text:
Todd Joseph Miller, dit T. J. Miller, est un acteur et humoriste américain, né le  à Denver, dans le Colorado.

Biographie
Todd Joseph Miller est né le  à Denver, dans le Colorado. Sa mère, Leslie Miller, est psychologue et a des origines allemandes-juives, autrichiennes-juives et russe-juive. Son père, Kent Miller, est avocat à Chanute, Kansas, il a des origines anglaises, écossaises, allemandes et suédoises. Il a un frère, Morgan.

Il a étudié à Graland Country Day School et est diplômé de Denver's East High School. En 2003, il est diplômé en psychologie de l'Université George Washington, situé à Washington, D.C.  Il a également étudié à la Frichess Theatre Urbain, à Paris et à la British American Drama Academy, à Londres, où il a étudié Shakespeare pendant un été.

Carrière
Il commence sa carrière à la télévision en 2007, où il obtient un rôle dans Carpoolers, jusqu'à l'année suivante. En 2008, il fait ses premiers pas au cinéma dans le premier volet de la trilogie Cloverfield réalisé par Matt Reeves.

En 2009, il est présent dans les films Extract et The Goods : Live Hard, Sell Hard. L'année d'après, il est présent dans quatre longs métrages : Trop belle ! avec Jay Baruchel et Alice Eve, Dragons où il prête sa voix, le thriller Unstoppable de Tony Scott avec Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson et Jessy Schram, ainsi que la comédie décalée American Trip avec Jonah Hill et Rose Byrne.

En 2011, il apparaît dans plusieurs séries Traffic Light, Happy Endings, The League et FCU : Fact Checkers Unit, ainsi que les films Yogi l'ours, Les Voyages de Gulliver et Our Idiot Brother.

En 2012, il est principalement présent sur le petit écran et joue dans Romantic Encounters with Melinda Hill, Harder Than It Looks, RVC : The Lone Shopping Network (jusqu'à l'année suivante) et il prête sa voix dans The Gorburger Show (jusqu'à l'année suivante), Dragons : Cavaliers de Beurk (jusqu'en 2014) et Souvenirs de Gravity Falls (jusqu'en 2016). Au cinéma, il tourne dans les films Rock Forever et Jusqu'à ce que la fin du monde nous sépare.

En 2014, il reprend son rôle dans Dragons 2 cette fois-ci uniquement réalisé par Dean DeBlois, il prête sa voix au film d'animation Les Nouveaux Héros de Don Hall et Chris Williams et joue également dans le nouveau volet de Transformers, intitulé Transformers : l'âge de l'extinction réalisé par Michael Bay, ainsi que Search Party de Scot Armstrong et Jason Nash Is Married de Jason Nash. A la télévision, il tourne dans les séries Idiotsitter et obtient un rôle dans Silicon Valley.

En 2016, il joue un des acolytes de Ryan Reynolds dans le premier volet de Deadpool réalisé par Tim Miller, ainsi Joyeux bordel ! de Josh Gordon et Will Speck, mais également dans un épisode de la série Les Pires Profs.

L'année suivante, après avoir quitté Silicon Valley, à l'issue de la saison 4, il poursuit à la télévision et joue dans un épisode de Crashing et prête sa voix dans la série F is for Family. Il retrouve Jay Baruchel (pour son premier film en tant que réalisateur) dans Goon : Last of the Enforcers et tourne aussi dans Le Monde secret des Emojis et Walden : Life in The Woods.

En 2018, il tient un petit rôle dans Ready Player One de Steven Spielberg et reprend son rôle dans Deadpool 2 réalisé cette fois-ci par David Leitch.

En 2020, il est à l'affiche du film d'horreur Underwater aux côtés de Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie et John Gallagher.

Filmographie

Cinéma

Longs métrages
 2008 : Cloverfield de Matt Reeves : Hudson « Hud » Platt
 2009 : Extract de Mike Judge : Rory
 2009 : The Goods : Live Hard, Sell Hard de Neal Brennan : Cessna Jim
2010 : Trop belle ! (She's out of my league) de Jim Field Smith : Stainer
 2010 : Dragons (How to Train Your Dragon) de Dean DeBlois et Chris Sanders : Kranedur (voix)
 2010 : Unstoppable de Tony Scott : Gilleece
 2010 : American Trip (Get Him to the Greek) de Nicholas Stoller : Brian, le concierge
 2011 : Yogi l'ours (Yogi Bear) d'Eric Brevig : Ranger Jones
 2011 : Les Voyages de Gulliver (Gulliver's Travels) de Rob Letterman : Dan
 2011 : Our Idiot Brother de Jesse Peretz : Billy Orwin
 2012 : Rock Forever (Rock of Ages) d'Adam Shankman : Le standardiste du Rolling Stone Magazine
 2012 : Jusqu'à ce que la fin du monde nous sépare (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) de Lorene Scafaria : Chipper Host
 2014 : Dragons 2 (How to Train Your Dragon 2) de Dean DeBlois : Tuffnut Thorston / Kranedur (voix)
 2014 : Les Nouveaux Héros (Big Hero 6) de Don Hall et Chris Williams : Fred / Fredzilla (voix)
 2014 : Transformers : l'âge de l'extinction (Transformers : Age of Extinction) de Michael Bay : Lucas
2014 : Search Party de Scot Armstrong : Jason
2014 : Jason Nash Is Married de Jason Nash : Tidal
2015 : Hell and Back de Tom Gianas et Ross Shuman : Augie (voix)
 2016 : Deadpool de Tim Miller : Weasel
 2016 : Joyeux bordel ! (Office Christmas Party) de Josh Gordon et Will Speck : Clay Vanstone
 2017 : Goon : Last of the Enforcers de Jay Baruchel : Chad Bailey
 2017 : Le Monde secret des Emojis (The Emoji Movie) de Tony Leondis : Gene (voix)
 2017 : Walden : Life in The Woods d'Alex Harvey : Charlie
2018 : Ready Player One de Steven Spielberg : I-R0k
 2018 : Deadpool 2 de David Leitch : Weasel
2020 : Underwater de William Eubank : Paul Abel
 2020 : Le Beau Rôle (The Stand-In) de Jamie Babbit
 2022 : T.J. Miller 29

Courts métrages

 2008 : Sugar. d'Alex Beh : Le businessman qui court
 2009 : Charlie on Parole de Paul Briganti et Kevin Mead : Charlie
 2010 : Successful Alcoholics de Jordan Vogt-Roberts : Drake
 2010 : Night Home de Gary Breslin : Andrew
 2011 : A Toast to Green Lantern de Liz Stewart : Green Lantern
 2012 : Love and Germophobia de Tyler Spindel : David

Télévision

Séries télévisées
 2007 - 2008 : Carpoolers : Marmaduke Brooker
 2010 : For a Green Card : Peter
 2011 : Traffic Light : Jason
 2011 : Happy Endings : Jason Shershow
 2011 : The League : Gabriel
 2011 : FCU : Fact Checkers Unit : Un policier
 2012 : Romantic Encounters with Melinda Hill : Toy Story 5
 2012 : Harder Than It Looks : Tucker
 2012 - 2013 : RVC : The Lone Shopping Network : Terry 'Tey Jey' Jey / Tey Jay
 2012 - 2013 : The Gorburger Show : Gorburger
 2012 - 2014 : Dragons : Cavaliers de Beurk (Dragons : Riders of Berk) : Tuffnut Thorston (voix)
 2012 / 2014 - 2016 : Souvenirs de Gravity Falls (Gravity Falls) : Robbie Valentino
 2013 : The Goodwin Games : Jimmy Goodwin
 2013 - 2015 : High School USA ! : Brad Slovee (voix)
 2013 - 2014 : American Dad ! : Cowboy / Benji (voix)
 2014 : Idiotsitter : Chet
 2014 - 2017 : Silicon Valley : Erlich Bachman
 2015 - 2018 : Dragons : Par-delà les rives (Dragons : Race to the Edge) Tuffnut Thorston (voix)
 2016 / 2019 : Les Pires Profs (Those Who Can't) : Oncle Jack
 2017 : Crashing : Lui-même
 2017 - 2018 : F is for Family : Randy (voix)

