text:
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20XXCTXX1XX2AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
Case #: 20XXCTXX1XX2AXX NO CONVICTION AS CHARGED
The Defendant was stopped in a left hand turn lane way behind the stop bar. An officer was behind him with her camera activated on her way to another call. The Defendant did not move when the light turned green. The officer hit her spotlight, activated her emergency lights and sirens and eventually had to get out of her car and approach the Defendant's vehicle. The Defendant slumped forward in his vehicle and completely passed out. The doors were locked and the officer was banging on the window of the car for two minutes with her mag light and knocking as well. She was attempting to wake up the Defendant. When he finally came to, he was bobbling his head around and looked at the Officer. He made a sad pouty face and started moving forward like he was going to drive away. The Officer (on video), ran back to her car and the Defendant pulled up to the green arrow and stopped. Once the light turned red, the Defendant ran the red light. The Officer had her emergency lights activated as she followed the Defendant. He failed to stop at 3 places where he could have pulled over and finally pulled over. He was ordered to step out of the car and stumbled for a second or two. He had a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath, his speech was slurred and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. According to the stopping officer, he tried to get away at one point and said or did something that made her feel that he needed to be held in the back of her patrol car until the DUI unit arrived. When the DUI unit arrived, the Defendant was asked to submit to roadsides which he refused. He was arrested and taken to the Breath Facility where he refused to submit to a sample of his breath after being advised his license would be suspended for one year. The case went to trial in front of a jury. The Firm pointed out all of the inconsistent statements made by the stopping officer in her sworn deposition and her in court testimony. Additionally, the arresting officer made multiple statements on cross-examination which conflicted with the stopping officer's testimony. The Defendant testified that he had played 36 holes of golf that day for business purposes and that he had drunk a minimal amount. He further testified that he was physically exhausted from the day and that he had fallen asleep behind the wheel from the day and not from alcohol impairment. The jury found the Defendant not guilty of Driving Under the Influence.
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text:
Del Val is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

 Dominguito del Val, Spanish martyr
 Jean Del Val, French actor
 Rafael Merry del Val, Spanish cardinal
 Ricardo del Val, Argentine politician

