The CO2 emissions of cars sold in Europe dropped by almost 4% in 2013, reaching 127 g/km, according to data recently published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which announced that the emission reduction target had been reached two years earlier than expected. The European Federation of Transport & Environment (T&E) recognises the progress of carmakers in reducing emissions responsible for climate change. However, data on fuel efficiency and emissions shows that official figures do not match.
Fuel consumption in traffic is 25% higher than in the reports submitted by carmakers, claim representatives of the European Federation of Transport & Environment (T&E).
This means that while new cars consumed an average of 5 l/km in tests conducted in 2013, their consumption on the road was 6.25 l/km, raising fuel costs by €350 per year for a regular driver.
The significant difference between the CO2 emissions of cars on the road and those reported in tests is caused by the fact that carmakers manipulate test procedures, exploiting legal loopholes and the flexibility of obsolete tests to highlight the environmental qualities of the cars. Suppliers from the industry prepared the vehicle tests using a series of tricks to lower results, like insulating cracks around doors and grilles, over-inflating tires, adjusting wheels and brakes, using special lubricants, minimizing vehicle weight, testing in unrealistically high temperatures, on super smooth tracks.
Tests for T&E show that, in normal circulation, in the absence of these tricks, CO2 emissions are, on average, higher by 25%.
"Fuel efficiency standards are the only effective policy to reduce CO2 emissions in Europe, but they are undermined by outdated tests. Test procedures are full of loopholes that carmakers exploit to exaggerate progress in the matter of emissions and fuel economy, "said Greg Archer, clean vehicle project manager of T&E.
The current European testing system for fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions does not achieve its purpose. It was developed more than 40 years ago and currently maintains little connection to driving conditions and current technologies. For this reason, almost half of the registered "progress" in reducing emissions in the period 2007-2011 does not correspond to road reality.
The European Commission intends to introduce a new testing system in 2017 – "World Light Duty Test Procedure" (WLTP). This measure was strongly supported last year by Members of the European Parliament. However, the new system faces fierce opposition on the part of automobile manufacturers seeking to delay its introduction until after 2021.
"Member States should support the European Commission by rapidly introducing new tests to stop carmakers from misleading customers and bypassing regulations," said Greg Archer.
EU regulations regarding CO2 emissions require automobile manufacturers to limit emissions to a maximum level of 130 g/km by 2015 and to 95 grams by 2021. Manipulation of tests contributed to achieving the target 2 years earlier. The intention is to switch to the new WLTP cycle using a conversion factor to adjust the target for 2021, so that it reflects the rigor of the initial objective without requiring any additional effort on the part of car manufacturers.


text:
Q: Keras regression does not pass through the origin I am a beginner in machine learning and I want to predict a nonlinear regression with Keras in Python, but Keras cannot pass through the origin even if I have some train data (0,0).
Fail to predict (0,0)
But if I add a lot more train data (0,0), Keras finally manage to pass through.
Prediction passing through the origin
However, I don't want to add those data manually in order to predict correctly the output.
Is there a way to force Keras to pass through the origin?

A: You should provide a concrete architecture/model structure, so that advices specific to your model can be given. But here are two general rules to follow that will work in most scenarios.

*

*Pass use_bias=False to every keras layers

*only use activations that satisfy f(0)=0, e.g. relu ,linear, etc...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Celigo is pleased to announce the launch of SmartClient for Salesforce – Office 365 Excel, a powerful solution that integrates Salesforce and Office 365 Excel.
Modifying multiple records at a single time has been a challenge for Salesforce users. Whether it is scrubbing data for meeting financial compliance, administering seasonal discounts for promoting sales or just simple records maintenance, the process is time consuming and error prone.
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SmartClient for Salesforce Office 365 Excel is a task pane app that works in Microsoft Office 365 and Excel 2013 Desktop version of Windows. SmartClient also supports Mac with Office 365. Take full advantage of Office 365 Excel's data manipulation functions to retrieve, update, add and delete Salesforce data from multiple record types. You can now easily and efficiently manage mass updates and bulk-processing of Salesforce records.


He graduated from the Univ. of Maryland in 1941. He was with J. E. Greiner Co. for 25 years, where he secured contracts for construction projects. He was a golfer, fisherman, and wildlife artist. He was a member of the Board of the First National Bank and Chairman of the State Aviation Commission. He died on Aug. 24, 1990.
He graduated from Spence Field. He was soon in the S.E. Gunner School. Later went to India with the Second Air Commando Group. Click here for more information.
He went to Bush Field for Basic and to Turner Field for Advanced. Later he was in England and towed gliders on D Day. Then on to Italy, He did some bad weather flying. He was a friend of Jim Craig.


