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Alumni coaches exciting innovation for 3rd CWHL All-Star Game
As the 3rd CWHL All-Star Game rapidly approaches, the tone is one composed of equal parts celebration and excitement. From the outset, the event shall witness an historic first, as three captains were elected in an online vote by fans.
Hometown hero and emotional favorite, Carlee Eusepi-Campbell gained the highest number of votes, becoming the first rookie since Jessica Campbell to serve as an All-Star Game captain. Gaining the opportunity to serve as the head coach of Team White, Eusepi-Campbell also obtains the privilege of selecting first overall in the CWHL Frozen Fantasy All-Star Draft.
Sochi gold medalists and Amazing Race Canada icons Natalie Spooner (a teammate of Eusepi-Campbell on the Toronto Furies) and Meaghan Mikkelson tied for second in fan voting, giving them each the chance to serve as captains for Team Blue, the first time in All-Star Game history that two players shall serve as captains on one team.
In addition to drafting players for their respective rosters, this titanic trio of captains shall also take part in a significant first; gaining the opportunity to draft their team's coaches. Instead of drafting coaches from the league's existing franchises, said captains shall tap into the league's roots, and select from a quartet of legendary players who shall take on the role of alumni coaches at the All-Star Game.
With this season signifying the 10th anniversary of the CWHL, a key theme throughout said season has involved heritage. Undoubtedly, the All-Star Game shall serve as another sensational showcase to highlight the hockey heroes who laid the foundation for the league, while adding their world-class skills to a game worth watching.
This fantastic foursome of hockey alumnae comprises a remarkable who's who of women's ice hockey, all truly worthy of iconic status as "legends". From the likes of Becky Kellar and Cheryl Pounder, known affectionately as the "Bobbsey Twins", to CWHL co-founder Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux and current sportscaster Tessa Bonhomme, each has carved their own sensational legacy in the game.
Part of the CWHL's "Sensational Seven", consisting of Jennifer Botterill, Mandy Cronin, Allyson Fox, Kathleen Kauth, Kim McCullough and Sami Jo Small, Breton-Lebreux was also the driving force behind bringing CWHL hockey to Montreal. As the captain of the Montreal Stars, she would become the first player to lead her team to three Clarkson Cup championships. Having also captained the Concordia Stingers to a CIS national title, she would also become the first player to achieve this unique double.
In the aftermath of hanging up her skates, Breton-Lebreux remained a significant force in both Montreal women's hockey and the CWHL. Whether it be her work as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Concordia University (working with both male and female athletes) or her new role with Les Canadiennes as a coach, there is no question that the 3rd CWHL All-Star Game shall take on a profound historic meaning for her.
Having played in the inaugural CWHL All-Star Game in December 2014, Breton-Lebreux was one of two co-founders to have competed, including Sami Jo Small, who stood between the pipes for Team White. Breton-Lebreux, suiting up for the opposing Team Red, would score a goal in the third period as the Reds prevailed. Getting the opportunity to serve as a coach in the 3rd CWHL All-Star Game shall make Breton-Lebreux the first to have played and coached in the event, adding to her amazing body of work with the league.
Selected as a postseason First-Team All-Star in the inaugural CWHL season, Becky Kellar also skated with a group of CWHL All-Stars at Hamilton's Copps Coliseum in 2009 as part of a charitable fundraiser against NHL alumni. The greatest player in the history of the Burlington Barracudas, Kellar's presence at the CWHL All-Star Game truly brings her accomplished career full-circle.
Quiet and stoic, Kellar has balanced life as a hockey mom while remaining competitive as a player in a men's league with her husband. Among a rare group of women to have competed in the first four women's ice hockey tournaments (1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010) at the Winter Games, Kellar has appeared at numerous CWHL Awards galas as a presenter. The All-Star Game is destined to become an ideal vehicle for Kellar to be introduced to a new generation of fans, while being appreciated on a much larger scale.
Akin to Breton-Lebreux and Kellar, Cheryl Pounder also played in the inaugural CWHL season, appearing in the first-ever league championship against the Brampton Thunder. A teammate of Kellar on Team Canada for several seasons, the two were long-time defense partners, part of golden glories at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Games, along with the 2004 and 2007 IIHF Women's World Championships (both contested on home soil).
The connection between Pounder (also a hockey mom) and Kellar also involves participation as instructors with Strictly Hockey and as motivational speakers, where they share their stories of having played under various coaching styles and what worked for them, and sometimes did not work. Having also spoken at Lakeview School in M'Chigeeng First Nation and at an IIHF Girls Hockey Weekend in Southwestern Ontario, this peerless pair have also devised a unique acronym for coach: C-Communication, O-Observe & React, A-Accountability, C-Confidence and Value, and H-Honour & Respect.
Competing with the Mississauga Warriors, postseason All-Star honors were bestowed upon Pounder following the 2008-09 campaign. Among her teammates on the Warriors included Sommer West, who would serve as the coach for Team White in the inaugural CWHL All-Star Game. Pounder's opportunity to follow in West's footsteps is a unique opportunity to rekindle the glories of the now defunct franchise, adding a new luster to its heritage.
Finding a new element of popularity as a highly respected announcer, Pounder was part of the radio broadcast on the TSN Network during the Sochi Winter Games. Also making television appearances for TSN during the Games, it resulted in a unique instance of six degrees of hockey separation.
Making her debut as a broadcaster during TSN's coverage of the Games was Tessa Bonhomme. It was not uncommon that Pounder and Bonhomme, a member of Canada's victorious contingent at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, were in studio together, showing tremendous rapport in their analysis. As a side note, Bonhomme, having already gained experience from her time with LeafsTV, would eventually land herself a position on the roster of broadcasters for TSN's SportsCentre, joining a group of already accomplished women such as Kate Bierness and Holly Horton.
Of note, the in-studio work for TSN was actually an extension of a unique link between Pounder and Bonhomme, who would both become a significant part of CWHL lore in 2010. With Pounder serving as Master of Ceremonies for the inaugural 2010 CWHL Draft, Bonhomme was selected first overall by the Toronto Furies, whose roster consisted of several Warriors alumnae.
Capturing a Clarkson Cup with the Furies in 2014, Toronto's first major hockey championship since 1975, Bonhomme's career with the blue and white truly came full circle. Coincidentally, Pounder was a presenter at the 2014 CWHL Awards, held in conjunction as part of week-long festivities for the Clarkson Cup finals.
In addition, Bonhomme's triumph would place her, along with Natalie Spooner and league co-founder Sami Jo Small into the Triple Gold Club for Women. Not yet officially recognized by the IIHF, the Triple Gold Club for Women involves the coveted Cup, Winter Games gold and an IIHF World Championship. Should Bonhomme be drafted by Spooner as a coach for Team Blue, it would add an exciting new dimension to what they have already accomplished as teammates while embodying the strong sense of heritage that defines an All-Star Game which is destined to be a classic.
Headway Foundation highlights a true team effort against concussions
Jess Jones Just Sensational at CWHL All-Star Game


