Portrait series of Immigrants in Italy by Marco Ambrosi, Matteo Danesin and Aldo Sodoma.
Portraits in Black is a work born from the collaboration of different actors: three photographers – Marco Ambrosi, Matteo Danesin and Aldo Sodoma – the Centre for Immigration Studies in Verona, the Cities of Verona and Padua, the Padua University Sociology Department.
We photographers wanted to use our art as a tool to discover, describe and possibly change reality.
After two years we opened a major exhibition of over one hundred large format images at the International Centre Scavi Scaligeri in Verona and later at the Museo del Santo in Padua. Subject were different Pentecostal communities composed by people from Nigeria and Ghana, resident in Verona.
Each author has brought his own point of view by exploring a different aspect of life of these communities.
Marco Ambrosi visited several churches with his portable studio taking portraits of people dressed in sumptuous feast. Matteo Danesin has become a familiar host of ceremonies, parties and other meetings.
Aldo Sodoma got to visit their homes and their workplaces, describing the' 'real world" of these people socially invisible.
Since then the project has been shown in Spain, France, USA, Poland, Slovak Republic, Greece, China, Germany, UK, Portugal, Nigeria, Senegal.


1st Mix in the first seven ingredients in a large bowl. The mushrooms, and mix well until they are coated in the marinade. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place for at least 1 hour.
2nd Drain the marinade into a small pan and simmer until syrupy, 1-2 minutes. Thread the mushrooms on skewers over hot coals or barbecue afterwards Cook grill or under the grill about 10 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with the marinade. Serve hot.


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← Yankee Dolittle
Investigate. Banter. Arrest. Repeat. →
Monstrous
In his review of Monster-in-Law (2005) for The AV Club, Nathan Rabin opined: "It's not hard to imagine the militant Jane Fonda of 1972 angrily denouncing [this movie] as insulting Hollywood claptrap trafficking in regressive, reactionary, blatantly sexist gender codes." And with all of the good work she was still doing out in the real world, God only knows what prompted a post-millennial Fonda to return to the silver screen after a fifteen year absence, simply to appear in such "claptrap".
Fonda plays 'Viola Fields', a veteran newscaster and TV presenter, who's informed that she's about to be replaced by a younger, perkier model shortly before conducting a live interview with a bubble-headed Britney Spears-esque pop-singer. Enraged by the girl's cheerful ignorance, Viola attacks her on air, and is promptly shipped off to a therapeutic retreat. Up until this point, the character actually seemed quite sympathetic, so I assumed that her meltdown was just be a temporary glitch, and that she would soon enjoy a speedy recovery, followed by a triumphant return to the spotlight… but I was an ass to make that assumption (or I'd underestimated what asses the writers were). Viola is a beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent, socially conscious and well-travelled woman, who has lived a fascinating and storied life… but instead of spending her (involuntarily) retirement writing a memoir or something constructive like that, she chooses to dedicate herself to driving her son's perfectly pleasant new fiancé "mad", in the hopes of splitting the pair apart… purely out of spite. Or maybe she's racist? It's hard to know, really. There are several jokes about the fact that she might be mentally ill, but all her so-called assistant 'Ruby' ever does to "help" is enable her angry alcoholism, and make sassy quips! Having one passive-aggressive sociopath on-screen is bad enough, but when the aspiring daughter-in-law, 'Charlotte', finally sees through Viola's web of deceit and social sabotage, she doesn't simply collect the proof in a calm and orderly way so that she can share it with her fiancé… no, she immediately decides to "fight fire with fire", and set her own mean-spirited, poisonous little schemes in motion. This movie is insulting not only to womankind, but to humankind in general!
I only started watching this thing in the first place because of Jennifer Lopez… and she does put in a rather adorable performance here as the harried bride-to-be… but it still took me two days to finish, split over three separate viewing sessions. I just couldn't stand seeing the two of them abusing each other like that… especially since the camera kept cutting to Ruby just so that she could make a quick quip about what she was watching, like a ringside commentator at a wrestling match. Heaven forbid she actually intervene and try to talk some sense into her old friend/employer! Seriously, one morning she finds Viola face down in a plate of food, having apparently spent the night slumped over the kitchen table (after Charlotte slipped her some extra-strong sedatives), and all Ruby does is admire the younger woman's moxie! Oy! I should probably mention that Ruby is played by Wanda Sykes, of The New Adventures of Old Christine fame. Generally speaking, I think she's a very funny comedian and actress… but the role she played here was so obnoxious, I ended up kinda hating her for it.
Other supporting players of note: Harriet Harris plays Viola's supervising Therapist at the retreat. Annie Parisse and Adam Scott play Charlotte's savvy and supportive best friends… both of whom mysteriously disappear during the middle section of the movie, presumably because the writers either forgot about them, or couldn't figure out how to weave them into the idiotic plot. Elaine Stritch plays 'Gertrude', Viola's own spiteful ex-mother-in-law, whose appearance in the third act prompts a schmaltzy, unearned epiphany. Ick. Tomiko Fraser makes a very brief appearance as an African-American 'Coffee Shop Clerk', who Charlotte calls "girl", to show how hip she is (it isn't quite as bad as the time Lopez used "the N-word" in a song, but it still made my buttocks clench a little). I thought Stephanie Turner was pretty spot-on as 'Tanya Murphy' (aka 'The Pop Star'), and actually mistook her for the real Britney at first… but apparently she hasn't had many major roles since, so… um… that's all folks!
[Note: According to that Why Men Lie and Women Cry book I wrote about last year, there is some truth to the suggestion that a mother-in-law might become so jealous of her son's relationship with a new woman, that she would actively seek to sabotage it… but that doesn't mean you have to make an insultingly stupid slapstick comedy on the subject, does it?]
This entry was posted in Rants about Films and tagged Annie Parisse, Elaine Stritch, Harriet Harris, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez, Monster-in-Law, Stephanie Turner, Tomiko Fraser, Viola Fields, Wanda Sykes. Bookmark the permalink.
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CentralNic Bolsters Registrar Relations Team with Senior Hire
Source: CentralNic, May 11, 2015
CentralNic (AIM: CNIC), a world leader in domain name and internet services, announced today the appointment of Colin Mullane in the role of Channel Development Manager, overseeing the UK and North American registrar markets for CentralNic's registry and registry backend provider businesses.
Colin was previously Channel Relations Manager at Nominet, the registry for the .uk country code Top-Level-Domain, where he worked since July 2008.
"We are absolutely delighted to have Colin join us as our registry backend business continues to gain market share," said Ben Crawford, CentralNic CEO. "With his deep knowledge of the industry and excellent relationships among the registrar community, he is a welcome addition to this rapidly growing part of our business."
According to the industry statistics website nTLDstats, TLDs using CentralNic are available through more registrars than any others. As well as new gTLDs, CentralNic supplies registrars globally with domains using such extensions as uk.com, us.com, eu.com, .la and .pw – which enjoy greater numbers of registrations than 95% of the new TLDs.
About CentralNic Group PLC
CentralNic (LSE: CNIC) is a London-based AIM-listed company which earns revenues from the worldwide sales of internet domain names over a technology platform that it developed and manages. These domain names are sold on an annual subscription basis and paid for by customers upfront, making CentralNic a cash-generative business with annuity revenue streams. CentralNic comprises three business lines within the domain name industry. It operates a global wholesale network, supplying domain names to over 1,500 vendors in 77 countries, and is a leader in wholesaling for new Top-Level Domains – the new endings for domain names being introduced as alternatives to .com and .net. CentralNic is the exclusive wholesaler for all domains ending with .tickets, .website, .design, .bar, .love, .feedback and .xyz, with more than 50 others under contract. CentralNic is also a leading global domain name retailer, with its retail websites including internetbs.net, buydomains.london and domain.luxury. Additionally, via its enterprise programme, CentralNic supplies domain names (including high-value premium domain names), software and services directly to large corporations and governments.