The drought in North Korea will have only one consequence if it continues: many of the country's chronically malnourished population will die.
Yet their deaths won't change the way the country is run because the two vectors of power in North Korea – Kim Jong-un's regime and the government of neighbouring China – have no real public opinion to answer to.
In fact, Beijing has the power to dramatically alter the course of history in the DPRK. Because of this, the west needs to put pressure on both capitals and create a new vector of power: information.
New platforms and forms of communication are necessary to reverse a campaign of brainwashing that dates back three generations.
To counter the propaganda slogan used as the title of Barbara Demick's book Nothing To Envy, North Koreans need to know that they have a very great deal to envy – and to fight for.
Interviews with defectors reveal that many listen to news from shortwave radios, despite fear of severe punishment, and there is a new $50 portable media device providing a window to the outside world – despite the government's best efforts to isolate its population.
Critics of the state even rely on hot-air balloons to carry anti-regime information across the border, but it's not enough.
During the second world war, the BBC broadcast to Nazi-occupied Europe and, when that war was won, to Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe. Today, the BBC, hard-pressed as it is, must seriously consider broadcasting into North Korea, just as it is doing in Burma.
According to BBC internal estimates a Korean service – absent of the regime's narcoleptic guff – would cost around £1m a year to run and a shortwave transmitter would cost about £300,000 a year.
The outside world are regularly bombarded with information about North Korea – culture, sport and news the nefarious workings of the state – but its citizens need to understand more about the true working of their own country too.
North Korean statistics may not be reliable but tape measures, that show defectors to be between three and eight centimetres shorter than their South Korean couterparts, are.
The World Food Programme attributes this disturbing reality it on mass malnutrition, from one generation to another. Broadcast that.
Most of the scant information about North Korea comes from defectors and a tiny number of westerners who have been chewed up by the regime. The latest to write a book is Hyeonseo Lee. Broadcast that.
Broadcast, too, the state's history of kidnapping foreign nationals. In 1978 a Romanian artist, Doina Bumbea, was taken from Italy and forced to travel to North Korea. The best guess for the insane rash of kidnaps was to enhance the regime's intelligence efforts. .
Once there, Doina was invited to marry James Dresnok, an American GI who had defected to the DPRK in the 1960s and the couple had two sons, Ted and James Jr. Blond-haired, blue-eyed young American-Romanians who speak English with a North Korean accent. Broadcast that.
Italian chef Ermanno Furlanis was flown to North Korea in 1997 at the height of the famine, which one estimate says killed between 600,000 and 2.5 million people, to cook for Kim Jong-il. He was given the finest ingredients flown in from the world's most expensive shops, banquets of delight washed down with Barolo wine and Remy Martin. Broadcast that.
The long-deceased Kim Il-sung is still thought of as the president of North Korea: the world's only necrocrat lies in state in his mausoleum still venerated by his people.
Afraid of blowing my cover, I bowed three times in his honour on our trip to North Korea in 2013 – an act of homage I still wrestle with. The mausoleum has constant heat and power, while homes and hospitals battle with constant blackouts. Broadcast that.
This regime, that looks so strong, is weaker than it looks. Broadcast that.
The founder's grandson Kim Jong-un is a punier figure, politically speaking. Killing rivals is a Kim family trait. North Korea expert Adam Cathcart says that doing so openly highlights vulnerability in his leadership, not strength.
Pirate videos, thumb-drives and smuggled phones spread the truth, that in the outside world, people lives unimaginably better lives than they do inside North Korea.
This regime, that looks so strong, is weaker than you think. Broadcast that.


Democratic congressional candidate Anthony P. Gemma on Wednesday attacked Mayor David N. Cicilline, one of his Democratic opponents, blaming the mayor for low student performance and high administrator costs in the city public schools.
Gemma's criticism focused on a report issued in late February by the state commissioner of education's office reviewing the school district's central office, which said that the school district demonstrates little to no evidence of compliance with some state standards for course alignment, student proficiency, and graduation requirements.
I couldn't find a copy of this report on the RIDE website, so I contacted the Gemma campaign, and they sent me a copy of the Commissioner's Review Executive Summary - 2010 criteria, Central Office 02-22-2010. It is just a pdf of a scan, so it isn't searchable. 11 pages.
It is a deeply, deeply depressing document on every level.
I guess we'll just start at the beginning and go until I get tired of this.
Basically, despite a singleminded focus on curriculum alignment and consistency throughout the district to the exclusion of all other considerations since the beginning of the Brady administration, the state still gave the PPSD low marks in this area. RIDE's paperwork requirements here are a bit extreme ("Evidence of cross-curricular alignment should be provided if available in all content areas."), based on alignment to standards the state is going to drop in favor of the Common Core at the earliest possible moment, and, in the end, of dubious value in actually improving outcomes.
b. Analysis of disaggregated course taking patterns to ensure that all students, regardless of their pathway or high school, have access and opportunity to achieve proficiency.
I don't understand what their fishing for in what would be a rather complicated data analysis. Schools or "pathways" that on paper don't provide even access or opportunity for proficiency? What would that school even look like?
Yes, you must be completely aligned, cross-aligned, and standardized, and fully personalized. Look, running a school district is inherently about balancing these issues; simply demanding that the district be totally standard and totally personalized is magical thinking.
If this is so blasted important, why has RIDE still not ruled on the Hope student's appeal to retain the common planning time in their schedule, in the second week of the new school year? Also, a reform trap, "A variety of achievement data in addition to NECAP must be used to plan CPT." Yet, only NECAP is used to evaluate the school.
I'm afraid at this point anyone trying to run the PPSD will be hopelessly hamstrung by RIDE, whose lack of experience successfully running an urban school district is showing in this document. I'm almost feeling sympathetic to the PPSD central office.


Mount Albert Grammar School has upset defending champion St Pauls College to make tomorrows grand final against Kelston Boys High School at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rugby League Nationals in Papakura.
St Pauls came into the nationals after winning the inaugural College Rugby League Warriors Cup championship last month.
En route to beating Kelston Boys High in the Warriors Cup grand final, St Pauls had overwhelmed MAGS 34-22 after leading 34-0 early in the second half of their semi-final.
In todays semi-final at Bruce Pulman Park, St Pauls raced to an early 12-0 lead but MAGS, coached by Vodafone Warriors legend Steve Price, staged an outstanding comeback to win 16-12.
In the second semi-final, the Dave McDermott-coached Kelston Boys High led 12-4 at halftime before holding on to win 18-14.
Mount Albert Grammar will play in its first premiership final while Kelston won the title in 2003. The match is due to kick off at 12.45pm tomorrow.
The final in developing schools competition will be contested by Rotorua Boys High School and St Thomas of Canterbury College.
Championship: St Paul's College 12, Mount Albert Grammar School 16; Otahuhu College 14, Kelston Boys High School 18.
Cup: Tokoroa High School 20, Papatoetoe High School 18; Tangaroa College 10, Papakura High School 14.
Plate: Westlake Boys High School 34, Kaitaia College 12; Aranui High School 12, Southern Cross Campus 44.
Bowl: Aorere College 42, Henderson High School 20; Taita College 22, Tu Toa College 16.
Developing Championship: Rotorua Boys High School 32, Whangarei Boys High School 10; James Cook High School 28, St Thomas of Canterbury College32.
Developing Placing: Rosehill College 12, Howick College 28; Southland College 22, Northcote College 20.


