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The World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1A
Well this is it. I've been busting my ass for five weeks. All of that was preperation for the next week. Are you excited? I'm bursting with fruit favor. I couldn't sleep last night. This is the biggest moment for me as a blogger, journalist, poker player, and writer.
My poker blog will be the place to be to get live WSOP updates. I am not going to be doing specific chip counts. So don't ask me for them. Seriously. I'm a one man show, not including Flipchip who will be taking some of the best WSOP photos out there. Don't forget to check out his Word Series of Poker photo gallery. However, if I walk by Amir Vahedi's table and he tells me he had $20K in chips, I'll tell you about it. I will be keep close tabs on friends like Wil Wheaton and Shirley Rosario and any other bloggers like Double As. I will crank out as many updates as I can on them. They get priority over your Uncle Tony or Cousin Sal.
I got here at 9am to snag my press seat in media row. Al Cant Hang is here too. The vultures are here. Am I bitter that some nitwit from a major media outlet shows up one day before the main event and expects to steal my seat? Fuck yeah. I've paid my dues man! I've been here covering Limit Hold'em events at 4am. And no one is going to push me out of my media seat.
ESPN is setting up their "featured TV table." I'll give you updates on that. I think it's picked at random. But who knows.
If you don't know, I took 6th in the WSOP Media/Celebrity tournament yesterday. Everyone here has been buzzing about my bad beat on Shannon Elizabeth. All the ESPN crew guys came over to me this morning to hear all about it. Yeah, I got buzz. I'm now "that guy who bad beat the American Pie chick." I guess that's not a bad thing to be.
Of course everyone else is talking about the London bombings. I've befriended several Brits over the last five weeks and as a New Yorker, my deepest sympathies go out to everyone in London. I wish I could say that security here has been beefed up. It hasn't. There's more guards around for the main event, but for the most part, it's not much an increase like my brother is seeing in NYC.
Wil Wheaton plays today, so if you are one of his loyal followers, I'll do my best to give his minion's updates. Stay tuned...
****** Live Blogging Updates ******
10:55am... Bouncin Round the Room: I stopped by Wil's table to wish him luck. He said he had been in a holding pattern the last few days and weeks. Now he's a little nervous, but ready. I spotted Greg Raymer, Humberto Brenes, Liz Lieu, Carlos Mortenson, and Lee Watkinson.
11:10am... Cards are in the air! Tournament Director Johnny Grooms announced, "Shuffle up and deal!"
11:21am... First player has been busted! 5660 to go.
11:25am... Jen Harman arrived late at the featured TV table.
11:30am... Bouncin Round the Room: There are thouaands of railbirds here. There are no more cash games and every table is filled up! There is an eeire sound of silence here. Just the clatter of chips can be heard. Everyone seems tense and nervous. I heard that a certain WSOP bracelet winner was robbed by two hookers. He got his bracelet stolen too. I cannot confirm this, but I heard it from several reliable sources. I'll save his name for the "book" along with plenty of other non-blogworthy stories. And yeah, there has been an increase in prostitutes here at the Rio. The highrollers bring in the high class hookers. They hangout at the bar where Otis and I drink at during out dinner breaks. They've also been congregating in the hallways.
11:45am... Having serious connection problems. I wandered by Wil's table and he was scooping a small pot. Two seats to his right in seat 4 is... Paul Darden. Lucky for Wil, eh?
12:01pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I spotted a few other big names playing... Isabelle Mecier, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly, Mike Sexton, Barry Greenstein, Tony Cousineau, Toto Leonidas, Marco Traniello, Gus Hansen, Clonie Gowen, Chris Grigorian, David Grey, Julian Gardner, Phil Laak, Victor Ramdin, Mike Wattel, Patty Gallagher, Scott Fischman, Greg Raymer, Matt Matros, David Singer, Tomer Benvinisti, Brad Garrett, Carlos Mortensen, Liz Lieu, Steve Zolotow, Devilfish, Scotty Nguyen, Jesus, Erik Seidel, John Murphy, and Johnny "Fuckin" Chan.
12:30pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I met Ace from Fan 960 a sporst radio show in Calgary! Canucks are cool.
12:35pm... Featured Table update: Jen Harman's stack was crippled. Her Queens full lost to a straight flush. She had the Hilton Sisters and flopped a set, turned a full boat. Unfortunately he caugth a staright flush with 8d-9d.
1:05pm... Wil Wheaton update: Wil has $8900 in chips. He peaked at $11K and lost a pot to Paul Darden. On teh button Wil had A-J. He flopped toppair with top kicker. They both checked the turn and Wil called a $500 bet on the river. Darden had J-J for a set. Wil is hanging in there.
1:10pm... Shirley Rosario update: I found her! She has $10,875 in chips and showed up late in true Hellmuthian fashion. Not on purpose, mind you, she had to deal with some personal stuff. It's all good now and she's probably the best player at her table.
1:22pm... Bouncin Round the Room: During the break I heard some funny stuff. One guy in a Party Poker shirt was on the phone with his wife... "I'm the best player at my table and I'm getting killed."
Another guy in jean shorts and a muscles shirt was chatting with his friend. "As long as I out last my ex-wife's new husband, that's all that matters. She married a fuckin' fish."
Lastly, here's what one guy on a cellphone said, "I got Gus Hansen at my table. I almost pissed myself."
1:30pm... I found out that Jean Gaspard ran into A-A with K-K. Ouch. He was crippled and was just busted. Jen Tilly lost a big pot when she ran into quad Jacks. Live poker is so rigged. Oddjack's whipping boy Josh Arieh was crippled. He's got a shortstack.
1:44pm... Featured Table update: Jen Harman was just eliminated. She had the saddest look on her face. I almost bust into tears at the sight of agony in her eyes.
1:55pm... I've been asked about the Player of the Year standings. Here is the Top 50 thanks to Poker Wire.
1 Allen Cunningham 466
2 Chris "Jesus" Ferguson 459
3 Mark Seif 428
4 Minh Nguyen 329
5 Cyndy Violette 317
6 Jennifer Harman 316
7 Devilfish Ulliott 306
8 Chad Brown 304
9 Toto Leonidas 290
10 Erik Seidel 270
11 (tie) Marco Traniello 262
11 Phil Ivey 262
13 (tie) Kenny Robbins 244
13 Mike Wattel 244
15 Morgan Machina 243
16 (tie) Layne Flack 238
16 Barry Greenstein 238
18 Scott Fischman 233
19 CT Law 232
20 Michael Mizrachi 230
21 (tie) Harry Demetriou 225
21 Dan Schmiech 225
23 Phil Gordon 221
24 Tony Ma 219
25 (tie) David Pham 218
25 Jason Steinhorn 218
27 (tie) David Cossio 217
27 Matt Glantz 217
29 (tie) Todd Brunson 216
29 Dennis Perry 216
31 Bill Gazes 214
32 Quinn Do 207
33 Derek 'Neverwin' Woolf 201
34 (tie) Farzad Bonyadi 200
34 Andre Boyer 200
34 Eric Froelich 200
34 L. Gosney 200
34 Edward Moncada 200
34 Thom Werthman 200
40 Tony Cousineau 196
41 Liz Lieu 192
42 John Bonetti 190
43 (tie) Joe Awada 186
43 Paul Kroh 186
43 Steve Zolotow 186
46 (tie) Annie Duke 184
46 Minh Ly 184
48 Can Kim Hua 183
49 (tie) David Chiu 182
49 Steve Hohn 182
2:01pm... Here are some photos taken minutes ago from the hardest working photographer at the WSOP... Flipchip!
What's on Shirley's iPod?
Jen's somber eyes
Gotta love the shades
Gus praying to the poker gods to increase his short stack
Humberto likes to Tango
Don't forget to check out Flipchip's 2005 World Series of Poker photo gallery!
2:25pm... Wil Wheaton update: He has $9800 and doing OK.
2:27pm... Shirley Rosario update: She's shortstacked after she ran into K-K with her J-J. The flop came 10 high and she thought the guy wa smaking a move on her with a flush draw so she moved all in. She'll be OK. She's really skilled at playing with a short stack. She seemed confident when we spoke. She assured me thats he'd get it back by the break.
2:30pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I found out through BJ that there is 5,661 confirmed entrants this year. Day 1 = 1885. Day 2 = 1878. Day 3 = 1898. I saw Layne Flack rush into the poker room late.
2:36pm... Chip Counts? Jen Tilly has about 5K. Raymer has about 6K. Devilfish has 12K. My Main Man Freddy Deeb has 12K. Paul Darden has about 14K.
2:46pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I heard a ruckus on the other side of the poker roon and bolted over with my pad and pen. Jesus is sitting at a table near the ropes, so he had a ton of railbirds. Jesus showed pocket Aces. His opponent had K-9 and flopped two pair on a flop of K-9-4. The turn was a Queen, but the river was a 4. He had a higher two pair and won.
3:10pm... Bouncin Round the Room: 10 minutes before break, I bolt for the bathrooms. Traffic is redirected through the WSOP Expo area where there are booths set up from various poker organizations inlcuding Poker Player Newspaper. That's where the Poker Prof has been holed up manning the booth. I was taking a leak at the urinal and guess who's taking a wiz to my right? Mike Sexton. I asked him how many chips he had... he said "About $18K."
3:14pm... Wil & Shirely update: Wil has $8K in chips and Shirley was crippled. She has $2K.
