text:
Kiwi Comments About John Key's Rewriting of New Zealand's Turbulent Past – The Lies White People Tell.
Teamster / November 21, 2014
This is my fav #johnkeyhistory comment. His intro written for the NZ literature trail guide. #noneedtomakeitup pic.twitter.com/Iujhrh5Qhz
— Helen Kelly (@helenkellyCTU) November 20, 2014
For background read
NZ History lesson on Planet Key – the lies white people tell themselves (The Daily Blog)
Prime Minister's Warped View of History – NZ Greens:
Students who sat NCEA level 3 history exams last week might be very worried to hear the Prime Minister tell a Radio Station that New Zealand was one of the few countries that was settled peacefully by Europeans.
Those students who wrote about a bloody and violent settlement of Aotearoa in their NCEA exam; who wrote about the deaths of thousands of Maori and hundreds of Pakeha in land wars, about the wrongful confiscation of millions of acres of land, must think they'd got itall terribly wrong if the PM says New Zealand was settled peacefully.
But teachers we've spoken with today can put their minds at rest.
The Prime Minister, in fact, was the one who would have failed last week's NCEA level 3 history exam had he written about the peaceful and rosy settlement of New Zealand.
History teachers have told us that students of New Zealand history are taught a very different version of events; of a very unpeaceful process, one where Maori who fought against the Crown as it sought to obtain more land for settlers were punished with the confiscation of their land or even by death.
Kids who learn about New Zealand history are taught, in fact, that the direct source of the land wars in the 1860s was a misundertanding of the Treaty – a misunderstanding that led to horrible bloodshed and laws, such as the New Zealand Settlement Act 1865, which legislated for the confiscation of Maori land for use by settlers.
To call that a peaceful settlement is an example of the same kind of staggering arrogance as displayed by Australian Prime Minster Tony Abbott when he said last week that there was nothing but bush in Australia before the white men came along.
But John Key didn't finish there. He said early Maori would have been grateful for the injection of capital Pakeha brought with them when they settled in Aotearoa.
Maori would have been grateful.
For the capital.
The Prime Minister's warped view of history is an insult to all New Zealanders, especially to those who died trying to protect their land, and to Maori who are still fighting for the full settlement of past grievances today.
It is a perspective that is belies history, but is also damaging to race relations and undermining decades of efforts, including even by his own Government, to address some of the historic wrongs.
In reality, if John Key wanted to pass NCEA level 3 history he'd have needed to produce an essay much like this one.
November 21, 2014 in New Zealand. Tags: #johnkeyhistory, John Key, John Key rewrites history, New Zealand
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2 thoughts on "Kiwi Comments About John Key's Rewriting of New Zealand's Turbulent Past – The Lies White People Tell."
I would like to add that I profoundly disagree with the local concept of multiculturalism and the people born overseas always told they'll remain "foreigners" for the rest of their lives while allowed to live in their so called cultural communities. Because it is cultivated carelessness!
Firstly because many of us live here and yes, we manage to succeed in this country, not without struggle, however we live next to local born and bred and we see how some of them struggle to make the ends meet, that there are hungry children and struggling families living just next to you.
My question is: How is that this land is expecting the ever growing migrant population to generously give to the local community if they are being constantly told they are not a part of it?
That's a no-brainer really.
But this presumption that most of us just remain "tourists in New Zealand" is not only insulting, but also damaging the community. I reckon this country should seriously revise it's attitude. It's wrong.
Accents are not an excuse to segregate people and make them into classes, accents are not an excuse for the local nationalistic politicians to blame "foreigners" for the ever drowing powerty, crime and dispair amonst the locals.
John Key reflects the backstabbing, arrogant and "piss-taking" local culture (and we are "multicultural", it's not the only culture here, but it's clearly present)… nn
Because he is "National" (meaning "Nationalistic" to me) he now plays a populist card to appeal to one part of the country and disgrace the other. He is making these statements to simply win the votes of the "backbone", that is now angry, and turning xenophobic and racist because of the region capital deprivation policies his government has been pursuing for years.
That's why so many have to leave their home and go work in Auckland, that is hugely overcrowded, but can provide for work and relatively peaceful living, and where's plenty of space and opportunity to hate anyone you want to hate, if that's how you see the term "problem resolution".
Because John Key and his government are not goin to do anything to resolve New Zealand's socio-economic problems!
They can't!
Because all the money that this country earns now goes to "heal" the international financial system. It has been like that from the "early days" and will be like that foreever now because of the deals this country's government signed, because China is now taking care of New Zealand with Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement coming.
New Zealand is becoming a part of the New Pacific World Order, with winning Communist China and America number two, and John Key is simply trying to divide the local population to calm down the protests of the upcoming communism in this country…


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CDO to grant scholarships to 10K college students
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The local government here plans to provide 10,000 scholarship grants to qualified college students as its vision to construct a city college gains ground.
EDUCATION PLANS. Cagayan de Oro City Councilor Suzzete Magtajas-Daba (center) discusses plans at the Local School Board in this file photo. The city government is eyeing to provide 10,000 scholarship grants to qualified college students, the councilor said on Friday (Nov. 11, 2022). (Photo courtesy of Councilor Daba's FB Page)
City Councilor Suzette Magtajas-Daba said the plan to increase the scholarship slots was part of the campaign promise of Mayor Rolando Uy.
"The scholarships are not only for students who have high grades; there are also slots for those who have average grades as long as they did not fail any subjects," she told the Cagayan de Oro Press Club during its 71st founding anniversary where she ws guest.
Daba, who chairs the city council's committee on education, authored the Scholarship Code in 2018, which expanded the number of scholarship grantees in the city. In 2013, there were only 300 scholars here, and only 700 in 2016.
After the passage of the Code, Daba said the number of scholars increased to 8,200, receiving stipends of around PHP1,000 to PHP1,500 monthly.
"We are also planning to expand these scholarships for those who wish to study medicine and law," she added.
Meanwhile, creating a city college is also part of the current administration's plans. There is now a technical working group doing a feasibility study for the project.
The plan for a city college has long been proposed by the City Council for decades. (PNA)
Timor-Leste to become ASEAN's 11th member
Samar farmers learn how to become entrepreneurs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Net Traveller
About technology, travel and lifestyle, by Tom Worthington.
Building on ANU Excellence
Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where the Vice Chancellor, Ian Young is speaking on "Building on ANU Excellence". This essentially an update of his presentation "New Strategic Direction for ANU" in 2011. The VC issued an "Invitation to join a discussion forum", including adjunct staff such as myself.
The VC showed several tables indicating that ANU was performing well in comparison to other universities in Australia and world wide. This is in line with the ANU by 2020 Strategic Plan. ANU does well in terms of the excellence of its research and the satisfaction of student's with teaching. However, an area in which there is room for improvement is "Generic Skills". It happens that for my final assignment in the ANU Certificate in Higher Education earlier this year, I looked at how to provide "generic skills" (see: On-line Professional Education For Australian Research-Intensive Universities in the Asian Century and Report on Incorporating Professional Skills in the ANU Master of Computing).
One recent ANU innovation isn "vertical degrees" with students signing up for a bachelor followed by a masters, allowing six months to be shaved off the overall time, while improving the quality. Also "Flexible Double Degrees" will be added, allowing students to choose from a grater range of double degrees.
The VC explained that ANU's funds come from: 24% HECS, 20% International students, 6% postgraduate, 15% research block grants and 35% national institutes grant. Within the university about 60% of the revenue from students goes to the individual colleges, with the rest for the central provision of services across the university. In contrast almost all of the national institutes grants are directed to specific research areas. The research block grants are mostly allocated to the researcher's college. Curiously, unlike undergraduates, where the money is received each year the student studies, the ANU receives the bulk of the money for a postgraduate student only when the student completes (which I assume the government does to encourage completion).
The VC went on to talk about ANU joining the edX MOOC consortium. He said he did not anticipate this replacing formal degree programs. edX will provide a taste of ANU for potential students. This is also a marking exercise, positioning ANU alongside world leading universities. ANU will also look more at on-line education for international and mature students. He expected that young undergraduates will still attend campus, but will do some of their students on-line (called blended mode in the educational jargon). I find in teaching students on-line that the students with more experience cope better. The VC pointed out that one benefit of the interest in MOOCs is fostering a discussion of how to provide high quality education which incorporates e-learning.
A less glamorous but important aspect the VC then addressed was administrative processes. He pointed out a need for clarity but noted this will be difficult due to the ANU's devolved administration. One thing the VC said he would not do is restructure the university but instead make the existing units processes consistent. An "ANU Services Improvement Program", run by a ANU Service Improvement Group has been set up. To me the obvious solution to this is to provide good quality corporate on-line systems and training for their use.
At question time one issue which came up was how to make more use of the skills of adjunct staff. This was pleasing to hear as one of these.
Posted by Tom Worthington at 11:32 AM
Labels: ANU, generic skills
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Canberra, ACT, Australia
Tom Worthington is an independent computer professional, educational design consultant and an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Research School of Computer Science at the Australian National University. A Certified Professional member of the Australian Computer Society, in 2015 Tom received a national gold Digital Disruptors Award for "ICT Education" and in 2010 was Canberra ICT Educator of the Year. Tom previously worked on IT policy for the Australian Government and in 1999 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society for his contribution to the development of public Internet policy. He is a Past President, Honorary Life Member, Certified Professional and a Certified Computer Professional of the society as well as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Tom has a Masters of Education (specializing in Distance Education) from Athabasca University, a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from the Australian National University and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from the Canberra Institute of Technology.