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Sava News, Events and Updates
Everything You Need to Know About Nitinol Wire
Posted in: Nitinol Cable
Nitinol is a shape memory alloy or SMA. Bend nitinol wire, at room temperature, any way you want, then heat it up and watch it go back to its original shape. Sounds like science fiction, doesn't it? The shape and memory properties of nitinol's behavior have led to a host of applications for the curious material, many in the medical devices field precisely due to its shape memory function. But what about nitinol memory wire's unique behavior characteristics make it such an ideal material for medical devices?
The Shape-Changing Metal
Nitinol is an alloy comprised of nickel and titanium. At room temperature, nitinol is easily deformed and can be twisted into virtually any shape desired. As heat is applied to the material, however, at the right temperatures, nitinol reverts back to its original form, making it appear to "remember" it's originally intended shape.
Nitinol's transition temperature - or the conditions under which the alloy can change shapes - is repeatable over time as well, making the material ideal for use over many cycles. Said plainly, nitinol can undergo many deformation-heating-reversion cycles, which means nitinol is a smart choice of material when long-term application is the optimal outcome. Typically, nitinol becomes transformable at 180°F, but these variables can be higher or lower. As a matter of fact, nitinol's transition temperatures vary depending upon the precise composition of the nitinol in use, as well as how it was heat-treated at the time it was manufactured.
Useful Properties of Nitinol
At room temperature, nitinol has an ultimate tensile strength of between 103 and 1,100 MPa. By way of comparison, steel possesses a tensile strength of between 300 and 2,400 MPa, depending upon the material's composition. Above the transformation temperature ranges, nitinol becomes significantly stronger, but again, it's not strength, but rather formability that makes nitinol so useful to medical device makers.
To device makers a superelastic nitinol wire rope manufacturer, and supplier around the world, the three most coveted features of nitinol are its:
Excellent thermal conductivity
High corrosion resistance (more so than stainless steel)
Biocompatibility, meaning it can be implanted within the human body without placing the patient at risk
Nitinol Cable Construction
On its own, nitinol is too easily stretched and deformed to make a useful cable. The nitinol cable made at Carl Stahl Sava Industries is composed of a central strand of nitinol, wrapped in six, non-shape memory alloy (SMA) wires, such as stainless steel, for instance. The addition of these conventional wires add strength to the cable's construction, and thus make expensive nitinol go further, meaning devices comprising nitinol cable live longer and are made stronger over more cycles.
How Sava's Nitinol Cables Are Used
Mechanical cable typically needs to possess flexibility of one degree or another. But minimally invasive surgery is an area where, in particular, the shape-changing characteristics of nitinol cable is especially useful. Cable that's able to change shape permits surgeons to manipulate endoscopes and other instruments and devices that are designed to negotiate extremely narrow areas, consisting of many twists, bends and tight spaces, surrounded by vulnerable soft tissue.
An endoscope is a thin, handheld instrument with a grip, often triggers and levers, and includes a long tube that's inserted into the patient's body. Typically an endoscope contains a mechanical assembly, often powered by Sava's mechanical cable assemblies, that is located on the end of the device that actuates movements like grabbing, pulling, twisting and cutting.
In these applications, the surgeon needs the endoscopic device to be flexible enough to pass easily through arteries and other delicate, soft tissue and vessels. But when the endoscopic device reaches the target location, it sometimes needs to transform into a rigid shape, which makes for a perfect SMA application. Using nitinol cable at the tip of the endoscopic device, lets the surgeon perform the task needed because the material used in the construction of the cable is meant to be shaped, reshaped and return to the original shape as often as the surgeon requires.
Meeting the Most Challenging Needs for Five Decades
Our medical cable assemblies help surgeons and physicians improve the lives of millions. With nitinol wire, improved functionality is available to the most widely used surgical instruments around the globe. Sava develops innovative endoscopic and other mechanical surgical device solutions using nitinol and other materials that overcome complex and sophisticated design and application challenges. To learn more about our nitinol cable capabilities and to discuss your mechanical cable needs, contact us today.
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With more than 50 years of experience, Sava's inventory and industry knowledge are unrivaled in the cable manufacturing space.
Talk to our experts and get a quote today!
Passivation: Stainless Steel Cable
Stainless steel mechanical cable is, by its very design, corrosion resistant. However, for all its corrosion-resistant properties, even stainless steel remains at risk of oxidation when applied to a harsh environment. Passivation extends the life and quality of a stainless steel cable.
How Do I Choose a Wire Rope?
Although the terms wire rope and mechanical cable are often used interchangeably, the diameter of the product itself is what determines whether we call it wire rope or mechanical cable. Wire rope is the term assigned to diameters greater than ⅜", although most engineers refer to wire rope as...
What Is the Strongest Wire Rope?
Depending on the application, wire rope strength is determined on a case-by-case basis, suited to the application, material, diameter and construction. These are the variables engineers evaluate.
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WOLFBANE PRODUCTIONS WOLFBANE PRODUCTIONS
Wolfbane Productions is a company of passionate artists dedicated to providing unrestricted and approachable live entertainment experiences and cultural events to the greater Appomattox area. We strive to bridge the New York City and Central Virginia... Read more
524 COUNTRY CLUB RDAPPOMATTOX, VA 24522
(37.3362,-78.88147)
Wolfbane Productions is a company of passionate artists dedicated to providing unrestricted and approachable live entertainment experiences and cultural events to the greater Appomattox area. We strive to bridge the New York City and Central Virginia artistic and business communities through developing and producing unconventionally engaging theatrical works and cultivating creative educational programs.
Wolfbane Productions, in historic Appomattox, VA, is a progressive and unique cultural resource in the underrepresented arts community of central Virginia.
A rapidly growing and beloved company of professional artists, Wolfbane has served as a popular theatrical outlet since its inception in 2008.
Over the past eight years, Wolfbane has grown from its small, humble beginnings as a project of love and creative artistry by Artistic Director and Founder, Dustin Williams, into an active, functioning theatre company. It has established itself as a frontrunner in the ways of innovative and cutting-edge production quality, attracting audiences from all over the country and gaining media coverage from a variety of industry-related publications.
Wolfbane has become synonymous with experience-based theatre, often placing audiences in the midst of large scale, impossibly detailed worlds and engaging them in extremely visceral ways.
Wolfbane has a goal of re-defining theatre for modern audiences. By working to eliminate the elitist stigma often attached to the art, Wolfbane Productions has opened the doors for a largely unconventional audiences to fall in love with the art of theatre. With its new home base at the Wolf Performing Arts Center -- aptly named the Wolf P.A.C. -- Wolfbane offers a stunning outdoor venue to host New York City union and non-union performers, diverse crowds and events.
http://www.wolfbane.org
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COVINGTON, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Numerous metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies are searching for a theft crew called the "Felony Lane Gang," which detectives said has posted taunting messages to police on Instagram.
One of the posts in a possible message to officers reads, "Do ya job [expletive]." Another boastfully shows a woman displaying stacks of dollar bills.
"They might be taunting us with what they're posting on social media. With all the active warrants we've got on them through all these different jurisdictions, it's just a matter of time before we get them," said Officer Justin Stott with Covington Police.
Officers have identified three of the women in the gang as Amber Dunlap, 27, Tiphanie Eager, 26, Toni Huizar, 23. There is an unknown number of men and women in the crew, according to officers.
According to Covington Police, the crew has broken into cars across Newton County, Gwinnett County, Clarke County and possibly Florida.
The break-ins have happened in parks and gyms-- all places where people typically leave purses or belongings while working out. The thieves typically use rental cars to commit the crimes, officers said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Covington Police or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS.


On Walmart.com on Thursday, "The Silkworm" was one of three books featured on the books' home page at 40 percent off, or $16.80. Walmart has also promoted the book with ads on Facebook and through mass emails to its customers promoting Hachette books. On Barnes & Noble's site, "The Silkworm" was one of four of "the week's biggest books." A digital edition for the Nook was $11.99. It was Barnes & Noble's No. 2 best-seller on Thursday. On Bookish, the website that the major publishers started last year to combat Amazon, it was the first "new and notable" release featured, and was selling for $19.60.
This doesn't mean Amazon will back down, or that it won't win. But it surely is taking a risk.
This entry was posted in Ebooks and tagged Amazon, authors, ebooks, publishing, writing by Richard Bowker. Bookmark the permalink.


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3 Doors Down >
Former 3 Doors Down Bassist, Todd Harrell, DUI Trial...
Former 3 Doors Down Bassist, Todd Harrell, DUI Trial Date Set
By Ed Biggs in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 15 March 2015
Follow 3 Doors Down
Todd Harrll, the former bassist of 3 Doors Down, will appear in court on Monday (16th March) to face DUI charges.
Todd Harrell, the former bassist of 3 Doors Down, is due to go on trial in Mississippi on Monday (16th March) to face DUI charges. This is his second offence driving under the influence of a substance other than alcohol. He is currently under house arrest in Nashville for vehicular homicide, the case for which is still ongoing.
Todd Harrell (centre) with Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson of 3 Doors Down.
Read More: 3 Doors Down Bassist Todd Harrell Charged After Fatal Car Crash.
Harrell will appear in court in Mississippi on Monday to face the DUI charges relating to his arrest on February 18th 2014. He was arrested by police after an anonymous caller spotted him slumped over the wheel of his car. This is the second time Harrell has faced DUI charges. He was first arrested for a DUI in 2013, a month before he was involved in a fatal car crash in Nashville.
Harrell reportedly clipped another vehicle whilst speeding on a highway in April 2013. The vehicle in question was forced off the road and crashed. The driver, 47-year-old Paul Howard Shoulders Jr., died as a result. Harrell was charged with vehicular homicide. He attempted to appeal against the charge in January 2014 but his appeal was not successful.
Harrell was kicked out of 3 Doors Down in 2014. He had been on suspension since 2013, a decision the band made after Harrell was charged with vehicular homicide. In the case, Harrell was also accused of driving impaired by prescription drugs and alcohol.
The Sun Herald first reported the news.
Read More: 3 Doors Down Bassist Arrested And Charged With Vehicular Homicide.
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Former 3 Doors Down Guitarist Matt Roberts Dies Aged 38
3 Doors Down - Us And The Night Album Review
3 Doors Down Bassist Todd Harrell Charged After Fatal Car Crash
Todd Harrell Freed On Bail
3 Doors Down Bassist Arrested And Charged With Vehicular Homicide
3 Doors Down Guitarist Quits Over Health Problems
3 Doors Down - Here By Me Video
3 Doors Down - Let Me Be Myself (AOL Sessions) Video
3 Doors Down - Be Like That Video