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INDUSTRY READY
PRODUCTS & EDUCATION
PHIZZLE NEWS
Michael Patrick
Device-Focus: Connecting Big Pharma's Scientific Lab Instruments For the First Time
A Q&A with Phizzle's Chief Innovation Officer, Michael Patrick.
Mike, you are Phizzle's go-to lab instrument expert. What exactly does that mean?
I've been working in the device space for 30+ years. Prior to my position at Phizzle, I worked as a consultant designing hardware and software for customers ranging from garage inventors to NASA contractors. Most of the projects that I worked on involved sensor-based data processing ranging from a simple temperature probe to an infrared sensor in the nose of an anti-ballistic missile.
Can you explain what a scientific lab instrument is for those outside of the pharmaceutical industry?
This is any device that a technician uses to measure a particular characteristic of a given sample. The devices that we work with have some kind of electrical interface that allows a computer to read the results of the measurement and/or control the operation of the device.
How do these instruments work and what do they measure?
There are numerous devices, the ones we have been working with are:
Particle Counter : Measures the number of particles floating in a sample of air. This is done by pumping a specific amount of air through a chamber where reflected laser light is used to count the particles into ranges. Typical sizes are 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0 µm.
pH Meter : Measures how acidic or basic a liquid sample is. This is accomplished by a technician inserting a probe directly into a sample.
Conductivity Meter : Similar to the pH Meter but measures how well a liquid conducts electricity. The device electronics are the same as the pH Meter however there is a different probe that the technician uses to perform the measurement.
Balance : Measures compounds as well as animals.
As one example — what is a particle counter flush and why is it important to the overall drug quality assurance process?
The flush is necessary to purge the airway inside the particle counter of any stray particles that may have accumulated since the last time the device was used. This is necessary to make certain that only the particles that are present in the immediate area are counted when the sample is run. Note that in our system when a flush is run we provide the number of particles that were counted in the same manner as we would in a regular sample.
Why is Phizzle's solution the first to focus specifically on disparate devices?
Our goal is to provide a user experience that is as standard as possible regardless of the device that is being used. In Pharma, technicians deal with disparate devices every single day to meet FDA data requirements. No solution would be complete unless it harmonized disparate device data.
What should technology companies looking to enter the pharmaceutical manufacturing space understand about these instruments? Why are they so unique?
In the case of particle counters —the main instruments we have been working with — they essentially do the same thing and give a similar report. The challenge is to get them to behave exactly the same in a repeatable way through normal operation and more importantly through edge case and edge of edge cases.
For example: suppose a sample is started remotely on a particle counter and in the middle of the sample, the ethernet cable that connects the particle counter to our edge device is removed. Then, after the sample finishes, the device is reconnected. We must be able to determine if the sample that we started finished or was aborted. Furthermore, it could have been stopped and restarted which also must be detected on re-connection. Other edge cases involve swapping instruments from one device to another, isolating our edge device from the network, etc…
Each of these particle counters have different remote control capabilities and oftentimes we need to work multiple interfaces to get the data we need. As another example, one manufacturer does not provide the current time on the Modbus interface (which is our standard interface for particle counters) however it is available via a Telnet interface.
Where do you see drug production processes that rely on these devices in 5-10 years?
The next generation of devices will expose more of their internal control, monitoring and reporting to external automation systems. With these enhancements the control systems will be able to better monitor the processes and environment resulting in higher quality, higher yield, and lower production costs.
Michael Patrick recently delivered a deep-dive on Big Pharma's lab instrumentation and hardware at The Internet of Things Community's, IoT Slam.
Mike answered a key question for the IoT industry: what does it take to succeed as a 3rd-party technology provider with Fortune 100 Pharma? Watch his talk here.
For more information or to book a demo visit Phizzle.com or email us at sales@phizzle.com
Phizzle To Join StartEngine Community
WHY A PHARMA-DEFINED SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE BEGINS WITH GMP
Excellence in Pharmaceutical Support: Executive Interview with Kari Baker
EDGMaker - Unlocking & Digitizing the Most Valuable Scientific Data in Regulated Environments.
Phizzle is the only IoT solution to remotely operate multi-vendor,
multi-device scientific lab instruments. The EDGMaker software stack offers fully digitized testing and compliance processes to reduce labor, human error, and wasted batches in regulated manufacturing.
Digital Air Series
About Us / Patents
info@phizzle.com
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San Francisco, CA 94103
Hear From Our Engineers
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ms Ivy Wangechi's body was on Thursday transferred from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to Kenyatta University Referral Hospital mortuary as her family prepares to bury her.
Doctors, university staff and students gathered there to bid farewell to a bright, beautiful student who only five days ago they were preparing to celebrate her 25th birthday in style on April 10.
Her classmates said she was preparing a big party to celebrate the day.
He life was brutally cut short by a bitter man identified as Mr Naftali Njahi Kinuthia at 10.30am on Tuesday on a pavement between the hospital and the university. He hit her with an axe and then split her skull before slitting her throat.
The man is still admitted at the MTRH where he is receiving treatment for serious injuries on his head after members of the public who cornered him as he tried to escape attempted to lynch him.
The students were led by the school's dean, Prof Lukoye Atwoli, who said they were still heartbroken by the loss of Ms Wangechi.
"We gathered today to bid farewell to our colleague, our sister and our daughter. We congregated together with her family, students, staff, doctors to bid her farewell here but we will be joining the family as they make funeral arrangements.
"The School community is still heartbroken. We are still waiting to get answers as to why this happened. We wish the family strength and we hope we have strength ourselves to deal with this tragic event," said Prof Atwoli.
Sharon was abducted and killed when she was seven months pregnant.
The post Ivy Wangechi's body moved from Eldoret appeared first on Kenya News Alerts.


