Who: @jennaisaacman Jenna owns and runs fab the Bondi boutique Me and Moo with her Mum Lyndi.
What: The Mirrors & Bells Clutch ($29).
What: A Table Tonic Turkish Kilim Rug!
Who: @captainandthegypsykid Sheree Commerford is one of those divine creative types who just nails it (everything, really) every time. Bookmark her Captain and the Gypsy Kid blog and check out her creative juices on Lveland.
What: Our oh-so-nautical Ambergris range by Simpatico - Shop the Bubble Bath, Hand Cream and soap.
Who: @dandymoon An Interior Design student (with an AWESOME instagram account!!!) went to dinner with some friends AND THIS HAPPENED!


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Climateq to present their energy saving controls at the 2018 NISEP launch in Belfast
Working in partnership with SDS based in Belfast, Climateq is offering its range of subsidised energy saving solutions to organisations based in Northern Ireland who want to reduce the running costs of the air conditioning and lighting.
The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP) in conjunction with Energia, ensures a minimum of 20% funding for approved technologies and will be launching this years funding scheme on Thursday 31st May at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Shaws Bridge, Belfast.
Several hundred people will be attendance investigating the funding options and meeting exhibiting suppliers, including Climateq who will be showcasing the latest energy saving technologies.
If you're an organisation based in Northern Ireland and wish to come along, contact SDS on 02890 777 834 who will send you an invite.
Book early to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I write product documentation for the ExtraHop Discover appliance and the ExtraHop Command appliance. Examples of my work can be found on the ExtraHop documentation website. The type of documentation I create includes conceptual information, procedures, walkthroughs, and frequently asked question (FAQ) documents.
I launched a customer support blog in October 2013 called the ISI Knowledge blog (http://isiblog.emc.com). I worked with the EMC Blog and Social Media team to establish publication guidelines and manage the editorial calendar. Articles were published articles once a week by me and guest authors. The goal of the blog was to help customers find new and relevant documentation and support content. For example, the blog highlighted new knowledge base (KB) articles, product releases, and videos.
I developed release notes and contributed to user guides for the Rosetta Resolver System, the Rosetta Elucidator System, and the Rosetta Syllego System, which were software products for managing and analyzing microarray, proteomics, and genome-wide association (GWA) data, respectively.
Here is an example of release notes for the Rosetta Elucidator System.


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Trump Officials Target Iran, Raising Question of US Military's Role in Mideast
By Katie Bo Williams Senior National Security Correspondent Read bio
AP Photo/Christophe Ena
U.S Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, and French counterpart Florence Parly attend a joint press conference in Paris, Turesday, Oct.2, 2018.
Some fear the strategy opens the door to strikes on Iranian forces inside Syria — and direct armed conflict with Tehran.
Trump administration officials escalated their campaign to counter Iran in a slate of diplomatic announcements on Wednesday, punctuating a week of warnings that have ratcheted up bilateral tension and further fueled speculation that the United States is inching closer to an armed conflict with Tehran or its proxies' fighters in the Middle East.
The imbroglio began a week ago on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's annual opening session in New York.
For years, the Pentagon has claimed that U.S. troops are in Syria for one purpose: to fight the Islamic State. Officials insist that American forces are not there to fight in the ongoing civil war in that country, which for eight years has been fought by a tangled web of foreign alliances that includes thousands of Iranian and Russian fighters backing President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
But a series of tough-on-Iran remarks from National Security Advisor John Bolton raised questions about whether the military's mission in Syria and beyond is expanding to include countering Tehran.
Related: US Official: We May Cut Support for Iraq If New Government Seats Pro-Iran Politicians
Related: Trump's Latest Warning to Iran Didn't Come out of Nowhere
Related: US Enters Its Next Phase in Its Strategy to Pressure Iran
Bolton told reporters that the U.S. would not be leaving Syria "as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders." In separate prepared remarks, he vowed that the U.S."will come after you" if Tehran continues to "cross" the U.S.
"The murderous regime and its supporters will face significant consequences if they do not change their behavior," said Bolton. "Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you."
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for threats on American personnel in Iraq and withdrew from an Eisenhower-era "treaty of amity" with Tehran that has been used by both countries as the basis for resolving claims in the International Court of Justice.
"Iran is the origin of the current threat to Americans in Iraq," Pompeo told reporters, days after he announced the closure of the U.S. mission in Basra following a rocket attack on the facility. "Our intelligence in this regard is solid. We can see the hand of the ayatollah and his henchmen supporting these attacks on the United States."
The Trump administration has made constraining Iranian influence in the Middle East a core pillar of its foreign policy in the region. In a dramatic press conference a few weeks into his presidency, then-national security advisor Michael Flynn announced that the administration was "officially putting Iran on notice"—with little explanation of the practical impact of that announcement. In May, President Donald Trump withdrew from the so-called Iran nuclear deal, which traded sanctions relief for curbs on Iran's nuclear weapons development program; the full weight of the re-imposed sanctions will flip on in November.
The U.S. is involved in several conflicts beyond Syria where Iran-aligned forces also are active.
In the ongoing civil war in Yemen, the Pentagon is providing intelligence and targeting support to the Saudi-UAE coalition battling the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. U.S. officials insist Iran has smuggled to the Houthis ballistic missiles and IED drone planes and boats used against American, Saudi, and Emirati military and civilian targets, including commercial ships of Yemen's coast. In Iraq, the State Department is working to exclude Iran-aligned politicians from the as-yet unformed government while the military continues to provide training and other assistance to Iraqi security forces. There, the situation is particularly complicated: an Iran-aligned group placed second in national parliamentary elections in May.
Currently, Congress has passed no legal authorization for U.S. military forces to directly engage with Iranian or Iranian-backed groups, raising questions from lawmakers about the administration's intent. Defense Department officials have struggled to explain Bolton's remarks and the of how the Trump administration intends to constrain Iran across the Middle East—and what role the military will play in that effort—remains unclear.
So far, U.S. military personnel operating in the region have received no new guidance from Washington. Officials from Defense Secretary James Mattis down to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM—the operational component of the military responsible for American troops in the Middle East—still say that the military is solely tasked with countering ISIS.
"Militarily in Syria, we remain focused on defeating the remnants of ISIS and stabilizing liberated territory to prevent the group's resurgence," CENTCOM spokesman Maj. Josh T. Jacques said in an email.
Col. Sean Ryan, spokesman for U.S.-led forces in Baghdad, this week also said he had received no change in guidance to support a new agenda on Iran.
U.S. officials long have said that the U.S. military presence in Syria plays a role in the administration's Iran strategy. Boots on the ground there "can constrain Iran's freedom of maneuver" and "empower our diplomats to put more pressure on Iran," Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Robert Karem told a House Armed Services subcommittee last week.
He argued that these are only incidental benefits, not the operational purpose of the troop presence.
The escalation in rhetoric and the growing fears of military engagement come at a paradoxical moment. The U.S. is also drawing down some of its defensive capabilities in the region, removing a handful of Patriot missile batteries from Gulf allies.
Pentagon officials have tried to give a more nuanced explanation of Bolton's comments, describing the removal of Iranian influence from Syria as a necessary byproduct of a political settlement to the war that will prevent the re-emergence of ISIS.
Karem told lawmakers that lawmakers should "disaggregate… our overall U.S. policy objectives from our military activities."
"I think what the national security adviser and others recognize is that as long as Iran continues to pose a threat, as long as Iran continues to engage in destabilizing activities, as long as it continues to foment sectarianism in Syria, it's going to be very difficult to end this war," Karem said. "And until that happens, it's going to be very difficult for us to secure the conditions to allow for the enduring defeat of ISIS."
In other words, officials suggest, the departure of Iranian military groups from the country is part of a whole-of-government strategy for creating an ISIS-free Syria—and not a new military mission. Mattis and others have emphasized the role of the U.S. diplomatic corps in Syria while denying a broadening role for the military. On Tuesday, the secretary announced in Paris that the U.S. has doubled its diplomatic presence in Syria—a somewhat unusual announcement coming from a defense secretary, rather than a State Department official.
"Our diplomats there on the ground have been doubled in number," Mattis told reporters during a press conference in Paris with his French counterpart. "As we see the military operations becoming less, we will see the diplomatic effort now able to take [root]."
He did not give specific numbers. The U.S. does not provide consular services in Syria.
Lawmakers and some former officials are suspicious of Pentagon denials of "mission creep."
Robert Ford, former U.S. ambassador to Syria from 2010 to 2014, said the fight against ISIS has "metamorphosed" into "putting pressure somehow, in some undescribed, not-detailed manner" on Iran.
"It's a mission that's expanding, but they don't explain how they're going to achieve the mission—it's all very nebulous," he said. "How are you going to get the Iranians out of Syria by leaving 2,200 troops there?"
In Iraq, one former U.S. official with deep experience in the Middle East raised concerns that the administration's public posturing towards Iran might make the security situation there worse and put Western civilians in Iraq at risk for targeting.
"What I'm most concerned about is if the Americans say we're going to push back on Iran in Iraq, they're going to fight asymmetrically," the former official said.
"That's exactly what's going to start happening if America starts announcing that we're going to push back on Iran in Iraq. They're going to plink a couple of journalists. They're going to plink a couple of businessmen running around. Stupid and foolish."
Lawmakers, meanwhile, have zeroed in on Trump's legal authority to strike Iranian forces. Karem confirmed that the administration does not interpret the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, to cover engagement with Iran, and insisted that the U.S. military force is focused on fighting ISIS.
But those arguments did not soothe concerns from Democrats.
"That's not what the national security adviser said," said Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts who served four tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps. "He said that the military presence will last in Syria until Iran withdraws its forces."
"That to me sounds like an operation against Iran, which you've just stated is not allowed under the Authorization for Use of Military Force."
A group of Senate Democrats has introduced legislation that would prohibit the use of funds "for kinetic military operations in or against Iran except pursuant to an Act or joint resolution of Congress specifically authorizing such use."
In what could later prove to be the most important development of the day, the Pentagon's internal interpretation of its legal authority to carry out tactical strikes in the context of "collective self defense" was made public. According to an excerpt of a letter from Mattis sent to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the Defense Department believes that collective self defense—a legal principle that lets nations use military force to defend allies—gives it the authority to carry out strikes in defense of partner forces even if the target of those strikes is not covered by a congressional AUMF.
Kaine has raised questions about the process by which the Defense Department determines who is a "partner force," suggesting that the Pentagon could simply slap the designation on any group it wished in order to carry out airstrikes on a desired target in the name of collective self defense.
Steve Vladeck, a national security professor at the University of Texas Law School, called it "a subtle but important expansion in the claimed power to use military force that the Trump administration is advancing."
It's also an expansion that could theoretically be used to justify a strike on Iran or Iran-backed forces.
Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of CENTCOM, denied that possibility on Thursday.
"I don't think we're seeking to go to war with Iran," he told reporters.
Katie Bo Williams is the senior national security correspondent for Defense One, where she writes about defense, counterterror, NATO, nukes, and more. She previously covered intelligence and cybersecurity for The Hill, including in-depth reporting on the Russia investigations and military ... Full bio
The US Just Tore Up a Six-Decade-Old Treaty With Iran
US heats up counter-Iran campaign; Navy proposes show-of-force; Sailor charged in ricin incident; GRU agents ejected from Holland, indicted in US; and just a bit more...