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Investigation leads to the arrest of 7 in Manchester, NH
By Brynne Connolly
Credit: Manchester PD
MANCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) - Seven people are facing charges after investigators uncovered a gun and a large quantity of crack cocaine.
The Manchester Police SWAT Team carried out a search warrant at 319 Sewall St. Tuesday after police received several citizen complaints from residents in the area, according to a release issued by the city.
Jeffrey Seymore, 35, was charged with possession of a controlled drug, resisting arrest, as well as a parole violation.
Ramon Duran, 48, was charged with falsifying evidence and possession of a controlled drug.
Jeremy Gelinas, 43, was charged with possession of a controlled drug.
Stephanie Theriault, 37, is facing charges of resisting arrest and also had a warrant for failure to appear on a possession of a controlled drug charge.
Charley Anne Martin, 32, was taken into custody on a warrant for failure to appear on a sale of a controlled drug charge.
Janna Chrostowski, 43, was charged with possession of a controlled drug.
Michael Fleet, 35, was charged with resisting arrest.
Anyone with further information in connection to this investigation is urged to call police at 603-668-8711.
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Air Force News
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A part of a 5,000-pound Ritchey-Chretien reflecting telescope is lowered by crane through the roof of the Observatory at the U.S. Air Force Academy in October 2019. Workers from the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron and the Austrian telescope manufacturer company installed the telescope into the facility that month. (Courtesy photo/Devin Della-Rose)
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New telescope at Academy to be largest available for public viewing in Colorado
By Janine Dreger
U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Scientists at the Air Force Academy said a $1.25 million project to install a telescope in the school's observatory was completed Oct. 8 and the telescope will be ready to use in January.
Contractors from the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron, and technicians from the Austrian telescope manufacturer installed the 5,000-pound Ritchey-Chretien reflecting telescope into the observatory this month.
Associate physics professor and observatory director Devin Della-Rose said when complete, the telescope system will support cadet and faculty research projects and connect to the Falcon Telescope Network across the world.
"We'll use the telescope to study man-made, Earth-orbiting objects and deep-space natural phenomena such as planets orbiting other stars," he said.
The telescope should be fully functional by springtime and the images it captures can be shared with the general public at the Academy's Planetarium.
"Featuring a 1-meter primary mirror, the telescope is the largest in Colorado that will be available to the public," Della-Rose said.
Before then, a camera with a 111-million pixel rate will be installed in the telescope. Each image it captures will contain almost a quarter-of-a-gigabyte of data and be stored on Cloud services. The Academy also plans to buy a high-resolution spectrograph by 2021.
"The last phase [of the installation] will be the automation of the Observatory's dome," Della-Rose said. "It needs to be adjusted to move with the new telescope."
The telescope will be the 12th in the Falcon Telescope Network, which has telescopes installed across the states and in several countries.
"We can remotely operate these telescopes in real time from anywhere," said Academy Physics Professor Francis Chun. "We try to automate the systems so that the telescopes collect data and download the information to a central server so cadets can pull the data."
[Editor's note: The project was funded by several organizations including the Academy Endowment, the school's Research Office, the Academy's Gift Funds office, and the 10th Civil Engineer Squadron.]
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What We Might Know After a Week (Eastern Conference)
November 2, 2015 ~ dnathanfati
What might we know after a week of NBA games? After looking at some data…maybe, probably nothing. But we can look at what last year's standings were after each team played three games, and where that jived with or diverted from final standings. After waiting breathlessly all offseason for NBA action and eager to understand the league power structure, I crave context. I posted the Western Conference breakdown earlier. Now moving on to the Eastern Conference.
Anyone who follows the NBA with any real enthusiasm knows one simple truth: the Eastern Conference is inferior to its Western counterpart. It's been that way for most of the 21st century. Some day I will do an investigation into why this phenomenon exists. But for now, just take comfort in the fact that the status quo has not changed. There's one constant in this ever-changing world.
While the West has three winless teams in Houston, New Orleans, and Los Angeles (Lakers), the first two still have very real playoff aspirations after their bad start. Middle of the pack teams such as Phoenix, Denver, Sacramento and Utah all pack a punch. And the top of the West is much stronger than the top of the East. So the top, middle and bottom of the West is looking to be superior. To further illustrate the point, in this admittedly early stage of the NBA season, there are six winless East teams – Milwaukee, Philly, Indiana, Charlotte, Orlando and Brooklyn.
Detroit is a pleasant surprise at 3-0, and the Raptors have also jumped out to an undefeated start. Chicago and Atlanta have each played four games and sit at 3-1, while Miami, Washington and Cleveland all look very good. Here's a look at the standings early on:
Team W L
1 Raptors 3 0
1 Pistons 3 0
3 Bulls 3 1
3 Hawks 3 1
5 Cavaliers 2 1
5 Knicks 2 1
5 Heat 2 1
8 Wizards 2 1
9 Celtics 1 2
10 76ers 0 2
10 Bucks 0 3
10 Pacers 0 3
10 Hornets 0 3
10 Magic 0 3
10 Nets 0 3
Here's a look at where the East stood after three games last season, and the final conference standings:
14-'15 Team W L Final Standings W L
1 Heat 3 0 1 Hawks 60 22
2 Bulls 2 1 2 Cavaliers 53 29
2 Wizards 2 1 3 Bulls 50 32
2 Raptors 2 1 4 Raptors 49 33
2 Knicks 2 1 5 Wizards 46 36
2 Nets 2 1 6 Bucks 41 41
7 Cavaliers 1 2 7 Celtics 40 42
7 Bucks 1 2 8 Nets 38 44
9 Celtics 1 2 8 Pacers 38 44
9 Pacers 1 2 10 Heat 37 45
9 Hawks 1 2 11 Hornets 33 49
9 Hornets 1 2 12 Pistons 32 50
13 Pistons 0 3 13 Magic 25 57
13 76ers 0 3 14 76ers 18 64
13 Magic 0 3 15 Knicks 17 65
The East was weird last year, as the Heat adjusted to life after LeBron and eventually were done in by health issues. The Knicks fell off a cliff, winning only 15 more games after their 2-1 start. The Cavs struggled near .500 before the LeBattical and Timofey Mozgov/J.R. Smith/Iman Shumpert acquisitions, finishing the season 35-15 over the last four months. Meanwhile the Atlanta Hawks became nearly unbeatable for three months, going 38-6 from December through February.
Looking at the first week of this season, there are only two teams that really stand out as surprises – the Pistons and Bucks. These two Central division teams are headed in different directions through three games. Detroit has reshaped its roster and approach to the game. A question mark coming into the season was their defense, but they are winning with stellar performances on that side of the court, anchored by Andre Drummond blocking/changing shots in the paint. The Pistons are winning while shooting just 39 percent (28th in NBA) and ranking 21st in points per game. But they're fourth in opponent's points per game and are holding teams to just 28 percent from beyond the arc.
If the Pistons join the Heat in making the playoffs in the East this year, that means at least two teams that made it last year will fall to the Lottery. The Nets will be one of those teams. The other, it pains me to say, could be the Bucks. A chic pick to make a leap by people like me (I gushed about them in this NBA Risers column), the Bucks are struggling to find their way. They clearly miss cagey veterans like Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley, while Giannis missed a game and Jabari Parker hasn't played yet (he's cleared to play as of this writing). Meanwhile the addition of Greg Monroe, while it has great potential, has disrupted the chemistry. The Bucks are also testing conventional wisdom by starting a point guard that can't shoot, in Michael Carter-Williams. He's shooting a gross 27 percent from three.
The good news for Milwaukee, besides Jabari returning to the lineup? There are 79 games left, and they play in the East. The Rockets and Pelicans are envious.
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text:
Midnight Snack, Anyone?
Potter's Army :: Hogwarts :: Basement :: Kitchens
by Keiran Hayes on Fri Jul 05, 2019 5:13 am
Keiran couldn't sleep. Changing his surroundings always made for a week or so of long, restless nights, and it was probably a bad idea to start breaking rules less than a week into the new school year, but he never was one for breaking actual rules. Messing with people or expectations, that was fine. But he wasn't about to get in trouble with the professors if he could help it.
The thing is, he couldn't sleep, he didn't have homework to complete, and he was a little hungry after not eating a great deal at dinner. So he decided to be careful, quietly making his way to the kitchens. It was lucky he didn't live up in the towers, he supposed.
He made his way through the door, then began riffling about for something interesting. Perhaps he would just take something back to his dorm once he selected it.
Keiran Hayes
Occupation : Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team
Re: Midnight Snack, Anyone?
by Melissa Finnigan on Fri Jul 05, 2019 10:12 pm
The snores were as deafening as they were unwelcome and, regrettably, immune to any sort of silencing spell. Melissa Finnigan closed her eyes, knowing that she could no longer pretend she was doing anything other than just lying there, staring up at the scarlet canopy overhead. Another sleepless night – one that would make History of Magic intolerable when morning finally came.
She propped herself up on her elbows, the springs in the mattress popping as she shifted, and peered out between the gap between her curtains. The fireplace had died to embers and there was a chill about their bedroom outside of the covers. She squinted and leaned to the right, lifting her left arm to tug the curtain closest to her in order to get a better look. One of the windows was ajar, a little but enough, and Millie knew that even if she was not going to sleep, the other girls didn't need to wake up in the morning cold.
Resolving to get up, the girl sighed and kicked the covers down to the end of the bed. She gave the other curtain a shove with her foot and then swung her legs over the side, planting them on the rug that ran underneath her bed. She scrounged her toes into the bunny slippers that had been a tongue-in-cheek present from her dad a few years before and reached for her long purple dressing gown.
She tied the belt in a knot at her hip, partially obscuring the faded grey Weird Sisters top she wore. She was glad for the material around her legs. Her blue and white striped bed shorts were nice enough but not exactly the warmest of clothing pieces. Perhaps in a few days she would have to forsake them for some of her cuddlier pairs of pyjamas.