See also
 Del (disambiguation)
 Val (disambiguation)
 Del Valle (disambiguation)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Com. v. Bender
Com. v. Wheaton
In a prior case, this Court held that filing a series of formal complaints and making phone calls during…
Losch v. Borough of Parkesburg
The only language conceivably relevant to the note written by Losch is the prohibition against addressing…
Full title:COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. James M. BENDER, Appellant
Court:Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Date published: Jun 29, 1977
248 Pa. Super. 504 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1977)
375 A.2d 354
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
In Bender, appellant filed numerous complaints against two police officers because he believed they had mishandled his gun permit application.
Summary of this case from Com. v. Wheaton
Argued April 13, 1977.
Decided June 29, 1977.
Appeal from the Superior Court, No. 919 April Term, 1976, Hoffman, J.
Jonathan W. Delano, Pittsburgh, with him Reed, Smith, Shaw McClay, Pittsburgh, for appellant.
Joel M. Kaufman, Assistant District Attorney, Pittsburgh, with him Robert E. Colville, District Attorney, Pittsburgh, for appellee.
Before WATKINS, President Judge, and JACOBS, HOFFMAN, CERCONE, PRICE and SPAETH, JJ.
HOFFMAN, Judge:
Appellant contends that we must reverse his conviction of criminal harassment and arrest the judgment of sentence because: (1) the Commonwealth did not produce sufficient evidence to prove appellant guilty of criminal harassment, (2) appellant's alleged criminal conduct at most constituted a de minimis infraction not warranting criminal sanctions, and (3) his conviction abridges his constitutional rights to petition the government for redress of grievances and to speak freely. See U.S. Const. Amends. I, XIV; Pa. Const. Art. I, §§ 7, 20. We believe that the Commonwealth failed to produce sufficient evidence that appellant committed criminal harassment. Accordingly, we vacate appellant's judgment of sentence and order that appellant be discharged.
The Crimes Code, Act of Dec. 6, 1972, P.L. 1482, No. 334, § 1, eff. June 6, 1973; 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3).
The Crimes Code, supra; 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 312.
On October 2, 1975, two Pittsburgh police officers, Regis L. Diggans and Robert Smolensky, filed identical private criminal complaints against appellant. Each complaint alleged that appellant harassed the victim in violation of 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709, supra, by "making formal complaints against the victim at the Internal Affairs Div., City of Pittsburgh, Police Dept., at the Mayor's Service Center, without justification, and reason, the defendant also makes calls and persists in harassing the victim at the Public Safety Bldg., which did alarm and seriously annoy the said victim . . and which served no legitimate purpose." On October 20, 1975, a magistrate found appellant guilty of harassment and ordered appellant to pay $111 in fines and costs. Appellant paid this sum and exercised his right to a trial de novo before the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Rule 67, Pa.R.Crim.P., 19 P.S. Appendix.
On February 12, 1976, the Commonwealth presented the following testimony at trial. On July 28, 1975, appellant went to the Gunner's Den, owned by Burton Bennett, in Pittsburgh and attempted to procure a Ruger .44 Magnum firearm. Appellant completed a standard permit application and forwarded it to the Gun Registration Section of the Pittsburgh Police Department. Upon receipt of the application, the section supervisor, Sergeant Regis L. Diggans, assigned Officer Robert Smolensky to handle the application. While processing this application, Officer Smolensky discovered that marijuana and theft charges were currently pending against appellant. In accordance with departmental regulations barring the issuance of a gun permit to persons with outstanding criminal charges, Officer Smolensky denied appellant's application and notified Burton Bennett of his action. Bennett, in turn, informed appellant, observed that he was upset, as were most of his customers in similar situations, and suggested that appellant contact the police officers in the Gun Registration Section in order to ascertain why the department denied his application. On or about July 30, appellant telephoned Officer Smolensky at the police station. Officer Smolensky testified that he explained why he refused to issue a permit and suggested that if appellant really desired this particular gun, appellant could arrange to have a friend, without a criminal record of any kind apply for a permit and purchase the gun. If the charges pending against him were dismissed, appellant could then apply for a transfer permit. On August 1, a friend of appellant received a permit and purchased the desired firearm.
The Commonwealth concedes that, in fact, the listing of the theft charge was erroneous.
On August 25, 1975, the outstanding drug charges against appellant were dismissed. Appellant immediately applied for a transfer permit. On August 26, 1975, Officer Smolensky processed the transfer application and again discovered that drug and theft charges against appellant were still pending because the police department records had not yet been updated to reflect the dismissal of the drug charges or to correct the original error in listing the theft charge. On the morning of August 27, Officer Smolensky informed Bennett that he would not issue a transfer permit, and Bennett so informed appellant. On August 29, appellant telephoned Officer Smolensky at the police department to find out why his transfer application had been rejected. Officer Smolensky responded that because of the outstanding drug and theft charges, he could not approve the application. Appellant replied that all charges had been dismissed. Officer Smolensky advised appellant to go to the Magistrate's Office in the Pittsburgh City Court and obtain a copy of the disposition of the charges. Later that afternoon, appellant returned to Officer Smolensky's office with an unsigned, undated piece of paper which read: "Charges Dismissed." Officer Smolensky declined to accept this paper as proof of the dismissal of the pending charges. When appellant stated that the clerk in the Magistrate's Office refused to give him a copy of the disposition papers, Officer Smolensky suggested that appellant return to the Magistrate's Office and ask a clerk to call Officer Smolensky to confirm the dismissal of the charges. Appellant followed this procedure, and Officer Smolensky issued the transfer permit. Officer Smolensky testified that appellant apologized to him and Sergeant Diggans for being disorderly, thanked them for their help, and left. According to another police department employee, appellant mumbled and appeared provoked as he passed her desk on his way out of Officer Smolensky's office.
In early September, 1975, appellant visited the Internal Affairs Division (hereinafter I.A.D.) of the Pittsburgh Police Department and spoke with Inspector James Campbell. Inspector Campbell testified that one of the functions of the I.A.D. was "to take complaints of deliberate or accidental misconduct on the part of officers." Appellant told Inspector Campbell that he believed that his application had been handled improperly and that Officers Diggans and Smolensky had insulted and abused him. Inspector Campbell advised appellant that the officers had fully complied with departmental procedures and that appellant's complaint was groundless because he ultimately received his gun permit. Appellant then left the I.A.D. office without filing a complaint.
On September 22, 1975, appellant lodged a complaint against Officers Diggans and Smolensky with the Pittsburgh Mayor's Service Center. The complaint alleged that the officers insulted him and improperly handled his application. An employee of the Mayor's Service Center testified that the Center was designed to take complaints concerning the conduct of municipal employees. The Mayor's Service Center referred the complaint to the Superintendent of Police who instructed the two officers to file a written response to appellant's complaint. A Mayor's Service Center employee testified that the Center never notified appellant of the disposition of his complaint; appellant confirmed this testimony.
On September 29, 1975, appellant filed a 3 or 4 page complaint against the two officers with the I.A.D.; appellant asserted that the two officers had violated his constitutional rights and had insulted him. The two police officers were again instructed to file responsive reports. On September 30, appellant voluntarily withdrew his I.A.D. complaint.
On or about September 30, 1975, appellant contacted the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission about his complaint. An employee of the Commission advised appellant to contact Officer Smolensky's Supervisor at the police department. On September 30, appellant telephoned Officer Smolensky's supervisor appellant did not realize that Officer Smolensky's supervisor was, in fact, Sergeant Diggans. Appellant told the supervisor that Officer Smolensky and Diggans had insulted him many times and that they had mishandled his gun permit and transfer applications. At this point, Sergeant Diggans told appellant to whom he was speaking appellant replied that he did not want to do anything to Sergeant Diggans, but that he wanted to maintain his complaint against Officer Smolensky. Sergeant Diggans, however, informed appellant that the two officers would see him in civil court. Sergeant Diggans stated that he "had one hell of a time getting off the phone from him. I thought I was talking to Orson Welles or somebody with a higher IQ than that." Sergeant Diggans also testified that appellant had telephoned him at the police station 3 or 4 times prior to September 30. Each conversation lasted 3 to 15 minutes; on one occasion, appellant allegedly talked "like a curbstone lawyer telling me the law."
Officer Smolensky testified that appellant's complaints upset him so much that they aggravated a pre-existing nervous condition, caused by a previous spinal injury, and made him sick for two days, September 30, and October 1. Officer Smolensky testified that he believed that his promotion prospects would be substantially impaired because his previously unblemished personnel file would now show that two complaints had been filed against him. Officer Smolensky conceded that the complaints in his file were marked "totally unfounded." Officer Smolensky also testified that he never insulted appellant, that he patiently explained the applicable procedures, and that he did everything he could to help appellant.
Sergeant Diggans testified that appellant aroused his "Irishman's ire" and disturbed him greatly because the complaints might endanger his professional reputation. He stated that he never insulted appellant and that he thoroughly explained the pertinent procedures to appellant.
Appellant testified that he believed that Officer Smolensky and Diggans had needlessly insulted him and mishandled his application. In particular, he stated that the officers told him that he had a bad attitude and that people with bad attitudes did not receive gun permits. Appellant also testified that he contacted 5 or 6 attorneys who informed him that the two police officers could not constitutionally refuse a permit unless appellant had been convicted of or indicted for a crime. Moreover, appellant believed that the police officers had "dreamed up" the theft charges to justify their refusal of a gun permit; appellant did not know that his record erroneously revealed an outstanding theft charge. Finally, appellant believed that the two police officers had unnecessarily forced him to run the bureaucratic gauntlet even after the dismissal of the marijuana charges. Appellant filed his complaints with the Mayor's Service Center and I.A.D. and contacted the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission upon the advice of his attorneys. When he finally understood the procedures employed by the police officers and realized that the police officers did not know that he had not been charged with theft, he dropped his I.A.D. complaint.
On February 13, 1976, the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County found appellant guilty and sentenced him to pay a fine of $100 plus costs. This appeal followed the lower court's denial of appellant's post-verdict motions.
Appellant first contends that the Commonwealth failed to adduce sufficient evidence that he committed criminal harassment. 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709, supra, provides, in pertinent part: "A person commits a summary offense when, with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person: . . (3) he engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts which alarm or seriously annoy such other person and which serve no legitimate purpose. In determining whether the Commonwealth proved appellant guilty of criminal harassment beyond a reasonable doubt, we must, of course, view the trial testimony in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth. Moreover, we must accept as true all evidence, together with all reasonable inferences therefrom, upon which the lower court could properly have based its verdict. Commonwealth v. Hubbard, 472 Pa. 259, 372 A.2d 687 (1977).
18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3) is based upon American Law Institute, Proposed Official Draft of the Model Penal Code, § 250.4 (1962). See also Commentary, Model Penal Code, Tentative Draft No. 13 at p. 52 (1960). 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3) is also identical to N.Y. Penal Law § 240.25(5) (McKinney 1967).
Our Court has construed 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3) on two separate occasions. In Commonwealth v. Schnabel, 236 Pa. Super. 280, 344 A.2d 896 (1975), appellant-lessor severed a hose which supplied water to a lessee's lot. We reversed defendant's conviction because the Commonwealth did not establish that appellant engaged in a "course of conduct" of harassment. See also People v. Hotchkiss, 59 Misc.2d 823, 300 N.Y.S.2d 405 (1969). We also noted that the legislature did not intend to punish defendant's conduct with criminal sanctions. We stated: "It is inevitable under modern social conditions that neighbors will become involved in minor disagreements. We do not believe that the Commonwealth has any real interest to vindicate by interfering in such minor annoyances. The evidence in this case portrays two people, living in proximity to each other, involved in any annoying disagreement to which almost everyone is subject at one time or another. The appellant's act of cutting his water hose, though possibly a wrongdoing, is not criminal. . . ." supra, 236 Pa.Super. at 284-85, 344 A.2d at 898. (footnote omitted).
In Commonwealth v. Duncan, 239 Pa. Super. 539, 363 A.2d 803 (1976), our Court affirmed defendant's criminal harassment conviction. The Commonwealth demonstrated that defendant entered a University of Pennsylvania dormitory lounge at 3:30 a. m., approached a coed sleeping on a couch, and, with his face in close proximity to her face, entreated her 3 or 4 times to allow him to perform cunnilingus, Judge Van der Voort, in a plurality opinion joined by President Judge Watkins and Judge Cercone, stated that: "In enacting 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3), our legislature did not intend to proscribe isolated acts which would be of only minor annoyance to the average person, or which are constitutionally protected. The statute requires a course of conduct or repeated acts which would seriously offend, we find, the average person; it requires the fact-finder to infer a specific intent on the part of the accused, and it specifies that the conduct must be of a non-legitimate nature — conduct which is not constitutionally protected." Supra 239 Pa.Super. at 549, 363 A.2d at 908. A Majority of the Court found that defendant possessed an intent to harass the coed which could be inferred from his words and actions when viewed in the light of all the attendant circumstances. Defendant's invitation to engage in lewd and illegal conduct was not a constitutionally protected manifestation of social or political beliefs or an attempt to engage in any "legitimate conduct." His repeated entreaties established a "course of conduct," and his pleas and actions seriously annoyed a person of average sensibilities.
Judge Jacobs concurred in the result. Judges Hoffman, Price and Spaeth filed separate dissenting opinions which argued, for different reasons, that the defendant had not engaged in a "course of conduct" within the meaning of 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3).
In the instant case, we believe that the Commonwealth failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt the following three elements necessary to sustain a conviction under 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2709(3): (1) intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, (2) conduct which has "no legitimate purpose," and (3) conduct which alarms or seriously annoys the average person. The Commonwealth contends that appellant's conduct in filing the complaints with the Mayor's Service Center and the I.A.D. and in calling the Human Relations Commission and Sergeant Diggans allowed the trier of fact to infer beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant intended to harass the two police officers and that his acts served no legitimate purpose. More particularly, the Commonwealth asks us to draw the necessary inferences from appellant's persistence in pursuing his complaint, even though he was repeatedly informed that the police officers followed appropriate procedures and that his complaint was, therefore, groundless. In Commonwealth v. Duncan, supra, we held that the trier of fact could reasonably infer from the defendant's lewd and illegal activities, in light of all the attendant circumstances, that the defendant intended to harass the victim and that his actions served no legitimate purpose. In the case at bar, however, appellant's actions are ostensibly protected by both the United States and Pennsylvania Constitutions which guarantee citizens the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances and to speak freely. We should be extremely reluctant to infer a criminal intent to harass solely from the filing of complaints with appropriate government agencies and the making of telephone calls during regular office hours lest we impermissibly chill a citizen's constitutional freedoms. Zwickler v. Koota, 389 U.S. 241, 88 S.Ct. 391, 19 L.Ed.2d 444 (1967). Moreover, the record demonstrates that appellant had some reason to believe that his application had been at least accidentally mishandled. Both parties agree that the police officers refused the initial application, in part, because appellant's police record erroneously listed an outstanding theft charge. Also, the issuance of the transfer permit was admittedly delayed because appellant's police record was not rapidly updated to reflect the dismissal of the marijuana charges. When appellant pressed his complaint that his claim had been improperly and insultingly handled, the two accused police officers and an I.A.D. inspector did inform him that the police officers followed the applicable procedures. However, appellant received no response at all to his contention that the police officers had been rude. In fact, the Mayor's Service Center made no response whatsoever. Appellant filed his complaints with appropriate government agencies and made his telephone calls to Sergeant Diggans during regular business hours and before his complaint had been finally resolved. The Commonwealth did not rebut appellant's assertion that his actions were a product of the advice of his attorneys. Finally, appellant withdrew his I.A.D. complaint the day after he filed it. Given these attendant circumstances and the ostensibly lawful and constitutionally protected nature of appellant's acts, the trier of fact could only speculate that appellant intended to harass the two police officers and that his conduct served no legitimate purpose. Commonwealth v. Long, 470 Pa. 204, 368 A.2d 265 (Filed Jan. 28, 1977).
In People v. Jemzura, 29 N.Y.2d 590, 324 N.Y.S.2d 315, 272 N.E.2d 877 (1971), the New York Court of Appeals found insufficient evidence to establish an intent to harass, annoy or alarm the victim, despite much more outlandish and inflammatory conduct than in the case at bar. In Jemzura, defendant, distraught over the outcome of a family court proceeding, sought on two separate occasions to effect a citizen's arrest of the presiding judge. During the second incident, defendant, equipped with a tape recorder and microphone, accosted the judge in chambers, advised him of the intended arrest, and demanded a statement.
We also believe that the Commonwealth did not establish that appellant's conduct alarmed or seriously annoyed the complaining police officers. In Commonwealth v. Duncan, we emphasized that a defendant's acts must seriously offend the average person. See also Commonwealth v. Schnabel, supra; People v. Carvelas, 75 Misc.2d 616, 348 N.Y.S.2d 77 (1975), rev'd on other grounds, 35 N.Y.2d 803, 362 N.Y.S.2d 460, 321 N.E.2d 550 (1976). In the instant case, Sergeant Diggans testified that appellant's complaints greatly disturbed him and aroused his "Irishman's ire" because the complaints besmirched his previously spotless professional reputation. Officer Smolensky asserted that appellant's complaints substantially impaired his promotion prospects because they became part of his personal file. However, he conceded that the complaints were marked "totally unfounded." We do not believe that supervisory police officers would act so capriciously as to deny promotion to police officers on the basis of one totally baseless complaint over the course of a long and meritorious career. Officer Smolensky also testified that he became sick for two days because appellant's complaint aggravated a pre-existing nervous condition originally caused by an unrelated physical injury. However, we cannot say that appellant's apparently baseless complaints would so seriously offend an average police officer as to result in such illness. Indeed, police officers must expect, as part of their jobs exposing them to daily contact with distraught individuals in emotionally charged situations, to confront and answer accusations of rudeness and improper conduct. See Commonwealth v. Schnabel, supra; People v. Smolen, 69 Misc.2d 920, 331 N.Y.S.2d 98 (1972). Therefore, we hold that the Commonwealth did not introduce sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction of criminal harassment. We order that the judgment of sentence be vacated and appellant discharged.
We are not now confronted with a situation in which appellant made threatening phone calls during an officer's off-duty hours or in which appellant deliberately and persistently invoked channels of relief outside the normal governmental process.
Because of this disposition, we do not address appellant's contentions that his conduct at most constituted a de minimis infraction of the penal law and that his conduct was constitutionally sheltered from criminal sanctions.
Judgment of sentence vacated and appellant discharged.
JACOBS and CERCONE, JJ., dissent.
VAN der VOORT, J., did not participate in the consideration and decision of this case.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


