assignment to save CPU time
      params.put(nameValue[0].toUpperCase(), temp = new String[0]);
    }
    temp.add(EncodingUtil.urlDecode(nameValue[1], 'utf-8'));
  }
}

At the end of this code, params will contain the name values in uppercase, with a list of values for each.
Edit: Noticed it should be the requestBody, not requestURI. The answer remains the same, however.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Hughley TV: Tank Talks About Being Genuwine's Backup Singer [Video]
The D.L. Hughley Show
By: Jamai Harris | 05.15.19
Tank has really put his time in and earned his spot as one of the greatest. He worked literally from the bottom up. Thankfully he doesn't feel like he's ever worked with a "bad" artist. He worked for Aaliyah, and Genuwine and says, "it was the best." To this day, if he's around when Genuwine performs "Pony" he'll run out on stage and sing background. Then he'll go get ready for his own set. From the beginning he says Genuwine knew that Tank would be a star. If it weren't for that relationship, Tank doesn't think he'd be who he is today.
Don't Miss Out! Follow The D.L. Hughley Show on Twitter and Instagram & Keep Up On Facebook Too!
Hughley TV: Tank Talks About Being Genuwine's Backup Singer [Video] was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
By: Jamai Harris
Also On 105.9 Kiss-FM:
Aretha Franklin Timeline: Milestones And Achievements By The Queen Of Soul


725 of them.... but i'll be deleting doubles and triples of course. Some are from me trying to catch Akira blinking, you know, that kind of thing.
also CG R2 ep 3 leaked, annoyances. And no, i do not plan on watching the ending of it which is floating on the net.


text:
Ship's Blog
The Birth of the TLC-1
TLC - Lake Clinic Cambodia
May 2008, or Muddy Water Blues
The rain that had threatened earlier disappeared, and at 0400 I was at Sweline Boats watching as our Charming Duckling had her name of record replaced on the newly remodeled bow.
Ms. Aly, our new ship's pilot arrived shortly after dawn. Rem, who had done such a commendable job as our pilot for the past several months had to leave TLC for personal reasons. After serving as ship's mate, cook, and registrar for more than six months, Aly asked if she could take over as skipper. I was very happy to hand the keys over to her. Though larger than any boat she had experience with previously, she has spent her life--all 24 years of it--living on the lake and I felt very confident that she would rise to meet this challenge.
Lann Ly with the newly remodeled TLC-1
The trip across town was every bit the enterprise that it was the first time. We had originally planned for an 0500 departure from Sweline's yard, but our police escort overslept so we were delayed until after 0600. This put us in the middle of Phnom Penh's morning rush hour, so what should have been a one hour journey became two.
Once at the municipal port our boat was gently lowered into the Tonle Sap River, and her new roof was put in place.
It was rather embarrassing for all of us when the engine would not start, and after many a try we had to enlist the aid of a passing fisherman to give us a tow to the riverside mechanic's shop.
Those with experience in Cambodia will understand when I write "Cambodia Wins Again!", or "CWA!". Our boat sat at the mechanic's dock for over a week while awaiting parts that had been ordered two months previously and promised to be on site before our boat went back into the water. When parts finally did arrive...were they the right ones? Please! Don't ask.
"If not for the courage of the fearless crew..."
Ms. Aly (pilot) and Ms. Sopheap (accountant/office manager TLC)
On 30 April 2009 we started our engine and began our journey up the Tonle Sap River at 0430. I was happy and excited. I was also amazed at Aly's ability to see in pitch black darkness. We argued some over whether or not to run with lights on; Aly insisting that she could see better without them, and my arguing back that I was concerned about others seeing us. This made her laugh as though it was preposterous to think that we would be difficult to see. I guess everyone on the river has "cat eyes" except me.
It was a beautiful and a hot day. Travelling was smooth and without incident until we ran aground shortly after entering into Kompong Chhnang Province. On our journey down to Phnom Penh with Rem at the helm we had also run aground in the same vicinity...probably within 200 meters of this place.
My most useful talent sometimes is the ability to push heavy objects.
The river is quite wide here and rather stagnant at this point. Sand and silt have been deposited here since the river reversed its flow back in November.
In the end it took all three of us to push our boat out into a slightly deeper area. We tried to enlist aid from a passing fisherman, but he wanted $200.00--it was not a joke.
Sopheap
Aly.
Yes, the photos of Sopheap and Aly were staged once the boat was free-floating again, but the sweat on their brows is real. The TLC-1 weighs in at about six and half tons. That's a lot of inertia to overcome.
The river has other hazards and difficulties. Water hyacinths can completely block the way and will cover acres of water. Not only do they tangle the engine's prop, but a boat can actually rise up on top of a mass of hyacinths; leaving the propeller to cavitate (spin in the air). These mats of hyacinths move with both current and wind and constantly change their contour and pattern . Sometimes we could weave our way through less dense areas, and at other times we had to just wait and see if a channel would open up for us. If not, someone would have to sit on the bow and break a way through using an oar which is back breaking work.
A fish barrier near Kompong Chhnang Town.
The Tonle Sap River is seldom a single waterway, but is more a network of interconnected rivers and streams. Once it reaches the province of Kompong Chhnang it can seem to be a maze. We followed the route that our GPS and map told us was the best to take, but it didn't allow for the presence of river-wide fish barriers that often did not allow a boat to pass through. On two occasions we were forced to turn around and travel back in the opposite direction to find an alternative route, costing us much in time and gasoline.
The Port of Kompong Chhnang. There isn't anything noble about poverty. It does not build character. It's depressing and it smells bad.
We pulled into the Kompong Chhnang's municipal port, near the marketplace to take on more gasoline and ice. We then headed back to the river and pointed ourselves North, only to find our way blocked by another fish barrier.
Taking a side stream I sat at the helm while Aly took to the bow to measure water depth as we sought out the best channel
As we moved further and further away from Kompong Chhnang Town and closer to the lake we entered into the flood plain.
Last July, when the Charming Duckling was making her first trip to Siem Reap from Phnom Penh the waves and winds in this area prevented us from crossing the lake. Now this area is mostly dry land. By mid-July this area will again be under 1-2 meters of water as the Tonle Sap River swells and begins to fill the Tonle Sap Lake until November when the process is reversed.
Now this area is home to many migrating families who move to this area during the dry season to grow corn, soy beans and various melons and gourds.
The morning of our second day was hot, overcast, and hot. There wasn't a breeze to disturb the waters as we moved further along and closer to the edge of the lake.
As we approached the lake the water became more and more opaque, and the bottom came closer and closer to us.
We had to stop, probably twice an hour, to clear the prop of such things as; discarded fishing line, fishing nets, trousers, shirts, hats, and shrimp traps. Aly would not allow me to step out onto the engine's leg to do this as both she and Sopheap were convinced that it would break under my considerable weight. I wanted to be the gentleman, but...
Walking on water?
In a few more weeks, the trip from the edge of the lake to our port in Kompong Khleang will take about 5-6 hours. With the lake at its seasonal low point it took us more than 12. Though we had water beneath the hull, our prop was forced to plow through mud and muck. With no wind and no current, the trail of black ooze that we left behind marked our passage to the horizon.
It was hot. It was slow. It was miserable. We were outside of any cell phone coverage. Drinking water was running low and we travelled at just under 3kph--not enough to generate even a slight breeze, and through it all Sopheap and Aly kept their sense of humour and grace.
I will go anywhere in the world at any time with those two.
Somewhere close to noontime on the second of May we met with the taxi-boat that Sakhem had sent out to meet us and guide us into Kompong Khleang. We tied ourselves off, lifted our engine out of the muck and let ourselves be towed for the next two hours.
And here too, in another two months, there will be open lake above the tree tops. The water here had the consistency of a chocolate milk shake, but with it's own unique odor.
Here too migrant families set up temporary homes to farm corn and soybeans as well as other crops and animals.
This spirit house will be have water reaching to its top step by September.
The outskirts of Kompong Khleang town.
The TLC-1 will be left here until the water rises at least another meter, perhaps a month from now, and there is sufficient space to turn around and run under our own power. In the meantime TLC will continue to providehealth services by renting water-taxis as we have done for the past two months.
Security for us is provided by the Commune Council of Kompong Khleang, and we've been promised that our Charming Duckling will have a good scrubbing once there is some clean water--probably in the form of rainfall.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
8 May 2009, the Buddha's Birthday.
posted by Jon F. Morgan, MPH
at 09:15 Permalink
Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
The Leak
You Are All Invited
Closer, but still a ways to go yet...
Slowly but Surely
To Trat and Back
Out on the Lake
Hal's Journey
TLC News
Angkors Kinder
Human Translation
Please email info@lakeclinic.org with any inquiries or comments.
© 2007-2013 The Lake Clinic Cambodia


