text:
MPTC fundraising targets expansion to Biddeford
By Michael KelleyThe Forecaster
WESTBROOK — Two decades after starting a program to provide a safe after-school space for area youth, My Place Teen Center's new fundraising campaign earmarks funds to open a second location in York County.
My Place Teen Center's $6.5 million campaign includes plans to convert 9,800 square feet on the bottom floor of the former St. Andre's Catholic Church in Biddeford into a center for youth 10 to 18. It hopes to open that site by July of 2020.
My Place Teen Center President and CEO Donna Dwyer said $350,000 is needed to install a commercial kitchen and outfit the Biddeford center. She said $5.5 million is needed to fund the Westbrook center between now and July 2020 and the Westbrook and Biddeford locations between then and 2023. The capital campaign also includes $650,000 to operate two vans, covers maintenance upkeep at the two facilities and creates a reserve account as well.
Dwyer said $2.7 million toward the effort is allocated through grant funding the center regularly receives. The rest, she said, must come from additional grant, foundation and individual contributions.
"We are reasonable assured and can confidently say, we have $2.7 million in funding so far," Dwyer said.
The Biddeford site will be modeled after the Westbrook operation, which provides upwards of 70 children a day free year-round academic and life skills programs and dinner. The two locations, while laid out differently, cover approximately the same footprint.
"Expansion has always been part of our strategic plan, so we are thrilled to partner with Biddeford's mayor and Housing Authority to bring year-round, no-barrier services to a new city," Dwyer said. "The positive relationship developed with city leaders and a similar demographic and landscape between both cities makes this an easy leap for our organization."
Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant said a My Place Teen Center in his city will supplement other programs there aimed at meeting the needs of teenagers.
"Biddeford already has some entities that deal with teenagers and they do a great job. I think My Place Teen Center will complete the circle and bring other activities and programs that fulfills the needs of additional teenagers," Casavant said.
Casavant said 17% of Biddeford families live at the federal poverty rate and 62% of children in the school system receive free or reduced lunch. Homelessness is also a growing concern, he said, because rapid development in the city is driving rents up.
"When you look at that level of poverty and everything else families face, often times there are kids that need mentoring or need food because they are food insecure. Donna's programs deliver that," Casavant said.
The expansion into Biddeford, which is scheduled to be completed by July 2020, is, according to a press release, part of My Place Teen Center's attempt "to counterbalance the devastating effects of poverty, food insecurity and the opioid epidemic with protective factors and safe environments."
"We see Biddeford as an area that could benefit from the type of programming we provide at My Place Teen Center," Dwyer said. "My Place Teen Center has the programming in place to provide a safe place where teens can gather after school, learn about themselves and their role in the community, eat a warm meal and feel safe and loved."
Discussions with Biddeford began in 2014 when My Place Teen Center was approached by city officials there about how they could replicate an operation of like My Place Teen Center. Three years later in 2017, the discussion shifted to how Biddeford officials could help the center open a location in their city.
St. Andre's Church closed in December 2010. The former rectory houses a high school alternative education program. Its convent and school have been converted into housing. My Place Teen Center will be operating in the space for free through an arrangement that still needs to be ironed out with Biddeford Housing Authority, the owner of the property.
Dwyer said that arrangement is expected to be some sort of long-term lease or an arrangement where My Place Teen Center would own the space, but the housing authority would still own the building.
Michael Kelley can be reached at 780-9106 or [email protected] or on Twitter @mkelleynews
My Place Teen Center, at 755 Main St., Westbrook, provides academic and life skills programming for youth and wants to set up a second location in a former church in Biddeford by July 2020.
Westbrook's My Place Teen Center has embarked on a $6.5 million capital campaign to expand programming to a second location at the former St. Andre's Church in Biddeford.
American Journal News
Longtime WGME news anchor Kim Block signing off
Cora fired by Red Sox amid MLB investigation into sign stealing
Portland restaurateurs to open new steak and oyster spot downtown
Skunk goes on spraying spree through Portland home


Geopressured geothermal reservoirs are characterized by high temperatures and high pressures with correspondingly large quantities of dissolved methane. Due to these characteristics, the reservoirs provide two sources of energy: chemical energy from the recovered methane and thermal energy from the recovered high temperature fluid. Formations with the greatest potential for recoverable energy are located in the gulf coastal region of Texas and Louisiana. This study estimates the total recoverable onshore geopressured geothermal resource (defined as a brine reservoir with fluid temperature greater than 212°F and a pressure gradient greater than 0.7 psi/ft) for identified sites in Texas and Louisiana.


If you are looking for cheap, crazy but nice place to stay in Gdansk we are here! Our newly opened hostel welcomes the travelers from around the world! As a travelers ourselves we know what good and cheap hostel should look like. We offer you 8 air-conditioned rooms ranging in size from double / triple private rooms to 4/ 6 / 8/ 10 bed dorms, and can sleep a total of 44 people. Each bed is provided with bed sheets, linen, key locker and reading lamps. There are two common bathrooms with 6 showers inside. You are free to use Wi-Fi Internet and enjoy our common room with TV. Right next to it is a fully equipped kitchenette where you can have a free breakfast, tea or coffee. We also provide bicycles to rent for our guests. Our staff is 24 h a day at the reception ready to help you. There are also maps and guides available for you.


text:
La Línea 63 es una línea de transporte urbano de pasajeros de la ciudad de Córdoba, Argentina. El servicio está actualmente operado por la empresa Coniferal.

Anteriormente el servicio de la línea 63 era denominada como C3 desde 2002 por la empresa Coniferal, hasta que el 1 de marzo de 2014, por la implementación del nuevo sistema de transporte público, la C3 se fusiona como 63 y operada por la misma empresa.

Recorrido

 Servicio diurno.

Ida: De La Hora antes de J. de Vedia- por J. de Vedia - Villegas - Díaz Colodrero - Capdevila - C. Vidal - Brum - Ledesma - León  y  Pizarro - Dos  Barrios -  Díaz Colodrero - (a la der.) Astorga - Víctor Manuel III - Ocompis - M. Chilabert - Acapianta - Puerto Rico - Juan  XXIII -  Santiso y Moscoso - Punta del Sauce - Las  Malvinas - Cruza FFCC Deportivo - Bulnes - Viamonte - Sarmiento - Hto Primo - Gral  Paz  - V.  Sarsfield - Pueyrredon – Peredo - Schubert - Albeniz - M. Vidal - F. Aérea - (a la izq.) Fleming antes de Lagunilla (INICIA VUELTA REDONDA)

Regreso: (INICIA VUELTA REDONDA) Fleming antes de Lagunilla- por Fleming- Estocolmo- Varela Ortiz - Frontera -Luis Pasteur - L. Pinos - D. de la Fuente antes de Lagunilla (FIN VUELTA REDONDA) D. de la Fuente- F. Aérea - (a la izq.) M. Vidal - Verdi - L. Pinelo - Peredo -Pueyrredon- Rot. De Pueyrredon - Pueyrredon-  A. M. Bas -Peredo- Belgrano - Tucumán - Av. Colon - Av. Olmos - 24 de Septiembre – D. Luque - Oncativo - Pringles - Potosí- Roma- Bulnes - Cruza FFCC Deportivo - Las Malvinas - Felipe II - Tarija - Rancagua - Calabalumba - M. Chilabert - Víctor Manuel III - Astorga - Díaz Colodrero - Dos Barrios - León y Pizarro - Liendo - Brun - C. Vidal - Capdevila - Díaz Colodrero - Villegas - J. de Vedia- La Hora- Ingreso al Predio.

