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Could 'MultiVersus' be the Super Smash Bros. competitor Xbox and PC needs?
By Miles Dompier
last updated 28 July 2022
Notable refinements elevate the principles of Super Smash Bros.
(Image credit: Windows Central)
I'm a massive fan of platform fighters. In fact, I consider Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to be the greatest fighting game of all time. What started as an absurd multiplayer novelty on the N64 has blossomed into a prominent sub-genre with a fierce online community of competitive players. The ingenious marriage of simplistic pick-up-and-play controls and deceptively deep strategic combat popularized by Nintendo's premiere fighter has even spawned a myriad of clones and competitors.
From Brawlhalla to Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, there have been numerous attempts to recapture and refine the Super Smash Bros. magic. I've essentially played them all to chase that euphoric platform fighter dragon. Unfortunately, most of these efforts haven't felt as polished or fluid as the franchise that inspired them. But to my surprise, a new challenger has entered the ring and managed to do the seemingly impossible, meaningfully embrace platform fighters' competitive side.
MultiVersus from Player First Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is the latest crack at succeeding Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, this title replaces iconic Nintendo characters like Samus and Mario with WB mascots like Batman, Shaggy, and Bugs Bunny.
On paper, the possibilities with MultiVersus sound chaotic, hilarious, and downright silly, but in practice, this impressive fighting game delivers an outstanding gameplay experience. After spending roughly eight hours smashing Jake from Adventure Time with Wonder Woman's "Lasso of truth," I think I may have found a platform fighter with legitimate long-term promise.
Fresh features and modified mechanics
In many ways, MultiVersus mirrors the fundamentals of other platform fighters. Up to four players square off in 2D arena environments and battle to launch their opponents into deadly hazard zones at the edges of the screen. These "Ringouts" typically result in a point for you or your team. Depending on the game mode, you'll either want to achieve the most Ringouts in a set time or retain your fixed number of lives. How you decide to smash your opponents into the great beyond is entirely up to you. This flexibility leads to thrilling match dynamics.
If you've played Super Smash Bros., you're likely quite familiar with the recovery tools at players' disposal. The sub-genre standard has traditionally been two jumps, one special recovery ability, and either one air-dodge or one air-dash. MultiVersus takes aerial combat to another level by doubling the number of vertical recovery abilities and air-dashes. Additionally, this WB-themed brawler removes the inactivity punishments from Super Smash Bros. These enhancements allow for significantly improved counter capabilities. Players are required to work much harder for Ringouts in MultiVersus.
MultiVersus inspires and, quite frankly, demands experimentation with every character.
Another frequent critique from competitive Super Smash Bros. purists revolves around how the game enables and (in the case of characters like Nes) even rewards ability spamming. The team behind MultiVersus clearly has problems with players who repeatedly use the same attacks over and over and has opted to incorporate mechanics that punish such behavior. Characters found utilizing specific abilities too frequently will be penalized in the form of damage and knockback decreases for habitual attack inputs.
As well as baseline stat debuffs for spammers, MultiVersus incorporates cooldown timers for destructive special abilities like Tom and Jerry's mouse trap. While I initially found this particular mechanic somewhat restrictive as someone accustomed to the limitless madness of Super Smash Bros., I've grown to appreciate how it encourages deliberate ability usage. Your fighter's most potent attacks are frequently tied to these cooldowns, culminating in risk/reward assessment before commitment. MultiVersus inspires and, quite frankly, demands experimentation with every character.
Some circles of the fighting game community consider 1v1 matches the pinnacle of competition. Despite its evident desire to appease that audience, MultiVersus prefers to foster 2v2 battles. Unlike Super Smash Bros., this platform fighter sports a host of compelling support abilities that enrich teamwork. Characters like Reindog can fire an ethereal tether that links to allies. If the linked individual is in danger of a Ringout, Reindog can quickly retract this tether and effectively save their teammate from certain death.
Distinct character roles like Tank, Assassin, and Support further embolden the value of 2v2 combat in MultiVersus. Agile Assassins like Harley Quinn speed across the battlefield and rack up devastating damage. While Tanks like Wonder Woman domineeringly control the flow of battle. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these classes is critical to achieving the upper hand. All of these fantastic ingredients focused on competitive play combine to deliver a beautifully balanced and engaging platform fighter.
Player progression and (of course) a Battle Pass
MultiVersus is a free-to-play game. So, naturally, it features seasonal Battle Passes and individual character progression. The Battle Pass seems to be standard fare for a modern free-to-play title. There are two tracks of unlockable rewards tied to daily and seasonal challenges. The free base tier provides an assortment of banners, badges, character skins, and more. And the premium paid tier boldly advertises an assortment of notably cooler cosmetic items. The mini pre-launch Battle Pass currently available doesn't appear to present anything too alarming or egregious.
Thankfully, there aren't any methods of paying to increase a character's power in MultiVersus.
Character progression and stat buffs can trigger red flags in hyper-competitive environments. In MultiVersus, players can unlock and equip character-specific perks and upgrades. From increased projectile speed to damage reduction, there are many modifiers one can apply to their favorite characters. With this being a free-to-play title, these systems justifiably stir concerns regarding the potential for "pay-to-win" advantages, especially following Diablo Immortal's controversies. Thankfully, there aren't any methods of paying to increase a character's power in MultiVersus.
The choice to specialize the perks of characters through experience-based leveling adds an excellent sense of progression to the overall experience. With Wonder Woman, I was granted the freedom to tailor the way my Lasso of Truth impacted enemies and allies. Instead of the standard Scorpion-like grab and pull, I transformed this special ability into a potent grapple that propelled me towards enemies. There are a considerable number of perks and ability modifiers in MultiVersus, and I'm excited to see the community run wild with the possibilities.
Is MultiVersus worth your time?
I can't stop thinking about WB's MultiVersus. I fully intended to dive into Forza Horizon 5's Hot Wheels DLC and the depressing cat adventure Stray this week, but this shockingly impressive platform fighter has consumed most of my free time. Even in its pre-release state, Player First Games has established a worthy contender in the space. It's too early to say whether or not MultiVersus will ever come close to nabbing mindshare from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Still, the title's care, attention to detail, and overall polish are commendable.
Ultimately, ongoing support and community engagement make or break a fighting game. As it stands, MultiVersus has no Arcade Mode or single-player content outside of training and matches against the AI. The emphasis for this platform fighter lies in online matchmaking. As long as WB continues to add fan-favorite characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Gandalf, Neo, Rick and Morty, and The Animaniacs, there's no doubt in my mind that players will continue to invest in MultiVersus.
If you're eager to dive in and drop kick Arya Stark as Stephen Universe, you can pick up the Founder's Pack to get immediate early access. But the free-to-play open beta begins for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC on July 26, 2022.
Duke it out as your favorite Warner Bros. characters in this fresh platform fighter. With enhanced mechanics, there's a lot for competitive players to sink their teeth into.
Buy from: Xbox (opens in new tab)
Miles Dompier
Miles Dompier is a Freelance Video Producer for Windows Central, focusing on video content for Windows Central Gaming. In addition to writing or producing news, reviews, and gaming guides, Miles delivers fun, community-focused videos for the Windows Central Gaming YouTube channel. Miles also hosts Xbox Chaturdays every Saturday, which serves as the Windows Central Gaming weekly podcast.
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20 November 2009 — Good user experience is often found in the most unassuming places. We have a new restaurant opening in my neighborhood this week and I've been anticipating their arrival for a few weeks now. They officially open today but two days ago revealed a very important lesson in user experience.
Two days ago I was walking down the street this new restaurant is on to get lunch from a neighboring location. The lights were on and it looked like people were ordering and eating inside before their scheduled opening. This of course caught my interest so I took a closer look. The door said something like, "Pardon us while we get ready for our grand opening. We hope to see you this Friday." For some reason I ignored the sign and went in anyway. I was greeted by a hostess asking me for my invitation. I had no invitation and said, "sorry, I'll come back Friday." She quickly said, "that's okay, join us for free lunch tomorrow and bring a friend" and she handed me two invitations.
Don't punish curiosity, reward it. This is a great philosophy and something we should keep in the back of our minds when designing user experiences. I didn't walk away from that situation feeling stupid because I ignored the sign that clearly stated they weren't open yet. Instead I walked away excited to a) get to try this new restaurant a day early and b) get a free lunch. It was the kind of first impression any product or service should want to make.