How can you buy a Hammock?
Hammocks are available directly from design:mikimartinek and also from KohlmaierWIEN.
The price of a City Hammock is 198,- Euros (including VAT). The Hammock can be neatly carried and stored in an optional backpack (white or silver) costing 52 Euros (including VAT).
You receive an order confirmation and invoice when ordering. The set is sent following receipt of your payment by bank transfer.
Postage and packaging for Austria is included in the price. Shipping to other EU-countries costs an additional 5 Euros. Please ask about shipping outside the EU.


Right in the heart of the exciting Town Centre Zone, this 82sqm apartment has a large balcony and even bigger panoramic views from The Ben Lomond Recreation Reserve, to The Skyline & around to Queenstown Hill. Great light and sunshine are features of this west facing end unit.
There is an open plan full kitchen, lounge and dining area. The property has two bedrooms and one bathroom with a bath. There is also a utility room suitable for conversion to a second bathroom or ensuite. Fully furnished right down to the last detail, you can move straight in yourself or rent out and start earning from day one. In just the last eight months, this unit has brought in over $80,000 in rental income.
This unmanaged apartment will be sold with vacant possession, meaning you can move in yourself or operate your own fully consented short term/holiday rental business. As the unit is within a commercial zone, you can also operate your business from the premises.
Do not let this unique opportunity slip through your fingers by delaying, get in touch for more info now.


text:
Young entrepreneurs: Ed Hollands, DrivenMedia
The 23-year-old Dragons' Den star with a profitable business that he claims offers "the most cost-effective advertising platform in the UK today"
by Shane Donnelly
BackChristian James Evans
Gabi CoxNext
Ed Hollands: DrivenMedia
Name: Ed Hollands
Company: DrivenMedia
Website: www.drivenmedia.co.uk
When stuck in traffic during the morning rush hour, all sorts of thoughts can go through a person's head. For Ed Hollands, it just happened to be the lightbulb moment he was looking for.
Having dropped his fiancée off at work, the 23-year-old noticed three unwrapped blank trucks stuck at the traffic light – and it got him thinking.
Calculating the sheer amount of exposure the vehicles get daily, Hollands wondered why businesses hadn't used it as an opportunity to advertise their brand. And so, DrivenMedia was born.
Using commercial trailers already travelling the country as mobile billboards, advertisers pay Hollands £7,800 plus VAT for a 12-month package – with production costs per vehicle sitting at roughly £5,500.
In contrast to traditional lorry advertisements, Hollands says that truck drivers must be in transit for five hours a day, five days a week to keep the advert visible – with the business using GPS trackers to ensure this is happening.
With each trailer then being seen by an average of 55,000 people across the UK each day (which puts cost per thousand at a mere 75p) the Tring native, who graduated from the University of Derby, believes he has "the most cost-effective advertising platform in the UK today". And he's not the only one.
Appearing on Dragons' Den in February 2018, the young entrepreneur drove away with £30,000 worth of investment for 20% equity after being backed by new Dragon Jenny Campbell.
Already profitable, Hollands counts his other big breakthrough moment as when his first haulier came on board – offering 100 trailers.
Believing his youth to be somewhat of a blessing and a curse, Hollands told Startups:
"When making deals there have been some people who have doubted my capabilities because of my inexperience. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite, I am willing to bend over backwards to make opportunities work for my clients and investors."
An attitude that is clearly paying off.
Hoping to one day be the "head of a group of companies", Hollands is making significant inroads with DrivenMedia already…


Right Wing Round-Up: The Return Of Dr. Chaps?
Ernest Luning @ Colorado Politics: The return of Dr. Chaps? Gordon Klingenschmitt weighs run against Tony Exum.
Jacob Brogan @ Slate: A Befuddled Donald Trump Almost Undermined the GOP's Surveillance Agenda.
McKay Coppins @ The Atlantic: It's Joe Arpaio's Party Now.
Josh Dawsey @ The Washington Post: Trump attacks protections for immigrants from 'shithole' countries in Oval Office meeting.
Steve Benen @ The Maddow Blog: Trump touts 'letters' from 'anchors' that don't appear to exist.
Betsy Woodruff, Lachlan Markay & Asawin Suebsaeng @ The Daily Beast: Steve Bannon Lawyers Up… as Russia Investigators Get Ready to Pounce.
Hemant Mehta @ Friendly Atheist: Conspiracy Crackpot Liz Crokin Was Talking About Jesus When the Lights Went Out.
Warren Throckmorton: Wallbuilders Breathlessly Asks: Was Charles Darwin a Racist?


