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Q: Hibernate Windows Azure VM (IAAS) I am a developer and use an Azure VM for my main development platform.
To save the company some money I thought I might shut it down at weekends etc. but often I have many programs etc open that I'd like to keep going.
I tried turning hibernation on, thinking I could hibernate and then shut down via portal (or script) but I got:

C:\Windows\system32>powercfg /hibernate on
Hibernation failed with the
  following error: The request is not supported.
The following items are preventing hibernation on this system.
          The system firmware does not support hibernation.

Is there anyway to achieve what I'm trying to do (save state but power down) on an Azure VM?

A: 2 possible stop states of VM in Azure:

*

*stopped (shutdown inside VM, billed)

*stopped-deallocated (shutdown in portal, no bills)
Microsoft is working to make it clear.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/uspartner_ts2team/archive/2014/10/10/azure-virtual-machines-stopping-versus-stopping-deallocating.aspx
http://feedback.azure.com/forums/216843-virtual-machines/suggestions/6272098-stopped-vs-stopped-deallocated

A: There's currently no support for hibernation. You can start or stop a vm and that's basically the 2 possible states in Azure. To save money you will have to create an automation (powershell) script to shutdown or start VMs acording to specific schedules but that won't save your user session.

A: Azure VMs have only 2 states (i.e. start and stop), but you can certainly tweak this by using extension mechanism during VM creation.
We can do this hibernation as below steps.

*

*Create an standalone application, which will do following things.

*

*Read your system "Recent File".

*Scan all the running process.

*Now based on process name and recently opened file from recent directory get their absolute path and store into some temp file.

*Make sure that file creation should overwrite old file, every time it execute.

*If file exist then during startup this application should opened all the listed file and launch process too.

*Now, Store your above created executable file into some publicly access Storage account.

*Write one power shell scripts where you can access above mentioned storage account and it will download step 1 created executable application into that VM, which will keep scanning and reading and storing all the recently opened applications into one temp file and during startup it should open too.

*For getting download that executable into respective VM, you can use "Extension" mechanism while VM creation where you will attach power shell scripts.

*So from next time, after deallocating your VM, whenever you will start that old VM again it will read that temp file where all the file name and process name was listed and opened that.
This way, you can achieve your hibernation process.
Hope these steps are clear, otherwise post an update so I provide more guidance.


As a key technology to mitigate climate change, CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) remains an important global environmental topic. Improvements and innovations to sensors and monitoring strategies deployed at sites where the CO2 is stored in deep geological formations enable project operators to verify that the site is meeting requirements while increasing efficiency and safety, as well as reducing costs.
Advancements in storage site monitoring rely on improved understanding of the subsurface response or developments in technologies and data handling abilities. New monitoring technologies require verification at field laboratories and/or sites where CO2 is naturally seeping to the surface.
Building on an improved understanding of processes and mechanisms around fluid migration and storage in the subsurface/at the surface allows fine-tuning of deployment strategies and verification of new sensors for monitoring storage sites. Through a number of research programmes, development of innovative sensors designed for deployment at onshore and offshore sites is underway. These technologies monitor a range of environmental factors to confirm if CO2 is present in the subsurface. Technologies are also needed to examine groundwater and the atmosphere above the storage site to monitor for leakage and demonstrate the efficacy of remediation in the unexpected, highly improbable event of leakage.
One of the sites used for quantification of improvements in monitoring technologies is the UK GeoEnergy Test Bed (GTB), a national research facility founded by the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Survey. The GTB enables research into fluid migration through natural pathways in the shallow subsurface and testing of innovative monitoring technologies and strategies.
This presentation will focus on improvements and ongoing developments in monitoring technologies and strategies using field laboratories and locations where CO2 is naturally seeping to the surface. Sensors and strategies tested at a range of sites will be presented.


The time domain plots clearly showed that getting some damping around the driver is a good thing. Also some vibrations in the OSB could benefit from damping. So I took 12mm bitumen impregnated softboard and glued 10mm felt to it. The sizes are 3 each of 400x120mm and 400x100mm. The final lenght of the boards were trimmed to size by 20-30 mm if needed.
One 100 wide board was glued to the cieling of the cabinet (I felt vibrations there before) The front wall was covered by one 100 and one 120mm piece ( seen far back in the picture below. One 100 wide pice was glued along the back of the closed end below the brace. Then two 120 mm wide pices was glued to the dividing baffle on the side facing the closed end. Finaly the top of the dividing baffle with the cutout was covered with a layer of felt. All gluing was done with silicone glue.
The nearfield response does not suggest any major changes perhaps a slight flattening of the dips at the harmonics.
At the pipe and large changes occur even with this very modest amount of damping material.
The peak at 500 Hz is reduced by 4 dB.
I then put a damping layer in the front section by gluing a 60x40cm soft board below the front braces. This time with ordinary wood glue as I run out of silicone glue.
If I stagger the pipe output with the orginal unlined in green, the lowest trace. Next up the red is with the lining around the driver. With the frontplate is at the top note that the brown trace, note that the trace is smoother than the other two.
So to conclude I recomend the design. Building it from scratch I would line all parts in the closed en by felt before putting it all together. The front damping is also a good thing to have.
I did some experiments with wool in the closed end but it is really tricky to get anything down there with the braces and the added panels and felt.
That 200 Hz peak is still there. The current opening is about 160cm2 I plan to block it and open a hole at the very back below the closed end. Hopefully this added 90 degree bend will reduce that 200 Hz peak... or not.
After that, it is time for an open baffle I think.


WILL ANYONE FIND OUT I FILED BANKRUPTCY?
You are either seriously considering filing or you have already decided to file. You have come to the conclusion that this is exactly what you need. You need a fresh start, time to breathe, and some much needed stress relief. Now you are wondering if anyone will know you filed for Bankruptcy. Will your neighbors find out? What about your boss? Will anyone find out I filed?
The answer to this question is long because there are a few things you need to know.
Will your creditors know you filed? Yes, absolutely. Your creditors will be specifically sent notice in the mail. The point of filing however, is that your creditors be informed immediately so they may cease all collection attempts.
Will the person who cosigned for/who I cosigned a loan for find out? Yes. They must be notified. This applies to spouses, ex-spouses, friends, relatives, and enemies alike. If you are jointly responsible for a loan with someone, that person will be notified.
Will my spouse find out? That depends. If either of you have ever cosigned for each other, then probably not. Due to confidentially, our office will not contact your spouse to inform them. However, you must keep in mind that notifications and correspondence will be mailed to your home from the Bankruptcy Court. Our office does not encourage our clients to keep this from their spouse however, we also would not contact your spouse to inform them.
Will my ex-spouse find out? This also depends. The same rules for cosigning apply here. Assuming no cosigning has taken place your ex-spouse will be notified if you have an ongoing obligation to pay alimony or child support.
Contact RS LAW today to find out if you are good candidate for filing for Bankruptcy and how said filing will affect you.


The following story, by Scott Conroe, originally ran in the May 29, 1988, edition of The Herald-American. It is being reprinted as part of the 'Cuse Classics series.
It's easy to forget that what one sees in games is usually developed in practice, not invented on the spot.
Such was the case with the as-yet unnamed walk through the air and lean over the net that Syracuse University sophomore midfielder Gary Gait used twice to score Satuday against Penn, in the NCAA Division I lacrosse semifinals.
On replay, it looked like this. Gait, standing behind the net and Quakers goalie John Kanaras, leaped like a basketball player headed for a dunk, his feet outside the crease as he launched himself.
Gait seemed to be airborne forever, in the manner of -- one couldn't avoid the thought -- the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan. And he tilted his stick down, stuffing the ball over an astonished Kanaras.
He did it at 5:30 of the second quarter to tie the game at 2-2. He did it again at :51 of the third quarter, to tie the game at 4.
And the officials allowed it. There apparently is no rule saying the crease extends upward, in an invisible dome.
"Last Monday, at practice, I was stretching and I thought about how I come around the side of the net, " said Gait, who must have been a fine basketball player in high school in British Columbia. "Then I thought, why not over the top? I tried it a few times."
"In 22 years with lacrosse, I've bever seen a move like that, " said Penn coach Tony Seaman. And he questioned the move's legality.
There was nothing wrong with it, because Gait didn't touch the net with his body, just with his stick. So said Alfred University coach Jim Grube, secretary and rules editor of the NCAA lacrosse committee.
"You saw history today, " said SU coach Roy Simmons Jr. "I understand some people aren't willing to accept it. Nobody has ever done that, and Gary did it twice. It's too bad when we sit around and figure out ways to slow down a person with such talents.
"We have some other moves we can't talk about, because people will gear up and make them illegal by the time we have a chance to use them."
Simmons compared Gait's move to the introduction of the two-handed slam dunk in basketball. And he bitterly condemned the protest it caused.
"In 1984, we were undefeated entering the championship game, " said Simmons. "Johns Hopkins had a kid that year, (midfielder John) Tucker, who was ineligible. He had two goals and an assist in that game (which SU lost). Not one word was said. Later, a court ruled in favor of the NCAA, that he was ineligible."
Tucker, a transfer who was ruled ineligible, was allowed to play in the title game because of a court order.
"Then this kid (Gait) uses a shot -- a great, imaginative kid. A wonderful kid. And it causes a furor."
"It's just unique for a player to come from behind the net, " said Grube. "Many players will no doubt try it now. It's kind of a do-or-die move."
In this case, for SU, it was a "do" move.


