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Three Point Thursdays: Road to the Show
Submitted on: 03/20/2008 by Matt Blumenthal
In this week's Three Point Thursday, Matt Blumenthal examines the appeal of MLB '08: The Show's Road to the Show mode.
Point #1: We all grew up wanting to be professional athletes.
If you're reading this column, I can almost guarantee that you wanted to be a professional athlete when you were a kid. In fact, I'll go one step further and wager that you dreamed of playing major league ball -- and if you didn't, what's the matter with you? Some of you probably still dream about it, but at some point the majority of us have to force ourselves to surrender to the harsh realities of everyday life, and we stop chasing the dream. However, we never relinquish that precious part of our childhood, and our heroes on the field always remain dear to us.
Point #2: Sports games don't just let us play as our heroes, but they allow us live our dreams for a moment.
Playing as our favorite team and players presents us with a unique perspective as fans, but creating ourselves allows us to move even closer to the action. Sports games have featured the capability to create our own players for over a decade now, and sports gamers have seized this opportunity over the years to create themselves as players in the games. It doesn't even have to be yourself that you create; simply having your own player makes all the difference. Regardless of the sport, the feature offers a fun twist while playing the game and permits us to play with and against the guys we see on television every night. Sure, it's not quite the same as playing in the professional ranks, but it gives us a small taste of our dream without all of the sacrifices that normally go along with achieving it.
Point #3: Create-a-player has gotten a bit stale over the last decade.
But let's face it: create-a-player really hasn't changed much since its introduction. Sure, it has evolved over the years along with the graphics, but its ability to bring you closer to the field has barely changed. First you create yourself, and then you put him on a team, allowing you to see yourself, control yourself, and if you have a common last name, maybe you will be fortunate enough to hear the announcers say your name. But you'd think that with all of the innovations we've seen in sports games over the last decade, this crucial area would not have gone virtually unnoticed.
The Point: MLB '08: The Show's Road to the Show mode gives you the opportunity you've been waiting for.
Road to the Show gives you plenty of options when you create your player and in terms entering the organization of your choice. Finally, you have your own reality where you can essentially live as one player and play a central role in his journey through the minor leagues.
MLB '07: The Show built the foundation for this mode last year, but it still felt lacking in some ways. With the new and improved goals system, you face the same challenges as real-life minor leaguers trying to prove themselves and work their way up the ladder to the big leagues. Now, you can finally step up to the plate or toe the rubber as your virtual-self.
# 1 Sully @ 03/20/08 03:56 PM
Good job, Matt. It could use some editing, but I always like reading your stuff.
# 2 gta95 @ 03/20/08 05:06 PM
I rememeber when I was younger, I used to create players all the time in games. That has got a bit boring now. RTTS has brought me back.
# 3 JIMIHEMMY @ 03/21/08 09:49 AM
Originally Posted by Crash Davis
Number 1 priority for creating a player and what should be involved in ALL SPORTS GAMES for CAP, is the Photo Face creation thing Tiger woods 08 has, u dont waste time trying to tweak your face right it just does it and looks eerly like you, I really dont understand why The show wouldnt have just used that system to create your own guy. same with all sports games really. But I will say MLB 08's create a player is much better than it was last year but it still doesnt touch Tiger Woods 08 Face photo create a player.
I would think that part of the problem was that Sony did not want to pay EA for the technology..or EA did not want to license it out....
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Old School RuneScape has been running for over 3 months, so now is a good time to talk about our long term plans for the servers. Let's cut to the chase: Old School RuneScape is here to stay!
Longevity – We're committed to Old School RuneScape 2007 gold for the long term. We plan to run the service for many years to come.
Cost – When Old School RuneScape launched we said access would be included as part of membership for the first 6 months, and then we'd review the pricing. We've made that decision now, rather than wait for September… There will be no increase in cost for the foreseeable future and we aren't planning to review the pricing again for at least the next year, if not much longer. You will be able to access both Old School and the main game for the price you are currently paying for membership.
Stability – We're aware players are still being affected by sporadic server disconnects and connectivity issues, and are re-doubling our efforts to sort this out. We're confident that in the coming weeks and months the various steps we're taking will progressively improve connection stability.
Bots – We will continue our anti-bot work which has really been seeing results in the last month or so. Since expanding BotWatch's reach into Old School over 90,000 additional bans have been made, an incredible number, which averages out around 1,800 bans a day. Let us be clear: this behaviour is not allowed in either main or Old School RuneScape!
Support – We will continue to support the game from a development and community perspective, continuing to evolve the service as directed by you the players. This includes the regular polls for feature updates, powered by ideas sourced from the community.
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Making selections in Photoshop is not the easiest thing. Even when a selection is good, there is often an outline around the subject you have extracted, like a white fringing.
There are a couple of things you can do to overcome this. I will use the images below, which are from Pixabay, so you can download them yourself and practice with them.
To start, I made a rough selection of the woman in the image, using the Quick Selection Tool.
I added the forest image underneath the extracted woman.
The selection itself is pretty good, but you can clearly see white fringing around the edge and this is especially notable on her hair.
There is an option in Photoshop to help overcome this. Go to the Layer Menu, down to Matting, and then select Defringe.
An option box appears where you can put in a pixel value for defringing. I usually try anything from 5-20 pixels. For this example I am going to try 20.
If you compare the image below to Image 4, above, you can see that this has helped to remove some of the white.
To refine things I make use of Blend Modes. If a layer is set to Multiply Blend Mode it will essentially knock out white pixels in an image. We can see this if we duplicate our extracted woman layer and set it to Multiply.
The trick here is to have 2 copies of your extracted image. One in Normal Blend Mode and the one below in Multiply Blend Mode. Then add a Layer Mask to the top layer. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to paint over any remaining white fringing. You may have to alter the opacity of your brush. I used an opacity of about 50% for most of the image.
Taking a closer look, you can see that the white fringing has now been removed.
Important: If you are extracting an image from a dark background you may find black fringing. In this case use Screen Blend Mode instead of Multiply, since Screen Blend ignores black pixels.
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So useful. Thanks Caroline! I knew about the defringing but the multiply blend mode is genius.
Caroline, I love your extraction tutorials! Thanks for all the tips, you are a great instructor. I'd like to see this one in video if you have the time. Thanks again.
Great combination of techniques, thanks.
Thanks Caroline, I've been struggling with this issue, no matter how good I think my extraction is. I will certainly be using this!
Thanks Caroline. Defringing option sure saved my day. Was struggling with this bit for a while and voila here is your tutorial!
Very informative tutorial, thank you Caroline.


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Q: How can I store a AuthenticatedWebSession in a distributed in-memory cache I'm trying to deploy a wicket-6 application into a kubernetes cluster in order to increase availability and distribute the load of the web application a bit better.
This is a stateful web application in the sense that I'm extending AuthenticatedWebSession. It's this session object that I would like to store in a distributed cache like Apache Ignite so that I don't need sticky session on my load balancer.
The issue is that my implementation has the AuthenticationManager injected into the AuthenticatedWebSession so the authManager can be used in the authenticate(username, password) method.
@SpringBean(name = "webAuthenticationManager")
private AuthenticationManager authManager;

@Override
public boolean authenticate(String username, String password) {

    boolean authenticated = false;
    try {
        authentication = authManager.authenticate(new UsernamePasswordAuthenticationToken(username, password));
        authenticated = true;
    } catch (AuthenticationException e) {
        authenticated = false;
    }
    return authenticated;
}

Caused by: org.apache.ignite.binary.BinaryObjectException: Failed to read field [name=authManager]
at org.apache.ignite.internal.binary.BinaryFieldAccessor.read(BinaryFieldAccessor.java:192)
at org.apache.ignite.internal.binary.BinaryClassDescriptor.read(BinaryClassDescriptor.java:875)

The issue arrises when Ignite tries to serialise / deserialise  the authManager field. I actually don't need the manager itself to be stored in the cache.
Is there a way to re-inject that object when the session is restored from the cache?
Maybe I'm handling this completely wrong. Kind feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole here :)

