At CARA, we host training, racing and social programs and events throughout the year, resulting in a mass of registrations and transactions to account for. Prior to moving to The Driven, one of our staff members needed 10-12 hours per week to properly account for transactions with our old registration and membership system, Now, with The Driven, the time needed to manage financial reporting has been dramatically reduced by 80-90% due to the simple reporting features within The Driven. This time savings allows us to focus more time and resources on serving our members and participants, rather than being burdened with behind the scenes administrative tasks.
After using The Driven's platform for several years now, our running club views their club solution as an essential tool for membership management, weekly communication, and a central information hub that compliments our social media presence. The platform is so feature-rich that we find ourselves annually considering new ways to broaden how we use our site. But perhaps most valuable of all is the close relationship we've had with The Driven. Their interest in regular client feedback, responsiveness to issue resolution, and proactive approach to maximizing our use of their platform is a sure sign that they take customer focus seriously.
The Iroquois School District Foundation ran our Spring Time Trials on April 30, 2017, and once again used The Driven online registration process to register our riders. After the race, I sent a survey to the riders to comment on the Presque Isle Time Trials. One of the questions asked in the survey was: "How easy was the online registration process for the Presque Isle Time Trials?" Over 97% of riders that responded rated The Driven system as excellent or very good. Thank you for always taking my calls. Your organization is first class, and we look forward to working with you again in the Fall of 2017.
One of the things I have most appreciated in working with the Driven so far is their responsiveness. Their managerial group is great and they have a solid US and India based tech team that provides us with an amazingly quick response time when assistance is needed.
ConocoPhillips used The Driven for the first time for our 2016 Rodeo Run. We enjoyed working with them because they adapted to our needs and were very responsive. By using The Driven, we were able to increase our online registration by a full week where before we had to use pen and paper. We would highly recommend them to anyone who wants great customer service and their expectations to be exceeded.
The Driven was an excellent partner as we put on our Giving Thanks 5K/10K for Bel Inizio. They are available and responsive. It is so important to be able to speak to a person with your questions and not rely on a long-delayed email response. The Driven took my calls even on nights and weekends. The registration and reporting went flawlessly. We also used the online sponsors sign up feature, and it was very helpful. I strongly recommend The Driven for all your race registration needs.
Several years ago, I was looking for a registration system that would support a new 5K I was directing. I had looked at several different registration systems and just felt like none of them could give me the end product I needed for this particular 5K that involved many different registration scenarios, and a charitable donation piece. A timing friend I trusted referred me to John and Pete with The Driven. They were extremely accessible during the entire process from setting up to closing down the event. Since then, every 5K race that I have directed has used The Driven for registration. I have also referred everyone who has asked for registration recommendations to John and Pete, as their customer service cannot be beat. I have now brought the Memorial Hermann USA Fit Marathon to The Driven for our registration site. I am 100% confident that my races will benefit from this relationship!
Thank you John and Pete and the rest of the gang at The Driven for your outstanding efforts! I am so blown away by your ability to get things done at a moment's notice and with precision. You guys were all over it whenever I needed website updates or needed time-sensitive questions answered. I always knew changes would be live by the following morning – that's unheard of these days! You really know how to make a company feel like they're getting personalized service. Your registration process is so easy to navigate, and your management tools were made for a ten-year-old to understand. Finally, a system that's easy to use! Thank you! Thanks for the awesome website and for helping to make our inaugural event a huge success! We can't wait until next year!
The Driven did a beautiful job on HARRA's new custom website. Lots of cool features to manage our clubs, events, membership information and newsletters…all of which can be managed with ease by a non-programmer. They delivered a demo site within weeks of our kick-off meeting and often made changes based on our testing feedback within hours. I'll be so proud to provide our web address to new members as soon as we go live! Note from The Driven: The HARRA website powered by The Driven was awarded the Road Runners Club of America Club Website of the Year award for 2014.
The Driven was AWESOME! Easy to manage, easy to navigate, great communication tools, and we had an increase in online registrations! Our race committee will be discussing moving to all online registrations for future events.
Working with John and the team from The Driven Race & Club Solutions has been outstanding! We switched from a well-known major registration site because John's attention to our needs and personal connection was exemplary. As a small company, we appreciate the one-on-one feel that The Driven folks provide. The features and benefits of the site are above and beyond any other registration site we've seen. It's quick, easy, and totally flexible. That's exactly what we need to provide our racers the best experience possible.
The Driven has allowed our monthly race series to grow significantly. Their ease of online registration has increased our participant numbers. We have also used their fundraising services for our organization and have seen a steady stream of donations each month which are vital to our operations. We recently started to sell our race T-shirts through their online registration and have seen even more profits! Great organization and very easy to work with. I highly recommend The Driven!
Using The Driven has been a truly amazing experience during the most trying time of my life. I had never fathomed I would become a race director but upon the unexpected death of Kelsey, my dear friend and running partner who had suffered from flu complications, I had been convinced that organizing a race may be just the way to bring healing to a heart-broken community. Kelsey, a local elementary teacher, wife and mother, had also lost her younger sister Sara (tragically killed in a car wreck her senior year of high school) a few years prior to her own passing. And so Angel Run (for Kelsey and Sara) Half Marathon was created. Our first year alone we had close to 500 participants and with proceeds we were able to award four senior scholarships in memory of these sisters. While this was an overwhelming task to take on, John Keehan with The Driven helped us every step of the way to ensure the success of our race. Not only did they furnish online registration, they offered services to assist with fundraising and recommended extras such as chip timing, finish line accessories and PA announcing--little things that made a huge impression on race day. Organizing an event of this caliber in only three months required the knowledge and dedication this company and their representatives were willing to put forth and because of it we will always use them!
The Driven's online registration was smooth and easy and superior to previous vendors used. The Dynamic Registration feature was incredible. The longest anyone waited in line was about 90 seconds. Previous years had folks in lines out the door. Also, our website looks great and editing and adding content ourselves was pretty easy, too. Our checks came in a timely manner and the ones sent prior to the actual event were an unexpected bonus.
The Driven provided the Lions Club with hands on direction and ideas in regards to how we could promote our 1K and 5K runs this year. The ability to track registrations up until race day as well as teams, T-shirts and online donations helped us manage our race and donations to our sight charities. We look forward to utilizing the Driven as we enter our 19th year and begin promotion of next year's run. Kudos to The Driven's support team! You all are amazing in your help and support!
We contacted The Driven with a huge event that we needed help organizing. It isn't a typical race-it's a 420-mile run over the course of 11 days that involves over 100 runners. We felt overwhelmed just thinking about it, but once we contacted Rebecca at The Driven, she put our minds at ease. We explained to her what our goals were, and she and her team went to work. Before we knew it, our event website was set up and folks were registering. We still contact her (and will continue to!) about needing help with our site, and her team tackles it with no problem. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with The Driven, and we know that our event will be a success because of them!
The Driven is there to help you every step of the way in set up and maintenance of your clubs website. Questions and concerns are answered and fixed very quickly. Their customer service is excellent. The membership management page makes sign-up and renewal a breeze for members. The forums, groups, events and newsletters all allow easy communication. There are so many other features that members can use, such as distance and race tracker, that it makes the website a one stop place for tracking fitness goals and keeping up with the club activities.