Téléfilms

 2009 : Waiting to Die de Ted Wass : Lonnie
 2011 : L'Âge de glace : Un Noël de mammouths (Ice Age : A Mammoth Christmas) de Karen Disher : Prancer (voix)
 2011 : The Assistants de Pamela Fryman : DJ Kilmer
 2012 : Little Brother de Shawn Levy : Justin

Voix françaises

Notes et références

Liens externes

Acteur américain
Humoriste américain
Naissance en juin 1981
Naissance à Denver


text:
Scientists Rank Genzyme Among Best Employers
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genzyme, a Sanofi company (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today that scientists have named the company one of the most highly regarded employers in the biopharmaceutical industry. In a survey commissioned by Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Genzyme ranked among 20 companies in the industry with the best reputations as employers. Genzyme was recognized in particular for valuing and respecting its scientists, for its social responsibility, and for doing important, quality research.
This is the 10th consecutive year that Genzyme has earned this distinction.
"We continue to foster an environment of interconnectivity within our R&D organization, in which all employees have a shared focus on discovering and developing medicines to make a difference in patients' lives," said Rich Gregory, Senior Vice President and Head of the Sanofi-Genzyme R&D Center.
More than 4,000 Science readers globally participated in the survey. Fifty-six percent of respondents work in biotechnology and 35 percent for a pharmaceutical company. Twenty-three percent of respondents reported working in basic research, 30 percent in applied research, and 30 percent in development. Seventy-eight percent of respondents were based in North America, 14 percent in Europe, and 5 percent in the Asia/Pacific Rim.
Ingrid Esser, 617-768-6699
Ingrid.esser@genzyme.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Without A True Anchor, How Do The Mavs Have An Elite Defense?
by zenger.news January 19, 2022
By Nekias Duncan
Take a look at the top-10 in Defensive Rating this season, and most of the names will make sense.
The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, headlined by elite talent (Draymond Green, Mikal Bridges), top the list. Surprise fixtures like the third-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers (Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley) and the 10th-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves (Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden McDaniels) are able to length-and-chaos their way into high-level units.
Miliwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat? Elite personnel and coaching. Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers? Ty Lue's a madman and Ime Udoka has a stellar defensive background, and both rosters navigate switches at a high level. The Memphis Grizzlies? They were good last year, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is having a fringe All-Defensive Team season.
And then, there are the Dallas Mavericks. They rank fourth in DRTG (106.4) this season, and easily hold the best defense (97.7 DRTG) in the league since the turn of the calendar.
Look at the Mavs' roster and point me to their middle linebacker like Draymond. Show me their elite point-of-attack guys like Bridges, or Jrue Holiday. Their toss-him-on-everything guy like a PJ Tucker or Marcus Smart. Fly-around-and-plug-holes guys like Vanderbilt or Nicolas Batum. Versatile rim-protectors like JJJ or the Twin Towers in Cleveland. (Fro Bros? Grow it out, Evan, so we can make this happen!)
You really can't, and that's what makes this Dallas team fascinating. There isn't an elite guy on the roster; heck, the most reliable wing defender over the past few seasons is reportedly on the trade market.
How in the name of all that is holy are they pulling this off? Are we all living in a simulation?
(Yes, actually. Life is a giant Black Mirror episode; I've been screaming about this for years.)
Oddly enough, it begins with their offense.
When you hear of a good offense leading to a better defense, it's generally within the context of made baskets. If your opponent is constantly taking the ball out of the basket, it's typically easier to set up your half-court defense.
That's true for the Mavericks, who rank No. 3 in points per possession allowed following a made basket (0.99 PPP), via Inpredictable. Beyond that, I think it's worth noting how their offensive approach helps their defense.
The boring answer behind the Mavericks' defensive leap? They're doing a much job of navigating transition opportunities.
Per Cleaning The Glass, the Mavericks allowed 128.3 points per 100 transition plays last season. That's down to 117.7 this year — nearly a 10-point decrease, and a shift that took them from 21st to seventh.
Effort and awareness play into that, of course. It's been a pleasure watching Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson high-tail it from the corners in order to match up with guys after misses.
Here's something I'm trying to work through: How much of a head start do the Mavericks get due to their offensive alignment?
They run over 39 spread (5-out) pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions, the third-highest rate in the league per Second Spectrum. They're also posting up more than they did last year (6.6 to 8.0); Kristaps Porzingis is posting slightly more, and Luka Doncic has nearly doubled his rate from the year before.
Because of the shots they get, and because of how their players space the floor — they almost always have two players stationed high on the floor as kickout options — it's easier to get back.
Dorian Finney-Smith is roaming the dunker spot (subscribe!), but the point remains. Both Brunson and Porzingis are spacing well beyond the three-point arc. They're good enough shooters to stress defenses from that range. But within this context, it won't take much for them to get back on defense because of where they're located.
As far as their half-court defense, the Mavericks don't do anything too crazy. They're primarily a drop coverage team with a hankering for late switching. Their defensive shot profile has improved because of this; they're allowing a lower share of threes and shots at the rim than last season, per Cleaning The Glass.
Porzingis is protecting the rim at a high level; opponents are only converting half of their shots against him, though he's contesting fewer shots than last season.
With that, it's worth noting that Porzingis is playing a step or so higher in his drop than he did last year, making it a little more difficult for ball-handlers to build momentum.
The Mavs are doing this thing where, if the ball-handler's defender can't stay attached cleanly over a screen, they'll pass off their man to Porzingis in the 14-to-16 foot range. He isn't a switch big in the Bam Adebayo mold, but he can use his length to navigate closer quarters.
The Mavs switch more frequently and effectively with Porzingis off the floor, per Second Spectrum. Having Maxi Kleber (looking good again!) or Dwight Powell at the 5 gives them more mobility, thus allowing them to flatten out offensive actions a little easier.
Head coach Jason Kidd hasn't quite gone into his Milwaukee bag in terms of ball pressure, but he'll sprinkle in some tricks. A funky counter they threw in their recent outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder was a hard double following a switch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander simply wasn't prepared for it.
Beyond that, the Mavericks are just kinda working hard and nailing the little things. This is a group that talks, points and moves with a purpose. Rotations are tighter; scram switching feels like less of an adventure.
Brunson's fighting at the point of attack despite his size limitations. Hardaway has allowed his shooting to affect his defensive effort. Frank Ntilikina and Josh Green (keep an eye on him) are bringing youthful exuberance. Even Luka is giving more effort on the weak side of actions, even if he gives me Harden vibes.
(Seriously, he reminds me a bit of how James Harden has been used the last few seasons. They park him in an area, and switch just about any direct action involving him to keep him in said area.)
There are still holes to pick at within a playoff context.
Brunson can be hunted on switches; Porzingis still struggles against stretch bigs. Luka has switched more screens than any other Maverick, per Second Spectrum, and that's mostly because screen navigation is a chore for him.
But for now, the Mavericks are locked in. They're "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" personified. If they can replicate most of this during postseason play, we may have to rethink their ceiling.
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text:
Bad Obsession è il primo romanzo dello scrittore rock neozelandese Ken Paisli, pubblicato nel 2016.
Alcuni personaggi del libro sono ispirati a membri della band dei Guns N' Roses.