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Arkansas' First Artist Laureate
When Evan Lindquist first arrived in Arkansas, people would ask where he was from; people didn't understand his Midwestern accent. He said communication was sometimes difficult, until he learned the local dialect.
Some 50 years later, there's no mistaking Arkansas' first artist laureate. His artwork speaks to audiences locally and around the world.
Lindquist is Arkansas State University's emeritus professor of art and founder of the Delta National Small Prints Exhibition, now in its 19th year. He is known worldwide for his burin copperplate engravings, a process that was also used by Rembrandt, for intaglio prints.
His work is exhibited in the permanent collection of galleries across the globe; the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock, the Galleria degli Uffizi, Gabinetto di disegno in Florence, Italy, the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery in Kansas City, the New Orleans Art Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City all feature collections of Lindquist's work.
He is a recipient of the Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Arts Council and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of American Graphic Artists; he is also a distinguished alumnus of Emporia State University.
It was in Emporia, Kan., where Lindquist's love of art became linked with education. He said he and his family moved there following World War II; he lived only four blocks from the campus of what was then known as Kansas State Teachers College.
"My neighbors were college professors," he said. "I was enrolled in the 'Laboratory Training School,' where practice teachers learned to teach. Since 1945, I've always lived or worked on college campuses, and education always has been near the center of my life."
"Art was always a priority in my education," he noted. "My wife and I had very devoted professional artists as teachers, and we often recall things we learned from them."
After finishing his formal education, which included a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in fine arts, he served as staff artist at Emporia State. In June 1963, he and his wife Sharon came to Jonesboro and Arkansas State College, where he taught art classes in what he described as, "a dilapidated old dairy barn that was infested with pigeons."
"Occasionally someone would come around with a shotgun and shoot at the birds roosting above my office window. Once I had to duck and run from shattering glass. I have to mention the shock of being at the mercy of the mosquitoes; the mosquitoes were everywhere!"
Despite birds and bugs most foul (or fowl), Lindquist built a 40-year teaching career and an international reputation for his artwork.
Dr. Tim Hudson, Arkansas State University chancellor, in nominating Lindquist for the artist laureate post, noted, "Lindquist selflessly shares his 'recipe' for ink production online, making that information available to millions. Charitable gifts of his artwork have been realized by Arkansas State University, a sitting United States president and countless others."
Hudson said one of Lindquist's most outstanding contributions to the state is the number of students he taught and mentored, who themselves have gone on to receive critical recognition for their own artwork and teaching.
"I've learned from every one of my students," Lindquist said. "I sought meaningful ways to introduce and explain the principles and ideas of what I was teaching. Motivation is the most important concept, and I tried to understand what would motivate each student. Each student became a new partner on a new adventure, sometimes climbing to new heights, sometimes traveling through difficult terrain."
Although retired from teaching, he remains a full-time artist.
"Every day, I have an artistic project going in my studio, and it occupies my mind completely," he said. "Whenever I leave the studio, a current project is still in my mind, begging me to work out its next incarnation. I'm never free from thinking, planning or visualizing 'The Project.' This feeling has sometimes been described by other artists as a 'white heat' that burns in the mind until the work is finished."
"Completing 'The Project,' and the 'white heat' is a most exhilarating feeling. As a tactical force, completion is the most meaningful accomplishment, but within hours, a new question arises in my mind; a new 'white heat' begins to build. It will be with me 24 hours a day until it is completed."
The bill establishing the artist laureate, passed during Arkansas' 89th General Assembly, and signed into law by Gov. Mike Beebe, recognizes "outstanding accomplishments and contributions in art."
"Evan Lindquist," Hudson said, "emulates those qualities in which the State of Arkansas will be quite proud."
"I'm gratified to know that someone else 'gets it' when viewing some of my engravings," Lindquist said. "Each of my awards tells me that a wonderful group of people experienced something they valued from my work."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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- Gut Health -
Antibiotic Use May Predispose Kids to Obesity and Asthma
Finnish study finds antibiotic use in young children may alter gut microbiome and lead to weight gain and asthma later in childhood.
By Heidi Wachter | March 29, 2016
Antibiotics are the most widely used drugs in childhood populations in Western countries, and antibiotic resistance is a growing public-health concern worldwide.
Now, new findings published in Nature Communications indicate that antibiotic use during childhood is associated with long-term changes in the composition, function, and antibiotic resistance of gut microbiota.
University of Helsinki researchers studied fecal samples from 142 children between ages 2 and 7. The control group of 43 children had not used antibiotics for more than two years and had a lifetime use of less than one course per year on average. The microbiota composition of other groups was compared with those of the control group. Fecal samples for the other groups were assigned based on antibiotic type and frequency during early life but not recently, within six to 12 months or 12 to 24 months of donation.
The researchers noticed clear differences in the gut microbiome of antibiotic-treated children. Antibiotics reduced the richness, or amount and variety, of bacterial species and slowed the age-driven microbiota development, particularly in kids who were dosed with macrolide antibiotics, broad-spectrum antibiotics often used to treat common bacterial infections, including ear infections and bronchitis. These include azithromycin (brand name Zithromax), clarithromycin (Klacid), erythromycin (Erymax, Erythrocin, and Erythroped), and others. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that azithromycin is among the most commonly prescribed antibiotics.
"Penicillin-type antibiotics seemed to have a weaker impact on the composition and functioning of the microbiome than macrolides," says lead researcher Katri Korpela, MSc.
The researchers also found that macrolide antibiotic use may alter the microbiota in infants in a way that predisposes them to weight gain and asthma in later childhood.
The results confirm prior research on mice that suggests antibiotics aren't the direct cause of weight gain in later life, but because they alter or destroy the billions of beneficial bacteria in our guts that help to regulate our immune systems and prevent chronic disease, they make children more susceptible to these health risks.
Based on their findings, the researchers recommend avoiding macrolides as the primary antibiotic and advise restricting use of antibiotics to only times of genuine need, emphasizing they "should not be used to treat self-limiting infections and never 'just in case.'"
More recently, findings from one study, published in Gastroenterology, also found that children who took three or more courses of antibiotics before the age of 2 were associated with an increased risk of early childhood obesity.
For more on beneficial gut bacteria, see "Good Bacteria Welcome" from our September 2011 issue.
Good Bacteria Boosters
One way to protect the friendly flora in your gut is by consuming probiotics. While not a surefire cure-all for a troubled gut, probiotics deliver helpful doses of good bacteria right where you need them.
Here are some tips for putting probiotics to work:
Consume probiotic-rich foods such as yogurt or tempeh, as well as prebiotic-rich foods (which support probiotics), such as bananas, berries, flaxseeds, black beans, artichokes, and asparagus.
Seek out fermented foods — such as kombucha, kraut, kimchi, and kefir— which are natural good-bacteria boosters.
Consider a probiotic supplement if you're taking antibiotics to protect your existing good bacteria. Just remember that benefits vary by strain and are sensitive to temperature, moisture, and oxygen when storing.
Heidi Wachter Heidi Wachter is an Experience Life staff writer and editor.
One comment on "Antibiotic Use May Predispose Kids to Obesity and Asthma"
Healthy Gut, Healthy Brain
By David Perlmutter, MD
A neurologist explains the power of your microbiome to heal and protect your brain.
Good Bacteria Welcome
By Catherine Guthrie
Find out why some internal bacteria are our friends – and why providing a happy, well-balance home for them is essential to our vitality and well-being.
- Nutrition -
Probiotics at Work
Your guide to making the most of your body's beneficial bugs — for gut health, immunity, metabolism and more.
Probiotics Can Put You in a Better Mood
How the healthy flora can reduce anxiety and depression.