With all the hype and buzz surrounding Social Media, many companies are scratching their heads trying to figure out its true ROI. It seems every month there is a new online product or community that is gaining user acclaim and notoriety. From the popular LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to newer applications like Google Buzz, most social media novices are overwhelmed by all the different programs and barely have time to manage one profile, let alone six or more.
With invitations to join different social media communities flying across the Internet like a meteor shower, some have jumped in while others have run for cover, watching from the tree line. Many have adopted social media communication into their daily lifestyle, while others don't know where to begin. You may not realize that, as a Message-On-Hold client, you've actually been a pioneer in paving the way toward modern-day Social Media Marketing. And you may ask, "What exactly does on-hold messaging have to do with social media anyway?"
If we step back for a moment and analyze what Social Media is in its simplest form, it's communication - or more accurately, the exchange of information from one to many in a highly social environment. Social Media has been around for a long time, from the exchange of ideas and news in a market place or pub to social gatherings and events. It's only recently entered the hyper-digital world where information and ideas can be sharedinstantly from anywhere to everywhere, and it is this type of exchange that has taken on a new sense of purpose and value.
Message-On-Hold is the Grandfather of modern day Social Media. Born in the early 1980's, Message-On-Hold was one of the first forms of communication that allowed companies and brands to engage with clients on a much more individual basis. While Crazy Eddie was screaming at television viewers trying to grab their attention, early adapters to Message-On-Hold realized they had a captive audience they could address one-on-one. Being able to solicit immediate feedback from a caller on hold and engage them with a new product or service proved Message-On-Hold's value right away.
As technology changed and companies embraced email and websites, Message-On-Hold was again there to help brands and businesses direct customers to their new websites, where clients could explore content and gain additional information about products and services. The powerful one-on-one connection that Message-On-Hold established allowed organizations to quickly and inexpensively communicate important information to customers and prospects alike, thus building brand value and generating website traffic.
As conversations and commerce shift to the online communities, and companies establish Facebook Fan pages, corporate LinkedIn Pages, and Twitter accounts, Message-On-Hold communication continues to be the best choice in promoting your message to loyal clients who are calling your business. Being able to create custom content and promote your new social media efforts to your existing clients helps you to grow your brand.
HOLDCOM continues to be your communications leader with new audio marketing products like Audio for Facebook Fan pages, Talking PDF's, Audio for Online Training Videos & Virtual Tours, and more. If you are creating new social media content, make sure you speak with your HOLDCOM representative to learn how you can leverage your Message-On-Hold program to make it even more effective. If you are interested in any of our Audio for Social Media products, or just to have a friendly conversation, email us at socialmedia@holdcom.com.