Trama
Una rock band americana di successo parte per un tour europeo portandosi appresso mille problemi: alcool, droghe, relazioni sbagliate e vecchi attriti. E poi c'è il cantante, che nasconde un oscuro segreto. Fra riff pompati a tutto volume e inspiegabili omicidi, un giornalista rock di poco talento cerca di capire perché il tanto decantato sogno americano sia diventato una brutta ossessione.

Edizioni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
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Saving Money / Shopping
The Best Deals at Target To Start Your December
hapabapa / iStock.com
The freshly baked holiday treats fill your kitchen. The outside lights twinkle. You hung the stockings by your chimney with care, and the Christmas tree is decorated to perfection. A productive first weekend of December in the books, indeed.
Now, it's time to finish off that Christmas shopping, and you might head to Target for that. Not a bad idea considering that the store has dozens of gifts for others – and yourself – on special throughout this first full week of December. Target's 48-page circular, with values that last through Dec. 11, is filled with stuff for the little kids and the teens and adults on your list, as well as items for entertaining your holiday crew.
See: 30 Ways Shopping Will Never Be the Same After the Coronavirus
Find: Google, Netflix and More To Require Vaccines for Workers — Is Your Company on This Growing List?
And at Target, look beyond the circular for specials. Download the Target Circle app to find the Deal of Day, which can give you big savings off the regular price.
Here are some of the best bargains for the week ending Dec. 11 at Target:
Target has a special on kids' books this week: buy two, get one free. If you don't see a title that interests you in store, buy on the store's website, which has 50 pages of books to peruse. Choose from favorite series, such as "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," board books for toddlers and everything in between.With more than 23,000 options, you should find books for every child on your list. Remember Target offers free shipping on orders of at least $35.
Toys and Board Games
Select toys and board games also are being offered this week at buy two, get one free – a chance to shop for the little ones and adults alike. The selection includes toys in the L.O.L. Surprise!, Thomas & Friends, Super Mario and Jurassic World collections. And then there's the board games – the classics such as Monopoly and Clue as well as a newer entry to the genre, We're Not Really Strangers.
Speaking of Monopoly, here's a new twist. Did you know there's a Monopoly Target Edition? It could be a great gift for the Target shoppers on your list, who could make their way around the board with their choice of store-themed tokens, which include Target's mascot dog, Bullseye, and a shopping cart.
Related: The Worst Things To Buy at Walmart and Target
A gift possibility for the littlest one is the Baby Einstein Sky Explorers Walker, recommended for ages six to 12 months. The walker will help babies take their first assisted steps while safely using the walker, which also has a dashboard to entertain them with sounds and lights. The toy station even is detachable and can be used on its own. It's on sale through Dec. 11 for $39.99 – a $25 reduction.
Target also is offering big discounts on some other finds in the toy aisle. Someone on your list might have asked for a hoverboard, and the Jetson Impact Extreme Terrain Hoverboard is listed at $50 off, down to $199.99. The L.O.L. Surprise! OMG House of Surprises Doll Playset also is $50 off, reduced to $179.99. And here's the bonus with the playset. It also qualifies as one of the buy two, get one free toy specials, so you can double-dip on the savings. (Remember when using that deal that the least-expensive toy is the one you get for free.)
Good To Know: How To Beat Price Increases at the Supermarket
The electronics aisle always is a busy one at Christmas, and Target has some enticing offerings this week.
Shipping for a Windows laptop? Target has a pair of HP 15.6-inch models in the ad that might suit the needs of your gift recipient, and both are marked down $200. The less-expensive model ($269.99) runs on Windows 10 and has 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of internal storage. The other option costs $449.99 and has Windows 11 and some other extras installed. The internal storage is 512GB.
If you're shopping for someone whose 2022 resolution is to get fit, head to the electronics section for that, too. The gadget-filled Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch has Amazon Alexa built-in, and it counts tracking your heart rate and your sleep, as well as controlling your Spotify play list, among its tricks. Target lists it this week at $129.95, or $50 off. Seeking something a bit simpler? Find the Fitbit Inspire 2, selling for $69.95, or $30 off.
Keep Reading: 5 Costly Online Grocery Ordering Mistakes You're Making
Entertaining this season? You will undoubtedly want your home to look its best, and that starts on the ground. A trio of terrific vacuum choices is available, any of which would make a great gift to yourself.
If you want a more traditional vacuum, Target has the Shark Navigator DLX Upright Vacuum at $119.99 — a reduction of $80. It will work on your carpet and bare floor, and it has swivel steering for easier control.
If you need an extra burst of help, the Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine and Upright Shampooer costs just $10 more at $129.99, or $70 off the regular price. This model promises to deep clean and remove stains on upholstery and carpet throughout your home, including stairs.
And, finally, if you're tired of pushing the vacuum, find a model that will do the work for you. That's the Ecovacs DEEBOT N79W Multi-Surface Robot Vacuum Cleaner with App Control, which will zip around the house while you do other party prep. At 46% off this week — $149.99 sale price instead of $279.99 – you might not find a lower price this season.
Target has one last awesome gift on sale that doesn't fit these categories but could be rewarding for you and the gift giver: an Airbnb gift card. Buy $100 in gift cards for the service and receive a free $10 Target gift card that you can turn around and invest in another holiday present. A win-win for all.
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Jami Farkas
Jami Farkas holds a communications degree from California State University, Fullerton, and has worked as a reporter or editor at daily newspapers in all four corners of the United States. She brings to GOBankingRates experience as a sports editor, business editor, religion editor, digital editor — and more. With a passion for real estate, she passed the real estate licensing exam in her state and is still weighing whether to take the plunge into selling homes — or just writing about selling homes.
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text:
Madame de Treymes and Three Novellas
Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works display a mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her fiction. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely… (more)
Edith Wharton was an American novelist, poet and short story writer whose works display a mastery over the realistic fiction genre. Although she grew up in a world of refined manners and fashionable people, she was also aware of its superficiality, a theme that frequently appeared in her fiction. She began writing short stories and poetry at a young age, impressing such literary figures as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and William Dean Howells. Her stories range widely from powerful social commentary to titillating ghost stories that made Wharton extremely popular beyond her living years. This collection contains: "Madame de Treymes": a novella that depicts the sharp contrasts between French and American values; "The Touchstone": a story about greed, betrayal and ultimately, forgiveness; "Sanctuary": Wharton's investigation of the psychological forces that drive a person, and her critique of nature versus nurture; and "Bunner Sisters": a dark story of two sisters whose lives are corrupted by the dark, impoverished world outside their small, New York shop.
Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing (January 01, 2011)


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S-Network Infrastructure Builders IndexesSM are supported by extensive data, including the wide dissemination of real time prices, extensive historic data and important information about constituent stocks.


text:
US to begin nationwide immigration enforcement operation this weekend
FILE – In this Feb. 7, 2017, file photo released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, foreign nationals are arrested during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aimed at immigration fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal aliens in Los Angeles. Immigrant families and advocates are warning about planned arrests around the country by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. But little is known about the agency's work and how it carries out arrests of people suspected of being in the country illegally. (Charles Reed/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A nationwide immigration enforcement operation targeting people who are in the United States illegally is expected to begin this weekend after it was postponed last month by President Donald Trump.
That's according to two administration officials and immigrant activists.
It'll target people with final orders of removal, including families whose cases had been fast-tracked by judges. It's expected in 10 major cities.
It was initially set for late June, but Trump postponed it as Congress worked to pass a $4.6 billion border aid deal.
The administration officials say the operation remains in flux and it's possible it could begin later. The officials aren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and are speaking on condition of anonymity.
Activists are circulating information about hotlines for immigrants to call and bolstering know-your-rights training.