Véase también
 Transporte en la Ciudad de Córdoba (Argentina)

Enlaces externos
 Municipalidad de Córdoba
 Secretaría de Transporte de la Nación

Referencias

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Stunning beach side location! In a quiet residential area, just 50m away from the best beaches of Estepona.
To the east, just 5 minutes away by car, lies the centre of Estepona, with plenty of amenities, its attractive beach promenade, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities.
Puerto Banus and Marbella take about 25 minutes by car. To the west, the cosy marinas of La Duquesa (10 minutes´drive) and Sotogrande (20 minutes´ drive) offer further leisure and culinary attractions.
There are several excellent golf courses in the area, about 5 and 10 minutes away from the property.
Unique boutique development of only 6 town houses, built in open plan contemporary design with luxury quality specifications.
3 townhouses remain available. Each has a distribution over 4 floors as follows.


text:
Paras-webinar
Webinar: A Paraprofessional's Guide to Mastering Multilingual Learners
Tuesday, October 18 | 3:00 – 4:00 pm ET
Join SupportEd dive into the world for Multilingual Learners and paraprofessionals.
This session's objectives include:
Exploring the roles that paraprofessionals might take when working in classrooms with multilingual learners.
Discussing strategies to make effective use of paraprofessionals working with multilingual learners.
Examining some techniques to build effective communication and collaboration between paraprofessionals and teachers
Applying what you've learned in the session to strengthening the role of the ML paraprofessional in your own context.
Session Facilitators
Diane Staehr Fenner, PhD
Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D., is the president of SupportEd and founded the company in 2011 as a way to serve educators who work to help multilingual learners (MLs) realize their full potential. Dr. Staehr Fenner is an author of six books (including Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity, Unlocking English Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible, and Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators). She is a frequent keynote presenter on ML education at conferences across North America. She spent a decade as an ESOL teacher, dual language assessment teacher, and ESOL assessment specialist in Fairfax County Public Schools, VA and taught English in Mexico and Germany. She earned her Ph.D. in Multilingual/Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Literacy at George Mason University. She earned her MAT in TESOL at the School for International Training and her Masters in German at Penn State University. She lives in Fairfax, VA with her husband and three school-age kids who learned math and science through Spanish in their public elementary school. Dr. Staehr Fenner grew up on a dairy farm in New York State's Finger Lakes region and is a first-generation college graduate.
Sydney Snyder, PhD
Sydney began working for SupportEd as a way to build on her passion for advocacy and educational equity for ELs that flourished during her time as an ESOL teacher. She is the co-author of two books (Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity and Unlocking English Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible). She has significant experience in developing and conducting interactive professional development for teachers of ELs. Sydney led a project for the National Education Association to create and pilot blended professional development modules focused on the instruction and assessment of ELs, advocacy for ELs, second language acquisition, and culture. She has also created and facilitated professional development that focuses on research-based strategies to support ELs' language development and academic achievement for teachers in multiple states. Sydney also brings significant experience developing curriculum, writing literature reviews, and facilitating working group meetings. For the U.S. Department Education in partnership with the American Institutes for Research, Sydney helped convene a panel to select a set of English language proficiency standards for adults and is leading the development of an online module to provide training on the standards.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The TMT Soft Line Cutter is used to cut soft material for example hemp fibre ropes and slings etc. It is a guillotine style cutter, hydraulically actuated and ROV manipulator deployed.
A steel blade travels between two stationary side plates and into a shear point receiver area. The object being cut is sheared between the blade and the side plates.
The TMT Soft line Cutter can be used to cut up to 70mm.
An assortment of blades is provided with the tool.


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text:
Krugman: Progressives worry about being "respectable"
The celebrated economist reflects on his showdown with Joe Scarborough -- and how progressives can even the score
By Adele M. Stan
Published March 6, 2013 11:15PM (EST)
This article originally appeared on AlterNet.
In the realm of media elites, Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and winner of the Nobel Prize for economics, occupies a rare position: that of progressive hero -- the guy who speaks truth to power. I met up with Krugman at an event at the national headquarters of the AFL-CIO, hosted by Richard Trumka, the federation's president.
It was just a day after Krugman's debate with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on the Charlie Rose show had media, social and otherwise, abuzz, especially after Krugman blogged that he wasn't quite as sharp as he'd like to have been, unprepared, he said, for "the blizzard of misleading factoids and diversionary stuff" uttered by the cocksure, blown-dry, blustery congressman-turned-TV-host.
While the right has legions of mouthpieces reading from the same economic playbook, Krugman has emerged as the go-to guy for mainstream shows when they seek a progressive voice. So I asked him to assess, as a communicator, what progressives need to do to even up the score. Here's his reply:
I will say, [conservatives] have a remarkable shortage of guys who are actually competent on the economics...
First thing: You do need a network and, obviously, progressives are never going to have the kind of lavishly funded, Koch-fueled media operation that the right has, and we're never going to have the same kind of message discipline. That said, it's actually gotten a lot better [on the progressive side]. I look at the extent to which the pushback against nonsense stuff takes place, and the way a coherent message comes out on behalf of good stuff; it's much better now. I've been in my second career now since 2000, and it was hopeless 10 years ago; it's now much more evenly balanced.
One thing that's really true, though, is that progressives, they still spend a lot of time trying to appease, trying to sound moderate and reasonable. I'll give you a case that's actually interesting: Larry Summers -- Larry Summers -- is actually on the substance, at this point, indistinguishable from me on macro-policy. And he may be a bit to the left, because he's even more certain than I am -- I believe it's true, but he's definite that some extra spending now will actually help us more in fiscal terms. So Larry's come out.
So he published a piece in the Financial Times that was meant to be a big statement about this. But before he got to that, he spend three paragraphs about the importance of dealing with the deficit in the medium term -- which was all, I think, to establish that 'I am a respectable person; I am not like that rabble-rouser, Krugman.' And then I watched the reactions, and nobody inside the Beltway -- you're inside the Beltway, so you know who I mean -- none of the usual suspects got past those first three paragraphs. Larry was just clearing his throat, and that wound up drowning out the message. And that's very typical.
Look at the president ... Since the fall of 2011, the administration's been on the side of the angels here. The American Jobs Act didn't go anywhere, but it was definitely bolder than we expected; it was the right kind of thing. What they pushed for, relative to what I'd like to be hearing from them, it's nothing, but relative to what the other side is saying, it's very much on the right side -- but they are stuck in the language of deficits. It would be great if the president could just say: 'This is not the time for spending cuts,' instead of saying: 'I want to replace the sequester with a smarter package.' This is a 'progressive lite.'
I understand where this comes from: It comes from many years of electoral defeats and always feeling that, going all the way back to Ronald Reagan, always finding that you needed to appeal to conservative voters -- and the quest for respectability. At the higher levels, you find yourself in rooms full of bankers -- a lot ... It's very hard to stand up to them, and not just because they have power but because they're, by and large, actually pretty smart. They have fantastic tailors. And to get over that and say, 'Look, you're just wrong,' and, 'My side is right' -- that's something that progressives still have a hard time learning to do.
So my advice has obviously been -- part of it is that we need infrastructure, and there's not enough people -- but also, yeah, you need to take a look at the way people express things. If you think it's really stupid to be cutting spending now, you should start your article by saying, 'It's really stupid to be cutting spending now' instead of saying, 'the deficit is a significant problem over the medium term, and then, four paragraphs in, say, 'I do not think it is a good idea to be cutting spending now.'
Lesson concluded.
Adele M. Stan
Adele M. Stan is AlterNet's Washington correspondent.
MORE FROM Adele M. Stan
Alternet Charlie Rose New York Times Nobel Prize Paul Krugman


text:
Q: Debugging MIDI in iOS app I'm trying to implement CoreMIDI in my iOS app and I'm having trouble trying to debug it right now. Currently I have a UILabel that updates whenever the my MIDI callback is called. However, my UILabel never updates! I am not sure why this is happening and I'm guessing it's either how I'm defining something in my MIDI initialization or how I'm calling the UILabel. I'm still trying to figure this out but is there a better way to debug MIDI on an iOS app (as iOS devices only have one port and can only use the port for either connecting to computer or a MIDI controller at a given time).
How I'm creating the MIDI client:
Check(MIDIClientCreate(CFSTR("Yun Client"), NULL, NULL , &client));
Check(MIDIOutputPortCreate(client, CFSTR("Yun Output Port"), &outputPort));
Check(MIDIInputPortCreate(client, CFSTR("Yun Input Port"), MIDIInputCallback,
                         (__bridge void *)self, &inputPort));
unsigned long sourceCount = MIDIGetNumberOfSources();

CFStringRef endpointName;
for (int i = 0; i < sourceCount; ++i) {
    MIDIEndpointRef endPoint = MIDIGetSource(i);
    endpointName = NULL;
    Check(MIDIObjectGetStringProperty(endPoint, kMIDIPropertyName, &endpointName));
    Check(MIDIPortConnectSource(inputPort, endPoint, NULL));
    [param addToMIDIInputsArray:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@", endpointName]];
}

My MIDI callback:
// MIDI receiver callback
static void MIDIInputCallback(const MIDIPacketList *pktlist,
                              void *refCon, void *connRefCon) {
    SynthViewController *vc = (__bridge SynthViewController*)refCon;

    MIDIPacket *packet = (MIDIPacket *)pktlist->packet;

    Byte midiCommand = packet->data[0] >> 4;
    NSInteger command = midiCommand;

    Byte noteByte = packet->data[1] & 0x7F;
    NSInteger note = noteByte;

    Byte velocityByte = packet->data[2] & 0x7F;
    float velocity = [[NSNumber numberWithInt:velocityByte] floatValue];

    // Note On event
    if (command == 9 && velocity > 0) {
        [vc midiKeyDown:(note+4) withVelocity:velocity];
    }
    // Note off event
    else if ((command == 9 || command == 8) && velocity == 0) {
        [vc midiKeyUp:(note+4)];
    }

    [vc.logLabel addLogLine:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%lu - %lu - %lu",
                            (long)command, (long)note, (long)velocityByte]];
}

addLogLine method:
- (void)addLogLine:(NSString *)line {
    NSString *str = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%d - %@", _cnt++, line];
    _logLabel.text = str;
}

Any help is great! Thanks

A: The header documentation for MIDIInputPortCreate says:

readProc will be called on a separate high-priority thread owned by
  CoreMIDI.