Thank you again for a thoroughly professional and focused media training session. The result was that I was able to deliver our key messages in an engaging way that resulted in extended radio interview slots across the board. You really are a star operator and I continue to value your insight and expertise, as well as your commitment to our charity.
Thank you for your teaching. The training was tremendous and I made good use of it in my broadcasts the following week. I can't thank you enough.
Dr. Bashir Qureshi, GP and former chairman of Council, Royal Society of Public Health.
Thanks again for your brilliant presentation and interview session.
John was great to work with. He delivered an excellent training programme support professionals with differing media experience. He researched and understood the complexity of the issues we work with, preparing us well for the communications challenge.
There can be hardly anything left that John doesn't know about the media, He is hugely experienced and talented.
Good media training is all about making people feel comfortable and well prepared. John Illman not only meets these needs. He makes it fun. I recommend him highly.
Deborah Hart, former director of Press and PR, Royal College of Psychiatrists.
John Illman's media training programme is based on extensive experience as a specialist correspondent for both the national press and specialist magazines - and it shows. He knows what's wanted, he's enthusiastic and he inspires confidence. You can't ask for more. He also impressed us with a 'life in the day of a national journalist' - it really highlighted the need not only to get the message right, but to appeal to journalists. 'The right message' needs both dimensions.
Roger Dyer, The Vital Group.
I very much enjoyed John Illman's course which was entertaining as well as informative. I would recommend it to anybody who wishes to gain valuable insight into the media and learn how to use it to their advantage.


It's time for the tech news roundup, yeah it's been a while since I posted it I know, but here it is, I've just got a lot of other things going on right now….
Ok, it's time for the tech news…just read it, I've been sick this past week so I haven't gotten much done but it's time to get some work done, so check back for something interesting maybe….
Time for the new and reviews roundup again, lots of good stuff this week, so read and enjoy….
Need a tablet case? or backpack? or camera mount? or even a light? or numerous other products… Accessory Power has just launched a new website called USA Gear where you'll be able to find most anything for your mobile needs.


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Force Of Progress: R3Design
Redesign, here stylised as R3Design, is an apt title for the third album from Germany's Force Of Progress, as it sees the trio move their progressive rock sound further into the realms of progressive metal. Riffs and gritty guitars are no stranger to this act but here they form the backbone of many of the six tracks that make up this album.
Interestingly, what with the main players here, Hanspeter Hess (The Healing Road), Chris Grundmann (Cynity) and Markus Roth (Marquette, Horizontal Ascension) all having not just busy lives away from music, but other bands that take up their time, it would appear that the trio did not collaborate too much on the songs they wrote. That in itself may not be all that unusual, and it's good to see each of the three having a hand in the composing. However, what is more unexpected is that no matter which of three wrote the song, the other two tend not to feature much, if at all on it. That would appear to be for logistical reasons, rather than any issues with egos, or such like, with Sebastian Schleicher (bass) and Dennis Degen (drums), both also of Marquette, helping throughout, although there is a different guitar soloist an almost every track - "Lady Lake" being the exception, what with its marvellous keyboard fixation!
Now, you'd expect that unusual approach to result in a completely disjointed experience as you go from lengthy piece to lengthy piece, but if anything, the opposite is true, with not a hint of broken continuity anywhere on R3Design. Instead, this album is hugely cohesive and hugely technical, as all involved show their skills. Personally, I find the smoothness of "Viral Signs II - Incident 3030" or even the full force barrage that is "Ultra Conservation" to be less fixated on ability and more open to melody than the previous outing from this outfit, A Secret Place, although I'd still suggest that followers of the likes of Liquid Tension Experiment fall into the target audience.
With some new (to them) elements added to their armoury, Force Of Progress have put together an album that I personally find much easier to get along with than what they've done previously. Even without lyrics, I'd call this album more song based, and as such it could, hopefully, appeal to a wider audience. Their talents certainly deserve it, so if technical but melody based instrumental prog metal is something that sounds appealing, then maybe you too should be ready for a R3Design.
1. Ultra Conservation
2. Viral Signs I - Ambassador Of Light
3. Next
4. Viral Signs II - Incident 3030
5. Lady Lake
6. Redesign
Added: December 20th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Related Link: Progressive Promotions Store
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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:
Posted by Michael Popke, SoT Staff Writer on 2021-12-21 02:27:16
My Score:
My reviewing colleague Steven Reid knows more about Force of Progress than I ever will, and his review does a dandy job summing up the essence of R3DESIGN. I would add that from the opening notes of the hectic lead-off track "Ultra Conservation," this thing screams Liquid Tension Experiment. But with more keyboards (and, dare I say, melody)! The dystopian "Viral Signs I-Ambassador of Light" begins as a mellow acoustic guitar piece before it balloons into a bouquet of majestic pomp, "Next" conjures the feel-good glory days of Eighties rock (even without vocals) and "Lady Lake" would have made a terrific mid-period Saga cut. The six instrumental tracks here burst with technical progressive-metal prowess, and the album makes me wish more people would make the effort to find and listen to Force of Progress. I'm not crazy about the too-clever album title, but I'm just nitpicking now.


