text:
Designing Spaces for Esports and Video Gamers
The full higher education experience is more than classroom lectures. Socializing, attending sports events, joining clubs or student government, and building lifelong relationships contribute to a robust college life. But for students who do not participate in these "traditional" social activities, these developmental years may be spent largely alone in a dorm room, resulting in semi-isolation that deprives them of the vital interactions with fellow students and other campus resources to create the collegiate experience.
One way for colleges to engage socially withdrawn students is to provide options for interaction through gaming and esports. Gaming and esports are an exploding industry; the latter is projected to reach about $1.62 billion in revenue by 2024. As the gaming and esports industries have gained ground among young players and spectators, colleges are responding with both degree programs and designated spaces that bring gamers together on campus to play in a group setting. When designed to facilitate real-life interaction and collaboration, these gaming and esports-specific spaces can be the catalyst for students who might otherwise not participate in events or engage in university life.
Scope of the industry
Gaming and esports are huge industries and continue to gain traction as legitimate skill-building activities and revenue generators. But first, it is important to define the two: gaming is a broad term that ranges from iPhone apps like Candy Crush to immersive, virtual world-building series like Minecraft. Games cross over into esports when the play becomes competitive, whether the players are individuals or groups. Esports viewership was estimated at 454 million in 2019 and is growing at a rate of 9% a year to an expected viewership of 646 million by 2023, according to market analysts at Business Insider.
Colleges and universities have noticed the boom: more than 200 now have programs related to esports, according to a research brief by The Council of Independent Colleges. Similarly, students who are adept at gaming are seeking programs tailored to careers in in this field and are seeking scholarships to attend schools that provide formal college degrees.
Several organizations such as the Entertainment Software Association and the IGDA Foundation offer scholarships for students interested in gaming and esports careers. Taking a further step and establishing dedicated centers on campus for gaming and esports may offer an appeal broader than the students focused on a career in game design or business.
Benefits of gaming and esports
Within a higher education setting, gaming and esports can attract otherwise marginalized or nonathletic students, build physical activity into students' routines, and help students hone social and career skills. Game situations present real-world scenarios in which students must learn to effectively communicate, collaborate, and solve problems. Students may acquire these skills without conscious acknowledgement—all part of gamification—or activities specifically designed to achieve motivation and engagement. These skills can be applied to other aspects of student life on campus and translate into foundational and transformative career skills.
Gaming can create more well-rounded students. Students who take part in gaming or esports often have improved mental stamina for long-term activities and improved three-dimensional visualization abilities. A 2015 study published in Nature Research found that those who were prolific in gaming demonstrated improved cognitive function, perception, dexterity, and fine motor control.
At the same time, becoming active in esports can increase engagement across all activities. Students who participate in esports have higher grades and are more likely to complete their chosen degree programs, according to the National School Boards Association. NSBA reported that among high school students who joined esports groups, attendance rose 10% and grade point averages increased by 1.7 points.
Perhaps now more than ever before, as students come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, they want a shared experience and connection to their peers. A well-designed esports or gaming center can create that sense of belonging, community, and dynamic interaction.
An esports space will fundamentally draw students together to connect and improve individual student experience. Actual esports or gaming play remains the same whether it's in an isolated area or in a shared arena-like space. The difference in the latter is the interaction with other students; that connection makes an esports space at a university intrinsically valuable.
Space design
More higher education institutions are acknowledging that gaming and esports should have a dedicated presence on campus. But creating a successful space for students is not as simple as just designating a gaming area in a conference room or computer lab. The key is fostering student interaction through a suite of spaces and making the space a destination.
A successful space incorporates theatrical elements like a stage for players and a spectator area, while also reserving space for strategy discussion, and deconstructing recent games. The esports space is high-energy and acts as an event space for game play. At the same time, the space will incorporate areas for quiet discussion and collaboration, to strategize for the next tournament, and even as a study lounge when games are not scheduled.
Gaming and esports spaces retain some elements that are similar to home play—dim lighting, blacked-out windows, and comfortable seating. But the stakes are much higher in the shared area with game feeds to large screens, spectator seats, and gamers seated facing opponents. For colleges and universities with space to accommodate, the ideal dedicated area includes a gaming theater, offices, lounges, and practice and casting rooms.
In this design, the competition space resembles a theater and includes high-end lighting and audiovisual equipment for streaming games to viewers, as well as a casting room for commentators to add their take on play in real time. While players are locked in battle, in an adjacent practice room another team plans its game strategy using a whiteboard to plot moves as they practice the game. The space facilitates discussion and comfortable training play.
Another space or interspersed spaces function as lounge areas where teams and viewers can relax and connect. Additionally, they can serve as study areas during off hours. When well-designed, each of the spaces can serve a multipurpose use on campus, including academic use for competition and practice spaces. Game theory, gamification, and digital media classes could be held in the space during instructional hours.
Esports and gaming centers can be situated in several places on campus, both physically and organizationally, depending on the anticipated use or relevance to academic programs. For institutions with esports programs, the facility may be housed with athletics, student recreational activities, or near related academic programs. Choosing a home for these programs should be carefully considered by the university's internal organization; administrators should take into account the long-term goals for the program at the institution.
It's also important to note that esports do not necessarily require a large arena. Programs can be scalable, depending on investment, student enrollment and interest, or physical footprint. The program can begin with a single multiuse space. A minimal design requires only an open space that can be portioned into specific uses through furniture or other design elements. The space also could double as a lounge or study space while not in use for gaming.