A: Since it is a @SpringBean the instance is a java.lang.reflect.Proxy or CGLIB Proxy. Proxies are easy to (de)serialize because they don't keep the real instance as a hard reference. They look up the Spring bean dinamically via Spring's application context.
See the sources of the classes in wicket-spring module. They are just a few of them.
If Ignite uses normal Java Serialization then it should just work but maybe there is something custom.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Insurance Company Bankruptcy Surprises Financial Regulator, PM Boyko Borissov Says If We Are Lucky, We Will Have a Trade Registry by End of the Week (But Apparently We Weren't)
0 коментара 25 август 2018 08:12
Insurance Company Collapse Surprises Financial Regulator
Late last week the Cyprus-based insurance company Olympic declared bankruptcy leaving about 200'000 Bulgarian car owners with invalid mandatory car insurance (the so-called civic duty insurance). A report from May of this year by the Audit Office of the Republic of Cyprus concluded that Olympic cannot fulfill the requirements of the Solvency II Directive of the EU. This led to the Cyprus supervisory body, responsible for insurance, to revoke Olympics' license on May 8. The company appealed the decision but the decision was later reaffirmed. The Bulgarian FSP announced the fact on its website on July 20.
Most of the Cyprus-based company's client base is in Bulgaria.
The seemingly sudden collapse of the company left many to question how could the Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission, in charge of the security of the financial non-banking sector, overlook the estimated fourth-largest provider of car insurance in Bulgaria going bankrupt.
The Bulgarian National Radio reported on Thursday that the Cyprus Audit Office had warned about risks concerning the Olympic company as early as 2015. But why have the relevant Bulgarian institutions not taken action regarding these assessments is still unclear.
The head of the FSC, Karina Karaivanova has not assumed any responsibility for the incident. She has not spoken publicly on the matter at all, except for a statement issued via the institution's press office, in which she blames her deputy Ralitsa Agayn for neglecting to inform her and her colleagues about the situation. It became apparent from this statement that neither she nor the rest of the managing body of the FSC had any knowledge of Olympic's collapse before August 17, which is three months after the company had had its license revoked and apparently almost a month after the fact was announced on the commission's own website.
At the beginning of the following week, on Monday, both the cabinet and the head state prosecutor, Sotir Tsatsarov took parallel actions to remove Agayn, because of failure to assess the risk of the insurance company's collapse.
On the prosecutors' side, on Monday the Supreme Cassation Prosecutor Office tasked the State Agency for National Security to find out the circumstances surrounding the bankruptcy. According to the prosecutors, the inquiry should be focused mainly on Agayn, although as of earlier this year the FSC underwent a structural change whereby most responsibilities, which till then were individual to high-level management, were transferred to a collective managing body consisting of five members and headed by Karina Karaivanova.
Meanwhile, the largest parliamentary opposition party BSP submitted to Parliament 61 signatures, calling for a special parliamentary session with a two-item agenda: one, the collapse of the Trade Registry (as of today, down over two weeks), and two, the government's actions after Olympic declared bankruptcy.
During the session, Agayn resigned her post but stated clearly that she is doing this out of moral obligation and she maintains that the commission has done nothing wrong regarding this case.
To accusations by BSP that the company had been dumping prices and the commission has ignored, she replied that according to the commission's data from the past few years, Olympic has sold policies a little over the average market prices, which cannot be evidence for dumping prices.
Agayn gave an interview to bTV following her resignation, in which she claimed to have warned her colleagues of the risk but blamed communication issues within the commission for the failure for those to be addressed.
During the parliamentary session, BSP also proposed that one of the two funds, dedicated to covering insurance risk, should cover the losses of the company's clients. BSP leader Kornelia Ninova, in fact, took to Facebook earlier this week for similar reasons. She had taken the opportunity for some PR apparently, following PM Boyko Borissov's announcement that the government will not reimburse clients who have lost money to their policies, as those would have to come out of the taxpayers' pocket. Ninova argued that he is lying and that there is a fund dedicated to this type of circumstances.
In fact, there are two funds related to the case but none apply in the way she has implied. One is for covering costs when the person responsible for an incident has no insurance; the other normally would cover losses from policies made with an insurance company gone bankrupt but this only applies to Bulgarian companies, whereas this one is not.
Still, BSP submitted a proposal to Parliament for using the latter fund for the reimbursement but the motion was rejected in the vote.
As for claims regarding the policies, made prior the policies expiring (i.e. before they expired on August 17), they will be covered by the Cyprus fund via the Bulgarian fund. That is, holders of insurance in Bulgaria will submit their insurance claims to the Bulgarian fund, which will later be reimbursed by the Cyprus fund.
If We Are Lucky, We Will Have a Trade Registry: Prime Minister Boyko Borissov
If we're lucky, the Trade Registry will be up and running by the end of the week, PM Boyko Borissov said during his hearing in Parliament on Tuesday regarding the unprecedented collapse of the Trade Registry two weeks ago. Borissov announced earlier – on Sunday – that the registry will be online by Wednesday but that turned out to be an overstatement, as has since the later announcement, too.
"The crisis has been dealt with. The Electronic Government Executive Agency has assured me that we will have a working Trade Registry at the end of the week", he said to Parliament, after which he quickly provided a condition: "if we are lucky."
The phasing reminded of the now former head of the Registry Agency, Zornitsa Daskalova, who said amid the crash that "these things happen."
The Trade Registry compiles data and all official documentation of all private profit companies and non-profit and non-governmental organizations in Bulgaria. Inputting data into the system is a key part of procedures concerning nearly all deals or structural changes of those organizations. None of those can be executed or finalized without a working Trade Registry.
Boyko Borissov declared to Parliament on Tuesday that all the data from the registry's compromised drives till July 17 has been fully recovered. He said the government has sought out an expert from the production company of the drives to come over and help with reviving the data.
During his account to Parliament Borissov admitted that the Registry Agency had been aware of the problems and risks in the Trade Registry's systems and their exploitation for the last three years. It is questionable, however, to what extent has the agency used this knowledge appropriately, as it finally crashed, unable to recover for two weeks and counting. It seems the risks, identified three years ago have not been mitigated properly. Borissov accounted to some of the measures the agency actually took to mitigate the risks of system failure, having been aware of them for three years, but those were taken two and a half years after the risks were identified.
The agency signed a contract with the company Telelink for 3.6 million leva in December 2017 to address some of the problems – including expanding the registry's disk array capacity - identified in two separate risk assessment reports. The first report is from 2015 and the second - from 2017. The first is developed by the company in charge of most state and municipal IT systems, Information Services, and the other - by CNsys. Regardless, the system crashed on August 9 and 10 due to four separate discs totaling in 25 TB of data failing over the span of less than 24 hours.
After the former head of the agency, Zornitsa Daskalova resigned, a new head of the agency has been appointed. As her predecessor, Gabliela Kozareva is also thought to be connected to the infamously controversial DPS MP and media mogul Delian Peevski. The far-right coalition and ruling coalition partners the United Patriots proposed Kozareva take over the Registry Agency.
Boyko Borissov was questioned by journalists after his parliamentary hearing about possible connections between Kozareva and Peevski:||Bulgaria, news, Karakachanov, Mi-29, Mi-17, Mi-24, Su-25, Trade Registry, Boyko Borissov, machine voting, Olympic, Olympic insurance, Bulgarian banking sector, ERMII "I don't know her. I only met her today. Ask the people who recommended her."
He went on to explain that when ruling in coalition one cannot appoint everybody, and appointing certain officials are certain partners' responsibility.
Meanwhile, the non-parliamentary opposition coalition Democratic Bulgaria called on the European Commission to appoint an independent inquiry to investigate the reasons for the crash of the Trade Registry. DB insists the investigation is carried out with the help of foreign experts and that the Commission guarantees the transparency and independence of the procedure.
In its written position, DB points out that failing to recover the registry as well as it being non-operational due to the crash violates EU law. Keeping an electronic registry is one of the requirements of Bulgaria as a member of the EU.
"This is one step further in degrading the trust in our country as a suitable destination for investment and business development within the common European market.", DB writes
The coalition also asserts that the new head of the Registry Agency is merely a political appointment with no expertise whatsoever in the field of electronic government.
President Roumen Radev also joined the many voices of criticism. In his words, both the case of the insurance company Olympic's bankruptcy and the crisis with the Trade Registry, it is not a question of the negligence or incompetence of several government officials; it is a question of lack of transparency and abandonment of responsibility across the board, without which stateness could not exist. Regarding both, Radev said that the problems run much deeper than the government lets on.
New Massive Testing of the Banking Sector to Begin in the Next Months
A new massive array of testing of the Bulgarian banking system will begin in September or October and will likely end in June or July 2019.
The tests are part of the government's action plan for becoming a member of the European Banking Union and the so-called euro waiting room, the ERMII, which was approved on Wednesday. It is likely that the first months of the process will be spent in preparation including selecting and appointing consultants and auditors, while the actual testing will begin early next year. The procedure then will be led by the European Central Bank.
Only once has the Bulgarian banking system been subjected to such massive testing, in 2016. The motives then were primarily to regain trust in the system after the collapse of the fourth largest Bulgarian bank, the Central Corporate Bank. The results of the previous tests were announced rather uneventfully and matter-factly. They were primarily positive results, with only two banks, the Bulgarian Investment Bank and Investbank, having the need to increase their capital, according to the test results.
The European Commission expressed certain concerns as to the integrity of the procedures regarding the tests but those did not assume the form of official signals of result manipulations or otherwise compromised procedures.
The expectations are for this procedure to be much stricter compared to the previous one. The stakes this time are higher, especially from the testers' end. The ECB Banking Supervision will be part of the process and it will seek to assert for itself the actual state of the Bulgarian banks. If admitted to the banking union, the ECB Banking Supervision will be in charge of supervising Bulgarian banks.
The testing of the banking system is the toughest of the six commitments the Bulgarian government made as conditions for entering the euro waiting room. The EU promised that Bulgaria will be accepted into ERMII the same day as it is accepted in the Banking Union.
Entering the Banking Union, however, might prove harder than the government lets on. The ECB implied in July that a year might not be enough for Bulgaria to be admitted to the Union. One year is declared as the government's desired deadline for admission. No other country outside the Eurozone is a member of the Banking Union.
National Lottery on air
The National Lottery is Number One Advertiser in 2018
Vasil Bozhkov's lottery games' company, National Lottery is the largest advertiser in Bulgaria in the first half of 2018, according to a report by Media Club, Sega Daily reports.
Although direct advertisement of gambling is banned by law in Bulgaria, the National Lottery has spent the staggering 13 million euro for TV ads only for the first six months of the year. The company spent 23 million euro for TV advertisement for 2017 according to Media Club.
In comparison, all three Bulgarian mobile operators have spent 5-6 million euro each for TV ads, and the largest advertisers from the financial sector have collectively spent less than the National Lottery on ads during the first half of the year.
The gambling businesses apparently are thriving and advertising more and more aggressively, regardless of the government's promises to take action and amend laws that provide loopholes leading to having a company providing a product, banned from direct advertising, be the largest TV advertiser in Bulgaria by a landslide.
In Spring Vice PM Valery Simonov proposed amendments to the Gabling Act to restrict advertising and sale of lottery tickets (which currently could be found virtually everywhere: convenience stores, supermarkets, newspaper stands, etc.) but the Parliament decided to send the bill for notification to the European Commission, thus failing the procedure which would have put the amendments to debate, readings and eventually to a vote.
The Central Election Commission Opened a Procurement Procedure for Voting Machines
The Central Election Commission opened a public procurement procedure for assessment of all companies, which supply voting machines. The commission is currently appealing the Sofia Administrative Court's ruling, which obligates the commission to implement machine voting in all voting sections in a matter of six months. Regardless the elections' administration has decided to take action to the court's decision's end. The higher instance will most likely rule the same way if the Elections Act is not amended by that time.
The current procurement's aim is for the commission to be able to provide estimate prices for the production, purchase, short or long term rent, and delivery to Bulgaria for at least 12'500 special devices, as well as logistics costs for delivering them to each voting section on election day, warranty and outside warranty support, staff instruction and so on. The procurement also calls for a comparative analysis of the pros and cons of the alternatives.
The price of the procurement is an estimated 12'500 leva and should be completed within two months of signing the contract.
Pouring Millions is Soviet Military Equipment Must Stop: Democratic Bulgaria
The non-parliamentary opposition coalition Democratic Bulgaria issued a statement, reacting to the most recent procurement for millions for repairs and maintenance of Soviet military equipment.
"The only winner from pouring hundreds of millions into in old Sovietet equipment is the Russian Federation, Bulgaria does not increase its military capacity and is losing the trust of opts NATO allies."
The coalition reminds that this is the third of a series of procurements for repays and maintenance of aviation machinery, produced in the Soviet Union.
The first procurement was for MiG-29 repairs, which cost 80 million leva. The next was for Mi-17 and Mi-24 repairs, totaling a 31 million leva. The most recent is for 14 Su 25's, whose threshold is set at 80 million leva.
During the current administration have been or are planned to be spent over 200 million leva for an essentially redundant Soviet military equipment.
DB insists that instead of spending millions to maintain 40-50-year-old equipment so it could be used another 20 by the Bulgarian aviation forces, it should invest that money to reequip the military with modern equipment. Moreover, in DB's view, the current spending go against Bulgaria's very own declared aim to modernize its military equipment.
"The only beneficiary of the current state of affairs is the pre-selected winner of the procurements: The Russian producer of the equipment."
DB also saw an ulterior motive in keeping some procurements within a threshold that would allow them to go forward without the need for the Council of Ministers' approval.
"The government and the PM should know, however, that regardless of the efforts for this procurement to be pushed forward stealthily and for the responsibility for such expenses to be transferred solely to the Minister of Defense, for such massive spending the responsibility should be taken on the highs of levels."
Minister of Defense Kasimir Karakachanov has declared his intent to invest serious amounts in the Soviet equipment until Bulgaria purchases new equipment. Many experts, including President Roumen Radev have expressed serious doubt in the need to spend such massive amounts in the old equipment.
Bulgaria news Karakachanov Mi-29 Mi-17 Mi-24 Su-25 Trade Registry Boyko Borissov machine voting Olympic Olympic insurance Bulgarian banking sector ERMII
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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World Sepsis Day is a concept developed by the Global Sepsis Alliance, and operated as a collaborative effort with other organizations and individuals. Each year on September 13th, supporters all around the globe organize events to raise awareness for sepsis.
The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA), is a non-profit organization supporting the efforts of over 1 million caregivers in more than 70 countries as they seek to better understand and combat what many experts believe to be the leading cause of death worldwide: sepsis.
Sepsis is the common final pathway of all acute infections. It arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. It may lead to shock, multiple organ failure, and death, especially if not recognized early and treated promptly.