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St Agnes Surgery
and Mount Hawke Branch Surgery
St Agnes Surgery, Pengarth Road, St Agnes
01872 553881/3
Mount Hawke Surgery, Shortcross Road, Mount Hawke, Truro
Dispensary Opening
Medication Monitoring
AAA Screening
Catchment Area
Diabetes Video Library
Health Info Video Library
Face Masks and Exemptions
Don't forget you are able to book appointments up to eight weeks ahead. You can also book on-line as long as you are registered as a user. Please ask at reception for further details or email st.agnes@nhs.net.
The Surgery will be closed between
1-2pm on the second Tuesday of every alternate month for staff meeting / training. Please phone to check if surgery is open!
In an Emergency telephone: 01872 553881
Net Earnings 2019/20 Tax Year
NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below. However it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes into no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.
The average earnings for GPs working in St Agnes Surgery in the last financial year was £37.029 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full-time, 5 part-time GPs and 3 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months
The average earnings for GPs working in St Agnes Surgery in the last financial year was £31,057 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full-time, 5 part-time GPs and 3 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.
NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below. However it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.
The average earnings for GPs working in St Agnes Surgery in the last financial year was £28,610 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 full-time, 3 part-time and 7 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.
Net Earnings 2014-2015
Friends of St Agnes Surgery
Improving Access to General Practice
Appointment Reminders by Text Message
St Agnes Surgery- Statement of Purpose
Community Based Groups and Help
FREE Service for Dementia Carers
Summary Care Record & Sharing Your Information
GDPR & Your Data