Millie got to her feet and ambled over to the window, mindful of tripping over any of the debris scattered around the room. Outside, the stars were twinkling away and the grounds seemed still and peaceful, as though there was no mischief going on. She knew better than to believe that, of course, and wrenched the window shut as quietly as possible. None of the girls stirred and the snoring continued.
Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Millie picked her wand up from the bedside table and stuck it behind her ear before bidding her retreat from the bed chamber, her curls bobbing messily around her shoulders as she crept out of the room.
There was no company to be had downstairs in the common room and Millie half wondered whether she should return to the library. At least she would get some reading done. But then, of course, she ran the risk of being caught by a Prefect and she knew that a heavy dose of exam-based and future-based anxiety wasn't really the best excuse for being out of bed after dark.
As she considered her next move, her stomach rumbled and her mind was made up for her.
Arriving in the kitchens was like arriving to a family meal. The House Elves that were still awake and pottering around were overjoyed to see her. Amongst them was an elf called Mimsy who had a special fondness for Millie – a fondness that the girl reciprocated wholly. The Finnigans had never kept House Elves and Millie had always found them curious but kind creatures. She was also quite sure that she had never approached them the way they were used to. For instance, she embraced Mimsy as soon as she saw her, crouching down to pull the tiny elf into a tight hug.
"Mimsy will get you some hot chocolate, Miss!" She piped up, wiggling embarrassedly out of Millie's arms.
Ushered by the other elves to sit down at one of the long tables, Millie was soon given exactly what she had come looking for. How they seemed to know, she would never understand. Mimsy returned with her hot chocolate after a few moments. The drink was piping hot with a dusting of cocoa powder on top just like Millie liked it. A few mini marshmallows were on the saucer but she was uncertain if she was going to touch them … especially when Mimsy placed a slice of berry pie in front of her with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.
"Mimsy," Millie asked, drawing out the Elf's name. "Did you know I was comin'?"
"No, Miss! Mimsy swears it!" She declared, lifting her head proudly before adding, "Mimsy and the others will go now if it's alright, Miss?"
"Yes, go, go!" Millie agreed, offering her a bright smile as she picked up her cup. "I'll tidy behind myself. All of you go and rest, for heaven's sake."
"Miss will be alright?" Mimsy asked, her brows furrowing as though she wasn't sure whether she would stay or not.
Millie nodded and the Elves disappeared, popping sounds of apparation resounding around the kitchen, leaving Millie quite alone. She took a sip of her drink and smiled as the sweetness spread over her tongue. It was comfort food. Her favourites, both of them, and Mimsy knew that. She had been reassuring Millie during midnight trips to the kitchens for seven years, now. Millie suspected that Mimsy knew what she needed before she even did herself.
The girl set her mug down, reaching instead for her spoon. For ten minutes or so, she alternated between the pie, the ice-cream, some combination of the two in tandem, and the hot chocolate. Then, she heard the portrait door swing open.
Millie froze, her eyes trailing towards the door, utterly unsure of who she was about to meet. Part of her was relieved when it was Slytherin's Quidditch Captain. It could have been any number of unwanted others. But ... he was her nemesis! Well, on the pitch, when there was a Quaffle at stake. Then he was her nemesis. Gryffindor pride depended on it. Off the pitch, she supposed they were ... well, acquaintances, perhaps? She could never claim they were anything more than that. Which was strange, really, given they were both Irish. It would be easy to imagine some sense of kinship there but they were different sorts of Irish and there was a border there to prove it. Still, even if he wasn't quite a friend, he wasn't a foe either ... in this context, anyway.
He didn't spot her at first. She watched over the rim of her mug as he began to have a look for something, presumably something easy to transport back to the dungeons - something tasty, too. She had often done a grab-and-run - particularly when there were Prefects wandering a bit too near the kitchens. They tended to start and end their rounds there, the arsehats, as if they knew there were students behind the frame.
"Snap," she called out hesitantly, unsure if he would actually want to speak to her or whether he would just want to get his snacks and leave. With the hand that was still holding her fork, Millie offered him a slightly awkward wave. "Can't sleep?" She asked, her brows lifting sympathetically. "Would you, um, would you like some hot chocolate, Keiran?" His name, well, his first name, felt odd to say aloud. Usually she referred to him by his surname, out loud and in her head. Still, there was a first time for everything.
((This post got very out of hand. I don't know why but I enjoyed myself.))
Melissa Finnigan
Seventh Year Gryffindor
Special Abilities : Seer
Occupation : Owner of Fleurish Flower Shop
by Keiran Hayes on Mon Jul 08, 2019 4:14 am
Keiran startled at the sound of someone else's voice, turning over his shoulder sharply. He wasn't sure how he'd missed her the first time. But he could admit that he did have a tendency to be laser-focused about most things. He probably would've been embarrassed at being caught if it was someone he knew better, but somehow the fact that she was in a different house, and that she ran in different circles, made him less concerned.
It did help, as well, that she seemed to be up to the same sort of thing that Keiran was. And she'd clearly snuck all the way down from the Gryffindor Tower, so that was a feat in itself. Considering that, it almost felt like an insult to reject her offer.
"It's, uh, it's always strange for the first week or so," he explained a little awkwardly. "Getting used to the new dorm again, I mean." Keiran walked over to take a seat opposite her, leaning forward a little to peer at the aforementioned hot chocolate to decide properly if he wanted any. "Is it good? I wasn't really sure what I came looking for," he admitted with a shrug.
by Melissa Finnigan on Wed Jul 10, 2019 5:34 pm
Ensconced in the Gryffindor Tower where prejudices – of the right sort, of course – could run wild, it was easy to forget that the dungeon-dwellers were human too and the feeling of homesickness, of the strangeness of being within the castle once more, was an emotion that they could feel, also. The euphoria of returning had begun to wear off, particularly for the first years. Millie had consoled more than her fair share of sniffing, sleepless eleven-year-olds in the last few days. She understood. But the strangeness would not last and in time they would come to mourn Hogwarts for it was a place which, unless as professors themselves, they would never have the privilege to return to once set free from its grounds for the last time.
"Just as you get used to the old bed they give you a new one, eh?" She quipped with a half-smile.
She watched him carefully from beneath her lashes as he dropped himself down opposite. It was proximity that had never been considered outside of the bounds of a Quidditch pitch. Even in classes, their opposing circles rendered them parallel lines – always running in tandem but never quite meeting. Until now, perhaps.
As he leaned forward to inspect the hot chocolate, Millie felt her breath catch, fizz, and die in her throat. Perhaps it was the low, amber light that was crackling and popping from the fireplace and the shadows encouraged by the fading glow of the wall sconces but there was something about the dark, swirling orbs that so dominated his face. Merlin, no. There was something about him. Entirely him.
Millie determined later that it was the tiredness getting to her – that it was nonsense. She knew the feeling well enough, though she had only experienced it a handful of times in her young life. It was the first touch of desire – the unmistakable first flash of attraction. And, Merlin, it was entirely unexpected and possibly entirely directed towards the wrong person who was probably the least likely to reciprocate. Therefore, it absolutely had to be denied, quashed, and buried. No more. None of it. You're just tired, Mills.
Even in the moment, the girl was impressed by her composure. She managed a bright smile and looked down at the chocolate before picking up a marshmallow and popping it between her lips. She shrugged one of her shoulders, unconsciously mirroring him, and let the sweet fluffiness spread over her tongue before she mustered up her reply.
"House Elf chocolate is probably the best there is," she told him, a wistful smile curling her lips upwards. "Sort of like … like what your grandmother might give you when you're small. It's that sort of warming feeling. Reassuring. Nostalgic. The best remedy for a new term."
Millie got to her feet and, as she did so, she was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she was in her pyjamas. This would have been fine had they been matching and if her dressing gown didn't have tiny golden snitches flying across it but they weren't and it did and, Merlin, she had bunny slippers on. Exhaling carefully through her nostrils, Millie reminded herself that she would actively be trying to unseat him from his broomstick if it meant she would get to the Quaffle first. This really wasn't worth obsessing about.
She took her wand from behind her ear and gently called a mug to her. A striped number appeared from one of the cupboards and she plucked it from the air by the handle. The girl then ambled carefully over to the stove nearest their table where, atop it, a small cauldron of cocoa waited. She lifted the ladle and poured a generous amount into the cup before moving along a little to the countertop where wafers, marshmallows, powdered chocolate, cinnamon, and all of the other toppings and additions that the mind could conjure were waiting.
Setting the cup down carefully on the marble, Millie surreptitiously undid the knot at her hip, hoping that, by opening the dressing gown to let her Weird Sisters t-shirt go on show, she might diffuse the otherwise childlike appearance she was giving off. It certainly wouldn't do for him to go running back to his dormitory to tell the other Slytherins that she had a penchant for cutesy bedtime attire. Millie knew that she could have just owned it but that feeling had thrown her slightly off course. There was part of her that wanted to sprint for the Gryffindor Tower but then the other part knew that there was ice cream and pie to finish so she wasn't going to move for no man.
"Do you have any favourite toppings?" She asked softly, looking over to Keiran. "Mimsy left the works. So you can go all out, if you want. Ooh, there's even mint chocolate chips!"
The last bit was mostly said to herself and impulsively she leaned forward, plucking the jar off of the top. She cradled it in the crook off her arm against her side and lifted the lid off, a bright smile lighting her face as she shook the little chips into her palm.
"Want some?" She asked, hopping towards him lithely despite her feet being encumbered with bunnies. She held out her hand first and then, thinking that possibly wasn't ideal, offered the jar as colour rose in her cheeks.
by Keiran Hayes on Sat Jul 13, 2019 3:54 am
Keiran cracked a smile at her joke, surprised at his own willingness to do so with someone he didn't quite know. As he sat up straight again, his attention lifted back to her, and for a second he could've sworn she was looking at him a little strangely. But, then again, he noted once more that he couldn't be a very good judge of someone he had so little experience with. So little understanding.