You must update UIKit on the main thread only.
Use dispatch_async to transfer control to the main thread, after you've parsed the incoming MIDI data.
static void MIDIInputCallback(const MIDIPacketList *pktlist,
                          void *refCon, void *connRefCon) {
    SynthViewController *vc = (__bridge SynthViewController*)refCon;
    // ...

    dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
        // Note On event
        if (command == 9 && velocity > 0) {
           [vc midiKeyDown:(note+4) withVelocity:velocity];
        }
        // Note off event
        else if ((command == 9 || command == 8) && velocity == 0) {
           [vc midiKeyUp:(note+4)];
        }

        [vc.logLabel addLogLine:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%lu - %lu - %lu", (long)command, (long)note, (long)velocityByte]];
    });
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Is Walt Disney's Body Frozen?
Rumor has it the animation legend was frozen after death so he could be reanimated in the future. Is it a myth? Read on for the truth about Disney's deep freeze.
David Blatty
Photo: Allan Grant/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
On December 15, 1966, animation legend Walt Disney died from complications of lung cancer, for which he had undergone surgery just over a month earlier. A private funeral was held the next day, and on December 17, his body was cremated and interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. But while Disney undoubtedly lives on through the legacy of the beloved feature films and theme parks that comprise much of his life's work, shortly after his death, a rumor began to circulate that he might be living on in a more literal sense as well — with his body suspended in a frozen state and buried deep beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, awaiting the day when medical technology would be advanced enough to reanimate the animator.
PHOTOS: Walt Disney Building Disneyland
His fascination with the future fueled rumors
Over the years, proponents of this seemingly absurd rumor have cited the secrecy surrounding Disney's death and burial as evidence of its veracity. They claim that news of his passing was intentionally delayed in order to give his handlers time to place his body in cryonic suspension and that both his funeral and the actual location of his burial plot have been kept secret as a means of further concealing the truth of his interment.
Disney's lifelong interest in the future, projects such as his EPCOT Center (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) and the technical innovations for which he was known throughout his career would no doubt have lent the rumor a certain air of truth, while a Time magazine article about the cryonic freezing of a 73-year-old psychology professor also lent its weight.
The assertions of two separate biographies of Disney — Leonard Mosely's Disney's World (1986) and Marc Eliot's Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince (1993) — which claimed that an obsession with death led Disney to an interest in cryonics, surely did their part to perpetuate it through the years as well.
In a 1972 biography about her father, Disney's daughter Diane wrote that she doubted he had even heard of cryonics.
Photo: United Artists/Photofest
Disney's daughter has denied that he's cryogenically frozen
The exact origins of the rumor are uncertain, but it first appeared in print in a 1969 Ici Paris article in which a Disney executive attributed it to a group of disgruntled animators seeking to have a laugh at their late taskmaster employer's expense.
Disney's daughter, Diane, wrote in a 1972 biography about her famous father that she doubted her father had even heard of cryonics. It has been further discredited by those pointing to the existence of signed legal documents that indicate Disney was in fact cremated and that his remains are interred in a marked plot (for which his estate paid $40,000) at Forest Lawn, the exact location of which is a matter of public record.
Further, by all accounts, Disney was known to be a very private man in life, making the quiet circumstances of his cremation and burial far from suspect, and the assertions in Mosely's and Eliot's biographies have been widely rejected as unfounded.
The science behind cryonics is still developing
Yet despite the apparent lack of any credible evidence supporting a connection between it and Disney, the existence of cryonics is very much a reality. Since 1964, when Robert Ettinger published a work discussing the plausibility of freezing human beings for the purpose of bringing them back to life, a significant cryonics industry has developed in the United States.
Today, companies such as Suspended Animation Inc., Cryonics Institute and Alcor Life Extension Foundation offer their clients the opportunity to have their bodies placed in a large metal tank in a state of deep freeze known as "cryostasis," for the purpose of being restored to life and complete physical and mental health at a theoretical point in the future when medical science is advanced enough to do so.
According to reports, there are hundreds of people being kept in cryostasis at facilities around the country and thousands more that have already made arrangements for their own preservation. Following his death in 2004, baseball legend Ted Williams became the highest-profile person to date to be placed in cryostasis.
Cryonics is not without its detractors, however. Its science has been largely dismissed as fantastical. Still, it's the futuristic stuff of science fiction that maybe even Disney himself would have appreciated.
Walt Disney's Rocky Road to Success
Despite being one of the most influential people of the 20th century, Disney endured many failures before creating 'the Happiest Place on Earth.'
By Eudie Pak Jun 17, 2020
Walt Disney Building Disneyland: 8 Photos of the Theme Park Coming to Life
After two decades of planning and creating, Disney's theme park dreams became a reality - and he was involved every step of the way.
By Leigh Weingus May 19, 2020
It Took Walt Disney More Than 20 Years to Make 'Mary Poppins'
With hesitation from author P.L. Travers, Disney devoted two decades to bring the nanny that is "practically perfect in every way" to the silver screen.
By Brad Witter Apr 24, 2020
Walt Disney: 7 Things You Didn't Know About the Man and the Magic
Take a look at seven lesser-known facts about the man and the institution he created.
By Micah White Jun 17, 2020
How Alexander Graham Bell Helped Helen Keller Defy the Odds
When Keller first met her future benefactor, she "loved him at once."
By David Blatty Jun 9, 2020
Why is William Shakespeare's Life Considered a Mystery?
Secretive in both life and death, the playwright has remained an elusive figure.
By Hadley Meares Jun 5, 2020
How Accurate Is the Movie 'Gandhi'?
Despite winning the Best Picture Oscar, Richard Attenborough's movie about the anti-war activist received major criticism at the time of the film's release and still today.
By Colin Bertram Jun 1, 2020
What Is the Unabomber's Life Like Now?
The home-grown terrorist responded to a Harvard reunion query by calling his current occupation as "prisoner" and his eight life sentences as "awards."
By Meredith Worthen Oct 8, 2020
How Steve Jobs Changed the Course of Animation
The iconic CEO drove the development of Pixar that ended Disney's longtime stranglehold on the animation industry.
By Tim Ott May 28, 2020


text:
Former CBS Chief Les Moonves to Fight for $120 Million Severance
By Renata Birkenbuel On 1/17/19 at 3:00 PM EST
Fighting back, former CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves is challenging the network, which aims to deny him a $120 million severance package in the wake of the #MeToo movement and other accusations.
Since CBS forced him out last year, accusing him of several sexual misconduct allegations and violating company policies by committing what the board called "willful and material misfeasance," Moonves has elected to contest the board's decision in arbitration proceedings, according to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
Moonves declined to comment. The only statement CBS released was, "The Company does not intend to comment further on this matter during the pendency of the arbitration proceedings."
However, a CBS statement in a Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory filing first The Wall Street Journal first reported reads simply:
"On January 16, 2019, Mr. Moonves notified the company of his election to demand binding arbitration with respect to this matter."
Reportedly, Moonves has the right to challenge the board's findings in arbitration under his separation agreement. He resigned under pressure on September 9 after two high-profile New York law firms, which CBS hired, spent four months investigating reports of his alleged sexual misconduct.
The CBS board investigation concluded that he had also breached his employment contract and intentionally failed to fully cooperate with the investigation, according to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
In December, the CBS board of directors announced it decided to deprive Moonves of the severance package.
Via a spokesperson, Moonves declined to comment on the filing, wrote The Wall Street Journal.
The CBS board, replaced last year, commissioned the investigation, but still has not hired a permanent replacement for Moonves. The selection process is complicated, according to The Wall Street Journal, by the prospect of an eventual merger between CBS and sister media company Viacom.
The board fired Moonves after several women—including actresses Cybill Shepherd and Illeana Douglas, writer Janet Jones and producer Christine Peters—accused him of retaliation after they refused his sexual advances, as well as other sexual misconduct or attacks when they worked for him and CBS.
Shepherd, perhaps the most high-profile actress among the accusers, claimed in December that CBS quickly canceled her popular 1990s sitcom, Cybill, after she refused Moonves's sexual advances.
Moonves's downfall came in the middle of the #MeToo movement in which more women, mostly lesser-known actresses, stepped forward to describe how Moonves allegedly threatened career-ending or project-ending retaliation.
Originally, The New Yorker broke a story last August reported that Moonves allegedly forced himself on women either seeking a career or already working within the entertainment industry. Many of the allegations went back many decades.
Moonves has been married to Julie Chen of The Talk and Big Brother fame since 2004. He denied the allegations against him.
Former CBS Chief Les Moonves to Fight for $120 Million Severance | U.S.
CBS Board Deprives Moonves of $120 Million Severance