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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FAQsjosaphat2017-02-08T18:30:22+00:00
What is an Eastern Catholic Church?
Many people think of the Catholic Church as a monolithic structure with a clear leadership and traditions. People also mistakenly refer to the whole as the Roman Catholic Church. But this is not quite accurate.
The Catholic Church actually comprises twenty-two particular Churches in full communion with one another. There are twenty-one Eastern Catholic Churches, and one Latin Catholic Church (i.e., the Church of Rome). Each of these particular Churches is self-governing (the term in Latin is sui iuris, "of their own law"), even while being in communion with the Church of Rome.
Each of these particular Churches is self-governing (sui iuris) because they have their own hierarchy. In other words, what makes a particular Church self-governing (sui iuris) is that each particular Church has its own leaders which govern all the faithful Christians belonging to that particular Church. These hierarchs (whether Patriarchs, Major Archbishops, Metropolitans, Bishops, or otherwise) are in communion with one another, and with the Church of Rome. The correct term is to be in communion with Rome, and not "under the Pope" (as many people will mistakenly say).
Eastern Catholics are the minority in terms of the number of Catholics worldwide. However, they are the vast majority in terms of diversity within the Catholic Church (twenty-one to one!). Eastern Catholics are distinct from the Latin Church in that they have four distinguishing characteristics. They have their own (1) theology, (2) spirituality, (3) canon law, and (4) liturgy. In other words, the Eastern Churches have their own theological way of understand the mysteries of God, their own spirituality and devotional practices, their own laws and customs, and their own styles of liturgy. This is what distinguishes them from the Latin Church.
People mistakenly refer to the Eastern Catholic Churches as 'Eastern Rite Roman Catholics', or simply as 'The Eastern Rite,' as if there is only one. There are many rites within the Catholic Church, and what makes an Eastern Church is more than simply its liturgical rite. An Eastern Church also has its own theology, spirituality, and canon law. Even the term 'The Eastern Church' is wrong, since there are more than one Eastern Churches.
Almost all Eastern Catholic Churches have counterparts in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches. In fact, those with counterparts all came from their mother Orthodox Churches throughout the past four hundred years or so. Therefore, many Eastern Catholics choose to identify themselves as 'Orthodox Christians in communion with Rome,' since Eastern Catholics are meant to be an example of how to be fully Eastern, and yet fully in communion with Rome.
Eastern Catholic Churches are traditionally found in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and India. However, nowadays we can find Eastern Churches throughout the world, speaking a multitude of languages, and serving a vast array of people.
ALL of the particular Catholic Churches share
"equal dignity, so that none of them is superior to the others as regards rite, and they enjoy the same rights and are under the same obligations, also in respect of preaching the Gospel to the whole world (cf. Mark 16:15)…"
(Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Eastern Catholic Churches).
What is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC)?
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is the largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches. According to recent statistics (Catholic Near East Welfare Association, Annuario Pontificio 2011), it is comprised of 4,360,335 members… or 26% of all Eastern Catholics.
This particular Eastern Church traces its immediate origin to the Kyivan (or Kievan) tradition, and its wider origin to the Constantinopolitan (Greek, or Byzantine) tradition.
Kyiv is the capitol of modern Ukraine, and the ancient capital of Kievan Rus, and so our Church takes its name 'Ukrainian.' In 988, Kievan Rus accepted Christian baptism under the leadership of St. Vladimir (Volodymyr) the Great. Therefore, our Church is one of the descendants of the Church of Kiev (now Kyiv), since many Slavic Churches trace their origins to Kievan Rus. It has even be called the Kyivan (Kievan) Catholic Church.
As one of the Eastern Churches stemming from the Greek Christian missionaries (especially Ss. Cyril and Methodius, the great patrons and evangelizers of the Slavs), our Church takes the name 'Greek' or 'Byzantine.' Up until the middle of the second millennium, the Metropolitans of Kiev answered directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Therefore, our Church is Greek or Byzantine in origin and life.
In the middle of the second millennium, the Orthodox Christians in those lands found themselves under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They were oppressed by the Catholic majority, considered second-class and having very few rights. In 1595/96, mostly for political reasons, some hierarchs of the Kievan Metropolia signed the Union of Brest. This, in effect, broke their communion with Constantinople and united them to Rome.
This, not mentioning many other historical factors, is the origin of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Are you Orthodox or are you Catholic?
What do these terms mean?
'Orthodox' comes from the Greek language, and simply means 'right worship' or 'correct worship' (and, by extension, 'correct faith' or 'correct belief'). It is opposed to 'heterodox,' which refers to incorrect beliefs that are not in accord with the orthodox faith. Another word for this is 'heresy:' one falls into heresy or heterodoxy when one does not willingly adhere to Christian truths.
'Catholic' also comes from the Greek language, and means 'of, or belonging to, the whole.' It emphasizes the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ exists at all times, and in all places, throughout the whole world. All the Christian Churches that profess an orthodox faith belong to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ.
In the early Church, these two terms were interchangeable. An orthodox Christian belonged to the Catholic Church; a member of the Catholic Church professed the Orthodox faith. It was only after the 'Great Schism' that these terms took on exclusive status to refer to the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) Churches. However, both terms are still used by both lungs of the Church.
For example, Eastern Orthodox Christians still refer to themselves as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Latin (Western) Catholic Church, in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer), will also pray for 'omnibus orthodoxis atque catholicae et apostolicae fidei cultoribus' (literally, 'for all the orthodox and worshippers according to the catholic and apostolic faith'). This is no accident – it shows how close the two lungs of Christ's Church actually are to each other, and how they have the same roots in Christ's foundation.
We are, therefore, both orthodox and catholic. We profess the orthodox faith of the Holy Trinity – taught by Jesus Christ, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed by the Church Councils. We are catholic because we belong to the same Church founded by Christ, which exists in all times and places. Nonetheless, because those terms have become exclusive, it is often more helpful for Greek Catholics to use the term 'Catholic' when referring to themselves. We pray for the day when both 'Orthodox' and 'Catholic' lungs of the Church will be united, so that the terms might become interchangeable once again.
What does Greek Catholic mean?
Are you Greek?
The term 'Greek Catholic' was originally coined by Empress Maria Theresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to designate those Catholics who followed the 'Greek' or 'Byzantine' tradition and liturgy. It had nothing to do with Greek ethnicity, just as 'Roman Catholics' don't have to come from Rome! The Church of Kyiv united with Rome, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, is one of the Eastern Churches belonging to the 'Greek' or 'Byzantine' family of Churches. The faithful of the Byzantine, or Greek, Churches in communion with Rome are collectively referred to as 'Greek Catholics' (especially in their countries of origin, e.g. Ukraine).
Sunday Obligation
Can I, a Latin (Roman) Catholic, attend the Divine Liturgy in a Greek Catholic parish, and still fulfill my Sunday obligation?
According to the Code of Canon Law (1983) for Latin Catholics,
"A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass" (Can. 1248 §1).
Therefore, attending a Greek Catholic parish certainly fulfills your obligation. You may receive the sacraments with us, since we are in communion with one another. You are very welcome to pray and celebrate with us!
In what language does the Ukrainian Catholic Church worship?
In the Latin (Western) Church, we mostly use the vernacular in worship, but we have Latin as a sacred language.
The Greek, or Byzantine, tradition has always adopted the local or vernacular language. In fact, it was one of our characteristic traits. When Saints Cyril and Methodius evangelized the Slavic peoples (in what is now Central and Eastern Europe), a script was invented so that people could have access to the sacred texts and liturgies in their own languages. This is the origin of Glagolithic and Slavonic, which was adopted by the Slavic Churches (even some of the Latin rite). In contrast, Latin Catholic missionaries from Western Europe were insistent on Latin exclusively in worship.
Over time, Byzantine Christians in Slavic countries became very accustomed to worshiping in Church Slavonic. Thus, Slavonic became a sort of 'sacred language,' much like Latin had been in the West. Nonetheless, there have always been efforts to render the liturgies into the vernacular languages, as had been the legacy of Ss. Cyril and Methodius.
Our Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has no 'sacred language,' but worships according to the language of its faithful. In Ukraine, this is mostly Ukrainian (although some still worship in Church Slavonic, and some of its faithful are from Russian-speaking territories). Outside Ukraine, it depends on the country. The presence of many immigrants from Ukraine means that some parishes (especially in larger cities) use both Ukrainian and English, to minister to all of its people. Therefore, our parishes offer liturgies in both (or even several) languages – or at least bi-lingual liturgies – so that all might be able to worship God in their tongue.
Are we supposed to call it the mass or the divine liturgy?
The word 'Mass' is proper to the LATIN tradition, because it is derived from the Latin word missa. This word exists at the end of the Latin-rite Eucharistic Liturgy (Ite, missa est). The term missa was merely rendered into English and other languages. It became customary to use this term to refer to the entire Eucharistic Liturgy.
However, in all Christian liturgies and especially the Byzantine (Greek) tradition, the Greek word leitourgia is used. This word means 'work of the people' or 'common service,' and it expresses the fact that we gather – as the Church, the Body of Christ – to offer our common worship to God the Father, in the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
All common prayers of the Church are 'liturgies,' but the Eucharistic Liturgy is distinguished by the name 'Divine Liturgy' (in Greek, Theia Leitourgia; in Ukrainian, Bozhestvenna Liturhiya). Other Eastern Christian traditions have their own names for the Eucharistic Liturgy. But 'Divine Liturgy' (or simply 'Liturgy') is the proper term for Byzantine (Greek) Christians to use when speaking of the Eucharist.
You have no music instruments. Why not?
Your Church sings just about everything. Why?
Music is a very important part of worship in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. If we read the Holy Scriptures, it becomes very obvious. We can offer one very important example. The Psalms, often called the 'School of Prayer' because they give us a template for how to pray, were designed to be sung. Other than the psalms, the Old Testament and New Testament are full of canticles and songs.
People throughout the ages have been seeking the fullest and most complete way of worshiping God. And music is the most complete and expressive way in which we can worship God. It often takes everything we have, and music goes beyond all the words we can conjure up. The Byzantine liturgy seeks to offer the fullest experience of the heavenly liturgy possible.
We do not use instruments because of our focus on the heavenly liturgy. We take the Book of Revelation as our cue. The angelic choirs worship God continually, and our voices are joined with theirs in an unending hymn of praise. Even in our Liturgy, we declare that we "sing the thrice-holy hymn" because we are the ones "who mystically represent the Cherubim" on earth.
The angelic voice is mirrored by the human voice. And this is done through the human voice alone, since music is the most perfect vocal prayer we can make as humans. Of course, this is harmonized and accentuated by our good and charitable deeds. But the whole of our lives begins and ends with our vocal, liturgical worship of God.
Think of it in the following way: Byzantine liturgy is all about fullness. It is also about being icons of the heavenly realm. For us, music is the way we can be 'more full' in our worship. Our voices are the way in which we image the voices of the angels who continually stand before the throne of God, singing His eternal praises. This is why Byzantine (Greek) Christians are so musical!
What is the significance of icons?
I visited a Byzantine Church, and there were no statues. They just had icons and mosaics. These images appeared very unrealistic, even slightly ugly. What is the significance of icons?
Statues have never been a part of Byzantine Christian liturgical worship. Not because statues were completely unknown in the Byzantine world, but because the icon came to be the most perfect artistic way of depicting Christ and the saints. And this is no accident.
In fact, the Byzantine tradition developed a whole theology out of icons. Sometimes every color, every angle, every shape, every line, every expression on their faces – just about anything and everything – in an icon can have deep theological meaning. On the contrary, statues in the Latin West have always been considered as 'reminders' of the holy person, without much theological meaning in and of themselves.
Because icons have an entire theology behind them, the way we paint (or 'write') an icon depends heavily on orthodox theology. Icons are written according to specific rules, or 'canons,' to make sure that the same orthodox Christian truths are communicated to new generations. Icons are theology in color, and so they must follow a certain standard.
Icons often seem unrealistic to us, as opposed to the three-dimensional statues of the Latin Church. But we should not assume that this is only because the Byzantine tradition is all about murky mysticism. Byzantine Christianity is most concerned about realism… but true, spiritual realism. In other words, icons are meant to depict Christ or the saint according to the heavenly reality in which he or she is already living.
Lastly, icons are considered 'windows into heaven.' As such, they have sacramental meaning to the worshipping assembly. They are not just objects of devotion, that arouse good feelings and pious sentiments within us. They remind us of where we are all going, of our heavenly destination, and of our vocation to be saints of God.