India and Oman, maritime neighbors linked by geography, history and culture, enjoy close and friendly relations. Inspired by civilisational and historical links spanning over 5000 years, India and Oman have expanded their bilateral cooperation and exchanges since establishment of diplomatic relations in 1955, forging a mutually beneficial Strategic Partnership. India-Oman bilateral relations are anchored in their shared interests, mutual understanding and respect for each other's priorities, concerns and sensitivities. Regular high-level visits and exchanges have been a key feature of this relationship.
Visits at the highest level have been exchanged frequently between India and Oman. From Indian side, President Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1996) and Vice-President Shri Krishna Kant (1999) visited Oman. Five Prime Ministers of India have visited Oman: Shri Rajiv Gandhi (1985), Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao (1993), Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998), Dr. Manmohan Singh (2008) and Shri Narendra Modi (2018). During the state visit of PM Shri Narendra Modi to Oman on 11-12 February 2018, he met with His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said ; and received calls on him by H.H. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers and H.H. Sayyid Asa'd bin Tariq Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan. Eight Agreements/MoUs were signed during the visit, covering bilateral cooperation in various areas. From Oman, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos visited India in 1997. H.H. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said also visited India in December 2007.
Ministerial level visits have taken place regularly between the two countries. Smt. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister (EAM), paid an official visit to Oman from 17-18 February 2015. Shri M J Akbar, Minister of State (MOS) for External Affairs, visited Oman to attend the 5th India-Arab Partnership Conference, in December 2016. Raksha Mantri visited Oman from 20-22 May 2016, during which four MOUs/Protocol for bilateral cooperation were signed. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, MOS (I/C) for Culture, visited Oman in December 2017 to participate in the Second UN World Tourism Organization/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture. Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation visited Oman on 15-18 July 2018 for co-chairing the 8th session of India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting and 9th session of India-Oman Joint Business Council.
From Oman, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, visited India in February 2014. He again visited India in June 2014 for extending greetings to the new Government after general elections. He visited India again on 2-3 April 2017 when he held official level discussions with EAM and called on Vice President and Prime Minister of India. Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs visited India on 25-27 September 2018. Mohammed Salim al-Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, visited New Delhi on 2-4 October 2018 for attending the 2nd IORA Ministerial meeting and 1st General Assembly of International Solar Alliance.
Key bilateral agreements/MoUs between India and Oman cover cooperation in Health; Tourism; Defence; peaceful uses of Outer Space; Visa Exemption for holders of diplomatic/official/special passports; Legal and judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters; Extradition; Legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters; Agriculture; Civil Aviation; Avoidance of Double Taxation; Standards and Measures; Manpower; Maritime issues; Joint Investment Fund; and Cultural Cooperation. There are also Institution-to-Institution cooperation between the two countries..
India-Oman Defence cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between the two countries. There has been regular high level visits between the Ministries of Defence. India's Defence Minister visited Oman in May 2016 and Oman's Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs visited India in September 2018. Over the past few years, there have been visits of Defence Secretary, CNS and CAS to Oman with reciprocal visits to Indian by all three Omani Service Commanders, Secretary General of Defence, etc. Constant and continuous senior leadership engagements have facilitated greater bonds of friendship. The Ministries of Defence of both countries review their relations annually under the aegis of Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMCC) meeting. The last JMCC meeting took place in November 2018 in Muscat. Both Air Force and Navy undertake staff talks on a regular basis which has been the catalyst for new areas of cooperation. The two Armies are also scheduled to commence Staff Talks in the near future.
India and Oman conduct regular biennial bilateral exercises between all three services. The 3rd Army exercise 'Al Najah' is scheduled in March 2019 in Jabel Akdhar, Oman. The Air Force exercise 'Eastern Bridge' culminated in Jan 2017 and will see the next edition in the second half of 2019 in Oman. The bilateral naval exercise 'Naseem al Bahr' is scheduled in December 2019. Since 2008, Oman has been extending its support to Indian Navy's anti-piracy missions and Indian Naval Ships are regularly welcomed by Oman for Over Seas Deployments. A sailing vessel 'Zeenat al Bihaar' from the Royal Yachts participated with INS Tarangini and INS Sudarshini in the joint sailing voyage from Kochi to Muscat in November 2019. The joint sailing formed part of the celebrations commemorating the 10th anniversary of IONS. The Ships retraced the ancient maritime trade routes from the Malabar Coast to the Gulf. Indian Air Force and Indian Navy aircraft regularly utilize Omani Airports and Air bases for refueling and operational turnaround.
India accords a high priority to expanding its economic and commercial ties with Oman. Institutional mechanisms like Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and Joint Business Council (JBC) oversee economic cooperation between India and Oman. The 8th session of the JCM and the 9th JBC were held in Muscat on 16-17 July 2018 co-chaired by Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, and Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce & Industry.
Bilateral trade and investment between India and Oman remain robust and buoyant. Bilateral trade rose by 67 per cent to reach US$ 6.7 billion in 2017-18 from US$ 4 billion in 2016-17. Major items of India's exports to Oman include mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; articles of iron or steel; electrical machinery and equipment, textiles and garments, chemicals, tea, coffee, spices, cereals and meat products and seafood. Main items of India's imports from Oman are include fertilizers; mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes; aluminum and articles thereof; organic chemicals; salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement.
Investment flows, both ways, have been robust, as reflected in numerous joint ventures, established both in India and Oman. According to Oman's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, there are over 3200 Indian enterprises and establishments in Oman. Oman-India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF) is a 50-50 Joint Venture between State Bank of India and State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) of Oman, the main sovereign wealth fund of Oman. It was set up in July 2010 as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to invest in India. OIJIF commenced its operations in 2011 with initial seed capital of US$ 100 million which was fully invested across seven Indian companies from diversified sectors. OIJIF has raised another US$ 220 million for its Tranche-II and is being invested in India.
Indian firms have invested heavily Oman in various sectors like iron and steel, cement, fertilizers, textile, cables, chemicals, automotive, etc. In Sohar, with an estimated total Indian investment of over US$2 billion, Indian entities comprise the largest foreign investors. In Salalah, Indian investments are in manufacturing of automotive parts, textiles, cables, guar gum, etc. In Duqm SEZ, an Indo-Oman JV Sebacic Oman is undertaking a US$ 1.2 billion project for setting up the largest Sebacic acid plant in Middle-East. A 'Little India' integrated tourism complex project in Duqm, worth US$ 748 million on completion, has been signed. In addition, L&T, Jindal, EPIL, Shapoorji Pallonji, Shriram, Aditya Birla Group, Nagarjuna Construction Company, KEC International, etc. have been executing various projects in Oman. Indian financial institutions like SBI, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Ltd and ICICI Securities as well as Indian PSUs like Air India, Air India Express, LIC, New India Assurance Co., TCIL, EIL, EPIL and NBCC have presence in Oman.
Indian business delegations regularly visit Oman to participate in important trade exhibitions in Oman. To facilitate business matchmaking with Omani companies for the Indian delegations, the Embassy regularly organizes Business-to-business meetings in sectors like healthcare, infrastructure, construction, IT, minerals & mining, food & hospitality, ceramics, fire & safety etc.
ITEC: Oman has been optimally availing the allocated slots under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme. For 2018-19, 125 slots have been allotted for Officials from Oman for training under ITEC.
India and Oman have close cultural relations. Omanis are familiar with Indian culture on account of millenia old people-to-people exchange, presence of large Indian community in Oman and geographical proximity. The first ever 'Festival of India in Oman', organized by the Embassy with support of Ministry of Culture of India during November 2016-March 2017, was inaugurated by Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs of Oman. Yoga is becoming increasingly popular in Oman specially among expatriates and local youth. The number of participants in celebration of International Day of Yoga has increased from around 3,000 persons in 2016 to 4000 in 2017 and 5000 in 2018. Embassy receives good support from Omani Government in organizing various cultural programmes and celebration of important occasions.
There are about 8,00,000 Indians in Oman, of which about 6,66,000 are workers and professionals. Thousands of Indians are working as doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, teachers, lecturers, nurses, managers, etc. There are 20 Indian schools offering CBSE syllabus catering to the educational needs of over 46,000 Indian children.Indian community in Oman is organized under Indian Social Club Oman with branches in Muscat, Salalah, Sur and Sohar. These clubs have a number of sub-groups called linguistic Wings which cater to cultural and social needs of their members.
Outstanding contributions of Indians and People of Indian Origin in Oman to the strengthening of our bilateral relations have been recognized by the Government of India through Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees from Oman are: Shri Kanaksi Khimji (2003), Dr. P. Mohamed Ali (2004), P.N.C. Menon (2009), S.K. Virmani (2010), Kiran Asher (2012) R.M Parakh (2015).
Connectivity: There are a total of around 260 direct flights per week between Oman (Muscat and Salalah) and 11 destinations in India. Air India, Air India Express, Indigo, Spice Jet and Jet Airways, along with Oman Air, are operating flights between India and Oman.


I told my friend Emily a secret thought of mine in an email and she asked me to write a guest post about it on her blog, Imperfect Prose.
So I told my secret over there tonight, and I told my reason for hope.
Please go over there and read it, and be honest but understanding in your comments. I don't have all the answers, I just have some big promises and a lot of secret dreams.
I also want you to know that Imperfect Prose, is one of the best blogs I've ever read. Seriously. If you haven't visited her place before you MUST. It's an honor to be over there today.
Two of my fav ladies in one place? SO there!
Beautifully written, beautiful post. I wish you luck in your future adoption endeavors. Thanks for the direction to Imperfect Prose…love it!