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Category Archives: fatherhood
It's Only a Moment – A charity project in aid of Alzheimer's
Posted on May 19, 2017 by MW
It's Only a Moment.
Auntie Lizzie found me on the main street of my hometown (Bellshill), despondent and crying over something I don't recall, but I'm sure it seemed world-ending to fifteen year-old me.
Auntie Lizzie took me into a little baker's, (Dalziel's) gave me tea and cake and just let me talk at her.
When I'd finished moaning, and sobbing and snotting, she simply took my hand and gently told me that 'It's only a moment in time, son. It'll pass.' We talked some more, had a laugh about some things and parted. It was probably one of the last times I saw Lizzie.
Many times through my life, happy times, hard times, heart break and emotional despair, I've recited Auntie Lizzie's words to myself. To remind myself that it will pass, that it was only a moment.
Moments are something that defines Alzheimer's, for those living with the condition and for those supporting someone they love through it. Moments of lucidity, or joy or anger or despair. Moments where the person is lost, or trapped deep inside themselves under the weight of misfiring neurones and jumbled memories, when their very sense of identity seems a distant chink of light in a dark tunnel.
A series of moments, where the present world seems alien, and unfamiliar and cruel…perhaps. Sometimes it seems wondrous, but not often. Moments where they return to themselves and smile at someone who loves them in recognition. Just a smile, but that moment reminds you that they are in there and still love you. That moment returns part of your soul to you as surely as it does theirs.
Moments that pass. Moments that are excruciating; but beautiful moments also that, despite the maze they walk in, makes you rediscover that part of them you thought may be gone. A squeeze of a hand. A wink, a smile. The words, I love you.
Moments. They pass even when sometimes we wish they wouldn't.
Today sees the release of Ryan Bracha's Thirteen Lives of Frank Peppercorn project. An ambitious undertaking, Ryan brought together a group of writers (me included) with the remit, 'Tell a story about this man named frank who has just died'. At that point Ryan's task was to weave these disparate voices and stories and writing styles into a cohesive, flowing novel. A task which he succeeded in, and with quite some flair.
By the project's end, Bracha and I discussed which charities we'd like to receive all proceeds from the sale of this book. I proposed Alzheimer's charities, as my aunt had died recently. Auntie Lizzie isn't the only relative in my family to have endured this condition.
Whilst I hadn't seen my auntie in a number of years, her death (as these things often do) brought back some long forgotten memories of a time when Lizzie helped me.
All proceeds from the sale of Prank Peppercorn will got to Alzheimer's charities. You can find more information on Alzheimer's here:
http://www.alzscot.org/
http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/
https://www.dementiauk.org/
Thirteen ways to remember the dead. Thirteen histories of a loving husband.
Betty Peppercorn is burning her husband Frank today. Well, she's burning her property. The corpse she was left with as a reward for loving somebody for better or worse. Frank exists only in her thoughts, anymore. To her knowledge, Frank had no friends. Betty's not even sure he existed before they met. It comes as a major surprise, then, when several strange faces appear at the funeral, each of them bringing their own stories of what Frank meant to them. As the day goes on, it becomes increasingly apparent that Frank was not the man she thought he was. Thirteen new and established writers collide in this brand new novel-of-stories project from Ryan Bracha, the brains behind Twelve Mad Men, The Switched, and The Dead Man Trilogy.
All proceeds will be donated to Alzheimer's charities. Featuring contributions from: Dominic Adler – The Ninth Circle Jason Beech – Moorlands Kevin Berg – Indifference Paul D. Brazill – A Case of Noir, Guns of Brixton, Kill Me Quick Robert Cowan – The Search For Ethan, For All is Vanity Craig Furchtenicht – Dimebag Bandits, Behind the 8 Ball Shervin Jamali – The Devil's Lieutenant Jason Michel – The Death of Three Colours, The Black-Hearted Beat Allen Miles – This is How You Disappear Alex Shaw – The Aidan Snow series Martin Stanley – The Gamblers, Glasgow Grin, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Billingham Forum Mark Wilson (CP Wilson) – The dEaDINBURGH series, On The Seventh Day, Ice Cold Alice
The Thirteen Lives of Frank Peppercorn is available now from Abrachadabra books at Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats.
Posted in crime novel, fatherhood, life, mental health, parenting, personal, Uncategorized	| Tagged Abrachadabra books, alzheimer's charity, Charity book, cp wilson, fiction, literature, Mark Wilson, mental health, Ryan Bracha, The thirteen Lives of frank Peppercorn	| 5 Replies
Tommy Two-Dicks – On The Seventh Day, Chapter 28 – Preview.
Posted on October 23, 2015 by MW
In this section Jay (Jesus) has left his best friend behind and is facing Armageddon alone, aside from a big cop named Dougie.
The following excerpt is from Mark Wilson's upcoming novel, On The Seventh Day, available now for Pre-Order
Crouched, arse half on a wall, at the base of Christ the Redeemer on the peak of Corcovado Mountain, Jay looked out over Rio de Janeiro. Lost in his own grief, his eyes did not see the city and neighbourhoods below. He never imagined that he could feel so alone. Not even held by iron pins to a wooden cross had he felt so completely abandoned. Then, he'd known that Heaven awaited him, that earth would continue and that humans might be enriched by his time amongst them. Even the knowledge that his Father would be waiting for him had strengthened his resolve to see the execution through to the last. Jay had also had Moses in Heaven fighting his cause. Moses had been there for Jay since the moment of his creation: an immovable force for goodness, a confidant, a fearless ally and, simply, a friend.
And now Mo was gone.
Jay was falling into the deepest loneliness he'd experienced in his existence.
Jay sighed heavily and turned to look up at the statue behind him. Arms wide, welcoming the world, Christ the Redeemer possessed all the peace, confidence and purpose he himself felt none of at that moment.
Jay touched the pedestal of the statue, like a human would. For the first time he understood the human desire, the need, to make physical contact with an icon or statue. That hope that a portion of what one saw in the object might empower one, that some strength would heal a wounded spirit.
Feeling only soapstone, Jay pulled his hand back, shoving it deep into the pockets of his denims.
Bringing the sprawling city below into focus, Jay breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the smells of the mountain and his being with Heaven's Light. Allowing himself to connect with the material world and Heaven's immateriality simultaneously, with closed eyes he examined the intricacies of the people, the city and the mood below.
Excitement. Determination. Joy. Fear.
All the emotions and feelings he'd come to expect from a crowd of people anticipating his presence. As with all of the other cities he'd visited so far, there was no sense of pressing danger. Yes, there were elements of hate, people protesting his message, and him, but nothing immediately threatening.
Jay funnelled a larger portion of Heaven, at the same time diminishing his sense of the physical world around him, to the point where he was unaware of the stone and sand beneath his feet or the pedestal he leaned on.
With all of his ethereal senses he scanned the city for signs of Azrael.
Mo had told him that he had helped Azrael plan where and how her agents — human mercenaries who cared nothing for who paid them or why — would be most effective in riling and inciting the crowd. Hundreds of them, some dressed in Muslim attire, some posing as Christian fundamentalists or Jews, had seeded the crowd, sought out like-minded and fanned the embers of outrage until fires broke out, joined and became unstoppable swells of violence.
Jay doubted Azrael was present in the city below. She was too experienced to allow Jay the opportunity to sense her, and he would do so if she were nearby. Azrael was the Angel of Death, after all. She'd annihilated millions, razed whole cities, flooded the whole fucking world and all at God's behest. Azrael left rather a large wake in the immaterial world, as well as the physical one.
Satisfied that no obvious threats lay below, Jay pulled himself back into the flesh, limiting himself once again to the physical plane.
"We should get going, Jay," Dougie said.
The cop was standing next to him, having arrived whilst Jay's attention was elsewhere.
Jay nodded. "Thanks, Dougie," he said without looking at him.
Jay felt Dougie's mood shift from all-business to concern.
Dougie planked his backside against the soapstone next to Jay's.
"Did I ever tell you about Tommy Two-Dicks?" he asked.
Despite his morose mood, Jay let out a snort of laughter. "I think I'd remember if you had, Dougie," he said, nudging him.
Dougie shrugged. Looking off into the distance, he folded his arms, relaxing against the pedestal at the foot of Christ the Redeemer.
"I was in the army, as a kid, y'know, before I became a copper."
Jay nodded. Sometimes people did this — told him their story. It was natural for humans, especially when they accepted who and what he was. That Heaven was real and Hell was too. It made eternity loom large for them
He'd had the experience many times back in the Middle-East. It was how he'd met most of the apostles.
The compulsion wasn't unlike what people felt sometimes when talking to a priest or other preacher. They liked to unburden themselves, especially when the end was coming.
With millions waiting for Jay below, and God only knew how many across the airways and internet, Dougie could've picked a better moment, but hell, he'd earned the right to say whatever he chose to Jay, whenever he chose.
"Aye. I knew that, Dougie. What's on your mind?"
Dougie pointed out at the city below.
"People. That's what being a soldier is about. At least, it was for me. Sure there are orders, Queen and country and all that, but in the end it's about people."
Dougie glanced at Jay, acknowledging his nod of agreement.
"When you're a kid and you enlist, in your head it's about good people holding back or fighting against bad people. You have all the permission, the justification you need to put a bullet in someone, or build a wall, or knock one down. Good guys, bad guys, simple." Dougie held his hands out, palms up. "You get a bit older and the black and white simplicity of youth becomes greyer — a million shades of fuckin' grey. The motives become murkier and the justifications more elaborate. Good and bad guys are replaced in your mind by awareness of political and corporate agendas that were always there but you were too naïve, or uneducated or selfish to notice.
"So you begin to feel the weight of being someone's tool. You accept that people higher than you on the pay-scale make the decisions and you execute them. It can still be simple, if you want it to be."
Dougie cast a glance again at Jay, who was nodding along.
"You get married, you start a family and you keep believing that what you do is good. Meaningful. That your superiors are privy to intel you aren't. That you're making a difference, being the good guy. Bringing your beliefs and standards to people who are oppressed. That the country you're invading really needs you there, whether they want you and your superior culture or not."
Dougie kicked at a rock, sending it flying out into the blackening sky.
"That the father with a rock in his hand, standing outside the shell of a home you just bombed into the dust, boy cowering behind him, is the enemy and not exactly what you would be if your roles were reversed. That your country did this cruel, heinous act for reasons of virtue you don't comprehend, but desperately strain to accept on faith… That it was about people… and not oil."
Dougie gave a long sigh. Jay placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are good man, Dougie."
The big cop realised Jay thought that he was confessing or offloading and smiled. "This ain't about me Jay," he said. "It's about Tommy Two-Dicks, remember?"
Jay smiled at his own assumption. He should have known better than to underestimate Dougie. He motioned for Dougie to continue.
"So Tommy Two-Dicks." Noticing Jay grinning, Dougie offered a half-hearted smile of his own, acknowledging the ridiculous nickname. "He didn't have two dicks, just behaved like a dog with two. Y'know? Happy as fuck all the time. First to volunteer for every job. Never complained, saw an opportunity for laughter in every task."
Jay smiled in acknowledgment.
"Yeah," Dougie continued. "Annoying cunt, so he was, but he was my best friend. Had been since the day we met."
Dougie took a moment, replaying a memory he didn't care to share with Jay.
"Anyway, my unit were making an arrest. Two middle-aged locals in Helmand. Chubby little guys, all jokes and waving hands when we arrived. Suspected of leaving IEDs along military routes. Pick up and detain. Simple.
"Four of us arrived in our transport and these two guys are standing at the roadside makeshift grill which is burning away, cooking fuck knows what, chugging cold water from bottles fished from an ice-filled cooler at their feet.
"We follow protocol. Park a hundred metres away, approach in formation, assess the environment, all the usual crap. There's no-one else around, just these two guys having themselves a barbecue at the roadside. Nearest building is a bombed-to-fuck little house two hundred metres away.
"They're dressed in fucking trousers and Man Utd tops; no weapons visible. Waving us over, one of them holding a slab of meat up with a long fork.
"'Welcome, Americans…' he's shouting. Probably the only English he knows.
"I recall one of the guys grumbling about being taken for a fuckin Yank.
"So we're on alert, but there's on alert and on alert. We're fairly confident that these guys are a couple of clowns. The only real potential danger is the ice-cooler, but bombs and watery ice don't generally go too well, which means that as alert as we are, we're also smelling the charred meat.