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Racotis anaglyptica är en fjärilsart som beskrevs av Louis Beethoven Prout 1935. Racotis anaglyptica ingår i släktet Racotis och familjen mätare. Inga underarter finns listade.

Källor

Externa länkar

Mätare
anaglyptica


Joshua David Home's design for the first ever Designer Showcase at The Architectural Digest Design Show 2018. It highlights the firm's impeccable attention to detail and ability to bring to life elegant interiors no matter how small the space, using site-specific modern finishes. It integrates Marmorino Venetian plaster walls, soft white LED lighting, a 12-foot-high Nero Marquina black marble corner fireplace with a round hearth, abstract painting by Bill Scott and a white bronze sculpture from Karen Lamonte's Nocturne Series.


Online video poker is a very popular casino game. You can find it in every online online casino. Video poker isn't game of pure chances. Your winnings depend on your knowledge. There are some general VP gambling tips. They are very easy.
Follow them and you increase your chances. 1. Play full-pay video poker only. For Jacks or Better video poker full-pay is paying 9 coins for full-house, 6 coins for a flush as designated under one coin line. For Deuses Wild find full-pay is paying 9 coins for Straight Flush and 5 coins for 4/kind.
2. Play maximum coin. Casinos hold 2% more money on video poker, because players do not play maximum coins. The odds are determined by the payback table, not by the denomination of the machine. 3. Know the Paytables. This is one of the most important keys to success in video poker. Pay-out with optimum play for 9/6 Jacks or Better Video Poker variation is 99. 8/5 Jacks or Better (pay 8 coins for full-house and 5 coins for a flush) gives 5% less payout than 9/6 VP.
4. Jacks or Better recommended for novice players or limited bankrolls, especially nickel online video poker machines. 5. Deuces Wild version of video poker has high jackpot but too expensive. 6. Do not play progressive video poker unless jackpot is high and ready to hit. 8665 coins is the break-even point on this game. On a quarter game the jackpot needs to be $2166.25, and on a dollar game the jackpot needs to be $8665. 7.
Progressive video pokers require a larger bankroll. 8. There are more than a hundred different video poker machines to choose from. Find charts with optimal strategy for every online video poker variations you play. You should at the very least know how to play Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild. Learn them. You can practice online at an online casino, or you can practice on free flash games on sites. 9. Take time to study every hand. You are playing against a machine; no one will intimidate you if your play is too slow.
10. The random number generator is random and simulates a 52 deck of cards. The chances of getting any particular card are 1 in 52. Do not try to find any trends. It's the way to loose money and time. 11. Play each hand like a new game. Every game of video poker that you play is an independent event. 12.


I've always had an interest in clothes. Not the everyday sort, but pieces that would stand out. Be different. Things that would suggest the kind of person I am, or want to be.
Collecting "wearable art" has been a passion, and I've amassed quite a stash over the years. Sometimes I surprise myself when I rediscover a dress, hat, or coat that I bought YEARS ago. Who knew that other people would enjoy my findings just like I do?!


The Easy Hold Left Hand Spork is a dining aid that combines a spoon and a fork. The angle of the utensil is designed to help make hand to mouth motion easier, helpful for left handed users with limited wrist movement. The Easy Hold Left Hand Spork combination spoon and fork dining aid is bent to right, and designed to be held in the left hand. The spork is set at a 45 degree angle and is helpful for people with limited upper extremity movement. The lightweight tapered handle is comfortable to hold for people who have difficulty holding a regular spoon or fork. The handle measures 1 inch diameter at the base and tapers to 3/4 inch. The Easy Hold Left Hand Spork is helpful for left handed users who have difficulty using a standard spoon or fork to improve self feeding. Easy Hold Left Hand Spork Specifications: Overall measures: 7.2 inches long. Handle measures: 1 inch diameter at the base and tapers to 3/4 inch. Materials: Stainless steel spork, polypropylene handle. Color: Gray. Fits: Left hand only. Angle: Fixed 45 degree angle spork. Care: Dishwasher safe. WARNING: Important information for California residents Manufactured by The Wright Stuff, Inc..


It goes everywhere you do, leaving a trail for all to follow. Time reveals to others your true character; your personal interactions clearly demonstrate what you think is important.
When you shop, don't you want to get the best value you can for your money? Don't you want to do business with people you trust and who are service oriented?
As a small business owner, one of the most important pillars of developing your long-term business success is your reputation. It is a shadow from which you can never escape.
It takes years to properly build, but it takes only a few moments of carelessness and indifference to destroy if you are not completely focused on giving your clients and customers the best value for their money.
Savvy entrepreneurs are careful not to trip over their own shadow.


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Q: W3C errors for duplicate id's I am using http://validator.w3.org to validate my code.
However I have 45 errors, largely related to duplicate id's.
I thought where possible it would be a good pratctice to re use CSS.
Example code:
CSS
#cloudbullet {
background-color: #85c0bf;
height: 22px;
left: 13px;
margin-top: 7px;
position: relative;
top: 63px;
width: 20px;

HTML

Cloud/Hosting

The effect being that I get 6 css boxes in a vertical row.
Please can someone advise if what I have done is correct and if I should ignore the validation or does this need to be done in a different way?
Thanks,

A: For something that appears several times, you want something that classifies them, not identifies them. An id should be unique in the page.
Even though some things work with duplicate identifiers, it's not certain that it works the same in all browsers, and some things certainly won't work. If for example you want to use the identifier to find the elements using JavaScript, you will run into problems.
Use the class attribute instead. CSS:
.cloudbullet {
  background-color: #85c0bf;
  height: 22px;
  left: 13px;
  margin-top: 7px;
  position: relative;
  top: 63px;
  width: 20px;
}

HTML:

Cloud/Hosting

A: An id explicitly is unique. Only a single element in the document must have the id. That's why it's called an id, it's a unique identifier.
If you want to apply the same rule to multiple elements, that's what CSS classes are for.

A: Use classes instead? An HTML ID is unique and can only by used once.[1]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Holly Arrowsmith
Singer-Songwriter, Folk
Born in the heart of the American desert, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised in the mountains of Southern New Zealand, Holly Arrowsmith is a strong forerunner in New Zealand's current folk revivalist movement.
With sound comparisons to Joni Mitchell, Gillian Welch and Nick Drake, Holly delves into the earnest matters of life, wrapped in metaphors of nature and the soothing mountain landscapes that raised her.
At just 25 years old, Arrowsmith has toured both hemispheres with her powerful solo performance, and is known for her wry sense of humour on stage. Her loyal fanbase have crowdfunded two full length albums, with backers all over the world quick to support new material from this independent artist.
She has earned her spot supporting artists such as Sixto Rodriguez, Willie Watson, CW Stoneking, Jessica Pratt, Nadia Reid and Tiny Ruins. She was Awarded the TUI Award for 'Folk Album of 2016' for her debut album 'A Dawn I Remember', and APRA 'Country Song of the Year' 2019 for the powerful track 'Slow Train Creek'.
November 7, 2019 9:45 pm AMERICANA SHOWCASE


Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with 54 distinct groups; the largest group is the Kinh (or Viet), which accounts for around 86% of the population, with the other 53 groups referred to as the minority groups. Lao Cai province counts more than 20 minorities, with the largest being Hmong, followed by Tay and Dao. In Sapa you will come across mostly Black Hmong and Red Dao, while Bac Ha is in the ... Read more about Trekking background: Minorities in Lao Cai .
When travelling to Sapa you'll be faced with an array of treks to choose from and one decision you'll need to make is whether to do a trek that includes a homestay. While a homestay can be a great experience, it's not for everyone. Here's some guidance on what to ... Read more about Is a Sapa homestay for you? .
Sapa is not short of tour operators, but Hmong run social enterprise Sapa O'Chau is certainly worth considering: it arranges reliable, socially responsible trekking tours, and runs a community cafe, both of which support its free schooling for disadvantaged ethnic minority ... Read more about Sapa O'Chau .
At the top of a steep flight of steps, tucked away alongside the Trade Union Hotel in Sapa, is Ham Rong Resort. Not, alas a hotel resort, but a swathe of landscaped land swooping around Ham Rong Mountain. Easily accessible, it's a relaxing escape from Sapa town – well, if you ignore the hundreds of steps, that ... Read more about Ham Rong Resort .
Trekking is one of the main activities to do around Sapa. But which one is the right one for you to do? We checked out two different day treks to narrow down your ... Read more about A tale of two day treks in Sapa .
Many weekend visitors to Sapa opt to visit Bac Ha marke, which is easily accessible on an organised day trip from Sapa. But if you want to avoid the tourist hordes, Muong Hom market is a more interesting option… if you can get ... Read more about A trip to Muong Hom market, Lao Cai .
Although you can catch a glimpse of the scenery from a comfortable chair in Sapa town, it's only when you explore further afield that you really get to experience and appreciate all that this region has to offer. A trek through the surrounding rice fields, forest and ethnic minority villages can create memories that last a lifetime, not to mention an overworked camera. Treks can be organised ... Read more about Trekking .
Treks are usually overnight, or even over three days, with accommodation in tents or bamboo huts located at just over 2,200 metres. Although the peak is below the lie of winter snows, it will get cold. Most groups require at least two passengers and charge $70+ per person for a two-day trek. One-day treks are available if you have the fitness for ... Read more about Climbing Fansipan .
Daily rental prices as of July 2013 were US$4 for a semi-automatic and US$6 for an automatic. If you're after a manual, head to Hung's on Muong Hoa, where you can rent a Win-style imported bike for US$7. As for routes, from Sapa one option is to head down Muong Hoa Street towards Ta Van, Cau May or Ban Ho village – all clearly signposted from the main road. The road hugs the side of the ... Read more about Motorbiking .
There's no real consensus on what to call the falls; some call them the Cat Cat Falls (Cat Cat is just the Vietnamese transliteration of the word cascade) while others call them the Sapa Falls. To get here, just head down Fansipan Street and keep going. Shortly after Sapa Eden Hotel you'll reach the ticket booth where you'll be asked for 40,000 VND. The road creeps along the edge of the ... Read more about Cat Cat Village & Falls .
These aren't town and city markets with meat and veggies for sale — these are genuine country markets, with livestock trading and myriad handcrafted homewares and souvenir stalls. Minorities living high in the hills walk hours on end to get here just to pick up a new plough-head or a wooden saddle. They are also social centres for clans living in disparate circumstances and the scenes on ... Read more about Markets .
Sapa Museum is located halfway up the steps between Fansipan and Thac Bac, near Baguette and Chocolat.
The museum is housed in an attractive stilt house with a static exhibit upstairs which runs uninspiringly through the history of the Sapa region before moving on to some slightly more engaging exhibits about the culture of the ethnic minorities. It's like the Ethnology Museum or Women's Museum in Hanoi, but far smaller and dustier. On our last visit, downstairs was home to a sponsored exhibit ... Read more about Sapa Museum .


Sorry for the lack of posts here in the last two days. We moved out of our rental and into the new fourplex on Wednesday and have been dealing with the aftermath since.
Last time we moved, we had no children and it was still fairly painful.
Now, with two kids and two dogs, it's a lot worse, even with the help of Lucy's amazing parents Jo and Richard.
I have been juggling the move and my work responsibilities, making it hard to find time to write. But I promise to be back on the horse on Monday.


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Q: Keep two remote directories synced in ubuntu in real time My intention is to keep two remote directories (say dir1 & dir2) synced. So that whenever there is a change in the content of the dir1 (can be addition or deletion of new file or directory or modifying the content of a file in the directory) then the change should be propagated to dir2 and vice versa.
The naive way I can think of doing this is to run rsync periodically via cron in both the machines. But there are fallacies in this approach:-

*

*It might happen that the previous rsysnc is not complete and the cron executed rsync once more while the previous rysnc is still going on.

*A new file is added in dir1 and before rsync ran on dir2 rsync on dir1 ran then newly added file might be deleted from dir1 since it is not present in dir2

*Also this is not real time.

Can some suggest some better way of doing this? I am looking for open-source which will be easier to set-up and get started.

A: The only way to provide a "hard real-time" guarantee without a race window is to make sure, a write is acknowledged only after it has hit both sides. The usual way to achieve this is with a cluster file system (such as OCFS2 or GFS2) on a shared block device. Such a shared block device can easily and inexpensively be build using DRBD.
As with any sync mechanism, your intra-cluster network must be able to carry the change rate with acceptable latency.
The cheat sheet is around the lines of

*

*Reserve a block device (disk, partition, LV, ..) on both sides

*install and configure DRBD (apt-get install drbd-utils), use the excellent documentation at their website

*Install a cluster stack of your choice: Full fledged Red Hat (if you need more than just a shared file system) or the minimalist but very easy O2DLM (included in OCFS2).

*Format the DRBD device with either GFS2 (Red Hat stack only) or OCFS2 (possible with both stacks) and mount it on both sides

You now do NOT have a pair of synced directories: You have a single directory, that is available on both nodes. This is functionally the same, but without the race windows.

A: If it is on the same machine consider using a file system link. It would mean either dir2 "points" to dir1 or vice versa while it would be transparent. In order to do this use ln e.g. ln -s /path/to/dir1 /path/to/dir2 or alternatively use relative paths. The -s means it's a symbolic link so it's just referring to the path and not the inode of dir1.
Edit: Sorry, missed the "both machines" part.
Maybe consider using a Network Share, syncing two locations in (near) real time is always hard.


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Steven Thomas Dykes
Steven Thomas Dykes was born in 1982 to Larry and Dinah Dykes, in the city of Topeka, Kansas. At the tender age of 18, he self-published his first novel, "In The Town of Comfortabi...view moreSteven Thomas Dykes was born in 1982 to Larry and Dinah Dykes, in the city of Topeka, Kansas. At the tender age of 18, he self-published his first novel, "In The Town of Comfortability." In the past decade since he has been focusing on writing poetry for submission to publishers, for which he has received recognition from several companies, with awards, publisher's choices, and inductions into poetry societies. He has also been seeking self-education, for which his studies include history, psychology, philosophy, current events, poetry and classical tales of literature. Symbolism has been a mainstay in all of his writings. This is his third publication.view less
Books by Steven Thomas Dykes
Pebbles at the Beach: A Poetry Collection
Author Steven Thomas Dykes
Pieces of Time
YA Classics


text:
Newsletter »EVENT: An Evening With Former FBI Agent Mike German
EVENT: An Evening With Former FBI Agent Mike German
Mike German, speaker, and Julie Burstein, moderator, kick off the Defending Democracy speaker series on July 24.
NJ 11th for Change presents Defending Democracy, a three-part speaker series examining today's burgeoning challenges to our democracy's system of checks and balances. The talks will be moderated by Peabody-Award winning radio producer Julie Burstein, creator of WYNC's Studio 360 series.
Part One, "An Evening With a Former FBI Agent," features Mike German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice who served 16 years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Since 9/11, U.S. intelligence agencies have taken actions, in our name and in secret, that would shock and disturb many of us if we truly understood them. German takes a closer look at some of these tactics, discussing how cultivating fear comes straight from the authoritarian playbook, and considering the solutions to be found in strengthening our local communities.
What: Defending Democracy: An Evening With a Former FBI Agent
When: 7:00 - 9:00 PM Tuesday, July 24
Where: Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown NJ 07960
Free. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. Seating is limited. Click here for Eventbrite link.