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Hopedale Medical Foundation proudly announces its 2020 scholarship winners. Candidate selections were made by an independent panel of judges who reviewed applications from graduating seniors from Olympia, Hartsburg-Emden, Tremont, Dee-Mack, Midwest- Central and Delavan High Schools.
The $3,000 Founder's Scholarship in honor of HMC's founder, Dr. Lawrence Rossi, Sr., was awarded to Midwest Central High School's Makayla Jibben, daughter of Curt and Jennifer Jibben. Makayla plans to pursue a degree in medicine.
The $1,000 Orville Augsburger Scholarship, named in honor of a founding Board member, was awarded to Anisa Vishkurti, daughter of Eduart and Alida Vishkurti. Anisa, a student at Olympia High School, has chosen a career as a neonatal nurse practitioner. She will attend Heartland Community College in the fall.
The $1,000 David Eckhardt Memorial Scholarship, in honor of a dedicated HMC employee who passed away in 1974, was awarded to Emma Hoffman, daughter of Erika and Jeff Hoffman. Hannah is a student at Deer Creek-Mackinaw High School, and will pursue a career as a medical laboratory technician.
The $1,000 Neil Alford, Jr. (Agricultural) Memorial Scholarship in honor of Hopedale's past mayor and HMC board member, was awarded to Jake Uselton. Jake is the son of Ron and Tonya Uselton of Green Valley. He is a student at Midwest Central High School, and will be pursuing a career in mechanical engineering at the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
The $1,000 Phyllis Martin Memorial Nursing Scholarship which honors a long-time HMC nurse, was awarded to Midwest Central High School senior Alyssa Sondag, daughter of Mark and Tobi Sondag of Manito. Alyssa will be pursuing a career in nursing at St. Ambrose University, in the fall.
The $2,000 John Rossi Memorial Nursing Scholarship was awarded to Tremont High School's Madilyn Schmidt, daughter of Troy and Cara Schmidt of Pekin. Madilyn plans to pursue a career in nursing after attending Illinois Central College.
The $2,000 Donna Bitner-Springer Nursing Scholarship in honor of the first Director of Nurses at Hopedale Hospital, was awarded to Olympia High School's Blake Rinkenberger, son of Stacy Rinkenberger. Blake plans to pursue a career as a certified registered nurse anesthetist.
The Hopedale Medical Foundation congratulates these outstanding students and thanks the many applicants who participated this year. Since its inception in 1980, The Foundation has awarded nearly $600,000 in healthcare and agricultural scholarships to local high school seniors and college freshmen. Donations from the public are appreciated and are tax deductible as a charitable donation. For more information, call Becky at (309) 449-4296.
Hopedale Medical Complex was founded in 1955 by Dr. Lawrence J. Rossi Sr. with the help of dozens of hardworking area farmers and citizens and has grown exponentially from where it began as a 20-bed facility 64 years ago. Today Hopedale Medical Complex is a nationally recognized 5-star facility with an on-site emergency room, a full service hospital with state-of-the-art surgical suites, physician's offices, outpatient testing, daycare, Wellness Center, modern Nursing Home, along with an assisted and independent living facility.
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Come join us this Sunday 3rd July for the 20th Irish Classic & Vintage Motor Show at the grounds of Terenure College, Dublin.
Over 1000 Classic & Vintage Cars, including Motor Bikes, Commercial & Military Vehicles, American cars, Kit and Custom Cars. Also Autojumble and Trade Stands.


Last week I had an amazing opportunity to help with a temperament test on a litter of 8 week-old puppies. I'm assuming most of you are unfamiliar with this concept so I'll briefly describe our intent and process.
Our overall goal was to identify a suitable candidate for service dog work. The human client has specific needs and we were hoping to find a dog who will be trained over a period of many months to assist this person live as healthfully and independently as possible.
The traits that would best fit this specific job were decided upon prior to testing. With our 'ideal dog' in mind, we designed a test that would elicit a response of some kind (or not) that would reveal the dog's innate tendencies – the responses were graded according to an agreed-upon scale. Research has shown that even at such a young age, temperament is already apparent and stays consistent over time. While skills can be taught to improve certain attributes, but the core stays the same. For instance, an introverted person can learn how to behave more extroverted, but they are still an introvert in nature.
We looked at characteristics such as energy level, confidence, resilience, sociability to humans as well as other dogs, patience, how they interacted with their environment, social tolerance – just to name a few.
It was amazing to witness a litter of 8 puppies go through the same test and each respond so differently. They truly are individuals (I'm sure all the twins of the world are screaming "I told you so!"). Even though they had the same parents and so far had shared the same environment and experiences, they still emerged as unique individuals. Sometimes it was just differences by degree; other times it was almost polar opposites.
Part of our puppy evaluation included assessing what kind of home might be best suited for each puppy, based on the test results. Ideally, each puppy will go into the home and role that best suits their temperament, where they can blossom into the dogs they are destined to be. One puppy will begin training to become a service dog, as he qualified with flying colours.
A few days later, while still reflecting on this experience, I was on an off-leash walk with 3 dogs when a surprise skunk appeared in the long grass. Their individual temperaments quickly showed up – one dog didn't even notice the change/threat in his environment (he also doesn't stink); another dog was the first to identify the threat and sounded the alarm but didn't act (the lucky one with minor residue); and the last dog charged in full speed and eradicated the threat (the stinky one). So here we had one problem yet three very different responses. Each dog chose the one that best reflects who they are.
These two recent experiences have caused me to reflect on my own inherent temperament. With life comes challenges and new experiences – how do I naturally respond? And what have I learned along the way to compensate for less adaptive traits, or attributes that are valued less in our culture? Have I overridden my true self for whatever reasons (and at what cost?)?
Just like those puppies and the three adult dogs above, each of us brings a unique blend of attributes to our life situation. Ideally, we will all be living the life that best suits who we are. We will have others in our lives that nurture and love who we naturally are, relate to us in ways that are enriching, offer guidance and support when life isn't fair, and have your back no matter what.
Because that is who we are destined to be.
Best of luck Baby O!