"Dooley, big guy, team leader, growls at me out the corner of his mouth, 'Let's get these pricks cable-tied and get some refreshments.'
"I remember shrugging.
"It goes unsaid: follow protocol. Secure the men and the area. It doesn't need to be said because no-one, aside from the barbecue-boys, is even close to relaxed."
Dougie whistles through his teeth, nodding. Acknowledging Jay's knowing glance.
"Yeah, everyone except Tommy Two-Dicks."
Dougie kicks another stone across the dirt.
"Fuck knows whether Tommy's brain has baked in the afternoon sun, or if he just fuckin' loves steak, but he breaks formation, stows his rifle and runs half-pace straight towards these guys.
"Fuckin' smallest one — little rectangular glasses propped at the end of his nose, looks like a school teacher — he fucking grins at Two-Dicks, waving the meat at him.
"Dooley yells at him, 'Corporal McTavish, fall in!'
Tommy laughs, he actually fuckin' laughs, and approaches the steak-waving motherfucker, waving us over, c'mon, guys.
"Dooley and I and the third guy — can't remember his fuckin' name — we fan out, try to cover both these happy barbecuing cunts without getting Two-Dicks in our line of fire.
"Straight away, we clock how badly Tommy has fucked up. The two guys are fuckin' pros.
"They shift positions, eyes on us the whole time, faces still smiling for Tommy's benefit, but they've positioned themselves fuckin' perfectly, placing Tommy in our line of fire. The older guy reaches down to the cooler, pulls off a three-inch-thick upturned lid, exposing the deep container beneath. Free from water and ice, it holds a fucking IED the size of an iPhone. The old cunt kicks the cooler over, leans in to touch it and falls to his knees. Steak-Waver starts laughing, but quickly falls to his knees, joining his mate in prayer.
"Tommy finally spots the set-up. He skids to a stop, maybe a metre away. We're perhaps ten metres behind.
"Dooley does what all good leaders do and puts himself in harm's way for his men. At a sprint he tears through the sand towards Two-Dicks. We didn't have a clue how long the charge was set for. Tommy was already in range and now Dooley had joined the hot zone. What the fuck Dooley was thinking, I don't know, he just acted on instinct.
"Tommy does this comedy double-take, back and forward for perhaps two seconds and gets this weird look, like he's suddenly figured out what's wrong with the world and accepted a burden of some sort. The happy, tail-wagging Labrador expression he's worn his entire life vanishes and he runs at the IED.
"It's laying face-down on the sand, thirty centimetres away from each of the barbecue-boys, almost exactly between them. They've made their peace and are clearly happy to take two coalition soldiers with them.
"Two-Dicks had other ideas.
"He threw himself into the sprint of his life, leaping onto the IED. Folding his body around it, Tommy held there for a second before being spread over thirty metres by the blast.
"In his head, I think the over-eager bastard thought he was gonna Captain America the shit out of the situation. Take the blast. Protect Dooley, bad guys' death wish foiled."
Jay's eyes filled with sadness.
Dougie continued.
"The barbecue guys were killed instantly. One had his skull incinerated by the blast, the other had his chest opened. Dooley, who had got within five metres of the blast, lost most of his right arm, his face, his eyes and his left leg."
"It's a horrible story, Dougie. I'm really sorry you had to go through that," Jay said.
"Yeah, well, like I said, I ain't telling it for my benefit."
Jay scrunched his eyes in confusion.
"Tommy Two-Dicks was a good bloke: heart of gold, found good in everyone, joy in everything. Couldn't see people unhappy, loved life, loved his mates. Fucked up and put 'em in harm's way."
Jay rubbed at the back of his head.
"I'm not angry with Mo, Dougie. I understand what He did. I'm all about peace and love and forgiveness… remember?"
"Dougie nodded. Yeah, Jay, I know, but that ain't what I'm getting at. I told you, it's about people. All of it is. Friends especially."
Dougie lifted his backside from the stone. Moving around in front of Jay, he took his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake.
"Tommy tried to please his friends, and then protect his friends. He made a cunt of it. That's what people do. He died. Mo's still here. He won't fuck up again. You have a chance to finish this thing together, with your best friend. Have you any idea what some people would give for that?"
Jay looked down at his feet.
Several long seconds passed whilst he chewed the inside of his cheek and thought hard about Dougie's words.
Finally he looked into the big cop's eyes.
"Thank you for trusting me with your story," he said. He meant it. It was always a privilege when people… friends shared themselves with you. Especially when they were trying to save you pain they had suffered.
"But it's different for us. Mo and I. We have eternity. When this is over, we return to… our existence. We'll be exactly as we were before. Unchanging."
Dougie straightened his posture. A tic of annoyance pulled at his cheek.
"Forgive me, Jay, but if you believe that, you're a fucking fool."
Jay smiled at him. A smile that held thousands of years of knowledge, of confidence, of certainty that Dougie could not comprehend. An unintentionally condescending smile that said you're a mortal. You can't understand.
Dougie spotted it immediately and turned away briefly before whirling back around. He wasn't angry, just determined.
"People are people, Jay, and friends are friends. You're wrong about this. Everything's changed between you and Mo, but you do have a chance to repair it, before it ends. If you can't do that… why should any of these people believe you can save them?"
Dougie didn't wait for an answer. Treading off downhill into the night, he waved, beckoning Jay to follow after.
"Either way, boss," Dougie said over his shoulder, "let's get going. There are people waiting for you to give them all the answers."
This excerpt is from Mark Wilson's upcoming novel, On The Seventh Day, available now for Pre-Order
Posted in book review, books, crime novel, fatherhood, horror, life, literature, media, movies, popular culture, religious satire, science fiction, television, writing	| Tagged fiction, Mark Wilson, On The SevenTh Day, religious satire, scottish jesus, second coming	| Leave a reply
Mary Magdalene – Twelve Mad Men Excerpt
Posted on August 8, 2014 by MW
I'm not sure how Bracha talks me into these things. When he proposed the Mad Men project I rolled my eyes and thought, 'that's an impossible project' luckily for me I'd had beer, lots of beer and my mouth ignored my brain, telling him, "sounds magic, I'm in." I'm fairly certain he times his approach deliberately.
Taking twelve very different writer's stories and merging them into a coherent narrative is an immensely difficult task and one that most writers wouldn't consider approaching.
Ryan Bracha, in Twelve Mad Men, has taken the differing personalities, voices, morals, madness and writing styles and formed not only a coherent novel from them but an utterly original and compelling piece of fiction.
Without a doubt the maddest of the twelve, Bracha (the bastard), took each of us involved out of our comfort zone and gave us permission to indulge ourselves in a way we wouldn't normally do in our own books. He brought the worst and the best out in my writing and pulled off his ridiculous project with gusto. Dick.
Suggested for over 18s only. Contains very strong language and very graphic violence.
By Mark Wilson
"Hello? I'm here to fix the lights. Can you get in the corner, please?" I press my ear up against the door, listening for shuffling to confirm that he's done as I asked. All I hear is a rhythmic slurping, slap sound. I listen a little closer. The meaty slurp sounds like it's coming from a distance away so I slip my key in the door, turn and push gently, keeping a firm hold of the handle, in case I have to slam it closed again.
Peeking my face through the grate, I see Wilson in the corner. More precisely, I see the back of him. He's sitting in the corner like I asked, but I get the distinct impression that he was already there before I came knocking. He's not that tall, and only lightly built but even from behind it's clear that he's powerful. He has that wiry, coiled spring musculature, I can see it in the movement of his shoulder. I can see his body quite clearly as there's nothing covering it.
His right arm is moving with some force, repeatedly hammering away at something as he sits. He's talking to himself, but I can't quite make out what he's saying. It's not the accent, it's his voice, so gentle. Like he's talking to a lover. He's facing the wall to his right, staring at a photograph. I move a little closer, just close enough to hear better and get a look at the image. It's a tattered photo from some sort of boarding school. There are about a hundred kids, half a dozen nuns and maybe twenty priests, all standing in rows posing for the camera. I peer in a little closer and start counting.
Fourteen of the priests and two nuns have a very thick, very bold tick made with a red marker on their faces.
I cock my ear to the left and hold my breath. Wilson hasn't made a move, just that piston he has for a right arm pumping up and down in a decidedly masturbatory manner. So long as he's happy. I take another step closer, finally I can hear that gentle voice.
"Cotter, Docherty, McNally, O'Donnell, McGuire…"
He lists surnames, maybe ten, maybe twenty and starts again, tugging at his cock with each name whispered. I've somehow forgotten why I'm here or the danger present and lean in for a closer look.
Wilson stands and turns quite gracefully as my foot scuffs the stone floor a little louder than intended. The cock-bashing hasn't stopped, or even slowed, it hasn't changed pace, I'm suddenly very grateful that it hasn't sped up. He tilts his head very slightly. His shaved head glints in the moonlight and his eyes widen as he takes me in. There are scars on his chest, low down just above the abdomen. They look nasty.
"Lalley, O'Malley, Foley.." His head straightens and the chanting stops, although the arm keeps perfect time.
"Are you fixing the lights or not," he asks, never missing a stroke. His voice is softer than any man's, he sounds like a woman, a pretty woman. I search for words, but my capacity to speak has been taken away by the sight of this very slight man with a cock like two cans of Red Bull stacked on end, wanking at me.
His arm starts to slow, so I start talking. "Yes, sorry Mr Wilson, if you could just stay in the corner, I'll.."
"What's your name?" He asks gently. His eyes are curious, but something else, there's excitement there, and maybe fear as well.
I tell him my name.
His face softened, and he tilts his head again, throwing me a seductive look.
"Are you a religious man?" he asks, with a giggle.
Involuntarily, my eyes dart to the faded image on the wall and back to his quickly. Not quick enough though, he saw it. His eyes narrow, all friendliness gone.
"My sister asked you a fuckin' question, cunt!" he roars at me in a booming baritone.
The change in him is staggering. The softness is gone, so has the curiosity. His whole posture has changed, all playfulness and grace has vanished and pure predatory aggression glares from him.
Fuck knows what the right answer to his question is but his arm has started pulling at that two-can cock with such ferocity that I'm genuinely frightened for its well-being despite the danger I'm in.
I blurt out, "No, I'm not. Used to be, but.."
"Shut the fuck up, ya dick." He spits at me.
I do. I watch him transform again in front of me. The face softens, the eyes widen and the body becomes a graceful swan in movement once again as she returns.
Something's changed in her though, she's no longer throwing me admiring, curious looks. She's looks friendly enough, and her wanking has returned to normal pace, but something's shifted.
She moves beside me to get a good look at my face. I use my peripheral vision to make sure that I have an egress.
"I'm sorry about my brother. He's a little overprotective," she says gently. "I'm glad you're not religious, I like the religious type, but Paul, my brother, does not."
"Okay," I sing, with false cheeriness as the lean man with the woman's demeanour and voice wanks serenely in my direction. "Best get on then. Would you mind going back to the corner, don't let me interrupt…" I nod down at her… his reddened cock.
"I'd like you to stay for a few minutes. I so rarely get to talk to anyone." Her face darkened a little, the threat of Paul behind her eyes. "Paul gets angry if I'm not happy. Let's talk, just for a little while." I nod and watch her walk back to her corner and resume her previous position, only this time she's facing me.
I sit a few metres away and ask. "So what's a nice girl like you doing here?"
Her face drops. "I'm not a nice girl," she says.
"I'm sorry," I blurt out, it was just a joke, y'know, cos that's what people say."
She nods, but I can tell that I hurt her feelings because her cock twitched at me in response.
"Why don't you tell me how you came to be here, you and your brother," I suggest. "if you don't mind, that is…." I suddenly feel ridiculous, but have to ask.
"What's your name?" I ask.
The wiry little, very scary man with the huge dick, blushes, he actually blushes and pauses his wankery for a second in surprise.
"Nobody ever asks me that, not in all my time here. They just call us both Wilson." She smiles with genuine warmth before resuming her stroking at a more leisurely pace than I'd seen her do so far.
"My name's Mary. Pleased to meet you."
"And you," I say with a ridiculous little bow that makes me feel stupid, but it makes her laugh and the cell lights up when she laughs.
"Would you like to hear about how I came here? She asks
I shrug, "Only if you're happy to tell me."
She gives me a little bow of her own, mirroring mine in a gentle mock, making me laugh. Her eyes dance with light and she drinks in my happiness as she starts to tell her story. I sit and stare into the face of the scariest, most beautiful man I've ever seen as he-she, as Paul-Mary speaks.