Saskatchewan offers all newcomers a high quality of life, a strong sense of community, and employment opportunities, making it a great place for you and your family to call home.
The province currently provides one-third of the world's potash and a fifth of the world's uranium.
Saskatchewan supplies more than a third of the world's total exported durum wheat and is the world's top exporter of lentils and dry peas.
In addition to being a world leader in agriculture, Saskatchewan is the fifth-largest oil producer in North America.
Saskatchewan manufacturers are producing a wide range of goods that are exported to markets across Canada and around the world.
Visit Saskatchewan Economic Overview and Saskatchewan Economic Dashboard for more information.
Saskatchewan has a vibrant art and culture scene, scenic provincial parks and plenty of sports and recreation opportunities. Known as the birthplace of Medicare, its residents enjoy free medical care and excellent health care services.
Saskatchewan's education system offers affordable opportunities at every level. All graduates from an approved program at an eligible institution in 2006 or later, and who live in Saskatchewan are eligible to apply for the province's Graduate Retention Program. The program refunds up to $20,000 of tuition fees paid by eligible graduates (including international graduates) who live in Saskatchewan and who file a Saskatchewan income tax return.
Housing costs are lower in Saskatchewan than in most major cities in Canada, and owning a home is affordable and achievable for most people.
Unlike other Canadian provinces, there are no personal premiums or personal charges for basic and needed health services.
It's important to apply for a health card as soon as you arrive.
The provincial sales tax of 6 per cent is the lowest of any province that charges a sales tax.
It costs less to get to and from work because the maximum commute time within major cities is about 20 minutes.
There is no tuition fee for education in public schools for Saskatchewan residents.
Graduates of approved post-secondary programs are eligible for up to $20,000 in tuition rebates through the Graduate Retention Program.
Saskatchewan is home to people of many faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs. Newcomers to the province have an opportunity to maintain their own cultural traditions, as well as participate in new ones.
People of many faiths and religious beliefs live in Saskatchewan, including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'is, and Christians. To find a particular church or a religious group, look in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book under "Churches" or online at mysask.com.
There are lots of cultural opportunities, including winter festivals, symphony concerts and historical celebrations.
You'll find year-round recreation in Saskatchewan. The many lakes in the province are perfect for canoeing, boating, swimming and ice-fishing. In the winter, there are many winter activities, including hills and slopes for skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing. Provincial parks in many areas allow camping and picnics. Many communities have parks, play areas and outdoor wading pools for children.
For more information on things to do in Saskatchewan, visit Parks, Recreation, Heritage and Arts.
Public libraries in Saskatchewan provide information in many forms: books, magazines, DVDs, music CDs, and videos. Many offer community programs, such as computer literacy classes, English as an Additional Language (EAL), tutoring, children's story time, social and cultural events, learning groups, and workshops on a variety of topics. Learn more about Saskatchewan libraries.
Various organizations across the province celebrate and promote ethnic connections on a local and provincial level. The Multicultural Council of Saskatchewanrepresents many cultural groups in the province.
Your Regional Newcomer Gateway may be able to provide you with more information about organizations that are active in your area.
You can also find information on heritage language classes through the Saskatchewan Organization of Heritage Languages.
Volunteering is popular in Saskatchewan; in fact, our province has one of the highest volunteer rates in Canada. Learn more about where to volunteer.
All residents of Saskatchewan and Canada are responsible for knowing and obeying the laws of the province and country. There are two types of law - criminal law and civil law. Under these types of law, anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. During peacetime, Canada practices habeas corpus, which prevents people from being unlawfully put in prison and held for an indefinite period of time. Learn more about Canadian laws.
Criminal laws cover behaviours such as murder, fraud, assault, stealing, and selling drugs. People suspected of a crime are arrested by the police and brought before a criminal court. If they are found guilty after a trial, the court will decide the punishment, such as a jail term or a fine. In Canada, women and men are separated from each other in prison, and children are not jailed.
In criminal cases, the court fees are paid for by the government, including charges for a language interpreter. If you cannot afford the help of a lawyer (a person trained in legal matters to speak in your defence), the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission will provide one.
A criminal record can have a serious impact on your life. It can affect your ability to travel to another country, as well as your eligibility for certain jobs. A criminal record can also affect your status as a resident of Canada. For more information on arrests, court appearances, and making a plea, please read Going to Criminal Court.
Civil laws settle legal problems between people, organizations, and businesses, such as disagreements over rent between landlords and tenants. Having a lawyer speak on your behalf is optional, as it can be expensive. In civil court cases, court costs are paid for by the people involved in the case - not the government.
There is a provincial and federal system of courts. Saskatchewan has many kinds of courts for situations such as youth justice, family, and traffic safety.
Learn about the law, pay a provincial fine, testify in court, or visit a correctional facility.
There are four seasons in Saskatchewan: spring, summer, fall (or autumn), and winter. Understanding the weather will help you dress appropriately. Saskatchewan's climate often experiences extreme temperatures.
Light coloured, loose fitting clothing when it is very hot outside.
If you are going to be outside for a long period of time, you may want to take a sweater with you in case the weather changes.
Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your face, ears and neck from the sun.
Shorts, sleeveless tops and sandals are popular summer wear.
Winter is very cold, with January and February being the driest and coldest months of the year. Temperatures can be as low as -30 to -40°C. In January and February, night-time temperatures normally range from -15 to -25°C, while daytime temperatures range from -5 to -15°C. Temperatures are also considered with the "wind chill".
When high winds are added to cold temperatures, the weather is much colder than what the thermometer reads. For example, -10°C with a wind speed of 40 kilometres per hour will feel like a temperature of -21°C.
In extremely cold weather, wear a scarf that covers your neck and the lower part of your face.
During the spring months (March to May), and fall months (August to October), the weather varies from cloudy, rainy and cool to warm and sunny. In these seasons, temperatures might be around 0°C at night, and rise to 14°C during the day.
When the weather is cool and rainy, you should wear a water-proof jacket with a hood or carry an umbrella. Even if it is sunny and warm, you may still want to keep a jacket in your car in case the weather changes.
Visit Tourism Saskatchewan for more information on Saskatchewan's weather.
Visit ThinkSask.ca for more reasons why to move to Saskatchewan.


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India scheme puts demand for hybrid vehicles in top gear
Incentives extended under the FAME India scheme has helped in pushing up demand for hybrid and electric vehicles, Parliament was informed today.
By: PTI | Published: May 3, 2016 3:58 PM
In April 2015, to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government launched the FAME India scheme, offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.(Reuters)
"Initially, there was lack of demand for electric and hybrid vehicles in the absence of demand incentives. However, due to introduction of FAME India scheme, demand of hybrid and electric vehicles started picking up," Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises G M Siddeshwara said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
In April 2015, to promote eco-friendly vehicles, the government launched the FAME India scheme, offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.
FAME India - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India - is part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
The Heavy Industries Ministry had estimated a total requirement of about Rs 14,000 crore for the programme.
HE said that as per the National Mission on Electric Mobility, if the present scheme continues till 2020, "it is expected to save about 9,500 million litres of crude oil equivalent of Rs 62,000 crore".
Replying to a separate question, he said the companies which are manufacturing electric and/or hybrid vehicles in the country includes Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles, Electrotherm (India) and Maruti Suzuki India.
By: PTIMay 03, 2016 3:58 PM


Terry Kohler, a dedicated supporter of Lakeland University whose impact was felt across a wide range of his professional and personal interests, died Tuesday. He was 82.
In May of 2001, The Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable Trust gave $1.5 million to the Lakeland's endowment fund, which at that time was the largest single gift in the institution's history. The Trust is named for Terry's parents, former Wisconsin Governor Walter Kohler Jr. and his wife, Charlotte.
The gift funded Lakeland's Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable Trust Professor of Business and Economics, a position held by Scott Niederjohn, dean of the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, since its creation. The gift also established the Charlotte and Walter Kohler Distinguished Business Lecture Series.
"Terry Kohler will be remembered as one of the true giants of this community," said Niederjohn, who got to know the Kohlers through his position and his work managing the Kohler Lecture Series. "He made his mark on state and national politics, the business community, the sailing industry and through his philanthropic and conservationist efforts.
"He always had a soft spot for Lakeland. He and Mary are certainly among the most significant supporters the institution has known over its long history. He helped Lakeland secure internationally known speakers while also supporting many other programs to enhance the experience for Lakeland students.
"Lakeland will miss Terry. I'm proud to continue to serve Lakeland in this position named for the trust, and the institution is so grateful for his many years of support."
A 32-station computer lab in the Harold G. Laun Center for Business and Technology is also named as a result of a gift from The Charlotte and Walter Kohler Charitable Trust. Terry Kohler also financially supported student scholarships and experiences and Lakeland's aviation program.
Terry Kohler served as Lakeland's first Businessman in Residence in the late 1970s, launching a program that invited high-level executives to campus to lead sessions with students and offer them real-world lessons and networking opportunities.
At the time of the Trust's gift in 2001, Terry Kohler said, "As the first Businessman in Residence at Lakeland, I remember clearly the student commitment to learning about the economic world. The private enterprise system held an allure for them in that academic environment that was very edifying to me. Lakeland demonstrated its ability to interest and educate its students in the ways of the marketplace."
This past spring, the Kohler Business Lecture celebrated its 15th talk. Series speakers have included some of Terry's personal contacts, including former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and noted publisher and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes.