3:15pm... Featured Table update: Greg Raymer was just moved here. He lost a lot of his stack when some guy rivered him with 3-3 after Greg flopped trips.
Elmo has $9K in chips
3:24pm... Boucnin Round the Room: It's a zoo here at the WSOP especially in the hallways during breaks. People are smoking like champs or rushing to the bathroom to piss. It reminds me of a cross between Mardi Gras and setbreak at a Phish concert... minus the spun out hippie girls, the aroma of patchouli, and someone smoking dope in the bathroom.
3:38pm... Editor's Note: Ok guys, some of your comments are getting old especially the ones about jokes with the chip counts. If you want to make jokes... get your own blog. I'm busting my ass here and it's not funny anymore. If this continues I will ban you from my comments.
3:50pm... Featured Table update: Greg Raymer doubled up with pocket aces against someone's Hilton Sisters.
4:00pm... How about some more of Flipchip's photos?
Sorry about cracking your aces yesterday, Shannon!
Clonie's massage (I'd do it for free)
Isbaelle's chip trick
BoDog Girls at the Expo
4:20pm... Shirley update: She's back up to $5500. She flopped a set with 99 and caught a four flush when she was dominated A-Q to her A-9.
4:35pm... Bouncin Round the Room: The Rio is out of Red Bull. There has been a mutiny. We have 156 tables remaining. Here are some bust outs: John Murphy, Bret Jungblut, Jennifer Tilly, and Thunder Keller.
4:45pm... Featured Table update: Greg Raymer told me he has almost $24K in chips.
5:00pm... Wil & Shirley update: Good news for Shirley. She's up to $8900 in chips! What a comeback. Wil Wheaton has been busted. He lost a coinflip with his As-Js to pocket sevens. He seemed very upset. He was happy to know that so many people were rooting him on.
5:15pm... Bouncin Round the Room: Another break. I took the preemptive piss. The media room looks like a refugee center.
5:20pm... Feature Table update: Greg Raymer went from $3,500 to $43K since he arrived at the TV table.
5:22pm... Chip counts? Jesus has $23K. Barry Greenstein has $7500. Devilfish has $12K. Lane Flack has $27K. Josh Arieh stormed back to $23K. Steve Z has $25K. Erik Seidel has less than $29K. Isabelle Mercier has less than $9K. Gus Hansen and Unabomber have about $8K each.
6:00pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I ran into a long time reader... Lou! He's a good egg and has been one of the original readers of my poker blog. Lee Watkinson went from $13K to $48K according to Lisa from Pokewire. I ran into Shannon Elizabeth and she has $17K. She asked me if I won the Media event since I had such a monster stack. I also ran into Dr. Mark Burtman. He has about less than $2K in chips. I saw Mike Sexton again. He has $20K. I spotted Unabomber giving an interview with ESPN. He was elimianted.
6:10pm.. Final Wil Wheaton update: Some clarification on that hand. Wil has left the building. Yeah, he was busted with a short stack when his AJs ran into a pair. He lost his coinflip and was eliminated. I have a quick exit interview and will be giving that to Sean at Lord Admiral Card Club podcast.
6:15pm... Shirley Rosario update: Sad news kids. Shirley is out. She lost a chunk of her stack when she folded JJ to a guy who moved all in on a ragged flop. She showed her hand and he flipped over K-K. Good laydown. She was busted by Marco Traniello (aka Jen Harman's husband). Shirley flopped two pair from the blinds but Marco had a set. She was a little sad during our brief exit interview.
6:30pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I spotted a dejected Freddy Deeb in the hallway. His 9-9 ran into J-7, who flopped a straight. Harry Demetriou was also busted.
6:34pm... I will be going on dinner break shortly, which means cocktails at the hooker bar with Otis and Al Cant Hang. I'm leaving to beat the dinner rush. SO I shall be back soon. More updates to come.
8:00pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I headed out to the hooker bar with some freidns of mine including Grubby, Al Cant Hang and Otis. We called a few bloggers for Dial-a-Shot. On our list were G-Rob, Bad Blood, my brother Derek, Halverson, and Iggy. We would have called Boy Genius, but it was way past his bed time. I had a couple of Red Stripes, the official eer of the Tao of Poker. While at the bar, I flagged down several pros for chip counts. Scott Fischman told me over $30K. Tomer Benvenisti said over $36K. The lovely Liz Lieu told me she had $36K.
8:15pm... Some Shououts: I've been getting some great information on Irish and British poker players from a few experts. I share my stories and vice versa. Antesup.com covers Irish players which is run by Tom & Mike "Lucky Blind", two kick ass bloggers. They have been hooking me up with chipcounts for Joe Rafferty, who's currently the chipleader with $75K. Another Irishman Andy Black, who cashed in both shorthanded NL events, has about $27K. There's a good story about an Irish bloke who dropped an F-Bomb but got away with it by convincing the floor person that he uttered an Irish curse and not "fuck." Yeah, you can't say Fuck in English, but you can say it in another language. The good folks over at Blonde Poker, TK and Jennifer have been giving me updates on the British players like Ben Grundy $27K and that Julain gardner was busted with his K-K losing to A-A.
9:00pm... Brad Garrett has been busted. Joe Rafftery lost a few chips and he has $50K. The boys at Card Player guesstimate that Greg Raymer is about 3rd in chips behind Lee Watkinson and Pascal Perrault.
9:13pm... Connection Problems. Agggh! I'm having them again. I will be trying to work that out while writing one of two articles right now. I'll be multitasking trying to whip up something for Fox Sports along with something for Poker Player Newspaper and Lasvegasvegas.com, where you can all of my recaps from almost every single WSOP event.. By the way, I just scored an interview with Phil Gordon that will be featured on Poker Player Newspaper.
9:19pm... On my way to the bathroom, our roving sideline reporter, Al Cant Hang told me about a crazy hand involving Jesus. He caught a two outer on the turn when his J-J beat Q-T when a Queen hit on the flop. He also said that Barry Greenstein was just busted.
9:25pm... Isabelle Mercier was busted by Gentleman John Gale. Greg Raymer's wife, who is sitting in front of us, told BJ and myself that Isabelle was sick all day too with a really bad sore throat. She had been a little sluggish all day and now we know why.
9:30pm... Bouncin Round the Room: Layne Flack has a 106 deegree fever according to Jen from Pokewrire. When I saw him, I thought he had a nice long bender at dinner break. Nope, he's really sick. He got a doctor's note to try to change days, but they would let him switch days.
9:37pm... Bouncin Round the Room: The Irish Twins told me about our good friend with the Gaelic F-Bomb. He apparently said it again, but he didn't get away with it this time. He doubled up and yelled, "Fuck yeah!" And walked away knowing he would be assessed a 10 minute penalty. Gotta love those wacky Irish poker players!
9:45pm... My brother wanted to see a picture of My Main Man Freddy Deeb. And you know what? Flip Chip snagged one earlier in the day. Here it is!
10:00pm... Players are on a break. Two more levels to go! Greg Raymer told us that he has $58K in chips.
10:15pm... Boo-ya! I just found out that my last article is currently on the front page of Fox Sports... check it out. I'll post a screen capture here, just in case it's not still up.
11:55pm... Sorry for the lack of updates. I was writing an article for Fox Sports. Anyway, there are 85 tables remaining. Devilfish, Johnny "Fuckin" Chan, and Mike Caro have all be knocked out.
11:59pm... One chick, one chip, one chair. Shannon ELizabeth is down to one $500 chip. Can she pull it off?
12:03am... Featured Table update: Break time and Raymer has about $49K in chips.
12:08am... Bouncin Round the Room: Heather from Poker Wire said that there were guys using the lades room... five in fact. And only one washed their hands.
12:15am... Dank Hank update: While sitting in press row, a guy tapped me on the shoulder. It was Dank Hank from Beantown. He's a reader of my blog and many blogs. It was cool to run into him. He qualified online and now he's got $12K in chips. Let's see if he can make it to day two.
1:15am... We have some bust outs: Josh Arieh, Ted Forrest, Humberto Brenes, Dr. Mark Burtman, Oliver Tse, David Grey, Marco Traniello, Steve Z, and Mike Sexton are all out.
1:30am... Jesus has left the building. He was just elimianted. Right now, it looks like that Layne "Sick Boy" Flack is still doing well. Lee Watkinson might be the chip leader with over $70K. Greg Raymer is down to about $35K. Liz Lieu is doing great. Dank Hank, Dan Heimiller, David Plastik, and Clonie Gowen is still alive. Europeans Joe Rafferty, Gus Hansen, John Gale, and Chris Bigler all have chips.
2:30am... We're down to 650 players. It is impossible to do chip counts and know who is left at this moment. I've been here since 9am... or 17.5 hours. I'm going to go home and write for anothe rhour or so before I have to get up at 8am to get ready to come back at 9am.
To see end of Day 1A chipcounts.... click here.
Good night and thanks for reading. See ya in a few hours.