My sibling and I had been in St Margaret Mary's for around six months. We'd been to other schools, loads actually. We were good kids, but dad moved around a lot. Army officer. Came from money and gentry, couldn't be bothered being a parent after Mum died. It was an alright school and was close to Edinburgh city centre which was awesome for a couple of fourteen year olds with time to kill and no parents around.
On our first day, the head teacher, Father Connelly, introduced us to our peers at the house assembly. He made a big deal of us being twins, we were the first twins to attend St Mags'. Father Connelly was a lovely man, I really looked up to him, to all of the staff, to be honest. That's probably why I have a thing for the religious type, especially Catholics. Never works out though.
Paul played rugby, Mary studied hard. Friends were difficult to come by, most of the kids our age seemed withdrawn, sullen. We didn't particularly care, we had each other after all, but it would've been nice to have some more friends.
Eventually we were invited along to one of Fr Connelly's private dinners. He'd been telling us for months how special being twins was. He really liked that about us.
Mary wore a very white dress, one that father Connelly had remarked on at an assembly some months before. Paul looked as scruffy as always, but at least he'd had a shower. When we entered Fr Connelly's quarters, a huge table filled the room. On it was a large white sheet, covering the food and around it sat sixteen of the school's priests and four nuns. I remember our eyes fixing on the sheet. Paul took Mary's hand and began to drag her back towards the oak doors we'd entered by, but Mary pulled free of his grasp. This was Mary's big night, and Paul wasn't going to spoil it.
I remember rushing to Fr Connelly and apologising. He smelled strongly of wine, they all looked a little drunk, even the nuns. Paul grabbed Mary from out of Fr Connelly's hands, she let him this time. The elderly priest we had so admired smiled at us as we backed up to the doors. Doors that had already been locked.
Paul rushed at Father Connelly and rugby tackled the head teacher to the floor, clattering the old man's head against a strong wooden chair leg as they fell. The room erupted, in laughter. Strong hands grabbed at Paul, grabbed at Mary also. Strong hands tore off our clothes and bound us and violated our bodies.
They passed us round. The tore our bodies as well as our clothes. They fucked the nuns, they pulled the sheet from the table and fucked each other with the implements of sex that lay there. They pushed them into us as well, those toys.
Hours passed I came and went. Some minutes passed torturously as years of pain and humiliation. Some hours passed in seconds of unconsciousness when I blacked out. Mary, Mary Magdalene. Fuck Mary Magdalene, they chanted as they passed us around.
I woke many miles from St Mags on a rocky shore of the Firth of Forth. I'd been tied in a mail sack, along with my sibling. I'd freed my head and breathed. My sibling had not. It was a mercy. I climbed out of the sack and onto the smooth, cold pebbles of North Queensferry, a wretched creature. I kicked the body of my twin, still inside the sack back into the water and blew it a kiss.
I didn't go back to Edinburgh, instead I went home to Dundee and emptied my father's safe at home. I went online with the black book full of passwords I found in his safe and emptied every one of his accounts too. The bastard deserved us for putting us in St Mags'.
I disappeared. I got a new identity, I travelled, I grew up. I came back to Edinburgh, but I'd changed. I'd grown, become a man. A strong man, younger and more capable than the elderly, filthy men who'd violated Mary and Paul. The first one, I took whilst he crossed Charlotte Square. It was pathetic how old he had become. The hands I remembered clawing at my thighs and pants, were sparrow's claws, ineffectually pulling at my grip as I dragged the old cunt into the back of my van. I bestowed upon him every torture my sibling and I had suffered at his hands and the hands of his brethren.
I went so much further with him than even they had with Paul and Mary. I cut his eyelids and placed him in a room full of mirrors to watch as I sliced and pierced and fucked and ripped and gouged every ounce of fucking pain I could drag from the evil bastard. I did things to that creature that some would say makes me worse than all of them. It doesn't though, because he wasn't a child. That's the bare truth of it. He and his brothers of the cloth, men of God, betrayed children. I tortured and fucked an evil old man into a bloody puddle, then I hunted some of his fellow holy men. I still have some to find, to punish. For me and for my brother.
My eyes are stinging and I become aware that I hadn't blinked the entire time Wilson had been speaking. He's still sitting in Buddha position wanking away in the corner.
"Your brother?" I ask.
"Yes, Paul, my brother." She makes a sort of 'duh' face at me. Standing, she continues tugging on her cock and extends a hand for me.
"Thanks for listening. You should go now, Paul will be back soon. He doesn't like you much. Go."
I reach out and give the offered hand a little squeeze, similar to the one Benny had offered me earlier. As I let go my eyes go for a wander to Wilson's feet. They are small, maybe a size four or five. The legs are lean and strong but long and slender also. Whilst Wilson's torso is scarred the scars screamed a familiarity. I've seen scars like those on she wears on his-her chest somewhere else before. Maybe a TV show.
Wilson catches me scanning his body. That smile lights up the room again.
"You like it?" She asks. "I paid a fortune for it. Tits out and sewed up, vagina closed and this," She jerks that cock. "This I'm delighted with. Nice and big, plenty of damage done tae a hole wi' this big bastard, I can tell ye. Three piece titanium rod inside, hard whenever I want for however long I need it."
I gape at the scars.
"Only problem is that I'm a dry-shagger. They cannae give ye baws, well wee rubber wans, but not working ones full of spunk." Her eyes mist for a second as she loses herself in a rapey-reverie. "Och I'd have loved it if I could've had spunk tae splash over thae bastards," she says, wistfully.
Suddenly her face begins to darken once more and her voice deepens. Half way between Paul and Mary he-she roars. "Get fuckin' oot!"
She doesn't have to tell me twice. I rocket through the door and lock it shut behind me. Peering in through the little trap, I watch Mary kneel back into the corner and her back straighten. Paul's voice comes.
"Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene. She's fuckin' coming fur ye, ya basturts."
End of Excerpt
Twelve Mad Men features contributions from:
Paul D Brazill (Guns of Brixton, A Case of Noir)
Gerard Brennan (Fireproof, Wee Rockets)
Les Edgerton (The Bitch, The Rapist)
Craig Furchtenicht (Dimebag Bandits, Night Speed Zero)
Richard Godwin (Mr Glamour, One Lost Summer, Apostle Rising)
Allen Miles (18 Days, This is How You Disappear)
Keith Nixon (The Fix, The Eagle's Shadow)
Darren Sant (Tales From The Longcroft, The Bank Manager and The Bum)
Gareth Spark (Black Rain, Shotgun Honey)
Martin Stanley (The Gamblers, The Hunters)
Mark Wilson (dEaDINBURGH, Head Boy)
and is available now at Amazon US and Amazon UK.
Posted in book review, books, fatherhood, feminism, horror, life, literature, mental health, movies, personal, popular culture, science fiction, television, writing	| Tagged Mark Wilson, mental health, Ryan Bracha, Twelve Mad Men	| Leave a reply
Free Kindle copy of The Man Who Sold His Son
The Man Who Sold His Son is Free on kindle from 30th June – 4th July, 2014. You can find Mark and his books (including the Lanarkshire Strays series) at Amazon UK and Amazon US
The following excerpt is from The Man Who Sold His Son by Mark Wilson. Copyright, 2014 Paddy's Daddy Publishing Ltd
Garth felt an impulse rack his little body, sending another spasm of intense pain through his neurones. He felt the pain travel along his chest and down his spine. Unable to respond to it, the ten-year old merely observed as it travelled to his toes and left as quickly as it had come. He felt a pang of regret as it left him. He experienced so little of anything physically these days; these spikes of intense pain were becoming old and welcome friends. They reminded him he still existed. The only other things that tied him to the world were the voices he heard. People moving around his bed, talking, discussing him. Wondering aloud if he could hear them. He certainly couldn't respond.
Doctors, nurses, his father; they discussed his future, or lack of it. They argued over treatment, whether to continue or if the time had come to turn off the motors and pumps that kept his lings inflating and his blood circulating. Part of him wished they would. Part of him was ready to go somewhere else. Not yet, though. He had his voice to cling to. His father's voice.
"I think it's time to consider the removal of the viral particles from his spinal fluid."
"That's a very risky option at this stage. He's unlikely to live through the procedure."
"He's not living now. This isn't life. He hasn't breathed alone in months. There are no detectable traces of brain activity. It's over; it's time to switch these machines off… With a sample of the virus, directly from his spinal fluid, we could make huge progress in understanding this virus. Maybe prevent what's happened to Garth from happening to anyone else."
"I still think that if we can give him more time, we should."
"He's been this way for eighteen months. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but Garth's condition is unlikely to change. This is a totally unique, totally new virus we're dealing with. It has properties we've never seen before in a pathogen of this type."
"I know. I just wish there's more we could do, other than keep him comfortable."
"This young man's contribution will change the lives of millions, maybe billions. This is the right thing."
Garth Listened to them, smiling to himself. It'll be over soon. At least I'll get to help other kids. Other people. He took his mind elsewhere, to happier times, years before, when Mum was still alive. Before her illness, before dad lost himself in his work and put Garth into a boarding school. Garth watched images of his mother and father flashing across his mind's-eye. Happy smiles, hot chocolate, racing through long grass in meadows filled with summer flowers and love. His family.
Would mum be waiting for him? Would his dad be alright alone, or would his son's passing make him even more detached, more fixated on his business. He couldn't know.
He was being moved along a corridor. The lights overhead flashed through his eyelids. Suddenly the gurney stopped and the metallic sounds of surgery began. A mask was pressed to his mouth. He tasted rubber and unfamiliar gasses. Garth focused on the voices again.
"How long until he goes under?"
"Seconds. He's probably under already. If you've anything to say, do it now. He won't hear you, but if you don't, you'll regret saying nothing to him before he's totally gone."
Garth felt a warm fluid flow over him. All pain was gone. He could move again, he could think again. He was free of the dulling effect of the morphine. He was free, period. As he moved into his mother's arms he heard his father's voice whispering into the ear of what used to be his body.
"You're going to make me a lot of money. Goodbye, Son."
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr Ennis. He's gone."
"Right. Get me that sample, Doctor. I've got work to do."
The veteran surgeon pushed back his dislike for the man beside him and made the incision into Garth Ennis' spine. Ten minutes later he watched, sickened, as the businessman's eyes brightened when he handed him the small vial of spinal fluid.
"He could've had another few months, you know."
Ennis held the vial of his son's fluid up to the light and stared into it.
"My son's contributed more to medicine with this sample than you have in your entire little career, Doctor. This…" Ennis held the vial up for him. "This, will change the world."
The surgeon bored holes into Ennis with his eyes. He'd made allowances for Ennis, these last few months. He'd ignored the man's clinical manner, his coldness towards the comatose boy. At times it had felt like he'd been protecting the boy from his own father. Since succumbing to the virus, this new virus, and slipping into his vegetative state, Garth had lain in the same bed, in the same room, in his care. Garth's father visited every day, but said nothing to the boy. He didn't kiss or hold him. He barely looked at the boy's face. Gavin Ennis would just sit there for hours, tapping away at his handheld computer; working. Making plans for the genome of the virus that was killing his son.
The surgeon made excuses for Ennis' demeanour. He knew the family history well. Ennis' wife had died from meningitis three years back. His small business was in trouble. Having created synthetic gametes that nobody wanted, Ennis Company looked to be going into liquidation. Simply, no-one wanted to have children conceived using synthetic sperm. Ennis had expected single, career women who'd left it too late or couldn't find a partner to jump at the chance. Or married gay couples, but there just wasn't the interest. People had chosen to use the DNA of a stranger or relative rather than Ennis', lab creations.
The man was on his knees. Dead wife so young, his son dying so very young. The surgeon had found plenty of reasons to excuse Ennis' behaviour, until now. The callousness of Ennis' actions today clawed at the surgeon's conscience. He felt a fool for having made allowances for this man, who had effectively used his dead son for profit.
Injecting all the venom he could muster into his voice, the surgeon spat out,
"You sold out your son to get it. I hope it was worth it."
Ennis had already turned and begun to walk towards the exit.
The surgeon headed in the opposite direction, his next task, the disposal of little Garth Ennis' remains.
Posted in book review, books, fatherhood, feminism, life, literature, movies, music, personal, popular culture, science fiction	| Tagged free ebook, Mark Wilson, Science fiction, technothriller, The Man Who Sold His Son, venetic engineering	| Leave a reply