text:
Lawyer says WNBA custody star Britney Greener in Russia extended by 1 month after appearing in court
MOSCOW – Lawyer for WNBA star Britney Greener said on Friday that her detention in Russia has been extended by one month.
Alexander Boykov told the Associated Press that he believes that the relatively short extension of detention indicates that the case will soon be sent to court. She has been in custody for almost three months.
She appeared for a brief hearing in handcuffs, her dreadlocks were covered with a red hoodie and her face was low.
Boykov said: "We have not received any complaints about the conditions of detention from our client."
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Greener was detained at Moscow's airport after cartridges containing cannabis oil were allegedly found in her luggage, which could result in 10 years in prison.
RELATED: ABC13 talks with Senator John Cornin about the return of Trevor Reed, the status of Britney Greener
The Biden administration says 31-year-old Greener is being detained illegally. Representatives of the WNBA and the United States worked on her release, but without visible progress.
The Russians described Greener's case as a criminal offense without forming any political associations.
But this comes amid Moscow's war in Ukraine, which has brought US-Russian relations to their lowest level since the Cold War.
Despite tensions, Russia and the United States had an unexpected prisoner exchange last month, exchanging former Marine Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States. while the U.S. does not normally accept such exchanges, it happened in part because Yaroshenko has already served a long part of his imprisonment.
READ MORE: Texas Marine Trevor Reed has been released from Russia as part of a prisoner exchange
The Russians may consider Griner a potential part of another such exchange.
Last week, the State Department said it now considers Greener illegally detained, indicating a change in classification that suggests the U.S. government will step up its efforts to secure her release, even as a legal case unfolds. The change in status places her case within the purview of the special envoy of the President of the Department of Hostages, who is responsible for negotiations on the release of hostages and Americans who are considered illegally detained.
Also working on the case is a center headed by Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who has helped release many hostages and detainees, including Reed.
SEE ALSO: U.S. officials say Britney Green is considered illegally detained in Russia
It is not entirely clear why the U.S. government, which for several weeks has been more cautious in its approach, reclassified Greener as illegally detained. But under federal law, there are a number of factors that fall into this characterization, including if the detention is based on the fact that he is American, or if the detainee has been denied due process.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan had a meeting with Russian counterparts, but did not say whether Greener was discussed or talked about further.
Copyright © 2022, Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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text:
Gender Shouldn't Matter, But Apparently It Still Does
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman
The response to our HBR blog "Are Women Better Leaders than Men?" has been dramatic, to say the least. Clearly, women in leadership is a topic that bears examining in greater detail. As follow up, we've delved deeper into our data in search of further answers.
All would agree that many factors go into hiring the right person for a job. What exactly causes a manager to choose person A over person B? Are some people hired because of whom they know? Yes. Are some individuals more likely to receive promotions or positions because they belong to a certain gender or race? Yes. Unfortunately, unfairness does exist in the workplace.
We all believe the best qualified person should get the job and that gender, race, or relationships should not be a factor. But our data suggest that, unconsciously, other dimensions weigh heavily upon the final decision, as well.
As we said in our previous blog, the pattern in the data we cited from our latest survey is unmistakable.The majority of senior leaders are still men, and the higher up in the organization you go, the greater the disparity becomes. And yet at the same time, women at every level were perceived by their bosses, their colleagues, and their direct reports as superior to their male counterparts on three quarters of the competencies our long years of conducting and analyzing 360-evalutions have shown are critical to superior leadership effectiveness. It's hard not to conclude that when it comes time for promotion, some — many — highly qualified women are being overlooked.
What's more, a deeper look at our data reveal, qualified women appear to be similarly underrepresented in specific functional areas of the organization. It's no news to say that stereotypes exist about which functions women are expected to excel in: Usually these include customer service and human resources. Areas like sales, operations, engineering, IT, R&D, and facilities management are perceived as male bastions. In terms of numbers, these biases are confirmed by our latest survey of 7,280 leaders, which our organization evaluated in 2011.
But when it came to perceptions of excellence, the numbers tell a different story, as you can see in the chart below (click to see a larger image), which pairs the percentages and perceptions of effectiveness (as reported in 360 evaluations) for male and female leaders in 15 different functional areas.
In only three of the 12 categories were men perceived by everyone they worked with as more effective than their female counterparts, and interestingly two of them — customer service and administrative functions — are classically considered areas in which women excel. What's more, the largest differences between men's and women's effectiveness rankings are generally in those functional areas that are highly dominated by males (sales, general management, R&D, IT, and product development). These disparities are even more stark in the aggregate at the extremes. When looking at the percentage of male and females who were rated the highest and the lowest, females have a lower percentage of the worst and a higher percentage of the best, as you can see from the following chart (click to see a larger image).
Certainly, some of these patterns can be explained by the makeup of candidate pools: there simply are far fewer female than male engineers, for example. And also by the fact that women currently in leadership positions come from an extremely selective population, and they have worked tremendously hard to achieve their positions.
But surely to some extent these numbers are a reflection of upper management's subjective beliefs about how each person would perform in these roles — beliefs that simply are not borne out by the data.
Our conclusions?
It is high time to put our notions of gender roles in the workplace to rest. Women excel when given the opportunity. And so do men, particularly when they, too, feel the need to prove themselves in nontraditional roles. The good news about this research isn't that women are better than men. It's that both men and women can develop their leadership skills and abilities, and no area need be reserved for one or the other.
What it takes to develop great leaders, whether male or female, is their own willingness to develop, being given opportunities to grow through challenging job assignments, and support through mentoring and coaching from senior leaders.
Jack Zenger is the CEO and Joseph Folkman is the president of Zenger/Folkman, a leadership development consultancy. They are co-authors of the October 2011 HBR article "Making Yourself Indispensable," and the book How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths (McGraw-Hill, 2012).
This article is about LEADERSHIP


Vegan chocolate and Vegan peanut butter lovers will crave this selection. It features a unique mix of organic vegan chocolate and natural peanut butter. These gems are nestled in a lovely gift box and hand-tied with a luxury ribbon. They would make a very special gift for your favorite vegan chocolate peanut butter fanatic.
Amazing chocolatier with an incredible vegan selection. I have ordered Valentine's Day chocolates for my wife from them for years and I have always been impressed with the quality of their chocolates. They also have amazing customer service - even reaching out to me after I placed an order to inquire about a delivery date I forgot to include.
Organic cocoa mass, natural peanut butter, organic evaporated cane juice, organic cocoa butter, organic blue agave syrup, organic vanilla, organic sunflower lecithin.