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PM - combat troops will withdraw from Afghanistan by 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron has said the withdrawal of British combat troops from Afghanistan by 2015 was a 'firm deadline' that would be met.
Ministry of Defence and The Rt Hon David Cameron
Prime Minister David Cameron speaking to British troops in Afghanistan (stock image) [Picture: Sergeant Ian Forsyth, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
Speaking at the close of the NATO Summit in Lisbon, the Prime Minister said that the Afghan National Security Forces would begin taking charge of security from early next year.
He said the process would be complete by the end of 2014, allowing British troops to step back from combat roles by 2015:
The commitment we have entered into today to transfer the lead responsibility for security to the Afghan Government by the end of 2014 will pave the way for British combat troops to be out of Afghanistan by 2015," he told an end-of-Summit press conference. "This is a firm deadline that we will meet.
Mr Cameron's comments come after the leaders of NATO's 28 states backed a strategy to transfer leadership for the fight against the Taliban to Afghan National Security Forces by the end of 2014.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai attended the Summit, where he signed a long-term security partnership with NATO.
Mr Cameron hailed the agreement as the beginning of a 'new phase in the campaign':
This is a commitment made at the very highest level, with the broadest possible international support," he said.
While UK forces would no longer be involved in combat duties by 2015, Mr Cameron said NATO had also agreed to provide long-term support for Afghanistan on training, diplomacy and development:
We will stand by Afghanistan for many years to come," he said.
On Friday, member states agreed a new ten-year 'strategic concept', a document that defines the fundamental nature of NATO's role in the world.
The document commits NATO members 'to defend one another against attack, including against new threats to the safety of our citizens', without defining a geographical limit to its theatre of operations.
Also at the Summit, Russia agreed to co-operate on NATO's programme to defend against ballistic missile attacks.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the two sides had agreed in writing that they no longer posed a threat to one another.


THE hidden victims of Scotland's alcohol crisis must be identified and given every possible support, MSPs will be told this week.
Up to 51,000 children are living with problem drinkers with experts fearing thousands of childhoods are being ruined and their futures blighted by drink.
Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, is to hold a debate at the Scottish Government on Wednesday aimed at making it easer for alcoholics and their families to find help and support.
Ms Lennon said Scotland needs to "pursue a radical culture change" to combat a drink problem costing the country around £3.36 billion.
She has lodged a motion at Parliament calling for action to reduce the number of alcohol and drug-related deaths in Scotland, which has been backed by a number of MSPs across all parties.
The number of people dying because of alcohol rose to 1,265 last year up 10% from 2015, with around a third of these involving people under 44.
The number of people who die in Scotland due to alcoholism is 1.5 times the rate of anywhere else in the UK.
Ms Lennon said: "At Christmas we all want to be with people we love but if harmful drinking or drugs misuse is affecting your family, the festive season isn't fun.
"Without the sanctuary of school, this is especially hard for young children, or students returning home.
The issues are set to be discussed in Holyrood this week with Ms Lennon also being invited to meet health minister Aileen Campbell to discuss further proposals for a public alcohol campaign.
Along with a discussion around prevention and support, the Labour MSP hopes to talk about children who have parents with alcohol problems.
Ms Lennon said: "You have to put into context the rest of the UK, in Westminster there is an all-party group on this issue and there has been quite a lot of attention given to children of alcoholics.
In October, Ms Lennon told the Sunday Post how her father Gerard's death in 2015 was related to his alcoholism in a bid to raise awareness of the problems.
A man who suffered brain damage due to alcoholism – and lost his brother and cousin to the same addiction – has told of the devastation booze can bring to families.
Jim Martin, 62, had no idea that his first taste of alcohol at age 11 would lead to a 41-year battle with drink, which saw him lose his home, livelihood and family members.
Jim, from Springburn in Glasgow, said he was "probably an alcoholic" by 15 years old, and still remembers his first drink during a 1967 party to celebrate Celtic winning the European cup.
He said: "It was huge, everyone was drinking in each other's houses.
Jim started working at a young age in Glasgow's meat markets, where drink was freely available.
Jim later worked as a chef all over the country, and had no problem affording booze due the constant stream of cash he was earning, but eventually had to stop as drinking cider and vodka every day was causing blackouts.
The addiction reached its peak when Jim discovered his partner of 12 years Christine dead in their home; she had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis years earlier.
Jim said: "I had done first aid courses before so I felt her neck and knew she was dead. I had a bottle of vodka there, and the only way I could handle it was to sit and drink about a glass of straight vodka.
"I sat for two hours, not knowing how to handle it.
In the months after Christine's funeral, Jim drank at least two litres of vodka a day, stopped eating and wasn't taking care of his appearance or hygiene.
Despite an attempt at rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous he relapsed and eventually became homeless, sleeping under the Kingston Bridge.
Jim said: "In 2004 I lost my brother. He died from alcohol poisoning at 45.
Jim was hospitalised almost every month in 2006, but eventually staff from Glasgow city council's Alcohol Related Brain Damage (ARBD) team offered him support.
He was referred to Penumbra – a charity which supports people with ARBD – and moved in to their supported accommodation. As his body got used to life without booze, Jim suffered terrifying hallucinations, sweats, shakes and vomiting.
His short-term memory is still affected and he still has seizures despite being sober for more than a decade.
Now Jim focuses on helping others with alcohol problems through AA, Penumbra, and another Glasgow charity Flourish House.
Jim said he thinks more support should be available before people are at crisis point in hospital as he knows there are hundreds more people in the country with the same problems he used to have.


The Guitar Play-Along Series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily! Just follow the tab, listen to the recording to hear how the guitar should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. The melody and lyrics are also included in the book in case you want to sing, or to simply help you follow along. This second edition features 8 songs, including: Alcohol • Beer for My Horses • Here for the Party • Honky Tonk Badonkadonk • It's Five O'Clock Somewhere • Life Is a Highway • Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) • Summertime.


Udaipur : Family members of a pregnant woman created ruckus at the district civil hospital in the early hours of Tuesday after the woman died when she was referred to Udaipur for treatment.
Neeta Yadav wife of Shubham was admitted in the government MG hospital on Monday evening. Family members said that she was fine until late night when she went in labour and delivered a baby. Both the mother and child were fine but around 1 am, her condition deteriorated and she started bleeding excessively after the staff removed her uterus due to some complications, family members alleged. The doctor referred the woman to Udaipur due to shortage of blood in the hospital and while the family members had gone to arrange for the ambulance, the staff disconnected the oxygen supply and laid her on a stretcher and sent her downstairs.
The woman could not breathe and died, her relatives claimed. They cried medical negligence on the part of the staff who, they alleged, didn't wait until the ambulance having proper oxygen cylinder arrived. They protested over the death and created much commotion at the hospital premises. Police was called in to control the situation which remained tensed for some hours. The deceased's family demanded police complaint to be lodged for medical negligence while the hospital authorities tried to pacify them. A medical board was constituted to conduct an autopsy.