I was searching for a Property and found this listing (MLS® #14059839). Please send me more information regarding 3003 Duff Drive, Arlington, TX, 76013-2010. Thank you!
I'd like to request a showing of 3003 Duff Drive, Arlington, TX, 76013-2010 (MLS® #14059839). Thank you!


The Reber lab uses fiber-laser frequency combs to do ultrafast chemistry. Ultrafast spectroscopy is used for real-time tracking of dynamics in quantum mechanical systems on the femtosecond (10-15s) timescale. We employ a newly-developed technique called Cavity-Enhanced Transient Absorption Spectroscopy to increase the sensitivity of ultrafast absorption spectroscopy. We use ultrafast fiber-laser frequency combs and couple them to external enhancement cavities to both increase the power and effective absorption pathlength, thus giving signal enhancements of several orders of magnitude over traditional transient absorption spectroscopy. This technique allows us to study samples in molecular beams on the femtosecond timescale with transient absorption spectroscopy. Before the development of this technique, ultrafast transient absorption was limited to concentrated condensed phase samples and study of gas phase samples generally required an indirect probe, such as measuring the energy of an ejected electron, or was limited to molecules and states that fluoresce. Now, not only can we now do the same experiment on condense phase molecules as gas phase molecules via transient absorption spectroscopy, we are able to directly probe the molecular states undergoing the dynamics we wish to study.
We are currently building up the fiber lasers and cavity-enhanced transient absorption spectrometer with unique frequency tuning capabilities. We will combine this with a molecular beam source to create a relatively cold source of molecules and the ability to make clusters, radicals, and other designer molecules. One research direction will study the fundamentals of light-harvesting molecules, with a focus on the process of singlet fission, in which one absorbed photon becomes two excited electrons. Single fission is already starting to be used to increase the efficiency of solar cells, even though it is not well understood. We aim to look at model systems and understand the fundamental mechanisms of singlet fission. A second direction of research will be to study ultrafast dynamics of combustion radicals. Eventually we will make infrared light to look at ultrafast vibrational dynamics in a wide range of molecular systems.
Cavity-Enhanced Transient Absorption Spectroscopy is widely applicable as an ultrafast technique since it requires nothing more than an absorbing state to probe any ultrafast dynamics. By combining a large wavelength tuning range, we can probe many systems from UV-vis photochemistry to ultrafast vibrational dynamics in the IR. With a molecular beam we can study not just stable compounds, but can make designer molecules (such as clusters) and short-lived molecules (such as radicals) and can study those as well. Additionally, the instrument is general enough to be able to do multidimensional spectroscopy with only a few small modifications.
X. L. Li, M. A. R. Reber, C. Corder, Y. Chen, P. Zhao, T. K. Allison. High-power ultrafast Yb:fiber laser frequency combs using commercially available components and basic fiber tools. Rev. Sci. Inst. 2016; 87: 093114.
M. A. Roberts Reber, Y. Chen, and T. K. Allison. Cavity-enhanced ultrafast spectroscopy: ultrafast meets ultrasensitive. Optica 2016; 3:311.
M. A. Roberts, E. N. Sharp-Williams, and D. J. Nesbitt. High-resolution direct-absorption spectroscopy of hydroxymethyl radical in the CH symmetric stretching region. J. Phys. Chem. A. 2013; 117:7042-7049.
M. A. Roberts, C. Savage, F. Dong, E. N. Sharp-Williams, A. B. McCoy, and D. J. Nesbitt. Sub-Doppler infrared spectroscopy of CH2D radical in a slit supersonic jet: Isotopic symmetry breaking in the CH stretching manifold. J. Chem. Phys. 2012; 136:234308.
E. N. Sharp-Williams, M. A. Roberts, and D. J. Nesbitt. Dark state vibronic coupling in the A2Π-X2Σ+ band of ethynyl radical via high resolution infrared absorption spectroscopy. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2011; 13:17474-17483.
E. N. Sharp-Williams, M. A. Roberts, and D. J. Nesbitt. High resolution slit-jet infrared spectroscopy of ethynyl radical: 2Π-2Σ+ vibronic bands with sub-Doppler resolution. J. Chem. Phys. 2011; 134:064314.
F. Dong, M. Roberts, and D. J. Nesbitt. High-resolution infrared spectroscopy of jet cooled vinyl radical: symmetric CH2 stretch excitation and tunneling dynamics. J. Chem. Phys. 2008; 128:044305.


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France was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, held in Dublin, Ireland.

Before Eurovision

Concours de la Chanson Française pour l'Eurovision 1981
The final was held on 8 March 1981 at the TF1 Studios in Paris, and was hosted by television hostess Fabienne Égal. Six songs made it to the national final after two semi-final heats. The winner was decided by a random sampling of 1,086 television viewers who were contacted by TF1 and asked which song was their favorite.

The winning entry was "Humanahum", performed by Jean Gabilou and composed by Jean-Paul Cara with lyrics by Joe Gracy. Cara and Gracy also penned the 1977 Contest winner "L'oiseau et l'enfant". Gabilou, a Tahitian singer, was the first ever to represent France from one of its overseas territories.

The order of the songs presented on the night of the Contest vary from other published material.

At Eurovision
Jean Gabilou performed ninth on the night of the contest, following Finland and preceding Spain. At the close of the voting the song had received 125 points, placing 3rd in a field of 20 competing countries. Despite finishing in the top three, TF1's head of entertainment programming, Pierre Bouteiller, famously opted out of the 1982 Contest, referring to Eurovision as "a monument to inanity [sometimes translated as "drivel"]." France would return to the fold in 1983, albeit with a different broadcaster, Antenne 2.

Voting

References

1981
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Eurovision
Eurovision

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Iranian drone 'shadows' US aircraft carrier – putting F-18 Hornet pilots 'lives at risk'
by SOFREP Aug 15, 2017
For the second time in just a week an Iranian drone flew 'too close' to a US Navy F-18 Hornet and followed the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier at night. The US Navy stated that these activities are putting their pilots lives at risk.
The Iranian Sadegh drone flew without any warning lights during the encounter Sunday night with the USS Nimitz, said Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
The drone did not respond to repeated calls over the radio and came within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of U.S. fighters, he said.
That "created a dangerous situation with the potential for collision and is not in keeping with international maritime customs and laws," McConnaughey said in a statement. The drone was unarmed, the lieutenant said, though that model can carry missiles. – AP
Just this year, the Navy has reported 14 different occasions of "unsafe and/or unprofessional" actions by Iranian forces. Do you think the Iranians are purposely tempting the US to action against one of their drones? Let us know your thoughts.
Featured image of an F/A-18F Super Hornet attached to the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, launching off the flight deck of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during night flight operations by U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr., via Wikimedia Commons
Iranian drone and U.S. Navy F/A 18 Super Hornet have near miss over the Persian Gulf
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Nimitz Carrier Group Ordered Back to the Middle East
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Iran claims air defenses have ushered away U.S. reconnaissance drone, U-2 Spy Plane within the last 6 months


text:
Les Abysses is a 1963 French film directed by Nikos Papatakis. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. A violent and surrealistic mixture of farce and social commentary, its story was inspired by the real-life case of the Papin sisters.

