People love stories. They love to hear them. They love to tell them.
It seems to be natural. Have you ever met a child that didn't like stories? That didn't want to be read to at night?
It's not surprising that so much of the Bible is made up of stories. Well, maybe it is surprising. When we think of what we'll find in a religious book, we often expect some sort of rule book or owner's manual, telling people exactly how to live. And some of the Bible could be described that way.
But it's mostly stories. Stories of grand adventures. Stories of everyday life. Stories of miracles and stories of tragedies. Stories that make you want to stand up and cheer, as well as stories that make you want to boo the villain.
Reading these stories can be a bit like reading any other history book. Until we get to that special part where God invites us to be a part of the story. To add our story to the stories that we find written in the Bible. To jump into the flow of God's story and ride it all the way to the end.
I love looking at the HopeForLife.org website, especially the videos that are there. People tell their story in those videos, their story about how God made them part of His story. Like the stories in the Bible, these stories involve tragedy and victory, great happiness and deep pain. And the stories have happy endings, because God can take every story and make it end well.
You've got a story. It's a unique story that's being written every day. But your story needs an ending, a happy ending. And I know that the only way your story can end happily is if you make your story part of God's story.
Let God write a happy ending for your story.
If you don't know how to find your place in God's story, I'd love to help you with that. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org. Or visit the www.hopeforlife.org website and contact me there. Let God write a happy ending for your story.
"Stories" by Tim Archer is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Heartlight encourages you to share this material with others in church bulletins, personal emails, and other non-commercial uses. Please see our Usage Guidelines for more information.


text:
Reflective Experience
July 7, 2017 Briony Cox-Williams
Written in 1877, this small booklet was a defense of women in music. Although a product of the lack of knowledge of women's music at the time, and of gender assumptions of the society in which Ritter lived, it is still remarkably insightful and encouraging. This excerpt speaks of 'woman' as composer.
That many of the famous songstresses of past days were capable of interpreting the works of composers in an almost independently creative manner, the scores of old operas prove. In many of these the melody is reduced to a mere thread, in order to give the songstress perfect liberty in varying the theme according to the passion and action of the poetry she was to interpret. But it is impossible for the most ardent disciple of woman's progress to point to such a galaxy of celebrities among female composers, as may be placed, without losing their brilliancy, beside the names that add lustre to womanhood in other branches of art, and in literature. In musical composition we cannot boast stars of such distinction as Mrs. Browning, Heloise, Mrs. Lewes, Mrs. Siddons, Mdme. Sand, Rosa Bonheur, Aspasia, Miss Cushman, Mdme. de Stael, Miss Bronte, Dora d'Istria, Miss Thompson, the nun Roswitha, Fernan Caballero, and all the rest. The list of feminine composers is a brief one, and most of its members are now living. There was the princess Amalia, of Prussia, sister of Frederick the Great, who composed operas and cantatas; Leopoldine Blahetka (daughter of a professor of mathematics in Vienna), who published more than 70 pianoforte pieces and songs, some of which were greatly admired by Beethoven; Josephine Lang, the friend of Mendelssohn, who composed a number of charming songs; Madame Farrenc, whose inspiration and science attained masculine proportions ; Madame Fanny Hensel, sister of Mendelssohn; Louise Puget, whose vocal romances lately enjoyed an enormous popularity in France, and won a large fortune for their composer; Mdme. Schumann and Mdme. Garcia, who have composed some fine works, though few ; Madame Dolby in England; Virginia Gabriel, the balladist; Elise Polko, who, carefully educated as a singer, lost her voice prematurely, then wrote for many years a number of novelettes, and now appears before the world as a song composer; and a few other ladies.
But women have only lately realized the depth and strength of the science of music, and what long years of severe mental discipline and scientific training are necessary in order to master the art of composition. This is not much to the dishonour of their courage and patience, indeed, for a comparatively small number of musical students among the other sex in America are willing to devote themselves to such self-sacrificing study; too many who do commence it become discouraged when they begin to understand the amount of labor required, and the thorough training necessary to insure perfect development to their talent for composition, and lasting fame to its results. Mathematics, acoustics, psychology, languages, as well as general literary acquirements, the practice and technicalities of several instruments, and the science of music, must all be mastered by the aspirant in composition, and gradually, through the application and assimilation of long years of study, become the " second nature " of his mind. It may be some encouragement to the sincere student to know that the grandest original idea of a Handel or a Mozart, demanded as perfect working out, as fine polishing, as the smallest fancy that ever issued from the brain of a ballad writer. And why should not women of sufficient intellectual and especial ability to warrant the possibility of their obtaining honourable distinction, make an effort, and, discarding the absurd idea that composition is an affair of instinct, study to compose for immortality also 1 There is surely a feminine side of composition, as of every other art. And I would suggest the adoption of the science of composition as an elective, if not obligatory, branch of the higher course of study in ladies' colleges. From actual personal experience, I do not hesitate to pronounce it equal— merely as a mental discipline—to mathematics, while it enriches the mind to a far higher degree, and is far more likely to prove of practical benefit to women in after life, than the study of the other science.
← Gender And Performance: A New Analysis"And loved you better than you knew": finding the hidden stories →

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A £1 million Discover England Fund project is underway to build market share for businesses on and around the Midlands' canals and rivers. The project – England's Waterways – is being delivered by the West Midlands Growth Company and a consortium of local authority and destination management organisation partners, the Canal & River Trust and Drifters, the flagship organisation for narrowboat holidays in Britain.
The Fund supports the growth of one of England's most successful export industries: inbound tourism. England has seen record tourism spend in the past year from both domestic and international visitors, delivering economic growth and jobs across the English regions.
Nearly 2,000 tourism, culture and hospitality businesses across the region are located within a mile of the waterways, according to our research. Many of these companies are now eligible for a tourism export programme to grow their understanding of travel trade distribution networks and product development for overseas and online operators and agents.
The England's Waterways project has also supported the professional development of tourism and culture managers with a workshop to explain distribution networks and getting the product to market, through the 'Cultural Destinations' project.
Working with regional hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, tours, attractions and arts organisations, we are building short breaks and longer holidays for active and curious lovers of hidden England. Visitors' experiences will be characterised by walking, cycling, boating or staying on historic working canals and beautiful rivers. Life by the water offers plenty of time to live alongside the locals with visits to pubs and classic English gardens, taking afternoon tea, shopping and revelling in arts and culture experiences.
Through our business support programme, our regional industry partners can build new experiences for overseas and domestic visitors. We are working with UK ground handlers to arrange the visitor infrastructure, and with overseas operators to attend trade exhibitions, arrange collaborative promotional campaigns, and build new, bookable itineraries for the trade to sell through their customer networks.
We want to make sure that all of our relevant businesses can exploit this opportunity and we urge them to get involved. England's Waterways will bring new visitors to the region, offer test and learn opportunities to model ways of working for Coventry City of Culture, and the Commonwealth Games, contributing to a greater reputation and higher recognition of the heart of England, which will benefit all of our tourism, arts and cultural businesses.
For more information about the business support programme, please click here. For project details or to participate, please get in touch with our team – England's Waterways Project Manager Zoey Harris or Cultural Destinations Project Manager Margaret Way.


Thread breakage can happen at any given time regardless of your quilting skills or experience. You can tell a lot about thread breakage by looking at the break itself.
When the thread breaks, take a moment to look at it before rethreading the machine. If the thread looks like it was cut with a pair of scissors, it is likely a bur or sharp edge somewhere. If the thread looks like a few of the fibers on the outside have been cut, chances are that the hook assembly is cutting the thread. If the thread looks like it has been pulled apart, chances are that that is exactly what happened. This would be a tension issue.
If you think a bur caused the thread break, look to see where the broken end of the thread is when you stop the machine. If the thread break is anywhere from the take-up assembly forward, look down in the throat plate area. This is the most common place. What usually occurs is that the needle has flexed and put a nick in something. Check the hopping foot or presser foot. The needle may have bumped the edge of the foot. More often than not, the bur will be directly in the thread path. If you can remove the foot, do so and smooth the bur out with a very fine emery cloth or sandpaper. If you can not remove the foot, be sure to cover the hook area with a rag to avoid getting grit particles in the hook assembly and creating further problems. If the bur is in the throat plate, remove the throat plate and debur with sandpaper or emery cloth. Sometimes the bur is on the hook assembly or the hook shield. The best way to remove the bur from the hook assembly is to remove the hook assembly from the machine. After removing the bur, be sure to clean and oil the hook assembly, making sure to clean out any grit or debris from the sandpaper or emery cloth.
When the thread looks like the outside fibers have been cut and pushed up around the main part of the thread, This is more often than not what is called a hook break. Heres what happens; The hook comes around to pick up the thread, instead of scooping up the thread, the hook point catches the outside fibers and cuts them. This can happen for a few different reasons. If the needle is not inserted properly, this will happen. If the quilt is stretched too tight, this will happen. When the quilt is stretched too tight, the holes in the fabric close up pushing the thread off to the side of the needle. The hook point catches the edge of the thread instead of scooping it up. This also happens when the needle bar bushings are worn allowing the needle to pull too far away from the hook point. Flexing the needle will also result with the same effect. Many times when someone resets the hook timing, they are hesitant to get the hook assembly close enough to the needle. This creates a gap between the needle and hook point giving the same end result.
If the thread looks as if it was pulled apart, it probably was. The chances are very good that this is a tension issue. Try loosening up the tension a little at a time. If the problem still exists, check to make sure that the thread is not just getting hung up. Sometimes the thread will catch on the cone that it is coming off of. The thread may also catch on one of the thread guides. Make sure that the thread guides do not have any grooves worn into them. A rough groove may catch the thread. After using metallic or monofiliment threads, check the condition of your thread guides. Most thread guides are cheap and replaceable. Sometimes as the thread comes off of the cone, it will form a loop that will travel along the machine and wrap around a thread guide or any thing else in the way. One simple way to prevent this is to fold a small piece of batting over the thread and tuck it into the first thread guide above the cone. This will smooth out the thread travel and eliminate the thread forming a loop. This may add a little tension to the thread; you may have to adjust for this. Always look for the easy solution first, nine out of ten times it will be an easy fix.