Branislava Duranovic-Scheluchin has more than 20 years of experience working as a teaching artist. She has offered instruction to art students of all ages and abilities in variety of educational environments including K-12 public schools, community art schools, art studios, galleries, as well as private one-on-one tutoring. Branislava has been very fortunate to work as a teaching artist for Studio in A School for the last nine years. Teaching for Studio has been a tremendous learning experience in which she gained new insights into art teaching methodology that very successfully merges art practice with literacy. This methodology not only enables students to develop manual skills in a variety of visual art mediums, but also understand concepts in other subjects such as mathematics, social studies and sciences. Branislava obtained a M.F.A. in Painting from Pratt Institute, which engrained in her both historically traditional methods of creating art as well as an awareness in honing her own creative approaches. Somewhere within her experiences as a practicing artist and an art instructor resides her teaching philosophy. Branislava is a hands-on-teacher who believes that basic visual art skills can be learned and cultivated, and that art teacher's task is to point out the existing shortcuts, inspire curiosity, and build students' confidence. Art making process promotes cognitive development of children as they are encouraged to produce, rather than reproduce the knowledge. Art making initiates development of critical thinker - the one that not only owns information, but also knows how to follow up or act on it.
Who keeps a given word.
Who respect freedom and peace!


text:
Q: .sample not working in seeds The variable var is a boolean and should not be allowed to be blank. Therefore in my model file I have:
validates_inclusion_of :var, :in => [true, false]
validates :var, presence: true

In my seeds file I have:
title = "abc"
var = [true, false].sample
author.articles.create!( title: title,
                         var: var)

Seeding produces the error:
ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid: Validation failed: Var can't be blank

Does anyone understand why it wants to create an article with a blank var?
Update: Using the debugger, I can confirm that var had a value of 1.
Schema for articles:
  create_table "articles", force: :cascade do |t|
    t.integer  "author_id"
    t.string   "title",          limit: 50,                null: false
    t.boolean  "var",                       default: true, null: false
    t.datetime "created_at",                               null: false
    t.datetime "updated_at",                               null: false
  end

A:
should not be allowed to be blank

A better way will be to set a default value in the db.
Not only will this free up Rails processing power, but will also make sure that no matter what, that value has to be present, a necessity for boolean:
$ rails g migration AddDefaultToBool

# db/migrate/add_default_to_bool____________.rb
class AddDefaultToBool < ActiveRecord::Migration
   def change
      change_column :articles, :var, :boolean, default: false
   end
end

$ rake db:migrate

This way, you'll always have the boolean as false if the value is not present. I know it's not specifically what you're asking, but will be a better solution anyway.