text:
Roflumilast Cream for Chronic Psoriasis
In the trial by Lebwohl et al., was roflumilast cream effective for the treatment of psoriasis?
Lebwohl et al. conducted a phase 2b trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of two dose levels of roflumilast cream (which contains a phosphodiesterase type 4 [PDE-4] inhibitor) for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Read the NEJM Original Article here.
Q: What are the main treatments for psoriasis?
A: High-potency topical glucocorticoids and vitamin D derivatives are the main treatments for psoriasis. Glucocorticoids are effective in the treatment of psoriasis, but their use is usually limited to no more than 2 to 8 weeks, and they may be associated with adverse events that resolve slowly, such as skin atrophy, or that are irreversible with long-term use, such as striae. Vitamin D derivatives are less efficacious than topical glucocorticoids and can cause local irritation. Topical calcineurin inhibitors are not approved for the treatment of psoriasis but have been used off-label to treat facial and intertriginous psoriasis.
Q: Have PDE-4 inhibitors been previously used for the treatment of psoriasis?
A: PDE-4 is an enzyme that maintains intracellular levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and mediates biologic responses to extracellular stimuli in numerous cell types, including immune cells. PDE-4 activity is greater in psoriatic skin than in healthy skin, and inhibition of PDE-4 results in down-regulation of immune modulators, including tumor necrosis factor α, interferon-γ, interleukin-17, and interleukin-23. The oral PDE-4 inhibitor apremilast has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and crisaborole ointment has been approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis; however, topical PDE-4 inhibitors are currently not approved for the treatment of psoriasis.
Q: In the trial by Lebwohl et al., was roflumilast cream effective for the treatment of psoriasis?
A: This phase 2b trial of roflumilast cream showed greater reductions in psoriasis signs and symptoms than placebo vehicle cream at 6 weeks. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive roflumilast 0.3% cream, roflumilast 0.15% cream, or vehicle (placebo) cream, applied once daily to affected skin areas for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy outcome was an investigator's global assessment (IGA) status of clear or almost clear (score of 0 or 1) at week 6. The primary efficacy outcome was observed in 28% of the patients in the roflumilast 0.3% group, in 23% of those in the roflumilast 0.15% group, and in 8% of those in the vehicle group (P<0.001 and P=0.004 vs. vehicle for roflumilast 0.3% and 0.15%, respectively). Among the approximately 15% of patients overall who had baseline intertriginous psoriasis of at least mild severity, an IGA score indicating clear or almost clear plus a 2-grade improvement in the intertriginous-area IGA score occurred at week 6 in 73% of the patients in the roflumilast 0.3% group, in 44% of those in the roflumilast 0.15% group, and in 29% of those in the vehicle group. By week 12, a total of 14 of 15 patients (93%) treated with roflumilast 0.3% had an intertriginous-area IGA score of 0 (clear), as compared with 3 of 17 patients (18%) in the vehicle group. Longer and larger trials are necessary to determine the effectiveness and safety of roflumilast.
Q: Were application-site reactions more common with roflumilast than with placebo in the trial by Lebwohl et al.?
A: Adverse events that were considered by the investigators to be related to the intervention were reported in 6% of the patients receiving roflumilast 0.3%, in 3% of those receiving roflumilast 0.15%, and in 7% of those receiving vehicle. The incidence of application-site reactions (in four patients receiving roflumilast 0.3%, in one receiving roflumilast 0.15%, and in five receiving vehicle), gastrointestinal adverse events such as nausea and diarrhea (in three, two, and three, respectively), and psychiatric adverse events (in three, two, and three, respectively) was similar in the roflumilast groups and the vehicle group.


text:
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<recipeml version="0.5">
  <recipe>
    <head>
      <title>Baked Potato Spears</title>
      <categories>
        <cat>Vegetable</cat></categories>
      <yield>4</yield></head>
    <ingredients>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>3</qty>
          <unit>large</unit></amt>
        <item>Baking potatoes</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>1/4</qty>
          <unit>cups</unit></amt>
        <item>Miracle Whip salad dressing</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty/>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Onion salt</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty/>
          <unit/></amt>
        <item>Pepper</item></ing></ingredients>
    <directions>
      <step>  From: Wendy Lockman <wlockman@ra1.randomc.com>

  Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 01:04:42 -0500
  Scrub the potatoes and cut them lengthwise into thick slices, then cut the
  slices into thick strips. Brush the strips with the salad dressing. Place
  on a greased 15 1/2 X 10 1/2-inch jelly roll pan and season to taste with
  the onion salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated 375 Degree F for 50 minutes
  or until tender and golden brown.

  NOTE: The recipe can be doubled for an entertaining snack or to serve with
  hamburgers or bratwurst.

  MC-RECIPE@MASTERCOOK.COM

  MASTERCOOK RECIPES LIST SERVER

  From the MasterCook recipe list.  Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive,
  http://www.erols.com/hosey.