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Home taiwan China holds military drill as US envoy visits Taiwan
China holds military drill as US envoy visits Taiwan
President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday described American Under Secretary of State Keith Krach's visit to Taiwan as a "milestone for a deepened Taiwan-U.S. relationship" during a banquet she hosted for Krach and his delegation, who are in Taiwan for a three-day visit.
The banquet was held at Tsai's official residence in Zhongzheng District, Taipei and was not opened for media coverage.
According to a press statement issued later by the Presidential Office, Tsai thanked Krach and his delegation for visiting Taiwan and relaying the U.S. government's support for Taiwan's democracy.
Tsai also expressed hope that future cooperation and dialogue between Taiwan and the U.S. can proceed smoothly.
On Friday, Undersecretary of State Keith Krach, who handles the economic growth, energy and the environment portfolio, held talks with Taiwan's minister of economic affairs and the Cabinet's vice premier.
In response to Krach's visit, China's PLA held combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait, at least the second round of war games this month aimed at intimidating supporters of the island's independent political identity.
Taiwan said Chinese warplanes entered its airspace over two days last week during large-scale war games that it called a "serious provocation to Taiwan and a grave threat to regional peace and stability."
"This is a legitimate and necessary action taken in response to the current situation across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," said China's Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang.
In a brief message on its microblog, the Eastern Theater Command said the exercises involved naval and air force units in the Taiwan Strait aimed at gauging their ability to carry out joint operations.
China on Thursday condemned Krach's visit and warned it could retaliate. It views Taiwan as part of its own territory and strongly opposes any type of formal interaction between other countries and the self-ruled island democracy.
Krach's trip follows a visit in August by US Health Secretary Alex Azar, the highest-level US Cabinet official to make the trip since the US switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979.
It is one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen relations with Taiwan, including stepped-up arms sales and support for the island's participation in international forums.
Before Krach's arrival, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, had lunch Wednesday with Taiwan's top official in New York, in a meeting she called historic.
On Saturday, the last day of his visit, Krach will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the island's transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July.
Krach is the highest ranking U.S. State Department official to visit Taiwan since 1979, when Washington switched diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China.
Edited by staff
Source: FocusTaiwan/BBC/Yahoo News
Krach visit to Taiwan
Tsai Ing-wen
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Mikään ei voita hopeaketjun ajatonta eleganssia. Se on muotoiltu vahvasta ruostumattomasta teräksestä. Tässä ketjussa on tukeva 8 mm leveys ja vahva hummerilukko.
Chain was exactly what we expected. We laughed at the e-mails, the delivery was difficult to track at the start later on, and the chain came within the specified period. Absolutely great.
Chain looks good, Promte delivery is very satisfied.
I like this product very much and I am happy with it.
A good and nice silver link.
A great place to shop. Everything went smoothly and fast.


The French bistro is one of three of the Bleeding Heart restaurants. With walls adorned with 19th century French wine posters and eccentric vineyard sculpture, the warm and cheerful ambience is the ideal place to enjoy the 450-long wine list. Celebrated as City AM as the 'best French Bistro in London', the 60 seat terrace is extremely popular throughout the summer where you can enjoy lobster dishes and chilled rose.


text:
Q: mod_rewrite rules definition i have a Problem with my .htaccess/mod_rewrite:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^sometest/(.+)/page/([0-9]+)$ index.php?main=sometest/$1&page=$2
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?main=$1 [QSA]

This does not work. If i visit my website the css files are not included.
I include them like "/assets/css/blabla.css".
If i delete just one RewriteRule (doesn't matter which one) it works. But i need both rules.

A: You must use skip flag skip|S=numfor this.
like :
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d  [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f  [NC]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^(.*)/([^/]+)\.([^/]+)$
RewriteRule ^ - [S=2,L]
RewriteRule ^sometest/(.+)/page/([0-9]+)$ index.php?main=sometest/$1&page=$2 [S=1,L]
RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?main=$1 [QSA,L]

see this page for more information http://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_rewrite.html#rewriterule

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


After two years out of the spotlight, Indie rocker Dan Mangan returns to the public eye, bringing a six-piece band along for the ride. Releasing a music video for their new single "Vessels" on October 21,Dan Mangan and the band have high hopes for the upcoming year–. They are releasing their new album Club Meds on January. 13, 2015.
Mangan is a Canadian musician and songwriter based out of Vancouver, British Colombia. While his music can be described generally as "indie folk-rock," the range of his music is much broader–drawing comparisons to UK artists such as Radiohead and Peter Gabriel.
While "Dan Mangan + Blacksmith" is a new label, the band is comprised of members who have been part of Mangan's ensemble for years. Having released music under his own name in the past, Mangan saw it as only logical that credit be given to the rest of the musicians.
"It's weird to feel like a band but be named as an individual. This gives credence to all the amazing players I get to work with, and how much time/energy they've put into the project," says Mangan.
Working with Colin Stewart— who has worked with artists such as A.C. Newman and Pink Mountaintops— Mangan describes their co-producing partnership as clear-cut.
"Colin and I have a really beautiful working relationship. It's easy," states Mangan.
The end product of this partnership is Club Meds, featuring 11 tracks from the seven-piece ensemble prepped for 2015.
Alongside an equally psychedelic music video, "Vessels" can be seen as a continued departure from Mangan's earlier folk hits like "Robots" and "Road Regrets." Featuring a simplistic flute synthesizer and reverberated drum beat, the track continues to expand as the song progresses until it reaches its finale as a chaotic sounding orchestra– all within the span of approximately three minutes.
The track was also key to the independent film, Hector And The Search For Happiness, an adventure-drama starring Simon Pegg. Mangan, having scored the film alongside fellow B.C. musician Jesse Zubot, aligned the release of the single with the release of the film in theatres.
While the album has yet to be made available, the band already has plans set for a North American tour . With Dan Mangan + Blacksmith taking the stage on March 5, 2015 at the Garrick Centre , Mangan alludes to acolourful visual performance in the band's live set.
Club Meds will be available on Jan. 13, 2015 . Dan Mangan + Blacksmith will be playing the Garrick Centre on March 5, 2015 . Tickets are available at galleryac.com and Ticketmaster .


text:
- add functions `nextSecond`, `nextMinute`, `nextHour`, `prevSecond`, `prevMinute` and `prevHour`.

# 0.3.0 (2017-06-25)

### Breaking Changes

- importing: make import statement be `import { ExtDate, ExtInterval } from 'extdate'` instead of `import { ExtDate } from 'extdate/lib/ExtDate'`

# 0.2.1 (2017-03-09)

### Bug Fixes

- add "lib" directory to files in package.json

# 0.2.0 (2017-03-09)

### Features

- provide boolean methods: `isSameX(date)` ([#9](https://github.com/chase0213/extdate/issues/9))

# 0.1.1 (2017-03-08)

- Initial release

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Bituchem has re-invented its leading Natratex product to create a new porous alternative to the popular asphalt material. Natratex Porous has been designed to replicate the natural infiltration methods of water and doing away with the need for conventional draining systems.
Bituchem has introduced Natratex Porous in response to the demand for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in commercial and domestic landscaping due to the prolonged periods of rainfall, whilst maintaining the natural aesthetics of the Natratex product.
Natratex Porous is suitable for areas that see pedestrian and light vehicular use such as car parks, footpaths, recreational parks, residential roads and driveways, and especially areas that are susceptible to flooding. Available in buff, grey, red or salmon, the colour co-ordinated aggregate and pigments combined with a clear binder provides a decorative yet durable hard landscaping surface, suitable for those who are looking to achieve a natural looking finish.
As with all of Bituchem's products, Natratex Porous is laid as a monolithic surface allowing the water to filter through the material itself. This reduces the risk of trip hazards when compared to other permeable paving, as they are often laid in blocks to allow the water to absorb through the gaps. The material also offers a relatively smooth textured surface which is kinder to small knees, making it particularly suitable for playground applications.
A demonstration of how Bituchem's Natratex Porous works can be seen at http://youtu.be/5U1UnL08Ysw.


In recent decades, automobile manufacturers have modified their designs to take advantage of new advances in technology to prevent deaths. New car and truck models rolling off the assembly line in 2017 have improved crumple zones, headrests designed to reduce the risk of a driver's head whipping around violently, cameras that cover a vehicle's blind spots, collision detection technology, and even—in some models—the ability to brake and even drive on autopilot in certain conditions.
All this new technology should lead to a reduction in traffic deaths. But fatalities on America's roadways aren't dropping. Instead, they're spiking—and experts believe that technology is to blame.
The problem: drivers are succumbing to distraction and taking their eyes off the road. Apps like Pokemon Go and Snapchat have been blamed for distracted driving accidents. Waze, an app that attempted to increase safety by allowing users to report accidents they see on the road, has become a distraction; traffic safety experts suspect that many users are fiddling with the app when they're behind the wheel.
New features within vehicles may also be contributing to distractions. Many passenger vehicles now come with their own Wi-Fi, allowing drivers to browse the internet as they hurtle down the highway. Others allow smartphones to connect to systems within the car, so drivers can place calls, dictate texts, and speak to digital personal assistants while they operate their vehicles. While automakers claim that hands-free systems can reduce driver distraction, studies have shown that drivers using hands-free devices are still at high risk for errors caused by inattention.
When you look out your windshield at a busy street, you're not mentally processing 100% of the visual cues your eyes send to your brain. Busy humans suffer from a psychological shortfall called inattention blindness: our conscious mind records what we expect to see, and if something out of the ordinary happens, we may not realize that we're in a dangerous situation until it's too late to prevent disaster from happening.
In the 1970s, scientists first described a psychological state called "change blindness." If a change to a scene happens during an eye movement or a time when someone is looking away, it's possible that humans may not notice that the scene has changed at all. Looking repeatedly at a cell phone screen is more than enough to induce change blindness.
Even when drivers keep their eyes on the road, they're not immune to distractions which increase the risk of a car accident. Brain scans have shown that when people are listening to someone talking on the phone, the area of the brain that's responsible for processing moving images decreases its activity. Brain activity in that vital area can be reduced by as much as a third if someone's talking on a cell phone while they drive, even if both hands are still on the wheel.