The innovative Oria Armchair is inspired by the latest indoor-outdoor style trend known as Urban Palm House. Designed to suit a contemporary indoor-outdoor lifestyle this armchair goes wherever you go.
The luxurious style of the Urban Palm House trend can all be found in the detail of the Oria Armchair. From its textured fabric, to its contrasting stitching and even its high back and arm rests, this chair has an expressive sense of style.
With sunglasses on and a fresh lemonade in hand, relaxing in the Oria Armchair doesn't get much better. Listen to the cool breeze rush through the green leaves around you as you picture a tropical destination.
This bean bag features a panelled cover with FreeFlow technology inside, which allows the bead to move freely. As the bean bag moulds perfectly to your shape a back rest and arm supports form for bespoke comfort.
Create a full Urban Palm House look by using the Oria Armchair as a central design item. Add exotic printed accessories in soft khakis and warm coppers to achieve this sophisticated look.
I bought two Icon armchairs for my new movie room because I wanted seating for 2 that was flexible. These chairs are just so good. Very comfortable for hours of film watching.so good in fact we ordered two more. For flexible, comfortable seating you just cant beat Icon Armchair bean bags. We just love them.


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Home » celebrity » Prince Harry reveals possible reason William and Kate didn't like Meghan
Prince Harry reveals possible reason William and Kate didn't like Meghan
Prince Harry revealed the possible reasons he feels Prince William and Princess Kate didn't like Meghan Markle in his interview with Tom Bradbury on ITV, which aired on Sunday evening.
TRENDING NOW: Zara Tindall has a total Cinderella moment in beautiful billowing dress – wow
The sit-down coversation held in California, discussed the Prince's string of royal bombshells in his new memoir Spare. Excerpts of the novel were leaked on Thursday and went unanticipatedly on sale in Spain on the same day.
WATCH: Prince Harry reveals possible reason William and Kate didn't like Meghan
Harry explained that there "were lots of different reasons," why William and Kate may not have liked Meghan. He continued: "I don't think they were ever expecting me to get – or to become – to get into a relationship with – with someone like Meghan who had, a very successful career. There was a lot of stereotyping that was happening, that I was guilty of as well, at the beginning.
EXPLOSIVE BOMBSHELLS: Prince Harry opens up about experience with psychedelics amid Princess Diana's loss
SPARE: Prince Harry: The one question he refused to answer about Prince William
"So you know, the fact that I had that in the back of my mind, and some of the things that my brother and sister-in-law – some of the way that they were acting or behaving definitely felt to me as though unfortunately that stereotyping was causing a bit of a barrier to them really sort of, you know, introducing or welcoming her in."
The four were last seen together at the Queen's funeral in September
Clarifying his words, he added: "Well, American actress, divorced, biracial, there's – there's all different parts to that and what that can mean but if you are, like a lot of my family do, if you are reading the press, the British tabloids, at the same time as living the life, then there is a tendency where you could actually end up living in the tabloid bubble rather than the actual reality."
Ahead of the comments, Harry jested that the Prince of Princess of Wales were fans of the sitcom Suits, which Meghan Markle starred in ahead of meeting her husband.
William and Kate were fans of suits
Other major revelations in the interview detailed the moment King Charles broke the news of Princess Diana's death to Harry, the Prince defending Lady Susan Hussey and Harry addressing the comments made about Archie's skin colour in the tell-all Oprah interview which can all be found in our full round-up piece here.
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to The Royal Explainer newsletter to receive your weekly dose of royal features and other exclusive content straight to your inbox.
Could Patralekhaa look any HAPPIER?
David Beckham Digs Own Pocket to Inject His Miami Soccer Team With More Than $15M
How Juventus expose United's gulf to Europe's very best
KTR writes Centre for budget allocation
How Indians Will Get Married in 2023
Hyderabad comes up with exclusive park for pets
सेल्फी लेते हुए बेहद हॉट अंदाज में Kim Kardashian ने शेयर की बिकिनी फोटो
Wanted to travel India, but didn't want to take risk: Aarti Chabria Beedassy
India Design Forum's virtual debates look at rethinking the scope of architecture

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I was in Shanxi , China recently for a very meaningful shoot.
This series of pictures here is the start of many photos to come.
The students arise at 6:30 AM every morning and bed time is at 9:00 PM, five days a week.
teachers-training colleges. Because of the distance that students have to travel to come to the school, students go home only on weekends.
Understand from the teachers that some of the students still stay in caves.
Walked around the school to take some pictures of the surroundings.
flashing his bright smile in the morning..
to minimize the school's expenses, the kids are allowed to bathe 2 times a week during summer.
kids always get excited in front of the camera..
empty bedroom after they left..
Hi patrick.. great to hear from you.. and thanks for dropping a msg on my blog..
I am very glad to have made that trip to Bo Ai..
I might be back in sept.. understand that you will be around during that period ?


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Monday, 02 Dec, 10.11 pm InstaNews 24x7
International medal-winning boxer Neeraj suspended for failing dope test
nternational medal-winning Indian woman boxer Neeraj (57kg), who was among the probables for 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended after failing a dope test.
The Haryana-boxer tested positive for performance-enhancing drug Ligandrol and "other anabolic steroids".
A former national medallist, Neeraj won a bronze medal at the prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria and a gold at a tournament in Russia this year.
She was also a gold-medallist at this year's India Open in Guwahati.
Her sample was collected on September 24 and was tested at Qatar's Ani-Doping lab, which gave its findings earlier last month.
"As per the adverse analytical finding report dt. 03/11/2019 received from Anti-Doping Lab, Qatar, Ms. Neeraj was found positive for presence of LGD-4033 (Ligandrol), Other Anabolic Agents (S1 - WADA Prohibited List 2019)," the National Anti-Doping Agency stated.
"Ms. Neeraj, was notified by NADA by issuing notice of charge for violation of Anti-Doping Rules 2015 of NADA and suspended provisionally w.e.f 13/11/2019," it added.
Neeraj has accepted the findings and has declined a 'B' sample test.
"As requested by her, case of Ms. Neeraj is referred to the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel for expedited hearing," NADA stated.
A Boxing Federation of India official said the development was conveyed to the BFI only last week.
"We got to know last week and even though no action has been initiated against her so far, she has taken leave from the national camp and we are not aware where she is right now," a federation official told PTI.
Neeraj had recently represented India at the World Championships in Russia, bowing out after a preliminary round loss.
The 24-year-old was among the core group of eight boxers who were part of the Sports Ministry's Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme. She was inducted in September.
Rape convict attacks journalists at Delhi Court |...


Argumentative essay on topic "Water Shortage"
3. growth rate strains the water resource and creates a shortage in drinking water for populations across the world. Global warming Global warming can be attributed to a large proportion of the loss of water resources. It is caused by the emission of certain gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere leading to retention of heat by the earth's surface. This raises the average temperatures and causes adverse effects such as heat waves and melting of glaciers. Global warming causes higher evaporation of water resources due to higher temperatures on the earth's surface. This results in the decline of availability of fresh water sources. It also leads to the drying up of water resources such as rivers and lakes due to higher temperatures. Global warming should be addressed if humans are to have fresh drinking water in the long run. Use of water for agriculture Agricultural activities are a major part of many countries' economies. Many people rely indirectly or directly from agriculture. Agricultural activities heavily rely on water for sustenance. In many countries, fresh water resources are used for irrigation of crops and feeding of animals. The use of freshwater sources for irrigation strains the water resource and creates shortages especially when agriculture is practiced in large scale (Buchanan & Horwitz 67-69). In developing countries, areas which have large scale agricultural activities especially in water intensive agricultural activities such as horticulture usually experience water shortages due to the amount of water used in agriculture. It is important that alternative water sources are used for agriculture is there is to be clean drinking water for people across the world. Wastage of water resource Wastage of water is common in nearly all countries due to ignorance on potential benefits of conserving water. There are many ways in which water is wasted and these include letting water run within households when it is not in use, lack of water recycling and lack of water harvesting among other means. When water within households is allowed to run when not in use, it may appear to be a little quantity, but when compared against numerous households, it becomes clear how much water is wasted. When water is also not recycled like for instance purified and used for other sources, this is wastage of the water resource. Poor harvesting of water or lack of water harvesting incentives allows water which would have been put to use to be wasted. This creates a situation where people do not have access to drinking water as is the case in many countries.
6. water resource since they help in attracting rainfall and purifying the atmosphere. Harvesting of water is a form of water conservation and it ensures that there is minimal water wastage. Finally, string laws which discourage environmental pollution should be passed in order to ensure that the environment is conserved and that there are enough water resources for all. This will ensure that future populations survive on current water resources available.