Bailey Hats Darron II Crushable Pork Pie Hat - Black from Village Hats.
Perfect hat and is one of my fave pork pie hats. It gets a lot of complements.
Only problem I have is that it does not come in a brown colour.


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'Tis the season for a high-performance laptop upgrade
Powerful new PCs from MSI make great gifts for tech-savvy users in the C-suite, on campus, or at home.
MSI's Summit series is geared toward "business elites."
By FastCo Works
MSI—the computer manufacturer best known for its high-performance gaming PCs—recently unveiled three lines of similarly powerful laptops designed for students and "business elites." Each features all-metal construction, an array of the very latest feature and capabilities (from solid-state drives to Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity), all built to MSI's exacting standards. With the holiday season fast approaching—and our WFH lifestyle showing few signs of abating—a new laptop might be at the top of everyone's wish list. Here are three upgrades that the following users will be happy to unwrap:
FOR THE OFFICE WARRIOR
The C-suite-bound exec who requires a computer that won't be slowed down by those unforeseen situations that arise from working remotely while offering top-tier security and simplified IT management.
Summit series highlights
Laptops used by business-elite users are likely to hold all kinds of sensitive information. The Summit's enterprise-grade security—including biometric access, USB port locks, and BIOS password protection—ensures company data is safe from prying eyes. A webcam-on LED indicator offers another level of privacy, while MSI's AI-powered Noise Cancellation will suppress the distracting background sounds that often intrude on videoconferences.
A best-in-class laptop requires best-in-class connectivity: the blazing fast data speeds of the PCle Gen 4 SSD (delivering more than 5 Gbps) and Thunderbolt 4 (offering up to four times faster throughput over the previous generation) will boost productivity and efficiency.
Models (starting at $899): Summit E15, Summit E14, Summit B15, and Summit B14. All include 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 processors, SSD storage with PCle Gen 4 interface, Thunderbolt 4 port(s), WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and FIDO 2-supported fingerprint readers.
FOR THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL
The ambitious junior employee who needs a fast and efficient laptop to keep the W in WFH—but also portable (a svelte 2.8 and 3.5 pounds) and stylish (available in Pure White, Carbon Grey, Urban Silver, and Rose Pink metallic finishes) for those times you do leave H.
The Prestige line will appeal to the business user who demands high performance.
Prestige series highlights
It starts with an 11th-generation Intel Core i7 processor that can easily tame the spreadsheet and database-management tasks that slowed your older PC to a crawl. CPU performance is augmented by the productivity-enhancing MSI Center for Business and Productivity, which includes an Apps Optimizer (to wring the best performance from software) and customizable User Scenarios to adjust settings like backlight strength and CPU performance. And Microsoft's Modern Standby enables a resting laptop to complete background tasks with power-sipping efficiency—while keeping enough functions running to prod it instantly awake.
A brawny battery (along with low-power components such as a 1W display panel) will give users enough juice to crunch numbers for up to 11 hours—while USB Power Delivery (PD) will give them another 90 minutes of work time after a mere 15 minutes of recharging. And for those infrequent (and oddly welcome) person-to-person interactions, MSI has incorporated a handy feature called Flip-n-Share: by pressing the F12 key, the laptop screen goes upside down to more easily show its contents to the (socially distant) persons across the table from you.
Models (starting at $1,099): Prestige 14, Prestige 15, and Prestige 14 EVO. All include 11th-Gen Intel Core i7 processors, SSD storage with PCle Gen 4 interface, Thunderbolt 4 port(s), WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and FIDO 2-supported fingerprint readers. Available in four metallic colors: Carbon Gray, Urban Silver, Pure White, and Rose Pink.
FOR THE COLLEGE STUDENT
The collegian who will appreciate a budget-friendly laptop that has the speed to make learning less burdensome and stuffed with features to make extracurricular pursuits more relaxing.
The Modern series is designed with casual business users and students in mind.
Modern series highlights
Light (and thin) enough to tote with ease, both the Modern 14 and 15 have nine-hour batteries (along with a 720p webcam and a slew of I/O options) to keep users connected from morning to evening. Taking notes is easier with a keyboard (and expanded trackpad) designed to make typing a more comfortable experience, with roomier keycaps and backlighting up to 50% brighter than competing models.
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon: Whatever the preferred music-streaming service, "virtual surround sound" applies digital magic to enhance the listening experience. (For more discriminating ears, Sony's Hi-Res certification means that it can deliver the super-crystalline audio quality offered by a growing number of high-definition music streaming services.) And to stand up to the daily abuse meted out by students on the go, all MSI laptops are built to meet a set of specifications used to test the durability of equipment purchased by the U.S. Department of Defense. Which, unfortunately, doesn't mean your scholar will snap to attention and salute when you walk by.
Models (starting at $549): Modern 14 and 15 models include 10th-Gen Intel Core i7 processors, SSD storage with NVMe interface, USB 3.2 Type-C ports, and Bluetooth 5.1. Available in Onyx Black; Modern 14 also available in Dark Grey.
FastCo Works is Fast Company's branded content studio. Advertisers commission us to consult on projects, as well as to create content and video on their behalf.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tag Archives: recurring villain
Recurring Villains, Part Two
Calderus, Vampire Queen of UnderSharn
In Dungeons and Dragons, the role-playing game, there is always a special villain that has to stay alive to the very end of the campaign. His or her demise may be the ultimate goal of the entire game and, when achieved, may actually bring an end to that adventuring group as they all retire with super-high-level characters and powers to wipe out cities with a snap of the fingers. This is the ultimate villain, the big bad, the controller who has operated behind the scenes until the very last dungeon door, the very last encounter.
Deep in the bowels of the City of Towers, Sharn, is the lair of Calderus. She controls the doings of the undead in the entire city, in fact, in the entire southern half of the continent of Khorvaire. The players have never yet defeated her directly. She is the one who turned the Dark Lantern agent, Lucan Stellos, into a vampire, forcing the adventurers to track him down, capture him, and return him to his Dark Lantern masters. She is also the one who leaked false information to the Royal Eyes of Aundair, the rival spy agency of the Dark Lanterns, to make Turkoman the wizard believe the player characters are evil double agents, causing him to begin tracking their every movement and learning their every plan. Of course, my players don't know about that yet, so please don't tell them.
Big bad villains are very useful to the story-teller known as the Dungeon Master. They allow the DM to start events moving that make no logical sense until the players begin to figure out that there is someone manipulating events behind the scenes and they must find that BBV out and track them to their castle or lair.
But adventures are not satisfying when the players attempt to cut straight to final scene and murder the big bad to bring about victory. That kind of meta-gaming strategy has to have severe consequences. Often that means that the villain must be at such an astronomically high level of ability that the player characters will all be turned into hop-toads after the first round of combat. Interesting adventure, that. The group of enchanted hop-toads have to avoid becoming part of the sauce in Calderus' hop-toad soup, avoid the all the animated cutlery in the vampire's kitchen, and escape to find Turkoman and get turned back into humans, halflings, minotaurs, and elves so that they can fight again another day and learn from their mistake.
Of course, it doesn't hurt a bit that the wizard was watching by magical means when the players stumbled upon the big bad villain. He helped in their rescue because he realized that somebody had told him something untrue about the adventurers, and they really were useful to him and his spy schemes after all.
So, the big bad villain is an important kind of recurring villain to be met and pursued and met again, always driving the game forward to bigger and bigger doings and greater and greater rewards.
Filed under characters, Dungeons and Dragons, heroes, humor, Paffooney, writing
Tagged as big bad villain, Dungeons and Dragons, humor, recurring villain, story-telling, villain


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Q: Does SAP BAPI has proprietary communication format or an open one? I've just been dumped into the middle of a SAP project and I need to use SAPs BAPIs to pull a bunch of information out of the client SAP system.
Given that SAP is a closed platform I've been having trouble finding a high-level overview of what is BAPI. I realize you could spend a lifetime working with these ERP system and still not understand the whole thing, so I just want a basic overview so I can talk intelligently with "The Client's" SAP folks.
Specifically my questions are:

*

*Is BAPI just a wrapper for SOAP and/or XML-RPC, or is it a completely proprietary communication format?