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SleepScore and IFF collaborate to innovate better sleep products
By Nikita Chaurasia Date: 2020-01-07
SleepScore Labs, a US-based data-backed sleep solution offering company, reportedly announced a new strategic collaboration with IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) to validate and create products innovated to help people live healthier lives using improved sleep. IFF is a renowned American company involved in manufacturing fragrances and flavors and cosmetic actives.
IFF's Divisional CEO, Scent, Nicolas Mirzayantz stated that this collaboration is a strategic decision taken by the company to extend its footprint in the "beyond sensorial" industry. Together both companies would build on SleepScore's best-in-class data capture and analysis capability and IFF's Consumer and Sensory Science knowledge to offer validated scent-based sleep solutions for customers.
From the beginning of 2018, both the organizations have been partnering for a sleep fragrance. They have also gathered more than 6,500 nights of sleep data together. As the primary step of this partnership, SleepScore clinically studied an initial scent creation model, a pillow spray. This pillow spray was designed particularly to aid healthy sleep.
Outcomes of the double-blind, counter-balanced and placebo-controlled trial discovered that the scent offered the greatest advantage to healthy sleepers. Also, objective sleep measurement discovered that participants spent 26% lesser time being awake at night once they fell asleep after using the scent. These scientifically proven outcomes support the creation of novel product categories built for customers to have better sleep.
To gain insights, SleepScore Labs scientists performed a trial to assess the effectiveness of a pillow spray for 800 nights. The company took both objective sleep measures and self-reported data each night. Objective sleep measures are crucial to finding the potential value that scented products have on the users' sleep. These measures were obtained using SleepScore technology backed by ResMed, a revolutionary authority for innovative medical devices that enable people to lead higher-quality and healthier lives.
SleepScore Labs CEO, Colin Lawlor stated that the company's work with IFF is another example of how the company is the only one in the sleep space that is capable of incorporating data, actionable insights and measurement to allow organizations to further strengthen their wellness and health offerings.
Source credit: https://www.citizentribune.com/news/business/sleepscore-labs-and-international-flavors-fragrances-innovate-in-groundbreaking-sleep/article_0452bbd3-4c60-5053-82cd-3f0517ad0189.html
Nikita Chaurasia
An accomplished professional in the field of content development, playing with words comes naturally to Nikita Chaurasia. After completing her post-graduate MBA degree in Advertising and PR, Nikita worked across numerous content-driven verticals, undertaking diverse r...
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New York planning on direct purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines
By Nikita Chaurasia
In recent developments, Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo has reportedly issued a letter to the CEO of American drug maker Pfizer Inc., Albert Bourla, requesting for direct purchase of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Although the company is not bound to any...
Mayo Clinic Laboratories forms alliance with American Hospital Dubai
In recent developments, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic Laboratories and American Hospital Dubai are reportedly planning on entering a strategic alliance which is aimed at enhancing advanced laboratory diagnostic services in Dubai. Under the terms of th...
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The New York-headquartered IBM Corp., with its global partner Larsen Toubro Infotech, an Indian global IT solutions & services company, are planning to extend their multi-year partnership, in a bid to enable companies to revolutionize the busines...
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text:
Q: Segmentation fault with boost::filesystem I just installed boost on my mac. (Installed MacPorts, sudo port install boost)
In XCode I added Header Search Path (/opt/local/include) and Library Search Path (/opt/local/lib) and added libraries into Build Phases - Link Binary With Libraries (libboost_filesystem-mt.a, libboost_filesystem-mt.dylib, libboost_system-mt.a, libboost_system-mt.dylib).
Now I trying to build and run this code
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <boost/filesystem.hpp>

int main() {
    std::string filename;
    std::cin >> filename;
    std::cout << boost::filesystem::exists(filename);

    return 0;
}

And with any path typed I got Segmentation Fault: 11 when calling exists().
What i did wrong? Is any mistakes when installing boost?

A: I've run in to similar problems in the past when boost isn't built with the same CXXFLAGS as your program. Here's a pseudo-complete set of bootstrap instructions.
# Configure, build, and install boost
./bootstrap.sh \
  --prefix=${PWD}/.local \
  --with-libraries=...,filesystem,...
./b2 \
  -q \
  -d2 \
  -j4 \
  --debug-configuration \
  --disable-filesystem2 \
  --layout=tagged \
  --build-dir=${PWD}/obj \
  cxxflags="-v -std=c++11 -stdlib=libc++" \
  linkflags="-stdlib=libc++" \
  link=shared \
  threading=multi \
  install

The important part there is the cxxflags and linkflags. In my experience, it's most often because macports compiles without using -stdlib=libc++ but that's required when using compiling C++11 code using -std=c++11. Common symptoms include random backtraces in gdb that indicate something is a problem with a pointer inside of a particular struct buried deep within a boost library/template.
As you can tell from the above, I build a local copy of boost in to a per-project directory (e.g. ${PWD}/.local) and then link against the local version during development until it's time to package (at which point I statically link or do something else).
# In a GNUmakefile
LOCAL_DIR=${PWD}/.local
INC_DIR=${LOCAL_DIR}/include
LIB_DIR=${LOCAL_DIR}/lib

CPPFLAGS=-I"${INC_DIR}"
CXXFLAGS=-std=c++11 -stdlib=libc++
LDFLAGS=-stdlib=libc++ -L"${LIB_DIR}"

MYPROG_SRCS=myprog.cpp
MYPROG_OBJS=$(MYPROG_SRCS:.cpp=.o)

%.o : %.cpp %.hpp
        ${CXX} ${CXXFLAGS} ${CPPFLAGS} -c -o $@ $<

myprog: ${MYPROG_OBJS}
        ${CXX} ${LDFLAGS} -o $@ $^ ${LIBS}

Bottom line: your CPPFLAGS and LDFLAGS need to match between boost and your program.

A: I just tried it and it seems to work OK - I built your code as follows:
$ g++ -Wall -lboost_system-mt -lboost_filesystem-mt boost_filesystem.cpp

This is using Xcode 5, and boost 1.51.0 downloaded directly from http://boost.org and installed in /usr/local.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Lark and Termite by Jane Anne Phillips
victoria hollo 11 contributing writer
Lark and Termite, the latest novel by American writer Jayne Anne Phillips, tells the story of two siblings and the mysteries surrounding the absence of their parents. Lark, a girl on the verge of adulthood, devotes her life to nurturing and looking after her younger brother Termite, whose stunted growth and inability to speak have the Social Services constantly threatening to take him away.
Nicknamed "Mite" for his small size as a baby, and then later "Termite" for his insect-like fingers that constantly feel the air, the nine-year-old boy has a keen sense of perception that allows him to communicate through sounds and touch. He senses "the warm feel of what he hears and smells next to him, of those who hold and move and touch and lift him." With a dreamlike manner, Termite seems to observe the world with a poetic acuteness despite his disabilities.
Phillips divides her narrative into four different parts, employing multiple perspectives of different characters to create overlap and to enrich the plot. Through an account of Corporal Robert Leavitt, Termite's father, and his time stationed in South Korea during the start of the Korean War, Phillips is able to conjure the love that binds the young soldier to his wife, Lola, the absent mother of Lark and Termite. Simultaneously, Phillips interweaves Leavitt's slow death inside a tunnel with Lola's painful birth of her son, Termite. The other chapters focusing on Lark, Termite, and their Aunt Nonie are told from the present, a decade later, in the span of just a few days. Through a recurrent order of speakers, Phillip's embellishes each characters personality and draws the reader in.
Each sentence of the novel is filled with beautiful poetic imagery, as Phillips instills so much emotion into even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant scenes. Her vivid descriptions evoke each of the senses, as she once says Termite "can't see the moon but he feels its wash of lighter air falling over them, safe in the bald black of the dark." Written with such fluidity and eloquence, Phillips' novel encompasses an almost musical quality to it.
The two children live with their Aunt Nonie in the small town of Winfield, West Virginia, during the 1950s, where Nonie works at a family-run diner and Lark attends a secretarial school each night. As Lark begins to realize how limited the options are for her and Termite, odd forces of nature and the help of a few individuals steer the two siblings in a new direction when an immense flood causes them to vacate their home. Lark's selfless disposition creates a captivating novel reminding us all of the unbreakable strength of love among a family.