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: RDS mysql public database cannot connect from AWS Lambda my RDS mysql public database instance can be connected from mysql clients. But when i trying the same in AWS Lambda it won't work. my code is given below.
console.log('Loading function');
var doc = require('dynamodb-doc');
var dynamo = new doc.DynamoDB();
var mysql = require('mysql');
exports.handler = function(event, context) {
//console.log('Received event:', JSON.stringify(event, null, 2));
var operation = event.operation;
delete event.operation;
switch (operation) {
case 'create':
var conn = mysql.createConnection({
host      :  'lamdatest.********.rds.amazonaws.com' ,  // RDS endpoint
user      :  'user' ,  // MySQL username
password  :  'password' ,  // MySQL password
database  :  'rdslamda'
});
conn.connect();
console.log("connecting...");
conn.query ( 'INSERT INTO login (name,password) VALUES("use6","password6")' ,     function(err, info){
        console.log("insert: "+info.msg+" /err: "+err);
    });
console.log("insert values in to database");
break;
case 'read':
dynamo.getItem(event, context.done());
break;

default:
context.fail(new Error('Unrecognized operation "' + operation + '"'));

}
context.succeed();
};

When i checked out the mysqli-error.log file in the RDS it's shows an error given below.
2015-08-09 19:36:24 2630 [Warning] IP address '117.253.192.122' could not be resolved:
Temporary failure in name resolution

----------------------- END OF LOG ----------------------

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Site and Web
CateBlanchettFan
Your prime resource for all things Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett Fan @Cate-Blanchett.com
Your source for Cate Blanchett
Welcome to Cate Blanchett Fan, your prime resource for all things Cate Blanchett. Here you'll find all the latest news, pictures and information. You may know the Academy Award Winner from movies such as Elizabeth, Blue Jasmine, Carol, The Aviator, Lord of The Rings, Thor: Ragnarok, among many others. We hope you enjoy your stay and have fun!
Promotional interview for 'Truth'
This one is from Singapore!
The truth about Cate Blanchett
The Australian actress gives her take on politics and the upcoming US elections, but keeps her private life to herself
Cate Blanchett, a marching wind of navy-but-almost black in a deceptively comfortable-looking pantsuit, glides into a suite at London's Corinthia Hotel, meaning business.
"Right… nnngh. What are we talking about today?" she asks, eyes aflash with a steady, open gaze; hair smoothed neatly in a blonde bob around a strong-boned face.
The subject of discussion, it turns out, is social realism, philosophy and Ibsen. A Norwegian journalist has cut into the game quickly via a question about her theatrical work.
"These plays are classics because they are always ripe for reinvention and re-examination," the actress says, referring to Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy Of The People as an example.
"I've seen a lot of different productions in England, in Australia, in Germany, so it clearly crosses a lot of cultures – that somebody who's inside the system, someone who sees the system as broken, compromised and corrupt and trying to expose that corruption and ultimately being destroyed."
Blanchett, 46, could go on to debate the frayed morals of society and all the individual intractable stakes in it, and how the stage is a useful refraction of the incorrigibility of the world. But she is here to talk instead about her involvement in James Vanderbilt's Truth, about the rise and fall of American TV news programme 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes.
In 2005, the TV executive was systematically and politically persecuted over her alleged exposure of former president George W. Bush's draft dodging via undocumented falsified military records in the 1970s.
Masterfully segueing into the topic that brought the press team into the room in the first place, Blanchett says: "Truth – it's about a very particular pocket of American history but I think it has a universality that Ibsen does."
But she also adds that it is not a biopic about Dan Rather, the journalist caught in the controversy, or Mapes.
"In some way that All The President's Men is not about (former president Richard) Nixon, this film is not about George W. Bush or the Republicans either. It's more about the unhealthy crucible of corporate America, its media and its politicians.
"And I think that's an interesting question… it raises a series of interesting questions for not only the American public but for the Western media generally, about the global media."
Slowly but surely, the Australian actress is provoking thoughts on the upcoming elections in the United States and, by extension, political reporting around the world.
"It's an interesting question to have in your mind when you're going to the polls. Because the horse races have begun.
"There's very little content, very little ideology, it's all about personality. It happens in the US and in Australia, I'm sure it happens everywhere. It feels like the media is running the election, rather than the ideas driving the election."
Fast-talking and quick-thinking, she slides easily between topics in conversation, casually holding onto her reign as queen of court among four journalists at this interview. She has been a 16th-century monarch incarnate twice in her breakout film role Queen Elizabeth I in 1998 (Elizabeth) and again in 2007 (Elizabeth: The Golden Age).
When Hollywood first descended upon her with a slew of opportunities after Elizabeth, she was already a successful stage actress. Her star rose through the ranks with successful appearances in the film world. Roles ranged from gutsy crime reporter Veronica Guerin (Veronica Guerin, 2003) to the ethereal Galadriel in the Lord Of The Rings series, to a cross- dressing Bob Dylan in I'm Not There (2007) and campy evil baddies in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008) and Cinderella (2015). She was also nominated for a best actress Oscar in Todd Haynes' acclaimed Carol (2015), where she plays an older woman romancing a young photographer (Rooney Mara) in 1950s New York.
And yet she insists that she still has "never really worked in Hollywood" and never bought into the media circus. "I personally don't like knowing anything about the actors I see on screen because I find it gets into the way of immersing myself into the story," she says.
Unafraid to comment on fellow Australian Rupert Murdoch, she muses further: "I don't think a monopoly of media ownership is healthy for any country. And certainly this is centralisation of media ownership in Australia. A democracy can function only when it has a truly free and diverse press.
"Particularly now – we digest captions and that's enough," she adds. "It's very hard to get news these days because it's so mixed up with the memes. There's an erosion of investigative journalism and the space in televised media. With the twittersphere, the advent of the blogosphere… it's very difficult to separate opinion news from factual news. But we need diversity to find out what's going on."
Does she still believe in journalism? "I mean… here we all are," she says with a shrug, looking at all the reporters in the room with irony, flashing a tired smirk.
"I end up speaking to the media much more than I like. I consume news. I'm interested in what's going on in the world.
"But I don't have Facebook or a Twitter account, I'm not on Instagram. I've got four children, I run a theatre company in Australia, I'm lucky enough to do the work that interests me. It's a high-class problem," adds Blanchett, who is married to long-time husband Andrew Upton, fellow director of her Sydney Theatre Company, where she has been "primarily happily working for the last eight years, with the occasional foray into film".
Indeed. She will thump your head with irresistible elan and beautiful words over the degenerating politics of the world, or her support of green causes, or her feminist response to media fetishisation of actresses' bodies in the name of fashion. But she will give you zilch on her private life and thoughts.
"I don't talk about it. Don't publish photos of myself on holiday. My work is my work and my private life is my private life. It's expanded exponentially in the last 15 years. The landscape was quite different when I first started."
What movie magazines and the Internet will tell you is that she is the middle child of a Texan-born naval petty officer and a teacher, and raised in a Melbourne suburb. Dropping out of university to travel around the world – and thereby accidentally making her first movie appearance as an extra in a party scene on an Egyptian film set, she eventually went to drama school and dove onto the stage.
She is lined up for no fewer than five other film openings over the next two years, including the Terrence Malick project Weightless.
Still, her life off-stage is not only the silver screen: She is eager to let you know she spends valuable time "producing the work of others".
"An actor's job is to be slightly out of balance. If everything is neat and siloed and tied up in little bows, it becomes a little dull. You need a little bit of chaos. I guess you need to be hyper-organised if you're going to have chaos."
via Straits Times
Cate Blanchett talks about beauty
New ads for Armani's Sì Eau de Toilette
Cate Blanchett: 'It's a struggle being a parent and working in the film industry'
Ocean's 8 – European Press Tour
Ocean's 8 – Press, press, press!!
Refugees Need Your Help!
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett is warning of a 'race against time' to protect Rohingya refugees from the impact of the upcoming monsoon season in Bangladesh. Increased rainfall, potential cyclones and adverse weather conditions are threatening to put hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees at serious risk in the coming months.
Check the link below for more info and how to donate:
cbf chat
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Role: Bernadette Fox
Status: In cinemas || Available in Blu-ray and DVD from November 26
Release: August 16, 2019 (USA)
Plot: After her anxiety-ridden mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down, discovering her troubled past in the process
Official Photos IMDB
Role: Herself
Release: Streaming on Starz
Plot: An investigative look and analysis of gender disparity in Hollywood, featuring accounts from well-known actors, executives and artists in the Industry.
Mrs. America (TV Series)
Role: Phyllis Schlafly
Release: To be streamed on Hulu from April 15th, 2020
Plot: Conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly leads an unexpected fight against the Equal Rights Amendment movement during the 1970s.
Official PhotosIMDB
Stateless (TV Series)
Role: Cornelia Rau
Release: To be released in 6 episodes on ABC (Australia) from March 1st, 2020
Plot: The series centres on four strangers in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert. When their lives intersect they are pushed to the brink of sanity, yet unlikely and profound emotional connections are made amongst the group.
Sweet Tooth Movie Magic
Plot: Set in a fictional European town in 1780, is a dark and magical short film inspired by the classic story of Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, but it offers a different perspective on the tale
Stuart X
Release: Available on Youtube
Plot: Stuart Iredale was born with Fragile X during the 1950s; a time when the disability was little know. At 60 years old Stuart was correctly diagnosed.
Role: Thirteen roles
Release: Available in VOD and in DVD
Installation (complete): Museum MACAN (Jakarta Barat – Indonesia) February – May 2020
Plot: A collage of artists' manifestos, ultimately questioning the role of the artist in society today
Role: Lilith Ritter
Status: Pre-production
Release: TBA
Plot: A corrupt con-man teams up with a female psychiatrist to trick people into giving them money. A remake of the 1947 film.
Webmaster: Annie , MLS , Nelly
Previous Owners: Maria, Laura, Amanda, Eli, Michelle
Opened: June 2007
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I am NOT Cate Blanchett. This site is not official and has no connections with Cate Blanchett herself or her management.
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text:
Dan Whiteley
Opinion: Getting the Band Back Together
By Dan Whiteley
Dan Whiteley asks the question on everyone's mind: should never actually mean never?
To an adoring music fan, few events are harder to stomach than the announcement that one of your favourite bands are parting ways. The realisation that this is the end of the road—that you'll never see them onstage again, that the new masterpiece you've been waiting for will never come—can give rise to strangely personal feelings, despite you never having known these individuals personally.
I myself was just a starry-eyed youngster when R.E.M. last came to the UK back in 2008. Having been offered a chance to go, I politely declined, for reasons I now admittedly cannot fathom. "Don't worry, Dad," I said, "I'll catch them next time round."
They then proceeded to split up forever.
But, as inconsolable as learning I missed my only chance to see my favourite band made me, in a way it could be worse. Because if there's one thing that's more frustrating than leaving us wanting more, it's when bands – years, sometimes even decades down the line—refuse to leave their legacies alone; and unfortunately, in an age where enduring and timeless music is getting harder to come by, the reunion tour epidemic is fast becoming an everyday reality. But why?
Popular opinion suggests that these reunions are so frequent nowadays simply because they're a tried and tested business venture; if the public demand is there, the effort-to-gains ratio can be astounding. The recent Libertines' reformation, for example, was, by their own admission, a shameless money making exercise which saw Carl Barat and Pete Doherty each earn around half a million pounds for a single show. And they're not the only ones—The Stone Roses reunion was reportedly motivated by Ian Brown's eye-watering divorce bill, whilst The Replacements returned to the live arena with the selfless aim of helping fund ex-guitarist Slim Dunlap's medical treatment following a stroke.
For others, it's a matter of pride and sense of entitlement. When Billy Corgan revived the Smashing Pumpkins in 2006 after a short stint in (the infinitely less successful) Zwan, he lamented, "I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams," and set out to do so, albeit with only the drummer agreeing to return. Similarly, in what is probably the most infamous of all comebacks, Axl Rose single-handedly took ownership of the Guns N' Roses moniker and replaced the entire band with a revolving door of faceless session musicians, releasing a lone, overblown mess of an album (2008's Chinese Democracy) since then, robbing their discography of the chance to quit while ahead. It's an all too familiar pattern, trying to recapture old magic when the moment has long since gone.
There are exceptions, of course—The Police's victory lap was a fun and tasteful nostalgia exercise, and Blur's sporadic reappearances have triumphantly cemented their status as national treasures. But for every Blur success, it seems there's several No Doubts. And really, in 2014, does anyone need No Doubt?