*How can these APIs be consumed from external PHP?

*I've seen the acronym ABAP in relation to these BAPIs, is it somewhat related?

A: BAPI ("Business API") is SAP's interface specification and a way of getting information out of the system. I'd say the simplest way to look at it is as a remote procedure call into the SAP system, giving you access to the data and functionality (writtten in ABAP) that is in the SAP. It gives you some API to pull data out of the system (e.g. an order), change it in you application (e.g. add positions to the order) and then post it back and also call business functions (e.g. post this order so it is further processed in the SAP system).
There are wrappers for calling BAPIs from a number of languages. Just google or search within SAP's help system or the online sap developer network at sdn.sap.com
ABAP is the programming language most of the SAP system is written in. It's basically a 4/GL version of COBOL with some SQL added in.

A: BAPI stands for Business Application Programming Interface.
SAP's goal when introducing BAPI's was to provide ...

*

*well-defined

*stable

*implementation-independent

*well-documented

business API's that provide standardized access to SAP solutions on a semantic level.
Still, BAPI's are proprietary SAP interfaces.
The BAPI interfaces provide a unified access to the application level functionality,
independent of the type of call: Both synchronous and asynchronous processing can be
triggered by using these interfaces.
Synchronous processing of a BAPI will result in the execution of a RFC (Remote Function Call, SAP's proprietary RPC protocol).
Asynchronous processing makes transparently use of ALE (Application Link Enabling, SAP's proprietary EDI format).
Products like the webMethods SAP Adapter (aka SAP Business Connector) provide bidirectional service level access to BAPI's as well as the lower level RFC and ALE protocols from/to a remote destination.
Using these tools there is no need to bother about ABAP, the 4GL programming language all the SAP business logic is implemented in.
There are also several XML mappings defined for BAPI's (as well as RFC's and IDocs) that allow to transmit business documents within an XML envelope. These are most noticeable

*

*bXML  (Content-Type: application/x-sap.busdoc)

*RFC-XML  (Content-Type: application/x-sap.rfc)

*IDoc-XML (Content-Type: application/x-sap.idoc)

as well as SOAP.

A: *

*Forget about bapi for a second. SAP has a proprietary communication protocol called RFC( remote function call). SAP provide a dll ( or shared library for *nix) that you can use to call functions in SAP from c. SAP also provide wrappers of this dll for java and .net. And there are open source wrappers of this dll for php, python, perl and ruby. So the process is. a) somebody develop a (remote enabled) function in abap. b) you can use the rfc dll, with the wrapper for your language of choice, and call this sap function. c) everybody is happy.
Lets return to BAPI. Based on the technology described in the previous section. SAP decided to create a set of functions that do business stuff. And they decided to call them BAPI. Because the name "Functions that do business stuff" isn't cool.

*Here is the php extention for calling sap. You can also find a lot of information about php and sap in the sap sdn.

*ABAP is the language of the sap platform.

A: BAPIs are remotely enabled function modules that have some programming "standards" attached to them if one wants to call them "BAPIs", e.g. messages returned in certain formats, parameters typed a certain way.  They really are nothing more than SAP function modules enabled for remote communication via a radio button.
I disagree that one should not have to write SAP code, because SAP has provided so many BAPIs to cover most of the standard stuff.  Just about every implementation requires code and the SAP delivered stuff is just the base.  The managers and sales types will say differently, but that is just not reality.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In this month's Meet The Staff, we introduce you to Emily Gross.
Emily started at Diamond Creek a year and a half ago as a foaling intern, and is now working as our overnight foal watch during the season and in the barn on the off season. Her favorite part of the year is foaling out mares and helping the new foals figure out life.
Emily went to Delaware Valley University, where she first fell in love with Standardbreds. She has also attended the USTA driving school, and worked for a few different farms before coming to Diamond Creek.
A typical night for her starts around 9 pm, when she starts her shift. Throughout the night she monitors the pregnant mares inside the barn and watches for signs of foaling. When they break water, she assists with the delivery, and then helps with all the post foaling care for both mare and foal, making sure the foal nurses, stands and so on. In the morning, she feeds the mares inside, administers medication if needed and checks on all the foals, before leaving to get some sleep.
Emily is originally from North Wales, Pa and currently lives on the farm with her cat Tiberius. She wants to go scuba diving one day and revisit Greece. Emily likes statistics and numbers so for fun she likes to use excel to track and chart things like foaling dates and yearling averages.
Emily loves all animals and her favorite mares at the farm include Monkeys Can Sing and Muscle Amour.


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Let me say that again, just in case you missed it. Re-entry is exhausting! So many of my clients have said to me how tired they are, months after coming home. In fact it's not at all uncommon for people to find themselves still struggling with fatigue 18 months in. I don't say that to discourage you, but to let you know that if that is you, you are not alone. You are not unusual.
Think about it for a minute. In the last weeks of being overseas, time seems to speed up. Like it does with every big move. Every minute is filled with sorting, packing, visiting, farewells, last minute bits and pieces. And when you finally collapse on that plane, your thoughts immediately turn to what greets you the other end.
Hellos, lovely (or not…) relatives, decisions, sorting, unpacking, schools, work, finances… Your brain goes into overload. And that's just as you land. The next few weeks can be a whirlwind of people and places and decisions.
On top of that you have reverse culture shock. After a few weeks the "honeymoon period" starts to wane and you start to clock that this really is it. You're not just back for a holiday. This is it. Those people you find really annoying – you can't leave them behind. The creaky floorboards either need dealing with or ignoring. Church is what it is. You really do have to have those tricky conversations with (grand)parents if you are to work out a way to co-exist without going insane. People who have never been overseas really do seem to have a narrower worldview and can't be persuaded otherwise. Friends don't really want to hear your best toilet story because it beats theirs hands down.
And you are starting to realise quite how different you are now compared to when you left. Your values are not the same. Nor are your thoughts, worldview, spirituality,.. You name it, it has probably changed in some sort of a way. You may feel a bit like an alien who is trying to blend in. To all intents and purposes you look normal and like everyone else, but something odd is going on inside and you feel strangely disjointed and different. You don't understand all the nuances of life anymore and are constantly trying to second-guess the correct responses to things.
All of this takes time and energy to sort through, and also pushes many people further into a form of identity crisis. Who am I now that I'm not an expat / missionary / international student? What can I offer in this culture? Where do I belong? Where is home? These big existential questions thrown up by transition take energy to engage with. If we ignore them, it is to our peril, as they will come back at a later date and their energy is still held in our body.
If you take nothing else away from this post, I hope it would be that it's ok to be tired. Re-entry adjustments take time and energy. Things will settle down, but they may take a while and it will be exhausting at times. What can you do to help yourself?
Re-entry is exhausting. Take it easy.
Find out more about finding support during re-entry or mindset during re-entry.
Join Re-entry Stories Facebook group for further support.