London based producer/songwriter Rubik is also known as Shaun Yule, founder of the exploratory, left-field imprint Domestic Records. Responsible for the discovery of esteemed success AxxoN N, as well as releases by the likes of Atki2, Gnaw Their Tongues and Mink Freud, he set up the label in 2007 as a way to fulfill his experimental passions without limitation. Rubik's new album Tone Poem is his fourth album, and the 19th release on the label.
Partly inspired by Alex Ross' 'The Rest Is Noise', Tone Poem is a menagerie of samples accumulated by a deterministically random process - an exploration into the landscape of late nineteenth and twentieth century classical music via a cathartic endeavor to compose his own personal opera.
Expressing method in perceptible madness, Rubik has long been compelled to make an album as a product of almost entirely stochastic processes. After deciding on a stylistic theme he sourced the backing tracks from a selection of 10 classical CDs from his personal collection. Assigning numerical values to specific elements of these works, he picked numbers from a bowl to determine sample length; the point in time from which the sample was taken; and CD/disc/track number sampled from, etc. All samples of a certain length would be used on the same track and thus a tempo derived. Notes were then manipulated within the samples for a more expressive and 'musical' result and additional instruments and solos were 'bent' to fit the backing track in the same way.
Initially the lyrics were meant to be sourced in a similar way, particularly via love letters. As the project progressed he used less of this in order to write from the heart, with the odd phrase taken from existing poetry or lyrics. Although he'd admit to struggling with vocal limitations Rubik embraces them for what they are and even employs them almost New-Romantically to articulate the sometimes difficult and personal nature of the album.
Lyrical themes include religion, aging, paternal relationships, death/transcendence, acceptance of self, break-up(s), masculinity (and lack of perceived ideal), alcoholism, change.. Applied to musical influences including various classical genres, pantomime, experimental music, noise, black metal, grime and torch songs, Tone Poem might be considered to be part of a group including Dean Blunt's 'The Redeemer', or James Ferraro's 'NYC, Hell 3am' – conceptually and thematically linked yet dissonant portraits of flux.
The melodic, albeit slightly off-kilter, classical overtones provide some semblance of alleviation for any challenging listening, as if Billie Holiday's 'Lady In Satin' had been warped in dystopia. Consider Rubik a more mortal David Sylvian or Krzysztof Penderecki, a twisted Sondheim, or merely a contemporary of L.Pierre or Hype Williams. And consider Tone Poem a nightmarish Disney production telling of one man's everyday existence in Tottenham.


The iPad mini starts at $329, which is a good deal more than the entry-level Kindle Fire HD, Barnes & Noble Nook HD and the Nexus 7, but it's still going to scare the pants off of competitors, according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu.
Wu published a note on Wednesday that suggested the pricing, which was in line with estimates between $299 and $349, is higher than the hope that the tablet would launch for $299. Still, he said Apple "has a strong track record in pricing to optimize volume and profits unlike most competitors who need to price low to have a fighting chance." As such, Wu believes the iPad mini will still compete aggressively with cheaper priced tablets and will take sales away from the companies that offer them.
"We continue to believe the iPad mini is the competition's worst nightmare and likely to drive incremental volume," Wu argued. "Many forget that $329 is still a more attractive price than $399 of iPad 2 and $499 of iPad. We believe some customers considering a Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD may consider iPad mini instead. Keep in mind that competitors have a tough time competing against higher priced iPads and we think iPad mini that is $70 less will make it even more difficult."
Wu adjusted Apple's earnings forecast for the Sept. quarter to $36.2 billion in revenue and $8.88 earnings per share from $36.6 billion and $8.93 earnings per share. The Street consensus is that Apple will report earnings of $36.2 billion in revenue and $8.84 EPS, and Wu said that estimate will likely go lower.


text:
Lionel Ferbos Day
July 17, 1911 – July 19, 2014
Sister Kate
Trumpeter Lionel Ferbos was born on July 17, 1911 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ferbos began a rigorous musical education at 15, his childhood trumpet teacher did not allow Ferbos to play until he'd mastered music reading and theory.
During his career, Ferbos worked with some of the most prestigious jazz bands of New Orleans. He continued to perform until his passing at the age of 103.
Believing that if a girl could play a wind instrument so could he young, Lionel acquired a used cornet at a local pawnshop on Rampart Street and set about taking lessons.
His professional career stated in society jazz bands at the onset of the 1930s before joining Captain Handy's "Louisiana Shakers" in 1932, and later with the Fats Pichon Band accompanying blues singer Mamie Smith.
Although he was not a hot player, as he put it, his ability to read music would ensure that he never had trouble finding work.
Like so many he didn't earn a whole lot from his music but did have a lot of fun and kept his day job as a tin smithy until retirement.
Lionel who was often called upon to recount his experiences in historic New Orleans, received the Big Easy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
On the morning of Saturday July 19, 2014 Linoel Ferbos, New Orleans' oldest living musician, died at his home at the age of 103.
The late Lionel Ferbos and the "Louisiana Shakers" perform at the Fleur de Lindy in New Orleans, Louisiana during April 2010.
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I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate


text:
layout: post
title: FireHose Project - Week 12
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This week, I traveled to San Diego and Los Angeles for a family trip, but I was still able to get a decent amount of work done. I completed the chess logic for castling. It's actually a pretty involved task since the ability to castle has several requirement.