Create regular pivot tables with just a few lines of R. More complex pivot tables can also be created, e.g. pivot tables with irregular layouts, multiple calculations and/or derived calculations based on multiple data frames. Pivot tables are constructed using R only and can be written to a range of output formats (plain text, 'HTML', 'Latex' and 'Excel'), including with styling/formatting.
The pivottabler package enables pivot tables to be created with just a few lines of R.
Provide an easy way of creating pivot tables, without requiring the user to specify low-level layout logic.
Provide multiple ways of specifying calculation logic to cover both simple and more sophisticated requirements.
Provide styling options so the pivot tables can be themed/branded as needed.
All calculations for the pivot tables take place inside R, enabling the use of a wide-range of R functions in the calculation logic.
Pivot tables are rendered as htmlwidgets, Latex or plain text. The HTML/Latex/text can be exported for use outside of R.
Pivot tables can be converted to a standard R matrix or data frame. Pivot tables can be exported to Excel. Pivot tables can also be converted to a basictabler table for further manipulation.
pivottabler is a companion package to the basictabler package. pivottabler is focussed on generating pivot tables and can aggregate data. basictabler does not aggregate data but offers more control of table structure.
pivottabler has many styling and formatting capabilities when rendering pivot tables in HTML / as htmlwidgets using pt$renderPivot(), however the most basic output is simply as plain text.
pt$addData(bhmtrains) # bhmtrains is a data frame with columns TrainCategory, TOC, etc.
Multiple calculations are supported. Calculations can be based on other calculations in the pivot table. Calculations can be hidden - e.g. to hide calculations that only exist to provide values to other calculations.
It is also possible to change the axis (rows or columns) and level in which the calculations appear. See the "Calculations" vignette for details.
More advanced calculations such as % of row total, cumulative sums, etc are possible. See the "A2. Appendix: Calculations" vignette for details.
Styling can be specified when creating the pivot table. The example below shows specifying styling using a quick-pivot function and using the more verbose syntax.
It is also possible to change the styling of single cells and ranges of cells after the pivot table has been created. See the "Styling" and "Finding and Formatting" vignettes for more details.
The same styling/formatting used for the HTML output is also used when outputting to Excel - greatly reducing the amount of script that needs to be written to create Excel output.
In the screenshot above, Gridlines have been made invisible to make the styling easier to see (by clearing the checkbox on the 'View' ribbon). Columns were also auto-sized - though the widths of columns could also be manually specified from R. See the Excel Export vignette for more details.
This version of pivottabler generates slightly different CSS/HTML for the built-in themes/styling compared to previous versions. The visual appearance is unchanged. This may be a breaking change for users who require the generated CSS/HTML code to be identical to previous versions.
In version 1.0.0 and earlier versions of pivottabler, the built-in themes used a shared set of style declarations for both calculation value cells and total cells. From pivottabler version 1.1.0 onwards, total cells use a separate set of style declarations. The visual appearance of pivot tables using the built-in themes has not changed, only the HTML/CSS that is generated is slightly different - so the great majority of users will not be affected.
This change reduces the risk of styling changes to totals accidentally affecting all calculation value cells and vice-versa.
The output of earlier versions, where total cells and calculation value cells use a shared set of style declarations, can be generated by specifying compatibility=list(totalStyleIsCellStyle=TRUE) as an argument when creating the pivot table, either in PivotTable$new() or one of the quick pivot functions such as qpvt().
Convert a pivot table to a basictabler table - enabling flexible/arbitrary changes to be made to pivot tables after they have been created, e.g. inserting or deleting rows/columns/cells. See the "Outputs" vignette for more details.
New function pt$setStyling() simplifies the setting of formatting and styling on data groups and table cells. See the "Styling" vignette for details.
Specifying styling/formatting when creating pivot tables using the qpvt() and qhpvt() functions is now possible. See the "Introduction" vignette for a list of parameters for these functions. See the "Styling" vignette for more examples.
Specifying styling/formatting when creating pivot tables using the verbose syntax is also now possible - styling can be specified when adding data groups and when adding calculations to pivot tables. Again, see the "Styling" vignette for more details and examples.
A more detailed explanation of styling rules has been added to the "Styling" vignette.
The default value of the specifyCellsAsList argument in the pt$getCells() function has been changed to TRUE. The previous usage of the pt$getCells() function is still supported (now you must explicitly specify specifyCellsAsList=FALSE). This change has been planned since v0.3.0 (June 2017) and a warning message has been displayed since then. See the Finding and Formatting vignette for more details on the specifyCellsAsList argument.
Additional checks are now made to prevent calculations being moved/added after the calculation row/column groups have been generated. There is a small chance this will cause errors in existing user code - though this will only occur where user code is trying to move/add calculations after the calculations have already been set in the pivot table by a call to pt$addColumnCalculationGroups() or pt$addRowCalculationGroups() (previously this would silently fail).
pivottabler now supports using any of the following data types in both row/column headings and cell values: integer, numeric, character, logical, Date, and POSIXct.
Improved support for illegal data frame column names and illegal calculation names (e.g. including spaces or symbols such as dash, plus, dollar, etc). See the Details Appendix (A1) vignette for details.
The new PivotFiltersOverrides class provides many new options for overriding the data used to calculate cell values. It is now possible to add to, remove from or entirely replace filter criteria as part of calculation definitions. This makes calculations such as "% of row/column/grand total", ratios/multiples, rolling averages and cumulative sums easier. See the Calculations Appendix (A2) vignette for examples.
Row/column heading style settings for data groups can now be declared up-front using the baseStyleName and styleDeclarations arguments in pt$addColumnDataGroups(...) and pt$addRowDataGroups(...). See the Styling vignette for an example.
Row/column heading style settings for calculations can now be declared up-front using the headingBaseStyleName and headingStyleDeclarations arguments in pt$defineCalculation(...). See the Styling vignette for an example.
Cell style settings for calculations can now be declared up-front using the cellBaseStyleName and cellStyleDeclarations arguments in pt$defineCalculation(...). See the Styling vignette for an example.
Additional exportOptions parameter when exporting to HTML, Latex and Excel for controlling how NA, NaN, -Inf and Inf are exported. See the Details Appendix (A1) for more information.
Additional parameter outputHeadingsAs in pt$writeToExcelWorksheet(...) to control how row/column headings are formatted when exporting to Excel. See the Excel Export vignette for more details.
pt$asDataFrame(...) and pt$asTidyDataFrame(...) now support additional parameter stringsAsFactors with default value default.stringsAsFactors().
Bug fixed that would cause corrupt Excel files to be generated when exporting pivottables with no row/column groups to Excel.
No breaking changes currently planned.
Removed support for R 3.2.x. Minimum supported version of base R now R 3.3.0.
It is now possible to output a pivot table to an Excel file with one line of R, including with styling that closely matches the HTML output. See the Excel Export vignette for more details.
Quick-pivot functions now support showing/hiding totals and renaming the captions of totals, which was previously only possible using the verbose syntax. See the Introduction vignette for more details.
Corrections to ordering of code in Styling vignette.
A couple of other small bug fixes.
The previous usage of the arguments for the getCells() function is still supported (and is still the default) however the new argument usage will be made the default in a future version. For now, a message is displayed noting the upcoming change. See the Finding and Formatting vignette for more details.
Pivot table initialiser parameters renamed from messages and messageFile to traceEnabled and traceFile respectively.
pivottabler now calculates cell values in batches in order to reduce the calculation time required for larger data frames. For large pivot tables based on large data frames this typically results in a big performance improvement, e.g. for a pivot table of 1000 cells based on a data frame with 10 million rows the rendering time is around 7 seconds in version 0.3.0 compared to over 480 seconds in version 0.2.0. See the new Performance vignette for more details.
pivottabler now also supports the data.table package for performing pivot table summary/aggregation calculations. dplyr remains the default however data.table offers a moderate performance improvement for large data frames (10 million rows and above). See the Calculations vignette for more details.
addRowDataGroups and addColumnDataGroups functions pre-group the data to reduce the time required for larger data frames.
New argumentCheckMode parameter added to pivot table initialiser to provide an additional option to reduce the time required to create larger pivot tables.
print() method added to PivotTable class. Can now print a simple plain text view of the pivot table to the console using just pt or retrieve the plain text as a character value using pt$asCharacter.
Quick-pivot functions added that construct a basic pivot table with one line of R: qpvt(), qhpvt() and qlpvt(). See the Introduction vignette for more details.
Internal pivot filters class differentiates more clearly between 'all', 'some' and 'none' match cases for more robust filtering and early elimination of some cell calculations.
The getCells() function has been made more intuitive to use when getting specific cells by using a new cellCoordinates argument. See the Finding and Formatting vignette for details.
Stricter name checking for calculation names to avoid later unclear dplyr/data.table errors caused by syntax errors arising from illegal names.
Added the ability to output a pivot table in Latex.
Added the asMatrix() function to allow the pivot table contents to be retrieved as a matrix.
Added the asDataFrame() and asTidyDataFrame() functions to allow the pivot table contents to be retrieved as a data frame.
Added findRowDataGroups() and findColumnDataGroups() functions to find data groups (i.e. headings) that match specified criteria to simplify scenarios such as changing the styling of specific headings.
Added the getCells() function to retrieve cells by row number and/or column number.
Added the findCells() function to find cells in the body of a pivot table that match specified criteria to simplify scenarios such as conditional formatting.
Five new vignettes added. Many changes to the existing vignettes.
Modified the sample data by specifying a time zone (UTC) for all POSIXct data to remove inconsistencies when using the data in different time zones.
Modified the automated tests to no longer use the digest package.
Updated object documentation to wrap lines longer than 80 characters.
Shiny vignette examples now working.
No versions prior to 0.1.0 were released.