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9:10 AM Sep 13, 1995
CAUTION AGAINST FINANCIAL LIBERALIZATION
Geneva 13 Sep (Chakravarthi Raghavan) -- Developing countries were cautioned against over-reliance on short-term capital flows and overhasty liberalisation of their financial markets to such flows through portfolio investments, and trading in bonds and securities.
The volatility of such flows, and the speed with which they spread across markets (bond, securities, commodities etc) within a country and across borders, makes the task of macro-economic management more and more difficult for governments of individual countries, destabilize long-term trade and investment decisions, and have a serious deflationary effect on national and world economies.
These were among broad points made by a group of outside experts at an informal exchange on interdependence at UNCTAD' Trade and Development Board session Tuesday.
The experts who participated in the discussions were: Robert N. McCauley of the New York Federal Reserve, now currently a visiting economist at the Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Jose Gabriel Palma of Chile, currently teaching at Cambridge University, Yung Chul Park, Professor of Economics at Korea University and President of the Korea University of Finance and Lord John Eatwell, now teaching at Cambridge and who was advisor to British Labour leader Kinnock.
Park who spoke on financial interdependence between Industrial and Developing countries, said the most important development over the last ten years had been the "economic globalization" -- with most of the Industrial Countries (ICs) and Developing Countries (DCs) liberalising their domestic markets and trade regimes, opening them up to international competition and leading to integration of the world economy and integration of financial markets, globally and regionally.
While most economists view this positively and as leading to better allocation of resources and contributing to higher growth rates in some parts of the world, the result of integration was rather mixed, Park said.
It was not clear, and hard evidence is yet to be assembled, whether allocative efficiency of globalization or integration of financial markets at the regional levels has been as impressive as many economists thought in the past, he added.
The Korean economist, and former advisor to President Doo Hwan Chu, noted that there has been significant flows of capital from North to South in the 1990s. These, he said, were largely due to economic performance and structural reforms in many developing countries, a cyclical downturn and low interest rates in early 1990s, and the ongoing international diversification of rapidly expanding institutional portfolios in industrial countries.
But there were three major problems with these flows, Park said.
Firstly, there was an uneven distribution of such flows. Among the developing countries, economies capable of financing their domestic investment -- such as Chile, Taiwan province of China, and other East Asian countries had received a disproportionately large share, while other developing countries that needed foreign capital, specially long-term capital, to sustain a reasonable rate of growth have had limited access to international markets.
"Such an uneven flow could potentially intensify the North-South problem," he said.
Secondly, the bulk of capital flows to developing countries had been in the form of short-term portfolio investment in tradable bonds and equity shares rather than longer-term FDI.
Short-term flows tended to be speculative and unstable, and neither the inflows, outflows, or the duration of their stay were predictable. As a result they had been the major cause of increase in stock-market volatility which in turn disrupted financial markets, rather than supporting domestic capital formation.
Foreign Direct Investment itself, Park stressed, had been declining rather than increasing.
Finally, Park said, there was also a contagion or spill-over effect. If one country experienced a financial crisis resulting from large capital outflows, neighbouring countries would also experience financial turbulence.
He cited the example of the turbulence in Mexico early in 1995 being transmitted to other emerging markets in Latin America and East Asia as investors re-evaluated the country risk of emerging economies. This led to macro-economic difficulties including a stock-market plunge in these economies.
In Park's view, there were many benefits in stabilizing and reducing share of short-term speculative capital flows. These benefits included increased domestic monetary policy autonomy, a reduced likelihood of speculative attack in foreign exchange markets and shift in emphasis to longer-term investments rather than short-term speculative opportunities.
One way to restrict short-term speculative capital flows could be a Tobin tax on foreign exchange trading or short-term cross-border loans. But to be effective it needed to be adopted worldwide and uniformly. Like attempts to reduce exchange rate volatility "international cooperation starting at regional level is necessary to reduce short-term speculative capital flows", Park said.
In their absence, other useful measures could include setting prudential limits on non-trade related swap activities, offshore borrowing, banks' net open market foreign exchange positions and bank's foreign currency liabilities. For many developing countries, direct controls on such inflows and outflows could be useful. He noted in this regard that many countries in East Asia, with heavy regulatory control over financial markets and institutions, were being criticised and pressured to deregulate and open up their financial services markets -- equities, bond markets, short-term security markets etc.
Under pressure from the US and the EU, countries like Japan and South Korea had liberalized their markets rapidly "but the results have not been as promising as had been expected".
In Korea, the domestic interest rates adjusted for inflation and exchange rates was very high, three times in relative terms to those of Japan, US and EU. Such high rates were not compatible worth the needs of a rapidly growing and industrializing economy, and was making domestic macro-economic management very difficult. If the managers of funds decide to send large sums of money into small economies like that of Korea, these could be managed with available instruments of monetary or fiscal policies.
"The only way to manage is to use direct control measures that are used in the developing countries, but which are heavily criticised by many industrial countries," Park added.
"Opening up of the financial services industry in a country, if carried out at a reasonable speed and consistent with domestic economic management, could be very beneficial to the countries opening up through better allocation of resources and more efficient management.
"But opening up markets for short-term flows and instruments is a totally different story," Park said.
"There are a growing number of countries including industrialized countries like New Zealand and countries in Latin America and East Asia that have experienced many difficulties as a result of such opening up. We cannot ignore the growing accumulation of experience in this and we have to be very careful about the deregulation and opening up of financial markets."
Park was not sure whether existing international institutions could act to rectify this situation or whether new arrangements would be needed.
"But if something is not done, it is going to intensify problems in the North and the South countries," he added.
Robert McCauley said that recent bond market volatility loses some of its mystery when two regularities of such volatility were recalled. Bear markets were often more volatile than bull markets and links across bond-markets often strengthen in volatile periods. Two new developments, he said, had rendered bond market developments more inter-dependent. Portfolio flows across borders were larger and more volatile than any time in living memory. Also, international investors in bonds were prepared to leverage up.
McCauley underlined that the record-high volatility in the US bond market had followed the errors of the late 1970s -- which allowed inflation and inflationary expectations to get as high as they did and made the efforts to put the genii back into the bottle more of a disruptive process -- came well before large international flows, leveraged investment or derivatives.
That said, market participants were there making judgements, often ignoring adverse evidence, and suddenly their optimism gives way to pessimism and they react by turning bearish. But governments would do well not to wait for wake-up calls from the market, but anticipate the market and act.
This conclusion of McCauley though seemed easier said than done. While individual governments could perhaps anticipate the market in looking more closely at data about their own conditions, how could governments collectively or even groups of the majors anticipate the market-mind sets across the socalled 'global markets'.
The expert did not elucidate in his opening remarks, and none of the participants asked him either.
In his assessment of economic reforms in Latin America, Jose Gabriel Palma said that as shown by the current Mexican and Argentine experiences, the results of the process of adjustment and new economic policies in Latin America were quite mixed.
On the positive side, he said, the public sector finances have been balanced; inflation has been brought down to low levels, by Latin American standards; volume of exports, particularly of manufactures, have grown rapidly; the profitability of the private sector has shown a fast increase; and economic growth has resumed, albeit at a moderate rate. At the same time, there had been political stability, a broad consensus on economic policy, and substantial support from the World Bank and the IMF. Access to the US market had also improved.
But there was a negative side. The level of investments, particularly in machinery and equipment, as well as infrastructure, has been low. And so has been the level of national savings. Neither huge interest rates, huge inflows of foreign capital and low fiscal deficits, nor low levels of public investment proved to be a significant incentive to private investments or savings. Foreign savings have been a substitute for, rather than a complement to, national savings.
As compared with East Asia, where the inflow of foreign capital was associated with rising national savings, these financial resources have not been used sufficiently for productive investments in Latin America. In several countries, the resumption of growth was too heavily based on private consumption, rather than on investment and exports. As a result growth was more solidly based and sustainable in some countries than others.
Some countries, such as Argentina, Peru and Mexico, Palma noted, run up large current account deficits, equal to about half of their exports. These countries have been considerably more vulnerable to a sudden halt in capital inflows than others - such as Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador -- where the external deficit was smaller. The use of the nominal exchange rate as a price anchor in some of the Latin American countries, Palma said, has led to a massive over-valuation of some currencies. Financial liberalization has also generated only mixed results. On the negative side, the financial liberalization has had an adverse impact on national savings, exchange rates and scope for domestic macro-economic policies.
The lessons to be drawn from the recent experience in Latin America, Palma said, included:
* the crawling peg regime that several countries of the region adopted has generated more satisfactory results than fixed nominal exchange rate regimes;
* there is a need for pragmatic approach to treatment of foreign capital inflows -- with some capital control over the capital account, if an independent monetary policy is to be combined with exchange-rate targeting;
* economic policy measures have to be designed so as to provide stronger incentives for savings and investment;
* industrial policy is required to increase the manufacturing-value added in exports.
"A more general, but important point," Palma stressed, "is that in implementing policies governments need to be sensitive to the shifting nature of the actual environment in which they have to operate, thus avoiding reliance on abstract, general rules".
The Latin American economist added: "Compared to the debt crisis of the 1970s, which was largely due to external factors that could not be controlled by the Latin American governments, the current crisis in some countries in Latin America is mainly of an endogenous nature".
Palma had a lively exchange of views with some of the Latin American delegations, including Argentina, which thought his assessment was heavily pessimistic.
The Argentine delegate cited some recent data, suggesting a sharp rise in exports, despite fixed nominal exchange rate regime - Argentine peso parity with US dollar - increase in reserves and capital inflows.
Palma noted that there were two factors explaining this.
Past experience in Latin America had shown that countries could be in domestic recession, yet the exports could be rising. This was because domestic producers finding no market internally, turn to exports.
The second factor was the Brazilian market. In the first six months of the Real plan, from July 1994 until the Mexican crisis - the Brazilian currency had appreciated by 30%. Brazil thus proved an ideal market of Argentine exports. And while the Argentine peso remained pegged at parity to the US dollar, the US dollar itself was devaluing against the other currencies, particularly the German DM and the Japanese yen. As a result the Argentine peso was devaluing against other currencies, thus benefiting Argentina in some third markets.
But this situation of the depreciating dollar had been reversed over the last few weeks, though it was difficult to say how long this would go on and how far the Argentine exports would be helped. Also, Brazil, as a late-starter in the "reform" process was learning quickly from the experience of others in Latin America, and was changing its policy. Brazil had hence avoided an over-valuation of the Real. It was difficult again to predict its effects on Argentine exports.