* King and Rook never moved
* The spaces between King and Rook are empty
* The King won't end up in check
* Take account into the queen side and king side castling

This feature is splitted into two methods, one to check for the ability to do castling and another method for performing the actual move of the pieces.

For my personal project, I updated the stock result page with some styles, which it is now presentable. However, there is still more work to be done in the frontend for what I've envisioned. I also got a working version done for the calculation of support and resistance level and incorporated into the stock result page. At this point, this is pretty much a MVP (minimal viable product) or a prototype of the product. For the next round of features, I will add the following features:

* Add a stock chart to the stock result page
* Organize the information in stock result page to be more logical
* Add interpretation of the indicators

Now, I got the concept working and thought about what the final product should look like. I realized it will be a lot more work than I had anticipated to get to a point where I can use it for my own personal stock investing. I think at least the following advance feature might be implemented in the future.

* A chart that incorporates the different indicators.
* A more accurate support and resistance logic (probably more on testing than coding)
* Add helpful ways into using the indicators, such as derviating a signal or score (probably more on research than coding)

Random Thoughts:

Now that I have worked on both an indepedent application and a group project. There are several differences (as expected, but now to actual experience it) and definitely good to experience both:

* Test becomes more important in group project
* Communication, coordination, planning become more important in group project
* Feels like I'm moving faster working in an indepedent application
* Feel less confident of your code in an indepedent application, as there is no one reviewing or checking in with you

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
'Power Rangers': Rumored Plot Details Introduce the New Team
by Sean Reed
[Potential Power Rangers reboot SPOILERS ahead.]
With The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 premiering in the fall and thereby concluding the extremely lucrative book-to-film series, Lionsgate will need another mega-successful franchise to fill the gap. And the odds (read: nostalgia) may be ever in its favor with the planned Power Rangers reboot. The project is expected to begin production later this year and bow in early 2017, with Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) directing and Robert Orci (Star Trek) executive producing.
Although the project has yet to hit any major speed bumps so far - aside from a release date change - the primary challenge yet to come will be its ability to excite a new generation of children with the reconfigured intergalactic heroes, while still pleasing longtime, die hard fans. While the actors attached to the project will most likely be unknowns, the rumored storyline (set to feature iconic Mighty Morphin mythology and reimagined key characters) is anything but unfamiliar.
On the back of recent plot leaks, Umberto Gonzalez of Heroic Hollywood now has further details pertaining to the film's supposed prologue scene, as well as part of the first act. Be advised, though, that this information should be taken with a grain heaping of salt, as no official announcement from Lionsgate or Saban has been made - and no official source has been confirmed.
Below is a breakdown of the Power Ranger reboot's opening act (for much more, read the original report by HH):
As previously revealed, the story will begin during the cretaceous period on Earth, where Zordon--the original Red Ranger--and his team of Power Rangers are fighting Rita Repulsa and Goldar. Zordon detonates a black hole, in order to defeat Rita.
Fast forward 65 million years to Angel's Grove, California where we meet 16 year old Jason at Hart Automotive.
Next, we meet Zack at a Dave & Busters. Zack is athletically gifted but does not play any sports for his high school--he's not exactly a team player.
Meanwhile, back at Hart Automotive we meet Kimberly, a perfectionist on every level (and romantically involved with Jason).
We are then in a bedroom where we meet Billy who is brilliant in his own way.
Finally, we meet Trini, the loner and free spirit of the group. She is out in the desert doing yoga.
Jason and Billy investigate a T-rex fossil at a military base, which leads them to discover the five power coins that belonged to the first Power Rangers.
Zack, Billy, Trini, Jason & Kimberly meet up & work as a team together for the first time when a meteor shower that struck the moon cause massive waves on Earth to surge inland - threatening the residents of Angel Grove.
Elsewhere, in a mysterious portal room, Zordon reappears. An ethereal version of his entire body hovers in a glass tube. He meets the robot, Alpha 5.
Alpha 5 informs Zordon that when he detonated the black hole in the opening scene, it tore the fabric of time around the solar system, transporting them years into the future.
Zordon realizes that Rita Repulsa is also alive and that her starship landed in Russia.
Rita Repulsa awakens in Russia and begins her quest to find gold, as a means of reviving Goldar (whose molecular presence scattered around the globe in the form of gold after the black hole opened up).
Back at the command center on Zordon's ship, Zordon and Alpha 5 discover Rita's plan.
Zordon and Alpha 5 discover the power coins have already bonded with five teenage humans on Earth and fears they are not ready to be Power Rangers, let alone save the world.
If you managed to follow and digest all that, it seems the beginning of the film serves to introduce the initial team dynamic. That includes, showing what each member can contribute individually (in terms of personality and skill), while sewing the seeds for potential conflict among the group. Not to mention, having them face their first Earth-threatening crisis, as a test-run for their eventual showdown against Rita.
Essentially, this alleged Power Rangers storyline follows the same formula used for the Avengers, or more appropriately, X-Men: First Class (penned by the same screenwriters attached to Power Rangers, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz), both of which balanced an unsteady team dynamic with global catastrophe. And if the success of those films is any indication, Power Rangers could be on the right track - emphasis on could.
Still, if you read the full Power Rangers plot rundown from HH, you'll note that it's riddled with gaps, plot holes, and unanswered questions. It goes without saying that most of these questions - if these details are valid - will be answered within the movie's first act; that said, one can't help but sense some of the described events feel a bit random and erratic. Of course, this is only a leaked, rumored, unconfirmed plot synopsis, so the resultant storyline could be entirely different.
Power Rangers opens in U.S. theaters on January 13th, 2017.
Source: Heroic Hollywood
Tags: power rangers
Spider-Man: Far From Home Pitch Meeting


The marketing blitz of the Super Bowl, seemingly unending and often head-shaking, is an excuse to promote just about anything. Winsomely captured in poems and song, the birds are yielding new secrets about their astounding beaks and penchant for violence. A U.S. agency that insures worker pensions sought permission on Friday to take over two underfunded Sears Holdings Corp pension plans, after objecting to Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert's proposed $5.2... Order cozaar 10mg tablets.


text:
Apple reportedly to sell iPhone 5 cases later this month
Cases for the new phone should reach Apple stores before the end of the month, says AppleInsider.
Lance Whitney
Oct. 11, 2012 7:18 a.m. PT
Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Apple's iPhone 5.
iPhone 5 owners looking for cases at their local Apple store may finally see some in the next couple of weeks.
Apple-approved third-party cases could reach store shelves the week of October 22, multiple sources reportedly told 9to5Mac. Though that time frame could change, the cases should at least appear by the end of October.
Best iPhone SE and iPhone 5S cases
The iPhone 5 hit stores almost three weeks ago, but Apple has been slow in stocking cases, screen covers, and other accessories.
Why the delay? Apple has to certify and approve every product sold in its stores, including those from third parties. And that process can be a lengthy one.
A salesman at my local Apple store told me last week that he expects cases to arrive within the next two or three weeks. He also explained Apple's need to ensure that every product sold in its stores meets a certain standard and level of quality.
iPhone 5 case roundup from A-Z
New iPhone 5 case offers to fix purple flares
The most obnoxious iPhone 5 case?
Finally, the iPhone we've always wanted
Of course, plenty of other retailers have been carrying cases for the iPhone 5.
I bought a case for the new phone at a third-party store. It serves the purpose of protecting the phone's new aluminum siding from scuff marks, a complaint among many iPhone 5 owners. But I usually find a more varied and higher-quality collection of cases at the Apple store.
And though I can always buy one online, I prefer to shop in a brick-and-mortar outlet where I can try out the cases to find the right one.
Apple's retail stores are also behind in carrying Lightning adapters and other products compatible with the new interface. Apple has reportedly just started shipping the new Lighting to 30-pin adapters to people who ordered them online. The company's Web site now lists the ship date for the new adapter as two to three weeks.
Now playing: Watch this: iPhone 5: Hands-on at CNET


We have a dedicated children's outpatient clinic at Colchester Hospital – the entrance is on the left of the main entrance. Please check your appointment letter as some of our appointments are at different locations.
We hold some appointments at Ipswich Hospital. Please check your appointment letter before you set off.
We hold clinics at this hospital.
The child health department is on the first floor.
Ipswich and Colchester hospitals work in partnership with community paediatrics.