text:
2010-03-25: How To Gain Friends And Influence People
Summary: Tara puts labels on cabinets and manages to make even more friends.
How to Gain Friends and Influence People
Rating: PG 13
Xavier Mansion - Kitchen
This kitchen was designed to feed large numbers of people, and looks it with its bright white walls and stainless steel appliances. The stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher are all larger than normal. There is an island with stools around it for people to sit and eat around along with a table for twelve by the windows in back. Along the wall is a hole in the wall looking into the dining room so food can be passed back and fourth. Anything you want to cook or eat in the kitchen you will find the food and supplies to do so.
Approaching the kitchen, one can hear the rattle of pots and pans and silverware. Once inside it's rather obvious as to what is going on. Tara, the new blind girl in school, is systematically opening all the cabinets and drawers and feeling around inside of them to figure out what they contain. Once she gets a good inventory of a particular cupboard's contents she whips out a label maker, spends a minute typing on the keyboard and having it spit out a label which she promptly puts on the front of the cabinet. If one was to look closer to the labels, one would notice that there's no visible words, just raised dots along the strip. She's about halfway done labeling the kitchen, and is now sitting on the floor poking around one of the cupboards.
July steps into the kitchen just as Tara keeps labeling doors of the cabinets. "Hey." the girl asks, smiling, "What are you doing?" while walking toward a newly marked cabinet, and brushes a finger against the tag. "Braile?"
Annalisa peeks her head around the corner and into the kitchen. She makes one quick sweep of the area and then spies July and the new girl. She walks in slowly, her pink flip flops making noise across the floor. Shes dressed in a plain pair of jeans, and a t-shirt that reads "Hot stuff" across the front. She thought the pun was funny, at least. "July! How are yo-" She suddenly distracted by the labeling. "Whats she doing?"
Theo hears something strange, he was only initially passing by the kitchen. It wasn't pots and pans that caught his attention, though. It was the sound of labels. "Silverware, glasses, plates," he echoes aloud, and he changes course. He's about to say something rather insensitive as he enters, when he spots July and Tara. His mouth is hanging open, and he manages to hold his tongue long enough to see that Tara is blind. "Having much fun?" he asks, folding his arms across his chest.
"Loads," comes Tara's sardonic answer to Theo. She nods absently to July and says, "Yeah. This kitches is just /huge/. It'll take me a while to memorize where everything's at." Satisfied that she's inventoried this cabinet's contents she starts typing out a label. "I've got to talk to Mr. Parker-Mayfair about joining his cooking classes and seeing if he can help me label all the spices."
July chuckles softly softly, smiling, "I see." she nods softly, "What are your powers… Tara, isn't it?" she asks, smiling, moving to sit on a chair before looking at Annalisa, "Heya, Anna."
Annalisa quickly shuffles over to sit next to July, looking somewhat concerned. "I haven't seen you since before all the ruckus, I wasn't able to get into the medical bay, things were pretty busy. Are you alright?" She glances at Tara, and silently prays her powers won't start a fire.
Theo grins, and responds to July, "Is that how you start all your conversations?" he asks, moving to Tara's side until he's within reaching distance. "You need some help, or you got it?" he asks her, opening the next drawer and checking the contents.
"Thank you," Tara says, turning to 'look' at Theo. Or, at least to make it look like it. Sighted people like it when she does things like that, she found. "But it's better if I do it, and get a good feel for what we've got." Gwrrrrrrrh! The label printer spits out a label, and she deftly plucks it from the device, peels of the back and places it along the top edge of the door. "Miss Squishy I've met before," she says poking a thumb at July. "But you two I haven't. I'm Tara. The new kid on the block. And blind. Duh."
July chuckles softly, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry." she says to Theo, smiling, before looking at Tara again. "And I'm July, Tara. Not 'Miss Squishy'." she chuckles softly again, shaking her head softly, and wrapping an arm around Anna's waist. "Yeah, I'm find now, Anna. Thanks. How are you doing?"
The boy backs up to give Tara space, not contesting her. "No problem, I'd probably feel the same. I'm Theo, I'm new myself. Not blind, but, some of the teachers say I'm selectively deaf."
Annalisa leans up close against July and nods. "I'm Annalisa. Is blindness your power? Can you like, see the future or something?" She turns her head to July, and looks somewhat concerned. "You weren't hurt too badly, right?"
Tara scoots over to the next cabinet and opens it up to poke around this one. She chuckles at the boy, "Good to meet you, Theo." She stops her poking around when Anna asks her question. "You can't be serious, right?" She turns her face to Anna in a good approximation of a look of disbelief. "I was born with damage done to my Occipital cortex from an infection my mother got that nearly killed her, not to mention the cataracts," she says, pointing out that the pupils of her eyes are just as white as the whites. She shakes her head in disbelief before turning back to the task at hand. "Geez."
July blinks at Anna's question to Anna, arching one eyebrow to her, kind of in disbelief at her, but then she shakes her head softly, "No, I'm fine, nothing bad happened." she says, deciding to not worry Anna, since she looks fine.
Theo doesn't laugh aloud, but he has a massive grin after hearing Tara's response. "I think I like you already," he says, his grin audible. He turns on his heels, and walks over to the refridgerator. There's the familiar sound of the magnets releasing, and he looks inside. "Wow, everybody has leftovers in here," he says. "Anyone hungry?" He pulls out a container with a blue lid, and opens it. He sniffs it, and closes it again, and goes for the next one. "Ooh, chili," he announces with a smile, and he starts checking the cabinets. "Tara, you didn't find the bowls already, did you?" he asks as he checks two cabinets which seem to be duds.
Annalisa sets her head against July's shoulder softly. "I wish I had been there. I'd have broken more stuff, but maybe I could have protected you." She smiles at Tara and lets out a giggle. "There are some weird people here, so, how was I supposed to know you couldn't see the future? Theres one girl here who lives in super speed."
"So I take it your power is to be a dumbass jerk to the handicapped, I take it?" Tara nearly growls the question to Annalisa. TO answer Theo's question she offhandedly gestures at an overhead cupboard which opens by itself, and a bowl, helpfully, rises out and settles down on the counter before the boy. Continuing, Tara says, "Sometimes a blind girl is just a blind girl, you know?"
July blinks softly at Annalisa's words, "Dear, sometimes you better quit while you're ahead." she chuckles softly, smiling a bit and patting the girl's head softly. "So, Tara, where do you come from? I came from Washington D.C."
Annalisa shakes her head slightly and frowns. "No. I was treating her the same way I treat every student here. If she'd rather I treat her like some kind of inferior handicapped person, I guess I can. I just assumed feeling sorry for her would be insulting."
Theo stares as the bowl settles before him. "Well that's fun," he describes, stepping forward and taking the bowl. He picks it up, and waves it in front of him once. "That's gotta be the most practical power yet." He slides open the silverwear drawer. He seems to be very much enjoying Tara's attitude toward Annalisa.
"So," he announces, pulling a spoon out. "Anyone else want some chili?" he starts spooning some of it into his bowl.
"Ooooor you could just have apologized when you found out that this might have been a touchy subject instead of going off like I was an idiot for not figuring out that, hey, everybody here who has some kind of disability has a power based on it." She pauses for a moment to get herself to calm down before answering the other two who are here. "Thank you, Theo, but I've already eaten, and July, I lived upstate."
July ah's and nods softly to Tara, smiling a bit to her as she holds Annalisa against her gently. "Ah, I see." She says, and then she glances at the fridge for a moment, hmm'ing softly, and then stretching her arm all the way to it to open it and retrieve a small bottle of water she put in there to cool. "Anyone want some cold water?" she asks, smiling, as she shrinks her arm back to normal.
Annalisa rolls her eyes, choosing to ignore Tara's comments, as opposed to getting mad and blowing stuff up. "I guess I'll have a drink…"
The brown-haired boy shrugs, and spoons himself some more chili. He takes the rest of the container back to toss it inside the still open fridge door. The door is swung shut, and he returns to his bowl and slaps the door button on the microwave, opening it and placing the bowl inside. He shuts it again, and then opens it again, realizing that he left the spoon inside.
"That would've made me popular," he comments. He sticks the spoon in his mouth, and then sets the timer for a minute. He winces as he hits the start button on the microwave, as if it hurt, and then hops up onto the counter, taking a seat.
Tara glowers a bit as she goes back to cataloguing. "Stupid cow," she mutters under her breath. "Couldn't take a hint if somebody whapped her upside the head with it." After a long pause as she works she finally sits back and starts typing on the keypad. "So, Theo, I know what Plastic Girl over there does," she says, "What do you do? What's your power?" It's kind of like Xavier's equivalent of asking for somebody's sign.