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Welcome to Independent Appliance, the trusted name for quality appliance repairs in Bay County for the past thirty years. Two generations of the Norred family– Mike and Debbie Norred, and their son Blake—lead the team at Independent Appliance with extensive knowledge of appliance repairs and parts replacements. Call them for the absolute best in machine maintenance.
The professional, factory-trained technicians of Independent Appliance will accurately diagnose any trouble you are having with your appliances and make the repair for a reasonable price. And because we have the largest inventory of appliance parts in town, repairs can usually be made that same day. Refrigerators, freezers, ice machines, trash compactors, garbage disposals, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers… all of these fall into our specialty and we are ready to make the repair!
A record of your parts and service history is readily available at all times to make your purchase and appointment experience fast and efficient. With our many years of care for the Panama City area, we have perfected our processes and you can rely on us to make the repair process easy on you. We are here to earn your business for life.
We also offer a massive online parts ordering system for the do-it-yourselfer so you can click-and-shop on your own. Get the appliance parts and supplies you need, shipped right to your door super-fast and ultra-easy!
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Independent Appliance is proud to be your authorized sales & service center for Speed Queen washers and dryers. We carry top load washers, front load washers and clothes dryers, all made with the legendary Speed Queen quality.


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29 Apr 2008 NCPPR Senior Fellow Helps Clear the Air on Clean Water
Posted at 10:03h in Articles, Blog, Property Rights by Amy Ridenour
On the heels of congressional hearings in both the House and Senate, the Washington Examiner published a scathing editorial against the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act (CWRA). The editorial came after National Center Senior Fellow R.J. Smith had a long conversation with Examiner editorial page editor Quin Hillyer about the April 16 House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the CWRA.
The Examiner editorial read, in part:
With the real estate market already reeling, Congress would be foolish to do anything that would further drive down property values. It would be even worse to do so while also mounting a wholesale assault on private property rights. But that's what would be done by the misnamed Clean Water Restoration Act sponsored by Rep. James Oberstar, D-MN. Oberstar's proposal is so bad it ought to be permanently buried six feet under dry land…
Now comes Oberstar, who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He held an April 16 committee hearing on his misnamed bill, which would vastly expand the definition of "waters" covered by stringent regulation to include almost any area, "interstate and intrastate," that ever gets wet. Oberstar set a May 1 deadline for interested parties to respond to hearing testimony.
The National Center for Public Policy Research recently spearheaded a coalition letter of over 50 organizations concerned about the CWRA's threat on private property rights and published a National Policy Analysis paper on the threat the bill poses to hunting and sporting activity.
The full Washington Examiner editorial against the CWRA can be read by clicking here.
To contact author David Almasi directly,
write him at dalmasi @nationalcenter.org


text:
package org.wso2.andes.junit.extensions.util;

/**
 * Provides commonly used functions that aid testing.
 *
 *

CRC Card

 *
 Responsibilities  Collaborations
 *
 Provide a short pause.
 *

 *
 * @author Rupert Smith
 */
public class TestUtils
{
    /**
     * Injects a short pause. The pause may not complete its full length, if the thread is interrupted when waiting.
     * In most cases, this will not happen and this method is a vry adequate pause implementation, without the
     * need to handle interrupted exceptions.
     *
     * @param millis The length of the pause in milliseconds.
     */
    public static void pause(long millis)
    {
        try
        {
            Thread.sleep(millis);
        }
        catch (InterruptedException e)
        {
            // Clear the flag and ignore.
            Thread.interrupted();
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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WWI Memorial Grounds
focuses not on war heroes, but on the home front, using Victory Gardens to create an active memorial for DC citizens.
In celebration of the united strength of the American people during World War I, the World War I Memorial Gardens honor the heroes at home, as well as the heroes who served. World War I was the first modern war in which citizens came together to contribute to the war effort. In planting an active and inviting urban landscape in the heart of the Nation's capital, the Memorial Gardens pay tribute to the support of Americans through their creation of victory gardens during the war, while the site's new undulating topography simultaneously evokes the terrain of trenches, where so many lost their lives.
The Memorial Gardens are maintained by selected communities across the Nation, bringing people together once more to commemorate World War I through active participation. The Gardens will change color and texture throughout the four seasons—a continually transformative landscape. The spaces carved from between the Gardens provide moments of respite for visitors as well as casual use by locals. The terrain is open along its southern edge and gently slopes up to the north, where the axiality of Pennsylvania Avenue is highlighted by a honed concrete and glass structure that shelters a farmer's market, and offers space for gathering and events. The use of structural glass embodies both strength and weightlessness, retaining a transparency across the site and towards the surrounding urban context. The structure simultaneously offers an elevated terrace—a space to overlook the landscape, allowing a moment of quiet reflection, and framing views of three of the capital's icons.
The World War I Centennial Commission
2015 Competition Proposal
Pershing Park
Design Team:
Kyle May
KM,A


The ongoing trade war between the U.S and China has impacted the gold prices. The dollar is gaining strength because of no results in sight to resolve the trade was and this has led to a decrease in the spot gold by 0.2% to $1,198.43 an ounce at 0708 GMT.
Last week, on Thursday, President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, announced that he will levy tariffs on additional $200 billion worth of imports from China.
The chief analyst of Shandong Gold Group has said that if the tariffs are imposed, then the gold prices may go down significantly further.
The gold prices have tumbled down 8% because of many factors like the US-China trade war, Turkey currency crisis and international trade disputes.
"There is a slight reduction in open interest in the week to (last) Thursday and this suggests a further reduction in short positioning, and could help maintain some price support in gold," said Nicholas Frappell, general manager at Australia-based ABC Bullion.
Furthermore, the investors are anxiously waiting for the U.S economic data like the manufacturing survey (Tuesday) and employment report (Friday) that can have a bearing in the gold prices.
The liquidations in the SPDR, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, continue to tumble. Since, achieving a peak in late April, it has decreased by over 13%.
Meanwhile, spot silver was down by 0.2% to $14.47 an ounce. Platinum increased to $786.60 an ounce and palladium was also down 0.3% to $978.50.