I have been hearing such great things about Inside Out ! I can not wait to get to see it for myself with my kiddos! Check out this fun video featuring the cast of INSIDE OUT explaining what they think goes into making a Pixar animated movie.
INSIDE OUT opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, June 19th!
Walt Disney Animation Studios Developing FROZEN 2!
BIG HERO 6 Special 2-Minute Sneak Peek!
Looking for a job in Criminal Justice?


text:
Meet Stephanie
Newsletter 2021 / By Stephanie Oddo
I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend celebrating Labor Day!
If you are not vaccinated yet, I urge you to do so, hospital capacity has been affected greatly by unvaccinated COVID sufferers. You can check out this web page to see that many local hospitals are at 90% or more capacity HERE.
My prayers are with our military and the Afghan people as we mourn the loss of our soldiers and Afghan people as a result of the bombing in Kabul. Our soldiers were protecting democracy and human life when they gave their own life. May God Bless these military and Afghan families and the United States of America.
LABOR NEGOTIATIONS BROKE DOWN, FIRST TIME IN CITY HISTORY
On July 19th labor negotiations broke down when city workers rejected the city's last, best and final offer. The workers declined the low pay and started to mobilize, when management heard about this, they quickly came back with an acceptable wage increase and contract improvements. OCEA members in the City of Laguna Niguel voted to ratify a two-year contract with the City that includes a wage increase of 2.5% in the first year and a 2% cash bonus in year two.
CITY CENTER PROJECT RESTARTS
The city council approved authorization for spending to complete the environmental impact report that was started before the pandemic for the city center project located near city hall. Public informations sessions will be held soon.
CITY MANAGER LeTOURNEAU RECEIVES PAY INCREASE
City Manager Tammy LeTourneau received a 7.25% salary adjustment, a one time bonus of $15,000, 3 extra months of severance benefits, among other additional benefits.
GUBERNATORIAL RECALL ELECTION UNDERWAY
City Hall will be open for voting in the Gubernatorial Recall Election now through September 13 from 8-5pm and September 14 from 7am-8pm. The Senior Center will be open for voting starting September 11 from 8am-8pm and September 14 from 7am-8pm. You can also drop your ballot at 3 official ballot boxes located at the Laguna Niguel Library, Fire Station (#49) on Golden Lantern and Laguna Niguel-Mission Viejo Metrolink station on Forbes Road.
Join Team Oddo
Add your email to our mailing list for upcoming newsletters, events, news, and all things Laguna Niguel
stephanie@stephanieoddo.com
© 2022 Oddo for City Council 2022
Paid for by Oddo for City Council 2022, FPPC #1439662
111 N. La Brea Avenue, Suite 408, Inglewood, CA 90301


text:
What the opening week of the Tour de France has taught us
BMC sports director Fabio Baldato said the 32-year-old Porte "had a lot of pain" but had remained conscious through his ordeal. The Australian had run onto the grass on the inside of a corner, then slid across the road into an embankment, taking out Martin as he went. [Full Article...]
How Mkhwebane changed her mind on Reserve Bank matter
Mkhwebane had earlier said in a statement that she would no longer be opposing the Reserve Bank's challenge of her report on Absa, in effect conceding that she does not have a strong case. "This is not only for an illegitimate and unsafe remedial action, but also for the audacity of offering to use public funds to pay for her incompetent decisions". [Full Article...]
Blood donations needed as supplies dwindle during summer
Additionally, platelet donations are in high demand. In the Appalachian Blood Services Region, more than 1,000 fewer donations were collected than needed during this time frame contributing to the overall shortfall. Donating takes about an hour from check-in to refreshments. "Summer is always a challenging time for blood collections and maintaining a safe and adequate blood supply is our top... [Full Article...]
Trump prods Abe to shrink US-Japan trade imbalance
President Donald Trump says he told the Chinese president that "something has to be done" about North Korea. "President Trump made very clear to President Xi that he's focused on these issues and wants to make progress, and I think President Xi gave a very interesting perspective of their standpoint", Mnuchin said. [Full Article...]
Mission: Impossible 6 director teases multiple Tom Cruise stunts
The spy action film commemorated wrapping production in New Zealand with a cast photo of the team gazing pensively off in the distance, the New Zealand wind whipping through their hair. Mission: Impossible 6 is due for release on July 27, 2018. Thanks to everyone there who helped us achieve the Impossible . He added: "Leave a light on, London". [Full Article...]
Disturbed sleep boosts levels of protein linked to Alzheimer's, scientists find
The brains of people with Alzheimer's are dotted with plaques of amyloid beta protein and tangles of tau protein, which together cause brain tissue to atrophy and die. People with Alzheimer's are notoriously poor sleepers, but scientists aren't sure if that is a cause or a outcome of the disease. The volunteers also wore sleep monitors to measure their sleep at home. [Full Article...]
Chuck Schumer Calls on FDA to Regulate Snortable Chocolate
Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, summed up his reaction in a health blog he writes for Forbes : "Why in the world would you snort chocolate (along with energy drink ingredients ) when you can just eat it?" Coco Loko is marketed as "raw cacao snuff". [Full Article...]
Mexico's manager Osorio banned for six games by Federation Internationale de Football Association
| Monday, July 10, 2017
While Mexico is the clear favorite to take the three points from this game and the Gold Cup trophy, the game should still be an intriguing affair. Federation Internationale de Football Association said Osorio also displayed an aggressive attitude towards officials in the Confederations Cup third place play-off, which Mexico lost 2:1 on July 2. [Full Article...]


text:
package com.fsck.k9.provider;

import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.List;

import android.content.ContentProvider;
import android.content.ContentValues;
import android.database.Cursor;
import android.database.MatrixCursor;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.ParcelFileDescriptor;
import android.provider.OpenableColumns;
import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
import androidx.annotation.Nullable;

import com.fsck.k9.Account;
import com.fsck.k9.DI;
import com.fsck.k9.Preferences;
import com.fsck.k9.controller.MessageReference;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.FetchProfile;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.MessagingException;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.filter.CountingOutputStream;
import com.fsck.k9.mailstore.LocalFolder;
import com.fsck.k9.mailstore.LocalMessage;
import com.fsck.k9.mailstore.LocalStore;
import com.fsck.k9.mailstore.LocalStoreProvider;
import org.openintents.openpgp.util.OpenPgpApi.OpenPgpDataSource;
import timber.log.Timber;

/**
 * A simple ContentProvider that allows file access to a raw message.
 */
public class RawMessageProvider extends ContentProvider {
    private static String AUTHORITY;
    private static Uri CONTENT_URI;

    private static final String[] DEFAULT_PROJECTION = new String[] {
            OpenableColumns.DISPLAY_NAME,
            OpenableColumns.SIZE
    };

    public static Uri getRawMessageUri(MessageReference messageReference) {
        return CONTENT_URI.buildUpon()
                .appendPath(messageReference.toIdentityString())
                .build();
    }

    @Override
    public boolean onCreate() {
        String packageName = getContext().getPackageName();
        AUTHORITY = packageName + ".rawmessageprovider";
        CONTENT_URI = Uri.parse("content://" + AUTHORITY);
        return true;
    }

    @Override
    public String getType(@NonNull Uri uri) {
        return "message/rfc822";
    }

    @Override
    public Cursor query(@NonNull Uri uri, String[] projection, String selection, String[] selectionArgs,
            String sortOrder) {

        String[] columnNames = (projection == null) ? DEFAULT_PROJECTION : projection;

        List<String> segments = uri.getPathSegments();
        String messageReferenceString = segments.get(0);
        MessageReference messageReference = MessageReference.parse(messageReferenceString);

        LocalMessage message = loadMessage(messageReference);
        if (message == null) {
            return null;
        }