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The Australian Boys Choir is an all-male children's choir based in Melbourne, Australia. Its artistic director is Nicholas Dinopoulos. The choir was formed in 1939 by Vincent J. Kelly who was musical director until his death in 1972. Subsequent musical/artistic directors were Geoffrey Jones (1972–1978), Ian Harrison (1979–1983), Noel Ancell (1983–2018) and Nicholas Dinopoulos (2018-)

Based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, the choir presents an annual subscription series of formal concerts, as well as other engagements (television, radio and film). Films that the choir have provided soundtracks for include the Oscar-nominated Elizabeth, and the Australian box office hit The Dish.

Known for its high standards of excellence and extremely broad repertoire of music, the choir performs pieces by many composers, including Bach, Benjamin Britten, John Rutter, Noel Ancell, Mahler, Tchaikovsky and Jim Steinman. The choir has a strong commitment to Australian choral music and regularly commissions and performs new or recent works.

Training/performing groups
The Australian Boys Choir consists of different levels for boys in training. Using Kodály methodology and starting at around the age of 7 or 8, boys begin training as probationers usually for six months (one school semester). Emphasis is on enjoyment and through musical games boys develop basic understanding of musical methods and singing. The next stage is 'tyros', where boys spend 9 to 12 months, depending on their abilities, working on aural development and music reading skills as well as vocal development. 'Junior singers' follows 'tyros', with more emphasis on vocal technique and music reading skills. Performance skills become important at this level. 'Senior singers' focus more on performance skills, while continuing to broaden their own musical skills and experience. Boys at this level become eligible to sing with the performing choir. Choir members who achieve the highest levels of musical proficiency are promoted to the rank of chorister, the highest rank in the Australian Boys Choir. The performing choir of the Australian Boys Choir comprises boys selected for their talent and dedication. Not every boy will earn a place in this performing group, which undertakes major concerts and other appearances, national and international tours and recording engagements.

All of the above-mentioned groups and training levels are for the unchanged (treble) male voice. Once the voices of choir members have changed, the young men may continue in the 'Kelly Gang', named not for the notorious bushrangers, but in recognition of the founder of the Australian Boys Choir – Vincent J. Kelly. As part of the Kelly Gang, the emphasis is on learning to sing with their new voices with performances and tours of lesser priority. The young men continue in the Kelly Gang until finishing secondary school after which they can audition for the Vocal Consort. The Vocal Consort was formed in 1984 to complement the work of the Australian Boys Choir and is composed of adult men, most of whom have progressed through the training levels of the choir. In addition to performing with the Australian Boys Choir, the Vocal Consort tours in Australia and overseas and presents many performances in its own right.

Tours
The Australian Boys' Choir tours frequently. International tour locations include the United States, UK, Europe, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1989, the choir went on a world tour which ended in New York. The choir also tours in Australia. Recent national tour locations include Tasmania, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. In 2013 the Australian Boys Choir and the Vocal Consort toured to Malaysia.

Past members
More than 1500 boys have reached the level of the performing choir in the over 80-year history of the Australian Boys Choir, including many who have gone on to careers in music and the arts. Some past members are listed below.
Henry Choo (choir 1985–1990) – staff and TVC
John Derum (choir 1956–1961) – actor
Jon Finlayson (choir 1950–1954) – actor, writer
Christopher Gordon (choir 1967–1971, TVC 1984) – composer
Trevor Jones (choir 1985–1988, staff, TVC 1998–2003)
Gordon Moyes (choir 1950–1952)
Dominic Natoli (choir 1966–1971)
Jesse Spencer (choir 1986–1992) – actor best known for Neighbours, House and Chicago Fire
Derek Welton (choir 1992–1995)
Tim Masman (choir 2004–2007)

References

External links

Australian choirs
Musical groups established in 1939
Organisations based in Melbourne
Boys' and men's choirs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Jordan informs Anna about the appearance of Mickey Diamond, the man who is controlling the flow of information. After Anna leaves, Jordan happens to run straight into Mickey. He questions her meeting with Anna and Jordan does her best to explain. Jordan suggests that they meet to go over business. Mickey suggests they meet over dinner.
It looks like someone has taken a liking to Jordan. This can't be good.


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Q: Angular Directive to ScrollLeft on Drag Bug I wrote an angular directive called dragscroll which scrolls a horizontal overflowing element right or left based on dragging on the canvas.
Please refer to this fiddle
How it works:
1. Horizontal scroll is at 0.
2. Mousedown at the right end of the div and while holding it
3. Mousemove left
4. Page scrolls right.
5. Mouseup stops the dragging.
And Vice versa.

However there is a bug.
This occurs when
1. the horizontal scrollbar is in the middle of the div,
2. you "mousedown" on any part of the canvas (pink) part and
3.  mousemove to the left edge, and hold it,

 the scroll happens continuously, which is not the desired behavior. I have not coded any scrollLeft behavior for this kind of event. Dont know why it is happening.

Please help.

A: The problem seems like because of default behavior of scrolling event outside of windows browser. What you can do is to stop this default behavior by adding e.preventDefault() inside your horizontalScroll method.
Working fiddle

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Jukia Yoshimura (born 18 February 1993) is a Japanese male  BMX rider, representing his nation at international competitions. He competed in the time trial event at the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships.

References

External links

1993 births
Living people
BMX riders
Japanese male cyclists
Asian Games competitors for Japan
Cyclists at the 2018 Asian Games
Place of birth missing (living people)


text:
David Harum (film, 1915)
 David Harum (film, 1934)


text:
Q: Javascript .value is empty when I post to php using axios/vue js I have a chat box and underneath I have bb smileys that when you click on them it will add a smiley to the text already in the input box.
But when I post using axios the array is empty, and If I manually enter the smiley bbcode it works.
<input id="txtName" @keyup.enter="addMessage" v-model="txtInput" type="text" style="width:100%;height:40px;color:#000000;" placeholder="Type here and hit return">

axios.post('ajax/post.php',
{ txtInput : this.txtInput }).then(function (response) {
console.log(response);

A: You shouldn't manually update the value of the input.
You should add a click listener and change the v-model property
<a @click="this.txtInput += '[smiley]'"

Note: you shouldn't modify the DOM with vanilla JS, but relu on the methods vue exposes.


text:
Q: Describing Locus of Complex points Having trouble describing locus of complex points.
Not sure how to approach these types of questions. Do I just replace $|z|$ with $\sqrt{x^2+y^2}$ ?
The question:
$|z+2| + |z-2| = 5$

A: An ellipse can be described as the locus of points the sum of whose distances from two points (the foci) is constant.   Thus we have an ellipse with foci $(-2,0)$ and $(2,0)$.


Luxury Vinyl Planks and Tiles (LVP or LVT for short) are the newest innovation in flooring. The style possibilities are beautiful and creative. This is truly one of the best performing flooring option for homes and businesses. Maintenance of these types of floors are a breeze. There are many options of the Luxury Vinyl Flooring category but two brands have risen to the top.
Karndean Design Flooring has been apart of the flooring industry for 40 years. Karndean is a global leader in flooring design, they offer a wide range of colors, textures and finishes allowing you to create a look that's unique to your home or business - and guaranteed to last. The creativity options of this product and company are unlike any others.
The COREtec brand by the environmentally minded company USFloors is an exciting product from a performance stand point. These floors are waterproof and scratch proof. The COREtec Plus products have an attached cork underlayment that add a softness underfoot that also resists mold and mildew. The visuals are realistic and current with the trends.
To find out more about what Karndean & COREtec has to offer, please visit your locally owned flooring store, Top Floors Carpet One Floor & Home located in Suwanee, Georgia. We are 20 minutes North of Atlanta in Gwinnett County convenient to Lawrenceville, Buford, Duluth and Norcross.