The winter can be a lovely time of holiday parties, visiting family and friends and sipping on tasty warm beverages. Unfortunately plenty of these warm beverages stain our teeth. And the not so warm beverages being served at the holiday party… think red wine and whiskey cokes, are also staining beverages. So how do you combat this? We don't expect you to NOT grab that gingerbread spiced latte or pass up the glass of cabernet. Instead Forest Edge Dental has come up with tips on how to enjoy your warm beverages and cocktails throughout the winter while keeping your pearly whites protected.
Coffee, lattes, soda and black tea can all be sipped through a straw to reduce the amount of contact the beverage has with your teeth. When sipping try not to swish the liquid around the mouth and teeth. We know this may not be the most ideal as you may feel silly but it can really do wonders. And as silly as it may feel at first, we think it's better than stained and yellowing teeth.
Anything you drink or eat that could be teeth staining should have water sipped between. Red wine and even chocolate can stain your teeth. While you enjoy a glass of red wine, take a sip of water between to help rinse away the wine on your teeth.
The longer a stain sits on your teeth the more damage the stain can do to your teeth. Brushing about thirty minutes after you eat or drink can help wash away the stains sitting on your teeth. We suggest waiting the thirty minutes due to enamel damage from the acidic drinks softening your teeth. Also, don't forget to floss! Plaque attracts stains. Often people who don't floss will notice staining around the surfaces of their teeth.
Once you are done having your morning coffee or done with the wine at dinner, chew sugar-free gum. Sugar-free gum helps with the production of saliva which helps wash away stains and fight plaque.
Use whitening toothpaste and mouthwashes with the American Dental Association seal of approval. Also over the counter or professional teeth whitening services are excellent choices for those that are seeing staining and often drink staining beverages. If you believe your teeth are highly stained and you would like, talk to your cosmetic dentist in Hoffman Estates about porcelain veneers.
Contact Forest Edge Dental for professional teeth whitening in Hoffman Estates to keep your pearly whites shining this winter!


It's Friday – and this week has seemed less long and arduous than last week – thank goodness! Granted; I've never been one to see a Friday arrive and this weekend is no exception – I've got all kinds of goodness on the agenda this weekend! Shall we begin?
One. Star Wars Episode VIII – Yep, you're reading that right. I'm one of those people that has tickets to see the newest entry in the Star Wars saga on opening night – and I cannot wait! I'm headed to see the movie with my tried and true movie viewing partner Jennie and we are watching at The Alamo! The Alamo puts on a great movie experience and so I'm sure there will be delicious Star Wars themed food and drink to indulge in!
Any thoughts and ideas (NOT spoilers) about what the movie will reveal? I just really want to know who Rey's parents are!
Two. Ryan Zimmerman – I met a Washington Nationals player…not just any Nationals player, THE Nationals player. Ryan Zimmerman, the face of the franchise! Let me back up though – Tuesday night, Ryan Zimmerman was at Clearbrook Park for a meet and greet to support his charity, the ZiMS foundation and since Clearbrook Park is literally fifteen minutes from my office – of course I went!
It was absolutely frigid outside on Tuesday night – I think it was about 25 outside and with the wind chill it felt like 15 – happily they had the meet and greet inside a tent, so no one froze! It was snowing as we walked over to the tent but happily once inside, it was warmer and the line was not too bad.
After waiting just about twenty-five minutes, we were up and I was able to tell Ryan that his 2017 season was so much fun to watch. He was so nice and I got to check off an item on my bucket list – I've met a player from my favorite team! Hopefully he will be the first of many!
Three. Perfectly Posh Splurge – Every month Perfectly Posh offers a limited time item called the "Splurge" and this month's…well it looks absolutely divine! It's a whipped body butter and it's Marshmallow and Macadamia Nut! Of course; as with everything that Perfectly Posh makes, it's all natural, cruelty free and under $25! In fact – this awesome body butter is only $19!
In addition to the yummy body butter (available while supplies last) – Perfectly Posh has all kinds of deals for the holidays! Today and tomorrow, Posh is offering free shipping on orders of $75.00 or more…and if you purchase a Posh to Meet You Bundle (a hand cream, a chunk soap and a lip balm for $22.00) you receive a Skin Stick of your choice for free!
Four. Weekend Plans – My weekend plans have changed a bit since I started writing this post; but that's all well and good! I'm going to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi tonight with some friends and I cannot wait! My Saturday plans have unfortunately been altered a little bit by a sick pup – it seems my dog has come down with kennel cough – and so I'll be taking the little fellow to the vet on Saturday morning and getting him some relief in the form of antibiotics.
Saturday night my family and I are going out to dinner with some friends that we've known for literally my entire life and then I might learn to play canasta – that's a card game – did you know this? We'll see… Sunday afternoon we will be doing Christmas with some family friends and at some point this weekend I plan to get in some exercise (can't let the holidays get to my waistline…) and hopefully finish the last two episodes of the second season of The Crown! Whoosh!
What I did not know is that there was a mastermind behind the gunpowder plot named Robert Catesby – Guy Fawkes just provided the ammo and a bad attitude, ha-ha! The miniseries that was first shown on BBC is premiering on HBO and will show on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I'm not sure I'll catch it all as it airs – but I am looking forward to checking it out!
So – that's my five for this Friday! What about everyone – looking forward to anything this weekend? It's the last weekend before the weekend before Christmas…I can't believe how quickly December is flying by! Happy weekend everyone – and enjoy!


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Aishwarya in Scorseses net
The Princess of Cannes (that's what the press calls Aishwarya Rai Bachchan there) has caught the attention of legendary Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese big time at the French Riviera. A source at the film festival said that Scorsese has been constantly showering attention on the beautiful Mrs Bachchan, and with reason. He, apparently, wants to cast her in his next film. The source added, "The two have had discussions before, the meeting in Cannes gave them just the excuse to bond over films, India and Bollywood."
Scorsese, whose World Cinema Foundation is busy restoring revered but ravaged film classics, showed his latest work — the Italian classic II Gattapardo directed by Lucino Viscomti, at Cannes to a select audience including Ash. And after the screening, he invited her for a very exclusive dinner where there were just eight guests. The American filmmaker and Bollywood diva were in earnest and continuous discussion throughout. Scorsese is now working on restoring Uday Shankar's classic dance-ballet film Kalpana. And is said to have discussed his plans with Ash. Coming Sunday at a Cannes dinner in honour of Scorsese, Ash is a special invitee. The Cannes source reported, "Scorsese has admired Aishwarya's work from the time he saw her in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas . He has expressed a keen desire to cast her in his next film, an offer that she is inclined to accept."
This article was first seen HERE.
Posted at 11:22 AM in Current Affairs, Film | Permalink


Update: At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the Falmouth Police Department reported that Lacey Martin has been found.
Falmouth Police Department is asking for your assistance in locating a runaway juvenile.
Lacey Martin is 15 years old and was last seen on Davisville Road @ 6 PM Last Night (Friday 02/08/19).
She is Caucasian, 5'9, has brown curly hair, and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, ripped black jeans, and red sneakers.