In terms of your validation, you'll want to use the newer validates shorthand:
#app/models/article.rb
class Article < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates :var, presence: true, inclusion: [:true, :false]
end

According to comments on this question, you shouldn't have presence for a boolean value:

Note that you cannot have the usual validation for the presence (validates :field, presence: true) for a boolean field (the field would not be valid for a false value).
But in both Rails 3 and 4, having validates :field, inclusion: [true, false] would test for inclusion in a list of values, with the side-effect to test for the field's presence (unless one of those values is nil of course). – Martin Carel Jul 14 at 19:38

... so you should be able to use the following:
#app/models/article.rb
class Article < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates :var, inclusion: [:true, :false]
end

Another good ref


text:
MAGA Folks are Absolutely Crushing Some In-N-Out Burgers
By Jared Holt | September 7, 2018 12:19 pm
(Screenshot / Twitter.com)
Sometimes a hamburger is just a hamburger. Other times, a hamburger is a way to signal your support for the Republican Party and its fast-food loving president to strangers on the internet.
Last week, it was reported that fast food burger chain In-N-Out gave $25,000 to the California Republican Party. California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman tweeted out a call to boycott the burger chain, which he has since walked back. In response, Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier and other Republicans rallied online, urging people to "spread the word and get some food from there."
Then the right-wing internet did its thing and produced a meme that is cringe-worthy, even for them.
This meme, detailing a "Republican Style" order at In-N-Out has been circulating among pro-Trump Facebook groups. It depicts "a yuge 'wall' of meat, with an extra large order of Partiot [sic] Fries smothered in a red wave of delicious ketchup." It also suggests accompanying the burger with a "cold cup of liberal tears, downed by an entire 24-pack of American-made plastic straws."
(Screenshot / Facebook.com)
That last reference about straws is a nod to the groups of conservative posters who filled their drinks with handfuls of plastic straws in response to cities banning plastic straws for environmental protection reasons. One of those bold straw flaunters was former Pussycat Dolls member turned conservative pundit Kaya Jones, who also pounded some In-N-Out and posted about it with the caption, "Hope you have a triggered Tuesday."
In N Out 🍔 with my American flag 🇺🇸 nails. Hope you have a triggered Tuesday ☀😂 I bought the entire cast and crew @InNOut 😘 I ordered and ate the republican 🍔 pic.twitter.com/26a7jwjRSs
— Kaya Jones (@KayaJones) September 4, 2018
Harim Uziel, a California man who has built an online brand called "The Hardcore American Patriot" that is almost exclusively centered on his support for President Trump, posted a photo of himself at a Los Angeles In-N-Out on August 31.
"Daz right my patriots, got mine … now let me get my grub on, America first baby!" Uziel writes in the caption accompanying the post, urging others to post photos of themselves with In-N-Out food. The comment section, as a result, is filled with photos of hamburgers and one photo of someone feeding In-N-Out to a dog.
Brenden Dilley is a QAnon truther who once claimed he "pissed off a Trump" family member when he publicly doubted the authenticity of the theory. He's also pounding down some In-N-Out in a photo he tweeted with a frequently seen QAnon hashtag.
Texas-based conspiracy theorist Alex Jones also took time away from getting banned from just about every social media platform to make a trip to In-N-Out, declaring that his visit "is like, super politically incorrect."
"Here we are in America, in Austin, coming to a restaurant where they've committed a thought-crime just like I've done, just like Trump's done," Jones said.
Jones agreed to stop filming in the restaurant after a worker asks him to stop. He tells him, "This is In-N-Out burger. Dude, this is some good burgers." When the worker leaves, Jones tells the camera, "As you can see, the corporate system doesn't want us communicating and talking."
Antonio Sabato Jr., an actor, model and California Republican congressional candidate running on his Trump sycophancy, tweeted that he was headed to In-N-Out with the hashtag "#maga":
Heading to @innoutburger, have you heard how good the burgers are? Yum!! 🇺🇸🙏 #kag #maga
— Antonio Sabáto Jr 🇺🇸 (@AntonioSabatoJr) August 30, 2018
Religious Right pastor Franklin Graham also posed for a photo at an In-N-Out that was posted by a pro-Trump Twitter user:
Franklin Graham at In-N-Out Burger! #MAGA pic.twitter.com/sqrRmNqH9R
— Randall Wright (@CmrData) September 2, 2018
Dan Bongino at the National Rifle Association's media arm, declared that In-N-Out was the new Chick-fil-A, which has been widely criticized for donating to anti-LGBTQ organizations.
As Eater details earlier this year, conservatives have a well-established pastime of trying to "own the libs" by consuming food.
Tags: Alex Jones Antonio Sabato Jr. Brenden Dilley Dan Bongino Franklin Graham Kaya Jones Ryan Fournier social media
Right Wing Round-Up: Trump's Election Is A Biblical Miracle
Right Wing Round-Up: Blue Wave
Right Wing Round-Up: 'Fags Are Disgusting'
Alex Jones: Dow Jones Drop Is 'Economic Warfare' Between Trump And 'Deep State'


text:
Witness for the Prosecution (Billy Wilder, 1957)
Filed under: 1950s, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller |
A Reaction to Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution," in Two Acts (with what might be construed as "spoilers" in Act II…but not really)
Act I (Being a reaction to the first 111 minutes of "Witness for the Prosecution")
I liked it. Didn't love it, but liked it. Story-wise and (mostly) performance-wise, "Witness for the Prosecution" is trapped in the cinematic conventions of the somewhat exaggerated, Hayes Code-esque 1950s, to its detriment. The big problem is that from the outset, you're thoroughly placed on the side of the defendant (and I don't know how much Billy Wilder altered Agatha Christie's source material, so I can't say how much of that is Christie's fault). So thoroughly is the lawyer, Sir Wilfrid, and you the audience, made to sympathize with Tyrone Power's Leonard Vole as the Hitchcock-esque wrongfully accused man that the story loses any kind of moral ambiguity that could've made it something special. Even "Anatomy of a Murder," made just two years later, made the defendant's innocence or guilt much more ambiguous and shifted the focus to the defender rather than the defendant. A movie like that, and like "The Verdict" decades later, are a hell of a lot more interesting when you get down to the nitty-gritty of the case because of that. "Witness for the Prosecution" tries to do something similar by at least partly shifting the focus to Sir Wilfrid, and indeed scenes involving his everyday life as a recent heart attack victim struggling to defend his client while battling his declining health are a hell of a lot more interesting than those involving Leonard, his duplicitous wife Christine, and the case of the murdered rich widow who just happened to name Leonard in her will. But then all that great stuff goes to shit with flashback scenes involving the Voles' first meeting in Germany, and Leonard meeting his alleged victim, that add nothing and take away any momentum the movie might've had. Yeah, it's a neat little twist when Marlene Dietrich's suave-as-hell Chrstine turns on her husband as that witness for the prosecution, but other than that it's a typical murder case, "typical" courtroom drama, with the audience clearly on one side over the other. It's the world's earliest Law & Order episode.
But "Witness for the Prosecution" has some great stuff going for it, overcoming a lackluster courtroom drama story. For one, Billy Wilder's direction is everything you'd expect from the legendary filmmaker. The lighting is wonderful (especially during Sir Wilfrid's signature monocle trick), giving the otherwise typical courtroom drama a noirish feel, right down to the shadows overtaking Sir Wildrid's conflicted face in his otherwise bright office. The cinematography – also wonderful, practically a textbook on the use of deep focus, like in one fascinating shot as Leonard, on the witness stand, turns his back to the prosecutor in a panic: he faces the camera, practically hugging the column that divides him in the foreground and the prosecutor and courtroom in the background. It's just one of many great shots that I can't do justice to. And really, the BIG selling point for "Witness for the Prosecution" is Charles Laughton as Sir Wilfrid. Laughton is just plain awesome in this movie. One minute he'll be a huge child bickering with his obnoxious nurse (played by Laughton's real-life wife Elsa Lanchester), the next he'll be confident and forceful while questioning a witness…but he's always cynical, always stubborn, and always determined to shrug off the inconvenience of a weak heart to get his client off the hook. More often than not he's an absolute bastard, but boy is he a fun bastard to watch, beginning and ending with his playfully bitter exterior. He might not always do the right thing, somewhat blinded by his sense of duty, but he thinks he's always doing the right thing, and for better or worse, that's what makes him one hell of a lawyer. If only there was even more focus on the lawyer than on an over-the-top Tyrone Power as the wrong place, wrong time victim and even more over-the-top Marlene Dietrich as double-crossing foreigner as the main players in a more and more open-and-shut case, then this shit could've been beautiful.
Act II (Being a reaction to the last 5 minutes of "Witness for the Prosecution")
ZOMG WHATTHEFUCKJUSTHAPPENED?!?!
Well, Billy Wilder and Agatha Christie (with some help from the Hayes Code in the final, FINAL act of comeuppance that goes above and beyond the absurdest of the absurd) just did their best Ashton Kutcher impression, 'cuz I just got PUNKED. Might as well disregard EVERYTHING I wrote before this 😆 . I…don't know what to say about that ending. It's absurd, and it's ingenious. It's sudden to the point of being thrown at you, and yet it ties up each and every loose end with shocking efficiency. It's insanely over the top and implausible, and yet in five short minutes fabulously changes our perspective on just about everything we've soaked in to this point. In short, it's the most – inducing ending you'll ever see in its sheer absurdity…but you'll end up 'ing…to its sheer absurdity. One thing's for sure, it makes this typical courtroom drama, this "world's earliest Law & Order episode" (my own words 😛 ) much more interesting in hindsight. Naturally, the one person who doesn't get caught up in all the absurdity, all the madness, is Wilfrid the Fox – still as spry, as mischievous, as cynical, as duty-oriented a barrister as when this was allegedly a slam-dunk case. God bless Charles Laughton.
« From Russia with Love (Terence Young, 1963)
Diamonds of the Night (Jan Nemec, 1964) »
Gloria on November 26, 2008
Act II of yout comments is grand! It sort of sums up the twist end, without giving it up!
And God bless Charlie! (he's my favourite actor ;D)
Allison on November 26, 2008
Too many emoticons. This film is a 10/10. You are WRONG. But you're still my friend.
Simon M. on November 26, 2008
how else could I have expressed how absurd and what-the-fuck-just-happend that ending was? Words couldn't possibly do it justice.
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.WPzone.net.