        MatrixCursor ret = new MatrixCursor(columnNames);
        Object[] values = new Object[columnNames.length];
        for (int i = 0, count = columnNames.length; i < count; i++) {
            String column = columnNames[i];
            if (OpenableColumns.DISPLAY_NAME.equals(column)) {
                values[i] = buildAttachmentFileName(message);
            } else if (OpenableColumns.SIZE.equals(column)) {
                values[i] = computeMessageSize(message);
            }
        }
        ret.addRow(values);
        return ret;
    }

    private String buildAttachmentFileName(LocalMessage message) {
        return message.getSubject() + ".eml";
    }

    private long computeMessageSize(LocalMessage message) {
        // TODO: Store message size in database when saving message so this can be a simple lookup instead.
        try (CountingOutputStream countingOutputStream = new CountingOutputStream()) {
            message.writeTo(countingOutputStream);
            return countingOutputStream.getCount();
        } catch (IOException | MessagingException e) {
            Timber.w(e, "Unable to compute message size");
            return 0;
        }
    }

    @Override
    public int update(@NonNull Uri uri, ContentValues values, String selection, String[] selectionArgs) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
    }

    @Override
    public int delete(@NonNull Uri uri, String arg1, String[] arg2) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
    }

    @Override
    public Uri insert(@NonNull Uri uri, ContentValues values) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
    }

    @Override
    public ParcelFileDescriptor openFile(@NonNull Uri uri, @NonNull String mode) throws FileNotFoundException {
        List<String> segments = uri.getPathSegments();
        String messageReferenceString = segments.get(0);
        MessageReference messageReference = MessageReference.parse(messageReferenceString);

        ParcelFileDescriptor parcelFileDescriptor = openMessage(messageReference);
        if (parcelFileDescriptor == null) {
            throw new FileNotFoundException("Message missing or cannot be opened!");
        }
        return parcelFileDescriptor;
    }

    @Nullable
    private ParcelFileDescriptor openMessage(MessageReference messageReference) {
        try {
            OpenPgpDataSource openPgpDataSource = getRawMessageDataSource(messageReference);
            if (openPgpDataSource == null) {
                return null;
            }
            return openPgpDataSource.startPumpThread();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            Timber.e(e, "Error creating ParcelFileDescriptor");
            return null;
        }
    }

    @Nullable
    private OpenPgpDataSource getRawMessageDataSource(MessageReference messageReference) {
        final LocalMessage message = loadMessage(messageReference);
        if (message == null) {
            return null;
        }

        return new OpenPgpDataSource() {
            @Override
            public void writeTo(OutputStream os) throws IOException {
                try {
                    message.writeTo(os);
                } catch (MessagingException e) {
                    throw new IOException(e);
                }
            }
        };
    }

    private LocalMessage loadMessage(MessageReference messageReference) {
        String accountUuid = messageReference.getAccountUuid();
        long folderId = messageReference.getFolderId();
        String uid = messageReference.getUid();

        Account account = Preferences.getPreferences(getContext()).getAccount(accountUuid);
        if (account == null) {
            Timber.w("Account not found: %s", accountUuid);
            return null;
        }

        try {
            LocalStore localStore = DI.get(LocalStoreProvider.class).getInstance(account);
            LocalFolder localFolder = localStore.getFolder(folderId);
            localFolder.open();

            LocalMessage message = localFolder.getMessage(uid);
            if (message == null || message.getDatabaseId() == 0) {
                Timber.w("Message not found: folder=%s, uid=%s", folderId, uid);
                return null;
            }

            FetchProfile fetchProfile = new FetchProfile();
            fetchProfile.add(FetchProfile.Item.BODY);
            localFolder.fetch(Collections.singletonList(message), fetchProfile, null);

            return message;
        } catch (MessagingException e) {
            Timber.e(e, "Error loading message: folder=%d, uid=%s", folderId, uid);
            return null;
        }
    }
}


Ryan Cox, CEO and founder of HATponics (hydroponics, aquaponics, terraponics) realized the need for action in 2012.
He heard a lot of talking about solving global and domestic hunger problems, but not many people were taking action to solve the problem.
The people that were doing something were focusing on ineffective measures; movie stars and philanthropists spent millions on transporting food to the hungry, but troubles encountered en-route caused waste.
Ryan saw a problem with this mainstream solution. He decided to do something different. So he started a non-profit called Inner City Aquaponics to prototype a farm.
Then in 2013, he gathered a team of competent, like-minded people around him, and he started to execute on better ideas on a wider scale.
The goal of this organization, named HATponics, is to feed 20 million people with sustainable farm systems by the year 2020.
Driven by a strong vision, lots of hard work, and partnerships made with hundreds of schools on the east coast, HATponics started accomplishing their goal.
The company takes two approaches to feeding people. The first is by teaching students to grow food in their schools, and the second is partnering with schools to build sustainable farms internationally.
A key trait of sustainability is creating solutions that function now and in the future. For HATponics, this means both building systems now and giving future farmers the tools to do the same.
To date, HATponics has partnered with over 1000 schools across the eastern coast of the US.
Schools with hydroponic or aquaponic systems give their students and parts of the community an opportunity to eat healthy produce and learn to grow it themselves.
Each school's farm system is custom-made to fit the school's goals. Some schools focus on feeding students and the community, others on integrating the systems into lesson plans. Most schools use systems for both.
Malcolm Bridge Elementary in Bogart, Georgia outfitted their first system this September.
Less than two months ago, the HATponics crew built an aquaponics system for the 5th grade class taught by Merritt Arnold. The vertical aquaponic garden uses a zero-gravity fish tank and 16 ZipGrow Towers.
The system is still cycling (microbes are establishing over the course of a few months which will power nitrification), but he's already using the system to work through the scientific process with his students.
Mr. Arnold hopes to eventually contribute fresh, nutritious produce to the school cafeteria and the community.
The future is exciting for Malcom Bridge's farm. Dedication of teachers like Mr. Arnold combined with the support of HATponics allow schools to feed current and future students.
Many schools take this goal a step further by participating in the Global Challenges program.
Through Global Challenges, schools have the opportunity to meet the specific needs of a community elsewhere in the world.
For instance, a village in Ethiopia may need an aquaponic system that they can use to grow food and fish, but they need it to be powered by solar panels.
HATponics would take this need, connect it with a school, and work with a class to design the system that the village needs. Then if possible they would take the class to Ethiopia to install the system.
Most recently, students designed a vertical axis wind turbine to power an aquaponics system in Swaziland, Africa.
In total, HATponics has guided three student challenges and fifteen global builds, and have reached many other countries with consulting, training, and design.
In just three years, HATponics has accomplished a significant portion of their goal. They estimate that through their systems around the world 5 million people are being fed with fresh food.
One thing that everybody who has worked with HATponics stresses is that you don't have to know everything. Growing food is a learning curve, and the folks of HATponics are there to help people learn their systems.
Ready to stop talking and start doing? Get connected with HATponics and make it happen!
Feed your community with a farm.
Maybe you're thinking of feeding your community in another way - by operating your own commercial scale farm.
Planning, building, and operating a farm can be overwhelming work. Dozens of resources exist, but they are scattered throughout the web. Navigating to what you need can take a long time.
Upstart University is a platform that guides farmers from Point A (where you are now) to Point B (a successful farm). You can try out the entire platform free for a week. Check out the program below.


Sanctuary Recording artists Living Colour locked down Cutting Room's (New York City) Studio A for a few weeks to work on material for their new record.
Sanctuary Recording artists Living Colour locked down Cutting Room's(New York City) Studio A for a few weeks to work on material for theirnew record. Pictured is guitarist Vernon Reid laying down an acousticriff in studio A. Engineer Andy Stackpole ran the sessions withassistant Steve Rakidzioski.
Independent label Healing Rhythms brought the Chris Berry Project(based in Colorado) for a few days of tracking on the SSL 9000 J. AndyMcEwen engineered the sessions with Rakidzioski assisting. Producer RonBrowze laid down some tracks for Ludacris in studio B on the YamahaDM2000. Marco Bruno assisted. Cutting Room regulars Pharoahe Monch, DeLa Soul and Talib Kweli all worked on new tracks with engineer JoeNardone. Sony artists The Bravehearts returned for some more writingand tracking in the A room. After just completing his new record, MosDef returned to do a commercial spot for Converse.
Contact the Cutting Room by dialing 212/260-0905.