text:
Home Letter To The Editor Writer Applauds Alameda's Ban On Leaf Blowers
Writer Applauds Alameda's Ban On Leaf Blowers
Editor;
I would like to commend the mayor and city leaders of Alameda for taking action and finally banning the use of gas powered leaf blowers on the island effective January 1.
Those of us opposed to the machines have argued against their use for years, with Alameda's city council "kicking the can down the road" for years before finally taking action. Aside from providing immediate and welcome relief from the noise the machines create the ban will also help reduce emissions – something more residents and more towns need to consider and hopefully act on.
Once again, a hearty well done to Alameda's city leaders — who proved they are up to the task of leading and taking the kind of action we all need to take to ensure a healthier future for all of us.
Brad Martin/Berkeley
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"Who ARE Those Masked People, Kemosabe?"
Keeping An Eye On Walnut Creek's Seven Hills Ranch
Max Jan 5, 2023 at 6:26 pm
I will be waiting for the editorial condemning landscapers that are charging too much and taking advantage of us…when they have to double their prices to buy brand new electric leaf blowers.
NEWS24-680 Jan 5, 2023 at 6:47 pm
Quick point of order, Mr. Max –
This was a Letter to the Editor, not an editorial. We're sure you appreciate the distinction…
NEWS24/680
howard G Jan 18, 2023 at 10:10 am
Yeah, remember when all the bars and restaurants were going to be forced out of business when the smoking bans were enacted? No? Thought not.
That's because they're still in business. Nobody wants to sit in a restaurant while their children inhale second hand smoke.
Robin Goodman Jan 5, 2023 at 9:56 pm
That's interesting. Maybe other cities will follow their lead.
Keith Montoya Jan 6, 2023 at 9:00 am
This has nothing to do with leaf blowers. It's all about control.
focher Jan 6, 2023 at 11:28 am
Excepting that the control (which is what laws do) is for getting rid of the air and noise pollution, you are right.
Chloe Margeaux Jan 6, 2023 at 3:24 pm
Exactly right. I guess that whole conspiracy thing is still in play. Hard to understand.
david Jan 6, 2023 at 4:33 pm
Yeah, there is a word for that "no controls, no laws, don't fence me in" thing. I want no part of that defecate-in-the-Capitol movement. Laws by consensus are good for keeping the peace.
Doug Heaney Jan 6, 2023 at 9:02 pm
They can have my blower when they pry it from my cold, calloused hands.
Alex Jan 6, 2023 at 9:18 am
Sounds like a step in the right direction.
Abe Jan 6, 2023 at 12:29 pm
People can expect higher prices for yard work.
Landscapers will need to purchase new blowers with additional batteries and chargers.
Battery-powered leaf blowers need 5 or 6 spare batteries to get through the day.
Electric leaf blowers are not as powerful as motor drive blowers. Jobs will take longer, increasing the time a landscaper will need at each service.
Increase the cost of doing business for landscapers, cost of service will increase to the consumer.
Landscape companies will have to restructure prices to maintain profit which may result in worker reductions.
I'll be annoyed by noise rather than jeopardize small businesses and their workers.
That's just me. I guess I'm not that selfish.
Teresa Glenn Jan 6, 2023 at 3:27 pm
Is it really that you care about the longevity of small businesses or that you like your yard blown for cheap?
Abe Jan 6, 2023 at 3:46 pm
Teresa,
My concern is about small businesses.
Seat belts and ABS braking add to the cost of an automobile. So do windshield wipers and turn signals. What makes the expense worthwhile is the offset in lives saved and reduced medical costs for survivors which surpasses the cost of the safety features. If you could opt out of paying for those features, you could probably opt out of paying taxes and sundry other laws that hold us together in a civilized society. It's not a bad bargain. You can campaign to change the laws or you can even complain loudly about them without fear of consequences.
And, on the economic side of it, there is no shortage of automobile dealerships or autos in the marketplace and no shortage of buyers. All cars come with turn signals now. That was not true of my 1957 Chevy.
Small landscapers will adapt just fine.
Kate Clark Jan 6, 2023 at 3:29 pm
I use a rake and a broom. Works just fine.
Andy Villafuerte Jan 6, 2023 at 9:04 pm
Haahahahahaha……. some people still call the mo and blo crews injecting leafs and god knows what else under my front door "landscapers." Now that's funny.
Bette Skarsgaard Jan 7, 2023 at 6:18 am
Fired up bright and early at San Ramon Safeway this morning… 6 effing o'clock. The thinking behind the use of these screeching machines and the courtesy extended to others within earshot just astounds.
howie_G Jan 25, 2023 at 1:10 pm
It's not what you think. Alameda city manager has emphatically communicated that they won't enforce a trivial ordinance such as this. "other priorities" come first. So, also no need for the hand-wringing about the collapse of civilization as we know it once gas powered leaf blowers are banned..I recall when cigarette smoking was banned in bars and restaurants they declared a collapse of the hospitality industry…never happened until covid..


Messages can either be an email, SMS or postal mail. If postal email, only the message subject has relevant as a note to show what was sent.
Database value: 1 Messages sent to contact email.
Database value: 3 Messages sent to contact mobile phone number.
Database value: 2 Messages sent ti contact address.


text:
Erotica vs. pornography debate
"One person's erotica is another person's pornography" --dictum first attested in Fuse, 1982[1]
"But this rehabilitation of sex leads us to raise what has become one of the most important questions confronting art and the criticism of art in our time: that of the difference, if there is one, between erotic art and pornography." --Beauty, p3, Roger Scruton
"Erotica is as different from pornography as love is from rape, as dignity is from humiliation, as partnership is from slavery, as pleasure is from pain." --"Erotica vs. Pornography ", 1983, Gloria Steinem
"The difference between [ erotica and pornography ], apart from the moral/aesthetic judgement, largely rests on the intention of the person doing the "making". It is assumed that the pornographer produces pornography with the sole intention of causing people to feel sexually aroused, usually for financial gain. Erotica, however, may also have aesthetic or expressive purposes; there is less sense of the producer manipulating the feelings of the consumer, and less implication of purely financial motives. There is also a difference as regards the medium; the word "pornography" is nearly always applied to written texts, film and, primarily, photographs. One may say "an erotic statue", but probably not "a pornographic statue"."--"Debating Pornography: Categories and Metaphors" (1999) by Robin Turner
The distinction between erotica and pornography is difficult to identify, if not completely impossible. Proponents of erotic art argue that such work is intended to arouse aesthetic rather than erotic feelings, and is therefore not pornographic. Opponents see this as a pretentious stand, as they believe that erotic art shares the same purposes as pornography.
Stephen Gilbert once remarked "The difference between erotica and pornography is simple. Erotica is what I like. Pornography is what you like, you pervert!" One common joke is that "the only difference between art and pornography is a government grant." Another amusing maxim by Isabel Allende is: "Erotica is when you use a feather. Pornography is when you use the whole chicken."
The issue of whether a distinction can be made between erotica and pornography raises multiple complicated questions. These questions include whether aesthetic and erotic feelings are mutually exclusive, how the level of commercialism and tastefulness in an artwork can be objectively measured, and at what point they make the work pornographic.
In general, "erotica" refers to portrayals of sexually arousing material that hold or aspire to artistic or literary merit, whereas "pornography" often connotes the prurient depiction of sexual acts, with little or no artistic value.
Anti-pornography campaigners usually define the genre as meeting the following three criteria:
The work is explicit; in literature: the use of dysphemisms; in the visual arts: the depiction of a particular instance rather than an ideal; in photography: the beaver shot
The work addresses only the base instincts of its audience, ofen denoting the masturbatory use of the product, see body genre
The work is only made for monetary gain, see authorial intentionality
Additionally, the term pornographic is usually reserved for works within the reproducible arts, works of high art are seldomly called pornographic.
In Freudian terms
In Freudian terms, pornography is instant gratification, and erotica is sublimation, a defense mechanism.
Pornographic art
I know it when I see it
Author's intent
Purpose of art
Etymologies of erotica and pornography
Eroticism is where you use a feather and pornography is where you use the whole chicken
Debating Pornography: Categories and Metaphors (1999) by by Robin Turner
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Erotica vs. pornography debate" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on original research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
Retrieved from "http://artandpopularculture.com/Erotica_vs._pornography_debate"


text:
HomeWorld"There is no proposal." Carlos Moedas withdraws new...
"There is no proposal." Carlos Moedas withdraws new hotel project after suspicions of ties to Isabel dos Santos
Carlos Moedas revealed that he had withdrawn a proposal for a new hotel with alleged links to Isabel dos Santos. The Socialist councilor speaks of "an error that should have been identified."
The mayor of Lisbon said on Wednesday that the proposal for a new hotel in the city that would allegedly have links to the Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, whose assets are seized, has been withdrawn and will not be discussed again.
I withdraw the proposal. The proposal does not go to the camera. There is no proposal, "said Carlos Moedas (PSD), after being asked by PS councilor Inês Drummond whether he would present the document again at a meeting of the municipal council executive.
In the public meeting of the chamber, the socialist Inês Drummond recalled that it was the PS who warned about the need to clarify doubts about the alleged connections between the promoter of the project for a new hotel in the center of Lisbon and the Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos.
The PS councilor stated that "it is in the public domain" the history of the promoter, the company H33 – Sociedade Imobiliária, "with no known management for three years, and in which public reference is made to the last managers known as representatives of Isabel dos Interests of Santos".
Inês Drummond questioned the competence of the Town Planning Councilor, Joana Almeida (independently elected by the "Novos Tempos" coalition – PSD/CDS-PP/MPT/PPM/Aliança), who is also in charge of Transparency and Combating Corruption, considering that this was "an error that should have been identified".
On January 11, the Lisbon Chamber postponed the vote on the proposal, to clarify doubts about the promoter.
As soon as they transmitted this information to me, I withdrew this proposal, but I am not a police officer," said Carlos Moedas, adding that the camera does not have the function of the Judicial Police, noting that the process was presented in 2019 and affirming that, if anyone previously knew and did not withdraw the proposal, that is what is worrying".
The PS councilor reinforced that "a little more needs to be done in terms of transparency and the fight against corruption", referring, ironically, to the fact that the councilors for Urban Planning and Transparency and the Fight against Corruption "have to communicate better with each other".
To put an end to the "ping-pong" of questions and answers, the mayor broke off the discussion with the proposal of a questionnaire, alluding to what is now required of members of the Government, to which the socialist replied: "I don't know if the quiz passes".
This is a proposal signed by councilor Joana Almeida, who was on the agenda of the private meeting on January 11, to "approve, subject to conditions, the architectural project for reform works with expansion, to be carried out in the property at Rua Alexandre Herculano no. 33-33A, turning to no. 28 Rua Castilho, in the parish of Santo António, which constitutes case no. 1250/EDI/2019".
This proposal intended to transform this residential building in the center of Lisbon into a "holiday resortmade up of 22 five-star tourist apartments and one Commercial space on ground floor".
In response to questions from the Lusa news agency, on January 12, the Urban Planning Council reported that the licensing process for a project for the installation of a hotel on a property on Rua Alexandre Herculano, perpendicular to Avenida da Liberdade, in the parish of Santo António, promoted by the company H33 – Sociedade Imobiliária, as the owner of the building, was presented to the Lisbon City Council (CML) in 2019, in the previous executive, under the presidency of Fernando Medina (PS).
Any question of possible arrest, once again, is not part of the competence of the Lisbon City Council. This issue is only taken into account in the granting of licenses if it is reflected in the instruction documents of the process, which is not the case in this case", indicated the Councilor for Urbanism and Transparency and Fight against Corruption.
On December 19, the Supreme Court (TS) of Angola ordered the preventive seizure of the assets of the businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, valued at one billion dollars (941 million euros), namely 100% of the shares of the company Embalvidrowhere the defendant is the usufructuary.
According to the sentence to which the Lusa agency had access, the criminal court of the Supreme Court specifies that the embargo also includes all bank balances of titled or co-titled demand deposits, domiciled in all banking entities, including deposit accounts in term, other financial entities associated requests or securities files in the name of Isabel dos Santos.
Brazilian police will investigate whether the health crisis caused the genocide of Yanomami indigenous people
US and Israel hold large-scale joint military exercise