Proper user testing will help you avoid becoming a poster child for terrible bots.
Google has made a somewhat sly entry into the chatbot segment with the acquisition of Onward, an automation start-up based out of San Francisco.
Les 3 principales briques d'intelligence artificielle sont l'ASR, le NLU et le TTS. Présentation simplifiée des principaux composants d'un bot.
See Robot Play: an exploration of curiosity in humans and machines.


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Home › HOT: Black girl in Velma real name is actually Gigi and not Scooby and she isn't a food reviewer following misinformation on Twitter
HOT: Black girl in Velma real name is actually Gigi and not Scooby and she isn't a food reviewer following misinformation on Twitter
Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Black girl in Velma real name is actually Gigi and not Scooby-Doo and she isn't sa food reviewer following misinformation on Twitter.
Tomey wrote: "No. Her name is Gigi. She's not a food reviewer, she's one of Daphne's popular girl clique friends who becomes a real character of her own later on goes out with Norville.
"Im not even tryna defend this show but as someone who REVIEWED IT, stop spreading misinformation.""
Scooby-Doo and Mystery, Inc. have been reinvented across the mediums of television and film for over 50 years. After decades of entertaining children by solving mysteries, now seems a more appropriate time than ever for those meddling kids to get that grown-up reinvention. Granted, Scooby-Doo (2002) screenwriter-turned-DC-films-head James Gunn attempted to do that before WB meddled with the edits to maximize their profits. With Velma, showrunner Charlie Grady and executive producer Mindy Kaling attempt to solve the mystery of retooling the gang for a mature audience, while adding depth to the most one-dimensional 2D-animated characters in history. Sadly, they're a few clues too short from unmasking a serviceable series.
Velma tells the origin story of the brainiac behind every mystery, Velma Dinkley (Mindy Kaling), a smart and pushy teenage South-Asian sleuth in the making, on the search for her missing mother, Diya Dinkley (Sarayu Blue). She leads an isolated life: her neglectful father, Aman (Russell Peters), puts all of his attention on his pregnant girlfriend, Sophie (Melissa Fumero). At her high school, Velma butts heads with her former best friend turned enemy Daphne Blake (Constance Wu) and her clique of fellow popular girls, while pining for the spoiled, rich, beta-male nepo-baby Fred Jones (Glenn Howerton). Her only consolation is her best friend Norville (better known as Shaggy) Rogers (Sam Richardson), who simps for Velma harder than Milhouse for Lisa .In Velma's town of Crystal Cove, a serial killer is on the loose and targets all the popular girls at Crystal Cove High, slicing open their heads and leaving their bodies without a brain. With a mystery pretty much at her front door, it's up to the scrappy wannabe detective to tackle the case on her own, along with settling the love quadrangle that forms around her.
Out of the adult animated comedies fare, Velma's animation takes the cake as one of the most visually striking shows I've seen in quite some time. It strays from Hanna-Barbera flair and goes for a cartoonish graphic novel style, bearing resemblance most to classic Archie Comics along with an anime-influenced backbone for its fast-paced expressions. The unique character designs that race-bend most of the characters, excluding Fred, have a variety of sharped-edged, angular-faced features that makes them stand out from most of the prior mystery team designs.
There's great animation detail that took me off guard, particularly with the use of shadow, lighting, and color styling to add a refreshingly suspenseful atmosphere to the scenery. One fascinating juncture is that whenever Velma gets panic attacks, she experiences hallucinations of grotesque personifications of whoever is on her mind. Art director Valerio Ventura gives the backdrop of Crystal Cove a ghastly, dreadful feel that nails the small town Midwestern vibes, resembling a mix of notable horror media locations such as Hawkins and Woodsboro.
The series also flourishes through the voice performances of its comedy-heavy cast, who bring their respective characters to life. Kaling's Velma is as charismatically Mindy as you get. Constance Wu lends a well-rounded range of fierceness and sweetness to Daphne. Sam Richardson brings his typical high-energy nice guy approach to Norville (no, they don't make him a stoner stereotype either, and it's cheekily addressed immediately). The MVP is Glenn Howerton as the clueless, dim-witted Fred. Out of the ensemble, Howerton is the only character who puts on a voice. He has this consistently shrill and whiny tone that garners good laughs, as if Dennis from It's Always Sunny didn't get his Adam's apple. The other supporting voice cast—featuring Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Gary Cole, Yvonne Orji, Stephen Root, and Fortune Feimster, to name a few—deliver the same magnetic charisma as the main to keep the energy of the series humming.
As far as other Kaling-variants go, Velma parallels Never Have I Ever's Devi to a tee. They're both judgemental, possessive, selfish, and in a lonesome rut due to the loss of a loving parent. Thankfully, Velma breaks the Kaling syndrome of her lead being in pursuit of a mediocre white dude. Her jumping-off crush point is Fred, but those feelings for him shift faster than the speed of sound as a sweet and well-developed romance between Velma and her frenemy Daphne is explored. Thank the heavens for that, because the swirl relationship trope within her South-Asian leads was reaching Kenya Barris levels of alarming.