But then she smiled, and it distracted him from his curiosity about whatever that expression of hers had meant. It was clear that he didn't come off as the type who would sneak around past curfew, and she wasn't wrong to assume as much. Keiran had never understood the thrill of breaking such a rule, when it didn't hurt anyone to not break the rule. But he was in his final year, and didn't see much of a point in going against his instincts in this case.
Keiran just wasn't as whimsical as Millie, he supposed. He never thought of food that way, at least not actively. Perhaps, in passing, something reminded him of his mum. But he never talked about anything the way Millie had just talked about a drink.
He was still a bit baffled when she got up and walked over to the stove without explanation. Once her back was turned, he blinked a couple times as he tried to take it all in. Evidently, knowing Melissa Finnigan by proxy was very different from actually sitting down and talking to her. Somehow he'd made it through seven years before giving that a go, and he wan't really sure why. Because they were competitive on the pitch? Maybe.
He didn't actually notice her attire until she spoke up again. Only then did it dawn on him that he'd instinctively remained in his robes, as if some part of him knew he'd be leaving the Slytherin dungeon again despite curfew. Perhaps the urge had been there longer than he'd registered. Or perhaps it was a mix of laziness and his desire to focus on coursework until he realized the hunger was there. Regardless, he just shook his head a little. "I sometimes add some cinnamon, but as far as going all out? Never done that."
She actually hopped towards him with an offering, and something about how casual she was with her movements made him almost... Not necessarily envious, but something in that vein. He didn't understand how people could be so relaxed around practical strangers. Maybe he and Millie weren't quite strangers, but they weren't exactly friends, yet, either. It sort of make him wonder how many other students he had passed up on a friendship with, despite not doing it intentionally.
Keiran lifted his hand a little, only to pull it back as she suddenly changed her mind and offered the jar instead. Rather than question it and make her change her mind again, he offered his hand, palm up, as he just sort of observed her, trying to work out what had caused the redness in her cheeks.
by Melissa Finnigan on Mon Jul 15, 2019 6:58 pm
He took the chocolate. There was that. But Millie had seen the quirk of his hand towards hers before she had swapped for the pot. Her stomach jerked a little within her, embarrassment coiling like a snake amongst the butterflies. Her self-consciousness intensified a little but she attempted to bat it away and offered another, slightly breathless, smile before setting the jar down on the table. He had admitted he had never gone all out on toppings. Well, that she could work with and she could work with it in a proper Millie fashion – strange feelings be damned.
"Well," she declared, plopping herself back down opposite him. "Are you feeling adventurous, Hayes?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows as a grin lifted on her face.
She put her handful of chocolate chips down and took her wand out from behind her ear again. Murmuring the charm, she called the toppings over to the table. They settled themselves down in front of them and then, speaking wingardium leviosa a little louder, the girl brought over the cauldron of hot chocolate. She pointed her wand at the cupboard where she had gotten the mug for Keiran and another four flew out to join the other things on the table. Finally, she brought over the cup she had filled, careful not to spill it.
"Okay, cinnamon…" She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, drawing out the sound as she scanned the table. "Ah!" She plucked it out from between the whipped cream and the small stack of Cadbury's flakes and held it out to Keiran. "That's for your real cup. The cup you'll actually want to drink and enjoy once we're done. Think of this as … chocolatey potions. We've got to try and make the most outlandish combinations possible that might actually be palatable -- or not, we'll see. Okay so... starting with the chocolate..."
She twitched her wand in the direction of the cauldron and a ladleful of the cocoa deposited itself into the mug. She stuck her wand behind her ear, getting it caught up amongst her curls, and then reached for the whipped cream.
"Obviously this has got to go on," she declared, her grin almost impossible to wipe from her face now. "But what first, do you think?" She asked, her eyes scanning the table.
by Keiran Hayes on Mon Jul 29, 2019 11:32 pm
Keiran hadn't the foggiest clue what to make of Millie. Rather than pitching an idea for him to pick up and reject, agree with or even build upon, she didn't give him a choice to do any of those things. If Jack had ever done something like that, he would've had half a mind to just get up and walk out, though with Jack, things were never precisely as they seemed. He got the strong feeling that the opposite was true of Millie.
His eyes scanned the absolute smattering of ingredients she had brought over, trying to take it all in while listening to her explanation. If he was being honest, he really knew that he looked a bit baffled. His jaw felt a bit slack, partly in surprise but partly just in awe of how easily she seemed to settle into situations. It didn't feel fair, really. But of course it was; he'd settled into his behavior on his own. It was no one's doing but his own.
Clearing his throat a bit, he shifted his weight as he attempted to really take in her idea. It was time to make his call: either he would go with it, or he could call her out as being strange. But even Keiran could admit, most people were strange in some way or another. Was it really such a pain to just go along with what she wanted for now? Sure, he'd probably joke to himself about it later -- he wasn't one for gossip, so certainly wouldn't share this encounter with others unless something went entirely awry -- but that wasn't reason enough to not do it, really.
So he reached up with one hand to rub a bit awkwardly through the hair behind his right ear, considering. He actually didn't see it in front of him, but he assumed it had to be somewhere, so he suggested (albeit slightly reluctantly), that, "Some people like their chocolate with a kick."
Keiran pushed his stool back a little, just enough to get down, deciding to at least attempt to participate. Opening up a couple of cabinets, and then a couple more, he searched for hot sauce, wondering if she would end up stopping him.
by Melissa Finnigan on Wed Sep 18, 2019 9:23 am
Lifting her gaze from the table, Millie took in the hesitance that permeated the young man opposite. Slytherins, of course, weren't given to fits of whimsy. She had often wondered whether it was the issue of being a Pureblood, of having to be seen to do the correct thing. Heritage and history seemed to weigh more heavily on the shoulders of those born all-wizard. There was, of course, also just the chance that she was a little too odd and that the entire premise of hot-chocolate-potions was just a bit too silly, a bit too juvenile. They were in their seventh year at Hogwarts, of course. The time for childish games was long past. After initially being annoyed - and ever so slightly offended - she would have understood if he had chosen to rebuke her.
But he didn't.
He got to his feet and suggested something hot. Chilli, perhaps? She was familiar with the spice - more than she wished to be. Her father had embarked on something of a chilli fest over the summer. He'd even forced them all to attend a chilli and cheese festival in Coleraine. Seamus had loved it. Lavender had gently tolerated proceedings to satisfy her husband until, that is, she discovered the hand-made jewellery stalls. Elliot and his partner had been utterly charmed by all things bread related and Millie had ... well, she'd gotten into a chilli eating contest, hadn't she? Since then, she'd been quite enamoured with all things bland and porridge-like.
"Do you?" She asked, watching as he rifled through the cupboards. "Like your chocolate with a kick, I mean." Then, hoping she didn't sound odd, added: "I've always been rather partial to a chocolate frog. When you can get hold of one, that is."
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Even if you're not usually rocked by geology, put aside any reservations until you visit Uluru. 384 metres high, 10 kilometres in circumference, and concealing caves, cascades and rock art in its folds, this sandstone giant is at the heart of Australia in more ways than one.
The Intrepid Group were the first travel company to advise against climbing the worlds' biggest rock because of its sacred significance to local Indigenous cultures. Besides, trust us when we say the views are better from down below. That Indigenous connection to country runs deep here, and its something we want to show you through a range of intercultural exchanges and experiences. We can take you from Uluru to Alice Springs, or if you prefer, Alice Springs to Uluru – it's up to you! Either way, we'll immerse you in the region's rich history and give you a mind blowing Australian experience.
If you're wondering what the difference is between 'Ayers Rock' and Uluru, both names in fact refer to the same iconic landmark. The name was officially changed to its Indigenous title, Uluru, in 1993 to recognise the Red Rock's significance to Aboriginal Australians. Visit and learn the unique stories behind Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Watarrka that really bring these places to life.
Get a unique insight into this land through the eyes of Australia's rich Indigenous culture. Intrepid works closely with Indigenous communities to develop ethical and authentic experiences that benefit communities and travellers alike.
A grouping of 36 giant red rock domes located 25 kilometres east of Uluru. The tallest of Kata Tjuta's 'many heads' rises almost 550 metres above the surrounding plain.
An enormous gorge home to an all-natural Amphitheatre, 'Lost City', Garden of Eden and year-round waterhole. The undisputed highlight of Watarrka National Park.
A sandy-beached oasis tucked between two ridges. This picturesque swimming spot was carved out of the rock after thousands of years of flooding, and the overlapping concentric circles etched into the surrounding cliffs are a reminder of just how ancient this place really is.
One of the more convenient destinations in the West MacDonnell Ranges. Here the towering wall of the Simpsons Range is split by a narrow band of water, and the dried up creek bed leading into the gap is filled with twisted Ghost Gums.
Don't underestimate the size of the Outback. Alice Springs' airport might only be 13 kilometres away, but Alice Springs to Uluru is 463 kilometres. If you're looking at a trip that flies in or out of Yulara (the closest airport to Uluru), you might be able to arrange flight for the same day the tour starts of finishes. If you're flying in or out of Alice Springs, you'll need to arrive the day before, and book outbound flights for the day after the trip finishes. Contact us for help with accommodation in Alice Springs before and/or after your trip.
The Red Centre isn't blisteringly hot all year. From June to August the weather actually gets cold at night, sometimes dipping below 0° Celsius. Pack a warm jumper or jacket.