2008 Toyota Camry Solara - I love it!
I love my Prius! To be as small as it is, it has lots of room. It has lots of head room and leg room, even for a tall person. There is also a lot of cargo room. The back seats fold down creating a large space for transporting large cargo. It is very "peppy" with good acceleration. Perhaps the best thing about it is the gas mileage. I have saved a lot of money in gas since buying my Prius. It has also held its value really, really well. I would definitely buy it again if I had it to do over.
I guess the funniest story is the day I ran out of gas. Yes, you do actually have to get gas once in a while! I got many comments from people passing by because, I was in a Prius, after all, but they don't run on the battery forever.
1. Gas mileage 2. Room - lots of head and leg room, cargo room. 3. No mechanical problems since buying it 6 years ago.
I cannot really think of any negative things about my Prius!
I bought my vehicle used and have only had it for 6 months now. So far I love it! No serious complaints as of yet. The car has an expansive interior which my husband who is 6'4" really appreciates. It's powerful, fuel efficient, reliable, dependable and has top crash test scores. This is important to me as I have 2 little ones. It's a very smooth ride. The car hugs the road making it easy to drive. Toyota Camry has a reputation for reliability and high resale value which make this a good buy in my opinion. I also like the fact that the light automatically turn off if left on by accident. Saving you the headache of getting a jump the next morning. There are maybe 2 or 3 things I would say I dislike about the Camry. First the headrest is a bit uncomfortable (a little too hard). Second the seatbelt can be a pain sometimes to grab. But that may be because I am so short. Lastly, I wish speedometer was in 10 mph increments, its very easy to go faster than you thought and get a ticket. But generally I'm impressed by the overall performance of my Camry.
Expansive interior, powerful, fuel-efficient V6, reputation for reliability, top crash test scores, high resale value, lights turn off automatically, good buy.
Wish speedometer was in 10 mph increments, headrest is a bit uncomfortable, seatbelt can be a pain.


> OK, I apologise. I thought I'd try to post to the discussion list.
> Little did I realise that there was a strict code of conduct.
totally within it, its cool.
> unsubscribe and go on my way. I shan't bother you all again.
> English-speaking posters the trend has stuck.
Americans or people not used to humour.


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Book Review - A Salesman's Lessons
A Salesman's Lessons – What I studied is what I failed to see.
~C.R. Jena
ISBN-9789381576441
C. R. Jena being a pass out from the prestigious IIT Kharagpur and then from XIMB uses trivial mathematics equations as his vade-mecum to establish analogies between mathematical models from the abstract (and his indulgence with science) into the tricky field of Sales, which he has been grappling for past many years.
I could not complete it. It is the second book so far that I could not complete. The first one was by Jay Elliot – The Steve Jobs Way. Rather, it would be safe to say that I am not ready to receive what this book has to offer.
But I also think that not everything that is written in a diary, from which we learnt something should go into the making of a book. I sure can make everything fit, but making a fit isn't the point in writing the book, to make sense is. Besides, it hovers mainly around selling, with traces of marketing acumen. An apt statement that 'Humans as such have always been buying or selling something or the other'. But if it isn't fun, it isn't worth doing it. Everything can be made fun, but unfortunately, this book, for now did not help me becoming interested in sales.
The author offers advice to people into the sales business but lucidly adds that the content can act as guidance for anyone who reads it. Sure, it has very important life lessons, like calling people when there is no work, for the sake of talking, or for feedback, or giving a cold call, as he said, but if you don't like it, well, don't do it. The key points or the punch lines that the author wants us to make for our own at the end of each chapter appear more clichéd to me than saying it plainly.
It was a tedious read, the editing is sloppy and inadvertent typos have crept in, in many places. The topics are disconnected, paragraphs seem to be incoherent and the language is, well, trivial. There is more to poor editing rather than poor writing in the book. It feels like reading a print out of someone's journal made in MS Word with all kinds of bulleting (without scheme) and the rationale of adding two back to back quotations at the start of every chapter which again in many cases are unformatted adds to a reader's dismay.
The blurb on the back cover makes a claim that the book tries to find answers like 'does what we learn in schools and colleges really apply in the real world'? The author has tried to explain mathematically (which is more of a learning aid for him as it seems from the book), but does not attempt to show if anything he learned in 'Sales' (Management course) helped him in the real world.
This isn't a book for salesmen either. It doesn't tell you how to sell, or how to sell well, but only what you should do before and after the sale has been made. Here, I'd make a generic claim that being social can be made a mechanical task by following guidelines, but sales isn't exactly a field for the socially introverted. If I don't feel at ease talking, then talking on the phone or in personal meetings will be artificial and that will show.
The bottom line? I will not recommend it to anyone, salesman or not.
P.S.: Another reason for my not being 'into' the book could be that it was a force read. But a force read book, if any good, can always get me interested if it is really good (according to my tastes).