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Pole Marsowe w starożytnym Rzymie (łac. Campus Martius)
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They attended your school. Now they work at Booz Allen.
This spring, the Booz Allen Recruiting Bus, affectionately known as BARB, will make stops at more than eight university campuses on the East Coast. To help you learn more about what it's like to work at Booz Allen, we're introducing you to employees who attended each school.
An '09 University of Maryland College Park grad, he does intelligence analysis work for the Department of Defense at Booz Allen.
I love my work at Booz Allen because I love solving problems.
I work in intelligence, using my eight years of active-duty Army intelligence experience to review raw data and make assessments for my clients at the Department of Defense. My work directly supports our national defense by helping ensure that our nation's warfighters have the best information available.
I'm proud of the times when my work has helped predict threats against our nation and enabled our forces to respond proactively. There's a lot of joy in knowing that your efforts matter.
Many of my coworkers have 20, 30 years of experience serving our nation. That experience makes the difference between poorly informed soldiers, and a fighting force with access to the most accurate, up-to-date intelligence.
I chose to work at Booz Allen because I wanted to work at a firm that I could grow with. This company places a strong emphasis on the development of its people. It provides opportunities to move around and take on a variety of challenges, as well as to grow into managerial roles.
I would tell my fellow Terps that choosing to work here right out of college is a no brainer. From your onboarding experience to the support throughout your career, Booz Allen is an amazing place to begin your professional life.
There's also something to be said for working for a 100-year-old consulting firm with a name and reputation like Booz Allen's. This isn't some Acme Corp. fly-by-night. This is the big leagues.
She earned a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2012 and does environmental permitting and corrective action work at Booz Allen.
Booz Allen trusts you. If you show professionalism, integrity, smarts, and creativity, the opportunities are endless.
I started here right out of college, working on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Superfund, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act hotlines. On my first project, I learned about these key regulations in depth, then I got to transfer to San Antonio where I jumped into their practical application.
I now work primarily on environmental permitting and corrective actions around the country, integrating federal and state regulations, industry guidance, and best engineering and management practices.
My work helps streamline environmental projects, accelerating cleanups and ensuring that permits are appropriately protective of human health and the environment. I like knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of the people living near contaminated sites.
One of my proudest achievements came when I was helping the EPA develop an appropriate cleanup strategy for a waterfront site in Dayton, Ohio, that had significant contamination. The facility proposed permanently fencing off the property and allowing the contamination to remain in place, creating a new "brownfield." I put forward an alternative strategy that involved direct evaluation of risk, a targeted cleanup action, and eventually reopening the property for redevelopment.
I visited the site years later to find that the city has turned it into a park with waterside walking trails. It felt like I had directly enhanced the quality of life for people in the area. I like knowing that I am making a difference.
My master's in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins helped develop my ability to think critically and ask the most pertinent questions. That skill is really important at Booz Allen, where we have to wade through minutiae to get to the heart of the problem in order to find the most effective solution.
My advice to recent graduates starting here at Booz Allen is to jump in. Trust yourself. Ask questions. Be open to discussion, and listen to your mentors. Work hard and have integrity. Be ready to grow!
With master's and bachelor's degrees from George Mason University, he works on cybersecurity policy and governance at Booz Allen.
I was drawn to Booz Allen by its range and diversity of work, and a culture of inclusion that allows for collaboration across technical areas. It's also a company with a great reputation globally that offers growth opportunities and a career trajectory.
My team's policy and governance work influences cybersecurity behavior in the cloud. We're showing clients that secure cyber solutions don't have to be inefficient for business or impossible for users.
Back in May 2016, the Booz Allen team I work with launched a cloud computing governance board at a federal agency that handles foreign policy issues. By setting up a board that's officially the sole authority on cloud computing for the entire agency, we showcased how a small team of committed consultants can respond to a client's most complex requirements. We received outstanding feedback. One of my proudest moments was when an executive-level representative recommended our customer service-oriented approach to security and governance as an example for other boards at the agency to follow.
I've always been excited about technology work, but about 6 years ago I decided to focus on developing a more specific expertise. I pursued a master's degree in cybersecurity at George Mason when I realized that was the area of tech that I found most interesting. It's vitally important to every organization and individual on the planet.
George Mason University's culture of innovation gives students the confidence to think outside the box, and prepares them to work at places like Booz Allen, where new ideas are valued.
With so many people doing business in such a huge variety of sectors and technical areas, Booz Allen offers opportunities to work closely with experts in almost any area that interests you. The firm also provides fantastic resources—devoted career managers, informational brown bags, webinars, online courses, social groups. It's a great place to start—or continue—a career.
After graduating from Virgina Tech in 2016, she became an environmental consultant at Booz Allen. Now she's working on projects for FEMA and the U.S. Navy.
I like working at Booz Allen because of the team-oriented culture and the diversity of work opportunities. I've worked on environmental projects for both civil and defense clients simultaneously, and I frequently work with and learn from people with different skill sets and expertise. It's great to be able to do that. It keeps work both interesting and challenging.
I currently work on contracts for both the U.S. Navy and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
For the Navy, I support the Overseas Drinking Water Program, which helps ensure that sailors and their families have access to clean and safe drinking water while serving abroad. For FEMA, my team and I help regionally implement the Unified Federal Review process. Our ultimate goal is to streamline environmental reviews so that disaster recovery happens more quickly and effectively, ultimately benefiting impacted communities.
I chose to work in environmental consulting because I wanted to help solve complex environmental problems. Booz Allen felt like the right place to do it because it's a company that emphasizes problem solving and using your work to make the world a better place.
My time at Virginia Tech prepared me for life at Booz Allen in many ways. It prepared me to communicate professionally. It gave me experience working with teams to solve problems. And it taught me to use my passions to serve others.
Booz Allen is a great place for your first job out of college because it allows you to meet so many different people with so many different passions and skills. Early in your career, it's important to expose yourself to as many opportunities as possible, and gain as many skill sets as possible. Booz Allen lets you to do just that.
With degrees from both Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, he now works on regulatory science and medical product development projects at Booz Allen.
Challenging work, impact, and the people: These are the reasons that I like working at Booz Allen.
I've always been interested in solving problems, and my team and I help solve some of the biggest challenges in public health. We try constantly to find better ways to increase access to safe and effective treatments while also attempting to improve the experience of the scientific reviewers who evaluate new medical product applications.
Because we work in public health, we have the opportunity to make a real impact on people's lives. The projects we work on require expertise and consistent, high-level performance, and the people I work with are some of the brightest and hardest-working individuals I've ever met. I'm lucky to be part of such a great team.
I'm particularly proud of a project where we helped the FDA develop a service to assist clinical reviewers in reviewing and analyzing clinical study data. The service made it easier for reviewers to understand the data quality early in the marketing application review process, and to generate tool outputs that are useful for reviewing safety and efficacy data.
For recent college grads, Booz Allen provides exposure to experts and leaders in their chosen field, and a diverse range of challenging projects. It also strives to grow and incubate talented individuals through training, mentoring, and sponsorship. If you have the motivation, the opportunities here are unlimited.
At Virginia Tech, I studied biology and economics. My professors and coursework provided me with a solid foundation of scientific knowledge and analytical skills that have served me throughout my career.
At the University of Maryland, I obtained an MBA in management and organization that gave me a new perspective on how to run and operate an organization. I have used many of the theories and methodologies in my day-to-day work.
Degrees from both schools are well-respected here at Booz Allen, especially in the DC metro area where I work. I have plenty of opportunities to talk about Hokie football!
She's been working on federal healthcare policy projects at Booz Allen since she graduated from the University of Virginia in 2015.
Booz Allen provides its employees with the agency and autonomy to shape their own careers while building skills that translate across all lines of work. There are so many opportunities to explore a new field, to find a project or community of practice that's supporting something you're passionate about, or to develop a new expertise.
In the nearly 2 years I've been here, I've worked on five different projects. I'm not pigeonholed into a certain role or subject area. I get to learn about so many different sectors of the healthcare landscape, both from project work and from being surrounded by knowledgeable colleagues. There's such a supportive and cooperative attitude here. People want you to learn and grow and are always willing to take the time and energy to help.
Healthcare is always going to be relevant and changing. From clinical interventions, to healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act, to combating fraud, waste, and abuse, there are so many aspects of the industry that directly impact peoples' lives. When I took a health policy class during my second year at UVA, I realized I had found a subject I didn't want to stop learning about.
The projects I've worked on here are directly related to implementing or maintaining major healthcare reform, or protecting plan beneficiaries. Booz Allen has empowered me to have a voice in the field I'm so passionate about.
I currently support the Medicaid Payment Error Rate (PERM) Eligibility Review Contractor (ERC) project as a state communications lead, coordinating efforts between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), other PERM contractors, and the 17 states participating in the current round of PERM reviews. I build relationships with states, conduct reviews, develop CMS deliverables, and work towards producing eligibility information contributing to the overall error rate. It's a highly visible project, and I'm excited to see how our findings impact future Medicaid policy.
She graduated from Penn State University in 2012. Now focused on applied mathematics and natural language processing, she once helped USAID save lives in developing countries.
The reason I enjoy working at Booz Allen so much is that I get to keep growing.
One of my previous projects was with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Global Fund. It was great work! We delivered life-saving HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria medications to the developing world. I had the opportunity to interact with foreign governments and the U.S. Department of State, and to actually travel and meet the patients and doctors who our programs impact.
When I was a student in the French and Francophone Studies department at Penn State, everybody used to ask me what I planned on doing with that degree. I was selected for the USAID project because of my background in French and Spanish as well as my data science skills. It was exactly the kind of work I pictured doing back when I was an undergrad, and it's why I decided to come work at Booz Allen. It's great to see a place where language skills are really valuable in a business context.
Since that project ended, I've been working on a series of projects focused on applied mathematics and natural language processing (NLP). My French degree was actually focused on linguistics, so NLP was a good fit.
This gets back to the reason that I went into consulting: my government gig was really boring. Since I arrived at Booz Allen, I haven't been bored. I'm not pigeon-holed into one area here, but rather get to use my network to find the exact kinds of projects I want to work on. I learn something new on each one.
After graduating from Penn State in 2001, she came to Booz Allen as an entry-level engineer. She's now a principal in our Cyber business.
I graduated with a computer science degree from Penn State University in 2001 and joined Booz Allen as an entry level engineer.
Early on, I didn't quite know where I wanted my career to go, but I was drawn to the notion of solving challenging technical problems, and providing thought leadership and innovation to missions that really mattered. I served in a broad set of technical roles, ranging from requirements analysis, testing, satellite communications, systems engineering, and systems integration across multiple initiatives and markets. A plethora of training opportunities gave me the building blocks to transition into a technical leadership role overseeing both a functional capability and a technical delivery team.
One of the projects I managed was a $35 million task order supporting the transport and dissemination of intelligence surveillance reconnaissance data worldwide. Our team engineered and deployed a quick-reaction capability providing standard and HD video for forces in Southwest Asia. It distributes piloted and remotely-piloted aircraft imagery and sensor data to commanders, intelligence analysts, and deployed forces, providing soldiers with the necessary tools to support counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) initiatives—and ultimately saving countless innocent lives.
One of the major challenges Booz Allen has faced historically is retaining highly technical talent that's interested in advancement, but not necessarily interested in the firm's traditional career progression model. Changes to our engineering career model now provide the ability to choose a technical career path and still have opportunities to advance to the firm's highest levels. This fundamental shift has been critical in attracting and maintaining the talent pool we need to realize our vision for Booz Allen's engineering business.
She graduated from James Madison University in 2014. Now she's a Booz Allen operations research analyst doing intelligence work for the U.S. Army.
As an operations research analyst at Booz Allen, I contribute to a number of studies that help U.S. Army decision-makers improve operational efficiency.
The work I do helps provide soldiers with everything they need to be successful at their jobs. It can save lives. It also helps the Army get the most value out of the money it spends.
I chose to work in the intelligence community because of its impact on national security and our interests overseas. The nature of my job requires me to research, analyze, and defend ideas that do not always align with the government's traditional way of thinking. My role is to ensure that decisions are made with full knowledge of all options and their implications.
Senior officers often already have a decision in mind prior to the analysis. When that decision conflicts with my recommendations, it can make for a tough conversation.
That's one of the reasons I like working here. The firm and its leaders do not hesitate to give you the recognition you deserve. I never feel overlooked. The amount of trust the firm and its leaders have in me, especially with my being younger, strikes me as something that differentiates Booz Allen from other large companies.
There are specific avenues here for recent graduates to set themselves up for long-term achievement. Every one of the senior leaders I've met has been ready to give advice and provide mentorship.
Booz Allen's great reputation is what initially drew me to the firm. Its supportive leadership is why I have stayed.
She graduated from James Madison University in 2015. Now she's a geospatial analyst doing intelligence work at Booz Allen.
The work that I do at Booz Allen has an impact on what our government knows and thinks. I may be one small piece of a much larger puzzle, but knowing that I am a part of that puzzle is very humbling.
I just finished working on a data management and analytics project for National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's GEOINT Professional Certification Program Management Office, and I will soon be developing web-mapping applications for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). My career manager found the DTRA project for me, knowing that it was a perfect opportunity for me to progress my career in the direction I want it to go.
New opportunities are constantly opening up here, and there's a focus on finding the right people to fill them. When you're ready to change projects, or when your leadership team sees an opportunity for you to advance your career, you're encouraged to go for it. There's no single path to success here. You're in charge of your own career.
I chose to work at Booz Allen for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of the very successful internship I had here the summer before my senior year. With that, I got to see how the company works and get a feel for its culture. Having heard intern horror stories about being treated as a coffee and lunch runner, I was shocked to see how Booz Allen treated me as an equal.
At last year's GEOINT Symposium, I was by far the youngest employee working Booz Allen's booth. It was empowering to know that the senior leaders here fully trusted me to represent the company. In my mind, it proved that Booz Allen truly taps the person they believe to be best for the task or position at hand.