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Chilean government launches LGBTQ, intersex rights campaign
Women and Gender Equity Undersecretary Luz Vidal Huiriqueo spoke exclusively with the Blade
Esteban Guzmán
Women and Gender Equity Undersecretary Luz Vidal Huiriqueo has participated in the Chilean government's LGBTIQA+ Roundtable. (Photo courtesy of Chile's Women and Gender Equity Ministry)
SANTIAGO, Chile — Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Wednesday launched his government's first LGBTQ and intersex rights campaign that seeks to reduce discrimination against the country's queer community.
According to the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh), a Chilean LGBTQ and intersex rights organization, hate crimes against the community have increased this year by 66 percent. Five people have also been murdered because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression.
Boric during his campaign against José Antonio Kast, a far-right former congressman, pledged to promote LGBTQ and intersex rights and policies during his administration. The #LivingWithPride campaign is part of these efforts.
Boric's first gesture towards the queer community was to appoint Marco Antonio Avila, a gay man, as his government's education minister and Alexandra Benado Vergara, a lesbian woman, as Chile's next sports minister. Ávila and Benado arrived at La Moneda, the Chilean presidential palace, with Boric on March 11 when he took office.
"President Gabriel Boric Font's government has implemented a series of measures that seek to advance in safeguarding the rights of LGBTQ+ people," Women and Gender Equity Undersecretary Luz Vidal Huiriqueo told the Washington Blade in an exclusive interview after the government launched the #LivingWithPride (#VivirConOrgullo in Spanish) campaign.
Vidal said "one of the relevant lines of work that the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity has developed since we took office … seeks to highlight the structural difficulties experienced by people of the LGBTIQA+ community, move towards state representation, since there is currently no institutionality that welcomes this community."
"This is why we have taken the mandate to welcome this population, within the legal possibilities that govern the ministry," Vidal emphasized to the Blade.
Vidal said "the gender mainstreaming network that has been reactivated with our government has opened a door to the organizations of the LGBTIQA+ community in all portfolios."
"The advisors in charge of gender mainstreaming do not understand gender in a binary way, they have the conviction that we must also develop public policies for the LGBTIQA+ community." she told the Blade.
Boric directed the Women and Gender Equity Ministry and his administration's sociocultural coordinator to create and lead an "LGBTIQA+ Roundtable," which includes organizations, activists and members of the LGBTQ Congressional Caucus to work to implement their demands because Chile thus far does not have a government institution that specifically addresses queer rights.
"The roundtable's objective is to generate and prioritize, together with the LGBTIQA+ community, guidelines for the development of public policies on the matter, from an intersectoral perspective," said Vidal. "More than 35 civil society organizations from all over the country, representatives of the Legislative Branch and different (Executive Branch) portfolios have participated."
Vidal stressed "this space of constant linkage with social organizations has allowed us to know the reality that social organizations of the LGBTIQA+ community live when linking with State agencies." She also noted "the experience has been successful, being a valuable space that will allow us to build a work path for the design of gender equality public policies relevant to the LGBTIQA+ community, to improve their lives and eradicate gender-based violence and hate crimes against the community."
The roundtable has been meeting once a month since May. It's last 2022 meeting will take place this month, and it will resume its work next year.
Vidal told the Blade that transgender women can now use her ministry's public policies.
"We consider trans women as part of the diversity of women, which implies that they can access the different benefits of the National Service for Women and Gender Equity (SernamEG), which is the executing body of the ministry's programs," she said.
Another initiative Vidal highlighted is the incorporation of a "social name" section in the public employment pages for those who have not yet legally changed their name. This option allows people to identify themselves as trans or nonbinary.
The Education Ministry "has developed a participatory process for the design of the Bill on National Policy on Education on Affectivity and Comprehensive Sexuality. It has also made it possible for students, mothers, fathers, parents, guardians and education workers to participate in what Vidal described as "non-sexist" education workshops.
Related Topics:ChilefeaturedGabriel BoricLuz Vidal HuiriqueoMovilh
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The' LGBTIQA+ Roundtable''s first year of work ended on Jan. 6, 2023. Forty-two organizations from across Chile participated. (Photo courtesy of the Women and Gender Equity Ministry)
A conversative Chilean newspaper's article on Sunday that said the Women and Gender Equity Ministry was preparing to introduce a bill that would create an LGBTQ and intersex rights undersecretariat prompted mixed reactions across the country.
The ministry in 2022 launched its first "LGBTIQA+ Roundtable" that includes representatives of different public institutions, organizations and Chilean LGBTQ and intersex activists who are working to improve the quality of life for the country's queer community that over the last year has seen an increase in attacks and hate crimes.
LGBTQ and intersex rights in Chile have gained ground over the last decade.
Civil unions, marriage equality, transgender rights and an anti-discrimination law are some of the successes that took time to take effect. There is, however, no state institution or public policy that works to ensure historically discriminated LGBTQ and intersex Chileans are included. This is why activists feel the "LGBTIQA+ Roundtable" that President Gabriel Boric's government is promoting is an unprecedented opportunity.
Jaime Nazar, left, Javier Silva with their two children shortly after they married in Santiago, Chile, on March 10, 2022. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Forty-two organizations from across Chile participated in the roundtable during its first year, which culminated on Jan. 6 with the signing of an agreement between the Women and Gender Equity Ministry's Women and Gender Equality Undersecretariat and the Interior and Public Safety Ministry's Crime Prevention Undersecretariat to assist people across the country who are victims of anti-LGBTQ attacks. The roundtable at the same time also announced it will send a bill to Congress later in 2023 that would expand the ministry's mandate to ensure "the LGBTIQA+ community is included."
There has yet to be an announcement on the creation of an LGBTQ and intersex undersecretariat.
Most Chilean media outlets covered this report after El Mercurio published it on Sunday. José Antonio Kast, an extreme right-wing politician who is a former presidential candidate, on his Twitter account criticized what turned out to be inaccurate.
"Chile is poorer, more violent and insecure than a year ago and the inept government is dedicated to enlarge the State to deepen its ideological agenda, instead of solving social urgencies," wrote the Republican Party leader.
The ministry told the Washington Blade that "the roundtable with organizations from the LGBTIQA+ community has just been finalized."
"One of the demands is to have an institutionality," said the ministry. "During 2023 it will be defined which is the progressive path, while the anti-discrimination law is improved at the same time."
Women and Gender Equity Undersecretary Luz Vidal Huiriqueo on her social media networks said "we met with LGBTQ+ organizations for seven months" and the ministry made "security, employment and health priorities."
"On the 1st we advanced in an agreement with (the Crime Prevention Undersecretariat) to properly address and for the long challenges we committed to propose an institutional mechanism," said Vidal.
Vidal said in an exclusive interview with the Blade before El Mercurio published its inaccurate report that "finding and giving answers to the demands of the LGBTIQA+ population in Chile is a commitment for President Gabriel Boric's government that will not be put aside for anything."
"We at the (Women and Gender Equality Ministry) have embraced the day-to-day needs that this community, in many cases, has to survive," said Vidal from her office. "That is why, from our ministry, we have created this intergovernmental roundtable to have a fluid and permanent communication with LGBTIQA+ organizations.
Vidal added Boric "instructed us to move from discourse to action."
"We have to get to work. We have to implement the agreements," said Vidal. "We can't just make pretty announcements and that is our commitment. The commitment we have today is to work for women, for gender equity, for and with the entire population, in favor of all citizens and of those who lack the presence of the State."
Chilean authorities after signing an agreement to provide additional government assistance to hate crimes victims. (Photo courtesy of the Women and Gender Equity Ministry)
The undersecretary told the Blade the need to incorporate the queer community into the ministry's work is important because "the State, as of today, has no powers to specifically address the LGBTQ+ population."
"We need to create a progressive path that, whether an institutional or other figure, allows us to implement public policies," she said.
That supposed institutionality was the one that sparked controversy last Sunday and it will not be an easy path, regardless of the mechanism that Boric's government ultimately chooses to implement.
"I think it is not going to be an easy process," said Vidal. "It is not going to be a project that we can say, we are going to take them out at the end of the year, that is clear to us. Even today it is difficult to move forward with projects or the work that the ministry is doing because we currently have a Congress with political forces that are against inclusion and respect for diversity. This is present in our Congress, and it is also present in several Latin American countries."
Emilia Schneider, Chile's first trans congresswoman, on the other hand told the Blade that "it seems to me that the announcement of an institutional framework for the LGBTI community within the Women's Ministry, and also in what has been working with the Justice Ministry to advance in an institutional framework against discrimination, regarding the reform of the Anti-Discrimination Law are two fundamental steps to advance in dignity and rights for sexual diversities and dissidences."
Schneider said it is important "to make a permanent change in the State, which recognizes the importance of having a space that responds to the needs of the queer population and takes charge of combating inequality, discrimination and violence to which our community is exposed."
"It seems to me that this is one of the most important commitments, which if realized would be a fundamental legacy of this government in matters of sexual diversity and dissidence," she said.
Ignacia Oyarzun, coordinator of public policies for Asociación OTD Chile, the country's most important trans rights organization, said the implementation of an institutional framework to advance LGBTQ and intersex rights "is an advance that goes in the direction of establishing what will be a trans labor quota to achieve a greater integration of the community in society."
Oyarzun noted employers do not hire people who are trans, or fire them without reason. This lack of employment opportunities, according to Asociación OTD Chile, makes trans people more vulnerable to violence.