THE Natick Soldier Systems Center provides the science behind the Soldier.
It's the only place in the world that is totally focused on the Soldier. This is what the folks at the NSSC in Massachusetts focus on every day. They answer questions like, "How can we give Soldiers all the nutrients they need while operating at high altitudes in the mountains of Afghanistan," and "How can we lighten the load of a foot Soldier on patrol in Iraq?" At Natick, it's all about the Soldier.
The four tenant units at Natick--the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center; the U.S. Army Institute of Environmental Medicine; Program Manager Field Sustainment and the Integrated Logistics Support Center--provide Soldiers a broad range of support. If a Soldier wears it, eats it, sleeps under it or has it airdropped to them, it is researched and developed on the 78-acre campus.
"We're excited to show the work we do for the Soldier to the Soldier," said Brig. Gen. John McGuiness, the commanding general of NSSC. "There are projects we are working on here that are already in theater to help make things easier on our Soldiers."
It is the NSRDEC's mission to maximize the warfighter's survivability, sustainability, mobility, combat effectiveness and field quality of life by treating the warfighter as a system. The NSRDEC, led by Dr. John Obusek, adds value to the Soldier through technology generation, application and transition, enabling rapid fielding of the right equipment, Soldier systems technology integration and transition, and the ability to solve field problems quickly.
The USARIEM, led by Col. Gaston Bathalon, conducts biomedical research to improve and sustain warfighter health and performance under all imaginable conditions. It is internationally recognized as both the center of excellence for warfighter performance science and useful applications, and a world-class laboratory for environmental medicine, physiology, performance and nutrition research.
"USARIEM serves a unique role in the Department of Defense," said Bathalon. "In no other single location will you find the collection of expertise in Soldier performance and sustainment that we maintain here at Natick. The work conducted by the professionals here helps Soldiers in every aspect of their daily lives, from the food they eat, to the way they exercise, to the uniforms they wear and the equipment they carry.
"Ultimately, our presence and the work we do is a testament to the commitment of the Army and the Department of Defense to the welfare of our servicemembers. And USARIEM's outstanding scientists, Soldiers and support staff (are) proud to be engaged in supporting that mission."
The ILSC, led by Michael Ahearn, provides innovative, robust and streamlined total life cycle logistics and materiel readiness support to warfighters throughout the DOD.
"The ILSC's acquisition and technology partners at Natick develop the most advanced warfighter technologies ever fielded," said Matt Cooke, Team Leader, Soldier Support Systems, TACOM ILSC. "Without proper logistics, however, those technologies are unsupportable in the field and would thereby be quickly rendered useless. The ILSC creates synergy with its acquisition and technology counterparts at Natick by developing and providing cost effective and efficient logistics support throughout every phase of a weapon system's life cycle.
"ILSC logisticians begin working on new acquisition programs prior to milestone A, contributing to the development of requirements documents and life-cycle sustainment plans," Cooke continued. "As systems are developed and fielded, the ILSC continues to partner, ensuring that all logistics elements are in place throughout the life cycle. The ILSC also procures and distributes both the end item and spare parts directly to the warfighter. This enables Natick-developed equipment to be supported and sustained for the duration of its life cycle, maximizing Soldier lethality and survivability."
Three PMs conduct business at Natick. Product Manager Soldier Clothing and Individual Equipment provides comfortable uniforms that enhance mission effectiveness. These products protect against manmade threats such as fire and biological/chemical agents, as well as environmental threats such as extreme weather conditions. PM-SCIE also provides improved parachute systems.
Product Manager Force Sustainment Systems enhances the combat effectiveness and quality of life for the Soldier by providing equipment, systems and technical support to sustain and improve the environments in which they live, train and operate.
Program Manager for Special Operation Forces Survival, Support and Equipment Systems is a full-service program management office that manages the development, acquisition and fielding, and full life-cycle sustainment of SOF-unique individual equipment to ensure the success of the joint unconventional mission.
NSSC also houses the U.S. Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility and the Coast Guard Clothing Design and Technical office, as well as members of the Air Force and Marine Corps.
Nearly 2,000 employees conduct research, development, acquisition and sustainment to maximize combat effectiveness and survivability of servicemembers. The employees are focused daily on making the world better for Soldiers. The people who comprise the center's workforce are professionals in fields ranging from aerospace to zoology, and hold a combined 103 doctorates, 198 masters' and 312 bachelors' degrees, and two are medical doctors.
The center not only uses the resources of its highly educated workforce to better equip Soldiers, it collaborates with the education centers surrounding the installation: More than 200 accredited academic institutions in New England partner with the NSSC to support servicemembers. The economic impact in the Boston area is nearly $400 million.
The facilities at NSSC are unique and highly specialized. On the small peninsula, you can find the Doriot Climatic Chambers, Altitude Chamber, Hydro-Environmental Chamber, Soldier Performance Science Center, Biomechanics Lab, 3-D Anthropometric Lab, CIE Fightability Course, Bone Health Lab, Materials Science Lab, Camouflage Analysis and Demo Lab, Airdrop Certification Test Facility, Textile Testing facilities, Thermal Test Facility, High Performance Fiber Facility and Polymer Film Center of Excellence, where research results in superior technology for the warfighter.
Not only is NSSC committed to providing today's Soldiers with the best equipment possible, its professionals also keep their eyes on the future. Through the Science Technology Engineering and Math outreach partnership, NSSC has partnered with the Massachusetts Governor's Council, MetroWest STEM Education Network, Massachusetts High Tech Council Initiative, Navy and Air Force Outreach, Federal Laboratory Consortium, the Women in Science and Engineering program and the MassBioEd Foundation to bring in the next generation of engineers to support Soldiers of the future.