What are Birthstones? This guide may help you find your next treasure.
Birthstone jewelry is often purchased as a special gift for a loved one. But have you ever wondered why there's a gemstone assigned to each month? Where did that originate? For thousands of years, gemstones have been thought to possess special healing properties or positive energies. The birthstone chart we know today has been used in the West since biblical times.
The brother of Moses, Aaron, was a prophet and the first High Priest of the Israelites. It is said that he had a ceremonial breastplate that held 4 rows that held 3 precious stones each, one for each tribe of Israel. The name and order of the gemstones have been debated, partially due to that fact that gemstones didn't have specific names at the time.
In the first century A.D., the Romano-Jewish scholar, Titus Flavius Josephus connected the 12 stones with the 12 signs of the Zodiac and the 12 months of the year.
Later, in the 15th century in Poland, wearing birthstones became popular but instead of wearing the birthstone for the month you were born, those who could afford it bought a whole set of 12 birthstones. They would then wear the gemstones successively as they corresponded for each month.
In 1912, the American National Association of Jewelers adopted the modern birthstone list that is currently used in the West. It has been periodically updated since then.
The modern birthstone list of the West is the one typically used in the United States, but there are many others that did not originate with the story of Aaron's breastplate.
A mythical birthstone list originated in Tibet over one thousand years ago, and the Ayurvedic birthstone list dates back to over three thousand years ago.
Nowadays, people traditionally wear the birthstone associated with their month of birth, sometimes with the thought that it has positive energies for anyone born that month.
What positive energies, do you wonder? Check out the list below and find your birthstone or one for a loved one.
Garnet, with its deep red color, is thought to be an energizing and stabilizing stone that can revitalize the whole body. It's said to support a positive self-image, increase energy levels, and calm anxiety. Wearing garnet can also help to prevent nightmares and keep travelers safe.
Amethyst, with its rich purple color, is said to have the power to focus energy, bring courage, and support strong relationships. It can offer protection and strength to overcome challenges. Amethyst is also said to help to calm a restless mind and bring mental and emotional well-being.
Aquamarine, with its dazzling blue color, is believed by some to have wonderful calming energies that reduce stress and quiet the busy mind. It's also thought to bring mental clarity and release negative energy from the wearer. Blue aquamarine gemstones are said to support self-expression, youth, and hope. Wearing this gemstone is thought to reawaken love and increase your happiness.
The sparkling diamond is thought to be an energy amplifier and is said to bring strength and endurance. It's said to purify and detoxify all of the body's systems, rebalance the metabolism, and build stamina and strength. It's a very well-known symbol of purity, innocence, romance, and everlasting love.
The other birthstone for April is quartz. Found the world over, quartz is believed to enhance energy and clarification of thought.
The emerald, with the radiant color of green, has long thought to bring health and growth, along with supporting fertility, rebirth, and wealth within the wearer. The Ancient Romans even dedicated this stone to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
Pearls are thought to calm a restless mind and anxious thoughts, as well as control anger. They have traditionally been a symbol of purity. The Ancient Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy from Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
The other stone for June is the moonstone.
The ruby, with its dazzling red color, is considered to be a help in removing negative energies, overcoming exhaustion and promoting vitality. It's a symbol of harmony and peace. It was regarded by ancient Hindus as the "king of gems." Its beauty promotes strength and nobility of character while protecting the wearer from evil.
Peridot, with its light green color of spring, is a cheerful and uplifting stone. It's said to reduce stress and increase strength. Traditionally, it's thought to protect the wearer from evil, negativity, and depression.
The brilliant blue stone of sapphire was a favorite of priests and kings long ago, symbolizing dignity, loyalty, and wisdom. It was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning. It was believed that a venomous snake would die if placed in a vessel made of sapphire. Nowadays, it's said to bring serenity, wisdom, and loyalty.
The radiant opal is purportedly known for its healing and restoring properties. It's thought to increase the will to live and to strengthen memory. Opal also symbolizes hope, innocence, confidence, and creativity.
The other stone for October is the tourmaline.
Yellow topaz and citrine are thought to strengthen and heal the body and mind, soothing pain and inspiring peace. It's believed that they can remove negativity, including the promotion of forgiveness and protecting the wearer from the negativity from others.
Turquoise has been traditionally regarded as a symbol of a happy life, filled with good fortune and success. It's thought to support detoxifying the body and to enhance the immune system. Allegedly, it can relax the mind and protect its wearer from any harm. In ancient times, it was believed that turquoise would actually change color when the wearer was ill or in danger.
The other stone for December is blue topaz thought to support the spoken word and self-expression.
The birthstones associated with each month may offer the wearer the healing properties and positive energy for that month. This guide on birthstones could enhance your life and the lives of your loved ones. You also have the knowledge that your purchase will help support the lives of artisans from around the world.
The power of a simple question: #whomademyclothes?


its presence may cause some implementations a parsing ambiguity.
NTP packet (so any additional data MUST be a legacy MAC).
the use of a legacy MAC may be avoided.
packet data could be either an Extension Field or a legacy MAC.


My near lifetime ambition of getting to Cape Horn didn't really strike me until several days after circling and stepping on Cape Horn. I know many other boaters have traveled here but this was MY Mount Everest. The journey was difficult and at times felt insurmountable but knowing that Captain Randy Ives of Outer Reef Yachts was there, not only helping with sending spare parts, walking me through technical issues and providing moral encouragement when I needed it the most, day or night 24/7, made the voyage possible.
My agents (and now friends) in Chile (SASYSS) made life for a non-Spanish speaking person a joy to witness the unique and simply unbelievable natural beauty of Chile, and have firsthand experience of the kindness, generosity, and openness of the Chilean people. This will not go down in the annals of world history but for me, as Rocky Balboa said, "Yo Adrian, I DID IT!!!


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The building industry needs a replacement sustainability code
Following the recent government review of housing standards, from which the Code for Sustainable Homes was withdrawn and replaced with a new approach for setting technical standards, the British building industry has been left in a state of flux.
The new national technical standards introduced by the Government aims to rationalise the many differing standards that existed, and thus reduce the red tape that has long been associated with planning and house building.
However, according to the National Policy for the Built Environment Committee, if the Government doesn't reverse its decision to withdraw the Code for Sustainable Homes and scrap the zero-carbon home requirement, it's likely to lead to 'future misery' for homeowners.
In fact, they have accused some developers of taking advantage of the Government's current lack lustre attitude towards building quality, sustainable new homes and are currently looking at ways to fast-track the introduction of greener buildings into the UK.
As part of their recommendations, they would like to see local authorities once again being able to build high quality new social housing, which will last the test of time, and thus save money in the long run.
The committee suggest that the National Planning Policy Framework should be reviewed to ensure that developers aren't compromising on design quality and sustainability, while using financial viability as an excuse for their poor performance.
The Committee have stressed the importance of appointing a 'chief built environment advisor' to promote higher standards in the built environment, and have also called on the Government to not only reverse its decision to scrap the zero-carbon home requirement, but to introduce a new strategy to retrofit older buildings.
The removal of the zero-carbon homes requirement has been seen as a backward step that is likely to mean that occupants will be locked into higher carbon emissions and thus higher utility bills, for years to come.
Furthermore, Policy Director of the UK Green Building Council, John Alker, believes that the decision to scrap the zero carbon standards has not only made carbon targets more difficult to hit, but has simply disregarded over 10 years of planning and investment from developers, designers and manufacturers.
Whilst we wait for the Government to introduce a new sustainability code, UK solar developers WElink Energy and British Solar Renewables, have agreed to a deal with the China National Building Materials Group to build up to 8000 zero-carbon homes in the UK.
This move will not only mean benefits for the building industry as a whole in terms of new jobs, but will also give occupants better living conditions and reduce running costs. The new scheme will also have positive benefits for the environment as a whole.
Some of our most respected UK developers, such as Strata Homes Ltd for example, are still making a significant effort to ensure that their homes are energy efficient and sustainable with high energy efficiency ratings.
Other bodies including the BRE, a multi-disciplinary building science centre, has developed its own sustainability standard for new homes which, although entirely voluntary, will enable conscientious developers to differentiate their homes. The Home Quality Mark, as it's known, encourages developers to build homes that are resilient, offer lower utility and maintenance costs, promote the mental and physical health and wellbeing of the occupants, and use resources efficiently.