Jorge Muñoz of Movimiento Organizado de Gays, Lesbianas, Trans y Heterosexuales (MOGALETH) in Puerto Montt, a city that is roughly 640 miles south of the capital of Santiago, also participated in the roundtable. Muñoz told the Blade that "any approach from the central power to civil society, and especially to the regions, is positive."
"In this context, we consider it an advance in terms of the demands of the collective in the struggle for the recognition of the historical violation of our rights," said Muñoz. "The State's recognition of mistreatment and hate speech towards dissidents has historically been centralized. The regions where we also suffer harassment, mistreatment, difficulties in access to health, education and work have been relegated throughout history. In this sense, what we value most is the recognition of our demands in the territorial context."
VoteLGBT organized Brasília gathering
LGBTQ elected officials from across Brazil attend a conference in Brasília, Brazil, that took place last week. (Photo by Gui Molhallem)
The LGBTQ Victory Institute on Tuesday condemned the threat that Brazilian lawmakers received during a conference in which it participated in the country's capital.
A press release notes São Paulo Legislative Assemblywoman-elect Thainara Faria, a Black bisexual woman who is a member of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Workers' Party, on Jan. 20 "received a threatening, racist and LGBT-phobic email that indicated that they physical integrity of the representatives-elect at our event was at risk."
São Paulo Legislative Assemblywoman-elect Thainara Faria speaks at a conference in Brasília, Brazil. (Photo by Gui Molhallem)
Faria is one of the 18 openly LGBTQ congressional and state legislative candidates who won election last October. She, along with transgender Congresswomen Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert and 11 of the other elected officials, attended the first-of-its-kind conference that took place in Brasília.
The Victory Institute notes VoteLGBT, the main organizer that seeks to increase the number of LGBTQ and intersex people in Brazilian politics, reached out to Fábio Félix, a gay member of the Socialism and Liberty Party who is a member of the Federal District's Legislative Chamber, and Congresswoman Erika Kokay, a member of the Workers Party who represents the Federal District, after Faria received the threat. Félix and Kokay then contacted local authorities who provided conference participants with a police escort.
Officers patrolled the conference venue, and organizers increased private security. The Victory Institute also notes two Brazilian government ministries — the Human Rights and Citizenship Ministry and the Justice and Public Safety Ministries — have begun to investigate the threat.
The Equal Rights in Action Fund co-organized the conference along with VotoLGBT and the Victory Institute. Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, and Associação Brasileira de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis, Transexuais e Intersexos (Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Travestis, Transsexuals and Intersex People) are among the other groups that sponsored the gathering.
Faria, along with the other elected officials who attended the conference and the groups that organized and sponsored it, in a joint statement said "fascism uses terror in an attempt to paralyze and weaken our fight."
"They attack us because of our project is powerful," it reads. "We understand that the best response to this attack — in addition to quickly protecting the threatened representative, reinforcing the security at the event and contacting the competent authorities — is to continue with our agenda and scheduled programming."
The conference took place less than two weeks after thousands of former President Jair Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Brazilian Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace.
Bolsonaro, a member of the right-wing Liberal Party, sought to discredit the country's electoral system ahead of last October's presidential election. Da Silva defeated him in the second round, but Bolsonaro never publicly acknowledged he lost. Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before Da Silva's inauguation, which took place on Jan. 1.
Both Hilton and Salabert received threats during their respective campaigns.
Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker who was a member of the São Paulo Municipal Council before she won her seat in Congress, acknowledged concerns about her safety when she spoke with the Washington Blade shortly after her election. A security guard stood a few feet away from her while she spoke with this reporter at a pro-Da Silva rally in São Paulo's Praça Roosevelt.
"I am afraid, but I think that this fear is not going to be able to stop me," Hilton told the Blade. "It is the fuel that motivates me."
Former Congressman Jean Wyllys, who is openly gay and a vocal Bolsonaro critic, in 2019 resigned and fled the country after he received death threats.
Rio de Janeiro Municipal Councilwoman Marielle Franco, a bisexual woman and single mother of African descent who grew up in a favela near the city's international airport, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were murdered on March 14, 2018. Bolsonaro was not president at the time, but one of the two former police officers who have been arrested and charged with the murders lived in the same condominium complex in Rio's exclusive Barra da Tijuca neighborhood in which the now former president lives. Franco's widow, Rio Municipal Councilwoman Mônica Benício, last March described this fact to the Blade as "just a coincidence."
A Brazilian television station on March 14, 2022, reports on the fourth anniversary of Rio de Janeiro Municipal Councilwoman Marielle Franco's murder. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
'We will continue fighting for a democracy for all'
The joint statement that Hilton and the other conference participants signed states the threats against them is "a good example of how political violence works, seeking to silence our voices."
"Despite the sabotage of many different actors, including some in their own parties, LGBT+ candidates received more than 3.5 million votes in 2022," it reads. "Traditional politics needs our voices, because we do not advocate for LGBT+ issues alone; we propose innovative public policies to fight hunger, lack of housing, discrimination and all of the evils plaguing our people."
"LGBT+ political strategies will continue to flourish in all spaces, despite threats to any elected representative," adds the statement. "Attacks will be met with investigations and accountability. United and strong, we will continue fighting for a democracy for all."
LGBTQ and intersex advocacy groups condemn 'coup'
The Brazilian Congress on Oct. 1, 2022. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday stormed the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court.
Videos from Brasília, the Brazilian capital, show Bolsonaro supporters, many of whom were wearing yellow and green Brazilian soccer jerseys, entered the three buildings and ransacked them after overwhelming police officers.
Media reports indicate it took several hours for authorities to regain control of Three Powers Square in which Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court are located. CNN Brasil notes at least 400 people have been arrested, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has removed Federal District Gov. Ibaneis Rocha from his post. Additional reports also indicate several journalists were injured during what has been described as a "coup" and "terrorist acts" that took place two days after the U.S. commemorated the second anniversary of Jan. 6.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in Brasília on Jan. 1.
Da Silva, a member of the leftist Worker's Party, was Brazil's president from 2003-2010. He defeated Bolsonaro, a member of the right-wing Liberal Party who represented Rio de Janeiro in the Congress for nearly three decades before he became president in 2018, in the second round of the country's presidential election that took place on Oct. 30, 2022.
Bolsonaro ahead of the election sought to discredit Brazil's electoral system.
"The Brazilian presidential election has fueled a misinformation emergency that has tipped the LGBT+ community into a boiling pot of fake news," wrote Egerton Neto, a Brazilian LGBTQ and intersex activist who is also an Aspen New Voices Fellow and manager of Oxford University's XX, in an op-ed the Washington Blade published on Oct. 28, 2022, two days before Da Silva defeated Bolsonaro. "This is part of a broader global problem and we need a global plan to stop it."
Bolsonaro, who has yet to publicly acknowledge he lost the election, flew to Florida on Dec. 30, two days before Da Silva's inauguration.
Da Silva, who was visiting the flood-ravaged city of Araraquara in São Paulo state on Sunday, described those who stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court as "fascist fanatics" and ordered the federal government to take control of security in the Federal District in which Brasília is located. Da Silva in his nationally televised comments also accused Bolsonaro of inciting his supporters after the election.
Brazilian federal prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court to issue an arrest warrant for now former Federal District Security Secretary Anderson Torres, who was Brazil's Justice and Public Security Minister from March 2021 until Bolsonaro's term ended, and "other public agents responsible for acts and omissions."
Bolsonaro in a series of tweets condemned Sunday's events.
"Peaceful demonstrations, in a legal way, are part of democracy," he tweeted. "However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those carried out by the left in 2013 and 2017, go against the rule."
"Throughout my mandate; I have always been within the four lines of the Constitution: Respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom," added Bolsonaro. "I also repudiate the accusations, without evidence, attributed to me by the current head of the Executive (Branch) of Brazil."
– Manifestações pacíficas, na forma da lei, fazem parte da democracia. Contudo, depredações e invasões de prédios públicos como ocorridos no dia de hoje, assim como os praticados pela esquerda em 2013 e 2017, fogem à regra.
— Jair M. Bolsonaro 2⃣2⃣ (@jairbolsonaro) January 9, 2023
– No mais, repudio as acusações, sem provas, a mim atribuídas por parte do atual chefe do executivo do Brasil.
President Joe Biden, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Organization of American States Secretary-General Luis Almagro, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Chilean President Gabriel Boric are among the world leaders who condemned Sunday's assault. LGBTQ and intersex rights groups in Brazil echoed these condemnations.
"We express our most vehement disgust at this attempt and call on the competent authorities to enforce the law for all those criminals who attacked democracy on Jan. 8, 2023," said Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian transgender rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, in a statement. "We cannot tolerate any type of attack and especially in this dimension. May the arm of the law also reach (the funders), creators and those who put it into practice. We remain on the right side of history, the side of democracy."
Toni Reis, president of Aliança Nacional LGBTI+, a Brazilian LGBTQ and intersex advocacy group, in a WhatsApp message to the Blade described the assault as "horrible." Erika Hilton, one of two trans women elected to Congress last October, described those who carried out the assault as "terrorists."
"Terrorists invade the Supreme Court and destroy everything," she said in a tweet that included a video of Bolsonaro supporters inside the Supreme Court. "They also invaded the Planalto (Presidential) Palace and Congress. The involvement of the Federal District's government in the destruction of Brazil's capital is evident. Everyone has to be punished."