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Board Games » Reviews » Party » The Big Bang Theory The Party Game Board Game Review and Rules
Board Games Party Reviews
The Big Bang Theory The Party Game Board Game Review and Rules
January 17, 2018 January 8, 2018 Eric Mortensen 0 Comments 2012, Ben Stoll, Cryptozoic Entertainment
Since it first aired back in 2007, The Big Bang Theory has been one of the most popular shows on television. The Big Bang Theory is a pretty polarizing show as a lot of people hate the show and yet there are also a lot of people that love the show. I personally am kind of indifferent to it. So you might be wondering why I picked up a game from a show I don't really care about especially with most board games based on TV shows being pretty bad. Well I chose to purchase the game for two reasons. First with the game basically being an Apples to Apples clone I thought at worst I could use the cards with another one of these type of games. The other reason was that the game was only $0.50 and I have a hard time passing on board games when they are so cheap. I have to say The Big Bang Theory The Party Game actually surprised me by adding some nice additions to the party game genre but is ultimately ruined by the cards themselves.
How to Play | My Thoughts | Should You Buy? | Comments
How to Play The Big Bang Theory The Party Game
Sort all of the blue and red cards and shuffle them separately. Place both decks of cards in the middle of the play area.
Sort the point chips by value. If there are only five players remove the five point chips. If there are only four players remove the four and five point chips.
Place the envelopes in the middle of the play area.
Each player takes seven blue cards for their hand.
Choose which player will be the first referee.
The current referee flips over a red card and reads it out loud. If the card has a white background each player will choose one of the cards from their hand that they think fits the prompt with regards to the referee. When a player chooses their card they place it face down on the table.
For this round the prompt is "Great Documentary Subject". The players other than the referee have submitted the following cards: Superman, The Joker, Drunk Elephants, and The One Ring.
If the red card has a green background each player will submit two cards for the round. If the prompt has two blanks that need to be filled in, the referee gets to pick which card fills in each blank. When a player has chosen their two cards they place both of them inside one of the envelopes.
For this round the players had to submit a "Sweet Super Hero Duo". The players submitted the following responses: "the Joker with a marshmallow-shooting rifle", "a psychic with an ice dragon", "Gremlins with a killer robot", and "a enchanted bunny with super powers."
Once everyone has submitted their card(s), they are mixed up so the referee doesn't know who submitted which card. At this point if a player has a Bazinga card they have the option of playing it. If a player plays a Bazinga card the red card for the round is discarded and a new red card is drawn. Since players won't be able to change the card(s) they submitted, the new red card needs to use the same number of cards as the red card that was discarded. The referee will have to judge all of the submissions based on the new prompt.
A Bazinga card has been played which will change the prompt for the current round.
The referee then reveals the cards submitted one at a time. The referee judges each submission based on the prompt for the round. The referee ranks the submissions from best to worst. The player who submitted the best response takes the highest score chip from the table. The second best answer gets the second highest chip. This continues until one chip of each value has been given out.
The referee has ranked the different responses for the prompt "Great Documentary Subject". The referee thought the Joker was the best response so the player who submitted it will receive a four chip. The One Ring was the second best response which earned it a three chip. Superman received a two chip and Drunk Elephants received a one chip.
All of the cards played in the round are then discarded. Each player draws new blue cards until they have seven cards in their hand. The next player clockwise then becomes the referee for the next round.
Players continue playing rounds until all of the score chips have been given out. Each player totals up the number of points they earned in the game. The player who scored the most points wins the game. If there is a tie the tied players share the victory.
My Thoughts on The Big Bang Theory The Party Game
As I already mentioned I didn't have high expectations going into The Big Bang Theory The Party Game. When you factor in that the game looked like another Apples to Apples/Cards Against Humanity clone and the fact that the game utilizes the theme of a popular TV show, I expected the game to just be a quick cash grab. While my first impression was accurate in a lot of ways, I have to admit that I was surprised that more effort went into the game than I was expecting.
At its core The Big Bang Theory The Party Game is like every other one of these type of party games. You get a prompt and all of the players other than the judge submits the card from their hand that they think best fits the prompt. The judge then looks over all of the cards and decides which one they liked the most. In general I like this genre of game as we have looked at quite a few of these type of games in the past. So far we have looked at: Adversity, Apples to Apples, Awkward Family Photos, Funny or Die, The Game of Things, Mad Libs The Game, Quip It!, Reel Script, Snake Oil, Sounds Like A Plan, The T-Shirt Game, and These French Fries Are Terrible Hot Dogs. After you have played a lot of these type of games it kind of feels like you have played all of them since most of them share a lot in common. That is no different in The Big Bang Theory The Party Game. If you have ever played one of these type of party games before you already have a pretty good idea of what to expect out of this game. If you have never been a fan of these type of games, you aren't going to like this game either. I have to give the game some credit though as it actually makes some good additions to the game fixing some of the problems that I have with the genre.
One of the biggest problems that I have with a lot of these type of party games is that each round is winner take all. You could be really good at providing the second best answer and yet never score any points if you never provide the best answer. This has never sat right with me since in many cases the best and second best answers are pretty much the same. Why should one answer that is slightly better get a point while the other gets nothing. While it is far from original I appreciate that The Big Bang Theory The Party Game includes a mechanic to reward most of the answers with some points.
Just like with the other party games that feature a similar mechanic though I think you should limit the amount of points that are given out each round. In each round there are usually one or two bad responses (mostly due to having bad cards) that don't really deserve any points. With everyone receiving points it also reduces the reward for providing the best answer. In a four player game the best response will only get two more points than the worst response. In general I think at least the player who provides the worst answer shouldn't get any points. I also think the player who provides the best answer should get at least two more points than the player with the second best response sothe reward for winning a round at least feels somewhat significant.