How to find a niche for your blog when blogging is just getting crazy popular these days.
Pretty much everyone I know is thinking of setting up a blog and monetizing it.
But here's the thing — the blogging landscape is crazy competitive these days. There are 2,000,000+ blog articles published every single day, and if you're serious about setting up a successful blog, you've got to go into this with a gameplan.
Now, don't go Googling how to choose a domain name, or how to set up hosting for your blog just yet. Your very first step should be to learn how to find a niche market for your blog.
You'll want to choose wisely, because this will have a huge impact on how profitable your blog can be further down the road.
In this guide, I'll walk you through step by step on how to find a niche for your blog and most importantly – how to find a niche that is profitable.
Contrary to popular belief, this isn't as simple as looking at your passions, and deciding which one of them you want to focus on.
You'll need to evaluate the profitability of your potential niches, and check out the competitors in each niche… trust me, there's more to this than meets the eye!
Step 1: What Makes A Good Niche?
Alright, let's break it down, starting with the first criteria… consumers in your niche should be willing to spend money online.
Now, there are certain niches where you'll find it extremely hard to get consumers to part with their money (online, at least).
Say you're trying to sell mattresses or furniture online, for example. Regardless of how optimized your website is, and how many trust badges you include on your checkout page, you probably won't get much sales — simply because consumers want to test out their mattresses and furniture before spending money on them.
Next, consumers in your niche should have several problems that they're experiencing. This makes it easier to market to them — you can simply position your product or service as a solution to that problem.
Third, make sure that there are products in your niche that you can promote or sell as well.
You don't want to have to invent something from scratch — there's too much hassle involved, and if your product is any good, there's a high chance that you'll get knocked off.
A much easier way is to simply sell whatever products are already in the market (you can get a manufacturer to whitelabel the product and brand it with your company name, if you're concerned about that).
Last but not least, you should have at least a decent understanding of the niche that you're in.
I'm not saying that you need to be an SEO guru if you want to go into the SEO niche, but at the very basic level, you need to know what it's about, and why it matters to your consumers.
How will you be able to convince your consumers to buy the products you're marketing otherwise?
Since we're on the topic of understanding your niche, let's talk about the passion vs money dilemma.
This is a question that I get a lot: should you focus on how to find a niche that you're passionate in, or should you go for finding something that you know will make you money?
Let's look at your first option: find a niche that you're passionate in.
I have to tell you, though, that this is 100% untrue.
Sure, you might find it more enjoyable to build a blog in a niche you love, but at the end of the day, you'll still have to grit your teeth and get through the menial, mundane tasks that nobody likes to do.
All the administrative work, the filing of taxes — it doesn't go away.
Plus, what happens when you're 9 months into running your blog, and you realize that you just can't monetize your niche? Are you going to throw in the towel, and start again from scratch?
If you choose to go with one of these niches (and I'm assuming you know absolutely nothing about them), chances are that your content won't be very convincing.
So, yes, you might get a few readers who are complete beginners, but beyond that, you won't be able to attract quality readers who will stick around and buy the products that you're selling or marketing.
So you can't choose a niche that you're passionate in (but isn't profitable), and you can't choose a niche that is profitable (but you know nothing about).
What you should be doing is to find a niche that straddles both sides of the equation.
You need to know enough about this niche to be able to explain the basics to someone at a dinner party, and at the same time, the niche should be one that's decently profitable.
Got it? Great! Next up, we'll talk about how you can find blog niche ideas.
In this section, I'll outline three methods that you can use to generate ideas for niches to go into. Put on your thinking cap, and let's get started!
The easiest way to generate niche ideas is to start from what you know.
What are your hobbies and interests? What have you been meaning to get into, but haven't had the chance to? What's a skill that you'd like to learn? What are the problems and challenges that you're facing?
IMPORTANT: Don't self-censor, or hold back when you're doing this step. You can always prune your list of niche markets and narrow it down later on — so just focus on coming up with as many ideas as possible as of now.
Now that you've identified your own interests, hobbies and challenges, let's move on to looking at what other people are interested in.
A great way of doing this is to check out Amazon's list of bestsellers.
You can filter this by department, and go further into the different categories within each department.
When adding niche ideas to your list, don't think too much about whether a certain niche is profitable, or whether it makes sense for you to enter that niche.
We'll get to that further down the road — so just focus on building up your list for now!
After you've done your online research, the last step is to go to your friends and family, and pick their brains.
Ask them what they spend most of their money on — you might discover that they have some cool hobbies and interests that you never knew about!
At this point in time, you should have a nice, long list of niches that you can potentially explore.
Google Trends is a great tool that you can use to determine how well-received a niche is, and the best part is that it's 100% free.
Here's how you use this tool: log on to Google Trends, type in your niche, and then wait for your graph to be generated.
If you're planning to sell only to the US for a start, make sure your location tab is set to the US; otherwise, you can change this to "Worldwide" or whatever region you're in.
I also recommend switching the timing tab to "2004 to present", so that you get a bird's eye view of how your niche is growing (or not!) within the past decade or so.
There are some fluctuations in the graph, but overall, it's a nice upward trend that we're looking at.
Of course, there are other things to take into consideration, but at this point in time, it seems as though the Kombucha niche is a pretty good one to enter.
If you want to, you can also use Google Trends to compare different niches. Just click the "Add comparison" tab at the top right hand corner, and enter a second keyword.
Look at the graph on the left (below the text that says "Interest Over Time") — this shows that there are more searches for Yoga Pants as opposed to Kombucha.
That said, you can also see that interest in Yoga Pants peaked somewhere in 2014, and less people have been searching for this term ever since.
Since Yoga Pants is on a downward trend, it's obvious that Kombucha would be a better niche to go into.
How to find a niche for affiliate marketing?
There are plenty of affiliate network platforms that you can use to check out the affiliate programs that are available within your niche.
Personally, I like to use Commission Junction (also known as CJ) to do my research.
To view the affiliate programs on CJ, you'll have to sign up for an account on their website.
Once you get redirected to your dashboard, click on "Advertisers" on the top panel, and enter your niche in the "Keywords" section.
As you can see, here's where I hit a dead end. Since there are no affiliate marketing programs that deal with Kombucha, this means I wouldn't be able to promote someone else's product, and make a profit off it.
Now, if I really want to pursue this niche, I could still go on Alibaba and purchase Kombucha-related products to resell. But I'm not too keen on dealing with inventory, shipping, and all that jazz – so it's back for the drawing board for me.
I'll pick another idea from my list of niches, and research the profitability of that niche instead.
Last but not least, check out if there are forums and message boards where consumers go to discuss your niche.
First, if consumers hang out at forums to talk about a certain niche, this means that they've got more than a passing interest in that niche. This, in turn, means that they're more likely to spend on that niche!
On top of that, if there are forums and message boards that you can advertise on, this means it'll be easy for you to reach out to your target audience, and drive traffic back to your site.
Yes, you'll have to spend some money on advertising… but if you can reach out to high-quality consumers who will buy your products, then it's worth it!
To search for forums, use FindAForum, and click on "Advanced Search".
From here, input your niche, choose your category, and under "Show Forums With", check the "AdSense", "Sponsorship Potential", and "Donation Requests" boxes.
Now that you have a rough idea of how popular and profitable your niche might be, here are a few questions to assess how easy it is for you to serve the consumers in that niche.
Are the products in your niche available locally? The tougher it is to buy these products at local stores, the more likely consumers will venture online and make a purchase from you.
Who are your target customers? Do they have disposable income? Are they comfortable with shopping online?
Is your niche seasonal? Seasonal niches aren't bad per se — but you will have to deal with having next to no income for the bulk of the year, and having a ton of sales during the months when your product is in season.
Is your product subject to trends? If you find a niche that is cyclical and has a quick turnover (eg fast fashion), what will you do with your unsold stock?
Is your product consumable? If you're dealing with a consumable product, it's much easier to retain your customers.
Assuming your product meets their expectations and fulfils their needs, they'll be back to make a second purchase when they run out!
Are the products in your niche regulated in other parts of the world? This one's a biggie — plenty of countries impose restrictions and regulations on items such as food products, chemical products, alcohol, etc.
If you find a niche for your blog that involves selling products to overseas markets, then steer clear of these niches.
What is your markup? There's no hard and fast rule when it comes to this, but I personally recommend aiming for 50% at the very least.
This way, you have enough to cover your marketing budget, your shipping fees, and other miscellaneous costs.
How will you price your products? Too high, and you might find that your customers are picky and hard to serve.
Too low, and you'll need to move a great deal of inventory in order to generate a decent income.
For most eCommerce stores, the sweet spot ranges from $75 to $200.
How large and heavy is your product? Will your product be prohibitively expensive to ship?
Consider shipping costs from your manufacturer to yourself, and from yourself to your consumer.
Is your product perishable? Products with expiry dates are tricky — you can't have them sit on your shelves for too long, because then you won't be able to sell them.
If your products need to be refrigerated or stored in a certain way, this complicates things as well.
Cool beans — you now have a clear understanding of how profitable your niche might be.
Moving on, your next step is to get the lowdown on your potential competitors. It's important to know who you're up against!
How do you identify your key competitors?
Simple — just do a quick Google of your niche (and related products), and see what sites come up.
Then proceed to dig up as much dirt on these sites and businesses as possible!
Check out their site traffic using SimilarWeb. (You can also use this tool to check out their traffic sources, their top referring sites, and their best-performing organic keywords).
Get a free SEO audit of their site using SEOptimer.
Look at their website, and evaluate if it's user-friendly and optimized for conversions.
Sign up for their newsletter, and see if they use an automated email campaign to nurture and eventually sell something to you.
Once you're done, identify each company's overall strengths and weaknesses, and think about whether you can serve your (potential) customers better than them.
Now that you know who your competitors are, take some time to think about how you can brand your blog and business to stand out from them.
This is a crucial step — if your grand plan is to just emulate your competitors and copy whatever content they're putting out, you might as well just give up now.
Remember, your competitors have already established themselves in the space, and you're starting from scratch.
If you don't have anything new to bring to the table, you won't be able to carve out a name for yourself.
Say you want to start a blog about parenting, and the eventual goal is to promote affiliate products in the parenting niche.
Well, there are a gazillion and one parenting blogs out there, so how do you differentiate yourself?
If you have a degree in Early Childhood Education, play it up, and use this to establish yourself as an authority and a thought leader.
If you've travelled to 20 different countries with your kids in tow, make this part of your story. Use whatever helps you stand out!
We're almost done! There's just one last step you should take before you throw yourself into your chosen niche… and that's to test your niche.
Write 3-5 articles addressing the problems that the consumers in your niche are facing, and add some affiliate links in each article.
Drive traffic to your website (either by running Google AdWords or Facebook ads, or buying ad space on those forums and message boards that we were talking about earlier).
Monitor your conversion rates, and see if anyone clicks through to the affiliate sites and makes a purchase.
If you want, you can also create an automated email campaign and test that out, but if you think that's too much of a hassle, then just stick with the above.
You're not aiming for a ton of sales right off the bat — as long as you get a decent amount of link clicks and just ONE sale, you know that you're on the right track.
I can't reiterate this enough — finding the right niche is CRUCIAL, because your niche plays a key role in influencing the success you'll have with blogging and earning money online.
And there you have it… a foolproof guide on how to find a niche for your blog.
Let me know how you're finding your niche in the comments section, and feel free to shoot any questions that you might have over!
5 replies to "How To Find A Niche For Your Blog: Step By Step Guide 2019"
With this tips I've been able to come up with a niche idea which am very much passionate about. thanks so much.
I am planning to start up a new blog in a different niche and I think this post is a nice guide. I love watching your videos too on YouTube.