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Q: is it safe to run magento compiler? I have magento 1.7.3 and have some 3rd party extensions like Fortis theme, easy lightbox, ...
my question is :
if compiler mode had issues, is it recoverable?

A: I can't answer the question, but I think I can answer another one:

Should I use the compiler

HELL NO. There is not advantage of the compiler, only a lot of problems. No speed performance and debugging is hell
If you want more performance, update PHP to 5.5

A: Compiler is very stable and only really encounters problems with edge cases where there is a relative class include hardcoded (rather than reliant on the Magento autoloader). These are few and far between though.
There are several advantages to compiler, the main reason being its benefits in an IO constrained environment. Your mileage will vary as to what gains it might actually being in the real world for your store. Some will refer to its benefits being inconsequential - which is sometimes the case when using an OpCode cache, but only if you have disabled file stat - which in my opinion isn't wise (as it will require purging of the entire OpCode cache just to reflect the change in a single file).
The benefits are strictly related to both the pace at which the Magento bootstrap can be loaded (in terms of raw time it takes to complete all file inclusions), it has nothing to do with database operations.
A key benefit is that it overrides the normal PHP autoloading class precedence, so instead of three heirarchies of directories being checked (local, community and core) for the existence of a class, it need only load from a single location. It effectively cuts out 3x the stat system calls that would otherwise have taken place (along with a number of other system calls). So it reduces IO and reduces wasted CPU time.
On a production store, you need not worry about the debug difficulty implications it may add, as you can do your debugging in a dev environment.
Turning off compiler should the worst happen is as simple as deleting the compiler config php file (declared at the to of index.php).
My only suggestion would be to ensure you have tested your store after enabling it just to ensure there are no major errors.
As with any change in the pursuit of performance, first understand your problem before trying to address it with any changes. Compiler won't make a badly built store any faster, but it will shave milliseconds off fast store.

*

*Yes you can use it.

*Yes you should use it.

*Yes you can easily disable it.

A:
Edit: Yoav Kutner (Magento CTO) let me know that "in later versions
  since we optimized the catalog EAV, Magento Compilation is not really
  needed if you have byte code caching and if it is configured
  correctly".

Source: http://www.gxjansen.com/101-ways-to-speed-up-your-magento-e-commerce-website/

Simply enabling Compilation you won't notice much if any difference other than adding complexity.  The sheer amount of 3rd party modules that fail to support this properly means its not worth the time and you're better of in a production environment setting apc_stat=1 using something like this simple module to clear APC's cache: https://github.com/buric/Inchoo_Apc from the admin would be a better alternative than using the compiler.
In short use APC, don't over Complicate things with the Compiler.  If you've exhausted all efforts on performance and are unable to add more hardware would be the only time I would even consider it.
apc.stat details
;Setting this to 0 will give you the best performance, as APC will
;not have to check the IO for changes. However, you must clear
;the APC cache to recompile already cached files. If you are still
;developing, updating your site daily in set this to 1


Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Seer was formed in the fall of 2014. Art of Propaganda is proud to present the full-length debut of Canada's Seer, Vol. 1 & 2. Reportedly a "product of their environment," the band draws inspiration from the Pacific Northwest, turning it into massive walls of doom and sludge. This is the rumble of mother earth below our very feet. Seer's lyrics tell of an "ever-expanding narrative journey across bleak and barren realms, boundless primordial landscapes, and even further into the celestial beyond."
Put a Clutch vinyl onto a record player...then sit a rock on top of it before pressing play. That's Seer. Bluesy, southern-fried riffs played at a sludgy, stoner doom pace. What Seer lack in speed, they make up for in girth. The sound here is HUGE. Bass tone so thick and meaty you could slather it in barbecue sauce and add a side of mashed potatoes. For the most part, the resulting tone summons images of mountains and deserts, but at times (i.e. "Haunter") things go a little Meshuggah while the generally lofty, introspective vocals degrade into a blackened screech. Someone took some bad peyote.
But returning to the clean singing, comparisons could be drawn to anything from Fugazi to Monolord. The effective use of reverb furthers the effect of these songs sounding like truly expansive, progressive forces of nature bounded only by 360 degrees of horizon. Drums pound like thunder and cymbals crash like lightning. The entire composition like standing in the middle of an enormous sandstorm. It's really quite breath-taking, right down to the indescribable moodiness of "Aeons."
Honestly, I wrote the majority of this review while listening to the album the first time. It's just that powerful. This is doom done just the way I likes it: heavy, a little edgy, and just as long as it needs to be. I am no hater of long songs, but I think sometimes less is definitely more and the goal shouldn't be to drag things out beyond what is necessary. Seer knows how to create something big while neither adding too many bells and whistles nor repeating themselves ad nauseum. Seriously, buy this album. It was my first favorite of 2016 at the time of writing.


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One shade with with I go all out when I am in a mood to go fancy and creative with makeup is Aqua. Totally love the Angelic Aqua Eyes and that's what we are going to do today.
The eye makeup is bright and bold, a lot of blue and hint of gold. Rest is simple, bronzed up , highlighted skin and cool toned pink lips.
The lipstick I used a super pretty pink with a hint of lilac, its from Faces, Faces Ultimate Pro Velvet Matte Lipstick, I have a review on it. Best part is that it's a creamy matt.
Hope you like the Aqua Eyes and soft Angelic makeup.
Very beautiful and the colors adds prettiness!


I'd rather apologize than to be so timid as to not to try and do anything smart or brave.
I found my own way of doing things.
Creative people are 50% ego and 50% insecurity.
What I've always loved to do is build a brand that's so cool that you want to wear their T-shirt.
[In 2007] People's relationship with a brand is becoming a dialog, not a monolog.
The smartest advertising is the advertising that communicates the best and respects the consumer's intelligence.
An incredible advertising career is not about creating an incredibly amazing ad, it's about making an incredible amazing ad every single day of your career, it's about getting those adds killed, and resurrecting them over and over again. It's about your season average not that occasional home-run.
This industry has created ideas that are as valuable to brands as some of the products they create. We get paid like we're doing our clients laundry.
Telling stories on behalf of brands is what I've done all my life.
Throughout history, the technology always comes first. It's just technology for a while, until the day we artists inherit it.
It's very demeaning that we have to put on a show to prove that we know how to put on a show.
When creatively passionate people get together to start a company, the energy and camaraderie is really pretty stimulating.
[On Leeclowsbeard] One day I was in the office and someone said to me, 'Hey Lee, I loved your tweet this morning on Lee Clow's Beard.' That was weird. Because I don't tweet. And what does my beard have to do with it?
[On Leeclowsbeard] I mostly like the thoughts in the tweets, I just didn't tweet them.
I have always felt the word 'advertising' is either a diminutive or derogatory term that kind of goes with stuff people don't like, and I always felt frustrated because I felt like I was a communication artist or a media artist. The best advertising is one of the art forms of our culture.
We had to reach back and find the soul of the company once again.
[In 2004 on being at TBWA Chiat Day for 30 years.] Different people are different in terms of the way they're made. I knew since the day I arrived at Chiat Day that I was at home, and that I was at a place where I could prove my talent and my ability… I am also married for 35 years too, so it could just be how I am.
The only reason you should move to a new job is if you are not getting the opportunity to do what you want to do and what you believe you can do.
Ultimately, if you are doing great work, the money will come.
This business… has a lot more to do with persistence, perseverance and endurance than brilliance.
When they kill one, you have to go and try to make another one. If you do enough eventually a few of them will make it through the gauntlet.
Most people who are deemed 'mean' are usually perfectionist who make mediocre people unhappy, cause they put more pressure on them then they can handle.
Steve [Jobs] is unique. There aren't many clients that are like that. You have one guy that you really work for. That's very rare.
A thing that most creatives don't do well is that you've gotta learn to listen.
The best way to get a relationship is to listen like hell to what they're saying.
Advertising can be a very frustrating business.
You have to be daring and make something that doesn't look like anybody else.
[In 2011 on Steve Jobs] He was the most amazing person I have ever know. He was a genius. He was an innovator. He was the best client we ever had. He was my friend.
[In 2011] What Steve Jobs did was simply make everything and everyone better.
When you open an Apple product it's like a religious experience.
Everything a brand does is advertising.