More than 2 million middle-school and high-school students used e-cigarettes in 2017. And the agency says if these companies don't prove that they're doing this within 60 days, they might pull flavored e-cigarettes off the market. "I use the word epidemic with great care". "The disturbing and accelerating trajectory of use we're seeing in youth, and the resulting path to addiction, must end", he said.
The FDA also plans to revisit its policy that extended the dates for manufacturers of certain flavored e-cigarettes to apply for premarket authorization. E-cigarette sales have threatened Big Tobacco companies. Short of that, he suggests the FDA might force companies to stop offering e-liquid flavors that appeal to minors, which are an important factor in quit attempts by adult smokers.
E-cigarettes were the most commonly used nicotine/tobacco product among young people previous year, with 2 million middle and high school students reporting use. If the companies do not respond to the agency's satisfaction, the FDA said, it will consider removing their products from stores. Many researchers say the devices are less risky than traditional, combustible cigarettes because they don't contain tobacco's cancer-causing ingredients.
However, he added: "The youth risk is paramount". "It's aimed at retail and online sales of e-cigarettes to minors".
"The FDA has at its disposal both civil and criminal remedies to address demonstrated violations of the law", he said.
"We're announcing the largest ever coordinated initiative against violative sales in the history of the FDA". In 2009, the Tobacco Control Act gave the agency authority over cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Sales were allowed to continue in the interim.
Following Wednesday's announcement, tobacco stocks surged then pared some of those gains on Thursday.
The plan focuses on reducing access and appeal of e-cigarette products. The delay was denounced by public-health groups, which have sued to restore the tighter timeline.
Warning that e-cigarettes use by minors has reached "epidemic proportions", the FDA imposed fines Wednesday and sent warning letters to 1,300 retailers that sell vaping devices. But health officials have warned nicotine in e-cigarettes is harmful to developing brains.
In a speech at the agency's headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., Gottlieb acknowledged that e-cigarettes present a public health conundrum. "They must demonstrate they're truly committed to keeping their products out of the hands of kids". The devices resemble flash drives, bedeviling teachers and parents who are trying to catch children with e-cigarettes. Those five brands account for about 97% of the USA e-cigarette market, the agency reported.
The FDA has been widely criticized by anti-smoking groups for extending the product review application period for e-cigarettes introduced to the market before August of 2016 to the summer of 2022. The aerosol that e-cigarette users inhale contains volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and other chemicals that may cause cancer, according to the CDC. The study will take three years.
- Products created to help adults kick the habit may be encouraging addiction in kids.
In a June interview with CBS News, Juul's chief administrative officer Ashley Gould insisted that the company never intentionally marketed to teens.
Another guess is Big Tobacco is looking to protect their own market share.


text:
Chemically strengthened glass is a type of glass that has increased strength as a result of a post-production chemical process. When broken, it still shatters in long pointed splinters similar to float glass. For this reason, it is not considered a safety glass and must be laminated if a safety glass is required. However, chemically strengthened glass is typically six to eight times the strength of float glass. The most common trademark for this kind of glass is Gorilla glass.

The glass is chemically strengthened by a surface finishing process. Glass is submersed in a bath of a molten potassium salt (typically potassium nitrate) at about . This causes sodium ions in the glass surface to be replaced by potassium ions from the bath.

These potassium ions are larger than the sodium ions and therefore wedge into the gaps left by the smaller sodium ions when they migrate to the molten potassium nitrate. This replacement of ions causes the surface of the glass to be in a state of compression and the core in compensating tension. The surface compression of chemically strengthened glass may reach up to .

The strengthening mechanism depends on the fact that the compressive strength of glass is significantly higher than its tensile strength. With both surfaces of the glass already in compression, it takes a certain amount of bending before one of the surfaces can even go into tension. More bending is required to reach the tensile strength. The other surface simply experiences more and more compressive stress. But since the compressive strength is so much larger, no compressive failure is experienced.

Because the surface of chemically strengthened glass is in compression, it is also significantly more scratch resistant than untreated glass. This is why cell phone screens are typically made this way. Since phones are commonly carried in a pocket or purse with other items such as keys, scratch resistance is important.

There also exists a more advanced two-stage process for making chemically strengthened glass, in which the glass article is first immersed in a sodium nitrate bath at 450 °C (842 °F), which enriches the surface with sodium ions. This leaves more sodium ions on the glass for the immersion in potassium nitrate to replace with potassium ions. In this way, the use of a sodium nitrate bath increases the potential for surface compression in the finished article.

Chemical strengthening results in a strengthening similar to toughened glass. However, the process does not use extreme variations of temperature and therefore chemically strengthened glass has little or no bow or warp, optical distortion or strain pattern. This differs from toughened glass, in which slender pieces can be significantly bowed.

Also unlike toughened glass, chemically strengthened glass may be cut after strengthening, but loses its added strength within the region of approximately 20 mm of the cut. Similarly, when the surface of chemically strengthened glass is deeply scratched, this area loses its additional strength.

Another negative of chemically strengthened glass is the added cost. While tempered glass can be made cheaply through the fabrication process, chemically strengthened glass has a much more expensive route to the market. These costs make the product prohibitive for use in many applications.

Chemically strengthened glass was used for the aircraft canopy of some fighter aircraft.

See also
 Architectural glass
 Toughened glass

References

Glass types
Glass coating and surface modification

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sidai, the social enterprise arm of Farm Africa, provides quality services to livestock keepers across Kenya. Sidai is committed to bringing services to under-served communities in more remote locations, serving pastoralist communities.
Sidai aims to set up a network of at least 150 franchises by the end of 2015, each owned and managed by qualified livestock professionals. Sidai offers a comprehensive package of support to franchisees to ensure business success and quality of services delivered to farmers.
Until now, these rural pastoralist communities and their herds have been neglected by commercial suppliers of livestock services, who have concentrated on the traditionally profitable commercial dairy and poultry sectors. As a commercial business, Sidai draws on more than two decades of Farm Africa's practical experience of establishing sustainable livestock services.


text:
La Real Orden Familiar del Rey Jorge Tupou V fue una orden conferida como un signo de estima personal del rey Jorge Tupou V a las mujeres miembros de la Familia Real de Tonga.