text:
Wenger: Alex Song won't play against Sunderland and is doubtful for Barca
Alex Song is a major doubt for Arsenal's crucial Champions League tie with Barcelona after sustaining a knee injury.
The Cameroon international picked up a knock during Sunday's Carling Cup final defeat against Birmingham City.
It has left Gunners boss Arsene Wenger weighing up his options for the next two games as he has already ruled Song out of playing in Saturday's Premier League tie with Sunderland at the Grove.
When asked if the defensive midfielder would make the game at the Camp Nou, Wenger said it was "doubtful".
Denilson and Abou Diaby have the chance to replace Song in the next two fixtures, but neither offer the same solid base that Song does.
Wenger told Arsenal TV Online:
"At the moment he [Song] has not practiced at all. He has a knee problem and it's getting better every day.
"And I'll follow that up and we'll assess it Monday I think."
Labels: Alex Song, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Barcelona, Champions League, Injury news, Premier League, Sunderland


The NBA is gaining three Kentucky Wildcats. Jamal Murray was drafted at number seven by the Denver Nuggets. UK had more players drafted than any other team and the SEC had seven players drafted overall just edged out by the ACC with eight being picked.
As predicted, LSU's Ben Simmons was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers at number one. Duke's Brandon Ingram was drafted by the Lakers at number two. In the time John Calipari has been coach at UK, fourteen Cats have been drafted over seven seasons. Skal Labissiere was drafted by the Phoenix Suns at number 28, but he was later traded to the Sacramento Kings where he'll join former Cats, DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, and Willie Cauley-Stein. Tyler Ulis on the other hand, will join four fomer Cats, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, and Archie Goodwin in Phoenix. Ulis was drafted 34th overall.


Techim Sintoflon started in 1979 as an importer of special lubricants from the United States; these lubricants were of non-petrol origin, because they contained fluorocarbon resins (PTFEs) as their main ingredient. From the early 80s, it began manufacturing in Italy, where it gradually developed an entire range of products.
For over thirty years, Techim Sintoflon has specialised in the field of non-traditional lubrication and gained a reputation, having developed an entire range of anti-wear treatments for all mechanical applications, which enhance the performance of mechanical components and fulfil product requirements in various industrial fields.
Over the years, the range of Sintoflon products has expanded to include innovative fuel additives and other niche products for the automotive industry, formulations that increase the overall efficiency of engines and the quality of the combustion process.


text:
Dr Anandakumar S/O Vellasamy
Orthopaedic Surgeon
AIA, Great Eastern, Singlife with Aviva
Dr Anandakumar Vellasamy is an orthopaedic surgeon practising in Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore.
He has a subspecialty interest in complex foot and ankle conditions, including sports injuries and lower limb trauma.
Dr Anandakumar offers minimally invasive surgical options for addressing complex foot and ankle disorders, traumatic injuries of the lower limb and various sports injuries such as arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery for cartilage defects and impingement, deformity correction, total ankle replacement for managing arthritis, and more.
He is experienced in the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques to treat calcaneal fractures and correcting deformities including flat feet and bunions. He is also well versed in arthroscopic ankle surgery to address sports ligament injuries and the all-inside (knotless) technique for the Brostrum Gould Reconstruction surgery for ankle instability.
Dr Anandakumar graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2003 and was awarded the Best Houseman Award during his medical posting as a Houseman. He subsequently chose a surgical path and pursued his postgraduate training in orthopaedic surgery in Singapore and obtained his fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. He was award the N. Balachandran Memorial Lectureship award in the final year of his orthopaedic residency.
He was awarded the Health Manpower Development Plan Award in 2016, which enabled him to pursue his fellowship training in the Kantonsspital Baselland and Inselspital Bern University Hospital, Switzerland. He also further honed his skills at the Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Etzelclinic in Zurich.
Prior to private practice, Dr Anandakumar was a consultant in the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Sengkang General Hospital.
He is active in teaching medical students at NUS' Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Duke-NUS Medical School, as well as orthopaedic surgery residents and family medicine trainees. He was part of the master of medicine in orthopaedic surgery committee that is involved in orchestrating the training of junior orthopaedic surgery residents.
Dr Anandakumar has presented at numerous orthopaedic surgery meetings both local and international, including meetings held by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy, the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, and the ASEAN Orthopaedic Association.
In a collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Dr Anandakumar was awarded the SingHealth Academic Medicine Research Grant in April 2019 for a project he was the primary investigator in. He has been involved in projects studying hindfoot biomechanical problems and developing solutions to manage and treat such conditions.
Centre for Foot and Ankle Surgery
38 Irrawaddy Road #10-34/35
319 Joo Chiat Place #05-06/07


text:
Q: Making sense of a gradient for solving an ODE Consider a random lattice where the position of each vertex $i$ is governed by
$$
\eta \frac{d \mathbf{x}_i}{dt}=\mathbf{F}_i(t),
$$
where $\mathbf{F}_i(t)$ denotes the total force acting on vertex $i$ at time $t$. This is known in epithelial biology as the vertex model.
In this research paper, $\mathbf{F}_i$ is explicitly given as
$$
\mathbf{F}_i=\sum_{\alpha} \left(-K (A_\alpha(t) -A^{(0)})\nabla_iA_\alpha(t)-\Gamma P_\alpha(t) \nabla_i P_\alpha(t)  \right)-\sum_j\Lambda \nabla_il_{ij}(t),
$$
where $K,A^{(0)},\Gamma$ and $\Lambda$ are constants, $A_\alpha$ and $P_\alpha$ are the area and perimeter of cell (face between edges) $\alpha$ and $l_{ij}$ is the length of the cell edge (or bond) shared by vertices $i$ and $j$. $\nabla_i$ denotes the gradient operator evaluated at $\mathbf{x}_i$.
My question is: given such $\mathbf{F}_i$, how can I solve the first ODE (via Euler's method, for example)? Shouldn't I need to have $A_\alpha, P_\alpha$ and $l_{ij}$ written explicitly in terms of $\mathbf{x}_i$? Can I even do this?
I'm missing something but I'm not quite sure what it is. Any ideas are appreciated!