The second thing I liked about The Big Bang Theory The Party Game is the addition of prompts that require players to submit two cards. What I like about this addition is that is adds some variety to the game. At times it gets a little repetitive having all of the players submitting one card. Submitting two cards doesn't drastically change the gameplay but it is a nice change of pace. By letting players submit two cards it gives the players more opportunities for creativity and humor as a player could pick two cards that you otherwise wouldn't have considered combining. While I am guessing some other party games have used a similar mechanic, I kind of wish I would see this in more games from this genre.
The final addition that I liked was the idea of the Bazinga cards. While these cards just add more randomness to the game I think they are a fun distraction. It makes the judge's job kind of random as most of the answers are probably going to have nothing to do with the prompt. The reason I like the mechanic though is that the randomness can actually lead to quite a bit of humor. The game was wise to limit the number of Bazinga cards because while they are nice as an occasional distraction they would get kind of annoying if they kept coming up.
I applaud the designer for these additions to the party game genre but unfortunately they aren't enough to save the rest of the game.
The biggest problem with The Big Bang Theory The Party Game is the fact that the cards themselves just aren't very good. For a game like this the cards are the most important thing. So the cards not being very good basically ruins the entire game. The prompt cards are generally pretty good. The theoretical cards are kind of a mess though. The problem with the theoretical cards is that most of them are quite specific. While this is good when you get a prompt that the card works perfectly for, it makes the cards pretty much pointless for a large majority of the prompts. This eventually leads you to having a hand full of cards that will only work for very specific prompts. You likely will get to the point where you will have no cards in your hand that make any sense for the current prompt.
Possibly the most disappointing part about the cards not being that good is that I originally bought the game so I could use the cards with other similar party games. With how limited a lot of the cards are though I don't know if it really pays to use the game's components in this way. While I could see the prompt cards actually working pretty well with other similar games, I just can't see the word cards working that well. If you were interested in The Big Bang Theory The Party Game mostly for the cards I want to warn you that they might not work with other games as well as you were hoping.
The thing that I find odd about The Big Bang Theory The Party Game is I can't figure out who was the intended audience for the game. For these type of party games I see two distinct audiences. First there is the family audience and people that are looking for a "cleaner" party game. The other end of the spectrum are adult audiences that are looking for a mature/"dirty" games. The problem with The Big Bang Theory The Party Game is that it tries to please both audiences at the same time. It ultimately probably won't appeal to either audience. I would say that the game ends up being a game for a teenager to adult audience. The game doesn't really work in a family setting as quite a few of the cards refer to sex and other adult topics. At the same time though I see fans of games like Cards Against Humanity finding the game to be too tame. Outside of the small group that want a party game that is somewhat dirty but not too dirty, I don't see the game appealing to a lot of people.
As far as the components you basically get what you normally get with this type of party game. You get some cardboard scoring chips and some cards. The chips are thick enough but there is nothing special about them. The cards include the word/phrase, a picture from the show, and the quote that the word/phrase was taken from. Fans of the show might appreciate the quotes and the pictures but there is nothing special about the card design. I think the biggest problem with the components is just the lack of cards. While I would have preferred more, 75 prompt cards is probably enough. The problem is with the theoretical cards though. 180 cards is not enough. Within a couple games you will have seen most of the cards and then will just have to reuse the same cards over and over again.
All things considered I would have to say that The Big Bang Theory The Party Game is probably one of the worst Apples to Apples style games that I have played. I liked all of the small little tweaks the game added. Unfortunately they couldn't overcome the fact that the cards just don't work that well. Too many rounds end with only one or two good answers because too many of the responses only work for a couple of the prompts. As the cards are the most important thing for these type of games, the cards ultimately bring down the entire experience.
Should You Buy The Big Bang Theory The Party Game?
Before playing The Big Bang Theory The Party Game I didn't have high expectations. A game based on a popular TV show that was basically a clone of Apples to Apples/Cards Against Humanity? That had the potential to be a disaster. I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised by the game. While the game plays a lot like most of the other games in the genre, the designer actually put some effort into adding some additional mechanics into the game. In particular I liked that points are awarded to more than just the top answer, some prompts require players to play two cards, and the occasional Bazinga card mixes things up. The problem is that all of these additions are wasted because the cards included with the game are just not that good. For some reason the game decided that it wants to try to be both a family game and an adult game like Cards Against Humanity ultimately failing at both. Too many of the word/phrase cards are too specific where they only work for a small number of the prompts leading to half of the answers given each round being pretty bad.
If you have never cared for these type of party games you are not going to like The Big Bang Theory The Party Game. If you are looking for a family party game or an adult party game I wouldn't recommend it either since it tries to tow the line between both and fails to appeal to either. If you really like the show though or are looking for more cards for an Apples to Apples style game it may be worth picking up The Big Bang Theory The Party Game if you can find it for cheap.
If you would like to purchase The Big Bang Theory The Party Game you can find it online: Amazon
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The Big Bang Theory The Party Game
Reviewer: Eric Mortensen
( 2 out of 5 0 )
Year: 2012Genres: PartyPublisher: Cryptozoic EntertainmentDesigner: Ben StollAge: 15+Number of Players: 3-7Length of Game: 30-45 minutesContents: 180 blue theoretical cards, 4 Bazinga cards, 75 red experiment cards, 12 blank cards, 60 point chips, 6 envelopes, instructionsDifficulty: LightStrategy: LightLuck: Light-ModeratePros:
The point chips are a good addition as they eliminate the winner take all element present in most of these type of games.
The prompts that force you to submit two cards are a nice change of pace.
Most cards only work for specific prompts and are otherwise pointless.
Too "adult" for families while too tame for fans of raunchier party games.
Amazon: Buy The Big Bang Theory The Party Game on Amazon
Where To Purchase: eBay