I'll admit, I'm a bit of a holiday nut.
Christmas is my favorite time of year, but really my holly jolly spirit starts around the beginning of October and runs well into the new year.
I play the Classic Christmas station on Pandora almost exclusively.
It's basically perfection at this point, as I've spent years thumbs-up-ing and thumbs-down-ing songs to create the ideal blend of old-time classics and instrumental melodies.
I shake up my monochromatic wardrobe with some red.
It's truly a sight to behold.
My family gleefully joins right in.
Our oldest adores Christmas something fierce.
The lights coupled with giant blow-up Santas and snowmen.
The candy and the cocoa.
The leaving of cookies and getting up early and all of the anticipation that comes with Christmas morning.
Sometimes I long for that innocence again.
And for the most part, I truly feel that it is.
But I am not immune to envy.
And during the "most wonderful time of the year," it can rear its ugly head so fast that ours can start to spin at record speed.
Enter the comparison minefield that is social media, and you've got a spiritually lethal battle brewing.
It is a cancer to our bodies.
These are not light words, friends.
The Lord did not merely suggest that we steer clear of envy if we see fit.
It is life and death.
Oh, it can start out small enough.
An "I wish I had that" here, or a "wow she's so lucky she's got that" there.
And then it weaves its way into our very hearts and spreads like a disease.
Nothing we have is good enough.
We need more. Better. ALL.
And it overshadows and stifles the extravagant blessings in our own lives.
Oh how this must grieve the heart of our Lord.
Stop and mentally tally up each and every person, place, and thing you are thankful for.
I promise you that your list is longer than you think.
I have done this recently, and felt an immediate change in my demeanor.
I had been lamenting something rather small, and decided to derail that thought process in favor of thankfulness. I started praising the Lord for the things he had given me, and the people I treasured most.
The genuine smile on my face was outside evidence of that inward shift.
Nothing has changed except my perspective. Thankfulness overshadowed my want, and what I did not have paled in comparison to what I realized I'd been gifted.
I pray that you all have a blessed and peace-filled holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
The gift of salvation through grace alone.
He came humbly into this world to give us His all.
And His all is everything we will ever need.


A record number of Game of Thrones downloads this week shows industry moves alone will not curb piracy, according to the Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association (AHEDA) chief.
In a new agreement between the home entertainment industry and film exhibitors, movies will now be released for legal download or on DVD 90 days after screening in cinemas rather than 120 days.
AHEDA CEO Simon Bush said the industry was trying to make content available sooner to prevent Australians illegally downloading.
"I think it's a positive step, I think it's welcomed by content owners, we want to get our content out to consumers on any platform they choose to view it and we want to get it to them as early as we can," Mr Bush said.
But Mr Bush said while the industry was doing the best it could to make it easy for consumers to access content, it would not be enough for everyone.
"At the end of the day, you can't compete with free... and where there are legitimate and cost-effective and instant access to content, some people will still aim for the free option."
The reality is that a difference between 120 and 90 days isn't necessarily going to fix the problem... People still download Game of Thrones in record numbers.
File-sharing website TorrentFreak reported Game of Thrones set a new record for illegal downloads this week, with about 1.5 million file sharers downloading a pirated copy of the season four finale of the show in the 12 hours after it was released in the US.
Australia was one of the main download locations for the program, along with the US, the UK and Canada.
Game of Thrones was available at a premium for Foxtel subscribers hours after the program aired in the US.
Fans could legally download the full season on Google Play a day later for $2.99 an episode.
Marc Fennell, host of Radio National's Download This Show, said the Game of Thrones example showed the industry was not addressing why people are pirating content.
"The reality is that a difference between 120 and 90 days isn't necessarily going to fix the problem," Mr Fennell said.
"You can download legally an episode of a TV show seven days, sometimes even one day, after it's aired and people still [illegally download] it.
"People still download Game of Thrones in record numbers."
Fennell said the film industry was struggling because going to the cinema was expensive.
"When it comes to big screen movies, the reason people are downloading is partially a financial one, partially a convenience one," he said.
"It is so very easy to download very high quality versions of movies within a week or two weeks of them being out in cinemas."
They really are difficult matters to prosecute, very time intensive and I would argue for the police their time could be better spent elsewhere.
The director of the University of Canberra's Centre for Internet Safety, Nigel Phair, said that while there are criminal and civil mechanisms to pursue consumers for illegal downloading in Australia, cases are rare.
"They really are difficult matters to prosecute, very time intensive and I would argue for the police their time could be better spent elsewhere," Mr Phair said.
In 2012, the High Court ruled that internet provider iiNet could not be held responsible for individual customer's downloading activities, making civil cases difficult to pursue.
"[Corporations] do a few trophy cases just to rattle the cage so to speak, but basically they don't, unless they can identify you as a really big downloader of illegal content," Mr Phair said.
"That takes time, it takes resources, it takes intelligence and it's a cost-benefit analysis for them."
Mr Bush said the industry was calling on the the Government to do more to tackle digital piracy.
"What we would hope is that and we're really pleased that the Commonwealth Attorney Senator General George Brandis is looking at this issue of film and content piracy in Australia," he said.
"I think what we need, such as other countries in the world have done, is to update our laws to deal with this issue, to protect the 900,000 people that work in the creative content industry in this country."
In February this year, Senator Brandis said the Government was considering asking internet providers to warn customers who download illegally or to block file-sharing websites.
Mr Bush said evidence suggests that schemes where ISPs inform customers who illegally download of legitimate options for accessing content has worked overseas.
"For example in France, on the graduated response way of dealing with peer-to-peer styles of piracy, you saw 70 per cent of people change their behaviour when they received their first notice from the ISP," he said.
"With site blocking... in various countries in Europe and in the UK, you've seen a dramatic decrease in illegal internet traffic and an uptake in legitimate sales."
But Mr Phair said further legislation was not the answer.
"What they're trying to do is make law that ISPs will be responsible for providing an effective solution to stopping their customers downloading their content," he said.
"We can always implement laws... doing something about those laws is a completely different thing. Blocking websites is difficult mainly because it's so easy to get around.
"I think we need to look at the range of mechanisms that make people want to download illegal content and that includes everything from the price and the culture of that we have within society that 'well it's available on the internet therefore I'm just going to take it for free'."
A spokesman for the Attorney-General told the ABC in a statement that "the Government is actively considering a range of options to tackle online piracy and no decision has been made".


This study shall first evaluate and decide on the most appropriate method(s) for backcalculation of the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) deflection data for different pavement types. Using the selected method(s), backcalculated moduli and related parameters shall be derived and integrated into the LTPP database.The research shall consist of two phases. The goal of phase I is to evaluate and select appropriate methodology for backcalculation of the LTPP deflection data, covering both flexible and rigid pavement structures. The process shall include literature and LTPP data reviews, and case studies on selected LTPP sections using candidate backcalculation methods. The contractor shall submit an interim report, including a detailed phase II work plan.
The main goal of this study is to select the appropriate methods and perform backcalculation of all the deflection data in the current Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database for flexible, rigid, and composite pavement sections.
The contractor shall prepare a final report documenting the work performed, findings from investigations performed, results, and suggestions for future research. In addition, the contractor shall prepare and submit a Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) TechBrief. Feedback reports will also be submitted by the contractor to the Federal Highway Administration documenting any questionable data, discrepancies, or other data problems that need to be explained or corrected.
The contractor shall, with the final report, deliver the source, executable code, and a list of any third party off the shelf components used, and required Federal Highway Administration documentation for preprocessing and postprocessing of Long-Term Pavement Performance data and other software developed under this contract.
Analysis datasets developed for conducting backcalculation.Backcalculated computed parameter tables data, and related documentation.