By partnering with more than a dozen food delivery services and casual restaurant chains, Facebook is cutting out the need for extra dining apps on your phone.
For its new ordering service, Facebook has partnered with delivery companies ChowNow, Delivery.com, DoorDash, EatStreet, GrubHub, Olo, Slice, and Zuppler, as well as restaurant chains Chipotle, Denny's, El Pollo Loco, Five Guys, Jack in the Box, Jimmy John's, Panera, Papa John's, TGI Friday's, and Wingstop.
A listing of local restaurants will appear based on your current location and you'll be able to filter by address, cuisine, pickup vs. delivery, as well as which restaurants are currently open. A Start Order button appears next to each restaurant name. Once you tap it, you'll be given a choice of which delivery service you want to use to place your order.
By tapping on a restaurant profile, you can find out if any of your Facebook friends have rated or visited it, helping you make a decision if you're on the fence about where to order.
If you don't see a preferred restaurant in the results, type in the restaurant name in the search bar to find its Facebook profile page. If it offers ordering through the Facebook app, you'll see a Start Order button appear next to its name.
We experimented with the new service earlier this week and found it to be very easy to use — we even remembered our GrubHub password when signing into the service via the Facebook app.
Depending on your location, only one delivery service may be available. When we ordered dinner from a restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, we were given only two options: GrubHub and Delivery.com. And unfortunately, our chosen restaurant didn't offer delivery, so we had to pause our Netflix and go pick it up.


Description: In this truly stunning eye-catcher piece, the tear shape black diamond color glass stone is surrounded by crystals and suspended from a crystal embellished bezel. The black rhodium plating and double chains give this icon a modern feel while she was inspired by vintage victorian Titanic era styles.
Enter Quantity for N-AE009-BLK to add to your shopping cart.


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SWOT Analysis for Ecommerce Companies
April 3, 2013 • Marcia Kaplan
How to conduct a SWOT analysis — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats — is something many MBA students learn. Unfortunately, businesses frequently treat SWOT analysis like geometry — one of those things you have to learn but will never use again. But SWOT analysis offers a concrete, real-world audit of a company and a scan of its relative standing within an industry.
While strengths and weaknesses are internal, they are measured on a comparative benchmark. Opportunities and threats are external — your opportunity is usually at the expense of another company in your industry. Likewise, threats come from the competition. Therefore monitoring your competition on an ongoing basis is a necessity. We addressed this previously, in ""How to Research your Ecommerce Competitors."
The objectives of a SWOT analysis are to build on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. You will want to quickly take advantage of opportunities that present themselves and try to mitigate outside threats. In an industry that changes as fast as ecommerce, such an analysis should occur at least once a year.
A SWOT analysis takes a good deal of time. While you can do it yourself, it is often better to bring in an outside consultant who will have a more objective perspective. Your customers can be a good source of information about what you do well and where there is room for improvement and you should seek their input.
Ecommerce merchants should compare their businesses against both other online sellers and brick-and-mortar retailers. This complicates things because something that may be a strength when compared to a brick-and-mortar merchant — dynamic pricing, for example — may not be a factor for ecommerce competitors if they too offer dynamic pricing.
Markets change quickly and competitors may neutralize what was once an opportunity. For instance, ten years ago one of the advantages of ecommerce was the fact that websites offered 24/7 global shopping while brick-and-mortar stores did not. Now almost all traditional retailers have websites that compete with web-only sellers 24 hours a day.
What do you do better than others in your industry? For ecommerce merchants examples might be a larger selection of products and faster or cheaper shipping than other ecommerce merchants. Do you make comparison-shopping easy and quick? Do you suggest other product options to your customers? These are competitive advantages.
Ecommerce vendors benefit from a structural advantage — you have lower operational costs than a brick and mortar store.
What makes your business unique? Do you offer niche products not available elsewhere? Are they handmade or one-of-a-kind?
Typical Ecommerce Weaknesses
Because of shipping times, there is no immediate gratification with ecommerce. Heavy, bulky and perishable goods are expensive to ship. Costs are always a headache.
Security and fraud concerns mean some people are still reluctant to use their credit cards online. Allowing customers to pay using PayPal can blunt this concern.
Showrooming has somewhat blunted the problem of shoppers inability of customer to touch the merchandise with shoppers looking at merchandise in stores and then using their mobile phones to place an order with an online seller, often while still in the store.
The questions you should be asking are "What new technologies can help me grow my business and attain an advantage over my competitors?" and "Where are my competitors vulnerable?"
Ecommerce changes every day. New technologies and features have helped level the playing field with traditional retailers. For instance, improvements to shopping cart software have created a quicker, smoother, more customer-friendly shopping experience. Live chat has enhanced ecommerce customer service, blunting the traditional retailer advantage. Using Big Data analytics could be an opportunity for ecommerce companies to better understand customer preferences. Social media sites provide free or low-cost promotions. But it's up to the online merchant to stay current and adopt new features.
You should always be looking for broad industry shifts that might affect your growth. These include legal and regulatory changes. For instance, legislation currently before Congress might force all Internet sellers to collect sales tax.
Low barriers to entry are a constant threat in ecommerce. It's easy to set up an ecommerce business, even in a garage. People can sell items via Facebook or eBay without setting up their own websites.
Big ecommerce merchants such as Amazon can always undercut smaller sellers on price. All ecommerce merchants are competing with Amazon and its successful $79 Prime shipping program. However, options now exist that can put online merchants on a more competitive footing with Amazon. We addressed that, in "ShopRunner May Help Merchants Compete with Amazon Prime." Using such a service could diminish a weakness.
Using SWOT analysis on a regular basis, perhaps once or twice a year, will give you a broad overview of ecommerce industry trends, show you where you stand in relation to your competitors, and provide insights into mitigating your weaknesses and building on your strengths.
Marcia Kaplan
Analyzing a Startup, and Pivoting
How to Analyze Your Ecommerce Competitors