July sighs softly. She can understand why Tara is angry at Annalisa, but she just can't understand why Tara keeps throwing nicknames at her. "Tara, no offense, but I have a name." she says, arching one eyebrow at the blind girl.
Annalisa scratches her head a bit. "If you're gonna call her a nickname, at least use the right code name for her. She has one, she also has a real name…which I believe she told you…"
Theo pauses, and it doesn't take eyes to feel the tension that seems to follow the question. He looks at July, and then to Annalisa before looking back to the microwave, watching the seconds tick. At last he pulls the spoon from his mouth and answers
. "I can hear machines," he says. "What they're thinking, what their doing. It's really noisy. Starting to get the hang of it, There's probably about a hundred of them or so I can hear right now. So I guess you could say I have the superpower of headaches until I can control it better." He reaches over and hits the door at the same time it hits zero without looking at it, preventing it from dinging. He pulls the chili from the microwave and sticks his spoon in it.
Grrrrnnngh, goes the label maker again. "That's actually pretty cool," says Tara with a hint of appreciation. "Its… mechanical empathy." She peels the paper off the back of the label and sticks it on the edge of the door, very pointedly ignoring July and Annalisa. "That'll be really handy once you get to the point where it doesn't give you migraines," and she sounds rather confident that he will.
July knows her question was ignored, and she lightly taps her index fingertip on the table while remaining in silence for a few moments. "Y'know what… I'm leaving." she says, standing up. "Got stuff to do at college, plus preparing a project." She didn't even touch her water, so she just heads to the refrigerator to put it back in, before turning toward Tara. "I didn't do anything to you, Tara. Yet, somehow, you refused to call me by my name. I find that rather annoying, and, if intentional, pretty rude and insulting. I really don't know what I did to you to get you that way with me."
Annalisa gasps as July prepares to leave, standing to walk over with her. "Do you have to go? We barely see each other lately, can't we go do something fun or something?"
Theo sticks a spoonful of chili into his mouth. "Well, see y'all later," he says with his mouth full. "It's got its perks I guess," he says. "Like the fact that Mike can't sneak up on me." He smiles, finding an actual use for himself. "I can tell he's on his way in here right now. Don't ask me what he'd eat, though." He sticks another spoonful in his mouth. "So," he says with his mouth full again. "You seem pretty good at that movin' stuff," he says. "You been doing it a long time?"
The school has some rather odd mutants. Here comes one! Mike the Macheen, the Drakos family's firstborn (and wait until Mike hears about the reason for the adjective!)
Mike is pretty much silent coming into the kitchen, but then he wasn't trying to be sneaky. He's not using his image inducer, so he's a shiny white and metal guy with black tyres for palms and the soles of his feet, and oddly enough his hair. In deference to the modesty of the humans, the motorcycle boy is wearing black cargo shorts.
He waves as he enters. "Hello, Theo. I heard you announce me too. Thank you for that, I have such a hard time being recognized."
He looks at JulyAndAnnalisa and waves again, and his eyes brighten (literally, they click on like headlights) when he sees Tara. "Hey there, Tara. How you doing tonight?"
Tara turns her head to point an ear at the door to catch Mike's arrival and July and Annalisa's departure. A look of relief washes over her when, at first Theo announces Mike's impending arrival and then when Mike actually arrives. "About six months or so," answers the girl to Theo's inquiry. "But I think I had it for a lot longer than that because I was always able to kind of tell where things were in a sixth-sense kind of way." To Mike she says, "Hey, there, Astroboy," The nickname is said with affection, and without malice. "I'm doing better now that you're here."
July nods softly to Mike as he shows up, "Hey, Mike. Glad to see you're alright." she says, smiling a bit, but then she looks at Tara, her smile fading, "Sorry, Anna, I really gotta get going. Apparently someone would rather have me out of here than me spending more time here with my friends." She says, glancing at Tara and frowning softly. But she says nothing else, just turning to Annalisa, smiling softly and kissing the girl's cheek, "I'll call you later tonight, when I return back to my dorm."
July then waves to everyone else, "Bye." before leaving the kitchen.
Annalisa waves to July as she leaves, suddenly looking very down. She sits back at her table and props her head against her arms. "Aww…"
Theo arches his brow as July kisses Annalisa on the cheek, putting another spoon of chili in his mouth. His attention was pretty well caught by it. "Have a good night, July," he says, not seeming to be bothered that July is upset by Tara. He hops down from the counter.
"I do what I can," he answers Mike. "Want some chili?"
"Thanks, Ju…. … ly?" And she's gone. Wow. "Uh, that was aggressively passively unnecessary. I szuppose I missed the drama."
Mike's electronically distorted voice is pitched low for that last bit, but he brightens up as he goes to the sink.
"I dizcovered that I usze a bit more water now thaan before," he says as if anyone knew he used to use it at all. A regular glass is filled with the stuff, and he takes a metal straw out of his pants pocket, inserts it in his mouth (which opens just enough for that to work) and puts the other end in the glass.
"I'm a car," he says to Theo. "I live on gasoline."
"High octane, I take it?" Tara asks Mike, and then a thought strikes her. "What if we give you a boost of nitrous?" As for the drama part of things she remains very pointedly silent about it.
Annalisa sighs, seeming to ignore the conversation, and the mysterious robot boy. She stretches and stands, going to leave the room, giving a half wave to everyone. "Bye, I guess." She says as she leaves.
Theo watches as Annalisa gets up. "Oh, well, have a good night," he says, giving her a salute with his spoon. He shoves a few more spoonfuls of chili in his mouth. "Mike, that's disgusting. What does gas taste like, anyway?"
"Reguler works fine," Mike answers, still drinking. The water isn't going down that fast, but there's a faint chuggachugga sound as a pump pulls it into his body.
He watches Annalisa doing the "My Life Is Over And Someone Stepped On My Birthday Cake" wave … After she leaves, he says in a puzzled tone, "OK, I undersztand that she and July are besztezt bozom buddies … I saw that all of laszt week … szo why doesz she say they never see each other?"
"Because they're in wuuuuuuuv," says Tara disdainfully. "God, they couldn't keep their hands off each other." She stands up and dusts off her knees before opening the drawer before her, setting the labeler down on the counter.
"Yeah," Theo says, a little lost in thought. He might have said something different than he does, because he realizes that Tara is still in the room. "That's really not appropriate," he says with a change of tone. He turns back to Tara. "So when did you get here?" he asks. "You said you're new too, right?"
Mike says, "Ah, yooung luszt. The bezst kind," Mike says a bit wistfully. Not that he quite had the chance to get into that. The whole "merge with vehicles" thing made his folks get really strict with him, and then there was the "new kid in school" thing every year or so, and it was only last fall when he even got to start experimenting, and then he ruined that by getting himself killed. Even if he did get better. And Theo may well over hear that reminiscence, as Mike is standing near him and not thinking to guard his thoughts."
"Earlier in the week," answers Tara, running her hands over the various kitchen implements. "Same day all the kids that this Sinister jerk kidnapped showed back up." A huge grin spreads on her face and she reaches out to hug Mike closer to her (with or without his permission) "We got to be battle buddies for the day!"
"Yeah, I heard about that," Theo answers. "Mike, we really didn't need to know all that detail, seriously. That's the kinda thing you save for shrink or something." Theo clearly didn't connect that what Mike was saying wasn't meant for his ears, and didn't know that Tara didn't hear it. He scrapes out the last spoonful of chili, and places the bowl in the sink.
"Tara, it was really great to meet you, you're a really refreshing person to find here," he says, watching her give Mike a hug attack. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night." He stands to his feet, and then starts toward the exit.
Three hugs in one day! BONUS! Mike is, however, not particularly squishy, being metal and stuff, but he does say, "Daww" and revs his engine a little. He looks over at Theo and says, "You're hearing inside sztuff again, Theo." He doesn't seem perturbed, but he does ask one thing: "Theo. Hey, do you know if there's any kind of small vehicle type things in the mansion? Like a wheelchair or a segway?"
"Theo pauses. "Um, Not within range at the moment. I've spent most of my time tryin' to drown stuff out. There is some crazy seeming stuff in the garage. Haven't been in there yet, but wow. Whatever it is, it's big. I'll keep an ear out, and if anything gets noticed, I'll let you know. I think the founder had a wheelchair, maybe there's one still around." He gives a shrug. "I'll see y'all later."
Tara gives Theo a goodbye wave, as she disengages from Mike and goes back to rummaging around the drawer. "Later, Theo!" There's a pause, and rummage, rummage, rummage. "You know, Mike, you're pretty cuddly for a robot."
annalisajulymiketaratheo
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Oblivion Reloaded :: UO Shard
oblivion reloaded shard