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Matua (in russo Матуа; in giapponese 松輪島, Matsuwa-tō) è un'isola russa che fa parte dell'arcipelago delle Isole Curili ed è situata tra il mare di Ochotsk e l'oceano Pacifico settentrionale. Amministrativamente fa parte del Severo-Kuril'skij rajon dell'oblast' di Sachalin, nel Circondario federale dell'Estremo Oriente. L'isola è disabitata.

Geografia

Matua si trova nella parte centro-settentrionale delle isole Curili; 16 km a nord, al di là dello stretto di Golovnin (пролив Головнина), c'è l'isola di Rajkoke, mentre 28 km a sud-sud-ovest c'è Rasšua, divisa dallo stretto Nadeždy (пролив Надежды). L'isola è lunga 11 km e larga 6,4 km; la sua superficie è di 52 km². Sull'isola c'è un piccolo corso di acqua potabile, il ruscello Chesupo (ручей Хесупо). L'ancoraggio è possibile nel golfo Dvojnaja (бухта Двойная) a est, di fronte all'isola Toporkovyj.

La maggior parte dell'isola è occupata dallo stratovulcano Saryčev (вулкан Сарычева, vulkan Saryčeva) alto 1 446 m s.l.m. Il Saryčev è uno dei vulcani più attivi delle isole Curili, sono state registrate eruzioni nel 1760, 1878-1879, 1923, 1928, 1930, 1946, 1954, 1960, 1965, 1976; la sua ultima grande eruzione si è verificata nel 2009.

Flora e fauna
La vegetazione dell'isola è bassa e arbustiva,  ci sono macchie di ontano.

Sono presenti piccoli roditori e volpi. Sulla costa ci sono colonie di foche e del leone marino di Steller. È luogo di nidificazione di urie, cormorani e gabbiani del genere Larus.

Clima
A dispetto della latitudine temperata (la stessa di Parigi o Seattle), la forte corrente Oyashio determina sull'isola un clima subartico (secondo la classificazione dei climi di Köppen) freddo e molto umido. Matua ha intense precipitazioni (pioggia, neve e nebbia) e la temperatura media del mese più freddo è -6,1 °C.

Storia
Al momento del contatto con gli europei, l'isola era visitata dalle tribù degli Ainu nelle loro battute di caccia e pesca, ma non aveva una popolazione permanente.
L'isola appare su una mappa ufficiale dei territori del clan Matsumae, un dominio feudale del periodo Edo in Giappone (1644), domini confermati ufficialmente dallo shogunato Tokugawa nel 1715.
Successivamente la sovranità passò all'Impero russo, in base ai termini del Trattato di Shimoda nel 1855, poi all'Impero del Giappone, secondo il Trattato di San Pietroburgo (1875), insieme al resto delle isole Curili. Amministrativamente l'isola faceva parte della sottoprefettura di Nemuro, nella prefettura di Hokkaidō.

Durante la seconda guerra mondiale l'esercito imperiale giapponese aveva un aeroporto situato su quest'isola che era presidiata da 7-8 000 uomini. Nel 1944 gli impianti giapponesi sull'isola sono stati più volte bombardati dall'USAAF (l'aviazione militare USA) e dalle navi della marina militare statunitense e diverse navi da carico giapponesi vennero affondate nei pressi dell'isola. Il 1º giugno 1944, una batteria costiera giapponese affondò il sottomarino americano USS Herring a capo Orlova (мыс Орлова), l'estrema punta sud-orientale dell'isola, chiamato anche capo Tagan.

Alla fine della guerra, la guarnigione giapponese si arrese senza opporre resistenza e l'isola passò sotto il controllo dell'Unione Sovietica. Attualmente fa parte della Federazione Russa.

Isole adiacenti
 Toporkovyj (остров Топорковый), si trova a una distanza di 1,3 km dalla costa orientale.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni
 Mappa russa:

Matua


Vienna, a city with about two million inhabitants, is situated in the very heart of Europe. Due to its unique geographic and geopolitical location, Vienna has been the setting for many international events and has become a popular conference venue. Vienna hosts one of the United Nations headquarters and is home to a number of other international organisations.
Vienna's ever-changing history has left an indelible mark on the city, a mark also manifest in a rich cultural heritage. The city's ultimate fascination stems from merging imperial grandeur with a cosmopolitan spirit, a combination which emerged after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Viennese writers, musicians and artists as well as scientists have all influenced many aspects of our modern world. Vienna took part in all major political developments of the 20th century. Shaped over the centuries as the capital of a huge empire, Vienna will always arouse feelings of nostalgia.
Today, Vienna offers historical palaces alongside modern shopping centres, traditional hotels, Austrian food as well as haute cuisine, typical Viennese coffee houses and luxury restaurants, outstanding opera and theatre performances, classical concerts and open-air festivals, antique shops next to elegant boutiques – all joined together in incomparable Viennese harmony.
Vienna, the largest city of Austria, lies between a transition of humid continental and oceanic climate.
Temperatures in Vienna in June usually range between 18–22º C by day, nights are cooler.
The main voltage in Austria is 230V.
On Sunday shops are usually closed except in the old town. Grocery stores already open around 8:00 during weekdays.
Banking hours in general are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 08:00 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 15:00, Thursday 08:00 – 12:30 and 13:30 – 17:00. ATMs are located outside most banks, cash can be withdrawn there 24/7. National and foreign Maestro cards (cash cards) as well as Mastercard, AMEX, Visa and Diners are accepted.
Credit cards are also accepted by numerous hotels, restaurants, shops and gas stations.


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Q: Error on Pyodbc 'pyodbc.connection' object has no attribute 'setencoding' I want to send strings to my SQL server via pyodbc.
Some of my strings are conaining Character like "Ä,Ü,Ö,ã,ó".
While trying to send them i got an Error saying ="quotation mark after the character..."
I Read that i have to use "connection.setencoding(encoding='utf-8') and connection.setdecoding(encoding='utf-8')"
and here comes my Error.
After starting my script i get the following Error:
"Attribute Error: 'pyodbc.Connection' object has no attribute ' setencoding'"
here is my Connections String:
cnxn = pyodbc.connect('DRIVER={FreeTDS},Server=-Serverip-;PORT=1433;DATABASE=-DataBase-;UID=-UID-;PWD=-PWD-;TDS_Version=7.2;charset=utf8')
cnxn.setencoding(encoding='utf-8')

Anyone an idea why im getting this kind of error?
or is there any other way?