Plot
Michèle and Marie-Louise (played by sisters Francine and Colette Bergé) are alone in the country house owned by their employers, the Lapeyres. They have not been paid any wages for three years, but the Lapeyres have promised them ownership of the chicken-house attached to their property; now, however, they intend to sell it entirely, leaving the girls with nothing. Michèle and Marie-Louise argue, fight and make up, meanwhile allowing the house to fall into ruin. Suddenly the Lapeyres return, earlier than expected. The girls rebel, disobeying the Lapeyres and tormenting them, especially their adult daughter Elisabeth, who appears to have a lesbian attachment to Marie-Louise, though she is married. Her husband Philippe arrives, bringing with him buyers for the house; Michèle and Marie-Louise are cowed into submission and serve coffee while the deal is signed. Once this is done, however, they break out again, first locking themselves in the kitchen quarters then attacking Elisabeth and Mme Lapeyre and murdering them with a kitchen knife and a flat iron. The film ends with a caption, making explicit reference to the Papin sisters.

Cast
 Francine Bergé as Michèle
 Colette Bergé as Marie-Louise
 Pascale de Boysson as Elisabeth Lapeyre
 Colette Régis as Mme. Lapeyre
 Paul Bonifas as Mons. Lapeyre
 Jean-Louis Le Goff as Philippe
 Lise Daubigny as Buyer
 Robert Benoît as Buyer
 Marcel Roche as Buyer

References

External links

1963 films
1960s French-language films
Maids in films
1963 crime films
Films directed by Nikos Papatakis
French crime films
1960s French films


Following the enactment of the Education Act 2011 and the more recent publication of the UK government's careers strategy in 2017, increased responsibility has been placed on schools to embed a culture of careers and work readiness into their core curriculum, using as guidance the benchmarks established by the Gatsby Foundation. Education Development Trust's Inspiring Careers offer provides tailored solutions for schools, colleges and others looking to grow and enhance their careers programmes.
Our advisers deliver one-to-one interviews, group careers and employability skills workshops, parents' evenings and tailored transition support for vulnerable students and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Our young people's guidance teams delivered more than 70,000 interventions in the last three years. In 2016, 97% of students rated our interventions as 'excellent' or 'good'.
Our specialist consultants provide careers curriculum expertise and CPD that supports schools and colleges to assess, plan and develop their CEIAG strategy and provision and to achieve the Quality in Careers Standard through Investor in Careers.
Our Inspiring Encounters work-related learning team support schools and colleges to provide students with 'experiences of work' including employer visits, mock interviews, careers events and our end-to-end work experience placement programme. We maintain a database of more than 3,500 employers and recognise the importance of effective and proactive partnership with schools and employers in delivering our services. We arranged more than 5,000 work experience placements for students in the last three years and we also hold the Fair Train Work Experience Gold Standard.
We provide expert tracking and data management services to local authorities to help them meet the Department for Education's reporting requirements. We continue to support local authorities to achieve some of the lowest NEET (young people not in education, employment or training)/Not Known figures and highest participation rates nationally.
In 2018 we launched our new OCR-accredited assessment centre. This delivers full or partial certificates and diplomas at both Level 4 and 6 in Careers Information and Advice, Career Guidance and Development, Careers Leadership and Career Guidance Theory. Through this, we are nurturing future careers guidance professionals and developing the very best career leaders of schools and colleges for the future.
11,000 students were supported in the academic year 2016 /17 with 99.4% of students feeling clearer about their future after working with our careers advisers. Young people are supported in a range of settings including those in specialist, independent and alternative education provision.


text:
Za druge 230. polke glej 230. polk.

230. fusilirski polk (izvirno nemško Füsilier-Regiment 230'') je bil fusilirski polk v sestavi redne nemške kopenske vojske med drugo svetovno vojno.

Zgodovina
Polk je bil ustanovljen 12. novembra 1942 z reorganizacijo 230. pehotnega polka in dodeljen 76. pehotni diviziji; polk je postal novi nosilec tradicije fusilirskega polka »Prinz Einrich von Preußen št. 35.

Februarja 1943 je bil polk uničen v Stalingradu.

15. marca 1943 so v Bretanji polk na novo ustanovili iz preživelih pripadnikov, 3. bataljona 876. in 3. bataljona 877. grenadirskega polka.

Novembra 1943 so iz sestave polka odvojili 1. bataljon in ga podredili 951. grenadirskemu polku. Septembra 1944 je bil polk po hudih bojih okoli Jassyja v južni Madžarski popolnjen in osvežen.

Glej tudi

 seznam polkov Wehrmachta

Zunanje povezave
 Lexikon der Wehrmacht

Fusilirski polki Wehrmachta
00230
Vojaške enote, ustanovljene leta 1942
Vojaške enote, ukinjene leta 1943
Vojaške enote, ukinjene leta 1945
Vojaške enote, ustanovljene leta 1943