" I call the Lord to witness that I have treated him like a brother."
"I know of nothing further I can do, and trust my own good conscience and God's will."
"I pray to God to employ us more successfully in the future, in this and other occasions."
"It rests upon the Lord God to give me life and health to bring the work to a good conclusion."
"I pray also that God will grant you, as well as our beloved, every sort of blessing."


Posted on April 7, 2019 Posted in Window Treatments & Shades	.
I deliberate to put a traverse rod over the sliding door behind the desk so I can pull curtains to the far proper side throughout the day while my children go in and out the back door. The downside is that to date Home Décor Catalogs I haven't found one lengthy sufficient for the slider. Lowes had a protracted fat picket rod that is lengthy sufficient, however I'm undecided how well it could slide curtains.
Manber provides that anybody sleeping at night with whole blackout curtains should open them first thing within the morning to get some natural daylight. Because otherwise they're messing up their circadian rhythm, which could make it troublesome for them to sleep." She also recommends that folks do this for his or her youngsters before they wake. So the sunshine is there when they get up," she says.
With drapes, you may choose a one-way draw, the place drapes are pulled to one aspect when opened. There's additionally a cut up stack, which opens in the center. A split stack is straightforward to design, due to the constructed-in symmetry. However, most sliding doors Living Room Furniture don't offer enough room on either aspect to correctly stack the drape. In these cases, we go with a one-manner draw. Our designers create symmetry by constructing off of a wall of cabinets or different heavy structure in the room.
On the other finish of the spectrum are blackout curtains Unlike sheers, you would not need to preserve blackout curtains closed on a regular basis, however they are often extremely useful for those times when all that pure gentle is just a little an excessive amount of. Though heavier, blackout curtains are still easy to move and relying in your colour choice, they require less cleansing. In short, privateness and shade if you need it, lovely views and brights rooms when you don't.
No need to paint partitions or add decor. These easy patterned curtains give you the flair in your house with out having to overdo anything. I'd pinterested a pin to this link/tutorial a while in the past, which confirmed how to customize a cheap curler shade. Which is exactly what I did. Except instead of cloth, I simply used an outdated shower curtain. Here is how I did it. Put a thin layer of fray verify on the lower edges and permit it to dry. This ought to only take a few minutes. She launched Sophia's Cause which was supported by over 10,000 folks and led to improved security measures being launched by the British Standards Institute in 2014.
A window shutter is a strong and stable window masking often consisting of a body of vertical stiles and horizontal rails (top, centre and bottom). Set within this body can be louvers (both operable or fastened, horizontal or vertical), solid panels, fabric, glass and most another merchandise that can be mounted within a body. Shutters could also be employed for a variety of causes, together with controlling the amount of sunlight that enters a room, to provide privateness, security, to guard towards weather or undesirable intrusion or harm and to reinforce the aesthetics of a constructing.


text:
Q: Image dequantization in Java giving ramdom points in red , green or blue on Image I am very new to Java and Image Processing. I am trying to take DCT(Discrete cosine transform) of 8*8 blocks and then do quantization and later get the original image by dequantizing followed by IDCT.
But my final decoded image has green,red and blue points appearing randomly at some regions of image though over all original image content is preserved. I know this is something to do with rounding during quantization process as not using Math.round function would give me original picture correctly. I could not figure out the actual reason.You can see the difference in the Images attached
Code Snippet:
//Following gives the DCT for 3 buffers with r ,g and b values
temp_DCT_r=FormDCT(temp_DCT_r);
temp_DCT_g=FormDCT(temp_DCT_g);
temp_DCT_b=FormDCT(temp_DCT_b);

//This does the quantization to DCT values for a given
//quantization level
PerformQuantization(temp_DCT_r,Quantization_Level);
PerformQuantization(temp_DCT_g,Quantization_Level);
PerformQuantization(temp_DCT_b,Quantization_Level);

//Following the quantization function
public static void PerformQuantization(double[][] F,int Quantization_Level)
{
int N = 8;

for (int u=0;u<N;u++)
 {
    for (int v=0;v<N;v++)
    {
       F[u][v]= Math.round(F[u][v]/(Math.pow(2, Quantization_Level)));

    }
  }
}

Original Image
Decoded Image

A: I got the problem. Problem is in rounding off the number during quantization. When I take IDCT, there was an error. R,G and B values vary from 0 255 while DCT/IDCT has negative values. Sometimes round of results causes problem in quandrant change i.e instead of 0 round off gives -1, similarly instead of -1 round off gives 0. Identify that condition and have special handling to make it work


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BUTCHER!
Infernal blackened speed metal act Butcher announce a stream of tour dates and festival appearances for the rest of the spring and this summer, and beyond. The Belgian band is currently preparing their new album, which will be their first with new label home Osmose Productions.
A statement from the band reads: "Pure, unpolished, fast, heavy, epic, blackened speed metal - Butcher is stoked beyond belief to announce the signing of the band to Osmose Productions! A label we hold in the highest regard because of its vision and its integrity, two terms that we do not take lightly! We will work like maniacs to surpass our debut album, Bestial Fukkin' Warmachine, and Osmose Productions will give us the chance to do just that. Join the Butcher speed metal legion and hopefully see you guys on the road for a live metal meltdown!
A burnt off'ring to the godz of speed metal - that is what Butcher is all about. Well, we call it speed metal because it's one of the few genres within the realm of metal might that hasn't been contaminated by the need to sound polished as pop, the idea of fitting in on every bill, by being progressive or other overrated contemporary conceptions. As Butcher, we present you a furious frenzy of speed, black & heavy metal - all brewed in a cauldron of analog & vintage recording material. An acquired taste in these modern times, but surely to be savored by metal maniacs that have an affection for Agent Steel, Celtic Frost, Nifelheim, Venom, Exciter, Darkthrone, Manowar, Destroyer 666, Slayer, and the likes.
Let us not bore you too much with past details. Suffice to say that the reincarnation of the band started in 2014 after a long hiatus. We existed between 2002-2007 with a dedicated local following and crazy live shows to boot, yet nothing but two forgettable demo recordings to show for it. We simply disbanded, but every time we kept meeting each other, the metal hammer of old kept striking the anvil.
Louder, harder, faster - and the backbone (R Hellshrieker, JA Pulsator, PB Tormentor) gets back together with new shredmaster KK Ripper taking the lead, backed up by DB Destroyer. We really embraced our vision, stopped being content with just being local heroes, and we want to push through. Bring unadulterated metal pleasures to anyone that feels to crash, bang & wallop. The metal community is both united and fragmented, and while we have our convictions, we'll let others be the judge of what's what - but we know, feel, and see at live performances that Butcher's music and dedication to bringing the most energetic live show is sparking a fire in the audience. A fire that, more often than not, engulfs in a consuming blaze of metal mania.
Our first full-length album, Bestial Fukkin' Warmachine, is aptly named when you consider the lack of edits, digital sound compression, or most modern recording techniques. Take a look at our stage wear, inspired on Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Sarcofago, Sodom, Nifelheim, Living Death, Slayer... But above all, simply absorb the metal assault that we edged into black wax, burned into silvered jeweled discs as well as coded into streamable format. Yet, Butcher is only getting started. By now being in the stable of worldwide force Osmose, we are eagerly writing material for our next album, and we keep trampling like a black steed straight from in our live performances... Onwards into battle, like Sentinels of Death!
www.butcherspeedmetal.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/B%C3%BCtcher-Speed-Metal-225752547610482
From Friday, 7th June 2019 to Sunday, 9th June 2019
Saturday, 24th August 2019
Saturday, 6th July 2019
Saturday, 1st June 2019


How to Boost Up Browsing Speed?
Internet speed is the most cared factor when you buy an internet connection. What if still you face a slow speed browsing problem? No worries, as I came with a solution to this problem. I will let you know how to boost up browsing speed. It's very simple to follow. So, how to boost up … Read moreHow to Boost Up Browsing Speed?


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Kaduna LG polls: PDP clinches Kaura LGA Chairmanship seat
Mr Mathias Siman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the Chairmanship seat in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State in the just concluded Council polls.The Returning Officer, Prof. Mande Hosea,declared Siman winner of the election on Sunday in Manchok, having polled 19,505 votes, to defeat his closest opponent, Mr Adamu Donatus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , who garnered 10,942 votes."We aknowledged that voting did not take place in some polling units due to Electronic Voting Machines malfunction."However, the rule says that result can be declared if the total vote cast is up to two-third, and so far, the total votes cast are more than two-third."Therefore, Mr Mathias Siman of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law,and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby, declared winner of the election,and returned elected," he said.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP also worn nine out of the 10 electoral wards for the councillor's seats in the Local Government Area, with the APC winning only Manchok Ward.
Agom Adara: Three Years after, No Justice - Wardesk News


With speed and Environment at cross roads, how would Logistics of Future be?
Home/FTWZ/With speed and Environment at cross roads, how would Logistics of Future be?
How would the logistics of future look as the Environment assumes larger importance and speed will be imperative to be lost?
Climate change and its consequences will have a far-reaching effect on logistics. As one of the largest producer of CO2 emissions, the industry would find itself in a precarious situation as the expectation of Governments, Society and a set of customers for 'green' supply chain rise and the pressure from these stakeholders mount to reduce the CO2 emissions. With the increasing environmental awareness, these stakeholders, in future, may enforce to demand climate neutral products and services. They may even demand product and service with labels certifying its CO2 output. The demand for transparent information on ecological footprints of products and services may be much more.
However, on the other hand, when it comes to the speed of deliveries, customers are only prepared to compromise so far. Often deliveries must be made as quickly as possible. As the customer's tolerance for time delay continue to decrease due to time and performance pressures, individualization of transportation services is likely to become increasingly broad business areas for Logistics. Companies may have to potentially offer separate transport routes with varying speeds in order to create customized solutions that meet individual expectations. They will have to develop new routes, burn more fuel in order to bring in a new degree of flexibility in their operations thereby impacting the environmental adversely.
Hence, companies would find it difficult to cater to such diverse and conflicting requirements of customers and other stakeholders choosing between speed and environmental sustainability. Would the customer forego speed for environment in the future? Or would companies have to develop new business models enabled with newer technologies to be able to cater to such conflicting needs without compromising on speed as well as environmental sustainability. What would these business models and new technologies be? Answers to these imminent questions would shape future strategies of Logistics companies!
Mansingh Jaswal is Director & Chief Executive Officer with Genex LogiSolutions Pvt. Ltd., having a professional experience of over 15 years in Supply Chain, Logistics, Transportation and International Freight and a Strategic Management Research Scholar at Management Development Institute (MDI).