text:
Kenya: Trade and Investment On Agenda of Uhuru's Us Visit
President Kenyatta in Washington DC to Meet Trump
First Ladies to Participate in Trump-Kenyatta Talks
What Kenyatta and Trump Will Discuss at the White House
All President Trump's Comments on Africa
Trump Sees Africa for Markets, Plots to Checkmate China
British Prime Minister Theresa May Prepares to Visit Kenya
UK's Theresa May to Visit on August 30
Kenyatta, PM May to Discuss Trade and Anti-Graft War Issues
Why Trump Wants to Host Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Set to Visit U.S. After Trump Sends Him Invitation
Trump to Host President Kenyatta At the White House
Africa: African Free Trade Area Launched in Niger
Africa: Russia, Africa and the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum
Tanzania: Dar Port Cargo Handling Volume Steadily Rises
Kenya: New Law to Make Huduma Namba Compulsory
Kenya: Govt Should Address Unlawful Killings By Police
Kenya: HIV - High Risk Groups Aren't Getting the Attention They Need
Photo: Nation Media Group
President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, arrives at his hotel in Washington, DC, on August 26, 2018 ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
By Allan Olingo
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to visit Washington DC for a meeting with US President Donald Trump at a time when America is exploring the possibility of signing bilateral free trade agreements with African countries.
"We are looking for African countries interested in having a bilateral free trade agreement with us and then we'll determine which ones make sense, in terms of capacity and readiness," Peter Haas, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for trade policy and negotiations in the Bureau of Economic said during a conference call ahead of his trip to South Africa.
The US is exploring bilateral trade agreements as it thinks past the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) that allows qualifying African countries to export goods to America duty-free.
For Kenya, such an arrangement would be a big boost given that the country is the biggest beneficiary in the region under the Agoa arrangement.
Data from the US Department of Commerce showed $1.5 billion in total trade between the two countries in 2016, with US exports to the country reaching $937 million, while imports from Kenya rose to $565 million. Currently, Kenya enjoys preferential trade benefits under Agoa, with exports to the US of apparel, coffee and tea.
The visit to the US comes at a time of heightened diplomatic engagement for Kenya, with President Kenyatta set to host UK Prime Minister Theresa May in Nairobi on Thursday, before heading out to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping in early September.
"In the space of just two weeks, we will have hosted the Big Three -- the US, Britain and China -- and this goes to show our standing in the community of nations," Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma said on Tuesday.
The president's outing to Washington also comes a time of renewed trade and defence co-operation between the two countries, as the Trump administration looks to the Kenyan leader as an ally against Islamist insurgents in the region.
"The two leaders will discuss bilateral ties and plans to boost security, trade and investment, among other sectors," said Kenya's State House spokesperson Kanze Dena.
The White House on the other hand said the two leaders will "explore" ways to bolster trade and investment between the two countries, while strengthening security co-operation.
Kenya will be keen on Washington's intention to open negotiations over a free trade area, something that would benefit Nairobi.
Kenya has also in recent times enjoyed defence and security co-operation with the US, having seen an increase in its military aid allocation. This year alone, there have been approvals for two military contracts by the US department of defence.
In June, a contract worth $30 million awarded to L-3 Communication for logistics support of the Air Force C-12 fleet was approved that will see Kenya and a host of other countries benefit.
Another contract worth $149 million to General Dynamics for foreign military sales was approved by the Trump administration that will see Nairobi, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Jordan, Nigeria and Qatar benefit from the supply of rockets, warheads, motors and associated components.
Nairobi is also waiting on the delivery of its $418 million purchase of combat aircraft order, one of the country's single-biggest weapons deals, which was approved in November last year.
Ms Juma on Thursday last week held talks with Under Secretary for Defence David Tranchtenberg and defence and security matters are said to have been part of the agenda.
UK, China ties
British Prime Minister May's visit to Kenya this coming week will largely dwell on trade and security, with the post-Brexit relationship between the two countries' expected to be the focus of the trade talks.
Last month, Emma Wade-Smith, the UK Trade commissioner for Africa, told The EastAfrican that they will be seeking to ensure the continuity of the existing trade arrangements with regional countries so as to give clarity to businesses.
In China on September 3, President Kenyatta is expected to join 50 other heads of state, at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation.
Uhuru, Trump to Discuss Trade, South Sudan Peace Progress
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday to discuss crucial issues facing… Read more »
Why Uhuru Kenyatta Won't Meet Kenyans in Diaspora During U.S. Visit
Top Headlines: Investment
Ghana: Ghana Appeals for More Korea Industrial Investment
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Kenya: Invest2Impact Initiative Launched in Kenya to Empower Women Entrepreneurs
Ghana: Chinese Business Delegation in Ghana to Explore Investment Opportunities
Botswana: Early Childhood Education Wise Investment
Africa: Diaspora Bonds Can Raise Crucial Funds for Africa
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How Is Server Administration Different in the Cloud?
Many of the challenges of maintaining a Cloud instance are the same as with a traditional server. This article will provide the details of the differences between traditional server administration and maintaining a Cloud environment. Included are tools and tips in order to deliver the strength of the Cloud using agile and scalable approaches. By better understanding the intricacies of the Cloud, you will be better positioned to leverage the strength of the cloud and avoid trouble spots.