text:
Sexual assault hotline sees busiest day ever after Kavanaugh hearing
Posted: 12:17 PM, Oct 01, 2018
Emma McIntyre
<p>Activists participate in the 'Believe Survivors. STOP Kavanaugh.' rally hosted by TIME'S UP & Partners at Los Angeles City Hall on September 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. </p>
The National Sexual Assault Hotline in the US received a record number of callers after the Kavanaugh hearing -- with a 338 percent increase in traffic between Thursday, when the hearing took place, and Sunday.
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which operates the hotline, said it had helped more than 3,000 people on Friday. It was the busiest day in the hotline's 24 years, according to a statement Monday.
"Over this past year, following the cases of Weinstein and Cosby and the explosion of #MeToo, our numbers have been growing pretty rapidly, but we've never seen anything like this before," the organization's president, Scott Berkowitz, said in a statement Monday.
A spokesperson for the organization, Sara McGovern, previously said that call volume on the day of the hearing had increased 201 percent, compared to a typical day.
A total of 28,509 people called the hotline in September, up from 18,129 last September. That averages to about 950 callers per day, the organization said.
"History shows us that when high-profile allegations such as these are in the news it often causes others to reach out too. This story has clearly resonated with survivors, and has led thousands to reach out for help for the first time," Berkowitz said.
Other groups that support survivors of sexual violence have also seen a sharp uptick in activity around the hearings. One organization that caters to male-identified survivors, called 1in6 , told CNN on Friday that it had seen "about a 20 percent increase" over the prior week across several platforms -- web traffic was up, as was its 24/7 support line and its social media channels.
The DC Rape Crisis Center has also seen "a significant spike in hotline calls as a result of the Kavanaugh hearings," its executive director, Indira M. Henard, told CNN Friday.
The volume of calls -- which she said has been up about 15 percent since #MeToo began trending last year -- is not just from survivors of sexual violence. Some are friends and family of survivors, and some may never have been assaulted, but are "impacted by the heaviness of what is going on."
It's not necessary to have experienced sexual violence firsthand to be traumatized by detailed accounts like the ones now in the media, she added.
"The world is watching. Young girls, women are watching to see if their pain, if their experiences, will be taken seriously," Henard said. "This is such a pivotal moment in our country, and it's so much bigger than just the Supreme Court nomination."


THE JACKIE HUSTLE (Arista U.K.) a dance single produced by Johnny Dynell, Arthur Baker and Lati Kronlund in 1992, perfectly captured a slice of Jackie live. Club MC's Richard Move and Paul Alexander treat the crowd to their highly styled, hilarious patter over an infectious dance track.
at our new secure online shop.
Get one of the last copies of this rare 12" - We recently came across one last box of the original vinyl, and have only five copies to go. Your record will arrive within 3-5 business days.


The following changes to emergency care services across Northumberland has been published by the NHS.
GO TO - Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington or call 999 for an emergency ambulance.
GO TO - 24 hour walk-in services at Hexham, Wansbeck or North Tyneside general hospitals. For advice contact your GP or call NHS 111.
Treatment, medical advice and support is widely available from your local NHS. Play your part in using services wisely.


An ongoing challenge in office building management is leasing suites with no windows. Downtown buildings with common walls to adjacent buildings typically have street view windows, but the interior offices have no exterior windows. Below-grade suites suffer the same problem. Forget the allure of the corner office with the master-of-the-universe view, just hope the lights work when you're showing the prospective tenant the space.
Common work-arounds include reception areas with glass walls to the corridor, designing the interior work area with perimeter offices with glass half-walls, liberal use of artwork and and interior-scapes.
However, as any office-manager will tell you, suites with no outside view can affect staff morale, and the business owner will use the perception to negotiate the rental rate. The landlord is often predisposed to accept the offer, knowing from experience the lack of windows hurts the appeal.
This is a work-in-progress. Rational Craft, developed and sells the software it calls Winscape, to run the screens. The user supplies the plasma displays and a Mac computer to run the program. Total costs are estimated to be about $2500-$3000. Their website has several videos documenting some of the installation challenges (e.g. portrait/landscape orientation, cables, heat, etc.).
We've got several suites in our inventory that could use this, and we're contemplating the added marketing exposure that may be generated with a well-placed press release.


text:
Architecture remains one of the most social-minded of our professions in the country – Sanjay Prakash
ArchitectureIndian Architecture
Project and Photo: Lok Jumbish, by SHiFt – Sanjay Prakash
Sanjay Prakash quotes on the role and relevance of architects today in the society: Below,
As an ancient profession, architecture was never really close to the general public. Works were commissioned by the rich and powerful and designed and executed by a class of professionals, which came to be defined as 'architects'. One could have a benign elite or a self-serving elite, and that made the difference on whether the architect would be asked to execute public drinking water fountains or private mosques, respectively.
It was only after industrialization in the west and independence in India that there were a few decades of considering architecture as a service to society at large, and with liberalization and capitalistic market dominance, architecture has reverted to form: serving the elite, as it always did.
There are other professions that require large investments of capital and so are also controlled by the elite. Film-making comes to mind. However, in film-making, the revenue comes from the people at large and so it is controlled by popular, even populist, considerations. For architecture, the buyer of its products (especially after liberalization) is already petit bourgeoisie or minor elite. Except for limited examples in the public realm, no longer is it the case that the "people at large" pay for the product of architecture.
Yes, there was a time when architecture was brought onto service of independent Indian society, but that moment has gone, and so have all pretensions of serving the people at large. That moment was characterized by India's tryst with the commanding heights of the economy represented by the public sector. However, both Indian society and Indian architects lost that opportunity to make a difference and that era ended amidst a dust storm of corruption and maladministration, near bankruptcy even. Could things have been different? Probably due to that era, it is still true that architects remain one of the most social-minded of the professionals in our country, and might lead a resurgence towards a balanced public policy that would respect markets and the people at large equally.
Sanjay Prakash, B. Arch., A.I.I.A., is an architect with a commitment to energy-conscious architecture, eco-friendly design, people's participation in planning, music, and production design. Over the years, he has integrated all his work with the practice of new urbanism and sustainability in his professional and personal life.
His area of practice and research over the last 34 years includes passive and low energy architecture and planning, hybrid air-conditioning, autonomous energy and water systems, bamboo, wood and earth construction, community-based design of common property, and computer-aided design. Under his guidance, hundreds of persons have developed capabilities in performing design, conceptual or management work in these areas.
He is Principal Consultant of his design firm, SHiFt: Studio for Habitat Futures (formerly known as Sanjay Prakash & Associates), and was a partner of daat and Studio Plus, firms that predate his current firm.
His name and work is mentioned in the twentieth edition of one of the main reference works in architectural history, A History of Architecture by Sir Bannister Fletcher.
Architecture DisconnectedSanjay Prakash
ArchitectureLive! 473 posts
ArchitectureLive! is an unique Portal for Indian Architectural Projects and Architecture in India. It allows Architects and Interior Designers in India to upload, share and manage their projects easily.
Photo-documenting the architecture of Kerala – Prasanth Mohan
Slums and the City – Bhawna Jaimini, Hunnarshala
The Future of Architectural Practice in India – Sanjay Prakash
Architecture and it's usefulness – Vipul Raj on the demolition of the…
Campus for AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana – Sanjay Prakash…
India Pavilion at World Expo 2010, Shanghai, China – SHiFt – Sanjay…
ashish thakur says 2 years ago
the class that you mention still has no clue of architecture …. beside thinking what it got from classified architects is a better bargain vlaue … as most under sell their skills … am one of them.
The Future of Architectural Practice in India – Sanjay Prakash – ArchitectureLive! 2 years ago
[…] Also read Sanjay Prakash's views on the role and relevance of architects today in the society. […]
ArchitectureLive! @ architecturelive


text:
Major Scottish Housing Assoc Appoints Chubb Principal Security & Fire Safety Contractor
Chubb Fire & Security has become the principal fire and security provider for Dunedin Canmore, a leading provider of social housing and related services in Scotland.
After initially installing fire alarms for many years, Chubb now provides installation and maintenance of emergency lighting, intruder alarms, CCTV and access control.
Chubb has worked for more than a decade with Dunedin Canmore, part of Wheatley Group. Across its communities, Chubb has built a strong working relationship and is now servicing more than 150 sites for the housing association.
Chubb Care
With a strong focus on compliance, Chubb's services range from initial fire risk assessments and security audits to the remote monitoring of all the sites in its care. Additionally, Chubb is now servicing their Chubb Care System (warden call), an enhanced assisted living solution, across the majority of Dunedin Canmore's amenity housing for older people.
Stuart Phillips, compliance officer at Dunedin Canmore, said: "We've enjoyed a great working relationship with Chubb for over a decade. Their customer service is excellent and we're delighted to have made them our principal fire and security provider."
Dunedin Canmore owns and manages around 5,500 homes across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife. Chubb also provides fire and security services for YourPlace, Barony Housing Association and Lowther Homes, all of whom are part of Wheatley Group, Dunedin Canmore's parent company.
Chubb is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
Picture: Chubb Fire & Security Limited has become the principal fire and security provider for Dunedin Canmore's properties.
Chubb Fire & Security
United Technologies Corp
Dunedin Canmore
Wheatly Group
UTC Climate Controls & Security
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