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Tag Archives: Danielle Hope
I'm Dreaming of a Snow White Christmas…. The Hippodrome's 2013 Christmas Panto
Posted on December 22, 2013 by Heather Kincaid
Nothing says Christmas quite like a panto – other than, perhaps, being shocked out of your skin by a man in a Christmas tree costume, but I shall say no more on that. Packed full of magic, music and mischief, the country's biggest and best professional pantomime never fails to leave audiences full of festive cheer, and this year was no exception.
Beginning with the descent of a sparkling, silver-clad Gok Wan from a magic mirror suspended in the air, the spectacle was superb throughout, with vibrant, colourful costumes, expertly choreographed dance sequences and some breathtaking special effects, including an enormous, terrifying dragon from the darkest, deadliest depths of the Black Country. The show's many sets were also incredible, seamlessly shifting from one elaborate backdrop to another.
Of course, at it's heart, pantomime is all about the comedy, and here it was laid on as thick as Dame Nora Crumble's make-up by Gary Wilmot, Paul Zerdin and Matt Slack as the Dame and her hapless, lovesick sons Muddles and Oddjob. First and foremost a comedian, Slack really stole the show, leaving the audience howling with his slapstick and one-liners. Meanwhile ventriloquist Paul Zerdin built up the humour over longer routines, often involving a lot of audience participation, as in one almost unbearably funny scene where two viewers were called up onto the stage and left at the puppet-master's mercy. As for the Dame herself, Wilmot excelled at the musical comedy, with a rousing number extolling local Brummie curry dish, balti, and a lovely singing voice that lent itself well to a more sentimental song about motherhood. The highlight of the show, though, was a lightning-speed musical bit packed full of physical comedy and involving all three members of the little family as well as Man in the Mirror Gok Wan: by the end of it, even Gok himself couldn't keep a straight face, bursting into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
Though this was his first foray into the world of acting, Gok was, as ever, charming and brilliant, showing off his moves in his own mirror-themed musical number (#FABULOUS!). Equally fabulous in her own way was Stephanie Beacham as the wicked Queen Sadista. Though perhaps not quite the fairest in the land, the glamorous villainess could certainly give most a run for their money, and of her dazzling outfits it was impossible not to be "well jeal".
Towards the end, her transformation into the old crone was a properly spooky, Hammer-esque moment, featuring a strange, ghostly figure floating above the stage. And as if that wasn't enough for your Christmas ghost story fix, an appearance is also put in at one point by a mysterious headless horseman….
One general criticism is that less time was spent with the lead characters than might normally be expected, and the story itself was mostly secondary to the comic set pieces. All told, though, it mattered little, since it's such an energetic and entertaining production that whatever's lacking in traditional storytelling is more than made up for elsewhere. Without giving too much away, it was especially interesting to see a new take on the story's ending with the Queen facing a rather unusual fate.
Overall then, a triumph once again. If you haven't quite got into the festive spirit yet, then a trip to see this show should be just the ticket!
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is showing at the Birmingham Hippodrome until Sunday 2nd February 2014. Don't forget to check out Gok Does Panto at 7:05pm on Monday 30th December for a look behind the scenes. You might even catch a glimpse of me at the rehearsals in the Jerwood Space in London!
Top photo by Tal Fox. Check out her blog here.
| Tagged Birmingham, Birmingham Hippodrome, Danielle Hope, Gary Wilmot, Gok Does Panto, Gok Wan, Jerwood Space, John Partridge, Matt Slack, Paul Zerdin, Qdos, Qdos Entertainment, Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	| 2 Comments
Feeling Festive – A Day at the Hippodrome Panto Rehearsals with Cast Interviews
Posted on December 5, 2013 by Heather Kincaid
As Christmas draws ever closer, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs panto cast is beginning to get into the festive spirit with rehearsals for the show, which will open at the Hippodrome later this month. Along with a handful of journalists, I joined a coach trip down to London for a special behind-the-scenes look at how things are going so far. Just three days into rehearsals, it's already looking fantastic, with the promise of even more spectacle, singing and surprises still in store.
After arriving at the rehearsal space, we were first treated to a few snippets of the show, beginning with a musical number featuring John Partridge as Prince John, along with an impressive group of dancers. This first scene takes place at the beginning of Act 2, with the Prince assembling an army to go in search of Snow White (Danielle Hope), who has been captured by her stepmother, Queen Sadista (Stephanie Beacham).
The second excerpt featured the wicked Queen herself, calling upon the Man in the Magic Mirror (Gok Wan), to reassure her of her beauty after she discovers that the dashing Prince John is a long-lost childhood friend of her "uber-cute stepdaughter", Snow. As Stephanie Beacham hammed it up as the dastardly drama Queen, Gok Wan "flew in" with perfect comic timing, interrupting her preening with deadpan put-downs.
Finally came a scene featuring our heroine Snow White, alongside the Dame's son and secret Snow admirer, Muddles (ventriloquist Paul Zerdin). During the play, Muddles competes for Snow's love with his brother Oddjob (Matt Slack). In the scene we were shown, Muddles uses his puppet pal to help him tell Snow White how he feels about her.
Following this, the cast gave interviews and I teamed up with Paul Hadsley from The Bridge radio in Birmingham to speak to John Partridge, Gary Wilmot (The Dame) and Danielle Hope. Transcriptions from the interviews are below. At some point, the audios should be going out on The Bridge Radio – more info on this when it arrives!
An Interview with John Partridge
PH: You're a serious actor who's had many serious roles. Is this where you have some fun and let off some steam?
JP: We do have fun, but make no bones about it, panto is a very, very serious business. There are no shaky sets or dodgy costumes: this is a multi-million pound production in every sense. We play 12 shows a week, and if you didn't have seasoned professionals who were able to handle that type of schedule….you know, we've got no understudies in panto so if you're sick, there's a problem. You have to take it very seriously. Of course there's the winking and the nodding to the audience but everything is in it's place. It may look off the cuff but it is rehearsed and drilled and we only have 10 days to put all of that together. It is great fun, don't get me wrong. We all do it because it's fun, but it is also a very serious business at the same time.
PH: So, after you've said all that, we know that Gok Wan will be joining you on stage. All I've heard so far has been fantastic praise for him, being thrown into this world for the first time, with people saying he's doing really well. Is that right based on what you've seen?
JP: I think that what Qdos do so well when they put these shows together is that they make things very collaborative with everybody bringing to the table what they do best. Somebody asked me before if I had any tips for Gok and I said, "I don't need to give Gok any tips because panto is all about making an audience feel good and that's what Gok does for a living – he makes an audience feel good about themselves and this is no different." Everything that each of us does individually we bring to the table here. So, you know, Stephanie's here for your dramatic art and Gok's here to chat to the audience. I'm here to do showstopping numbers. Everybody's actually in their "box", for want of a better word. He's gonna do great, he has a natural rapport with the audience and that's basically what pantomime is, so he's already winning.
HK: What's been your favourite scene to rehearse so far?
JP: Well, obviously we're only about three quarters of the way through and we haven't finished the end yet. I always love the end because we have a rule in panto which is that you never perfom the last scene until the first show because it's bad luck, so that's the first time you do it and I always love waiting for that scene because, you never know: something might go wrong in that bit. I do have a couple of scenes with Stephanie and I have to say, I'm a huge Stephanie fan. I just think that for somebody like Stephanie to be appearing in a show like this – somebody who's been at the Royal Court, who's been in Hollywood, who's had such a breadth of experience on both stage and screen – for me, it is an honour to play scenes with her and I relish all the moments I have on stage with her. On the first day of rehearsals, she came in in a full-length fur and I was like, "There you go, Miss Hollywood!" A bit of Hollywood's coming to Birmingham and I love all of that. It's just great. And that's the other thing, you know, 'cos panto can sometimes get a bad rep but you've got celebrity Big Brother if you wish to go and die now so you don't come and do it in panto.
HK: Obviously you're not able to tell us everything at the moment, but have there been any big surprises reading the script? Any diversions from the traditional Snow White story?
JP: There are no big diversions from the traditional Snow White story but I love it when I get a script from Michael Harrison, because basically there's nothing in it. You know, you get the script, and you know it's gonna be nothing like that by the time it comes to the show, and then they start saying, "Oh, you don't mind if they do this, do you, John?" Erm…. And, "Oh, you don't mind if this happens, do you, John?" Hmmm… So, there are a couple of moments – and I actually will be looking forward to it – where I really send myself up, and they're not on the page. You suddenly think, "What have I let myself in for?" But it is gonna be great!
HK: Have you done much panto before?
JP: This is my third panto, and somebody described me as a "panto veteran", but some of these guys here have done, like, 10, 12, 13 of them so I'm still…almost virgin-like. Not quite, but almost (it's nice to be a virgin at something at 42, that's what I say)! But yeah, I've done three before and I loved all of them so I'm very much looking forward to this one. I've been at the Birmingham Hippodrome before: I was here in about 2005 with Miss Saigon and I was in the old theatre, way back in about '96, I think it was, so I'm very much looking forward to coming back. It's great to be at the Birmingham Hippodrome because they have such a great crew there, who know what they're doing, which is great for us because when you've only got such a short amount of time to put a show on, it's great that everyone else around you knows what they're doing even if you don't! We will, by the time we get there, but it just takes that pressure off you when you've got such an experienced theatre staff there looking after you. It really makes a difference.
HK: I have to ask – have you enjoyed wearing the prince costume?
JP: I love my prince costumes, even though they keep trying to push me into tights and I won't wear 'em. I don't like the junk on display, not at my age! But yeah, I love my prince costumes, especially my prince shoes. I've got fabulous shoes that are made especially for me: gorgeous, gold, high-heeled, buckle-up shoes!