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Hello again! Keith here, My last blog was about the difference between professional painters and non professionals and had to do with painting on the outside of your home. This is part two Pros on the inside.
There is a big difference here in pro and wanna be pros. A wanna be pro will paint around things such as vents, door knobs switch plates, receptacles and recessed canned light, they may not cover large furniture that you may not want move such as a piano or a grand father clock.
OK, so you've decided to paint your house. Could be you need to paint the outside of the house, or maybe you would like to change the color scheme of the interior. Maybe you have decided to just do it yourself, I mean how hard could it be?
You have equipped yourself with brushes and rollers, a paint try and a dropcloth. Next (after off course you have decided on color), you need to go buy your paint.
Now, here's where a little knowledge comes in handy. What kind of paint do you need?
Move over, dull and boring! There's a new shimmer in town!
Modern Masters have brought out a new metallic line of paints that is just awesome. Have you ever wanted a gilded mirror frame? With these paints you can have any type of metallic look you want, without the price tag. Salvaged yard sale frames, or thrift store frames will look like something you spent a great deal of money on.
Even trimming out small details on sconces, or other architectural features in your home with metallic paint can make the difference between nice and fabulous!
What make's a painting company professional?
What make's a Painting company Professional? There are tons of painting company's out there to choose from and they all think they are professional, Or should I say (want to be) painting company that think they are professional. So what set them apart????
Quality and workmanship and the care they take to make sure you get the longest lasting paint job for the money you spend. For example Say you have a house that has needed painting for several years and it has been peeling for 4 or 5 years.


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Home » Crime » Ex-Classmate Convicted of Murdering Long-Missing Kristin Smart of Cal Poly
Posted inCrime
Ex-Classmate Convicted of Murdering Long-Missing Kristin Smart of Cal Poly
by Reuters October 18, 2022 October 19, 2022
An undated handout image of missing college student Kristin Smart. Photo via @SLOSheriff Twitter
A former classmate of Kristin Smart, the California college freshman whose 1996 disappearance long stood as one of the state's most sensational unsolved crimes, was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering her.
The guilty verdict against Paul Flores, who was arrested and charged with Smart's death in April 2021, almost a quarter-century after she vanished, was returned by a jury in Monterey County Superior Court.
A separate jury found his elderly father, Ruben Flores, not guilty on a charge of helping to hide Smart's body. Her remains have never been recovered.
The murder verdict was announced on the Facebook page of the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney, Dan Dow.
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The trials were moved from San Luis Obispo County in a change of venue requested by defense lawyers because of intense pretrial publicity surrounding the investigation.
Smart, who was 19 when he went missing, was last seen walking to her dormitory on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, on May 25, 1996. She was returning from an off-campus party.
Paul Flores, a fellow student who was long the main suspect in her disappearance, had told investigators he had left the same gathering with Smart but parted company from her about a block from her dorm.
Prosecutors alleged that Flores, now in his 40s, killed her during a rape or attempted rape. Investigators have said they searched 18 locations for her body, to no avail.
Delays in the investigation of the Smart case, which grew into one of California's highest-profile murder cases in decades, prompted state lawmakers to pass legislation requiring colleges and universities to share information more quickly about missing students with off-campus police.
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Tagged: 1996, California Polytechnic State University, guilty verdict, Kristin Smart, Paul Flores, rape, Ruben Flores, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney


A couple of new promotional stills for Wong Kar-wai's upcoming martial arts film The Grandmasters have been released.
Working with Tony Leung for the second time in a Wong Kar-wai film, Zhang Ziyi in the film plays an Eight Diagram palm master. Before the shoot she needed to train hard. After working together on 2046, Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi already have built a certain chemistry. This time their scenes together were even more flavorful. Tony Leung said that although he has only worked with Ziyi twice before (they also starred together in Hero), he felt like they have worked on six movies together! Playing Ip Man's wife, Song Hye-Kyo's costume was also unveiled for the first time. She was very spell bounding with her elegant grace.
The Grandmasters will be released on 18 December in China and Hong Kong.
The new trailer for 'The Grandmasters' has been released as well as some new stills.
The new film from Wong Kar-wai starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai in the title role will finally be released this Christmas. As Ip Man, Tony Leung has numerous fight scenes, one of which he had to fight over ten people in the rain and thoroughly displayed his abilities. Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi had a "fight into an embrace" and a staring scene.
In the trailer, Tony Leung spoke Cantonese while the other actors spoke Putonghua. Other actors like Chang Chen, Song Hye-Kyo, Zhao Benshan, Xiao Shenyang and others were introduced as well.
Director Wong Kar-wai turned 54 on the 17th July. He is currently working on the December release of The Grandmasters (Yut Doi Jung Si) and had to celebrate on the set. Zhang Ziyi posted the birthday celebration photo from the set.
The Grandmasters is a film that Wong Kar-wai has prepared 13 years for and took almost 3 years to shoot on and off. Viewers who were anxious to see Tony Leung Chiu-wai were worried that the film would never be released and joked that it was "missing for a generation". In March the film announced its mid December release, but the film is still in "a hurry to wrap up" production.
The Criterion Collection has announced the release of the Blu-ray version of Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love (to be released on October 2).
The film will also be available on DVD.
Synopsis: Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses sparks an intimate bond between them. At once delicately mannered and visually extravagant, Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love is a masterful evocation of romantic longing and fleeting moments. With its aching musical soundtrack and its exquisitely abstract cinematography by Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin, this film has been a major stylistic influence on the past decade of cinema, as well as a milestone in Wong's redoubtable career.
Some new images of Zhang Ziyi in "The Grandmasters" have made their way onto the Internet. The images are taken from the five minutes of footage unveiled by Wong Kar-wai at the Cannes Film Festival.
Also screened was some footage from Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmasters that was quite beautiful. A little girl watches her father practice a deadly martial art called Bogua in a snowy courtyard. Her narration tells us that her father forbade her from watching him train, but she doesn't and soon their positions are switched as this little girl clumsily tries to mimic her father while he catches her in the act.
At first he looks sad, then resigned, as the voice over explains that her father told her no matter what she attempted in life, she would become the best at it and then we see him training the girl.
Cut to the girl all grown up (Ziyi Zhang) training alone in the snow, much like her father and with the same semi-Force power and grace. Ice cycles quiver as she punches the air, flakes of snow slam into tree bark and the limbs of a cherry blossom shake as she gracefully moves from stance to stance.
The whisky commercial took 88 hours of filming and 60 days of editing. The full short film will be released on 15th June 2012.
The original luxury Scotch and official partner of the Festival de Cannes, Chivas Regal, unveiled a new, short film called "DEJAVU" at the 65th edition of world's most famous cinema event. Directed by Wong Kar-Wai, the legendary Chinese director and co-starring famous actor Chang Chen and supermodel Du Juan, the film conveys the century-long legend of Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, via a compelling love story. Shot at the majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace in India.
Wong Kar-wai will be debuting a new short film at Cannes called 'Dejavu'.
Whisky company Chivas Regal commissioned a promotional film from Kar-Wai which will be unveiled Friday May 18 at the festival. Shot at Umaid Bhawan Palace, the film is titled 'Deja Vu' and chronicles a romance between supermodel Du Juan and Chang Chen.
Directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Tony Leung, the film "The Grandmasters" has been in the works for the past 13 years. Lead actress Zhang Ziyi had expressed her concerns on whether the film will ever be finished. However, the production company finally announced that the film is slated to be released on December 18 during the holiday period. After learning of the news, Zhang Ziyi expressed her relief that the film will finally wrap up and will no longer be 'missing in action'.
With a star studded ensemble including Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Korean actress Song Hye-kyo, Zhao Benshan, Chang Chen and Xiao Shenyang, "The Grandmasters" has garnered international attention. Wong Kar-wai started working on the script back in 1997. In 2002 it was confirmed that Tony Leung will take on the lead role. However the production was at a standstill for many years. It wasn't until November of 2009 that filming began in Mainland China. As Tony had broken his arm in July of that year, he had to wait for his injury to heal before joining the production. "The Grandmasters" has been filming for the past two years and it is still incomplete. During the interim, Donnie Yen has led two successful installments of the film Ip Man in 2008 and 2010. He also has intentions to film a third movie. Donnie has expressed that he has been waiting a long time to see the completion of "The Grandmasters".
After the production company announced the December 18 release of the film, they also uploaded a new photo showing Tony in his role of Yip Man alongside his disciples. In the photo he is wearing a black changshan while being surrounded by his disciples. The sign above the photo addresses that Yip Man has already begun his next chapter in life and has opened up his own school in Hong Kong. Last year a clip of the movie was released showing Yip Man fighting in the rain. This time the photo shows a more restrained side of him. Zhang Ziyi expressed her joy in seeing the film nearing completion. Many others in the industry also expressed their anticipation in seeing the finished product.
As part of the promotions for the film, its official Weibo (Asian Twitter) released a contest to win one of 1218 special design collector's edition "Grandmasters Invitations". This attracted great response from netizens. From the invitation photos, the design was very elegant. The envelope had the words "Grandmasters Invitation" and stamps from the Republic era on the front and on the back was The Grandmasters limited edition commemorative stamp with postmarks from Kowloon Hong Kong, Foshan Guangdong, Peking, Fengtian and other locations. The "Grandmasters Invitation" notified everyone that the film will open on December 18 2012.
Many theaters in Mainland China are confident in the box office sales and hope it will break records. Beijing New Film Association president Liu Hongpeng expressed that he has high hopes for the film. Others have expressed that if there's good buzz surrounding the movie, the box office numbers will not be a concern.
As the film will be released during the holiday period, it will have stiff competition at the box office. Jackie Chan's "Chinese Zodaic", is slated for release on December 20. As the writer, director and star of the film, he will be leading his cast including Korean actor Kwon Sang Woo and actor Liu Fan to compete alongside "The Grandmasters".
A new teaser trailer for The Grandmasters has been released, It is basically the same as the previous one but with a couple of seconds of new footage.


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Set to launch next month, Brandblack is rolling out five performance shoes, four for the hardwood and one for running and general training. The running model, the Falcon, looks like a run-of-the-mill neutral running shoe, equipped with a lightweight polymer midsole and an thermoplastic frame upper in Grey, White, Black and Red colorways.
The surprising aspect of this shoe is the outsole, which carries a repeat cross hatch pattern which the brand calls "Bio Mapped Design." With so many brands today getting competitive about the performance benefits of their soles, Brandblack is going to have to answer some serious questions from runners looking for a truly innovative shoe.


New Delhi: As the budget session began, President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint sitting of both the Houses. The president strongly endorsed the need to explore the possibility of holding simultaneous elections in the country. He urged the political leaders to discuss the issue and try to reach a conclusion.
He also underlined ambitious government target of connecting each village in India to motorable roads by 2019.
During his 45 minute speech, the president highlighted major achievements of the government and the benefits of many central schemes that have been able to change the lives of citizens.
The President highlighted the major decisions that the government took to improve the work conditions of labourers and farmers in the country.
President stressed that the government is committed to empower the minority community without following any sort of appeasement. He also underlined Haj reforms initiated by his government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the members of all opposition parties to join hands and deliberate on the fine points of budget proposals during the recess in budget session to ensure that its benefits percolate to the last man standing.
He was addressing media ahead of the budget session of Parliament.
Prime Minister also said that the budget, to be presented in parliament during this session, will fulfil the aspirations and expectations of common man. He also expressed hope that the Triple Talaq bill, which is pending in the Rajya Sabha, will be passed during this session.
Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today expressed hope for a constructive debate during the Budget session of parliament. He also expressed hope for passage of crucial bills including Triple Talaq Ban Bill during this session.
To ensure smooth functioning of both the Houses of Parliament, Government convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi on Sunday. During the meeting, the Prime Minister exhorted all political parties to collectively strive to create a constructive atmosphere in Budget Session to achieve National good.


Taught by the Osteopathic Centre for Animals (OCA) and validated by the UCO, the course focuses on the osteopathic examination, evaluation and treatment of equines and canines, but the principles can be used to apply to other animals.
You will learn about the behaviour, psychology and interactions of animals, their working and/or recreational environment and the implications this may have on their physical and psychological health. On completion you will have an applied understanding of functional anatomy, conformation and biomechanics and a critical understanding of how these relate to gait, force transference and the life of the animal.
Course content includes a combination of lectures, small group discussions, animal dissection, the integration of patho-physiology and pathology, and practical sessions at local kennels and stables.
This one-year credit bearing course will enable you to build on your existing knowledge and clinical skills so that you can work within the field of animal osteopathy and enable you to confidently treat a range of small and large animals.
The course features a mixture of lectures and discussion based work and has a strong emphasis on practical sessions in order to promote deep learning of the range of clinical skills and expertise necessary to work in this interesting area.
You will learn about common patho-physiological and pathological changes in animals and how this may relate to your osteopathic evaluation.
You will be able to explore current thinking on areas such as animal welfare, animal husbandry and farriery and how these may relate to your osteopathic understanding.
You will explore the legal and ethical responsibilities of an osteopath working with animals; your role in animal welfare is a central part of the course. This will be covered in theoretical sessions and embedded during the many practical sessions so that you develop inherent good practice in this field.
Practical sessions include dissection work and a significant amount of time spent working with a range of dogs and horses in different stables and kennels, enabling you to develop your skills as an osteopath working with animals.
Teaching staff are all highly experienced in the field of animal osteopathy and have been teaching nationally and internationally.
The course is delivered on a part-time basis enabling you to continue with work and other commitments.
Possession of appropriate indemnity insurance that includes working with animals.
You will be asked to sign a declaration that you have never been banned from keeping or working with animals.
Graduates who complete this course will be sufficiently confident and competent to apply their skills and expertise to the osteopathic treatment of animals. This may be as a sole practitioners, as part of a larger osteopathic team or as part of a team of healthcare professionals working with animals, such as a veterinary practice.
Throughout your studies you will be supported by the Course Leader and your lecturers who are available to discuss any matters, academic, practical or otherwise, that may be affecting your studies. The UCO also has a dedicated Student Support team who are on hand to provide advice and guidance on a range of issues, including learning and welfare, budgeting and finance, disability and dyslexia, pastoral care, bereavement and personal issues, as well as counselling. Find out more.
For details of course fees please contact the Osteopathic Centre for Animals on 01235 768055 or info@ocauk.org. Students should be aware that there may be some additional costs to consider.
OCA does not offer accommodation but you can get advice on finding local accommodation at info@ocauk.org.
Applicants should apply directly to the Osteopathic Centre for Animals on 01235 768055 or info@ocauk.org.