How do I buy a Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions Franchise?
The Flagship of the Filta Group Brand. FiltaFry is the original cooking oil filtration & fryer management business. The service is an eco-friendly, mobile, on-site service for the micro-filtration of cooking oil and the vacuum based cleaning of deep fryers. The easy to sell client benefits of FiltaFry's proven fryer management system is the ideal solution for restaurants looking to improve food quality, reduce liability, reduce frying costs, and decrease their impact on the environment due to waste cooking oil. FiltaFry has a simple and effective strategy for developing a new client base. On average, over 50% of restaurants who demo the service become long term customers.
Open Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions in any of these available states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
How Can a Filta Franchisee Be So Profitable?
Filta: Involves the residual income of a weekly repeat service to their customers in an exclusive, protected territory.
Filta: Offers multiple streams of revenue to Franchisees by providing multiple, eco-friendly services to their customers.
Filta: Only requires a small customer base per van (30-40).
Filta: Can be run from home, with low overheads, simple administration and minimum stock.
Filta: Is in demand because of the increasing global trend of environmental sustainability.
Filta: Provides a safe, hygienic and efficient solution to one of the most problematic areas of the kitchen: the fryers.
Filta: Has little to no competition in most markets.
Filta: Is Internationally recognized and already in 44 of the United States.
Again designed to help Filta franchise owners increase the RPC, the waste oil collection service, FiltaBio has been introduced. Once the cooking oil has come to the end of its life, franchise owners can collect the oil and immediately remove it safely from the customer's site - no waste oil drums or containers continually attracting rats and other unwanted issues.
From there, the oil is purified and sent to be made into biodiesel, the safe and environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemical based diesel. The result is a revenue generating service offered from the same van with little additonal workload.
Designed to help Filta franchise owners increase the RPC (revenue per customer), FiltaCool is designed to offer additonal needed services to clients and improve profitability for franchise owners. In tandem with the FiltaFry service, FiltaCool is the most effective moisture control system available for businesses who need to control moisture in walk in coolers. The result for customers is lower electricity bills, lower maintenance costs on refrigeration systems, and food that stays fresh longer, thus reducing waste. The result for Filta franchise owners is increased RPC with almost no additional work load.
Our client base is continuously growing. Potential and current customers include restaurants, hotels, schools, colleges and universities, grocery stores, stadiums, arenas, corporate cafeterias, institutional cafeterias, airports, sporting venues – in fact, anywhere food is fried and/or there are cold storage units.
Upon being granted a Franchise, a new Franchisee will attend an intensive 2 week training program at Filta's headquarters in Orlando, Florida. Franchisee's learn our proven sales strategies as well as best operating procedures to acquire their customers, and just as importantly, keep them happy. These techniques have been developed and continuously improved over the past 15 years. When the Classroom and Field Training complete, Franchisee returns to their Territory to open operations. Filta provides Franchisee with inside sales as well as a Business Development Manager to assist in the start up. The combined efforts in training are designed to enable our Franchisees to build a solid customer base and offer them all of our current service offerings as well as any additional services that may be offered in the future.
Is Prior Business Experience Necessary?
While the Filta franchise opportunity is designed to be mastered by anyone, Filta has identified several key personality factors common in their most successful franchise owners. For this reason, they have become fairly selective in who they offer the opportunity to. Business experience is a plus, but by far the largest determinant of who they accept into their franchise system is a strong will to succeed.
Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions is not currently active in our directory, but here are some other recommended selections for you to explore.


text:
Tag is exactly Justin Turner
Turner will not be disciplined by MLB for return to field
During game 6 of the world series this year Justin Turner was removed from the game after the team was notified by MLB that he was positive for COVID-19. After his team won, he joined them on the field to celebrate. There were talks that he could be in trouble for doing so. This was a weird end to an even weirder season.
Selfish World Series
I like many people needed a sense of normalcy in my life after the shut down and curfews day to day with no new entertainment on tv. Just the growing numbers of COVID on tv as well as the news from around the world, places singing while under lockdown. Soon Americans were wondering would that be us? Finally we got the news that sports were trying to make a comeback by using testing measures at that at that point were reserved for the people in hospitals, and those that were most at risk. This rubbed many people the wrong way. While months after those days had passed, multiple sports were back on and the playoffs of the MLB was the topic of the world with a heroic comeback in game 5 of the world series. The game 6 topic was that Justin Turner was pulled from the game during the eighth inning. He would come back to the field to celebrate the world series even though his inconclusive test turned out to be positive during the game. The pictures after the game show him without a mask on the field with the other players celebrating the win.
World Series Win During the Pandemic
This photo was taken after the LA Dodgers won the 2020 World Series. Apparently this player, Justin Turner, found out he tested positive for Covid during the game, yet was still seen on the field after his positive test.


text:
Q: CastError: Cast to Boolean failed for value Express.js Good day Experts,
My problem is.. how to apply a "false" value if the value of the checkbox is 'null' or empty, it save on my database only when the value or check box is true.. what about the false statement? im newbie in express routes. how to implement it im using mongodb and mongooses schema...  here below is my router post
router.post('/addCustomer', async (req, res) => {
  const { name, organisation, notifIncident, notifChange, notifMaintenance } = req.body;
  console.log(req.body)
  try {
    let customer = new Customer({
      name,
      organisation,
      notifMaintenance,
      notifIncident,
      notifChange,
    });
    customer = await customer.save();
    res.json(customer);
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(500).send('Server error');
    console.log(err)
  }
  console.log(req.body)
})

and here is the mongoose schema:
const CustomerSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  name: {
    type: String,
  },
  organisation: {
    type: String
  },
  notifMaintenance: {
    type: Boolean
  },
  notifIncident: {
    type: Boolean
  },
  notifChange: {
    type: Boolean
  },
});

const Customer = mongoose.model('customer', CustomerSchema);

the notifIncident, notifChange and notifMaintenance is check box on the frontend..
it saves when those three are being checked, and if unchecked i've got and error casting value: null" instead of false.. it should be thanks

A: Use secondary variable. Ex -
const maintenance = !!notifMaintenance;

Now if notifMaintenance is null then !! casts the value into a boolean one and if notifMaintenance is true or false then the converted value will be same as original one.
Note: !! is helpful for casting falsy values into boolean type.

A: you should probably just add a check before proceeding to save:
    router.post('/addCustomer', async (req, res) => {
      const { name, organisation, notifIncident, notifChange, notifMaintenance } = req.body;

      if( !notifIncident || !notifChange || !notifMaintenance) {
       //maybe throw an error, or send a server code that notifies the front
      }

      console.log(req.body)
      try {
        let customer = new Customer({
          name,
          organisation,
          notifMaintenance,
          notifIncident,
          notifChange,
        });
        customer = await customer.save();
        res.json(customer);
      } catch (err) {
        res.status(500).send('Server error');
        console.log(err)
      }
      console.log(req.body)
    })

although, ideally this should be handled on the front end with a similar check done before submitting, and an error rendered to the use that some required data has not been provided.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Harlots is a British period drama available on Hulu, set in a brothel in 18th century England. Amelia was introduced in the first episode as the daughter of a blind woman who preached against prostitution. In the first 3 episodes she was seen helping her mother as she preached on the streets about the sins of harlots.
In episode 4 Amelia saw Violet, one of the prostitutes, pick-pocketing a stranger but did not report her. Violet came to ask her why, they agreed to share a drink and a meal together, and suggested Amelia might be the one that needed saving. Violet invited her to a masquerade party in the brothel where she worked. Amelia seemed interested and accepted the invitation, and at the party they drank and talked and Violet kissed her. Amelia seemed surprised and ran away.
In episode 5, Amelia was seen tending to her mother who had fallen ill. Violet came to ask her why she had left the party, and Amelia assumed Violet needed money and gave her a purse of coins to get rid of her. Violet accepted it at first but later showed up at her door and kissed her before admitting she didn't want her money. Instead, she wanted Amelia.
The following episode, Amelia's mother confessed that she used to be a harlot, and Amelia replied it didn't matter. At the end of the episode, Amelia was blackmailed into spying on the harlots in Violet's brothel, otherwise her mother would find out about the kiss.
In episode 7, Amelia told Violet they couldn't see each other anymore, because she didn't want to break her mother's heart. Violet replied it was her own heart she was trying to spare. Later in the episode, Amelia was seen helping a gay street prostitute whose lover had fallen ill. Amelia asked him if he feared death more because they were sinners, to which the man replied with "love is not a sin".
In the season finale, Amelia was again blackmailed with the information that she had kissed Violet, into testifying that she saw a dead body being carried out from a brothel. A corrupt judge looking for a "chaste, pure girl" blackmailed a brothel madam to deliver Amelia for a client – the madam went along with the plan but couldn't go through with it once she had Amelia at her house and was getting ready to drug her. After being told the truth, Amelia agreed to serve as bait. The judge was assassinated and Amelia rescued.
In the epilogue, Amelia saw Violet on the street, rushed to her and kissed her.
The show has yet to be renewed for a season 2.
1 Comment on "Amelia Scanwell, Harlots"