HK: You're gonna be looking for fashion advice from Gok soon!
JP: (laughing) Listen, you wait till you see what he's wearing! I won't be taking any fashion advice from him!
PH: Just one last question: pantomime is obviously a Christmassy thing, but you'll be carrying on past Christmas, won't you? So how are you going to keep the Christmas spirit alive into mid-January?
JP: Darling, we wish to keep the Christmas spirit alive past January and beyond! So for us, well, I'll just keep slapping that thigh until somebody tells me not to!
An Interview with Danielle Hope
PH: Have you been to Birmingham before?
DH: I have, I've been once before, we did a press launch for the show, when I went for the day there and it's amazing. I'm really excited to be spending Christmas there. Being Northern, it's nice for me because I'll be halfway between home and London, which is great.
PH: Did you have any trouble finding your way around? Because I've heard quite a few people saying they got a bit lost.
DH: (laughing) Yes, it's huge! All the streets are amazing but they all look the same. I was running up and down the shops and I couldn't find anything, but two wonderful people showed me the way to the theatre, so thank you to that couple!
PH: People may remember you from Over the Rainbow, and you've had some serious acting roles, so is doing panto a chance to have fun and let go, or is this a big challenge itself?
DH: I think this is actually a challenge in a completely different respect because panto is such a different beast and you have to approach it in a different way. It's on a huge scale! When I did Les Mis, for example, it was in quite an intimate space, whereas this has got to be able to read from all the way over there (gesturing far away). So yeah, it will be a challenge in a different way.
HK: Do you get much of a chance to use your lovely singing voice in this production?
DH: Yes indeed! I'm getting my Disney on! I'm gonna be singing a song that I've sung before and that's all I'm saying.
HK: How are the rehearsals going so far? Is it all going well?
DH: Yeah, really well! I mean, we're on day three and we've almost finished the whole thing. For me on stage there's usually about three weeks where we move through and we're all like "Oh gosh!", but with this we're on day three and we've nearly finished it already! It's amazing, we're moving so fast! And then we get a week and a half to get it all fleshed out and then we'll go back and run it and run it and run it.
PH: Is that a normal time frame for this kind of thing?
DH: For a pantomime apparently you get about a week to a week and a half but usually for any other shows you get about three weeks so it's all condensed.
PH: Do you think it'll be better in the early stages while you're still working things out or later, once you've perfected it a bit?
DH: I think it's like anything – it evolves naturally, doesn't it? I think it will develop and change but I'm quite excited about that. The more different things you find, the longer you can keep doing it.
HK: Do you have a favourite scene that you've worked on so far?
DH: I think all my scenes with John, my prince, are probably my favourite, when we're dueting. It's all very lovely and very romantic!
HK: Has he been good to work with?
DH: Oh yeah, amazing! I mean, obviously I know John from doing Over the Rainbow but getting to work with him on stage is lovely.
PH: You get to judge him on his performance! It's your revenge! (laughter) One last thing: I just wanted to know why on the publicity pictures there's no Snow White. Is that just because you were late or was there another reason?
DH: It was. I confirmed a lot later than everyone else. But, you know, that's quite nice actually. Anyway, it's called Snow White, isn't it? You don't need my face! I'm pale anyway, you know. And it'll be a nice surprise. People will be like, "Oh, Danielle Hope's in it!"
HK: Are there any surprises to look forward to – anything we're maybe not expecting from a traditional Snow White?
DH: Oh goodness, many! But probably different things on different nights. I'm working with an amazing team and they're all incredibly funny. I'm just playing it straight and trying to keep a straight face but they're all wickedly funny!
An Interview with Gary Wilmot
HK: So how have you found working on the pantomime this year?
GW: It's fun. It's a giggle, and it's a great bunch of people.
HK: I've heard that you're from Birmingham, so has it been good to be doing a show back at home?
GW: Well, it's not really my home, but my mum is from Birmingham and I've got family who live there, and I've spent a lot of time in Birmingham. I've been to the Hippodrome lots of times, and the Alex. Years ago I did a show at the gay club called The Peacock but that's not even there now. I went to the Studio Theatre when I was growing up. So yeah, I like Birmingham very much.
HK: You're playing the Dame in the show. Is this your first time dressing up in drag?
GW: Erm…sort of, I'll say yes. It's my first time doing it in a panto. Years ago I did a sketch programme and we were all required to dress up as women from time to time, but dressing up as a Dame is different. I mean, I've never seen a woman dress like that before. I think of her more as a clown than a woman. But it's not been a problem at all – in fact, the dress is surprisingly comfortable.
HK: Can you tell me a little bit more about your character? How does she fit into the story and what's her relationship with Snow White?
GW: Yeah, Snow White doesn't generally have a Dame in it. There isn't one in the story but for the pantomime they've put one in. She's the cook at the palace and she's Snow White's best friend, really. She kind of mothers Snow White a bit. She's got two sons, and again I've never seen these two sons in Snow White before. The three characters are new to the show – they're the kind of modern addition, if you like. There are a lot of characters in the show who aren't particularly funny so the Dame comes on really to raise the comedy (there's some laughing and complaining from other cast members in the background about this!), so that's what I'm booked for.
HK: Do you have a favourite scene or favourite gag for your character?
Well, I'm not gonna give any gags away now but I do have a favourite one. As for scenes – well, any of the scenes where we're all interacting. We've got a scene where it's kind of got worse for the Queen and it's a great ensemble. Everybody mucks in and it's very, very visual. We've actually been rehearsing that all morning.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opens at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 19th December and runs until Sunday 2nd February, with a special, relaxed performance on Thursday 30th January. For more information and to book, visit the Birmingham Hippodrome website.
| Tagged Birmingham, Christmas, Danielle Hope, Gary Wilmot, Gok Wan, John Partridge, London, Matt Slack, Micheal Harrison, Over the Rainbow, panto, pantomime, Paul Hadsley, Paul Zerdin, Qdos, Qdos Entertainment, Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Stephanie Beacham, The Bridge radio	| 1 Comment
Oh Yes It Is! – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Panto Press Launch
Yesterday morning, details of the upcoming Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime by the Birmingham Hippodrome in association with Qdos Entertainment were released as part of a special media launch. Members of the press were invited to meet with the cast, including its newly revealed leading lady, Danielle Hope, the 21-year-old winner of the BBC's Over the Rainbow series.
Along with a couple of my fellow First Night Bloggers, I was lucky enough to be invited along to the launch to catch a glimpse of some of the show's fantastic set and costumes. After a brief introduction in which we were duly reminded that there were only 92 (now 91) shopping days until Christmas, and only 84 days till the opening of the UK's biggest pantomime, the cast were revealed in all their glittering, camped-up splendour to an audience which was almost as excited as they were.
Stephanie Beacham swanned around as an impressively imperious Wicked Queen, her icy image only slightly marred when she took five for a coffee, clutching an incongruous paper cup between long glitzy fingers in pointed, elongated gloves. Young talent Danielle Hope looked every bit the innocent, girlish beauty amongst her more experienced colleagues, while true to form, Gok Wan rattled off jokes and wisecracks, primarily about his own tight-fitting, futuristic Man in the Mirror get-up. Said outfit was described by one interviewer as "Storm Trooper meets Dynasty": Gok's own interpretation was rather earthier.
Once the discussion got underway, members of the cast shared their experiences of Birmingham, of pantomimes and of other similar acting roles. Self-dubbed "panto veteran" Matt Slack (set to play the Queen's henchman Oddjob), will join Gary Wilmot (the Dame), John Partridge (the Prince) and ventriloquist Paul Zerdin (Muddles), who between them boast a sizeable list of Birmingham Hippodrome panto credits. For Stephanie Beacham, her role in this show is a familiar one, and something of a return to roots: her first experience of the stage was as the Wicked Queen in a pantomime in Golders Green. More recently, she portrayed Elizabeth I at the Birmingham REP, whom she described as "another wicked queen" of sorts. Although new to pantomime, Danielle Hope's experience playing Dorothy in the West End has amply prepared her for this fairy-tale part as, perhaps, has her favourite childhood past-time of dressing up as princess Snow White. Meanwhile Gok Wan claimed that he'd only come over to Southside for a Chinese takeaway, and had been rather surprised to find himself sitting in front of an audience looking, in his own words, "gayer than ever".
Yet, even for those more accustomed to stage acting and pantomimes particularly, this was an occasion for many "firsts": it was Matt Slack's first time in a Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime, Gary Wilmot's first time in a dress, and Danielle Hope's first time in the fair city of Birmingham.
A time for firsts and a time for bests, perhaps? Said Michael Harrison, Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment's Pantomime Division and Director of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:
"I'm thrilled and delighted to have assembled this galaxy of stars for this year's spectacular Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime. It's a long time since Snow White was last performed at the theatre and it seems fitting that its return as Britain's biggest pantomime should feature such an incredible cast. This brand-new production is set to be the most spectacular Birmingham has ever seen."
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be showing at the Birmingham Hippodrome from Thursday 19th December 2013 until Sunday 2 February 2014. Tickets are available via the Birmingham Hippodrome website. A relaxed performance, specially adapted for people with learning difficulties, will take place on Thursday 30th January.
Click here to watch the BBC Midlands Today coverage of the launch.
| Tagged BBC Midlands Today, Birmingham, Birmingham Hippodrome, Christmas, Danielle Hope, Gary Wilmot, Gok Wan, John Partridge, Matt Slack, Michael Harrison, Over the Rainbow, panto, pantomime, Paul Zerdin, Qdos Entertainment, relaxed performance, Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Stephanie Beacham	| Leave a comment