1) We all know that one's emotional state can affect how one feels about the sound of their system. This state can increase or decrease the likelihood of having a druglike sound experience.
2) We also know, or have read about, how alcohol and various drugs can affect how one feels about the sound of their system and can similarly increase or decrease the likelihood of having a druglike sound experience.
3) There are other things, both internal and external, that can also affect (increase) the probability of a druglike experience.
Artificially inducing strong emotions (1), like anger [got fired, for example] or exuberance [got hired], just to have a druglike sound experience seems a little on the 'needs therapy' side of the fence. (2) can be hard on the body and or brain cells. (3) however, if we can enumerate several relatively sane and healthy techniques, would seem to be the approach of choice.
C) Going from a good to a great quality sound / recording does increase the probability of this experience. Perhaps one can artificially arrange to closely listen to, first, a medium quality recording then a high quality one, esp. of the same music, JUST to create one of these experiences?
D) Casual chitchat during the music almost always reduces the probability to zero.
E) Being tired, but not so relaxed that you are falling asleep, in my experience, increases the probability.
F) Good company, whether friends or strangers, increases the probability. Hostile people, or just people in a bad mood, people reduces the probability to near zero.
Other things to think about: aroma, clothing, ambient temperature, time of day. Others?
It is highly unusual for me to have a druglike experience during the daylight hours, but not impossible. I think that there may be a variety of reasons, there are less distractions in the evening hours, particularly after 10 PM when the kids are in bed, neighbors are not using leaf blowers, the ambient light is lower and maybe, just maybe, the line voltage is up and there is less EMI/RFI garbage on the electrical line. I like to turn the room lights out and switch off equipment lights to the extent possible. I will note that the EMM Labs XDS1 sounds better with the display switched off. The better the system/ the better the source material, the easier it is to achieve drugdom. The converse is that the poorer the system/ the source material, the harder it is. Again, not impossible but certainly more difficult. With respect to my system, I find that when everything is right, it is almost impossible to read a book in the same room or to have a conversation. I guess that I should also note that it is easier for me listening to superb vinyl, say Shady Dogs, Decca SXL 2000's or 5000's, etc. This is not to say that it cannot happen with digital, just that it is rarer. I am tempted to say that low wattage SET's, particularly 300B's help but in my earlier days, I was able to achieve drugdom with a highly modified Spectral DMC10 and a Richard Lees DMA100, Crosby modified Quads 63's, a Rockport and early MIT cabling. Note that there were trade-offs but success was more often than you might think.
Re: the evening hours. Yeah, I was also thinking this, but thought instead of the 'state of relaxation' of the listener. At the end of the day, no matter my mountain of responsibilities, there is nothing more I can do, so that time is for me to enjoy and I can relax. But I then thought that it is more complicated than just 'being relaxed'. Or perhaps there are so many states of stress and relaxation that 'being relaxed' is so vague as to be somewhat meaningless to many of us. It is definitely a good thing to have a 'quiet time' where we are not afraid of being interrupted by someone not sharing the Druglike Sound Experience.
But is this because our current home systems allow us to be more demanding? In other words, I suspect this is relative to the quality of sound that one is used to hearing.
For me, digital and vinyl druglike effect are about equal. That might not be true if we had an LP for every CD we have, but as it is we have many albums on CD only.
Re: the olden days 🙂 I think this is also relative to the quality of sound that one is used to hearing. If you are used to listening to a system at quality X, and then play a recording or get a cable or whatever that takes the system, perhaps temporarily to a quality X + Y, then the probability of a druglike experience seems to be higher at that time. It is this observation that led me to post the original post… to see if there was a way that we can manipulate things in order in have druggish experiences more often, without having to modify our systems in any way.
MIke – Since thoroughly enjoying the Wilson Alexandria X2 optimization session at my home [Reference previous blog "We're B…A…..C…..K"], I must add a comment to this string, first by retitling it: "Mental and Physical BARRIERS to Experiencing Drug-like Sound." Or I might say without an ounce of smugness or disrespect of lower-budget drug-state inducing systems: "You get what you settle for." Though I DO agree with Fred ["The better the system, the better the source material, the easier it is to achieve drugdom.] But I digress. "Barriers" you say, "How could I be so unappreciative or ungrateful after three plus days of the best Neli and Mike have to offer in system optimizing and upgrade services?" Well, on two grounds: physical and mental. Physically you substituted my Levinson 33H and No 32 Amplification system with the Ongaku; Meridian 808.3 CDP with the EMM Labs CDSD with the DCC2, and Transparent Reference XL interconnects and speaker cables with Nordost Odin ICs and Jorma Prime SCs (as well as adding Odin power cords to the new equipment). The drug-like sound was, as you mentioned, fully achieved (Haydn, Beethoven, Jethro Tull, ZZ Top, Mark Koepfler, St. Saens); OH AND WAS IT ACHIEVED!!. For the record, prior to your visit I HAD achieved drug-like effects (if not drug like sound) from the baseline system, to evidence as if we didn't already know it, that a good but not great system CAN produce such effects. BUT you took it all back to Boulder and left me with the baseline system (except for the marvelous EDGE NR Reference Amp on loan) and the certain knowledge that the baseline system had been bested HUGELY. And therein lies the rub; after you produced and I listened to an entirely new previously unheard level of micro dynamics and harmonic resolution on any Wilson X-2 (or other speakers of Wilson) driven by Levinson, Krell, VTL, ARC amps at various So Cal show rooms, I have been MENTALLY unable to even turn the system on again for several days, fearful of the downer of going back to the sounds (congested grouped orchestral strings, lack of microdnamics and full harmonics) I had previously enjoyed during my illusionary state of belief that my system was as good as it could get. I'm reminded of Thomas Wolfe's novel, "You Can't Go Home Again." Maybe had I heard those great sounds at a show, or somewhere else on some other system such as at your place in Boulder, I could have and would have gone back home happily returning to the place where I had enjoyed many a drug-like exprience in my modest Media room on my somewhat high end system. But since you physically produced that state on MY system in MY room, I fear I will always be haunted, in this room, by the spectre of what might have been, or could be (unless, of course, I somehow manage to replicate the sounds you so successfully brought to it.) Is it audacious for me to be hopeful? Is change possible that I could believe in? I'll leave that answer to you and Neli. Please be assured that I AM very grateful of the optimization exercise and appreciative of your astute blog comments on the marketing and promotion of underachieving Wilson systems. And, several days later, I have returned the system (almost) to baselne status excluding the addition, temporary thought it mahy be, of the Edge Amp, which does sound wonderful on the system and will keep me mildly high while awaiting the Ongaku and, hopefully, some additional upgrades that you and Neli have recommended. And I reiterate, I'll get what I settle for.
When we upgrade our systems, hopefully successfully, our rational mind hears qualitative and quantitative improvements and our heart hears a greater emotional involvement. But an improvement that you won't hear much about, assuming that one is building drug-like sounding systems, is an improved frequency of those drug-like experiences.
Yes, we can get those exaltation highs from our music on our iPods or car radios, or previous systems we have owned. But we can get those experiences much more often on a better sounding system. The goal, for me, is to be unable to prevent having one of those experiences every single time I listen to the system – no matter how much news I read that day. 😉 That the music is so powerful and so involving that it commands my attention and grounds me in what is truly important and then takes me to wonderful [and, dare I say it, sometimes strange :-)] states of mind.
To borrow from an Army recruitment phrase of a few years back (Army – Be all that you can be), I think I'd put it simply: Music – Hear all that you can hear!! smiley [which key on this #%&*$ computer keyboard has the little smiley???]. Whenever AWAKE and LISTENING to my systems of past or present and able, in spite of or in the absence of otherwise distracting reproduction flaws and extranneous diversions, to hear all there was to hear or suspend any disbelief to the contrary be deluded into thinking I was, and, finally, providing the music was itself sufficiently appealing to my personal taste….tlhat drug like state tended (tends) to follow. It's why I'm thankful for talk radio in my car. High quallity car stereo/surround sound can be more dangerous than cell phones or texting! Especially when driving cross country where smokey could be hiding behind every tree or the shade under every overpass.