COCO (CAPE-OPEN to CAPE-OPEN) is a free-of-charge CAPE-OPEN compliant steady-state simulation environment consisting of the following components: COFE - the CAPE-OPEN Flowsheet Environment is an intuitive graphical user interface to flow-sheeting. COFE has sequential solution algorithm using automatic tear streams. COFE displays properties of streams, deals with unit-conversion and provides plotting facilities. TEA - COCO's Thermodynamics for Engineering Applications, is based on the code of the thermodynamic library of ChemSep and includes a data bank of over 430 commonly used chemicals. The package exhibits more than 100 property calculation methods with their analytical or numerical derivatives. COUSCOUS - the CAPE-OPEN Unit-operations Simple package is shipped with COCO. It contains a splitter, a mixer, heat-exchangers, pumps and reactors amongst other unit operations. ChemSep-LITE, a limited version of ChemSep with a maximum of 40 compounds and 300 stages, can serve as an equilibrium distillation unit operation in COCO. A full version of the equilibrium and non-equilibrium column simulator can be obtained at http://www.chemsep.com/. ChemSep-LITE is included in the COCO installation. CORN - the CAPE-OPEN Reaction Numerics package that comes with COCO facilitates specifying any kind of kinetic or equilibrium reaction. Simple reactor units, like conversion reactors, CSTRs and plug flow reactors that can use the CORN package come with the COUSCOUS package. System requirements: Windows XP or higher.


Arestana: The Key Quest, by Shawn Robinson is a humorous and imaginative adventure for young readers. The story follows Liam, a boy who is magically flushed into another land that is similar to Earth but much sillier. Liam soon meets up with a group of odd but friendly Arestanians who team up with him as he seeks his way back home. Before he can go home he's sent on a dangerous quest. If he and his friends can complete their quest without getting killed by dragons or booger bullies or fluffy kittens, then the Kingdom of Arestana will be saved and Liam will be allowed to go home.
Author Shawn Robinson has a natural knack for weaving an exciting adventure that contains just enough danger around every turn but never becomes violent. He uses humor to take the bite out of every perilous scene and leaves his readers laughing and cheering rather than cringing in horror. It's seldom that I find a book that can make me laugh, but this one had me laughing out loud many times throughout. Arestana: The Key Quest is perfect for parents to read to their children at bedtime. Not only will the kids have a good time listening, but parents will get plenty of good laughs while they read. I can also see this as a great book for young readers to read on their own. The storytelling is well done with plenty of suspense and drama to go along with the humor. I'll be looking forward to reading more of Liam's adventures in the strange land of Arestana.
Scott! Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm glad you loved the book!


The Conservancy's Sacred Sites Committee has awarded 14 grants totaling $268,000 to religious properties throughout New York State, including 8 Challenge Grants of between $25,000 to $50,000 and 6 Sacred Sites grants of up to $10,000. Challenge Grants in New York City included $40,000 for the Church of the Blessed Sacrament on the Upper West Side, a Neo-Gothic church completed in 1921, for restoration of its cast stone façade and slate roof. Union Baptist Church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was pledged $25,000 for roof replacement and reconstruction of its failing brick masonry rear wall. This early Romanesque Revival church, dating from 1863, was in dangerously deteriorated condition, but is being repaired and revitalized by a new congregation.
Jewish Heritage Fund Challenge Grants were awarded to two Brooklyn synagogues. The 1855, early Romanesque Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill was pledged $50,000 towards the $1.6 million restoration of masonry facades and towers. The 1904, vernacular Congregation Ahavas Israel of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was awarded $25,000 for roof replacement and brick masonry restoration.
Challenge grants of $25,000 each were awarded to two Westchester churches, St. John's Episcopal Church in Pleasantville, for roofing, masonry and drainage system restoration, and St. Peter's Church in Peekskill, for slate roof repair and tower structural repairs. St. Thomas' Church in Amenia Union, considered one of the finest of the series of rural parish churches Richard Upjohn designed between 1845 and 1850, was awarded $25,000 for restoration of its brick facades.
Tabernacle Baptist Church in Utica, a large Gothic Revival brownstone church dating from 1867, was pledged $30,000 for towards its extensive $1 million roof and masonry restoration project.
Six Sacred Sites Grants of up to $10,000 were awarded, including $10,000 to the Vedanta Society, one of two New York City worship centers affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India, located in an 1897 townhouse on West 71st since 1920, for restoration of brownstone trim and entrance stoop. Additional grants were awarded to Christ Church, Warwick, for entrance door restoration; Saugerties Reformed Church for a conditions assessment; Kaaterskill United Methodist Church, Tannersville, for structural repairs to its stone foundation; Church of the Saviour, Syracuse, for roof replacement, and East Penfield Baptist Church in Fairport in Western New York, for stained glass window restoration.


Scrum@Scale is dedicated to expanding the Scrum community's knowledge of how Scrum scales and to learn from each others' experiences. To this end, trainers are asked to document a case study of their own recent experience scaling Scrum in a real-world situation. Scrum@Scale Trainers are world-class educators and practitioners of Scrum. Your application should be world class too. Here are some guidelines to help get your case study there.
How you leveraged a particular component of the Scrum@Scale framework in order to achieve some outcome or result.
You may submit your case study to trainer-applications@scrumatscale.com. Once submitted, our team will review your case study and respond with feedback for iteration, or if we decide it's ready, we'll invite you to register for an upcoming Train the Trainer course.
During the 5-day Scrum@Scale Train the Trainer course, participants will have a maximum of 10 minutes (6-7 minutes for presentation + 3-4 minutes for Q&A) to present their case studies to the rest of the group. These presentations will be professionally recorded and become part of our growing Case Study Library under the CC4-BY-SA license. As such, please ensure that all content in your case study be content that you are authorized to share, or that it is anonymized appropriately.
Begin with the structure and starting state of the organization.
Focus on what was done (related to Scrum@Scale).
End with results: provide data & concrete metrics that illustrate the impact of what was done.
3-5 slides using this ppt. template.
5-10 minute recording of you presenting your case study. Note: the recording can be video (preferable) or audio, and production quality is not important.
Optionally, you may also submit a written version of the case study in order to provide additional context.
Focus on concrete learnings and key takeaways.


This time around I thought I'd show you the 40th Anniversary box set from Queen, but don't get too excited – it is just a big box to hold all of the 2011 remastered studio albums.
Apparently, there was a fault on some of the blu-ray discs that shipped with initial copies of the "Wish You Were Here Immersion Box Set" by Pink Floyd. The situation has now been rectified and, in my instance, Amazon has sent me a replacement disc for my box set.
If you have one of these discs affected by unwanted clicks and pops, my advice would be to contact the retailer from where you bought the item and ask for a replacement disc, citing that the problem has been acknowledged by EMI and Amazon.
So here I am up to my nuts in Rush as I plough my way through three neat little boxsets containing many of the Canadian proggers most popular albums.
You wait ages and then two Kate Bush albums come along at once. This time we have an album of new material based on a winter theme. So it is a concept album of sorts, if you will.
But is it a Frosty the Snowman or a bucket of yellow snow? You'll have to watch the video to find out!


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HJS VEX Robotics Competes at World Championships
Excitement is in the air as the Harrison Junior School/Great Oaks VEX Robotics Team 1254A prepares for the 2021 World Championship. They are the first team in the school's history to qualify for world competition after competing at the state level.
This year's team was guided by Great Oaks teacher Sara James and consists of five students, Logan Brock, 6th grade, and 8th graders Matthew Rudolph, Chase Turner, Aaron Webb, and Mitchell Wessel. The students are part of the Gateway to Technology program offered by Great Oaks Career Campuses in partnership with Harrison Junior School.
Early in the school year, students were given a simple starter kit and with Mrs. James' guidance, they took it from there. "These students spent hours constructing and programming their robot. In addition, they created strategies for it to capture and place a series of balls successfully into the hoop earning them points. Seeing them mentally grow has been so rewarding," said Mrs. James.
"It's been so much fun! All of us are in other extracurricular activities such as sports and drama, but we all look forward to being together after school and working on our robot. We get to be creative and expand our engineering knowledge," says Mitchell Wessel.
At the virtual World Championship beginning in the middle of May, these students will showcase their knowledge and skills in designing, building, repairing, and programming. In addition, they will present their engineering notebook that they wrote explaining their design process through a live interview. Aaron Webb said "It would have been fun to compete in person, but we're okay with it virtually. We are so pumped that we made it to Worlds, first team ever!"
When asked why this team has made it this far, Mrs. James compliments the team on recognizing each other's strengths. "When I look at team 1254A, I see a coder, a strategist, a connector, a driver and a builder. Oftentimes, they would switch roles based on the challenge, but these kids recognized each other's strengths and worked as a team from day one. Of course, they've had very intense conversations on strategies and building, but that's what it's all about. They constantly challenged each other to get better."
As a parent, Mary Rudolph said, "It's so exciting to see your child find a project they truly love and know that they are learning so much for their future. These kids have created something great by using their minds and technology, and they are having a blast."
The team has received support from a number of sponsors, including P&G Core, Cincinnati Test Systems, General Tool Company, INDELAC Controls, Inc, Darana Hybrid, J. Construction Masonry, Republic Wire Inc., Meyer Martial Arts, Kreimer's Bier Haus, LaRosa's, Exhibit Three Fabrications, DiPoccio's Auto Repair, and Langen Meats.
"No matter the outcome of the World Championship, I couldn't be prouder of Team 1254A," said Mrs. James. "I shared with the kids that it's not always about who comes in first, but it's about how much you have grown along the way. This is a special team, not only have they learned from me, I have learned from them. These boys will go far in life. It will be fun when they come back and visit me at Harrison Junior School in the future."