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Thura U Shwe Mann, ousted Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) leader and former Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw formally registered a new political party with the Union Election Commission on 5th February according to Myanmar Times. He has been seen as a close ally of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) that took office in April 2016. The new party, Union Betterment Party (UBP) formed with 19 former USDP members stated that its goals are to help build a democratic federal union, develop the country, and strengthen rule of law, stability, justice and peace. In a short video posted on social media, Thura Su Shwe Mann said, "We want a proper constitution that is appropriate for our country". "We welcome suggestions and support from the people," he added.
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"The Shrinking Skin"
In this room, the only sound was the faint hum of the humidifier, and the slightly nasal breaths of the room's only occupant. That person was named Robert, called Bob, overweight and nearing retirement age, and when he worked on his blueprints, it was to the exclusion of everything else.
Bob set aside the Vespa schematics and rubbed his eyes. It had been a long day, and the deadline for the blueprint improvement was fast approaching. Deadlines made him uncomfortable.
Usually he would close the door to his office, turn on the humidifier to keep his eyes from getting dry and his throat from getting raspy, and set to work. And when he worked, he was committed. He didn't understand those people who frittered away their time on the job. The workplace was for work. When you were given a job to do, you did it, and if you did it well, you might be given the same job again, and then you knew you could do it in time. Routine and habit. That was the key.
Each blueprint was different, of course, even ones for the same items. All a blueprint did was show you a way to manufacture a given item in some way that the end result would meet the specifications set forth by the authorities. This included not only the attributes of the item, but the amount of material you had to include for the item to be considered structurally sound. The rest was up to you.
Despite the design freedoms it was all fairly standardized, which Bob quite liked. Special teams of researchers could re-work blueprints to require less materials or time for production, and scientifically minded pilots could help out as well, but all in all there was little variation between jobs. Bob had long since found that, given the rigid requirements for the attributes of each produced item, the corresponding blueprints tended to be rather similar to one another. One Vespa blueprint might have a different circuit outlay and a few extra screws here and there, but that was about it. Most of the time went into putting the new blueprint through standardized testing, to ensure that its products would stand up to the stress of regular use.
There was a knock. Bob looked up, irritated. "Yes?" he said.
The door opened and a young man stepped in. He was in his early twenties, hair well cut, clothing casual but not too sloppy. He was smiling. He walked to Bob's desk and stopped, and it took Bob a couple of beats to realize that the man had extended his hand. Bob shook it.
"John," he said. "I'm told we'll be working together."
"Is that a fact," Bob said. "You're new on the team, I take it."
"Only started today," John said.
"Well then," Bob said, not getting up, "I'll be filling you in on what we're doing here."
John made to say something, but Bob kept going, "It's routine, for the most part. We get a blueprint, sign the standard confidentiality waiver, and off we go. There's a deadline for each task, but they're fairly easy to hit. We log things pretty well, especially work procedures. Obviously we can't keep logs of the blueprint contents, but we've gotten pretty good at logging extraneous stuff, patterns and suchlike, and those often come in use when we get another blueprint of the same type, even if it has a completely different way of building the item."
He motioned at the shelves beside him, which held rows of thin plastic datasheets. "Everything is logged. I like to keep backups, just in case, you know. I also have certain ways of signing off on things. It's not strictly necessary, since our computer system takes care of officially signing our work and placing it in the proper category, but I like to add a little touch of my own. So all files I've worked on have my digital signature, just to be sure that I've finished with them."
John again made to say something, and Bob cut him off again. "I don't mind if you ask questions, and you can come to me anytime you like. In fact, I'd prefer it that way. There's no reason to go bothering the big people about tiny little things, especially when you've just started and are still finding your feet, eh?" He smiled. "Exactly. Now, what project did you want to start on? I've got a Vespa here that's half done and I'm sure could be good warm-up. I'd check on it periodically-"
"Actually, I was thinking of the brand-" John started.
"Now, please don't interrupt me," Bob said with a smile. "There are certain ways of doing things here, and I just want to make sure you're following them from the start. What's your specialty? Drones? Guns? Armor? Or maybe something a little more complex, like electronics or shields. I don't imagine you've gotten up to ships yet, but with time and proper training I'm sure you'll get a chance to try your hand at them."
"Thanks," John said, "but it's a little more complicated than that."
Bob blinked. "Really, now?"
"I do all of those. Ships included."
"Oh, I'm sure you've done tests, and all sorts of training routines," Bob said, still smiling. "But that was in school, no doubt. The stakes are a little higher here. There's proper workflows to consider, order to be kept. You can't just toss off some research project in an hour, thank you and go home. You've got to make sure everything is right and proper."
"Even with the new project?" John asked.
"New project? What new project?" Bob asked. "I haven't heard anything about a new project."
"Did you ask?" John said. Bob's smile disappeared. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong," John added quickly. "But I'm here to work on a new branch of research with your corporation. It's no longer enough to improve the time and cost of building the same items. We need to be more creative. We need to make something new."
"Something new," Bob echoed in a leaden tone.
"There's a meeting starting quite soon, and I just wanted to introduce myself before then. It'll all be explained there. I thought you knew about it, though."
Bob didn't meet his gaze. "I don't much hold with meetings," he said. "Senseless chatter, half the time. A man's place is at his desk, doing the work he knows."
"That may change," John said, smiling, and left the office.
"Welcome, Bob. Have a seat, please." The woman greeting him was Joroutte Duvolle, the CEO of Duvolle Laboratories. Joroutte was a people person and routinely attended or even held lower level staff meetings. Bob liked her. She knew her business, but trusted her people to get on with their work with a minimum of interruption. She might occasionally spend a little too much time chattering with people, Bob thought, when a CEO surely had more important things to do, but there was no purpose in bringing it up. Bob preferred to stay on friendly terms with his superiors. It kept the order of things clean and simple.
John was there, too. That was not clean and simple. Bob smiled at him, and he smiled back. Neither man extended a hand.
Joroutte motioned Bob to sit. She then activated a video projection, bathing the room in the faint green glow from the holographs. A screensaver of pies and charts revolved in front of their eyes.
"We're starting a new thing, Bob," Joroutte said. "Not all of us, but we need everyone to have a working knowledge of it. And that has to include you."
Bob nodded.
"Have you studied the materials related to this new process?" Joroutte asked.
"Well, see, there's just so much to do," Bob replied. "The new batch of Vespas just came in, and then there's the weapons and the ships-"
"All right. That's okay," Joroutte said. "We know you're a hard worker, no worries." She sat down at the table, beside Bob. "We need you on this, Robert. Most everyone in our lab group has already tried their hand at invention. You're the only one who's left and isn't on sick leave. I know it isn't your favourite thing, but you're a fastidious, diligent worker, and I'm sure you'll find your rhythm in this in no time."
Bob looked crestfallen. "What do I have to do?"
Joroutte said, "That's where our new man comes in. John?"
John stood, cleared his throat, and took out a small laser pointer. It had an invisible beam that, when shined on the holographs, would alter the colour of the targeted area, highlighting it. He pressed a button, and the graphs turned from the pies and charts to a picture of a stick figure and a few square boxes. Each box had a label.
"This is the new process," John said, "and even though it can be a little complicated to work with at first - the research techniques are quite a bit more demanding than the ones you've done so far - it's really not that big a deal. You, as a lab researcher, take in a blueprint just like you've always done."
He indicated one box on the image, which lit up with the words 'Tech 1 BP'. "You'll forgive the shorthand," John said, "but it fits better on a slide, and I assume we're all familiar with the working slang for these things. If not," he added, "just let me know."
Bob remained silent.
"We're fine," Joroutte said. "Go on."
"The process really is the same as before. We take this tech 1 blueprint, and we improve it. Except the improvements are so extensive that we actually end up with a different item-"
"What?" Bob said, turning to Joroutte. "This, this goes against all procedures."
"Easy there," Joroutte said. "Let's hear him out."
John continued. "To do this, we need more than just the ingenuity of our researchers. Certain companies have prepared agglomerations of design patterns that can be automatically applied to the blueprints. We use those datacores, along with the data interfaces provided for them - it's the only way to access their data, and their contents are kept quite secret, obviously - and by doing so, we can simplify the projects enough for our regular researchers to handle. A bit of hard work, and perhaps some extra materials, and we end up with a new blueprint for a tech 2 item." He turned to Bob. "You really are doing the same thing as before, improving the design of an item. You're just getting a little computerized help to do it, and you end up with something new, in this case a copy of a tech 2 blueprint. We'd have liked to make originals, but the DRM on these things is horrendous, so we only have permission to make copies.
"And in case you're wondering, the datacores will never replace you or anyone else here. They're single-use only, and always need a guiding hand."
"I hope you're happy with this," Joroutte said. "It's a big step for us, but it's vital. We have to keep up with the competition, and any day now we may be contacted by pilots asking us to do this. Stagnation is the end, Bob. Stagnation is death."
"Do you have any questions?" John asked.
Bob stared into open air for a moment. Then he said, "No. No, nothing at all," slowly stood up and left the room.
The humidifier kept his office rather steamy. Bob liked it that way. He was getting a little cold in his old age, and besides, the heat seemed to discourage people from hanging around too long in his office. The door was closed, the air was warm, and the Vespa blueprint lay in front of him untouched.
There was a knock. John opened the door and entered without waiting for an answer. He sat down.
The two men stared at each other in silence.
Eventually, John said, "I'm here to work with you, Robert. If you have questions, or need any guidance, all you need is ask and I'll be there to help out."
"The process really is that simple. And we won't get left in the cold by some hungry pilot who drops a project on our doorstep and leaves. The only ones who even get through the screening process are those who know something about the subject matter. Somebody asks us to change a shuttle into a battleship, we toss him out on his ass."
"And if we can't turn a shuttle into a battleship," Bob said, "then what? You toss us out on our asses, too?"
John looked at him, then looked at his desk. "Vespa blueprint, you said?"
"Material?"
"Time."
"Difficult?" John asked.
"Not once you get the hang of it."
"You like getting the hang of things," John said. He didn't wait for an answer. "There's a reason why you're the last one to start on this. There's a reason why the CEO of your corp held a special meeting just for you. There's a reason why this caught you by surprise even though it's been widely known in the corp for ages that a change was coming. There's also a reason you work with your door closed. And they're all the same reason."
"Stagnation," Bob said.
John nodded.
"Is death," Bob said.
"Of a sort," John replied.
Bob sighed deeply. He ran his fingers through his hair, then steepled them at the back of his neck and leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. In his mind, he felt like he was enveloped in a net that was growing tighter and tighter, restraining his movement, trapping him. And he knew that the net was his own skin, and as it had shrunk through the years, he'd shrunk with it, for fear of accidentally tearing his way out.
John waited to see if he'd speak. When it eventually became apparent that the conversation was over, he stood and said, "Good luck to you, Robert. It's going to be fine."
Bob stood as well, but remained silent. He nodded.
John turned, went to the door, opened it wide and slowly walked out, leaving the door opened behind him. The humidity in the room lowered from contact with the outside air, and smells and sounds drifted in.
After a while, Bob walked across the room, and closed the door with a click.