By protecting and educating Pennsylvanians, we will safeguard consumer rights and ensure access to health and other vital insurance products.
The State Board of Medicine regulates the practice of medicine through the licensure, registration and certification of members of the medical profession in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
To be a unified voice of licensed midwives in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to facilitate the growth of the profession of midwifery, to promote the health and well being of childbearing families and their newborns, and women throughout their lifespan.
Welcome to the yahoogroup for the Pennsylvania Friends of Midwives. Here you will find information, resources, and opportunities related to midwifery and the state of affairs for midwives in Pennsylvania.
We are organizing 2nd World Congress on Midwifery and Women's Health scheduled to take place during August 28-30, 2017 at Philadelphia, USA . As we are aware of your organization's valuable contribution and remarkable efforts in the arena of Midwifery and Women's Health, it would be our honor to collaborate with your society.
We would like to solicit your gracious presence as a speaker at the upcoming the "2nd World Congress on Midwifery and Women's Health" conference during August 28-30, 2017 Philadelphia, USA.
The theme of this conference is "Midwives: A Voice for Healthy Family". Leading world researchers, Midwives, Future Midwives, Gynecologists, Doctors, Childbirth Educators, Doulas, Students, Nurses scientists, academic scientists, society& lab researchers, scholars, decision makers and other professionals gathering in Philadelphia, USA to speak at Midwifery 2017.
• Recognition of logo in all promotional material plus on our conference website via click through.
• Recognition of the logo in a special section of the respective conference web page.
• Advertisement in the conference hand book.
• Exclusive discount upon registration and accommodation for members of your organization.


text:
Directors Oliver Richards, John McRrae and Richard Warwick|A blown-up quote from a satisfied client adorns the office wall|Orms' own studio in Oliver's Yard, Old Street|Orms' own studio includes meeting rooms with sliding glass doors|Orms' own studio includes meeting rooms with sliding glass doors|Orm's studio – lighting|Careful attention to detail is key to the practice's work||Waxed steel walls lend a monumental feel to Stephen Street's imposing reception area|The science block features a stone colonnade topped by an anodised aluminium-clad 'jewel box'|Completed last year, Destination Science is a new addition to Uppingham School in Rutland|Uppingham School's new science block||
Orms: architects on top form
Words by James McLachlan
Category: Architecture
A rebrand and a move to a self-designed workplace are the least notable things about Orms' current circumstances: its latest projects are the real news
A notepad-sized folder sits on the desk in front of me. The word 'Orms' is inscribed in an attractive curving font, undoubtedly custom-made, across the top left of the document. The gatefold reveals a block of red plastic holding a series of folding leaflets, each illustrating a different architectural field: education, leisure, residential, commercial. It is all very polished and, well, cool. Not necessarily the word one would associate with a design practice entering its 30th year.
The folder is the handiwork of branding agency Odd, founded by a former Orms employee subsequently drafted in to overhaul the practice's image. But there is, as they say, meat on the bones to flesh out this tidy promotional material. Orms, formerly O.R.M.S. (the initials of founders Oliver Richards and Martin Shirley) is on fertile creative ground at the moment with a number of projects finishing and others still poised to leap from drawing board to reality.
They range from a wholesale transformation of tired office space for Derwent London to a sensitive new science block for the 500-year-old Uppingham School. But perhaps the most significant recent work is closer to home, for at the tail end of last year, the practice left its office in Clerkenwell for a self-penned studio at Oliver's Yard (another Derwent development) in Old Street. It is here I meet co-director John McRae to discuss the practice's latest work.
Orms' studio is intended to communicate its creativity. Anyone entering cannot fail to notice a series of angled pinboards displaying not just Orms' own greatest hits, but work from artists or anything the teams might find inspirational. The idea, McRae explains, is that this is a curated space, whereas live projects, renders, plans, and research – anything of a sensitive nature – are pinned on the reverse. His co-director Richards sums up: "Stick something up on the wall and it gets better. It does not get worse."
Perpendicular to the reception, (though that probably overstates the diminutive block of Corian that greets visitors) is a red wall inscribed with a lauding quote from a former client. The space, a large L-shape with an outdoor terrace complementing the return, looks on the surface to be one big open studio. Closer inspection reveals an office of far greater depth and versatility.
Sliding glass walls that create the boardroom, for example, peel back to create an informal meeting space. Barring a period of retraction during the recession, the firm's growth has been measured rather than meteoric. Nevertheless, there is enough space here to accommodate 80 or 90 (the workforce currently stands at 52).
Careful attention to materials – a key element of the practice's best work – is apparent here. Dividing the workbenches is a series of low storage units on which sits a variety of samples, their prominence as much a matter of convenience as a reinforcement of the diligence necessary to craft an interesting building. By way of example, McRae talks through the practice's reinvigoration of 1-2 Stephen Street, the former EMI headquarters.
Here, Orms disposed of the overbearing masonry dominating the structure, which contributed unnecessarily to the overall gloom of the street, in favour of a ribbon of glass topped by a steel 'blade'. However, it is the quietly assured main reception that re-establishes the building's appeal.
Flanked by monumental waxed steel walls, with a platoon of custom pendant lights (in reality two parts of existing products grafted on to each other) hanging above a terrazzo floor, its appeal is at once sophisticated and broad. "We spend a lot of time trying to avoid hitting the latest trends," says McRae. "This could be for a media occupier but it wouldn't be out of character for private equity." Inside, the works are no less substantive with the old loading bay converted into TMT-style studio space with Grade A offices above.
As Stephen Street completes, another commercial development, this time with a far richer heritage, is gearing up. Holborn's art deco Commonwealth House, designed by Henry Philip Cart De Lafontaine, is set for a revival, with original facade details reinstated, including the green glazed tiles reputedly blocked by none other than Giles Gilbert Scott, then an adviser to the Crown. It will be, says McRae, a "deco-informed" building, meaning references to the original movement will be pared-back rather than obvious.
Similarly, the currently-under-construction 81 Chancery Lane almost slips under the radar with Orms successfully slotting a cluster of stepped cuboid offices clad in faceted anodised aluminium above the Chichester Rents passageway, to link neighbouring Victorian buildings hitherto divided, while also reconnecting Chancery Lane with Star Yard.
Orms' original and last remaining founder, Oliver Richards, pinpoints this ability to work with existing structures as one of the practice's enduring strengths in its 30-year lifespan. The other is "financial nouse", as he labels it. "When Martin and I started the business we called ourselves designers and architects. And it was that way round quite deliberately, because at that stage, 'architect' was a bit of a dirty word," he says.
"Martin was a designer and we did a lot of retail design and work for end users." Richards says that Orms is doing more and more interesting work, much of it in the commercial offices sector. "Some years ago it was retail, then loft living. It goes in waves and it always will. I just hope that procurement systems don't shut out capable architects in this country from doing projects of all shapes and sizes. In the hands of some project managers it can become a tick-box exercise. It is really important to keep doing a variety of work."
Inevitably, the practice has outlasted some of its own buildings. Richards recalls his first major work, a two-storey industrial structure for Laser-Scan that was the first building on the Cambridge Science Park in 1973. Demolished some 25 years later, the project's fate reflects the dramatic arc of workplace design. "It was the right building for the right time. Property values had increased drastically, and users had changed from manufacturers – as was our original client – into software companies."
Conscious of the asphyxiation that can occur when a founding director fails to loosen their grip on the reins, Richards, along with nurturing clients and new business, wants to bring through a new generation of talent. The latest boost to the ranks is Richard Warwick, signed from Atkins Global in April 2013 and now the third director alongside McRae.
"We work in pairs; we don't work where one partner does one thing. Richard fits into that model. He is a collaborator, and we as a firm are good collaborators."
Surreal office design for a historic house
TPG creates a New York vibe for Havas Worldwide
New London flagship store for UniFor and Molteni&C|Dada contract division
De Beauvoir Block's new co-working community