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Human vs. Human 2.0; 10% Welcome Microchip in Brain – Nearly 80% Worry About It
Human vs. Human 2.0; 10%…
Major changes have come – but none are as grand as the prospect of a potential rift in the human species down the road.
A recent John Zogby StrategiesSM nationwide online poll of 777 likely voters explored future technologies discussed by prominent figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum.
Respondents were asked if they believe Zuckerberg's coming Metaverse is ingenious and want to participate or will it further destroy our social fabric and won't participate?
Over half (56%) believe it will "destroy the social fabric" and "plan not to participate" 23% say it's "ingenious" and "want to participate."
18-29-year-olds are split with 41% positive and 39% critical—respondents older than 30 trend increasingly higher with a more critical outlook of the VR platform.
Another question addressed Elon Musk's prediction of microchip implants in the brain – is it the next level of human evolution/life-improving or worry it will bring humanity under totalitarian control.
Overwhelmingly 77% of the public worry "microchip implants will be used to usher in a never-before-seen level of totalitarian control", vs. 10% say it will "improve lives."
Finally, likely voters were asked about Klaus Schwab's prediction – humans will merge with AI – whether it will bring our standard of living to new heights vs. having no interest in joining with AI.
Again, overwhelmingly, almost 7 of 10 (67%) prefer to remain human and "not merge with AI", vs. 18% who believe the transition would bring about "new heights of prosperity."
Managing Director Jeremy Zogby says the public overwhelmingly prefers to remain human and natural evolution over biotech-driven evolution. However, support for merging with AI appears highest from 18-25-year-olds. Does this signal a rift in our species down the road? When young adults mature, will as many still be willing to take a leap of faith towards tech-driven evolution? It is likely to become the top issue of the day in the near future.
The poll's overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.6 percentage points. Subgroups have higher margins of error.
Donna DeCallier says:
I would like follow up questions
How would it improve your live with
How would prosperity evolve from AI
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45 million Americans partake in sparkling wine annually—and some of them drink bubbly only during the holidays. Despite what producers say, Champagne doesn't go with everything, and an entire dinner with only Champagne to drink is tiresome, even on New Year's Eve.Chocolate and Champagne pairing is Valentine's Day marketing nonsense. Chocolate is too sweet, points up the wine's acidity, and makes it taste bitter. The pressure in a Champagne bottle can shoot out a cork at 25 miles an hour. Pour slowly, so the bubbles don't overflow the glass. And don't shake before opening.
This is peak Champagne season, when holiday revelers start thinking bubbles and obsessing over buying and drinking fizz. (I do it all year.) U.K.-based marketing company Wine Intelligence just released a report that estimates 45 million Americans partake in sparkling wine annually—and some of them drink bubbly only during the holidays.
Join the party. Just make sure you're doing it right.
Most Champagne is the less-expensive nonvintage stuff that blends vintages to achieve a consistent taste and style. That way you'll know what you're going to taste when you open a bottle of Roederer or Veuve Cliquot. But you'll almost always get more bang for your buck by picking a bottle with a vintage date on it. (Krug Grande Cuvée is one exception.) That means avoiding the stuff you're familiar with, like nonvintage bottles of Moët, Ruinart, Taittinger, Bollinger, etc. (all make splendid vintage-dated cuvées, by the way).
with deeper and fuller flavors. They cost a lot less than a Champagne house's flashy prestige cuvee (such as Dom Perignon), but many people actually prefer them.
Buy a case or two. Demand for Champagne skyrockets during holiday season, but at the same time prices drop sharply. A few years ago, Fivethirtyeight.com estimated the average price of a bottle was 18 percent lower at holiday time than during an average week.
The site cited research from two University of Chicago economists that explains why the usual supply-and-demand model doesn't hold—because seasonal Champagne buyers are also super price-conscious, and retailers lower prices to reel them in. Maybe they'll fall in love!
A refrigerator is not some wine-preserving cryogenic chamber. Three or four days in a food fridge before popping the cork is fine, says Moët & Chandon's wine quality manager, but the conditions are too cold and too dry for longer-term storage. They dry out the cork, which lets in air that flattens a wine's flavors and causes it to lose its sparkle.
In general, take the bottle out about 15 minutes before serving. Like the porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the temperature should be just right. Serving the wine too cold blanks out the aromas, and if it's too warm, it loses the bright crispness that perks up your taste buds. The ideal temperature is 47F to 50F (8C to 10C).
The pressure in a Champagne bottle (because of the bubbles) can shoot out a cork at nearly 25 miles an hour. Flying corks can and do cause damage to lamps, guests, more.
Remove them properly, the way the pros do. No, that doesn't mean hunting down a Champagne saber and learning how to slash off the top of the bottle. First, take off the wire cage over the cork. Tilt the bottle so it's pointing away from anyone and put a towel over the top. Grab the top of the cork with one hand while you twist the bottle with the other until the cork starts to loosen and gently pops out. Pour slowly, so the bubbles don't overflow the glass.
And don't you dare shake before opening.
By now, let's hope you've bowed to the pressure of fashion and put away those model-thin flutes (although I still like them sometimes). Real Champagne glasses have curves. One of my favorites is glassmaker Lehmann's tulip-shaped, rounded-bowl Jamesse Prestige Grand Champagne Glass ($37.50 each), which highlights aromas and keeps bubbles fizzing longer.
The chocolate and Champagne pairing is Valentine's Day marketing nonsense—the idea that two items people love belong together. They don't. Chocolate is far too sweet, points up the wine's acidity, and makes it taste bitter.
Despite what producers say, Champagne doesn't go with everything, and an entire dinner with only Champagne to drink is awfully tiresome—even on New Year's Eve.
Or worse, you're wrapping the top of the bottle with Saran wrap. Have some pride! Instead, invest in a proper Champagne stopper with a tight seal that will keep fizz from losing its bubbles for several days.
You can find a basic clamp model at any wine store or places such as Williams-Sonoma for $6 to $10. The key factor is the tightness of the seal. You want one that's leakproof.
Great Information sharing.. I am very happy to read this article.. Thanks for giving us go through info. Fantastic nice. I appreciate this post.


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Q: SQL best practice from multiple table links I wasnt sure how best to word this title, or even explain the problem but here goes...
I am designing an SQL database with several tables that can be linked together.
i.e.
TABLE a ID1 CAN BE JOINED TO TABLE b ID1
TABLE b ID2 CAN BE JOINED TO TABLE c ID1
TABLE d ID1 CAN BE JOINED TO TABLE a ID5

etc.
Basically any row in any table can be linked to any other row in any table (including itself)
i was going to create a single "Connections" table with the following columns...
Table 1 Name VARCHAR()
Table 1 ID   INT()
Table 2 Name VARCHAR()
Table 2 ID   INT()

Acting as a many to many joining table but with columns for the table as well as ID of each side of the connection. I get the feeling this isn't best practise though. Any thoughts?
I cant believe i need to create an individual table for each permutation of connection!

A: This problem is common, opposing the normalized model to the denormalized model.
To implement a meta-model (one table to store all relations) most commonly has the following issues:

*

*Slower requests in case of 0..n relations (at least)

*No native management of relational constraints (on cascade...)

*Needs an additional applicative layer to parse the relations

Then if you don't mind it, your solution is fine.
Cheers,
S.


Additional provider and supplier requirements for enrolling and maintaining active enrollment status in the Medicare program. (f) Maintaining and providing access to documentation.
(1) A provider or a supplier who furnishes covered ordered DMEPOS or referred home health, laboratory, imaging, or specialist services is required to maintain documentation for 7 years from the date of service and, upon the request of CMS or a Medicare contractor, to provide access to that documentation. The documentation includes written and electronic documents (including the NPI of the physician who ordered the home health services and the NPI of the physician or the eligible professional who ordered or referred the DMEPOS, laboratory, imaging, or specialist services) relating to written orders and requests for payments for items of DMEPOS and home health, laboratory, imaging, and specialist services.
(2) A physician who ordered home health services and a physician and an eligible professional who ordered or referred items of DMEPOS or laboratory, imaging, and specialist services is required to maintain documentation for 7 years from the date of the order, certification, or referral and, upon request of CMS or a Medicare contractor, to provide access to that documentation. The documentation includes written and electronic documents (including the NPI of the physician who ordered the home health services and the NPI of the physician or the eligible professional who ordered or referred the DMEPOS, laboratory, imaging, or specialist services) relating to written orders or requests for payments for items of DMEPOS and home health, laboratory, imaging, and specialist services.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides physician educational resources on physician relationships with payers and vendors. These resources are found here: http://oig.hhs.gov/compliance/physician-education/index.asp. The educational information discusses maintaining and providing documentation as well as the importance of legitimate prescriptions for patients.
As a billing provider/supplier, if you are asked and/or required to pay for or refused documentation by a referring/ordering physician, please report the incident as potential fraud and/or abuse. As a referring/ordering physician, if you are asked to sign or write prescriptions for Medicare beneficiaries by a provider/supplier for unnecessary services/items or for patients you do not know, please report the incident.
When physicians believe their patients may require the expertise of another physician, effective, timely and informative communication between all physicians is essential to ensure appropriate use of specialty care services. The results of physician surveys indicate a lack of informative referral communication exists in Canada. Significant variation exists in referral request processes*. This is contributing to the poor access to specialty care that many patients are experiencing.
Some of this variation is necessary, however, which means that a single, standardized solution to improve the entire referral and consultation process is not feasible. Nonetheless, while communication processes and information requirements for referral requests vary considerably, the communication and information needs in consultant responses is essentially the same for all referring physicians. Unfortunately, provision of this information is often lacking. This problem can be addressed through standard communication protocols because all referring physicians benefit from receiving the same types of information in response to referral requests; for example, acknowledgement of referral receipt or patient consult reports.
Furthermore, when referrals are initiated, specific types of requests can benefit from standardization of communication methods and information requirements. Such activities are already underway in Canada in select areas. These successful initiatives, used together as complementary approaches to address the varying needs of referral requests, should be adopted throughout the country.
** All stakeholders, especially physicians, but also, where appropriate, office assistants, nurses, other health care providers as well as patients, must be engaged in an early and meaningful way regarding any initiative that has a goal to improve referral or consultation processes.
** There is no single best way to access specialist expertise; as a result, a combination of complementary initiatives (e.g., formal consultation systems, standardized referral processes with central intake systems and/or physician directories) should be implemented to reduce variation in the approaches that are used and to facilitate more timely access to specialty care for patients.
** While acknowledging the referring physician's ability to interpret certain test results, the referral must be accompanied by appropriate information to allow the consulting specialist to fully assess the request, and the referring physician must be informed of what is "appropriate".
** The referring physician (and family physician if different), as well as the patient, should be kept informed, in a timely fashion, of the status of the referral request, using standardized procedures, minimum information requirements and timelines.
** Physician and/or physician practices should receive compensation and support in recognition of the time and effort undertaken to communicate appropriate information regarding referral requests as well as to conduct electronic or real-time consultations.
The most appropriate method of communication differs depending on the degree of specialist involvement that is required. There are no standards about which method of communication is the most appropriate or effective, or what information is required, for each situation. Referral request processes† vary significantly; not only across specialties but among specialists within a particular specialty and even within a geographic region.
Examples of this variation include: some consulting specialists will accept referrals only if the referring physician has used their specific referral form; others accept referrals using only one particular communication method (e.g., by fax); and others accept referrals on just one day each month. Such variation creates inefficiencies because referring physicians must familiarize themselves with each request process that is required by each consulting specialist.
The range and quality of information provided in a referral request also varies considerably; for example, too little information (i.e. no reason for referral provided), insufficient information (i.e. out-of-date or a lack of lab or imaging tests), or to too much information (i.e. noncontributory family history).
This lack of standardization is problematic. In this context, standardization means simplification rather than obligation. Standardized processes facilitate communications for referrals by removing ambiguities about which method is most appropriate for each situation.
Communication methods and the types of information that are transferred between referring physicians and consulting specialists vary based on numerous factors, ranging from those beyond the control of physicians such as regulations and available technology, to those completely within their control such as their own individual preferences.
An effective way to facilitate appropriate and timely access to specialty care that is within the control of the health care profession is to explore the rationale behind these varying communication and information preferences and address these variations by developing, with meaningful participation and approval from physicians and their administrative staff, standard processes for requesting a specialist referral and for communicating back to the referring physician.