text:
Protecting State Fair Visitors
Saturday, September 29th 2007, 10:08 pm
The Tulsa State Fair is in full swing. Safety at the fair is the top priority for the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office. For ten days each year, they police crowds with more than 100,000 people crammed into a quarter-square-mile. The News On 6's Joshua Brakhage reports more than a million people made it to the fair last year. That's a lot of opportunities for criminals to turn fairgoers into fair game.
"This is the biggest challenge of the year," said Captain Larry Merchant of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.
The 2007 Tulsa State Fair is Captain Larry Merchant's 23rd as a law enforcement officer. He says this year's fair has a new game plan.
"We have the fairgrounds divided up like a football field. We would be standing in the west end zone right now. We have a 100 yard line, a 50 yard line and a 10 yard line," Merchant said.
Captain Merchant says as long as everyone's playing their position, they have things covered.
"Our plan is to be everywhere, to look like we are omnipresent," said Captain Larry Merchant. "And I think we do a pretty good job of that."
Friday night, the Sheriff's Office made three arrests for car break-ins and stolen cars, but they say considering the fact the crowds out here make this Tulsa's largest suburb, those are pretty good stats.
"We have a lot of cars out here, so one or two get broken into, but when you factor in the number of cars and the percentages that we're talking about, it's one of the safest places to be in Tulsa right now," Merchant said.
He says he could live without the actors shooting blanks just a few yards away and with fewer calls for lost children.
"Does being in a crowd this size make you nervous at all?" asked News On 6 reporter Joshua Brakhage.
"Scary, really scary," said fairgoer and mother Mandy Ellsworth.
Mandy Ellsworth always keeps a firm grip on 6-year-old Cody and little sister Mia.
"And then we all wear the same shirt, just to keep track," said Ellsworth. "Just to make things easier kind of, to know we're all one little group right here."
Almost a dozen kids are found by deputies every day. Deputies say they never go home until everyone's been reunited.
To help reunite lost children with their parents thousands of kids are wearing wristbands from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office. The bands have mom and dad's name and phone number on it just in case they get separated.
Watch the video: Deputies Protecting Fairgoers
To get more information about the Tulsa State Fair, click here.
News On 6 The Tulsa State Fair is in full swing. Safety at the fair is the top priority for the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office. For ten days each year, they police crowds with more than 100,000 people crammed


text:
BadCOVID19Takes's Newsletter
Masks and counterfactuals
badcovid19takes.substack.com
Why I don't post many "masks don't work" takes
BadCOVID19Takes
I don't run many mask takes because most of them respond to a misunderstanding that is itself a bad take. It's hard to untangle this in tweets, so I offer an explanation here.
First, let's look at some exemplary anti-mask tweets of the type I've avoided so far:
Neil Clark @NeilClark66
Just heard of someone testing positive for Covid having been out (to the shops) only twice in three months, wearing a mask each time. What does that tell us? Either it's yet another false positive or masks are ineffective.
8:32 AM ∙ Jan 13, 2021
5,044Likes1,205Retweets
Jordan Schachtel @JordanSchachtel
Reminder: America has far exceeded the universal masking threshold of 80% compliance. Most major US metro areas are >95%. The modeling didn't pan out. Masks just don't work.
jordanschachtel.substack.comEveryone is already wearing a mask. They just don't work.Americans have exceeded universal masking benchmarks, but it has not slowed or stopped the spread.
3:12 PM ∙ Dec 30, 2020
600Likes236Retweets
Buck Sexton @BuckSexton
LA has been wearing masks for months. Claims that the spike in cases now result from "covid fatigue" are just a way for idiot politicians to pretend that it's not their policies that are ineffective, it's the fault of people not obeying them. Pathetic victim blaming.
The New York Times @nytimes
As coronavirus hospitalizations soar in California, the mayor of Los Angeles is ordering residents to stay home and stop gathering with anyone outside their household. "My message couldn't be simpler: It's time to hunker down," he said. https://t.co/HvMFDQq1oY
7:07 PM ∙ Dec 3, 2020
Why "masks don't work" is a bad take
All of these are responding to the incorrect assumption that masks would be absolutely effective—that masks by themselves would completely stop transmission of the disease.
But this isn't why we wear masks. They weren't supposed to be a silver bullet.
In fact, from the very beginning cloth masks were recognized to be an imperfect improvisation. We didn't want to endanger PPE for healthcare workers and figured "cloth is better than nothing." Nine months later, it's incredibly frustrating that our nation has never made more efficacious and credibly-sourced masks widely available. Nine months later, most of us are stuck with random cloth and dodgy imports filtered through the grey market.
zeynep tufekci @zeynep
So frustrating. It's December and Americans still do not have a reliable method for getting higher-grade masks. In North Carolina, Food Lion sells KN95 masks registered with the FDA. I can't vouch for anything else. People are at the mercy of scammers. We need a certified supply.
kienia @kieniastrees
@mattyglesias @zeynep Do you have any mask recommendations or a resource you trust for looking j to better masks? I'm still running around in a cloth one.
Cloth masks were never supposed to end the pandemic by themselves, just help slow it in conjunction with other mitigation. Masks—even the improvised cloth masks that predominate in America—probably do reduce the spread of the virus, but they cannot suppress it entirely. They appear effective, but not 100% efficacious.
The bad takes go astray because they pretend mask were supposed to stop the disease on their own. They point to the admitted spread of disease and say "aha! masks don't work!" But traffic deaths don't prove seat belts don't work. Likewise for masks.
"But," say the antimaskers, "how do you explain cases rising in places that have high mask usage, like Los Angeles?" The answer is: the same way I (and anti-maskers) explain South Dakota (with relatively low mask compliance) getting much higher rates of infection and death compared to other rural states starting in September.
COVID-19 is a strongly seasonal disease.
Los Angeles in January is worse off than Los Angeles in September, true, but this isn't surprising given seasonal trends. The California example only shows that masks by themselves do not reduce R0 below 1.0 (…in LA…in December), but we can't conclude they do nothing.
In order to determine that masks "don't work," you need to compare what would have happened in their absence. You need to compare the counterfactual. Unfortunately, we can't access the alternate reality where California didn't wear masks at all, but we can guess that low mask compliance might be one of the reasons more people per capita died in rural South Dakota than more urban Illinois. South Dakota's rural nature and later onset of the pandemic should have given it a couple of advantages.
Perhaps there are other confounding variables that makes my South Dakota comparison unfounded, but simply pointing to infections does not prove masks "don't work" at the margins.
Why I rarely run "masks don't work" takes
While the spread of these bad takes is based on a misunderstanding of the pro-mask position, I can't call it a strawman. A lot of people pretend that universal mask wearing would halt the spread of the virus.
As an example, some of my followers were upset I featured this take yesterday:
Bad COVID-19 Takes @BadCOVID19Takes
8:52 PM ∙ Jan 12, 2021
I ran this primarily for the reasons Zeynep Tufekci laid out. It's a smug message that excoriates people who in all likelihood have been wearing masks. This isn't a good way to encourage civic-minded cooperation. It's a good way to recruit anti-maskers who read the message in the graphic and respond "no, it's because government tyrants and smug white-collar internet assholes want to blame their problems on people like me."
The graphic also perpetuates the mistaken idea that if there were 100% mask public mask compliance the pandemic would end. And people who internalize this idea will eventually find a skeptic's chart of Los Angeles infections and mandates over time and conclude pro-maskers are full of it.
I'm always wary of running takes that reinforce misguided worldviews, so I will continue to run only the most egregious "masks don't work" takes for now.
I hope that folks who take COVID seriously present a more nuanced case in favor of masks; they're a low-cost way to reduce the spread of the disease and people should wear them because it will occasionally help to prevent some deaths. People will still get sick, we should continue to be careful of indoor environments, especially small spaces, and behaviors that produces lots of droplets like shouting and singing. But I believe people can be talked small helpful acts even if they're skeptical.
EDITS Jan. 14: Added Neil Clark take, expanded some points and links.
© 2023 Frank Bednarz


Mazatlan is known for historic sites, sightseeing, nature, beaches, and zoos & aquariums. Your plan includes some of its best attractions: wander the streets of Old Mazatlan, take in the exciting artwork at Look Vintage and Modern Gallery, head off the coast to Stone Island (Isla de las Piedras), and admire the landmark architecture of Immaculate Conception Cathedral.
For photos, other places to visit, maps, and other tourist information, you can read our Mazatlan travel itinerary planner.
If you are flying in from United States, the closest major airport is General Rafael Buelna International Airport. January in Mazatlan sees daily highs of 80°F and lows of 53°F at night. Wrap up your sightseeing on the 17th (Wed) early enough to travel back home.


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