My favorite Disney-movie is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. While I do not think it is a perfect or even one of the best movies by Disney, it really is my favorite due to touching upon mature themes, such as the power of religion. I say this because I had a discussion with my sister in 2011 what worlds we wanted in the next Kingdom Hearts game. We both immediately said The Hunchback of Notre Dam as it seemed like a perfect fit and behold: Dream, Drop, Distance even teased with a trailer showcasing the bells of Notre Dame. At this point, I had not the best knowledge about Kingdom Hearts and did not experience the games in chronological order. Now that I am older, wiser, and there have been two years since I last played 3D, I am excited to see how well it holds up.
Due to the fear of master Xehanort's possible return, Riku and Sora are sent out to take on the Mark of Mastery exam by Yen Sid to become true keyblade masters. Their test will be to wake up seven worlds from their sleep by unlocking seven keyholes. However, this will not be an easy task as these places have been inhabited by Dream Eaters, creatures that feed on dreams. Most are nightmare-versions that are a threat to the keyholes, but the "spirit" ones are there to support our heroes against the nightmare. I suppose you could say they are different beasts that are either good or evil. Riku and Sora set out on their mission, but as soon as the first world, they notice that there is more to this test than they anticipated.
The story might sound simple, but I really wish it was this time. What is the biggest problem with this story is the new lore added. Sora and Riku will visit the same places, but within their own parallel timeline and world. This concept of two alternative worlds affected by someone's dream is on a level of Inception or Paprika, but never explained well. They try to elaborate on it, but the exposition leaves a lot to be desired as it comes of as incomplete. How do two versions of the same world exist, why are Riku and Sora in separate parts of it and yet can reach borders that separates the two worlds, and why does time fly differently? It comes up with so many questions that I wonder why they made it so complicated.
Surprisingly, this big issue is the only one I have. Even if the new lore is hard to be fond of, the actual progression of each area is enjoyable as well as the overall plot. Riku and Sora will have their own story-parts in the same worlds, which either complement each other's actions or have completely different adventures. This makes the two perspectives more interesting and the story themselves have some nice morality to them. The overall theme throughout the story is connections, which goes well in a game with heart in the title. They also address some questions I had from previous titles, and I was surprised how well they were implemented. The smaller stories from each world can be rushed, but have at least progression to make them clear and showcasing their reasoning for their theming. Our main duo and the side-characters like Goofy, Donald, and the people we meet inside the worlds, are likable and charming like a Disney-movie should be. They all present a good personality and the villains are great additions, with Frolo being a personal favorite. It can be cheesy, but it is hard to not enjoy it at the same time.
The worlds themselves are intriguing and follows the movies really well. I also love the cameos in the first world, with them being cool inclusions to the story. It really feels like an adventure through Disney-worlds and while it is fun, I, unfortunately, have so many questions in the end and the lore really did not need to expand anymore. Speaking of which, for those who haven't played the previous games or have not watched the movies, which I would recommend doing both (at least for the most part), you will be given either a flashback- cutscenes, or novels on what has happened previously, making it easy to catch up. It is not necessary to enjoy the story, but it is there if you should need it.
Kingdom Hearts 3D follows the footsteps of Birth By Sleep, by being an action RPG with worlds to explore and fast-paced combat. You take control of Sora and Riku semi-alternative, which we will get back to later. Both sport a three-hit combo, dodge and block-moves, jump, and the ability to cling on walls. These are the basic parts, but their movement will expand with the returning ability- and skill commands. Since this is a combat-heavy game, let's start with the skill commands. Here, you will equip different attacks in the order you want them to appear, with plenty of magic-attacks, combat-moves, combinations of both, and potions to discover and use, making it easy to create your fighting style. All except for potions will need to recharge to be used again, similar to how it worked before, so normal attacks and dodging will be important. You activate skill-commands by simply pressing X and can move between them with the D-pad. However, you can't fuse attacks to make them stronger anymore. Instead, there are a couple of new additions to the battles.
One is the adorable Dream Eaters you can create by mixing materials together. These are AI-controlled creatures that can provide a boost in your stats, fight alongside you, and provide you with new attacks. You can only have two alongside you, with one more to switch out on the go, and with how many there are in the game, it can be quite a time consuming to find the three right for you. They can level up similarly like you with battling enemies for XP or you can play with them and feed them to make them grow. This is actually simple, but fun as it uses the touchscreen well for mini-games where you bounce back balloons or fling them around in an Arkanoid-style game.
By leveling them up, they can both increase in stats and unlock new skills in a skill tree, which can create grand results and be expanded if you take good care of them. If that wasn't enough, as you fight with them, you will gain more "link" in a bar under the animal's health. When it is filled up, you can use that animal for special attacks. Riku will absorb their powers for different fighting-styles, while Sora will fight alongside them or use them. For example, Riku can absorb the dog-creature for a huge light-sword, while Sora will ride on it and bounce on all enemies in your way. You can also combine two of them for a stronger attack if you want to, which can create unique results. Should it be too hard to choose companions, you can also borrow from other players via Streetpass, making it easier to experiment before committing.
The other element is the reality shift. Whenever an enemy gets stunned or is low on health, you can swipe down on the touchscreen to initiate a finishing-move. These are different for each world, both in minigame and in what they will do. In the world where the Hunchback lives, you will create lines between your enemies and grind on them, and in the world of Tron, you will hack enemies and combine words to make them do different actions. These are fun finishers as they can affect multiple enemies and even manipulate objects in the world, which helps for both traversing and exploration.
And you are gonna need all of them, as the enemies can be tough. They all sport different attack-maneuvers, magic, and ways of approaching, with all dealing heavy damage to you. You have a lot of help already and even more we haven't covered yet, but all enemies will be dangerous and can kill you if you don't remember your more defensive moves, as well as normal attacks. This also goes for the boss-fights as some are massive with different attacks, some have a more unique way of fighting, and the last couple of fights will test all the skills you got. All are varied and fun to fight.
I suppose this makes it a good time to talk about the other aspect: ability command, which leads us to the platforming. You will acquire a bunch of different acrobatic skills, but unfortunately: most of them will be useless. This is because 3D goes all parkour with superhuman skills on you. By dodging or dashing into a wall or any environmental object, you will start to instantly move fast with your next dodge or dash, as this can make traversing levels a breeze. You move at a high speed, jump incredibly high, dash great distances, and you can use this at any time you would like as long as there is a wall or a vertical object nearby. It basically won't stop unless you want it to. This is incredibly fun and can even be used for attacks against enemies or clever ways of traversing through areas. Some levels make great use of it, with my favorite being a factory with plenty of grind rails and alternative paths. But it makes any other non-combat ability almost worthless, which is a shame, despite it not being a focus. That being said, when the levels take advantage of your skills, with huge buildings to explore and grind rails for secrets, it's all great fun.