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Mega Warehouses: Greater Volumes, Greater Risks
The trend in transport and logistics is unmistakable: bigger is better.Warehouses/fulfillment centers are becoming supersized in the same way that ships, ports and even the venerable Panama Canal continue to get larger and larger.The economies of scale and efficiency gains achieved by supersizing warehouses, ships, ports and canals have made it possible to move goods around the world more cheaply, quickly and reliably. These advances, in turn, have enabled many companies and industries to adopt "just-in-time manufacturing" methods that offer significantly shorter and more economical flow times within the production system and markedly faster response times to customers.However, for all the benefits supersizing has delivered, the massive scale of these operations means the possible repercussions on a company – and potentially entire industries – could be substantial when something goes wrong. And as individual elements grow bigger and bigger, the risk management challenges involved in protecting materials as they move through the supply chain also increase substantially.The first line of defenseNot so long ago, a warehouse greater than 10,000 square meters (sqm) was considered large. (Sizes refer to the building's floor area.) Today, those are deemed small. We regularly see warehouses in the range of 50-60,000 sqm, and newer distribution centers often exceed 100,000 sqm. That's about the same size as The O2 Arena in London, and slightly less than the Jean-Luc Lagardère Plant in France where the Airbus A380 is assembled.That makes for a huge roof span, so the design and construction of the structure take on added importance, especially if it's situated in an area susceptible to high winds or heavy snowfalls.Given the enormous volumes of material stored in a mega warehouse, the protection systems, and particularly the sprinklers, are crucial. While fire brigades will usually arrive promptly, their priority is rescuing people caught inside. They will also take steps to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings. But if the sprinklers don't suppress the fire within the first few minutes, it will often be too dangerous for firefighters to try to save the inventory.Limited influenceThe impacts from a fire in a mega warehouse are also magnified when it's configured for maximum flexibility.For manufacturers and retailers, subdividing a mega warehouse into 5-7,000 sqm compartments has some advantages. At that size, the insured values within a single compartment aren't astronomical, and the protection systems could limit smoke contamination in nearby compartments.
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You are here: Home / Theatre / Broadway / New Global Joint Venture BROADWAY WORLDWIDE ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA To Capture Live-In-Performance Broadway Musicals In High Definition and Surround Sound; Will Produce and Distribute To a Global Audience Under Broadway Worldwide's DIRECT FROM BROADWAY® Brand
New Global Joint Venture BROADWAY WORLDWIDE ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA To Capture Live-In-Performance Broadway Musicals In High Definition and Surround Sound; Will Produce and Distribute To a Global Audience Under Broadway Worldwide's DIRECT FROM BROADWAY® Brand
September 19, 2014 Comment Off 48 Views
New Global Joint Venture
BROADWAY WORLDWIDE ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA
To Capture Live-In-Performance Broadway Musicals
In High Definition and Surround Sound
Will Produce and Distribute To a Global Audience
Under Broadway Worldwide's DIRECT FROM BROADWAY® Brand
NEW YORK, NY and BEIJING, P.R.C. — On September 19, 2014, Broadway Worldwide, Inc. and Chinese media entrepreneur Dr. Bruno Wu's Sun New Light Culture Development Limited, a part of Sun Seven Stars Entertainment Media Group, today announced a joint venture agreement to create Broadway Worldwide Entertainment Media (BWEM).
BWEM will capture live-in-performance Broadway musicals for high definition and surround sound (HD) content to produce and distribute to a global audience.
Under Broadway Worldwide's DIRECT FROM BROADWAY® brand, which has previously captured such Broadway hits as the 2010 Tony Award®-winning Best Musical Memphis, the joint venture BWEM will finance, produce and distribute two to four Broadway musicals captured live-in-performance in HD every year.
In the US, BWEM will develop a theatrical distribution arm called BWEM Distribution Co. which will license titles to various exhibitors including large, small and independent movie theatres and digitally equipped performing arts centers and universities. Sun New Light will oversee the Asian market distribution; international distributors will be determined shortly.
Current titles from DIRECT FROM BROADWAY® such as the 2010 Tony Award®-winning best musical, Memphis will begin distribution immediately to the Asian markets.
According to Dr. Bruno Wu, "This joint venture represents a milestone for Broadway theatrical performances by bringing the experience to China's ever growing population and the worldwide audience. We will leverage our leadership position in media to promote and distribute performances using traditional and digital methods to tens of millions of people who would otherwise be excluded." Dr. Wu goes on to say, "In addition to thousands of 'Big Screens,' the digital distribution channels will reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal, and cost-effective manner. Think of this as a Netflix® like service just for Broadway content syndicated through digital cable, OTT, and mobile applications."
Bruce Brandwen, Broadway Worldwide CEO adds, "For many years, Dr. Wu and I have been interested in presenting authentic Broadway musicals in Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea on a regular basis since millions of people will never get to see a real Broadway performance in New York. Together we concluded that because of the proliferation of digital systems throughout the world including Asia, the time was right to combine Broadway Worldwide's expertise in procuring, producing and recording live in-performance Broadway shows with Sun New Light's ability to provide digital exhibitions in movie theatres and high destination digital distribution platforms across the world".
About Sun New Light Culture Development Limited
Sun New Light Culture Development Limited (SNL), a part of Sun Seven Stars Entertainment Media Group, is one of the premier organizers in China for live shows and large-scale activities. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Bruno Wu and Ms. Yang Lan, SNL has been deeply involved in many of China's world-class and state-level cultural events. Its business spans across Mainland China, Hong Kong and the United States, with content accessible to an audience in the hundreds of millions. It focuses on the planning, production and promotion of large-scale activities and commercial performances. Among its many venues is the Olympic Songfest, the opening ceremony of the World Stamp Exhibition, the opening ceremony of the China Arts Festival, and the In Music Festival.
About Broadway Worldwide, Inc.
Broadway Worldwide, Inc. (BWI) is the industry leader in capturing Broadway musicals for multi-media HD distribution, with the company's first capture in 2000 and titles including 2010's Tony Award®-winning best musical, Memphis (also a 2012 primetime Emmy® winner); Cameron Mackintosh and Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together, A Musical Review, starring Carol Burnett; Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, starring David Hasselhoff; and Smokey Joe's Café; The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, among others. BWI was the first company to negotiate and conclude long term collective bargaining agreements with all the Broadway unions for HD capture and worldwide distribution to all media and platforms and was also the first to open markets domestically and internationally for Broadway shows captured in HD. Distribution has included theatrical exhibition throughout the US, which the company initially began experimenting with at the outset of the digital cinema launch at the turn of the 21st century, pay television licensing to pay-per-view cable and satellite systems, HBO, PBS' Great Performances, Netflix, DVD and Blu-ray.
International theatrical distribution outreach has included Great Britain, Brazil, South Africa, Finland, Ireland, Belgium, Thailand and Korea, among others, with television licensing to countries including Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia, Turkey, Ukraine and more. BWI shareholders include The Shubert Organization, Nederlander Organization, Jujamcyn Theaters, five-time Tony Award®-winning producer Roy Furman, four-time Tony Award® winning director Jerry Zaks and eight-time Emmy® winning director Don Roy King.
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