text:
HomeColumnErdoğan not only a leader, but our destiny
Erdoğan not only a leader, but our destiny
August 9, 2016 MEO Staff Column, Turkey Latest News
By: Hasan Öztürk*
The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was there, the Republican's People Party (CHP) was there and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) was also present. Among the parties represented in Parliament, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was not there. However, it was not difficult at all to understand why the HDP was not invited to the meeting.
A party that could not put a distance between terrorism and itself would of course have nothing to do at a meeting where messages of "unity and solidarity" would be given.
And yet the nation was there…
The political leaders who spoke at the meeting in Yenikapı emphasized "unity and solidarity" with care. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli deserved a standing ovation for his speech. It was clear, lyric and coherent. There are a lot of points I disagree with CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu… Especially his sentences that start with "to strengthen the parliamentary system…" However, his participation there, a few times his calling FETÖ a terrorist organization, giving a message of unity was important.
We gained a good prime minister
As for Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım… Mr. Binali is surprising everyone!
Yıldırım answered the questions, "Why was the 65th government established?" "Why was Binali Yıldırım chosen the chair of the AK Party and prime minister?" by surprising all. We were already familiar with him, but his harmonious, dedicated and coherent work with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, after the recent coup attempt and the days that followed, deserve appreciation.
Especially, he knows how to walk one step behind the leader, never regarding it as a burden. His calm and determined stance is very nice.
One of the good aspects of the July 15 coup attempt is:
It gave us a good prime minister!
When Mr. Binali stepped on the stage later in the evening, after seeing the impatience of the people who have been waiting under the sun for eight hours, keeping his speech short, he said, "I know you have been impatiently waiting for our president." He then left the stage, which is too gracious a gesture not to note.
When it came to calling the Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar to the stage, I think our president is very skillful "in healing the wounds."
After the shock of the first days, our president gave statements to protect both the country's intelligence organization and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
And by presenting Akar to those millions of people, he healed a wound.
I am not going to give a summary of our president's speech. It was not only the 5 million people in Yenikapı, the tens of millions of people who filled the squares in the other cities, but also those in front of the televisions who hung on our president's words. But I can't keep myself from saying that when he appears on the stage and meets with the people, a two-way communication starts.
When the people see him and hear his voice, they feel resurrected and he feels resurrected when he sees the protective and embracing attitude of the people… And it is a gain for Turkey. Our president is not only a leader but our destiny. His destiny is the destiny of this people. Yenikapı is a new milestone! Yenikapı is the new gate of Turkey. The gate of the feeling of "us" is Yenikapı.
Yenikapı, the gate of new horizons
My years of youth passed by listening to the "1979 Sultanahmet Rally" that our elders attended. After that, during the headscarf protests and hunger strikes in 1987/88, I was always at the squares and in front of schools. What's next is known… Sometimes as a requirement of my job, my thoughts and belief, I have always been at the squares.
But I have never witnessed such a meeting as enormous as the one in Yenikapı… Something as great as that day… Something as tremendous as that.
I have not witnessed it, but has anyone else? No!
I do not know whether world history ever witnessed such a day…
Turkish history did not.
I have never before heard, seen, nor experienced a meeting where such a crowd was present, such a contribution, where all political parties were represented… Where a chief of General Staff spoke…
Before 2 p.m. the meeting area was full… Moreover, all the roads going to Yenikapı saw tremendous enthusiasm. However all the rivers flow into the sea… just like that… All the colors of Turkey flowed into Yenikapı just as the river flows into the sea.
Vatan Avenue was almost jammed at the Mausoleum; people rushed to Yenikapı.
People from Zeytinburnu, Yedikule rushed to Yenikapı.
People from Sirkeci, Sarayburnu rushed to Yenikapı.
From Kadıköy, Üsküdar, Sarıyer, Silivri, Yalova and Kocaeli people flowed to Yenikapı.
A gigantic nation holding the red flags in their hands, chanting "Allahu akbar" (God is the greatest) flowed to Yenikapı.
Everywhere was Yenikapı…
Every city was Istanbul….
All of us are Recep Tayyip Erdoğan…
All of us were united…
We were.
To take its place in the world history, we witnessed a big meeting that was filled with messages of unity that will take their place in Turkey's history.
We were not only in Yenikapı but in all the squares of Turkey… There were perhaps 30 million of us or more…
All of us were one, all of us were "us." We were all Turkey!
Only Turkey? No! The oppressed people were in the squares as well… from Africa to Europe, from the Balkans to Asia…
Even to FETÖ's cave in Pennsylvania!
A nation woke up. A nation became resurrected.
They advanced on us… We strangled them with our bare hands!
Will they come again? Of course they can…
If they come, we will strangle them with our bare hands.
My brother Özcan Öztürk posted a tweet last night: "Our nation internalized martyrdom and becoming a veteran so much that they are almost eager for FETÖ to strike again so they can reach those ranks."
This is the situation!
This great nation resisted bullets, bombs, tanks, planes, helicopters, tyrants, terrorists in uniform, FETÖ's pawn and superior mind that night saying, "If I die, I will be a martyr. If I survive, I will be a veteran."
As if that was not enough, they made history once again in Yenikapı and united; all together they became Turkey!
*Hasan Öztürk is a Turkish columnist. He writes columns for Yeni Şafak Turkısh newspaper.
(Published in Yeni Şafak on Tuesday, August 9, 2016)
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text:
Ома́р Хаши́м Э́ппс (, род. 20 июля 1973, Бруклин) — американский актёр, продюсер, композитор афро-арабского происхождения. Наиболее известен по роли доктора Эрика Формана в телесериале «Доктор Хаус».