As you might have noticed, you will play as both Sora and Riku. They both will visit worlds inspired by Disney and some familiar with the Kingdom Hearts series, with each having their own story-paths. However, unlike BBS, you switch between the characters by dropping into sleep, which happens if either a bar by your health-meter empties or if you do it on command at either the save-points or the overworld map. This might sound eerie annoying, but it is well implemented. You can use potions to extend your time using a character, both share the same Dream Eaters and access to skills (despite some being for certain characters only), and when you drop, you can use the score you earned by doing side missions and amount of drops you collected by fallen enemies to boost the other character. Should you drop in a fight, however, the battle will be reset when you come back and you must play as the other character. Save-points are set before the boss-fights, so I never found this a chore, more like a fun concept in changing it up the game slightly.
One element I did not expect, was entering the stages through a new gameplay mechanic. If you remember Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, both had gummi ship-missions that I could not stand, but this one has another interesting element. You will dive towards the worlds and have to either collect a number of stars, fight enemies, or kill a boss to venture further. These sections are simple, but entertaining as you can control the speed of your dive, attack by ramming downwards and use magic if you fill up a meter. It also helps that each area brings tons of rings to fly through, creative obstacles and enemies to be aware of. They are also short, so these segments never became a chore, but a fun distraction.
There are 7 worlds in total, and while you will go through as both Riku and Sora, they all are generally short, even if the entire game clocks in about 15-17 hours. Because of this, it does not feel repetitive and they do get some differences in the level-designs, some unique bosses, and their own unique abilities to make them slightly different, but also close enough to be easy to jump from one character to another.
I really love how much focus has gone to the clear combat, instead of just stat-upgrades. This can also be shown by the fact that you can only equip different keyblades, but have plenty of other means to fight due to the many attacks. The concept of two characters and changing between them, are a fun extra and works well, despite being an odd inclusion. The platforming is fast-paced and incredibly fun, but makes other abilities forgettable. Still, it is by far some of the most enjoyable fighting mechanics I have had in the series so far.
What a dreamlike game. Riku and Sora will travel through both familiar and more obscure worlds of Disney, such as the one based on the Three Musketeers and the inside of the whale from Pinocchio, with all having distinct colors and intriguing designs. The variation in artstyles each world holds are impressive, and you really feel like a part of each one you travel into despite how different they are. A favorite world of mine is Fantasia, giving wonderful colors, changes from spring to fall before ending with winter, and it is amazing. Even the chests and the dive-sections have designs that reflect the worlds you are in or going to.
The character models are fantastic, with plenty of characters that differ in designs, reflecting the artstyle of the worlds they are in well. It is amazing how realistic and cartoony characters can blend in a universe so well, but Kingdom Hearts has done that with great results before and it holds true here. The new enemies are inspired by real animals, and all are colorful plushies in all shapes and sizes that I simply want to squeeze. I almost feel bad for killing the nightmare-versions. The enemies from the movies are also well-designed, but I love the bizarre colors that give the new enemies quite abstract tones.
Music-pieces have been beautiful before in Kingdom Hearts games, and this one is no slacker with great attention to detail. Again with Fantasia, there is an eerie silence before you enter the world of music and it is all beautiful once you enter, with even your blade making sounds of instruments as you hit enemies and no form of voice-acting. Other tracks follow spectacularly, with old melodies redone, such as a jazzy version of Traverse Town, and new ones such as the intense battle-theme. All are fantastic, with a high focus on the world you are in and covering plenty of genres. The voice acting returns from previous games and some new faces as well. All lend their voices and are fantastic, making both the cheesy and the more serious moments work.
3D is, of course, possible and while it is good and gives us a clear depth, the framerate suffers greatly from it. Without it, the game still looks beautiful, but the framerate can drop when there are plenty of attacks on the screen, which is an eyesore. It is a shame when all the attacks are mesmerizing and filled with bright lights and attacks, but won't be shown in full effect when there are plenty of elements going on. While there can be a huge amount of enemies on screen, some areas feel empty. The hunchback of Notre Dame's version of Paris, has streets with no NPCs or even a reason for why there are none there except for the main cast from the movie.
Cutscenes return and feature some very impressive lipsyncing and very good animations to the characters, but I do wish the music blended in better. A couple of times, it simply ported over the music from the gameplay part and it did not fit the more serious tone of the scene, but luckily this happened only 3 times. Besides these issues, it is fantastic in its visuals and audio.
New game plus returns, and extras like these are always fun. Transferring spirit and trophies (which are basically accomplishments) from one save to another, makes multiple playthroughs easier and more intriguing to experiment with new animals. But before you start the game, the difficulty modes doesn't just make the adventure harder or easier, but also affects how easily you will acquire the secret ending. This is a good idea, but the ending is quite uninteresting and if you followed along this far, you should probably already have an idea on what will happen. Going out of your way to find everything, getting better ranks in dive-parts, and trying out different creatures are also great reasons for returning to this installment, so even if you take an easier road, the journey is still fun despite the secret ending being worthless and possibly something everybody saw coming.
Added to the game is a card-game called Flick Rush. Your three animals participate in a card game, where you are dealt 5 cards and have to fight the opponent in real-time, by either combining cards to attack or defend. This happens in real time, but you can't just shuffle them out. You must take into consideration the action gauge, which limits the amount of cards to use and since cards reload slowly, you can't just attack. It can help in-game and even includes multiplayer. While it doesn't add much, it is a fun distraction nonetheless.
If you calculated, we are set right in the middle of 75 and 80, which should indicate that I'd recommend it in many regards, but when I start going between big numbers, I usually wonder what was the biggest focus in this game. And from what I see, it was the entertaining gameplay and the glorious combat. The lore is obscure and poorly told, and some of the extras aren't worth going back for. But what is worth coming back for, is the journey itself. Meeting familiar characters, entertaining combat, mad parkouring, and all in beautiful presentation make it easy to recommend for anyone with a 3DS. There is a remake for the HD-consoles, but it oddly makes enemies slower, worlds have been stretched out to be bigger and understandably has multiplayer removed. It is, however, worth it, as it is essentially the same game, but the extra content alongside is forgettable. So the cheaper version for the 3DS is more worth your money.


In a novel move, India's largest private life insurer ICICI Prudential has allowed employees to encash their employee stock options (ESOPs), a rarity considering ICICI Pru is an unlisted company !The company has offered employees an opportunity to sell their shares at Rs.400 per share, which translates into a valuation of almost Rs.56,500 crore for the insurer.
However, the buyback does not translate into gains for all, as the vesting price is the same at which new capital has been brought in. There is also no reduction in the company's net worth, as the shares are being purchased by promoters ICICI and Prudential, who would be increasing their stake in the company.