Homeownership is a crucial foundation for helping low-income families find a path out of poverty. When they move out of substandard housing and into simple, decent, affordable homes, homeowners and their families frequently improve their health, educational attainment, safety and personal wealth.
"A quality home is more than just a roof and walls," said Renée Glover, chair of Habitat for Humanity International's board of directors. "It provides homeowners with feelings of stability and pride, as well as generating measureable results such as decreased doctor visits and increased high school graduation rates.
Homeownership leads to better health.
• Children of homeowners are significantly more likely to stay in school until age 17 than children of renters, especially in low-income households, according to a study in the Journal of Urban Economics.
• Children in homeowning families outperform children in renting families in both math and reading achievement tests, even when other factors are the same. These children will have fewer behavioral problems, higher educational attainment and greater future earnings, according to a study by an Ohio State University economist.
• A 2011 survey of U.S. Habitat homeowners by the University of Southern Indiana found that 57 percent of adults in the households were furthering their education.
• The graduation rate for children of homeowners is 19 percent higher than for renters, and they are twice as likely to acquire some postsecondary education, according to a study in a journal published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Homeownership provides better security and safety.
• A study of violent crime in New York City suburbs found that homeownership status significantly reduced a household's incidence of crime. Another study showed that homeowners have significantly less risk of being subject to a violent assault.
• According to a survey of more than 400 Habitat homeowners in Minnesota conducted by Wilder Research of St. Paul, 83 percent consider their children safer after the family's move into a Habitat home.
• A 2011 national survey of Habitat homeowners by the University of Southern Indiana found that 84 percent felt safe in their neighborhoods.
Homeownership helps generate wealth building and a pathway out of poverty.
• "The median net wealth of low-income homeowners is dramatically higher than the median net wealth of low-income renters," according to a 2005 report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies.
• The Minnesota survey of Habitat homeowners found that 53 percent said they have more money since moving into their Habitat home; two-thirds are more confident about their ability to fund their children's college education; and almost 40 percent said they pay less in housing costs. Use of govern- ment assistance also declined notably.
• A 2014 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston of homes with a student about to enter college found that a modest in- crease in home value for homeowners led to an increase in the child's earnings later in life, while an increase in a property's value for renters led to a decrease in the child's earnings.
The benefits of homeownership are indisputable. Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 1 million families worldwide with housing solutions leading to decent, affordable shelter. That represents about 5 million people. We will continue to work toward a world where everyone has a decent place to live, and where measurable improvements in health, education, security and wealth generation are enjoyed by more and more homeowners.
U.S. Congressional testimony of Megan Sandel, MD (Boston University School of Medicine), in support of HR 2895, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Bill of 2007.
"Impact of Homeownership and Affiliate Experiences," a survey by the University of Southern Indiana conducted for Habitat for Humanity International Women Build and Whirlpool Corp. habitat.org/newsroom/2012archive/03_08_2012_wb_survey.aspx.
Green, R. K., and White, M. J. (1997). "Measuring the Benefits of Homeowning: Effects on Children." Journal of Urban Economics, 41, 441-461. (1997).
Haurin, D. R.; Parcel, T. L.; and Haurin, R. J. " The Impact of Home Ownership on Child Outcomes." 2000. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=218969.
Harkness, J., and Newman, S. "Effects of Homeownership on Children: e Role of Neighborhood Characteristics and Family Income." FRBNY Economic Policy Review. 2003. newyorkfed.org/research/epr/03v09n2/0306hark.pdf.
"Impact of Homeownership and Affiliate Experiences," University of Southern Indiana.
Dietz, R.D. " e Social and Private Micro-Level Consequences of Homeownership," Journal of Urban Economics, Volume 54, Issue 3, 401–450. 2003. sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094119003000809.
"Impacts of Habitat for Humanity Homeownership," prepared by Wilder Research for Habitat for Humanity Minnesota. 2015. Unpublished.
Rohe, W. M.; Van Zandt, S.; and McCarthy, G. "Home Ownership and Access to Opportunity." Housing Studies, 17(1), 51-61. 2002. tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02673030120105884#.VTZZdSFVhHw.
"Impacts of Habitat for Humanity Homeownership," Habitat for Humanity Minnesota.
Cooper, D., and Luengo-Prado, M. "House Price Growth When Children Are Teenagers: A Path to Higher Earnings?" Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Working Papers, 13-14. 2014. bostonfed.org/economic/wp/wp2014/wp1413.pdf.


text:
Q: OPENCV cannot open my image in debug mode I'm using opencv in VC2010 and I'm quite familiar with it.
I installed OPENCV 2.4.5 today and tried to display an image for testing if my opencv works or not.
it was amazing that this code displays the image in release mode but when I change the compiler mode to debug, opencv cannot find the image and returns null for image data !!!
#include <iostream>
#include <opencv2/highgui/highgui.hpp>
#include <opencv2/imgproc/imgproc.hpp>
  int main()
 {
    cv::RNG rng;
    cv::Mat image = cv::imread("1.jpg",-1);
    cv::imshow("Image",image);
    cv::waitKey(0);
return 0;
  }

the error is shown as :
OpenCV Error: Bad flag (parameter or structure field) (Unrecognized or unsupport
ed array type) in unknown function, file ..\..\..\src\opencv\modules\core\src\ar
ray.cpp, line 2482

I'm sure that in release Mode the code works fine , So the path, the image name and everything is fine but I don't know why it's not working in debug mode.
I also gave absolute path as input and it did not work either !! but again the absolute path worked on release mode !
it worth saying that I also tested my project both on 32bit and 64bit libraries of opencv and the problem did not change !!

A: The debug version of your opencv library was probably compiled without support for "jpg" images. Also, see this answer

Make sure you did not mix up release and debug lib's of OpenCV when you linked libraries. Debug libraries have d at the end. Also, make sure that you are using the correct lib name based on the opencv version that you have, for example opencv_calib3d245d.lib

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Home » News » Actions for Assange pages spreading across Facebook.
Online infrastructure is being built as part of the call-out for Global Emergency Actions at U.S. Embassies if Assange is evicted. This is taking the form of specific Facebook Action groups for specific regions including: 'Aus Action 4 Assange!', 'Canadian Action 4 Assange!, 'US Action 4 Assange!','German Action 4 Assange!' and 'Nepalese 4 Assange" etc..
Just as these protests are being built on the foundations of the global J19 vigils 4 JA (6 years in the Ecuadorean Embassy), the 'Global Emergency Actions 4 JA If Evicted!' protests will be the stepping stone to a renewed and reinvigorated global campaign to free Julian Assange. It would be irresponsible to waste the energy and connections built up over the course of this global event which currently spans ten countries and nineteen cities. See full call out and list of cities here.
These ongoing national or regional Facebook Action Groups will help with organising, urgent communications (esp. when JA is evicted), attracting new supporters, promotion of events, creating community and laying the online infrastructure and global grassroots networks for ongoing, global actions to free Julian Assange!
Whilst there is a plethora of Wikileaks and Assange related Facebook pages and groups in existence, these new groups' focus will be exclusively on the organisation of solidarity actions designed to build an international movement of the youth and working class in defence of Julian Assange. We intend for them to remain focused on action planning.
An overarching Facebook page to promote actions for Assange also exists entitled Free Julian Assange Events.
If you are interested in setting up your own Facebook group or emergency action please contact classconsciouswebsite@gmail.com and we will offer you support in organising and promoting your event. Add your city or region and build the global defence movement that Julian Assange needs as part of the broader struggle to defend democratic rights.


Ep 139 features the CEO and Public Relations Director of Uivo, Emily and David. Uivo is the only fast and secure emergency contact system for personal property that works directly with public safety dispatch centers. In this episode we learn about how both Emily and David got into public safety. Emily has a background in 9-1-1 dispatch and David is a current firefighter and paramedic. Emily's experience in the 9-1-1 world was an inspiration to the development of Uivo. This is a must listen so please check it out and share it. To learn more about Uivo and the IAED follow the links below. As always if you have any comments, questions or you would like to be a guest on the show, please send an email to wttpodcast@gmail.com.