text:
11099 Сонодамасакі (11099 Sonodamasaki) — астероїд головного поясу, відкритий 20 квітня 1995 року.

Тіссеранів параметр щодо Юпітера — 3,487.

Названо на честь Соноди Масакі ( сонода масакі).

Примітки

Див. також
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Посилання

 Інформація про малі планети на сайті minorplanetcenter.net

Астрономічні об'єкти, відкриті 1995
Головний пояс астероїдів

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Most Americans know that our country has a huge and growing debt problem. Most think that is a bad thing, but it never seems like an immediate threat. Imminent threats such as terrorist strikes do catch everyone's attention and do call for action by our politicians and policy makers, but national debt doesn't.
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"Savage commences Bakken connector pipeline open season"
The Savage Bakken Connector pipeline, which plans to connect the Trenton hub to DAPL, is set to include approximately 2 miles of 10 in. crude oil pipeline facilities. The pipeline will have an initial capacity of 60 000 bpd and an anticipated in-service date of 1 June.
Savage is seeking commitments from interested parties that are capable of committing to shipping at least 10 000 bpd for a minimum contract term of 18 months. As a common carrier pipeline (as defined in the Interstate Commerce Act) the Savage Bakken Connector pipeline would be subject to the jurisdiction of the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Pipeline is set to provide benefits to shippers, including a direct, pipe-to-pipe connection from Savage's Trenton hub to DAPL's pipeline system for further transport to prime markets, providing customers with greater optionality when combined with the Trenton hub's existing outbound options.


text:
White House condemns Venezuelan regime for death of opposition leader in custody
War_Conflict
Venezuelan Government
Luz Alban, the sister of opposition activist Fernando Alban, is consoled as she cries next to the flag-draped casket containing his remains, during a solemn ceremony at the National Assembly headquarters, in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. International condemnation ... more >
By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times - Wednesday, October 10, 2018
The White House blamed the Venezuelan government Wednesday for the death of an outspoken opposition leader and called on the regime of President Nicolas Maduro to release all political prisoners.
"The United States condemns the Maduro regime's involvement in the death of Venezuelan opposition councilman Fernando Albán," said press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "Venezuelan authorities took Albán into custody on October 5, upon his return from the United Nations General Assembly, where he spoke to the world about the importance of returning democracy to the people of Venezuela. He died three days later while in the custody of Venezuela's intelligence service."
Venezuelan officials claim Mr. Alban threw himself out a 10th-floor window of the Secret Police (Sebin) headquarters, but opposition leaders vehemently disputed that account.
SEE ALSO: U.N. urges Venezuela to probe opposition politician's death
Mrs. Sanders said the U.S. "will continue to increase pressure on the Maduro regime and its insiders until democracy is restored in Venezuela."
"The United States calls for the immediate release of all Venezuelan political prisoners, and for the Maduro regime to take direct, credible steps to reestablish democracy in Venezuela and to prevent further suffering and bloodshed," she said.
Mr. Alban was a local councilman in Caracas. He traveled to New York for meetings during the United Nations General Assembly in late September, denouncing the Venezuelan socialist government for human rights violations and failed economic policies.


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Hearing again 'magic!'
Home / Learning & Information / Online Information Hub / Hearing Articles / Hearing again 'magic!'
Hearing Therapy client Gary Climo spoke with Laurilee McMichael at the Taupo and Turangi Weekender about the impact hearing loss has had on his life, and how life changed after seeing hearing therapist Rhose Shand.
Gary Climo was embarrassed.
He couldn't hear what people were saying to him and he was tired of asking them to speak up.
He had to rely on wife Kathy to tell him what was going on.
As he became deafer and deafer, it became more and more difficult to talk to people, to socialise, to make any sense of what they were saying above the background noise. He taught himself to lip read but unless people were looking directly at him, it was impossible and he felt self-conscious about staring at them for too long.
The 66-year-old Taupo man had always worked in noisy jobs.
As a teenager, he was working at his uncle's aggregate crushing plant in Palmerston North picking sticks and glass out of the gravel as it came past. His next job was in the tyre industry where he worked with pneumatic and air-based tools for 30 years and back then, nobody wore earmuffs.
"It was unheard of. They weren't really around in those days and if you did [wear a pair] you were looked upon as a weirdo."
Gary liked his work, and helping people but looking back, that was probably the start of his hearing loss. "Those [air] compressors, when you drop [the pressure] there's so much air in them it sounded like a jet motor. I used to walk away with my fingers in my ears."
When he was in his 40s, Gary realised he was becoming deaf because his family used to complain he had the television on too loudly.
It also began to affect his interaction with others.
"I found if I wanted to hear them clearly I was asking them to go to my left ear to talk. I was no good in a crowd because of the background noise. I got cunning in the end because I started lip reading people and asking them to look directly at me and not mumble but I used to feel embarrassed telling people that."
Eventually, it just got all too hard.
"I stopped going out for 10 or 12 years, I stopped socialising."
It was tough. Gary began getting depression, made worse by a back injury. He was in constant pain.
Gary sought medical advice and ACC sent him to a specialist for assessment. The specialist told Gary he was deaf, but it wasn't because of work, much to Gary's disbelief. There was no mention of hearing aids or other help.
Gary and Kathy moved to Napier, with Gary driving trucks and delivering to restaurants, which he loved. His clients were understanding of his deafness. He went back to ACC but was turned down again.
Becoming deafer and deafer, in desperation, about 18 months ago, Gary went to his new doctor, who in turn sent him to see Life Unlimited Charitable Trust hearing therapist Rhose Shand. From there, his life began to change.
"I poured out my heart and soul to Rhose. She is so giving and so helpful. I've never been helped by somebody so much."
Rhose found that Gary had lost virtually all hearing in his right ear and had only 30 per cent hearing in his left.
After a fight with the system which Rhose waged on Gary's behalf, he wound up at Bay Audiology who fitted him with new, almost invisible hearing aids. The entire cost of $2000 was met by grants, which Rhose and Your Way | Kia Roha helped source.
Gary says given his level of hearing loss, audiology staff were astonished that he had gone without hearing aids for so long and he also feels it should have been picked up earlier.
Gary has had hearing aids for six months and says while they took a bit of getting used to—"everything comes through so loud and you've got to redesign your mind to think quietly"—he feels "magic".
"Now I've got my hearing back I feel confident and outgoing and now with grandkids coming along, I get a kick out of spending time and talking to them."
Your Way | Kia Roha Hearing is a national service funded by the Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People. We provide free hearing evaluations, information and support to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents aged 16 years and over.
Your Way | Kia Roha does not sell or fit hearing aids, but can give free independent advice on using hearing aids or other listening devices. Qualified hearing therapists can also refer people to other health services if needed.
Get Free Hearing Tests and Advice
Book a free hearing appointment
Workshops for hearing impaired
12 October 2016 – Courtesy of Wanganui Chronicle Living with hearing loss...
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text:
Q: RatChet PHP File structure and Installation issue I am a beginner in programming trying to implement Ratchet.
This is my current file structure
D:\Xampp
composer.phar
htdocs
      Ratchet
             composer.json
             bin
                Chat.php
             src
                Chat-Server.php

And I ran the command
php composer.phar install --dev

The following error message appears
Composer could not find a composer.json file in D:\xampp
To initialize a project, please create a composer.json file as described in the
http://getcomposer.org/ "Getting Started" section

I tried using
 php composer.phar --working-dir=htdocs/Ratchet update

But it still doesn't work.
The tutorial on Ratchet is not very clear either, can someone guide me on what I should do next?