</step></directions></recipe></recipeml>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Rotary Drum Precoat Filter is used to polish solutions having traces of contaminating insolubles. To polish the solution the drum deck is precoated with a medium of a known permeability and particle size that retains the fines and produces a clear filtrate.
Diatomaceous Earth (or Diatomite) consisting of silicaceous skeletal remains of tiny aquatic unicellular plants.
Cellulose consisting of fibrous light weight and ash less paper like medium.
Special ground wood is becoming popular in recent years since it is combustible and reduces the high cost of disposal. There are nowadays manufacturers that grind, wash and classify special timber to permeabilities which can suit a wide range of applications.
These materials when related to precoating are wrongly called filter-aids since they do not aid filtration but serve as a filter medium in an analogy to the filter cloth on a conventional drum filter.
The scraper blade on conventional drum filters is stationary and serves mainly to deflect the cake while it is back-blown at the point of discharge. The scraper on a precoat filter, which is also called "Doctor Blade", moves slowly towards the drum and shaves-off the blinding layer of the contaminants together with a thin layer of the precoating material. This movement exposes continuously a fresh layer of the precoat surface so that when the drum submerges into the tank it is ready to polish the solution. The blade movement mechanism is equipped with a precision drive having an adjustable advance rate of 2-10 mm/hr. The selected rate is determined by the penetration of fines into the precoat bed which, in turn, depends on the permeability of the filter aid. Once the entire precoat is consumed the blade retracts at a fast rate so that the filter is ready for a new precoating cycle.
A conventional valve that is piped, including its blow-back section, to be open to vacuum during polishing. When the precoat is consumed its blow-back section is turned on to remove the remaining precoat heel over the doctor blade.
A valveless design in which there is no bridge setting and the sealing between the rotating drum and the stationary outlet is by circumferential "o" rings rather than by a face seal used on conventional valves.
The clearance between the drum deck and the agitator on conventional drum filters is sufficient to accommodate cakes of up to about 50 mm while on modern precoat filters higher clearances to allow the formation of 150 mm precoats are quite common.
The drum deck is divided into separately isolated compartments each subjected to vacuum while the drum is in rotation. The compartments are divided with grooved division strips along the drum face and around the circumference of the drum heads. The grids cover the entire drum surface and serve to support the filter cloth. The filter cloth itself is fastened to the drum by inserting special caulking ropes into the grooves.
Since the water flow during precoating is very high the grids are of special deep design and the internal pipes are larger in diameter than the conventional piping to reduce head loss.
The conventional valve is basically similar to the Drum Filter valve shown on the right.
The bottom connection for the precoat bed formation during the precoating and polishing stages.
The upper connection for the precoat bed drying during precoating and polishing stages.
The one below the cake drying section is not used during the polishing stage and is turned on just to blow away the remaining precoat at the end of the polishing cycle.
The valveless filter is a relatively newcomer to the range of Precoat Filters and is based on the concept that no bridge setting is required since the drum face is under constant vacuum throughout the clarification cycle. This design is much cheaper than the conventional design since the internal piping is very simple as compared to the complex internal piping on conventional filters.
The procedure how to start the precoating stage on a conventional filter is described in detail in the section Precoating below.
To start the precoating on a valveless filter it is required to build a thin layer of diatomite or perlite that will seal the drum's upper surface that is exposed to atmosphere. This will create a low vacuum on the entire drum surface and will start to formation of the precoat bed.
As may be seen on the picture to the right the internal piping on a valveless precoat drum runs straight from the drum face towards the center manifold that serves also as the drum's main shaft.
Simple construction and easy access in case of leakages.
Large diameter piping that reduces head loss mainly during the precoating stage when high rates of water flow through the piping.
An agitator keeps gently the precoat slurry in suspension during precoating and reciprocates between the drum face and tank bottom at 16 CPM.
The surface of the precoat bed is very dense and the degree of polishing depends on the permeability of the various grades of the diatomite or perlite . The layer of the contaminating substances that is retained on the bed surface is always very thin so special doctor blades have been developed over the years with very slow moving blades.
The latest nano technologies introduced variable frequency motors that can reduce the rotation speed down to 0.4 Hz without losing torque. Such motors, generally 1 kW with VFD, when coupled with high accuracy gearboxes move the doctor blade at a speed of 1.8-18 mm/hr so the cutting edge "shaves off" a very thin layer of the contaminating substances and saves unnecessary consumption of diatomite. Once the precoat at the end of the cycle is consumed the blade retracts at a speed of 10-12 minutes and the filter is then ready for new precoating.
Due to the abrasiveness of the dense diatomite precoat the cutting edge of doctor blade is divided to short segments to allow the sharpening of worn segments. The segments are generally coated with a wear resistant stellite alloy.
To allow very fast drum speed that will pick up a thin layer of diatomite or perlite in the first minute of the precoating stage. Once a vacuum is created the speed can be reduced gradually to form a dense and compact precoat bed.
Solutions that require a very high degree of clarity.
The solids content is very low and less than 2-3%.
The solids are sticky and would otherwise clog the filter cloth.
The two stages are closely related since the efficient and economical performance of the filter in the polishing stage depends entirely on the selection of a suitable filter aid and the care taken during the precoating stage.
A 2-5% precoat slurry is prepared by feeding the selected filter aid to a tank filled with water and equipped with a low speed mixer, such as a sweep-arm agitator, that rotates at 30-50 rpm. The low speed is necessary in order to avoid the breakage of the fine skeletal or expanded rock structure.
The amount of dry diatomite in the wet cake is 310 Kg/m3 (for coarse diatomite) and 370 Kg/m3 (for fine diatomite) so, if we assume a 150 mm precoat then it may contain some 50 Kg/m2 water. Therefore, on a middle sized filter of 20 m2 the amount of water for downstream evaporation is 1 ton and this must be taken in consideration.
With filtrate the transition from precoating to polishing does not necessitate the emptying of the tank whilst with water the tank must be drained in order not to dilute the solution.
When the alternative to water is preferred attention must be given to the specific gravity of the filtrate since difficulty may arise while attempting to wet and mix the light filter aid in a solution of say 52% CaBr2 having a specific gravity of 1.7. In such a case the solution of using a high speed mixer is not desirable since, as mentioned above, particle breakage may occur so using an eductor to enhance wetting is a better method .
When precoating commences the cake resistance is low therefore the vacuum pump should be capable to deliver a very high air flow and in some installations a separate vacuum pump is dedicated just for the precoating stage.
The precoat filtrate pump should be capable of pumping the slurry at a pipe velocity of 1.5-2.0 m/sec to avoid segregation and the settling of the heavier filter aid particles.
For the same reason the drum should be rotated at a high speed.
The weir in the overflow box should be lowered so that the drum is barely submerged and the bed does not form too fast. A fast forming precoat is generally uneven in thickness and requires substantial "shaving" prior to feeding the contaminated solution in the polishing stage. Likewise, a precoat that forms too fast tends to crack so filtrate clarity may deteriorate and the cloth under such cracks may blind.
The doctor blade must be retracted to the maximum clearance between drum deck and agitator and then advanced slowly to smoothen the bed's surface in preparation for the polishing stage.
Vacuum should never be cut-off during precoating (or polishing for that matter) since the heavy cake will most certainly fall off the drum into the tank with all the consequences. A rule of thumb suggests that to hold a 100 mm wet precoat to the drum a vacuum of 180-200 mmHg is required.
The filter cloth acts merely as a support for the precoat that forms when precoating commences and then the already formed thin layer takes over. Therefore, the cloth should be sufficiently dense to retain the forming bed depending to a large extent on the particle distribution of the selected filter aid.
The insoluble contaminants, which are often slimy and gelatinous in nature, cause fast media blinding and soon reduce filtrate rate to a trickle. Hence, the operating principle of polishing is to avoid formation of a thick layer but rather form a very thin layer that is removed continuously by shaving it off.
Select a precoat material that is permeable enough to yield a high filtrate rate but dense enough to avoid the penetration of the contaminants into the precoat bed.
Set the Doctor Blade to the lowest advance speed so that it barely cuts into the precoat bed since deep penetration of the insoluble matter increases diatomite consumption and shortens the polishing cycle.
Diatomaceous earth or perlite are abrasive materials and the Doctor Blade's edge must be kept sharp otherwise the cut is not smooth and vibrations to the fine discharge mechanism may be experienced. A ground and polished seam of stellite is often welded along the edge to prolong the life of the blade.
Good practice is to manufacture the blade from short segments since practice shows that the wear is not equal across the drum's face. Preferably, these segments should be manufactured with two sharp edges so that when one edge wears out it may be turned 180 degrees thus doubling the time required for replacement.
The moving parts of a rake type reciprocating agitator have many bearings that once they wear out the entire filter is subjected to shocks and shakes. This situation is dangerous since during the precoating stage the vacuum is relatively low and the forming bed may drop-off so special precautions should be taken to inspect the bearings as part of the preventive maintenance schedule.


Amazing single story home on a fantastic lot in Litchfield Country Club. One of 6 adjacent lots with 4 remaining for custom homes. Come get this one today or let us design one for you on another one of our lots. This home boasts all of our normal upgraded standard features. Once you walk through this one and see the finishes and yard space, you will be home. New is always better. Have a great day!
Listing provided courtesy of Brown & Moore.
Listing information © 2019 Coastal Carolinas Association of REALTORS® MLS. Listing provided courtesy of Brown & Moore.