Ominous messages steer a man to a building's rooftop, where he executes an improbable shooting in the opener of the series following a team of people with extraordinary abilities who investigate crimes linked to others like them.
Agent Sullivan (guest star Valerie Cruz) credentials Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn) and his team as members of the Defense Criminal Investigation Service and their first case takes them to Pennsylvania where an outbreak of sudden deaths involving a local high school are suspected to be the work of an Alpha.
Bill and Gary pursue an outside case, putting their Alpha powers to the ultimate test. Featuring guest star Alaina Huffman.
The alpha team rescues an alpha from a group of hooded thugs, then discover she is a former associate of Dr. Rosen who wants nothing to do with him.
Dr, Rosen is forced to challenge his most cherished values when he encounters an alpha leading a personality cult who sincerely wants to create a paradise for all humanity, a dream his alpha ability may make possible. But as members of the alpha group fall under the cult leaders and he refuses to recognize he may be responsible for the illnesses among the cult members Dr. Rosen is forced to act... if he can.
As the Alpha team attempts to interrogate an alpha doctor, who wants to create more alphas, an invisible alpha attempts to abduct him. Dr. Rosen struggles to determine who is the more dangerous.
Dr. Rosen's alpha group is abducted by Nathan because he suspects one of them is a Red Flag conspirator.
Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn) and his team must decide who to trust when Red Flag, led by Stanton Parish (guest star John Pyper-Ferguson), escalates the war on the Department of Defense.
The alphas rescue Dr. Rosen's estranged alpha daughter from an assassin. She carries a carefully coded message stolen from Red Flag. But Dr. Rosen suspects it's a ruse which leads him to take precipitous action.
On the hunt for a killer with super-speed, our team realizes his search has lead him directly to them, with deadly consequences.
An investigation leads Harken and Hicks to go undercover in a secret, underground Alphas-only Fight Club where they meet "Kat", an energetic fellow Alpha whose can instantly memorize any physical or mental skill.
The Team investigates an Alpha-related crime spree leading to one of their own, who is in the midst of a dangerous emotional breakdown. Our Team races to stop them before they hurt themself or someone else.
A powerful Alpha seems to have lost his mind and is attacking people at a hospital forcing, but as the team tracks him down they each begin to lose touch with reality.
Rosen and his team travel to a remote village of Alphas to ask Skylar Adams to look into the function of the photo stimulator. But Parish has people in the village, and soon the lives of both Skylar and her daughter, Zoe, are in jeopardy.
When Jason Miller returns to school, he uses his newly-enhanced Alpha ability to form a neural network of classmates who bend to his will. Rosen begrudgingly agrees to team up with Stanton Parish to get Jason to release his mind slaves.
Kat goes undercover to investigate the source of a street drug that makes its user invincible, while Rosen works to confirm his suspicions about Dani's being an informant for Parish. Meanwhile, Hicks suspects that his son may be an Alpha.
When Hicks turns defector and beginning working for Parish, Rosen and the team can only wonder: has Hicks truly turned, or is he playing a deeper game involving Dani?
How does one grieve and move on from a terrible loss? Everyone's process is different. Dani's shocking death at the hands of Parish leaves Rosen and the team grasping for lifelines.
It's Midnight Run, Alphas-style as Hicks and Kat transport a valuable Parish asset: a babbling, off-his-nuts memory sponge Alpha named Mitchell. Mitchell just might hold the strategic intel they need to stop Parish...if they can outrun and outwit Mitchell's seemingly indestructible Alpha "caretaker". Meawhile, Rosen is on his own hunt- for Parish' Achilles' Heel, a weak point to strike at. But Senator's Burton sudden presence in the Alphas office threatens to expose Rosen and Nina's own Achillles' Heel.
When Rosen kidnaps and interrogates an Alpha prisoner, the team wonders how far Rosen will go in seeking revenge for the death of his daughter.
Separated from the team and haunted by vivid hallucinations of his daughter, Dani, an injured and increasingly desperate Doctor Rosen seeks a final confrontation with Alpha leader Stanton Parish.


These are the new 50mm floor part for the sloped wall tile set. The playing surface is made up of 4 x 25mm grills, to allow two 25mm based miniatures to stand side by side. The locking tabs are like those plastic side release buckles. Once connected the floor parts should be pretty stable during gaming.
The concern is the prongs on the locking mechanism. I'm going to print these up via Shapeways to see if they are flexible and strong enough. I know Trollcast is very different from the Acrylic of Frosted Ultra Detail but it should give me and idea.


T Shirt Christmas Tree. This is a pretty peach color long sleeve shirt by "No Boundries". I embroidered a Christmas Tree surrounded by the words "Merry Christmas". I have other holiday shirts listed that you might be interested in.


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We don't have a biography for Genesis Rodriguez.
Run All Night
Stars: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Boyd Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez, Lois Smith, Common, Beau Knapp, Patricia Kalember, Daniel Stewart Sherman, James Martinez, Radivoje Bukvic, Tony Naumovski, Lisa Branch, Holt McCallany, Aubrey Joseph
Stars: Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo, Hector Elizondo, Danny Trejo, Carlos Alazraqui, Ana de la Reguera, Emil-Bastien Bouffard, Elijah Rodriguez, Genesis Ochoa, Plácido Domingo, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Eugenio Derbez, Gabriel Iglesias
Stars: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung, T.J. Miller, Daniel Henney, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph, Abraham Benrubi, Katie Lowes, Billy Bush, Daniel Gerson, Paul Briggs, Charlotte Gulezian, David Shaughnessy, Kirk Baily
Stars: Topher Grace, Genesis Rodriguez, Patricia Clarkson, Callan Mulvey, Robin Thomas, Harry Groener, Daisy McCrackin, Jorge-Luis Pallo, Cody Sullivan, Braden Fitzgerald, Josh Harp
Stars: Genesis Rodriguez, Vincent Piazza, Benjamin Sokolow, Emily Bayiokos
Stars: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Johnny Depp, Harley Morenstein, Ralph Garman, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp, Ashley Greene, Douglas Banks, Matthew Shively, Bill Bennett, Mitch Cleaver, Bonnie Cole, Brian Cole, Todd Davis
Stars: Paul Walker, Genesis Rodriguez, Nancy Nave, Shane Jacobsen, Natalia Safran, TJ Hassan, Lena Clark, Kesha Bullard, Yohance Myles, Judd Lormand, Tony Bentley, Ian Hoch, Kerry Cahill, Oscar Gale, Christopher Matthew Cook, Nick Gomez, Renell Gibbs, Damon Lipari
Genre: Comedy, Western
Country: Mexico, United States
Stars: Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Nick Offerman, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, Efren Ramirez, Adrian Martinez, Manuel Urrego, Jerry Collins, Luis Carazo, Sandra Echeverría, Elijah Velarde, Alejandro Patiño, Eduardo Ricard, Pedro Lopez, James Victor, William Marquez
Stars: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, John Cho, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau, T.I., Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet, Jonathan Banks, Ryan Gaul, Steve Mallory, Tyler Nilson, Steve Little, Andrew Friedman, Antwan Mills, Ian Quinn
Man on a Ledge
Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Mandy Gonzalez, William Sadler, Barbara Marineau, J. Smith-Cameron, Anthony Mackie, Patrick Collins, Genesis Rodriguez, Afton Williamson, Robert Clohessy, Joe Lisi, Candice McKoy, Edward Burns, Johnny Solo, Titus Welliver, James Yaegashi
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On today's show, Marc is joined by CA Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate, Nickolas Wildstar! Nickolas tells his liberty tale of how he he went from being a Democrat to involvement with Anonymous and Occupy Wall Street to eventually being turned on to the ideas of libertarianism by Ron Paul's 2012 Presidential run. Nickolas discusses why he is running for CA Governor, what sort of push back he receives on the campaign trail, how he talks to progressives and conservatives, and tells a great story of how an unexpected supporter helped him officially get on the CA ballot for Governor.
Check out Nickolas Wildstar for Governor!
Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including "Conspiracy Corner", "Degenerate Gamblers" and the "League of Liberty Podcast" – AND help us get to PORCFEST 2018 by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride TODAY!