A: This kind of duplicates this question:
Updating the composer.phar on Symfony2
Though to answer it:
You need to run composer.phar in the directory in which your composer.json lies, so the correct execution path would be the Ratchet directory with this command:
../../composer.phar install --dev

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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I love pilot season.So do lots of people, of course. It's like the draft pick for TV nerds. It's just so exciting when a show you've been hearing about gets picked up, or when you hear there's a chance that the star you love might be back on TV. And you can follow it as much or as little as you want, and still get something out of it. Here's how to play: take the small amounts of concrete information you have; speculate endlessly.
So the news late yesterday broke that Aimee Teegarden (there were some crazy spellings flying fast and loose yesterday but I feel comfortable we've got the full story here) has signed on to play the lead role, "America", in a pilot called "The Selection", which is described as a Hunger Games-style epic romance where, 300 years in the future, she's chosen as a contender to be queen of a nation at war.
There's lots to like here. The pilot's based on a book series that's not even out yet, and it's being showrun by a writing team - Sarah Fain and Elizabeth Craft - that I really admire.
But I am super excited by Teegarden as lead. All FNL fawning aside, there is something about Aimee T that always struck me as a little more ...solid than most young actors of her age. Something about the way her eyes were so level and un-panicky gives her a gravitas.
I know there were many of you who were exhausted by and of Julie, and yes, the spoiled-not-going-back-to-Burleson girl grew tiresome, even if it was all going to somewhere good. That intentionally vague line was for Sasha and her Cory who are gulping down the show, finally, and openly weeping about it.
But I think that was Julie's necessary path and meanwhile, the actress was learning something from all those hours in that Texas house watching Connie Britton be amazing. I feel like she learned presence - Julie had it by the end. I would love if Aimee did too.
And I'm excited to see her as the leader. I don't know anything more about this project than what I've written, but can't you see Teegarden leading the people? Her face all smug and her hair all bright? I hope she gets to keep it long. Makes me think of Daenerys Targaryen, right?
Aimee Teegarden / Julie Taylor is that you??


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MAISON JANSEN (1880-1989)
Maison Jansen is an interior design house located in Paris. It was founded in 1880 by the Dutchman Jean-Henri Jansen and continued its activities until 1989. The Jansen House is considered the leading global design firm, offering its services in Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East, particularly in the 1900s.
From the very beginning, Jansen has combined traditional furnishings with new trends inspired by the Anglo-Japanese style, the Arts & Crafts movement and Turkish style. The company paid particular attention to historical research, to which it tried to match the wishes of its customers for comfortable and convenient spaces. Within ten years, the firm had become one of the largest purchasers of antiques in Europe, and around 1890 it established an antique gallery as a separate company that bought and sold objects to Jansen's customers and even to its competitors.
In the early 1920s, Jean-Henri Jansen approached Stéphane Boudin, who was then working in the field of textile decoration, a company run by his father Alexandre Boudin; Stéphane Boudin was hired and brought cash to the House. Boudin's attention to detail and historical precision, his ability to create striking and theatrical spaces gave the firm a new lease of life. Boudin became director and participated in its development.
In the beginning, the Jansen House had no workshop to create its own furniture; it used antique furniture or furniture made by craftsmen. However, in the early 1890s, Jansen created its own workshops, which enabled it to produce contemporary furniture as well as reproductions of Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Directoire and Empire furniture.
Throughout its history, the firm has employed the traditional European style of design but has also followed European trends in this field, notably the Vienna Secession, Modernism and Art Deco, which were developed by the firm between 1920 and 1950.
Under Boudin's direction, the House of Jansen worked for the royal families of Belgium, Iran and Serbia; it also worked for Elsie de Wolfe, for the Reichsbank during the Nazi period; and for Lady Olive Baillie in her castle in Leeds, Kent. Boudin and Paul Manno, who headed Jansen House in New York, worked at the White House under the administration of John F. Kennedy. Jansen House decorated the yacht Chambel IV, now known as NorthWind II, which was one of his last achievements.


text:
DFC Mall brings unique entertainment concept to the UAE
Dubai - Dubai Festival City Mall will open a brand new Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) in December, further reinforcing the mall's reputation as a prominent leisure and entertainment destination.
December 2015 is set for the official opening of Fabyland in response to growing family entertainment demand
The announcement follows the signing of an agreement between Dubai Festival City Malland leading Saudi conglomerate Al-Othaim for itsFabyLand family entertainment concept.
"FabyLand will give Dubai Festival City Mall visitors the edge in family entertainment options and it will complement the destination's overall retail and leisure offering," said Brad Merchant, General Manager,Dubai Festival City Mall.
"This new entertainment venue will play a major part in Dubai Festival City Mall's AED 1.2 billion expansion programmedesigned to offer anenhanced level of possibilities and experiences for our customers. These plans build on Dubai's strength and appeal as one of the world's must-visit family destinations and on the ever growing needto offer residents more choices for their entertainment," said Merchant.
The unique 'FabyLand' Family Entertainment Centre(FEC) will cover an area of 70,000 square feet. It will signal the arrival to Dubai of a brand new entertainment venue with a 'futuristic' ambience, featuringa wide array of thrilling rides, many other attractions forteenagers and adults alike, including My Town, a new concept that combines entertainment with physical activities for children and toddlers.
Mohammad Attia, General Manager, Business Development - GCC at Al-Othaim said: "In the Al-Futtaim group, we have found a solid partner with whom our flagship family entertainment concept, FabyLand will make its first inroads in Dubai's burgeoning shopping mall scene.We are excited with the prospects presented to us from our partnership with Al-Futtaim Group and for the continued brand awareness for FabyLand as a result of opening at Dubai Festival City Mall."
With its highly innovative proposition,FabyLand is set to attract residents and tourists of all ages to enjoy thrilling experiences and spend quality time with their families and loved ones.
Mr. Merchant concluded: "Our transformational journey which is bringing new to market stores and entertainment offerings will further enhance the shopping and leisure experience at Dubai Festival City mall,and we are confident that everyone will enjoy this latest addition that will make our Malla preferred destination for our valued customersfrom the UAE and beyond."
About Dubai Festival City Mall
Dubai Festival City Mall is a landmark 2m sq. ft. urban retail resort which forms the epicentre of Dubai Festival City now acknowledged to be one of UAE's most exciting retail, dining and le4isure attractions. Set on the historic Dubai Creek, Dubai Festival City Mall, offers over 400 world class retailers, 75 restaurants,, cafés and bistros, a 12-screens Grand Festival Cinemas complex and a parking for 6,500cars. It also boasts a stunning Marina and some of the emirate's most photographed sunset vistas.
The award winning Dubai Festival City Mall has recently added the Five Star award "Best Retail Development" at the Arabian Property Awards 2010, and two other prestigious Retail City awards - "Mall of the Year" and "Best Retail Destination of the Year".
The mall is currently going through a major re-development scheme that will further reinforce its position as a key shopping and entertainment destination in the Emirate of Dubai and throughout the UAE.
About Dubai Festival City
Dubai Festival City is an Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate development project which covers 5.2 million square metres and stretches 3 km along the historic Dubai Creek that optimizes the thriving and visionary spirit of Dubai.
Dubai Festival City is an established creek side, mixed use destination and premier waterfront community interconnecting finest residential, shopping, dining, leisure & entertainment, international hotels, schools, golf course, automotive park and offices. It is formed into three distinct districts and connected by a 30 kilometres internal road network and creek side promenade. This existing community offers freehold villas and apartments for sale and lease which combine traditional and contemporary architecture. Upon completion, the community will be home to 50,000 residents living in 20,000 villas and apartments, and ideal place to work for 50,000 office staff.
Dubai Festival City has recently won 3 top recognitions at The Arabian Property Awards 2010, in the categories of Best Mixed Use Development for Dubai Festival City, Best Residential Development for Al Badia Hillside Village, Dubai Festival City and Best Retail Development for Festival Centre, Dubai Festival City.
Ayad Nahas
GMASCO - An Al-Futtaim Group company
Email: Ayad.Nahas@gmasco.com


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Singer Adam Levine has opened up about being a coach on 'The Voice' and explained that it's such a wonderful experience although it's strange to still be involved after all this time.
He told Ellen DeGeneres: "It does start to kinda feel like - you know, we're always doing it. It's always happening. So, it kinda starts to feel like a weird, like, 'Groundhog Day' meets, like, 'The Twilight Zone'. Although it's nice, when, you know, we had Miley [Cyrus] last season, and now we have Gwen back. And then Blake and Gwen's whole thing is weird. 'Cause coaches are dating, and it's weird, like..."
Levine, who was recently honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, added that he enjoys being part of the team every time they're on set and it's never a boring job: "I mean, it's still so fun. It really, really is. Like, it's still a blast to shoot, and everyone that loves the show and approaches me, I always tell them, 'It's a delight to do that show.'"


text:
Q: Elasticsearch boost score by token position in graph Question is similar to Elasticsearch token position relevance to scoring? (this question is old and there is no answer), also I need to define own boost value for each token by position.
For example, I have 2 documents
{
  "f": "orange apple tomato"
},
{
  "f": "apple orage tomato"
}

And I want to score these values like f[0]^300, f[1]^150, f[2]^75
and if I search apple first document should have score 300, and second 150.