Home » Blog » Are You Better Off Now Than You Were Four Years Ago?
That question was posed to me in an email I received this morning from some conservative political group.
Channeling then-candidate Ronald Reagan's devastating quip from the 1980 Presidential Debates, 11 simple words which effectively ended Jimmy Carter's political career, has pretty much become the It's a Wonderful Life of every election cycle. The cozy campaign chestnut is replayed and parroted so frequently (usually by the challenger) that just as soon as the first couple of words are pronounced, a hundred million listeners can complete the sentence on their own. It's almost like Name that Tune.
The question is effective because it's thought provoking.
So, let me give you an answer.
I am better off now than I was four years ago. So are most of you. And so is most of the country.
Why? How can I make such a bold statement when millions of Americans remain unemployed, when the national debt is so staggeringly high, and when so many families have lost money on what amounts to their most prized investment, their homes?
We are all better off now because we avoided what could have been another Great Depression.
When Barack Obama took the oath of office in January 2009, this nation was three months removed from the entire economic system collapsing. That's right — collapsing to the point where civil unrest might have been the next tumbling domino. If you doubt any of this, I urge you to read Andrew Ross Sorkin's masterful inside story on how the federal government may have very well saved the republic and preserved our way of life — called Too Big to Fail. It reads more like a thriller than anything on banking or economics. For those who are less literary, HBO ran an extraordinary adaptation of Sorkin's book a few years ago. I should note that just about all of this story takes place in the months which proceeded Obama's presidency.
How bad was it? It's like the nation suffered a massive stroke and was resting in intensive care. The patient was hooked up to machines and tubes, desperately trying to maintain a steady pulse. This is the triage "Doctor Obama" clip-boarded himself into when he assumed the presidency. Fortunately, the medicine he and others prescribed proved effective — in part. Not that there's weren't some distasteful side effects. But at the very least, it saved the patient's life.
Is America is back to full health again? No. Far from it. The road to recovery has been long and sometimes painful. We aren't back to full strength yet. Not even close. We pretty much remain stuck in a wheelchair. The next step will be to stand up, and then walk again.
But as things now stand, we are all most certainly better off in the midst of our recovery phase than the day President Obama was sworn in, when the nation's economy had to be resuscitated by defibrillation in the form of bank bailouts and a massive stimulus program.
Of course, we will never know the alternative to what might have happened had the federal government not acted with such bold authority and unprecedented intervention into our disease-ridden financial system. I suppose the only way to prove the last four years "worked" would have been to go ahead and let the economy die on its own and re-live the 1930s all over again. That's exactly what most conservatives (those who opposed bailouts) would have preferred had we listened to their quackery.
Fortunately, more people understand this than do not. Political demagoguery aside, most people know very well that we are better off right now than we were back on January 20, 2009.
The only part I disagree with (even though I am personally not better off than four years ago).
I don't think we avoided another Great Depression, only postponed it as all the ingredients are still in place for that collapse to come. Something will give under the pressure eventually.
You hit the nail right on the head. But, you left out some things. First, we are safer against terrorism from Al Qaeda. Second, we are looked upon more respectfully by other countries of the world. I have traveled extensively. In all of those countries they love our president. They feel he is so intelligent and understanding of other cultures and people.
Interesting that you cross-reference (positively) a conservative with an opposing point of view. Right-wingers virtually never do this. Progressives often do.
Other comments compare our condition today, not with where we were four years ago, but where we were a decade or two ago. This allows him to pretend that current problems are the result of Obama's policies rather than those of predecessors.
There's more that's way off but, hey man, it's your blog so I'll let you respond.
Saying that you should change the statement to '3 years ago' is like saying that Bush kept us safe except for 9/11 . The country was about to sink into a depression. Now, our pensions are safer with the stock market back to where it was before the meltdown. Look at economies of other countries in the world. We are getting new jobs every month. The right feels that if we keep saying you are worse off then you will believe it.
1) Bush was notified on at least four occasions that Bin Laden was going to attack us on 9/11. Bush administration refused to get Bin Laden in Tora Bora. Bush stated that he was no longer interested in Bin Laden. Bush close the CIA office assigned to get Bin Laden. Romney said he would go into Pakistan to get Bin laden.
2) Your analysis on jobs is not only wrong but you must have information that is not available to anyone else in the country.
3)My and your pension is safe because the stock market is doing better than four years ago when it had tanked. There are millions who are also thankful for that.
Non of us are better off than four years ago as our Liberty has been continuously eroded.
The Patriot Act still stands and is supported by both corporate owned political partys. It still allows for the unconstitutional use of warrantless wiretaps.
The provision in the NDAA that allows for the indefinite detention of citizens at home and abroad. This was struck down last week by a federal court and just reinstated today by another judge. Another afront to the US Constitution.
Liberty lost has rendered us worse off than four years ago.
Here's two former liberal US Supreme court justices that see the bipartisan effort to strip us of our rights.
Forget about the Dem vs. Repub blame game. They are one in the same and answer to their corporate masters.
Love your new site. You seem objective and rational.
Here is an in depth look at your question of are we better off. List is annotated and objective.


text:
home>Travel
The 14 Most Beautiful Underground Caves Anyone Can Visit
Venture below the surface for our planet's most spectacular views.
By Catherine Phelan
When you hear the word "cave", your mind likely conjures up a dark, dank, and generally unappealing place. These 14 caves are anything but. From stunning waterfalls to colorful stone and crystals, you'll need to put these beautiful underground caves on your travel bucket list.
Capri, Italy
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Through a small tunnel, visitors can enter the Blue Grotto, located under the isle of Capri off the coast of Italy. You'll be rowed in on a small rowboat. The entrance is so small that visitors must lie down in the boat while the guide uses a metal chain installed on the walls to pulls in the boat. Once inside, you'll discover a gorgeous cave filled with blue light and water. Thanks to the way light bends as it enters the grotto, red light is filtered out, leaving only blue light waves visible. The refraction also makes any objects placed in the water appear silver. To keep the grotto's water as clean and blue as possible, swimming inside is prohibited. But the views are just as beautiful from inside the rowboat.
Related: 12 Historical Places You Need to See in Your Lifetime
Callao Cave
Cagayan, Philippines
Photo Credit: Rawen Balmana / Flickr (CC)
The Philippines are well known for their many, many beautiful caves. The Callao Cave, which is actually a network of seven caves, is one of the best to visit if you're looking to spend a day marveling at natural beauty. If possible, make your way over to the caves in the morning—the light is at its most beautiful earlier in the day.
Hamilton Parrish, Bermuda
Photo Credit: Andrew Malone / Flickr (CC)
It may feel strange to think of Bermuda in connection with anything other than picturesque beaches, but the subtropical islands are also home to a number of breathtaking caves. In Crystal Cave, you'll find rock formations that are believed to be over a million years old. Thanks to lighting placed in the 20-meter deep water inside the cave, visitors can peer into the depths of the water, where you'll see even more beautiful formations. If you have time, you can also head "next door" to see the Fantasy Cave, a smaller but equally beautiful cave.
Guangxi, China
Photo Credit: Bernt Rostad / Flickr (CC)
The Reed Flute Cave is beautiful not just for its natural rock formations but also as a record of humankind's enduring fascination with subterranean spaces. The Reed Flute Cave, named for the reeds outside its entrance traditionally used to make flutes, has been lit with multicolored floodlights to make its stalagmites and stalactites appear rainbow-colored. The cave is over 180 million years old and is believed to have also been a tourist attraction during ancient times.
Related: 8 Strange Places from Around the World That You Won't Find in Your Average Guidebook
Fingal's Cave
Isle of Staffa, Scotland
Another sea cave only accessible by water, Fingal's Cave has a particularly Scottish charm about it. Unlike the Blue Grotto, you won't have to duck to enter Fingal's Cave. The cave, which has inspired a number of paintings, songs, and movies, has an imposing entrance, carved into the cliff by the tide of the sea. Once you enter, you'll discover a fascinating set of basalt columns, which have been chiseled into hexagons over the years. Fingal's Cave is named after an Irish folk legend, Fionn mac Cumhaill. Fionn is supposedly responsible for creating the Giant's Causeway, which some people believe helped bore the opening to Fingal's Cave. You can visit the cave between April and September. Sightseeing trips will bring you to the opening of the cave, where you can explore on foot.
Kartchner Caverns
Arizona, United States of America
This cave system was first discovered in 1975 and opened to the public in 1999 after the state of Arizona purchased the land from the Kartchner family. Today, you can explore both within and above the underground cave, with over six miles of trails above the caverns. Four 'rooms' are open to the public: the Throne Room, the Big Room, the Rotunda Room, and Strawberry Room. The Big Room is closed during the summer, when it is home to baby cave bats.
Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave
Werfen, Austria
This fascinating cave is the largest ice cave in the world. Found inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Alps, Eisriesenwelt is made of limestone and ice and remains at freezing temperatures year-round, even as summer temps in Austria reach to the 80s. Your tour will take you through just one kilometer of the cave's 40, but even that small portion will leave you stunned. According to some Austrian folklore, this cave is the entrance to hell–but we think you'll find it heavenly instead.
Related: 45 Historical Fiction Novels That Will Take You Around the World
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Marble Caves
Patagonia, Chile
Okay, so these caves aren't underground. But they're simply too beautiful to be left off this list. The Marble Caves can be found off the coast of Chile, in the Patagonia region. You'll need to rent a boat or commission a local to drive you out, but once you're there, you'll discover mind-boggling passageways carved out of a rock in the ocean. The white walls reflect the gorgeous blue waters as you sail in and around the caves.
Phraya Nakhon Cave
Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Thailand
On your way to this charming cave in Thailand, you'll likely encounter a number of dusky langurs, monkeys that often look like they're wearing glasses. Once you've hiked up Tian Mountain, you'll find yourself at the entrance of Phraya Nakhon Cave. Although deep under the mountain, the cave has a large hole in the ceiling that allows the sunlight to enter. This sunlight kisses the roof of the Khuha Kharuehat Pavilion, built for a king's visit to the cave in 1890.
Predjama Castle
Predjama, Slovenia
Photo Credit: Leandro Neumann Ciuffo / Flickr (CC)
In the south of Slovenia, you'll discover a fascinating castle that has built into a cave. The Predjama Castle perches on the side of a cliff, inside the mouth of a cave. If you visit during the summer, you'll be able to enter the cave through the castle. The passages run for over 14 kilometers, of which 700 meters are open to the public. Built in the 13th century, the castle took advantage of the cave and cliff upon which it sat to make it safe from any siege or battle.
Related: 8 Medieval Castles You Can Actually Visit
Chinhoyi Caves
Chinhoyi District, Zimbabwe
The Chinhoyi Caves can be found in a national park in Zimbabwe. As you descend into the caves, you'll find beautiful, pristine pools of water in the various chambers–each of which remains a pleasant 70 degrees Fahrenheit each and every day. Traditionally called Chirorodziwa (Pool of the Fallen), it's believed that a bandit who lived in the area killed many of his victims by dropping them into the Silent Pool. In the incredibly clear water of the pools, you may see goldfish, tadpoles, and water lilies.
The Cave of Three Bridges
Tannourine, Lebanon
Less lyrically known as the Baatara Pothole, the Cave of Three Bridges isn't exactly underground, but it's a cave well-worth exploring nonetheless. A waterfall rushes over the lip of the cave and behind it three "bridges" naturally carved out of the rock and covered in greenery, resulting in an absolutely stunning view. The waterfall only runs in the spring as snow melt flows down from Mount Lebanon, but the cave is worth visiting at nearly any time of year.
Vatnajökull Glacier Cave
Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland
Photo Credit: David Phan / Flickr (CC)
There are a number of truly stunning glacier caves in Iceland. Many of them, including Vatnajökull, are only safe to tour in the depths of winter. The most famous glacier cave in all of Iceland, the Crystal Ice Cave, is located inside Vatnajökull, which is the largest glacier in Europe. If you're lucky enough to visit in season, you can join a 3-hour tour which leaves from the lagoon and includes 40 minutes inside the cave itself.
Related: The Haunting Jungle Cemetery of Sandakan
Waitomo, New Zealand
Photo Credit: 2il org / Flickr
New Zealand is rightly famous for its natural wonder, and its glowworm caves are shining examples of the country's spectacular beauty. These caves are home to a type of luminescent glowworm native only to New Zealand. Waitomo is the most famous and most highly visited of New Zealand's glowworm caves. The cave is carefully monitored to ensure the air quality remains steady even as tourists filter in and out. Scientists determine exactly how many people may visit each day. If you're lucky enough to get in, your tour will bring you through three levels of the cave and conclude with a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto, where you'll be surrounded by glowworms, creating a star-like "sky" above.
Featured photo: Wikimedia Commons; Additional photos: Rawen Balmana / Flickr (CC); Andrew Malone / Flickr (CC); Bernt Rostad / Flickr (CC); Leandro Neuman Ciuffo / Flickr (CC); David Phan / Flickr (CC); 2il org / Flickr (CC)
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Employing people that do not live in the UK or entering into business agreements with employees that wish to enter the UK is not always easy. As a business owner you have to comply with several immigration laws and the failure to do this can see you both personally and professionally face serious consequences.
There are many different regulations around the world as to what must be done to legally enter and work in the country or work for a company not based in the country you reside in. The UK needs to validate an individuals value to the labour market should they not be in possession of a recognised international agreement that legally authorises them to live and work here. With regards to payments there are often minimum salary requirements that must be met when employing foreign workers as well as in some cases an annual immigration skills charge.
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Brook Brothers equips the White House
The American company has launched an accessory collection for the White House Historical Association.
Feb 27, 2020 — 9:00am
Brooks Brothers equip the white house. The American company has launched an exclusive collection of accessories for the White House Historical Association. The company which specializes in men's clothing has been inspired by the apparel of the diverse U.S presidents.
The collection dubbed Presidential Collection has accessories such as ties, bow ties, and pocket squares, all of them in the colors of the United States flag and with the presidential seal of Harry S. Truman, the thirty-third president of the country. The price of the products range from $55 to $89 and is available on the association's website but can also be purchased at the White House History Shop and White Hous Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.
Brooks Brothers has a long history dressing presidents of the United States. Since its founding in 1818, presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and including the current president, Donald Trump, have worn their clothes.
"The White House Historical Association has recognized our history as the oldest brand in the United States and as the only one that has dressed 40 of the 45 presidents the country has had," said Brooks Brothers.
The Historical Association of the White House was founded in 1961 with the aim of establishing a stronger bond with the Americans, improving their understanding and affection for the presidential house, in the hands of what was the first lady between 1961 and 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy.
The week look!
Nike supports its community in the light of Covid-19
The Met Gala 2020 alters its agenda
Saint Laurent and Betty Catroux: the duo makes a comeback
Studio 54, back to life in Brooklyn
Coachella changes seasons
Dali, dressed by Dior
Chanel, art and culture: a century-lasting trio