Ранние годы
Эппс был воспитан матерью-одиночкой, которая была директором школы. До того, как Омар начал сниматься, он читал рэп в группе Wolfpak, которая была создана им и его братом в 1991 году. Он начал писать сценарии в 10 лет, поступил в школу музыки и искусства Fiorello H. LaGuardia.

Карьера
Омар чаще всего снимался в ролях, играя проблемного подростка или атлета. Эппс дебютировал в фильме «Авторитет» с рэпером Тупаком Шакуром.

Омар Эппс участвовал в нескольких эпизодах сериала «Скорая помощь» в роли доктора Денниса Гента, который умирает в эпизоде Night Shift после того, как его сбил поезд.

В 2005 и 2006 году был номинирован на NAACP Image Award как лучший актёр второго плана в сериале, и, наконец, получил её в 2007 году.

Эппс организовал собственную компанию Brooklyn Works Films. В ней Эппс выступает в качестве сценариста, продюсера и актёра.

Играл в таких фильмах как «Наперекор судьбе» вместе с Мэг Райан, «Альфи» вместе с Джудом Лоу и Сьюзан Сарандон, «Завтрак для чемпионов» вместе с Брюсом Уилисом и Ником Нолте, «Высшая лига 2» вместе с Чарли Шином, а также появлялся в фильмах «Крик 2» и «Брат якудзы» Такэси Китано. С 2004 по 2012 год снимался в популярном сериале «Доктор Хаус» в роли доктора Формана.

Эппс играет одну из главных ролей в сериале «Воскрешение», который вышел на ABC в сезоне 2013—2014 годов.

Личная жизнь
В 2004 году у него и его жены Кейши Спиви, которая поёт в хип-хоп группе Total, родилась дочь К'мари Мэй.

Фильмография

Награды и номинации

Ссылки

Выпускники Средней школы Фиорелло Х. Ла Гуардиа

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
NewsOxford School Shooting
Criminal charges against Oxford High School officials under consideration
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has charged 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley as an adult with murder and attempted murder in last week's tragic school shooting.
By: Jim Kiertzner
PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has charged 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley as an adult with murder and attempted murder in last week's tragic school shooting.
McDonald has charged Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents with involuntary manslaughter as the evidence shows they bought their son a 9mm Sig Sauer semi-automatic handgun as a Christmas present that was used in the school shooting.
Court hearing laying out allegations against Crumbley's parents
The prosecutor confirms she's looking at the actions of Oxford school counselors and administrators for their actions.
"There was absolutely evidence to suggest that there was an indication he might harm somebody and even kill somebody. We haven't ruled out charging anyone," McDonald said on CNN this morning.
The evidence shows on Monday, the day before the shooting, Ethan was reported to the office by a teacher who found him searching for ammunition on his cellphone. The prosecutor says Ethan explained it as "a family hobby."
On Tuesday just a couple of hours before the shooting, another teacher found Ethan with a picture he drew of a gun, a bullet, a student shot twice and the words, "The thoughts won't stop, please help me, blood everywhere, my life is useless, the world is dead."
That was reported to the office. The teacher reported it to the office. The teacher took a picture of it. The parents were called to the school. By then, much of the picture had been scratched out. The parents refused to take Ethan home. He was allowed to return to class.
"In this case, a lot could have been done different. I mean, that that meeting, he was allowed to go back to school," McDonald said on Good Morning America.
Prosecutor McDonald has charged both parents with involuntary manslaughter for buying their son the gun and not reporting that to school officials in that meeting. The same charges could come against school officials.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton is a Democrat, as is McDonald, and he tells 7 Action News, "She'd be looking at the same charges she leveled against the parents. And that's involuntary manslaughter. And then she'd have to prove that they, the school officials, were grossly negligent, pretty much being able to prove that they knew or should have known that this young man was going to do these horrific things."
Pete Lucido is a Republican and the Macomb County Prosecutor who takes a different view, telling 7 Action News, "Based on the small amount that I know, it's a slippery slope to start charging school officials and the reason why is I think that that needs to be played out. In a civil arena and not the criminal arena."
Oxford Superintendent Tim Throne in a detailed letter to the district said in part:
Given the fact that the child had no prior disciplinary infractions, the decision was made he would be returned to the classroom rather than sent home to an empty house. These incidents remained at the guidance counselor level and were never elevated to the principal or assistant principal's office.
The Michigan Education Association is the union for teachers and counselors at Oxford High School.
Doug Pratt is the Communications Director and tells 7 Action News, "Right now, the goal needs to be to deal with their trauma and the trauma of their students in that community that has to be our priority. You know, investigations need to happen. We need to look at the systems involved. And as I said, Everyone involved is going to rethink everything from Tuesday for the rest of their lives."
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has said his liaison officer inside Oxford High School was not called into the school meeting. No one searched Ethan's backpack or his school locker for a gun.
Involuntary manslaughter is up to 15 years in prison.
A lesser charge of misconduct in office is up to 5 years in prison.
Read the superintendent's full letter below:
Message From Supt. Throne - Dec. 4, 2021 by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd


How much do Assurance International employees make? Glassdoor has salaries, wages, tips, bonuses, and hourly pay based upon employee reports and estimates.
See Assurance International Hourly Pay, Assurance International Bonuses, or check out salaries for Assurance International Internship.


Theories of visual backward masking all assume that a masked target is eliminated from the visual system. Experiments on reaction time to masked signals suggest otherwise, as does a recent demonstration that a masked target can be restored to phenomenal awareness by backward masking of the target's mask. Two experiments are reported here that substantiate the possibility of recovering a masked target, by using different stimulus materials and a more elaborate design than was employed in the first demonstration of this effect.


This worm drive saw model is manufactured by Skilsaw, a company that recently repositioned itself on the market by branching from the Skill Tool brand and focusing exclusively on manufacturing industry-grade circular saws. It is a heavy-duty saw that is geared towards professional carpenters that need to have a reliable piece of machinery. So far, Skilsaw is delivering on its promise, as very little customers have anything but the words of praise for this particular model.
15 amp motor – This saw is equipped with a Dual-Field motor that was designed especially for circular saws. It offers plenty of power and torque and is a great tool to carry on a job. Even the toughest materials will budge thanks to its overwhelming power.
53-degree bevel – Most saws bevel to 51 degrees. This one goes to 53 degrees, which is great as it offers a wider variety of cuts and more precision during those cuts.
Anti-snag guard – The lower guard is designed with care, and allows you to perform delicate cuts on smaller pieces of material without getting caught on them, ensuring smooth and precise operation.
Cut-Ready – This saw features a CutReady feature that is great for adjusting cutting depth on the fly. It is a system that has standard cutting depth measures on depth bracket gauge, so there is no need to fiddle around with the settings and lose valuable time.
Lighter than most – Without the blade, the saw weighs less than 12 pounds, which is impressive if you consider that this is a worm drive saw. Its lightness means that it is easily maneuverable and you can use it for extended periods of time without getting excessively tired.
Impact-resistant blade – The factory blade that comes with this product is top quality, and is definitely not just for show. It is expertly made and prevents distortion and bending, and you will get a lot of good uses out of it.
While most users agree that this saw is absolutely worth its price some note that there are some smaller issues that the next models could resolve. They say that the bevel stop at 45 degrees sometimes work and sometimes doesn't, which is not a deal breaker but can be annoying.
SKILSAW SPT77WML-01 Worm Drive Circular Saw is Skilsaw's attempt to get back on the horse, and judging by customer feedback, they are succeeding at it. It is a great product geared towards working professionals that will use it frequently. It doesn't disappoint, and even though it is a bit pricier than other saws on the market, its performance certainly justifies the price.


Here you can find all informtaion about snowshoe hinking.
Walk through the deep snow-covered winter landscape around Katschberg. You will discover a pristine winter landscape and bring the greatest memories home with you.


But there are still a few to go!
I'm talking about concerts with the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble, Ms. Kat's Music for grown-ups (Get It Good), and a couple of private events… but keep your eyes open for more Ms. Kat concerts for kids in 2015!
Austin Tradition Lights up Start of Holiday Season.
Last night was our second concert of the season, hosted by the incredibly gracious and welcoming St. Louis King of France Catholic Church. Once again, we had a pleasingly full house there, and the applause positively echoes from the heights of the sanctuary!
Tuesday will see a private ACWE concert for the residents of Westminster Manor at 7pm.
Wednesday morning, I will be providing the accompaniment for the Covenant Preschool Nativity Play… and the first time that I haven't had a child of my own in attendance there in four years! This is such a sweet program, with the little ones so excited to dress up as kings and shepherds and angels, and raise their voices in song.
Wednesday night I'll throw my curfew to the wind and my electric guitar in the car to join the guys of Get It Good at our second appearance at Hanover's in Pflugerville! We'll start playing music around 8pm, but feel free to join us a bit earlier to visit and chat while we load in.
And finally, the last concert this week will again be with the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble, held in the sanctuary of Covenant United Methodist Church on Duval Road. Ever heard a 70-piece band play the theme from How the Grinch Stole Christmas? Or accompany a New York-style reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas? Or play Sleigh Ride? We're doing all of that, and so much more! Make it a date-night, or a special "late night" treat for your preschooler and join us Friday, December 19th at 7:30 pm!
Don't forget, we need EIGHT for a DATE, and sign up for Ms. Kat's FIRST public classes at the Northwest Recreation Center. You could also purchase a 5- or 8-class Punch Card as a non-cluttering "experience" gift for a grandchild, niece or nephew, or playgroup friend!
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