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Amazing 4th May, 2017
Breathtaking photographs showcase one of South America's largest collections of caves
These awe-inspiring images showcase the vast grandeur of one of South America's most breathtaking collection of caves.
PIC BY DANIEL MENIN / CATERS NEWS
Terra Ronca State Park in Sao Domingos, Brazil, is home to more than 60 different caves, with the cavernous spaces filled with stunning rock formations, giant stalagmites and stalactites, and flowing rivers.
Despite there being so many caves in the area, only four are open to visitors – namely Lapa do Angelica, Lapa do Sao Mateus II, Lapa da Terra Ronca I, and the system Lapa de Terra Ronca II – Malhada.
PIC BY ALEXANDRE LOBO / CATERS NEWS
That leaves showcasing the more remote areas of the park up to cavers and photographers like Alexandre Lobo, Rafael Camargo and Daniel Menin.
Daniel from Sao Paulo, said: "Man has been to the moon and also deep in the ocean.
"At the same time, we still have many unknown underground places in the caves.
"To discover these places and being the first human to see and to register that at pictures and maps is a privilege."
One of the caves that is open to the public, Lapa da Terra Ronca, is split into two areas and offers some of the best photography opportunities in the area.
Deep inside the other caves, though, Alexandre, 46, Rafael, 29, and Daniel, 42, are able to capture not only the sheer size of these locations, but also add a human element, too, as they often feature a speck of a person to show scale.
They have all visited the caves at different times over the past decade and, they said, there is an element of respect for the work each does in documenting these hidden wonders.
Alexandre, from Brasilia, said: "The size of these caves and the rare formations and rivers are very impressive.
"I like to bring the to the surface the wonders of the underground, and to show these wonders to people who don't have access to caves."
Each year, Lapa da Terra Ronca also plays host to the annual religious ceremony Romaria do Bom Jesus da Lapa.
PIC BY RAFAEL CAMARGO / CATERS NEWS
This pilgrimage, which lasts a week, ends with a feast at the cave entrance.
Rafael, who currently lives in Berlin, Germany, said: "The Lapa da Terra Ronca is very well known, and the park was actually named after it.
"The area has some hidden gems as well.
"There are many other cave systems or even just hidden galleries that few people know and where only cavers usually go."
Tags: awe-inspiring breathtaking collection caves giant stalagmites rock formations south America underground places
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DIVER GETS STUCK IN A MANTA RAY HIGHWAY IN THIS INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE
MEET THE WOMAN WHO IS ON A THREE-YEAR WALK ACROSS EUROPE BACK TO HER HOME IN WALES, SPENDING EVERY NIGHT WILD CAMPING ALONE


Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO) is about opening up public procurement in Nigeria through increased disclosure of procurement information to all stakeholders with a view to ensuring improved transparency and accountability, improve competition, prevent corruption, enhance active citizen participation towards achieving better service delivery and improved ease of doing business in Nigeria.
This NOCOPO portal, conceived by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in line with Section 5(r) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, was co-created with Civil Society Organisations in fulfillment of Commitment 2 of the Nigeria National Action Plan of the Open Government Partnership which is "Full implementation of Open Contracting and adoption of Open Contracting Data Standard in the public sector".
The Bureau of Public Procurement's NOCOPO won global Government Innovation Award. "The award is conferred as part of the Open Contracting Innovation Challenge, a competition (with 88 teams from 40 countries) run by the Open Contracting Partnership and the Open Data Institute (ODI) to recognize groundbreaking data-driven ideas for improving public procurement. The Innovation Challenge honors original ideas for managing, analyzing, and monitoring how the government buys goods and services, as well as cutting-edge approaches to publishing what gets bought, when, from whom, and for how much"
Citizens can access public procurement information, track procurement process and give us feedback on planning, tender, award, contract and implementation stages. Click here to proceed.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) can access relevant procurement information to monitor procurement processes and project execution. Click here to proceed.
All procuring entities are expected to upload their procurement information on this portal in line with the principle of Open Contracting. To prepare your PROCUREMENT PLANS & submit your PROCUREMENT RECORDS. Click here to proceed.
View Open tenders, adverts and on-going contracts, Click here to proceed.
View Contractors, reliability index, impact factor and Ratings, Click here to proceed.
Browse for the list of additional information and links to other useful sites Click here to proceed.


text:
https://apnews.com/article/804e7c04ad55428eb4f710f3a8cc2639
US broadcaster loses Myanmar outlet over Rohingya name
By GRANT PECKJune 12, 2018 GMT
BANGKOK (AP) — A U.S. government-affiliated broadcaster that provides news to countries in Asia where freedom of information is restricted is losing its partner in Myanmar after refusing to stop using the word "Rohingya" to describe an oppressed Muslim minority.
Monday was the last day DVB Media Group's network would carry Radio Free Asia's television broadcasts, RFA spokesman Rohit Mahajan said. He said RFA told Myanmar authorities that it was unwilling to bow to their pressure to use a term other than Rohingya.
About 700,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since Myanmar's government launched a violent counterinsurgency campaign last August in western Myanmar, where most Rohingya lived. Many people in Myanmar call the Rohingya "Bengali" to reflect the contention that they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh rather than natives.
The government refuses to recognize the Rohingya as an official ethnic minority and denies most the right to citizenship and its privileges.
Myanmar is the second Southeast Asian nation in 10 months where RFA has lost access to local broadcasters. Cambodia last August prohibited local FM stations from carrying RFA programming, one of several actions restricting the media in what was seen as a move to silence critical voices ahead of a general election this July.
Mahajan said RFA had been broadcasting on DVB's channel since early October last year. A May 7 memo about DVB's case from the government broadcasting agency Myanma Radio and Television to private broadcasters said the direct use of the "controversial word 'Rohingya'" was a violation of contractual codes to which broadcasters are bound.
A statement by RFA President Libby Liu provided Monday to The Associated Press declared that the U.S. broadcaster "will not compromise its code of journalistic ethics, which prohibits the use of slurs against ethnic minority groups. RFA will continue to refer to the Rohingya as the 'Rohingya' in our reports. Use of other terms, even those that fall short of being derogatory, would be inaccurate and disingenuous to both our product and our audience."
"By forbidding the use of the word 'Rohingya,' Myanmar's government is taking an Orwellian step in seeking to erase the identity of a people whose existence it would like to deny," she said. "RFA will continue to provide audiences in Myanmar with access to trustworthy, reliable journalism, particularly when reporting on issues that local and state-controlled media ignores and suppresses."
Mahajan said RFA's programming for Myanmar would remain available on its website, on Facebook and YouTube and on shortwave radio, and its reporters will continue to work in the country.
In Cambodia, the cessation of RFA broadcasts on local media last year was followed by the closing under pressure of its office and in November by the arrest of two of its former reporters on espionage charges that are generally considered to be attempts to intimidate.
RFA, which is loosely modeled on longtime broadcaster Radio Free Europe, carries broadcasts to China, Cambodia, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam as well as Myanmar. It is funded by the U.S. government but run by an independent board.
DVB — the Democratic Voice of Burma — was originally established in 1992 as a shortwave radio station in Norway to beam uncensored news to Myanmar when it was still under military rule. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its relationship with RFA.
This story has been corrected to show that broadcasts on DVB began in early October, not end of September.


text:
Comfort V22, KBO State Player 9, which is active as a game official model,
March 8, 2022 by Derek Mai
Com2u (Representative Song Jae-joon, Lee) revealed 9 star players of the domestic professional baseball, which will play with the official model of the real baseball game, "Com2us Pro Baseball V22" (compute V22).
The Combiatra V22 is a new composition of Com2us's 20-year baseball game development know-how, adding a casual castle to the MZ generation in the fun of authentic baseball games, and another axis of the compute series. 360 degree 3D head scanning, motion capture is characterized by a graphics of overwhelming lively vibration to implement athlete facial expressions, and it is expected to present a fun of baseball games that have not been in the world am.
Com2us is the official model of the compute V22, Kim Sun Bin (Kia Tigers), Kim Won-jung (Lotte Giants), Kim Hye Sung (Kium Hero), Park Kyung-soo (KT Wiz), Park Sung-soo (SSG Landers), Baek Jung Hyun (Samsung Lions) ), Lim Chan-gyu (LG Twins), Jung Eun-won (Hanwha Eagles) was selected. The athletes who are receiving great love from each stomach fans are expected to work as an advertising model of the Comfort V22, and will contribute to improving the expectation.
Teaser imaging also released a full-fledged ad campaign with model disclosure. The teaser image is the leading expression of MVP Park, Kyung-soo, the youngest claim, and Kim Hye-sung, the characteristics of the model,
Com2us will release the official advertisement image by player from March 16 to Sunday. Baseball fans waiting for the launch of a compute V22 can meet the models of each model and the unique striking foam and pitching in the game through the image.
"Rimworld" is suspended in Australia. It is rumored to be a rating with a console version, but the STEAM version wound was banned
Full Composition and Characters List Persona 4 Arena Ultimax