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April 10, 2019 | Teresa Craighead
My dad sent this poem to me today, and it reminded me that I had come across it for the first time at a very difficult time in my life. When I read it, I felt like it was written for me. Every word reverberated within me.
The road indeed was full of fallen branches and stones, and the whole house that was my life trembled. But I also did begin to recognize my own voice, and I did stride into the world. Many things ended. Many things crumbled and broke. But new things came to life also, including my adventures in creativity, much of which I've chronicled on this blog. Thanks for sending the poem to remind me, Dad.
One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice — though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. "Mend my life!" each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left their voice behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do — determined to save the only life that you could save. — Mary Oliver
Go Deeper and Deeper into the Awaiting World
September 14, 2016 | Teresa Craighead
I am discovering that the Texas Hill Country is rife with amazing artistic talent. And those talented artists like to get together! In the last few days, I have attended a local lecture on Old Masters and egg tempera paint at the Hill Country Arts Foundation. I also learned that they have a full studio of wheels, kilns and eager and talented potters who gather there–even those who have their own studios at home often work there for the community. So of course I joined right away. I am taking my own lumps of clay up there tomorrow for the first time.
I also attended a fabulous presentation at the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center, another arts center that hosts events and has gallery space for all manner of exhibits. The Guadalupe Water Color Group held its bimonthly meeting, and Austin-based watercolorist Jan Heaton gave a demonstration of some of her personal techniques. Jan's work is stunningly gorgeous in its simplicity, with a focus on form and color. You can see her work at an upcoming show "The Market," held in San Antonio at the Hunt Gallery September 29 through October 22, 2016. These images are from Jan's website, and I cannot wait to see them in person.
Newest work from Austin-based watercolorist Jan Heaton
The artistic ambience in Kerrville, Texas is simply wonderful. And I have yet to explore nearby Fredericksburg, which has at least 13 galleries and many amazing artists as well.
I was greatly encouraged during Jan's presentation when she told us that she became a full-time artist (and is amazingly well-represented across the entire country) after a 25-year career in Advertising. Ahhh! Reinvention! This is my path, and it was wonderful to hear her story.
Do you have a reinvention story to tell?
August 18, 2016 August 18, 2016 | Teresa Craighead
Everyone should keep a blog just to be hit over the head with TIME and its refusal to slow down, much less stop and wait for us to catch up. Since my last post, my universe has dramatically changed. I know that's a true statement for many people … after all, it's been 18 months. Many things can change in the time it takes a baby elephant to be knit in the womb.
The culmination of nearly all of my changes have been wonderful, though the end was definitely not in sight most of that time. In that 18 months, I closed up my very small, one quarter of a garage pottery studio and put it all in storage as we moved into a small apartment to weather a layoff and a long job search. Among other (and more pressing) questions concerning our future, I wondered whether I would have another place to call "studio." Uncertainty is taxing.
The studio framework
It's during these seasons–the difficult seasons–that I have been grateful for the stubbornness of time. It moves at its own inflexible pace, single-mindedly advancing minute by minute. During that relentless progress it takes me along, depositing me somewhere else further down the path whether I want to go or not. That's the part I am most grateful for. I am moved along.
So I find myself here, 18 months passing since my last post, in the bend of this particular path as it turns to a new direction. Only a couple of weeks away (if the rain will stop) from being reunited with wheel, kiln and magnificent clay, as Angus finishes the gorgeous studio he's building me out back. A new job, a new town, a new season.
Lying on the studio floor watching the moon
And new questions, too. Actually, maybe just the most basic question of all … who am I, now? Now that the kids are grown, now that my dear husband has given me the most precious gift of time (as in no 9-5 desk job), now that I can pursue artistic work freely? And, close on top of that one, What if …. I am no good?
But I fiercely believe and hold onto the benevolence and providence of God, and His active work in my small, daily life. So I take my steps forward …
Words to Remember
Image | August 21, 2014 | Teresa Craighead
Stationary from Ecojot.com
God's Glory in West Texas
August 4, 2014 August 4, 2014 | Teresa Craighead
Getting out of the suburbs and into the beauty of the created world is inspiring and refreshing! We saw many marvelous sights on our West Texas Journey, including an expanse of the heavens in Marfa with no city lights obscuring the incredible starry skies, beautiful and wild blooms, and the gorgeous granite batholith called Enchanted Rock between Llano and Fredericksburg, Texas.
Jeremiah 51:15 says, "He made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding."
Standing at the top of Enchanted Rock and looking out across the rough beauty of the Texas Hill Country makes me feel the truth of this verse in my bones. And it awakens a hunger for knowing God more personally and intimately.
So when I read this invitation, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3), I am both exhilarated and terrified!
We get so excited to meet our favorite artists–whether they are musicians, actors or other creatives–how much more exciting to get to hang out with the creator of the entire universe? It's stunning, really. And a bit scary!
West Texas Adventures
Texas is BIG!
Texas is BIG! We drove over 1400 miles, spent 22 hours in the car, and stayed mostly in the south western quadrant of the state! The landscape varied from flat and ugly to mountainous and gorgeous to dry and dusty to wet and luscious. We made it all the way to Marfa, Texas, anxious to see the famous Marfa Lights, that curious and unexplained phenomena in the night sky. We did in fact, see the Marfa lights … while the man behind us on the platform was explaining to the people next to him that he and his buddies have met up in Marfa every year for the past seven, a reunion of friends. And every year, they come to the platform and hope to see the lights. As the four of us were pointing and exclaiming to each other, "There! See them? There!" this man behind us continued to recount his sad story to the others … "Seven years, and we've never seen them. I guess this is another year …" I was flabbergasted! We were looking right at them!! Three twinkling lights that would appear in the distance, a few feet above the horizon, dancing and moving, seemingly advancing towards us, and then retreating, then disappearing, only to appear again a few minutes later. We soon heard the reunion of friends packing up to leave the platform, another year gone by, while we had been entertained by the very lights they sought and missed.
It made me wonder how often I am guilty of the very same thing … completely missing what I've sought, and what it right in front of me, because I'd been distracted by myself and my own need to be the center of attention, or otherwise remain unaware. O Lord! Let that not happen! Let me not go through life missing the very thing I am seeking to find.
We also came across the abandoned movie set used in the 1960 film "The Alamo" starring John Wayne. One part of the set was old San Antonio. Here's the church and general store, and of course, the famous mission entry:
Representation and Expression
July 21, 2014 July 21, 2014 | Teresa Craighead
English painter Harold Speed described the goal of the artist as developing command over both representation and expression, in order to create something worthy. This resonates with me. Take for example, this lovely basket by studio potter and artist Joy Tanner:
Joy clearly has command over both representation (we know it's a basket) and expression, which is what makes me exclaim, "How lovely!" when I look at it. It is her particular expression of the form (basket) that draws me. Though, obviously, in order to create the artistic expression, she also had to have command over creating the form itself.
Though Speed was primarily a painter, he also wrote instructional materials for developing artists. In 1913, he wrote "The Practice and Science of Drawing," now available in the public domain. In the text, he beautifully describes those invisible things surrounding good art. Like this: "The strength of appeal in artistic work will depend much on the power the artist possesses of expressing himself through representations that arrest everyone by their truth and naturalness." Right?? So right! Here's another basket by a different artist, Adrina Richard:
Adrina also has command of representation of form, and a very different expression of creativity than Joy. Same representative form–a basket; two artistic expressions, both of which are highly appealing in their truth and naturalness.
Speed also encouraged the artist to look for the "hidden rhythm" and "emotional significance" in the appearance of any object. By doing so, the artist can capture what moves her (or him) and then express it with their own creative passion. Both Joy and Adrina have clearly done so with their baskets.
So let's challenge ourselves to look this week for hidden rhythms and for emotional significance as we notice nature, our surroundings, or whatever it is we are looking at. Let's study form and think about how that form we are admiring might transform into a work of art with our particular creative expression.
Who's Throwing Those Pots at You?
July 17, 2014 August 11, 2014 | Teresa Craighead
My mistake was in trying to make sense of a phrase by assuming it has always meant the same thing throughout history – Angus would say I had been applying a form of presentism when wondering about "throwing pottery."
Is it called throwing because you slam the clay down onto the wheel head to secure it? Or because as a beginner you end up throwing away more pots than you keep? Or because the frustration of not producing a good pot on the wheel can cause you to throw the malformed objects across the studio?
Turn (Throw) the Wheel by Hand …
Nope. Not any of those. I finally decided to look up the origins of "throw" in the dictionary, and lo and behold, my presentism was revealed. While our current definition and usage of the word does involve flinging and hurling objects in a sudden forward motion, the original definition (according to Dictionary.com) and usage of the Old English word thrawen means "to twist or turn." This, of course, makes perfect sense! The potter's wheel turns!
Or Turn (Throw) by Foot
This exercise is a good reminder not to attach our current viewpoints onto events or objects of the past, especially the distant past–because we tend to Make Stuff Up.
I've discovered some research material published by The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago on ancient pottery found around Mesopotamia dating to 3000 B.C. How big of a weirdo am I that this is exciting to me because I can now add pottery to my Textile Timeline for Ancient History?
Endless Curiosity
I have inherited the investigative gene in my family, and while mostly just useful, it can sometimes get out of hand. Basically it means that when I find myself interested in a subject, I am like a dog with a bone, and can't let it go until I am satisfied that I understand it. Right now, I have an endless curiosity about the natural world and its ability to provide for and sustain humanity—specifically, in two areas–with fiber spun into yarn and made into fabrics, and clay formed into vessels for use.
Cups and a water jug still wet from the wheel
So I thought I'd just take you along with me as I try to satisfy this curiosity in my clay journey, just in case you were wondering about it, too.
This all started with my own increasing amazement of our natural resources. I don't want to sound ungrateful. I deeply appreciate clean water, available food, antibiotics and other advances that have freed us—at least some of us, looking at the world in its entirety—from ills that have plagued humanity through the ages. But, I am fascinated by the dual nature of the natural world. I say "the dual nature" because the natural world is both beautiful in its simplicity to provide, and amazingly complex within that provision.
Take fibers, for example. Linen, flax, wool, cotton, silk—all of these various fibers grow and reproduce, and did so and would do so without any intervention from us. Because of their natural properties—the way a fiber is constructed so that when it is spun, because of its natural design, the fibers interlock, become stronger, and can be made into the myriads of articles we need.
Clay is much the same—abundant in nature, and of such a specific construction in its nature that it is the perfect material for creating vessels—pots, dishes, water jugs, insulators, and even panels on the space shuttle. Clay is another natural material with astonishing properties.