You definitely will need a quality guide of choosing laptop, especially if budget is an issue. Normally, the more expensive the laptop is, the quality is also higher. If you want to purchase something that will worth your money and will last long, of course expensive and quality laptop is the best choice. However, when budget becomes an issue or you just don't feel like buying something fancy, you will have to limit your choice to budget laptop.
The good news is budget laptop doesn't always mean that the quality is bad. There are plenty of excellent cheap laptops out there, you just need to pick it carefully. It will be pretty challenging to find a laptop that suits your budget and your needs, so make sure you consider these following things before making the purchase.
It is true that brand doesn't always show quality and there are some underrated brands out there that can give you better value over your money. But since this is budget laptop we are talking about, it is best not to take risks. To be safe, sticking to reputable brands will be the best decision.
The thing with popular brand is it spends so much money on advertising that the final price for the customer becomes higher. It means, you actually can get a laptop with better specification if you decide to buy laptop with other brands.
However, when the brand is not reputable, it is hard to find out whether they equip their laptop with good components or not and whether it is built with good standard or not. Even though the price is a little bit more expensive, buying popular brand laptop is safer because at least you know the reputation of the company and the laptop is built with excellent standard that will make it last longer.
Since your option is limited, you need to make some compromise. Due to low price, it is very understandable if the laptop doesn't come with large hard drive or the most advanced processor. It is fine, actually. You can still get a laptop that you will love as long as you can address what you need. If you often multitask, choose a laptop with bigger RAM, if you need your laptop to work fast, get something with good processor.
One of the best ways to save money but still get a decent laptop is by sacrificing the graphic processor since it is very expensive. If you rarely play heavy games and you don't do demanding video editing with your laptop, advanced video card is not needed. The regular one will suffice to play small games and watch video with good quality.
Making compromise is very important if you want to buy budget laptop. But no matter how much money you want to save, there are just some things that you cannot compromise. You can compromise the quality of the screen or the amount of space of the hard disk, but you need to make sure the laptop comes with a good processor. To perform well without getting you headaches due to its slow speed, your laptop at least must have Core i3 and something lower than that will not do you any good.
Last but not least, you also have to pay attention to the build quality of the laptop. Since this is a budget laptop we are talking about, of course the design will not be the prettiest and the build is not the strongest. However, it is still very important to get a laptop that is sturdy and well-built.
Don't purchase a laptop with too much plastic component sloppily attached here and there just because it is cheaper. The case of the laptop is supposed to protect the hardware component inside. And since laptop is designed to be taken from one place to another, a sturdy built is a must. Otherwise, the display and the hardware components will be damaged even with the slightest shocks.
Plastic is not necessarily a bad thing and the chance is high that you will stick with it if you buy cheap laptop. So, besides checking the material, it is also important to see how well the outer components are put together. Check the chassis and how well the lid is attached to the deck. It might sound trivial but it will really help you getting a laptop that will last long even though the price is cheap.
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The Palmyra Area Education Foundation, PAEF has provided greater than $100,000 in financial assistance to enhance the educational experience for thousands of Palmyra school children in grades K-12. PAEF is a non-profit organization that provides grants for scholastic programs and projects for the students and teachers of Palmyra schools. All donations are tax deductible and support student learning and achievement.
· 2013-2015 Lego Robotics teams were supported at the high school level and expanded just this year into the middle school to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Known as the hardest fun you will ever have, this program challenges young minds to think outside the box.
· PAEF supported multiple math and reading enhancement programs within the Elementary division to encourage students to excel in these critical areas.
· PAEF recently supported Rachel's Challenge presentations for the 6th-12th grade students. This nationally-known anti-bullying program based on the tragic death of "Rachel", the first student killed at Columbine is intended to instill a culture of kindness and understanding among our student body. The students initiated a Friends of Rachel (F.O.R.) Club.
The requested grants are reviewed and awarded by the non-profit PAEF. Your donations go directly back to the students in K-12 at the Palmyra School District by supporting the Foundation.
Please consider giving a tax deductible donation to the PAEF to continue funding for educational programs in our school district.


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Medically installed implants help coroner identify body found in rural area
Updated: 11:23 AM EDT May 7, 2015
Stephanie Towers
Digital Media Manager
The coroner has identified a body found in a rural area Monday night.Jonathan Lawson, of the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office, said the body of Edward "Chip" Kearney, 60, was found at Tapp Circle in Lyman.He was from Greer, Lawson said. Lawson said Kearney was identified through a medically installed implant.Kearney was reported missing to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office on May 2 by family members.Lawson has not released the cause of death. The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
LYMAN, S.C. —
The coroner has identified a body found in a rural area Monday night.
Jonathan Lawson, of the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office, said the body of Edward "Chip" Kearney, 60, was found at Tapp Circle in Lyman.
He was from Greer, Lawson said.
Lawson said Kearney was identified through a medically installed implant.
Kearney was reported missing to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office on May 2 by family members.
Lawson has not released the cause of death.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office is investigating.


Warsaw-based photographer tomek mąkolski — specialized in lifestyle, fashion, and cars — diversifies the streets of his city through the use of his image-creation talent. titled 'car spotting', the artist's new series features six photographs of an orange porsche GT3 made of LEGO hitting the streets of poland's capital.
by sharing his work, mąkolski wants to play our perception — the car inserted into the images looks naturally life-sized, while the frame angles are so common for car photography that you wouldn't even think that the porsche is, in reality, very small. to see more works of tomek mąkolski, visit his website or instagram page.


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Home » Soccer » West Ham monitoring New York City striker Valentin Castellanos
West Ham monitoring New York City striker Valentin Castellanos
West Ham are tracking New York City rising star Valentin Castellanos who has scored NINE goals in his last seven games… Pep Guardiola believes the Argentine ace is a 'quality player' that is destined to move to Europe
Valentin Castellanos plays for New York City, Manchester City's sister club
The 23-year-old Argentine has scored 23 goals over in America this season
City boss Pep Guardiola thinks the striker has the ability to play in Europe
He has been attracting interest from Turkish and Spanish clubs recently
West Ham are also interested in the forward who has been prolific in 2021
Manchester City's sister club in America are braced for Premier League interest in MLS top goalscorer Valentin Castellanos.
The Argentine scored as New York City beat Portland Timbers on penalties to lift the MLS Cup last weekend, taking his tally for the season to 23 across all competitions.
He has been in particularly impressive form over the past few weeks as he scored in each of his side's last four games during the regular season.
Valentin Castellanos celebrates scoring against Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup final
He would go on to lift the trophy after his side overcame their opponents 5-3 on penalties
The forward then followed that up by finding the net in the three matches that he featured in during the MLS Cup play-offs, meaning he has nine goals in his last seven club appearances.
The 23-year-old drew praise from Pep Guardiola on Sunday, with West Ham United thought to have kept an eye on his development over recent months.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola rates Castellanos highly and thinks he will play in Europe
'I think he is a guy whose next step will be in Europe,' Guardiola said. 'What I've seen, and when the scouting department talk to me, I think he is a quality player ready to make the next step. We will see where.'
Castellanos is valued at around £15million, with Besiktas reported to have seen a bid turned down.
Several Championship clubs sounded New York out about a potential switch last summer but Castellanos's stock has since risen and he has been attracting interest from Spain.
Burnley to step up contract negotiations with captain Ben Mee
Manchester United's clash with Brentford postponed after Covid-19 outbreak


Even Eva Mendes likes charity shops!
Eva Mendes' vintage-style clothing line is inspired by her love of charity shops. The 'Place Beyond the Pines' actress claims she still makes a beeline for second hand clothing stores because she was unable to afford expensive items when she was younger, so her retro-chic style is now a running theme in her eponymous fashion line for retailer New York & Company.