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Managing With Respect: Positioning Supervisors and Managers to Successfully Manage in Today's Workplaces
Successfully Managing the Duty to Accommodate Employees With Disabilities
Workplace Violence: The Ten-Point Workplace Violence Prevention Strategy
AODA Policy Development Management and Employee Training Modules
How to Use Employment Contracts to Keep Your Company Out of Court
Workplace Harassment: A System for Internal Resolution
There's an Inspector at the Door! How to Respond to Occupational Health and Safety Inspections and Investigations
OH&S Due Diligence in Ontario
Workplace Safety and Insurance: How to Manage Claims and Cut Costs
A Practical Guide to Maintaining the Union-Free Workplace
Collective Agreement Negotiations: Essential Training for Management Representatives
Managing Effectively in a Unionized Workplace
Complying With The Employment Standards Act: Hours of Work, Leaves of Absence, Permits and More
Conservatives Propose Dramatic Overhaul of Ontario Labour and Workers' Compensation Laws
The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party is proposing significant changes to Ontario's labour and workers' compensation legislation which, if enacted, would dramatically alter the legal landscape. In a White Paper entitled "Paths to Prosperity: Flexible Labour Markets" the Party outlines a number of proposals which it says are necessary to ensure Ontario is able to compete in the global marketplace.
ONCA Rules Exclusion of RCMP from Collective Bargaining Regime Constitutional
In a decision that will all but certainly find its way to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA) has ruled that the exclusion of RCMP members from the collective bargaining regime established by the Federal Public Service Labour Relations Act (the "PLSRA") is constitutional.
constitutional law, labour relations
The Supreme Court to Lay Down the Law on Random Alcohol Testing
The Supreme Court recently granted leave to appeal a decision regarding a random alcohol testing policy out of a paper mill near the City of Saint John in New Brunswick.
employment law, labour relations, privacy
Minor Change to the OLRB's Rules of Procedure could have a Major Impact
A change to the OLRB's Rules of Procedure could have a favourable impact on OHS reprisal complaint proceedings.
labour relations, occupational health and safety
OLRB Does not Have "Superpowers," Divisional Court Holds
Ontario's Divisional Court has overturned a decision by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (the "OLRB"), in which the OLRB took jurisdiction as arbitrator over a grievance in the construction industry under section 133 of the Act.
Section 133 provides that, "despite the grievance and arbitration provisions in a [construction industry] collective agreement," a party may refer a grievance to the OLRB, instead of to a private arbitrator under the collective agreement.
Although the collective agreement's time limits for referring a grievance to arbitration had expired several months before the union applied to the OLRB pursuant to section 133, the OLRB found that it could take jurisdiction over the grievance. The OLRB has, over several decades, issued decisions which either broadly or strictly interpreted its power to take jurisdiction over a grievance under similar circumstances.
Court Enjoins Unlawful Canada Post Worker Picketing
In an urgent motion heard on June 16, 2011, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordered Canada Post Workers' union, the CUPW, to refrain, for a period of 10 days, from preventing, blocking, or obstructing any person from entering the a key Ottawa mail sorting facility on foot.
Mayor Ford to privatize police janitorial jobs in ongoing campaign to contract out
Mayor Rob Ford is planning to privatize many police janitorial jobs in his ongoing campaign to contract out city services. He notified the heads of CUPE Local 79 and Local 416 in a letter on June 15, 2011 that the City of Toronto plans to make adjustments to the manner in which custodial services are provided to the City, in particular he warned that the Toronto Police Services Board had requested that the City look into private options. This is Mayor Ford's second major step in his plan to cut the City's workforce. Just last month, City Council had a vote in favour of contracting out garbage collection in the West end of the City.
Supreme Court issues Decision in Fraser
In a long awaited ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada has issued its decision in Ontario (Attorney General) v. Fraser. In 2002 the Ontario Government passed the Agricultural Employees Protection Act, 2002 (the "AEPA"). The UFCW, among others, challenged the AEPA as unconstitutional because it permits farm workers to form employee associations and gives them certain rights to bargain collectively, but they continue to be excluded from union representation under the Ontario Labour Relations Act, 1995.
TTC an "Essential Service"
Responding to a request from Toronto's City Council, Ontario has passed Bill 150 which bans strikes and lockouts by TTC employees. First reading of the bill was in February of this year and it passed yesterday, March 30, 2011, by the government of Ontario. The new act, The Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, 2011 (the "Act"), outlines new collective bargaining rules that must be followed when the parties are unable to negotiate an agreement.
Can Courts Force Businesses to Stay Open?
The Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") recently weighed in on an interesting point of law: to what extent can the courts force a business to stay open?
The business in this case was the famous Wal-Mart store located in Jonquiere, Quebec that was the first Wal-Mart to unionize in North America. Five months after certification, the company decided to shut down its store and terminate the employment of 190 workers on the same day the parties' first collective agreement dispute was referred to arbitration by Quebec's labour minister.
Alleged Multi-Million Dollar Employee Benefits Fraud at Baycrest Hospital
Frank Portman Appointed to Advocates' Society Labour and Employment Practice Group
Can a Corporate Director face a Personal Injury Suit for a Workplace Accident? Alberta Court of Appeal Says Yes!
Think You Suffered Family Status Discrimination? First Things First – Were You Employed in Ontario or B.C.?
Does Human Rights Legislation Apply to Job Ads on Facebook?
Has BC Court opened the door to more court claims of harassment?
Employer's Just Cause Assertion Backfires, Results in $1,000,000 in Liability
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Traxy Thornfield 19 April 2011 Film Reviews
Film review: Galaxy Quest (1999), directed by Dean Parisot
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a TV show called Galaxy Quest (almost, but not quite, entirely similar to Star Trek). It got cancelled. The crew of the NSEA Protector are still touring sci-fi fan conventions, having to put up with smart-arse kids asking too many questions about the plausibility of technology presented, and so on.
And then one day, a hung-over former starship captain Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) gets taken to what he believes is a group of fans putting together an amateur film project. While the group of identically-clad people are indeed fans, they are in fact from a different planet altogether. The Thermians (including Enrico Colantoni as their leader, and Rainn Wilson) have picked up broadcasts of Galaxy Quest "historical documents" from Earth, and now they've come to get help from the legendary spaceship crew …
Nesmith manages to get the rest of the team (Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell and Daryl Mitchell) assembled, and they boldly go where no humans have gone before. Hilarity ensues.
Weaver's character Gwen struggles with a role where she all she seems to do is reiterate what the computer says, Rickman's (Dr. Dane) with actually being a Serious Actor but having to dress up in silly prosthetics, and Rockwell's with the existential angst of being a redshirt. Shalhoub is not far off being Adrian Monk in space, but is so comfortable with the alien surroundings [sic] that he even falls in love with one of the Thermian women (Missi Pyle).
The reason the actors have been picked up is to help the tiny remainder of the population of Thermia to defeat the evil, reptilian warlord Sarris (Robin Sachs). From studying the "historical documents", the Thermians have managed to build a working replica of the Protector, and because its original crew were so successful with defeating people like evil, reptilian warlords, they figure the best thing is for the original crew to command the ship. They have no concept of TV shows, or even of acting, so needless to say, they're blissfully unaware of the fact that they've just picked up a group of has-been actors rather than actual heroes …
Galaxy Quest is a fun take on sci-fi geekdom, and you can tell how much it doesn't so much poke fun at the Star Trek franchise and its fandom, but rather is a celebration of it. I'm not Trek savvy at all, but I do enjoy sci-fi and especially sci-fi comedy and thought the film was a good laugh. Rickman is spot on as the chilly icy British thespian who wants to be Taken Seriously as an Actor (Please Disregard the Plastic Head), and the other actors were a hoot too. After Rickman, I probably had most fun watching Rockwell. To me, he will just always be Zaphod Beeblebrox and not a redshirt. 🙂
If you like any of the actors, enjoy [sci-fi] comedy or Star Trek, this is a pretty funny movie. Not the funniest movie ever, by any means, but as piss-takes of TV/movie acting goes, it's not bad. I just happen to think Tropic Thunder tickles my funny-bone more. And that's definitely a review in need of writing. 🙂
3 out of 5 plastic foreheads.
1999 Alan Rickman aliens Daryl Mitchell Dean Parisot Enrico Colantoni Missi Pyle Rainn Wilson Robin Sachs Sam Rockwell Sigourney Weaver Star Trek Tim Allen Tony Shalhoub
5 Responses to "Galaxy Quest (1999)"
Leffe says:
GALAXY QUEST <3 <3 <3 ALAN RICKMAN! <3 <3 <3 <3 … ehm… Yes it is a good movie and the humor is sci-fi friendly indeed. Good review 🙂
I loved this movie, mostly b/c of Alan Rickman. Joe filled me in on the Star Trek references. This is pre-The Office, so I bet it would be funny watching it again to see Rainn Wilson.
ifbyyes says:
I enjoyed this movie too. Although it breaks my heart a little bit to see those poor little aliens be disillusioned.
Tim Allen is a great choice as a faux William Shatner!
@Leffe: You're adorable, you are. And thank you! 🙂
@Nan: I got the basic theme of Star Trek, but not the subtleties – hubby was upstairs so didn't have a translator. Lucky you! 🙂
@ifbyyes: Yeah, they're cute. Occasionally tentacled, but cute. I didn't see the first 10 minutes or so (I caught it when Tim Allen woke up with a hangover) – did he do the Shatner speak in the old series? The … one … where he … talks like this … in short bursts? 😀
I watched it because of AR – of course he's wonderful in it <3 – but found the whole film immensely enjoyable: I laughed a lot!
Never give up, never surrender 😛
K/V