Historia
La orden fue establecida por Su Majestad el rey Jorge Tupou V, en 2008 tras su ascenso al trono, después de la muerte de su padre, el rey Taufaʻahau Tupou IV. Su Majestad, la creó tomando como referencia el modelo del sistema de honores utilizado en algunas monarquías europeas. La tradición de fundar y conferir una Orden de la Familia Real está destinada a reconocer a las Damas de la Familia real tongana y a las mujeres de alto rango de la Corte del Monarca. La Real Orden Familiar del Rey Jorge Tupou V no está destinada a hombres.

Insignia
La Orden se presenta como un retrato del Rey Jorge Tupou V en un uniforme hecho de esmaltes sobre marfil rodeado por un marco de plata y diamantes y coronado por la corona real de Tonga en plata y esmaltes.

Clase
La Orden consiste en una sola clase: Dama. Sus letras post-nominales son DKGTRFO.

Destinatarias notables

 S.M. Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, Reina Madre de Tonga (madre del Rey Tupou VI )
 S.A.R. Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu Tuita, Princesa Real de Tonga, Lady Tuita (hermana del Rey)
 S.M. Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, reina de Tonga (consorte del rey Tupou VI )
 S.A.R ʻAngelika Lātūfuipeka Halaʻevalu Mataʻaho Napuaʻokalani Tukuʻaho, princesa de Tonga, (sobrina del rey Jorge Tupou V e hija del rey Tupou VI )
 S.A.R. Mele Siuʻ'ilikutapu Tukuʻaho, Princesa de Tonga, Lady Kalaniuvalu-Fotofili (la hija mayor del Príncipe Sione Ngu y primo rey del Rey Tupou VI )
 S.A.R.'Elisiva Fusipala Tauki'onetuku Tuku'aho Vaha'i , Princesa de Tonga, Lady Vahaʻi (la segunda hija del Príncipe Sione Ngu, prima hermana del Rey Tupou VI)
 S.A.R. la Princesa Lavinia Mata-ʻo-Taone Tukuʻaho, Princesa de Tonga, Lady Maʻafu (la tercera hija del Príncipe Sione Ngu, prima del Rey Tupou VI)
 S.A.R. la princesa Sinaitakala ʻOfeina-ʻe he-Langi Tukuʻaho, Princesa de Tonga, Lady Fakafanua (4.ª hija del Príncipe Sione Ngu, prima hermana del rey Tupou VI y madre de la princesa Sinaitakala Fakafānua)

Referencias

Wikipedia:Páginas con traducciones sin revisar
Órdenes, condecoraciones y medallas de Tonga


The first New Zealand-born woman to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, Joan 'Jan' Anderson was known for her work on photosynthesis, the process where green plants take light to make food.
Born in Queenstown, Anderson obtained a first-class honours Masters of Science in organic chemistry from the University of Otago. She then obtained a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. Anderson taught briefly in New Zealand before taking a job at the CSIRO Canberra and later became an adjunct Professor at ANU.
When Anderson began her research, the processes of photosynthesis were almost completely unknown. She was the first to show that the photosynthetic mechanism takes place inside two tiny molecular machines. Over the course of her 55 year research career, Anderson's research was marked by significant discoveries and far-reaching experimental research.
She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1996.


Summary: Hermione does some getting lost, then some getting found.
Summary: Everybody thinks Halloween is Frank's favorite holiday.
Summary: Responses to the Bob Holiday Meme.
Summary: Clint hates the cold.
Summary: Ray needs some pot.
Summary: Muggle experts are called in to help with a little post-Voldemort cleaning up.


Section 8 Apartments or Houses are privately owned units rented to low income families, disabled persons or the elderly. Units are rented at the fair market value.
Any difference between the amount the tenant pays and the total rental amount is government subsidized. Landlords and properties must be approved before participating in the program and rates are compared to those in the surrounding area to confirm the rent amount is fair. Once the landlord, the property, and the rent amount are approved, the property can be rented. There are many houses or units that accept section 8 renters and can be a great place to live.
A Public Housing Authority will pay the portion of the rental not paid by the tenant. Tenants have responsibilities including taking the initiative to locate a unit, living in the unit and not obtaining it for use by others, paying required deposits and paying the rent not covered by the rental voucher. Tenants must also follow lease terms, provide notification regarding changes in family size or income, and notify appropriate parties if moving.
The benefits to tenants from section 8 apartments are fairly obvious. Tenants also benefit from Section 8 apartments. The affordable housing provided by the Section 8 program means those lower income families, disabled persons, and the elderly are able to live in clean, safe housing. But what about the landlords?
Despite the a negative perception that many people have of Section 8 housing, the program's positive aspects can outweigh the negative ones. For landlords, Section 8 provides guaranteed, stable rent payments usually from long-term renters. The pool of renters is also very large. Renters are required to maintain the property and keep it clean. Landlords are also able to have their monthly rent reassessed every year.
The biggest drawback to the Section 8 program is that it does not work for all landlords and tenants. Landlords find themselves faced with the bureaucracy of the government. Getting a tenant placed and receiving the first rent payment may not occur on the day the lease begins so landlords must be prepared to deal with the possibility of a financial delay. Landlords are also subject to inspections that can result in costly repairs that would not be required if they rented to private parties. Tenants can be unpredictable as well. Many will follow the rules and pay their portion of the rent on time but others may not feel invested in the property. This can result in late payments and damage to the property. Recourse for situations like this can be more trouble than it is worth resulting in a landlord incurring unwanted repairs and the bureaucracy involved in terminating a lease.
The Section 8 program is administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Public Housing Authorities receive federal funds and issue these funds in the form of housing vouchers.
Housing vouchers make up the difference between the fair market rental value of an apartment and the amount Section 8 policies dictate a renter should be paying.
To qualify for Section 8 each family's annual income cannot exceed 50% of the median for the local area.
Public Housing Authorities are responsible for reviewing the makeup and income of a family living in Section 8 apartments annually and the Public Housing Authority also inspects properties yearly to make sure that they meet the housing standards.
Wait times for Section 8 housing can be long due to demand exceeding the supply of available properties.


text:
function L = ngaussNoiseLikelihood(noise, mu, varsigma, y)

% NGAUSSNOISELIKELIHOOD Likelihood of the data under the NGAUSS noise model.
%
%	Description:
%
%	NGAUSSNOISELIKELIHOOD(NOISE, MU, VARSIGMA, Y) returns the likelihood
%	of a data set under the  noiseless Gaussian noise model.
%	 Arguments:
%	  NOISE - the noise structure for which the likelihood is required.
%	  MU - input mean locations for the likelihood.
%	  VARSIGMA - input variance locations for the likelihood.
%	  Y - target locations for the likelihood.
%
%
%	See also
%	NGAUSSNOISEPARAMINIT, NGAUSSNOISELOGLIKELIHOOD, NOISELIKELIHOOD

%	Copyright (c) 2004, 2005 Neil D. Lawrence

L = gaussianNoiseLikelihood(noise, mu, varsigma, y);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
St. Rita of Cascia
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Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization, that leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person to person service to those who are needy and suffering in a tradition of its patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
Members are at the Parish Center each Tuesday and Thursday in the St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) office from 10:00 – 12:00 P.M. returning calls to those in need and providing direct assistance to the poor in our community.
Many Opportunities to Help
The SVDP chapter at Saint Patrick Catholic Church, part of St. Vincent de Paul – Tacoma Pierce County participates in the Walk for the Poor event as part of the ministry's social outreach appeal.
Join Us in Serving Our Neighbors in Need
General meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 8:30 A.M. in the Fireside Room of the Parish Center at St. Patrick Catholic Church. The St. Vincent de Paul Conference of St. Patrick Parish invites everyone to a monthly meeting, held the First Sunday of the month between the 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. masses for a time to reflect on the St. Vincent de Paul ministry and to pray for those helped during the previous month.
I want to help others through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
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text:
Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 7330
Roundy, P. V. (Paul Vere), 1884-1937
P. V. (Paul Vere) Roundy Papers, circa 1911-1937 and undated
P. V. (Paul Vere) Roundy Papers
These papers document Roundy's twenty-eight year career with the USGS. They consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence concerning the identification of fossil specimens; his field work in Kansas and Oklahoma, 1918; research on Carboniferous invertebrates; and professional activities.
Paul V. Roundy (1884-1937) was educated at Syracuse University and George Washington University (A.B. 1912). He joined the staff of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as Preparator of Fossils in 1909. He was promoted to Associate Geologist in 1919 and remained in that position until his death. Roundy's paleontological research focused on Carboniferous invertebrates, especially conodonts and ostracods.
These papers document Roundy's twenty-eight year career with the USGS. They consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence concerning the identification of fossil specimens; his fieldwork in Kansas and Oklahoma, 1918; research on Carboniferous invertebrates; and professional activities.
Paleontologists
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7330, P. V. (Paul Vere) Roundy Papers
Folder 1 A-C. Correspondents include Frank R. Clark, 1926-1927; H. N. Coryell, 1925, 1928; Harold E. Culver, 1922, 1926; Joseph A. Cushman, 1925-1928.
Folder 2 D-H. Correspondents include David M. Delo, 1930; Jess James Galloway, 1926-1928; Marcus A. Hanna, 1926-1928; K. C. Heald, 1919-1928.
Folder 3 I-O. Correspondents include Edward M. Kindle, 1926, 1929; Raymond C. Moore, 1924-1925; Wilbur A. Nelson, 1920-1922.
Folder 4 P-R. Correspondents include Frederick Byron Plummer, 1919, 1926; Sidney Powers, 1919-1927; W. Armstrong Price, 1922-1925; J. T. Richards, 1923-1924, 1927, 1930; Gillard Sherburne Rogers, 1918.
Folder 5 S-T. Correspondents include Timothy William Stanton, 1911-1915, 1920, 1924-1928; Joel H. Swartz, 1920, 1923-1924, 1927; John Littlefield Tilton, 1929-1930; Earl A. Trager, 1925-1926.
Folder 6 V-W. Correspondents include William Ash Waid, 1926-1927, 1930; Stuart Weller, 1923, 1927; David White, 1915, 1918-1919; Wendell P. Woodring, 1927-1930.