I have verified that a domain is set up appropriately but it is not yet showing up as a branded domain that we can use in an invitation that we're getting ready to send out. I'm thinking I'm missing a step that would add that to the list of domains to choose from. Can someone point me in the right direction on what I need to do to make that domain available within the email set up?
you need to add it after the CNAME is setup on your DNS.
If it still doesn't work, ask Support. Recently had a misconfiguration on that due to HTTPS issue.
I knew it was something easy! Thanks for pointing me in the right correction!!


Tom has known for a long time that he wanted to be a DJ. "I was 14 when my parents bought me an alarm clock/radio. I listened to it all the time, and knew that I wanted to become a DJ. Also, I had seen a picture of a DJ on a local station in my small town. He was sitting back with his feet propped up on the counter with his hands folded behind his head. I thought, 'That's the kind of job I want!'" He says that his best experience on the radio (so far) was getting to interview Jars Of Clay. We might even let him interview them again – but only if he stops putting his feet on the mixing board!
This page has been accessed 7,743 times. This page was last modified on 25 March 2009, at 02:13.


text:
module Itamae
  module Plugin
    module Recipe
      module YkKernelDevel
        VERSION = "0.2.2"
      end
    end
  end
end


The ergonomics designed Bluetooth headphone is ideal for working out at the gym, listening to music while commuting, or just chilling out at home.
Ideal gift for business and entertainment ,also best Christmas present for him her.
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My patriotism is part family history, part intellectual conviction. As far as I can tell, my father's and mother's ancestors all came to this land prior to the Revolution, settling in the mid-Atlantic and Southern colonies, respectively. At least one ancestor fought in the War for Independence. If my family has a country, it has been America for a very long time.
More than genealogy, however, this nation's ideals explain my love for it. Our nation, as Abraham Lincoln so memorably put it, was "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." That is why I read the Declaration of Independence every Fourth—to remind myself of the American creed. It is a good creed. Who, after all, could possibly be for slavery and inequality? As a nation, we have not always lived up to those ideals, but the answer to our hypocrisy is to reform our behavior, not necessarily to reformulate our deepest beliefs.
Given my patriotism, it may surprise you to learn that the only Sunday morning worship service I have ever walked out of in sorrow was a patriotic worship service. The service was conducted with sincerity and excellence. It was a highlight of the year for many of the other church attendees. Members of the community who would not otherwise darken the church's doorstep came because of this service.
And yet, I walked out, wondering whether my fellow Christians and I had worshiped country instead of God that day. We had celebrated America, saluted the flat, sung patriotic hymns, and honored the Divine Being whom the Declaration names as "Nature's God" and "Creator." We had not talked about "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:3), however—who judges sin, offers salvation, and calls on people to repent and believe. We had heard, in short, the American creed but not the Christian gospel.
That troubled me deeply. For while I love my country, I love Jesus more. I know that the American Way is not the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Our country is not God's kingdom, our Declaration is not the Bible, our flag is not Christ's cross, and Washington DC is not the New Jerusalem. (Thank God!) Worship services that blur the self-evident differences between the goodness of America and the grace of God neither honor God nor help sinners.
Humanity's deepest problem, after all, is not "taxation without representation," but "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Therefore, the solution most needed is not a declaration of independence but a confession of utter dependence on the mercy of the Savior (Eph. 2:8–9). If a worship service fails to include the proclamation of the gospel and an invitation to repentance and faith, then whatever else it has done, it has not worshiped God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
This does not mean that the American creed and the Christian gospel necessarily contradict one another. It does mean that they exist in tension, however. Let me explain why with reference to the opening chapters of Genesis.
So, yes, the American creed is good, true, and beautiful. But, no, it too has been distorted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. America can be loved, then, but not without critique and not without remainder. Love of country must be subordinated to a higher ideal. When displaying the American flag, etiquette demands that it be placed higher and more prominently than any other national flag. For the Christian, however, even the flag must bow to the Cross—and I'm not just talking about platform displays. I'm talking about the space the Cross occupies in our heads, hearts, and hands.
The gospel of Jesus Christ—and the gospel alone—shines with undiminished spiritual and moral luminosity. (There is not "Yes, but…" when it comes to the gospel.) It is the standard against which all other allegiances, beliefs, and commitments must be judged. To the extent that the American creed conforms to gospel priorities, it can be affirmed. To the extent that in contradicts gospel priorities, it must be critiqued.
In times past, American Christians have not always been aware of the extent to which American values contradict the gospel. One thinks especially—and with great sorrow—of white evangelical Christians' weak support for if not outright opposition to the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-twentieth century. By contrast, one marvels at how Martin Luther King Jr. and other black ministers were able to touch what Lincoln called "the mystic chords of memory" and to awaken "the better angels of our nature" through explicit appeals to the gospel and the highest ideals of the American creed.
The gospel demands not that we choose either flag or Cross, but that we subordinate the former to the latter—always and in every way. By doing so, the spiritual and moral purity of the gospel acts as an antidote on our sin-infected love of God's good creation, including our sin-infected nation.
Richard John Neuhaus often said, "Politics is chiefly a function of culture, at the heart of culture is morality, and at the heart of morality is religion." For a long time, American Christians have thought of their country as a Christian nation. Whether that was the case historically is arguable. What is not arguable is that it is no longer the case today. To a significant extent, our politics and culture do not reflect the Christian religion. The temptation that must be avoided is to focus on changing our politics and culture without changing our religious commitments. Doing so puts "works" before "faith" and muddies the message of God's grace. If Christians want to see true, lasting change in America, the place to begin seeking it is the altar rail, not the voting booth.
This doesn't mean the voting booth—or, increasingly, the judge's bench—is unimportant. Voting for candidates, supporting legislation, advocating for specific causes are important, but not all important or even of the utmost importance. Government can enforce outward conformity to the law, after all; it cannot generate inward commitment to the highest moral ideals. The heart of the matter, from a political and cultural perspective, is the human heart, and only God can change it.
Thus, our houses of worship should be places where the gospel—and it alone—is continually preached. As E. E. Hewitt's wonderful hymn puts it, "Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, / Sing His mercy and His grace." Keep the focus on Him as the solution to humanity's pressing need. Ask people to come to faith in Him right then and there. Invite them to receive the Holy Spirit into their lives as God's sanctifying and empowering Presence.
Moreover, the local church should be the place where the gospel is first lived out socially. This is not only because Jesus Christ established a church, not a state, but also because Christians have no business telling others how to live if we are not living that way ourselves. "You hypocrite," Jesus said to us; "first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matt. 7:6). A gospel-centered integrity is beautiful and attracts others.
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions and prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:1–4).
This Fourth of July, may God grant our nation peace and quiet, godliness and holiness, through His Son, the Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ!
Bravo, George! Well stated! Our challenge, as always, is to submit all claims of allegiance to the cross.


Older & Reckless Post Mordem and UP NEXT: Solstice Celebration!
This past weekend I had the great chance to be involved in the 10th anniversary show by Older and Reckless. Older and Reckless is a series that presents works by senior dance artists here in Toronto. This was their 10th anniversary, and to celebrate, they invited 10 emerging dance artists to perform in the show as well. It was an amazing show with brilliant dancers- both the seniors and the juniors! Thanks to those who came out!
Up next: The Annual Solstice Celebration at the Tranzac.
Sunday, December 20th at 7pm.
Featuring traditional songs and dances from Toronto's vibrant folk community. Mummers, Sword dancers, Morris men- and lots of potluck treats. Come on out. It'll be fun, I promise.