Pincaption selected a perfect "Days before the exam" image.
Download Days before the exam image, and other similar images listed in Students category.
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When converting RGB color to CMYK color, do you check the "color settings" in Photoshop or do you just go to Image - Mode - CMYK?
Not checking the color settings first could lead to unwanted color shifts in your images.
In Photoshop, go to the Menu bar, select Edit - Color Settings.
Go to the Menu bar, select Photoshop - Color Settings.
Change your settings to match Figure 1.
In the Working Spaces area, select Custom from the CMYK dropdown. Change your settings to match the Custom CMYK window (Figure 2).
With these settings active you will get the best possible RGB to CMYK conversions.
Photoshop A software program developed by Adobe Systems that is used to create raster based images.
RGB Visible light: the primary colors of red, green and blue seen on the electromagnetic scale. This is monitor color and cannot be printed.


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Sixteen policemen die in separate attacks in Helmand and Baghlan provinces.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the US military's most senior commander, said on Monday that the first of the 30,000 additional US troops approved by Barack Obama, the US president, would arrive in Afghanistan this week.
"Marines from Camp Lejeune will arrive this very week," he said, referring to the largest US Marine Corps base on the US east coast.
A 1,500-strong Marine contingent is expected to be deployed in southern Helmand as part of a vanguard set to prepare the logistics for thousands more due in the coming months.
Mullen, who is visiting Afghanistan for talks on the new strategy, warned that violence is likely to get worse before it gets better and said anti-government fighters had the upper hand in nearly one-third of Afghan provinces.
"I told our troops heading here to steel themselves for more combat and more casualties," he said.
"The insurgency has grown more violent, more pervasive, more sophisticated. Insurgents have dominant influence in nine of Afghanistan 34 provinces."
Mohammad Akbar Barakzai, the provincial governor in Baghlan, said the policemen killed there were "on duty to provide security for the military convoys and local people in the main highway in Baghlan province".
Barakzai said the police post that came under attack in Baghlan Markazi district had been set up recently to protect convoys supplying international troops.
A man claiming to speak for Hezb-e-Islami, an Afghan group, told the AFP news agency in a telephone call that his group had carried out the attack in Baghlan.
One of the group's fighters also died during the assault, he said.
Hezb-e-Islami is led by former Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister who is on the United States' most wanted list of "terror" suspects.
A provinical government spokesman said that the attack in Helmad was carried out by their colleagues of the police officers killed.
"Three of them were involved in the plot. They fired at their police colleagues killing seven. One of the three grabbed weapons and a police vehicle and managed to escape to the Taliban," Daud Ahmadi told the AFP news agency, without explaining the discrepancy in the death toll.
"Two others were hiding in nearby areas and were detained during a search operation in the morning," he said.


I'm pretty sure almost every home has a pantry. Ours is no different. But we have one that manages to double as a dumping ground not only for food (of course), but also for kitchen appliances, paper products, party supplies, leftover Halloween candy from who-knows-how-many-years-ago and... light bulbs, apparently.
I've been in the midst of a love-hate relationship with our pantry since the day we moved in. It's pretty spacious, which is AWESOME, but that only leads to extra space to clutter with random stuff. So plenty of space for the food (win), but lots of space filled with junk (boo), making it harder to know what we have or what we're out of (double-boo).
I stumbled across a pantry "Before" pic from one of my favorite blogs, Two Twenty One, on Facebook earlier this week and was immediately drawn to click and see the "After" photo. It. Was. Awesome. All of the things I wanted my pantry to be when it grows up!
You've got to see her pantry Before & After.
Wow. Am I right or what? Pretty amazing transformation! And those bins... So adorable and the perfect color to match my kitchen!
So the kids and I stopped by our local Office Depot yesterday while we were out running errands and picked up 10 of these beauties. It just so happened that I wanted 10 (to start with) and that the store had exactly 10 in stock. Win!
See how stuff is lurking in the corners where the shelves meet? I could never find anything in that abyss back there.
Note: I bought that vat of cheeseballs from Walmart once. My kids hated them and oddly enough I was quite happy at this revelation. I'm ashamed to admit this container has been on the floor of my pantry for a few months just taking up space.
Old Halloween candy. Opened packages of old Easter Peeps. Because of course we need to keep such things handy...?
One word: Terrible. It was "kind of" organized with certain stuff in certain areas where we knew how to find most things, but it was so cluttered and messy that I would start twitching as soon as I entered. Not good.
Ready to see some Afters?
NOTE: There is no reason to my knowledge why any family should have THREE open boxes of Cheez-Its at any given time.
These bins make me SO happy! I love walking into the pantry and knowing exactly what we have and where everything is! And not having expired food or 20 half-full boxes of stale cereal cluttering the shelves is priceless! I even added a jar full of snacks on the bottom shelf for the kids to select from when it's snack time. WIN!
It's amazing how a simple project like this can inspire other organizational projects. I can't wait to get to work on several other areas in our home!


text:
Holly Zausner
Unsettled Matter
Holly Zausner, Broadway, Digital C-Print, 2014, Copyright Holly Zausner, Courtesy Loock Galerie, Berlin
Opening: 6th February 2015, 7-9 pm
7th February 2015 - 7th March 2015
We are pleased to celebrate the International premiere of Holly Zausner´s new film "Unsettled Matter" on February 06, 2015. In addition, Loock Galerie will present the artist's new photographs, which are selected photographs from the iconic locations of the film.
The short film "Unsettled Matter" explores ideas about alienation in contemporary society, film history, and different aspects of New York culture. The film is set in a deserted New York City, devoid of people and cars except for the artist as a film noir character. One woman, Holly Zausner herself, is moving through the city on a mysterious journey. She plays an archetype, an anti-hero wearing a trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a weathered visage that shows no emotion. It is unclear whether the film takes place in the past, future, or present. The locations she moves through are iconic, completely empty except for her: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grand Central Station, Washington Square Park, 5 blocks on Broadway, Chinatown, The Film Forum (while Michelangelo Antonioni's historic film "L'Avventura" is playing), a bar, a restaurant, a bookstore, a department store, Bergdorf Goodman's. Why the city is deserted in "Unsettled Matter" is never explained. Unlike many other cinematographic plots, where a disaster, a plague, or terrorism are given as reasons for void and vastness, here the viewer is left with an uncanny feeling of the unknown, and can't be sure whether the world in the film is real, or a projection of the character's internal life. The film exists between reality and a dreamscape.
"Unsettled Matter" is shot on an Alexa 4K camera by the well-known Hollywood/NY cinematographer Mott Hupfel.
Generous support for the production of "Unsettled Matter" was given by Mott Hupfel, Mark Potter (Cosmostreet), Studio Mitte Audio, Studio Mitte Video, Alex Bickel (Color Collective, Arri CSC), New York City Mayor's Office of Film and Television, Antonioni Foundation, Film Forum, Bergdorf Goodman, Grand Central Station, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Strand Bookstore, and Old Town Bar.
Holly Zausner was born in New Jersey (USA) and lives in New York and Berlin. She has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and the United States, including solo exhibitions at Neue Nationalgalerie and Bode-Museum in Berlin, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart and Sculpture Center, New York. Furthermore, she has been a recipient of the DAAD grant in Germany and of an Artist´s Fellowship of the New York Foundation for the Arts, Sculpture.


You can have the 4.1.19.1859 version of this program 15.49 MB from this website, and you can also find this program as MediaMonkey Language Pack. The software is designed by Ventis Media, Inc. and available free of charge. This tool belongs to Converters & Editors in the Multimedia category and supports .wma, .mp4, .mp3, .vob, .dat formats. Choose between 4.1 and 4.0 versions running on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10. The statistics show that MediaMonkey.exe and install.exe are among the most popular installers for MediaMonkey. The direct download link of the program is clean to use.
It is a P2P client that enables you to download movies, music and applications.
AudioManage is a music organizer that organizes all your MP3, WMA, OGG.