A: You are looking for Scoring by term position in ElasticSearch Check this one

Scoring by term position in ElasticSearch?


text:
BORN IN A GARAGE, OSSID NOW LEADS THE GLOBE IN FOOD PACKAGING SOLUTIONS
By Lawrence Bivins
Proximity to the nation's major poultry producers makes Rocky Mount a convenient base for Ossid LLC, a diversified leader in packaging equipment and solutions. But there are other Twin County assets that make the company, part of the ProMach Group, productive and profitable.
The company's customers venture from near and far to Ossid for training at the company's 65,000-sq.-ft. facility at Fountain Industrial Park. "They come from all over the U.S., Canada, Mexico and other countries," says Ernie Newell, vice president and general manager at Ossid. The company's machines are sold to buyers as far away Australia, Europe and South America. "We have customers coming from all those locations to visit us."
Ossid's operations are about 75 minutes from RDU International Airport, and Rocky Mount's quality hotel space is easily capable of accommodating customers visiting the company either for training or as part of the sales process. Those traveling to the facility by ground also find it accessible. "We have a lot of East Coast customers, and I-95 is great for them," says Newell.
The company began in the late 1970s out of a two-car garage. It moved from a location in Scotland Neck to Rocky Mount in 1989. A decade later it was acquired by ProMach Inc., a privately-held company headquartered in suburban Cincinnati. ProMach has operations around the world, along with a portfolio of brands across the whole spectrum of packaging. "They've brought a lot to us in terms of the support and strength of a large organization," says Newell, who began working at Ossid in 1983 while still a student at Tarboro High School. "But ProMach also allows us to operate more or less independently. They give us the guidance that we need while also allowing the flexibility to make our own day-to-day decisions."
Ossid's 80-person workforce in Rocky Mount includes 15 mechanical and electrical engineers holding bachelor's and master's degrees. "We've brought in engineers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and the West Coast," says Newell. Rocky Mount's welcoming nature eases the recruitment process. "Our workforce is very family oriented," he says. "It's not hard to move here. You're not an outsider for long."
Employees with a taste for a larger metro area opt to live in the eastern Wake County suburbs and commute to Ossid. The 45-minute drive time is far more manageable than the daily slogs those in Chicago or Atlanta face, for example. "Access to Raleigh allows me to hire any engineers I need," Newell says.
The balance of Ossid's workforce is largely filled with workers trained by nearby community college partners. "We've hired good people out of Nash Community College's machining program," says Newell. The company also maintains a close relationship with Edgecombe Community College. "ECC has done several training programs for us, including Six Sigma," Newell says. Such workforce development services are available at little or no cost to the company. "The support we've gotten from the community college system has been very good."
The company's talent base has enabled it to embrace opportunities in pharmaceutical and medical device packaging, a high-growth industry segment. But Ossid's leadership is most evident in its design and manufacture of packaging equipment for fresh and processed meats. Its product lines include weigh-price labelers, case-ready tray overwrappers, horizontal form-fill-seal machines and in-motion case-weight scales.
Ossid customers include Sanderson Farms, Perdue, Butterball and Smithfield Foods. In particular, rising global consumption of chicken and turkey keeps the company's Rocky Mount operations humming. In 2015, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization predicted poultry will account for over 50 percent of the world's total meat production over the coming decade. Emerging markets such as China, Brazil and India are expected to provide most of the additional demand. Closer to home, changing dietary habits on the part of U.S. consumers account for surging domestic demand for chicken and turkey. Poultry enjoys a healthy image, while low feed costs and short production cycles keep retail prices more stable and affordable compared to beef and pork.
"People are eating a lot healthier than they used to," says Jason Angel, Ossid's vice president for sales and marketing. "Poultry is part of that." He says the company's buyers include large-scale producers as well as small and mid-sized chicken and turkey providers. "We continue to bring on new product lines and grow the business," says Angel.
The company clearly values employee loyalty and rewards initiative and longevity. Angel started his career at Ossid at age 19 as an assembly-line technician. As part of ProMach, Ossid employees have access to global career development avenues through ProMach's business lines and 25+ global product brands. "Opportunities are always arising to grow within the organization in many different ways," Angel says.
BARNHILL CONTRACTING COMPANY'S FAMILY FRIENDLY APPROACH YIELDS 70 YEARS OF SUCCESS
By Lawrence Bivins Across three generations, one aspect of the business culture at Barnhill Contrac...
Manufacturing plant to locate in city
From Staff Reports November 11, 2020 "Cornerstone Building Brands Inc., a manufacturer of ex...


text:
» Posts Tagged "Daveed Diggs"
Tag: Daveed Diggs
'Get Out,' 'The Big Sick' Stars Champion Diversity in Hollywood at Variety's 10 Actors to Watch Panel
October 8, 2017	Azlyrics	No Comments Star News
Isaac Guzmán is the editor-in- chief of MexFlix.org" />
Gordon was seated in the audience during the talk, prompting another bon mot from Nanjiani: "Actors to watch are up here. Writers to watch are out there." The relationship that inspired the film turned out OK in the end: Nanjiani wound up marrying Emily Gordon and she co-wrote "The Big Sick" with him.
Grace Van Patten, daughter of "Sopranos" director Tim Van Patten, said all her time growing up in Hollywood didn't prepare her for director Noah Baumbach's audition strategy. "You just gotta breathe." When she went to read for a part in the upcoming "The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)," she was handed 15 pages of sides and given 10 minutes to prepare. "You've just got to tell yourself that everybody is in the same position," she said.
Big ideas and hot-button social issues fueled conversation between "Get Out" star Daniel Kaluuya, "The Big Sick" lead Kumail Nanjiani, and other emerging talents during a panel discussion with Variety's 10 Actors to Watch on Saturday at the 25th annual Hamptons International Film Festival, moderated by Variety executive editor Steven Gaydos and IndieWire deputy editor Eric Kohn. But no matter the social or artistic merit of the topic, all were upstaged by a single question: What's it like to have sex with a peach?
This had pros and cons for an actor: "It was good because I didn't have to imagine what it was like, I just had to remember what it was like," he said. "But was bad because you're kind of forcing yourself to relive the most traumatic experience of your life."
"He gave me all four names at once," she said. It wasn't until Baumbach told her that she had the part that she learned who her co-stars would be: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, among other luminaries. "I couldn't handle myself." Like many of Baumbach's previous films, "The Meyerowitz Stories" depicts a complicated family relationship that is at turns harrowing and hilarious. It won the Palm D'or at Cannes in May.
In fantasizing about his older flame, Elio employs the fruit, a technique both the young actor and director experimented with to make sure it could actually be done. He plays teenage Elio, who falls for Armie Hammer's college-age Oliver in director Luca Guadagnino's film, which has drawn raves from festival crowds. The answer fell to Timothée Chalamet, star of the new film "Call Me By Your Name," in which he follows a path blazed by Jason Biggs in "American Pie." "I've been looking for a project to have sex with fruit in for a long time," Chalamet deadpanned.
Danielle Macdonald, star of "Patti Cake$," faced two challenges in portraying a budding New Jersey rap star known as Killa P in director Geremy Jasper's film. First, she's from Australia, not the Tri-State Area. Second, she claims, "I'm not musical at all. The film sparked a bidding war at Sundance, where it was picked up by Fox Searchlight for $9.5 million. I was terrified." She did pretty well for herself. It was a very big challenge for me to be a rapper.
It's crazy right now." Daveed Diggs, who has parlayed his Tony Award from Broadway's "Hamilton" into steady film and television work including Stephen Chbosky's upcoming "Wonder," was asked about the night the "Hamilton" cast came out after curtain and directly requested that then-Vice President-elect Mike Pence treat all Americans with equal respect. "What people don't know is that the crazy backlash of that night happened mostly to the Chicago company," Diggs said. "The day after that, there was somebody in the audience yelling, 'Get these ni—— off the stage.' The country is f—–! Diggs had already left the cast at that point, but his girlfriend was touring with the production in Chicago.
"I'm not making this up, there's a huge dog parade!" Chalamet almost missed his opportunity to comment on the scene, as he arrived late to East Hampton's Rowdy Hall due to an unexpected delay. "I apologize — there's a huge dog festival or something," Chalamet said.
"That's not a very obvious choice." "You don't often see a person of color from Vietnam in a lead role opposite Matt Damon," she explained. Hong Chau, who grew up in a Vietnamese refugee community in New Orleans, saw progress in director Alexander Payne casting her in a significant role in his sci-fi satire "Downsizing," about a worldwide movement to counteract overpopulation by actually shrinking people. The ethnically diverse panel addressed racial tension in both Hollywood and the nation.
Kaluuya saw his starring turn in Jordan Peele's horror satire "Get Out," about a young black man's creepy first visit with his white girlfriend's parents, inspire major discussions about race in America. It was poignant and it was fun. "It felt like [the film] really connected to the people, and people got creative with it," said Kaluuya, referencing "The Get Out Challenge," in which thousands have posted re-creations of a crucial scene to YouTube. There's joy in 'Get Out.'" "It resonated because it articulated an experience that hadn't really been put to film yet.
"I have a theory," he said. And now, in real life, you have to defeat nazis." Because there's a goal in the video game — you have to defeat nazis. Nanjiani had an unusual take on how new generations shoulder the challenges of a tumultuous society. "I think young people who grow up playing video games are more resilient.
He had been dating a woman for a few months when she fell ill and slipped into a coma. "You use that excuse every time! Unsure of what he should do, he wound up spending 10 days with her parents while she recovered. It's always a dog parade," quipped former stand-up comedian Nanjiani, who also co-stars in HBO's "Silicon Valley." Nanjiani's first leading film role, in "The Big Sick," which he also wrote, was based on a real-life experience.
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