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Visionet offers exceptional Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation services to our customers spread across the globe. Our Support Plan provides customers with a 24/7 dedicated assistance for diverse business solutions, either over phone or email. Furthermore, we offer remote support services for getting a clear visibility in the issues.
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Monday Morning Quarterback Club 2022 Campaign
All Fundraisers
supporting Quarterbacking Children's Health Foundation
Support Now:
Please select or enter an amount. Thanks!
Give!
We are One Team, One Goal.
The Monday Morning Quarterback Club of Birmingham is made up of members who are brought together by their love of football but set apart by their fundraising efforts.
This year, the club's fundraising goal is to raise $1.175 million during the 2022 football season. Funds raised will be distributed to worthy organizations that support children and their medical needs through our Quarterbacking Children's Health Foundation.
This is the largest fundraising goal set by the club to date. If the goal is reached, this will be the winningest season yet for members and donors of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club.
We are indebted to our charter members and past captains for making this great club possible. Not only do we continue to enjoy the fellowship, but serve many worthwhile purposes for others who have such great needs. This year we are celebrating our 84th season.
We hope you'll take a minute to learn more about the Monday Morning Quarterback Club here: https://vimeo.com/343720207
Thank you for your continued support and contributions during this season.
Quarterbacking Children's Health Foundation
2019 4th Ave North, Suite 101
Phone: 2052268830 Ext. 35203
ABOUT Quarterbacking Children's Health Foundation
The Monday Morning Quarterback Club of Birmingham, Alabama was organized in 1939. Under the direction of Zipp Newman, then Sports Editor of The Birmingham News the club was established for the express purpose of fellowship among football lovers. This was a unique idea in light of the fact that other such clubs were generally organized for former football players. But it wasn't long before the club began looking beyond football. At the time of the club's inception, polio was the number one medical concern in the U.S. The disease was rampant, striking thousands, most of whom were children. With a humanitarian desire, the club members promoted and sponsored an annual high school football game in order to raise money for a magnificent hospital to help care for afflicted children. The club, with others, subsequently raised over $3 million to build the Crippled Children's Clinic and Hospital. In late 1969, the clinic building became a part of the Medical Center at UAB, and the Crippled Children's Foundation was formed. Since then, the club has remained active in this fund-raising capacity. We are indebted to our Charter Members and Past Captains for making this great club possible. Not only do we continue to enjoy the fellowship, but serve many worthwhile purposes for others who have such great needs. This year we are celebrating our 81st Season.


text:
/**
 * @fileoverview  Manage all the dynamic lights in a level.
 */

var s_light_array = new Array();
var s_number_of_lights_in_scene = 0;

var s_number_of_lights_in_program = 0;
var s_light_parameter_array = new Array();

// Call this before any UpdateLightsInProgram.
function InitializeLightParameters(context, number_of_lights) {
  s_number_of_lights_in_program = number_of_lights;
  for (var l = 0; l < number_of_lights; ++l) {
    s_light_parameter_array[l] = {};
    s_light_parameter_array[l].location = context.createParam(
        'light' + l + '_location', 'ParamFloat3');
    s_light_parameter_array[l].location.value = [0, 0, 0];

    // For the light, the final color parameter is the attentuation.
    s_light_parameter_array[l].color = context.createParam(
        'light' + l + '_color', 'ParamFloat4');
    s_light_parameter_array[l].color.value = [0, 0, 0, 1];
  }
}

// Returns the index of the new light for future manipulation.
// World location and color should be arrays.
// These will be assigned to Param objects.
function AddLight(world_location, color) {
  var light_index = s_number_of_lights_in_scene++;
  s_light_array[light_index] = {};
  s_light_array[light_index].location = world_location;
  s_light_array[light_index].color = color;
  return light_index;
}