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The trend is flat; it's a plateau. Scores are not going anywhere, at least nowhere important. That means that eight years after enactment of No Child Left Behind, the problems it set out to solve are not being solved, and now we're five years from the deadline and we're still far, far from the goal.
But there is a silver lining for DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee (portrayed as "DC's Braveheart" in a new Education Next profile): her schools, and those in just four states, were the only ones to post gains in both fourth and eighth grades over the past two years. That should give her reform efforts a much-needed boost.
Update: The NAEP results can be found here.


Remembering the victims of the Mornington Monster, 15 years after their horrifying murder.
Warning: Graphic and upsetting content.
This week marks 15 years since John Myles Sharpe, a 38-year-old former bank worker from Mornington, 57km south of Melbourne, murdered his pregnant wife Anna Kemp, 41, with a speargun. Four days later, he slaughtered their 20-month-old daughter Gracie in the same vicious and unfathomable way.
Today we say their names – Anna and Gracie – and remember who they were and what they endured.
On the night of Anna's death, March 23 2004, police reports say the couple had been arguing. When Anna, who was five months pregnant, fell asleep, Sharpe fetched his speargun, one that would ordinarily be used for fishing.
He shot Anna twice in the head before she died.
Seemingly unmoved, he covered her body with towels and went to sleep in another room.
The next day he went about his day with Gracie as though nothing had happened, taking her to daycare and picking her up later.
Want more true crime? Whimn journalist Nina Young describes the day she found out her father was a murder here. Plus, follow her incredible journey on hit podcast 'My Father the Murderer'.
For months, Sharpe tried to cover for his wife's disappearance, telling Gracie's daycare and members of Anna's family that she had left him for another man. He even sent an email to Anna's brother, claiming to be Anna and saying she was safe, pregnant to a new partner and living a new life. He even sent flowers to Anna's mother in New Zealand, purporting to be from Anna, for Mothers' Day in May.
What they didn't know was that Sharpe had also taken his trusting daughter to a sporting goods store to purchase more spears.
On the night of 27 March, just four days after Anna's slaying, Sharpe drank a number of whiskey and Cokes to, he said later, "numb" himself to the appalling act he was about to commit.
He entered his daughter's bedroom where she slept and shot her in the head with the speargun. However it did not kill her; and she woke screaming.
Sharpe went to the other room to get remove the spears from his wife's head and brought them back to Gracie's room where he shot her twice more. Still, the terrified little girl did not die, just cried out in pain and fear.
So Sharpe pulled one of the spears from her head and shot her again. After the fourth shot she was dead.
Later he dumped Anna's and Gracie's dismembered bodies in a garbage dump.
As the weeks went past, Sharpe's strange attempts to convince Anna's family that she had run away without further explanation aroused her relatives' suspicions and they contacted the police in Dunedin, NZ, where Anna was originally from.
NZ police contacted Victorian police who began treating the disappearance as a murder investigation.
In June, the cowardly Sharpe further tried to cover his tracks by making tearful television pleas for her safe return.
It wasn't until July that Sharpe realised the net was closing in and he confessed to the killings.
Anna's and Gracie's bodies were found in the dump where their murderer had callously thrown them.
John Myles Sharpe, now known as the Mornington Monster, will spend the rest of his life in jail.
As crimes age, they can take on a grim detachment, at least in the minds of people who didn't know those who suffered. Often we remember only the murderer's name or we can recite the most grisly details of what he did.
But the people who become hazier as time winds onwards are the victims. Anna Kemp and Gracie were two real people, a mother and her daughter. Photos show their unmistakable bond.
They were killed by a man who was supposed to love and cherish them, but instead took their lives in the most calculated and remorseless way. We may never know exactly why – of course Sharpe gave police the usual self-serving motives; he just 'snapped' was one, "a real madness washed over me" was another. At another time he said he didn't want the burden of a second child. Other evidence has since come forward that Sharpe molested young female members of his extended family, leading to speculation that Anna had caught him doing the same to Gracie which led to him killing them both to keep them quiet.
But his pitiful excuses aren't what matters. What matters is that Anna Marie Kemp, Gracie Louise Kemp, and Anna's unborn baby son who the family named Francis, are remembered.
Mother and daughter were buried together surrounded by wreaths of red roses, pink lilies and white daisies.
Gracie was a brave little girl who was born with hip dysplasia and endured a number of operations. She would have been so frightened on the night she died, her young life taken away with such wretched brutality. Her mother would have done anything to protect her if she could have.
Today, it's up to us to remember Anna, Gracie and Francis and erase their killer from our consciousness.
We hope they are together and we hope their family can find some small moments of peace.


Sometimes when I am taking pictures of strangers in street photography mode I get a really nice reaction like from this woman who smiled and flashed me the peace sign. I was pretty much right in her grille when she flashed her pearly whites and gave me a fun look. There are other times, however, when the subject of my image gets really incensed by my 'intrusion'. If you've taken enough candid images you know what I mean. And then I am having to be quick on my feet with a thank you or some other soothing words. Or, just walk away happy to have my gear in tact. 9 out of 10 times no problem, but, that 1 in 10 could be a huge problem. Shot on the famed 'La Rambla' spontaneously.
Posted on Saturday, March 30th, 2013 at 10:51 pm.	Filed under: Uncategorized Tags: B&W, Barcelona, black & white, black and white, portrait, Spain	RSS 2.0 feed.
Sweet shot Chris – I've seen you in people's grill – it's hilarious, and awesome that you go for shots when the opportunity is there, most people let the moment pass.
Great candid shot, you really have talent for street photography!


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O Instituto Ahmed Baba, oficialmente Instituto Ahmed Baba de Ensino Superior e Pesquisa islâmica, é uma biblioteca e centro de pesquisa em Tombuctu, no Mali. O centro foi fundado em 1973, com financiamento principalmente do Cuaite. Ele foi nomeado em homenagem ao estudioso do  Amade Baba.

Construção

O atual edifício foi projetado por um arquiteto sul-africano e foi concluído em 2009, custando cerca de 5,8 milhões de euros. Possui uma área de  metros quadrados e inclui um sistema de ar condicionado para a boa conservação dos manuscritos alojados, bem como um sistema de extinção de incêndios automático. Ele substituiu um edifício de 40 anos de idade, em ruínas.

Manuscritos

O centro tem cerca de  manuscritos cobrindo a história do Mali, incluindo o História do Sudão (Tarikh al-Sudan). A maioria dos manuscritos são dos séculos XIV a XVI e escritos em árabe, mas outros estão em línguas locais, como o mandinga, songai, tuaregue e bambara, ou mesmo em outras mais distantes, como o turco e o hebraico, com temas cobrindo astronomia, poesia, medicina, literatura e direito islâmico. Um programa para digitalizar os manuscritos está em curso, dirigida pela Noruega e pelo Luxemburgo sob a supervisão da UNESCO, com apenas uma fração do espólio a ter sido digitalizado.

Atentado

Em 28 de janeiro de 2013, quando as tropas francesas e malianas recapturaram o aeroporto de Tombuctu, extremistas islâmicos, que seguem uma rígida interpretação do islamismo, incendiaram o prédio do instituto que vinham usando como alojamento. Felizmente, a grande maioria dos itens de uma das mais preciosas coleções de antigos manuscritos encontrava-se escondida em outro lugar.

Notas

Bibliotecas do Mali
Tombuctu