In 1988 he made his first sculpture exhibition in a figurative and contemporary style in subjects as diverse as clay, plaster, concrete, steel and polymers.
His first exhibition of oil paintings in 1990 dealt with women's issues, of man, of the world in its design and implementation.
For two years from 1994 to 1996 he deepened sculpture, figurative painter sculptor with PAPYO. At the same time, he met the painter GIGER when exposed to Chavanes, Nyon (Switzerland) which gives him a strong interest in macabre art.
In 1998 he met the painter ARCHIGUILLE, he allows him access to the transfiguration where he will be able to follow a personal process that will result in charge of emotions, expression of tumult and profound rebirth.
Born in 1968 in Normandy, France, F B-L left his home town many years ago. Was it his mother, herself an artist, who influenced his career path ? However that may be, there is no doubt that his artistic calling can be traced a long way back.
When he started out his work was figurative in style but bit by bit it became abstract with strong contrasts in which black is the most powerful element.
Painting the colour black is really something out of the ordinary and is full of paradoxes.
His mind is filled with black. Dreaming of black is to dream of absence, absence of colour and of light. The great « dreamers in black », the phrase comes from Gaston Richard, are those whose imagination endeavours to reach the most intimate corners of the soul in a kind of complete and utter darkness, deep down in the subconscience and which cannot be affected by any formal artistic discipline whatsoever.
The contrast of black and white is immediately one way of working with light, for the clash of white against black will make the latter more radiant. Black was used sparingly for several hundreds of years, and was not included in the accepted colour spectrum. It was only re-established as a colour in the twentieth century, thanks to a few artists such as François Benoit-Lison and Pierre Soulages.
Black loses its role as a colour when used on its own and becomes a framework of mirror-like reflections as can be discovered in the work of F Benoit-Lison.
With his great intellectual cast of mind, F. B-L cuts out conventional thinking from his work, repels extraneous influences, and avoids all the utopias which might come between him and his creativity.
Sometimes working in oils but mainly using tar-based substances, the layering has quite mysterious halo effects, dazzling in their precision which are, to say the least, out of reach of the uninitiated.
A painting depends on the canvas, wood and other materials used, be they smooth or rough, but also on the pigment, the thickness and how the materials are shaped and moulded, on the surrounding colours as well, and on the way the brushed surface reflects the light. For all that, black, whether perceived or imagined, depends on the eye of the beholder and its variations are endless.
François open-handedly invites us to travel with him without giving us a set path to follow. Each of us will search for his own truth in the hope of not getting lost along the way. We delve into an imaginary world which is sometimes high-flown, sometimes intimate, in which the painting expresses something words alone find difficult. There are so many successful touches that cannot fail to capture the interest of a growing number of art lovers.
François Benoit -Lison offers us some outstanding work. We are at the start of an artistic adventure which will surely have some pleasant surprises for us.


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So here's my story: In August, 2015, I was in Paris, delighting in finding a champagne bar at the top of the Eiffel tower and blissfully celebrating my 43rd birthday with my husband, son, and daughter, who was turning 10 the same day (we share a birthday down to the minute – cosmic twins). I returned home, refreshed and ready to return to my life, the kids' new school year, my beloved neuropsychology practice, colleagues, patients, friends and family. I had, by all measures, everything I could have ever wanted and then some.
What I actually returned to, however, was not only a whopping boat bill on the new/used boat I had just acquired that summer, but a fairly advanced breast cancer diagnosis. WTF?!! Well, for any boat owners out there it won't surprise you that I'd prefer to talk about the cancer than the boat. Rather than return the following week, as "Dr." Rebecca Timlin-Scalera, to the practice I've worked so hard to maintain and build over the past 13 years, with colleagues and patients I truly love, I was thrown head first into a world of biopsies, bad news and botched attempts at my last name, as nurses called me "Ms…how do you spell that last name?! T what? Hyphen what?" That's too complicated. I was swiftly reduced to a medical record number and date of birth. It seemed surreal. We were suddenly not talking carpool and dinner plans for Saturday night, but facing life and death discussions, treatment options, frantically searching for the best cancer facility, and booking a double mastectomy. Pronto.
One of the most difficult days of my life was the day my husband and I found out I had cancer, followed quickly by subsequent dismal days spent having to tell my parents, siblings, friends, my small children (7 and 10) and then ultimately my colleagues and patients from whom I had to take an immediate medical leave. My life had changed forever and there was no going back. That much was clear.
I spiraled into a black hole trying to make sense of what was happening, wishing I could stop time or press rewind. Go back to my life as I knew it. But no. It stuck. Cancer had come to town and it wasn't leaving without a fight. I couldn't even remember what I had previously considered a "problem." Well, that's when I realized, there is no "cancer gang" standing behind me with knives drawn in some back alley waiting for a show down to fight this and make it go away while I curled up in the fetal position and cried. This wasn't a Lifetime movie that I could sit back and watch play out. Although I have the best support system in the world and access to the best cancer center, at the end of the day, this is IN me, it is my fight and my choice as to how this battle will be waged. It is me vs. cancer, a fight to the finish. One of us has to go and I am certainly not ready for it to be me! Never one to back away from a challenge, the overachiever in me decided then and there to not only defeat cancer, but knock it so far out of my universe, it'd be sorry it ever knocked on my door.
I am quickly learning about the pitfalls and huge gaps in diagnostic standards for this disease, especially for women with dense breasts like myself. I am also learning about how funding and treatment resources are allocated for different stages of the disease, with metastatic breast cancer, the stage that needs it most, still lacking so much funding and support. So, as I attempt to find the humor and grace in this situation, I also plan to use my research and achievement-oriented brain to fight for needed changes for others who find themselves suddenly strapped with this unwanted club membership. So many brave, beautiful, smart women have already begun to pave this road ahead of me, and I am proud to join them now doing whatever I can to help eradicate this disease that has stolen too many mothers, daughters, wives and friends way too soon, out from under us. From what I've seen so far of my unfortunate cohort, breast cancer has an odd way of picking the best and the brightest amongst us, so I have no doubt we'll get there.