// Sets the shader parameters to render using the closest lights
// to the 'focus' (whatever's passed in).
// |focus_location| must provide .x, .y, and .z for determining the
//                  distance to each light.
function UpdateLightsInProgram(focus_location) {
  // TODO: Modulate the lights' color / add behaviors for the lights.
  var lights_to_render = new Array();
  for (var i = 0; i < s_number_of_lights_in_program; ++i) {
    lights_to_render[i] = {};
    lights_to_render[i].distance = 10000000000000.0; // Arbitrary large number.
    lights_to_render[i].index = -1;
  }
  var number_of_lights = s_number_of_lights_in_scene;
  for (var l = 0; l < number_of_lights; ++l) {
    var x_diff = s_light_array[l].location.x - focus_location.x;
    var y_diff = s_light_array[l].location.y - focus_location.y;
    // TODO: This should be focus_location.z, but the avatar's location that is
    // passed in is offset from the world coordinates.  For our relatively flat
    // levels, this works more predictably.
    var z_diff = s_light_array[l].location.z - 0;
    var distance_to_focus = x_diff * x_diff + y_diff * y_diff + z_diff * z_diff;
    // This may change if we assign to an entry early in the list.
    var index_to_assign = l;
    for (var i = 0; i < s_number_of_lights_in_program; ++i) {
      if (distance_to_focus < lights_to_render[i].distance) {
        // Swap the index into this entry.  We will percolate the
        // light up.
        var replaced_index = lights_to_render[i].index;
        lights_to_render[i].index = index_to_assign;
        index_to_assign = replaced_index;

        var replaced_distance = lights_to_render[i].distance;
        lights_to_render[i].distance = distance_to_focus;
        distance_to_focus = replaced_distance;
      }
      if (index_to_assign < 0) {
        break;
      }
    }
  }

  // Finally, assign to the actual shader parameters.
  for (var i = 0; i < s_number_of_lights_in_program; ++i) {
    var light_index = lights_to_render[i].index;
    if (light_index >= 0) {
      s_light_parameter_array[i].location.value =
          s_light_array[light_index].location;
      s_light_parameter_array[i].color.value =
          s_light_array[light_index].color;
    }
  }
}


← Is it time to extend West Coburg Tram route 58 to Hadfield?
I wanted to see the Camp Road Level Crossing Removal done as per the plans presented and discussed at the community consultations. I thought this was a fairly straight forward level Crossing Removal. All they had to do was ensure facility for easily adding a shared use path (bikepath), a station at Campbellfield, and facility to upgrade to dual track.
Of course it would have been much cheaper and more efficient to upgrade to dual track during the Level Crossing Removal and do all the earth removal for the station at the same time. As well as providing a shared use path.
But it seems after the community consultation the Crossing Removal plans were changed. There is no provision for a shared use path under Camp Road whatsoever.
I visited the site on February 6 and the John Holland workers said they would be enclosing and locking off the access track that runs from Camp Road beside the railway line, across the rail bridge over the M80 to stop any pedestrian, joggers or cyclists along this track.
Even worse. The railway bridge over the M80 ring road has single track, provision for a second track and a reasonably wide pedestrian path space. The Level Crossing Removal chose to use the pedestrian pathway for electrical conduits, cementing them in, leaving a narrow path, perhaps 90 cm wide to walk over the bridge. This is most unsatisfactory. They have made extending the Upfield Path to Upfield very expensive, if not impossible, with these works.
Let's get this straight. The Level Crossing Removal at Camp Road only benefits the drivers along this road, not the rail passengers on the Upfield line who were inconvenienced, or the people that were using the service track along the rail line and future users of a shared use path. The Level Crossing Removal appears to have actually made it more difficult to develop the Upfield shared use path in the Upfield Transport Corridor.
This is poor planning and implementation of a relatively straight forward level Crossing Removal. The planners and builders of yesteryear thoughtfully provided space for a shared use path on the M80 rail bridge, which the Level Crossing Removal Authority have utilised with no thought for future use. We have actually gone backwards with this infrastructure project…..except if you are a road user.
Similarly, Devlin assured me that "LXRA is working closely with both Hume and Moreland Councils to ensure the current works deliver the best possible outcomes for the community within the scope of the project".
I have raised this with Councillors from Moreland and Hume. The ones that have responded have not sounded impressed. Some of the outcomes have actually gone backwards, against Council policy and strategies for development of cycling infrastructure.
Sydney Road is an 8 lane road, expanding to 14 traffic lanes including for turning lanes at Camp Rd/Mahoneys Rd/Sydney Rd intersection at Campbellfield with a 70Km speed zone. I think it is most unsafe to cycle on Sydney Road at this location due to the high volume of traffic and traffic speed.
VicRoads has not provided any safe alternative route for cyclists travelling north/south adjacent to or near Sydney Road. This function could be provided by the Upfield corridor and extension of the Upfield shared use path to Barry Road at Upfield.
VICRoads has no plans to extend the Upfield path, despite requests from Moreland and Hume Councils.
Please note that the residents of Campbellfield Heights have no backstreet route to access the shops at Campbellfield plaza. They have to come onto Sydney Road (or use the unformed footpath) to access the shops. While creation of the Upfield path would not resolve the difficulty of cycling from Campbellfield residential area to Campbellfield Plaza, it illuminates the problem that there is no safe route for cyclists.
As there is no provision made for Upfield shared use path to go under Camp Road, the only other option is for it to go alongside the railway on the service track, then a pedestrian crossing across the 4 lanes and two cycles lanes on Camp Road. Putting in pedestrian crossing lights would seem to remove part of the advantage of the Level Crossing Removal in periodically holding up traffic. It would be a nightmare to cross without pedestrian crossing lights. I would be pleased to find out how else planners propose that a shared use path can be installed in an easy, efficient and cost effective manner at this point.
The Level Crossing Removal Authority have used the space allocated for pedestrian/cyclist shared use on the rail bridge across the M80 ring road for electrical cabling ducts and cemented them into place. I would like to know how a shared use path can be installed easily and cost efficiently given the work undertaken by the Level Crossing Removal Authority in utilising this portion of the bridge seemingly ruining any prospect of it being used for a shared use path.
Developing infrastructure with poor access at Merri Creek Reserve: Note that that the Victorian State Government committed $1.7 million to develop visitor infrastructure, including 6km of new bike and walking paths, at Merri Creek Park in Campbellfield (Merri Gorge) in February 2017. But we are still to see any commitment to build important bicycle shared use paths in Campbellfield: the extension of Merri Creek Trail and Extension of the Upfield bike path to Barry Road at Upfield.
Melbourne is growing in population. Cycling infrastructure, as well as mass transit, needs to be expanded into the middle and outer suburbs to enable residents of these suburbs to choose to use recreational or commuter cycling which has positive emissions reduction and health benefits at a societal level. Extending the Upfield path could provide a convenient cycle commuter route for some Hume residents to Moreland and the city.
I did a site inspection of the Camp Road bridge and rail bridge across the M80 on February 6, 2018. I immediately reported the issue to the Level Crossing Removal Authority by phone, an email to Frank Maguire (MP for Broadmeadows) office, Samantha Ratnam as my legislative Council MP.
I am still waiting responses from the Level Crossing Removal Authority project team. I was told a member of the Level Crossing Removal Project team would get back to me within a week. There has been no response after 20 days.
I followed up my initial email to Frank Maguire MP (Broadmeadows) in person at his office on Friday 23 Feb, but other than acknowledgement that my issue has been registered I have received no further feedback from his office.
I am sure there is going to be more to this story…stay tuned.
This entry was posted in cycling, news, photos, public transport and tagged Camp Rd, Campbellfield, Level crossing, Upfield bikepath. Bookmark the permalink.
I have several things to say about the design and your concerns. I do agree that building a path across the Ring Road will now be more expensive than it would've been. But it can still happen, and it can be an even higher standard than that old path across the rail bridge. Consider the design and materials of footbridges across creeks these days: they can be nice and smooth with a recycled surface placed on top. Place that on top of the ducting and the ramped approaches, with at least the inner fence relocated. Perhaps the outer-side fence might need replacing, maybe it can even be relocated further out (20cms?) with some overhang. Hey, presto, the path is significantly wider than it would've been! And, I believe, this design has helped to prevent future flooding north of the Ring Road along Merlynston Creek.
What are the "two cycles [sic] lanes on Camp Rd"? Do you mean the new shared paths (I'm not sure if they are signed yet) along Camp Rd across the new bridge, and which have smooth saw-cut joints? That is new cycling infrastructure, built by the LXR Project.
Regarding any crossing of Camp Rd, a path under would've been preferential. A third track would not be of much use, four, yes, but that is a bit much for now. So, given that any station built along there could require a new intersection on Camp Rd for motor vehicle access such as bus stops (if they aren't actually on Camp Rd) or to car parks, a shared footway crossing could be included as part of that new intersection. It might not be straight up against the rail, of course, because there's a trench anyway and a possible future station there.
As for earth works for any future expansion or duplication of the railway, it appears to me that no digging, other than perhaps piling or drilling, would be necessary in the section between the Ring Road and under Camp Rd. Any digging would be required further out, but if any station hasn't been designed yet, especially the exact location, then why remove the dirt now?
I'm confident that any path now will be of a higher standard than if it had already been rushed through.
Apologies, I meant Campbellfield Creek, not Merlynston Creek.