It's all about connections
Gaming and esports continue to gain popularity. In higher education, these virtual worlds can serve as a conduit to real-world outcomes: connecting students on campus, prompting them to excel academically, and assisting them in building career and personal skills. Space design can facilitate these benefits, provided that the right elements are incorporated through dynamic visuals, use of space, technology integration, and lighting.
An esports and gaming space that encourages social connectedness, promotes collaboration, fosters problem-solving, and uses a strategic approach to success can help students gain confidence and build valuable skills that will benefit them beyond graduation.
Sidebar: Gaming and career paths
There's no question gaming and esports can build skills and guide students toward certain career paths. Some gaming-driven careers may have a straightforward connection, and others may seem like a left turn. Here are a few career paths reported to have been aided by skills in gaming or esports:
Professional esports player or coach
Computer design
Software or game design
3-D visualization/design
Game business management.
Gaming and esports skills have an even broader reach beyond working in careers related to either. Students spend time polishing skills that apply to many careers outside the obvious, including:
Architecture that relies on 3-D visualization and building designs in 3-D modeling software
Automotive design
Manufacturing or construction that can use 3-D models and augmented reality to translate digital into physical builds
Medical professions that require fine motor skills and visualization
STEM subjects, because of the critical thinking, analysis, systematic approach, process-based discovery and problem solving needed in some games
Marketing and advertising skills through use of social media channels and creation of online presence
Providing students with spaces to develop gaming and esports skills and experience will create widespread career opportunities for generations to come.
This article is published by American School and University.
Alejandro J. Medina
More on Esports
Blog Post	Collegiate Esports Programs Are Transforming the Fabric of Higher Education	 Blog Post	The Role of Esports in Academic Programming
Alejandro J. Medina, Senior Architect
Alejandro J. Medina is a Senior Project Architect on BHDP's higher education team. With over 12 years of experience in higher education, government, public, and commercial environments, he has worked in all phases of project development, from programming and schematic design through construction documents and construction administration. He is focused on enhancing the student life experience, and his design influence and critical eye paired with his technical expertise allow him to execute amazing projects.


Brought to you by BEHR® and ShopStyle.
Six months ago, we used BEHR® paint to create a signature wall in our office. It was one of the first design decisions we made (we barely had any furniture at that point, compared to now) and the on-brand, playful hue really helped the space feel like our own. Our home, on the other hand, is extremely neutral. Most of the rooms (including Sloan's nursery) are painted the same barely-there grey with a white trim, and our dining room—the one exception—is painted a heavy, grounded shade of navy. I've always loved the calm, cohesiveness of our neutral walls but I wanted to find a way to create an unapologetically girly moment that didn't overwhelm our home (or G). Feminine colors can go overly cutesy easily, so I figured the perfect place to have some fun would be in my closet.
The closet I share with Geoffrey has no natural light and is long, narrow, and cramped, so there's not much room to add personality to the space. I knew that I wanted to inject a shot of color to brighten up the space and make it more fresh for the New Year. For inspiration, I turned to BEHR's 2017 color trends.
Going through the collection, we had a lot to choose from, but I knew immediately that I wanted to incorporate both "Life is a Peach" and "Everything's Rosy," which felt feminine and punchy. Inspired by these two options, we decided to create an ombre shelf as the backdrop to my shoe collection. I chose tones from several color groups like a deep, juicy pink and "Cherry Cobbler," which is a rich, nearly-red hue. All of the colors we selected are from the BEHR PREMIUM PLUS® line, which has a great price point (under $25) and low odor (which is particularly important when working in such a small space, like a closet), along with their BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA® line, which has an extra-durable surface that's able to resist scuffs (or, say, tread marks from the bottom of heels).
While the colors are amazing, even their names were appealing, with titles like "Pinkadelic," and "Juicy Details." Once we'd selected all of our colors, we taped off the space and added sticky notes to remind us where each color went to minimize the room for error. We then applied two coats of each paint, using sponge brushes. It went on smoothly and only took an afternoon, even with time for drying.
I love that my new shelf is the first thing I see when I walk into the closet. It makes me happy and my shoes look that much more appealing. Now, the process of selecting which pair to wear feels like a treat—almost like walking into a candy shop. It's such a fun, cheerful addition, especially given the easy effort of the project.


text:
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		$this->load->helper('common_helper');
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	public function index()
	{
		$videos = $this->video_model->getVideos(1, 'date_added', 'DESC', 8);
		$rankVideos = $this->video_model->getPopularVideo(false, 12);
		$data = [
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		$this->load->view('header');
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
RFI Egypt Arms Defence Economy
Egypt hosts its first defence and security fair
By Anne-Marie Bissada Issued on 04-12-2018 Modified 04-12-2018 to 18:07
Egypt hosts its first defence and security fair, 3-5 December 2018 Twitter@visitedex
Egypt has opened the doors to its first ever arms and defense expo. The three-day event, which opened on 3 December will conclude on Wednesday. 40 different country pavilions are attending, such as the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China and India along with over 300 companies in security and defense technology:
Companies are also showcasing their technology in defense security at EDEX. The United Kingdom, for example has more than 20 companies involved in this expo.
Arms fairs are nothing new. It's a way for countries to meet the shakers-and-movers advancing technology in defense security and ultimately finalize negotiations for arms deals and make contacts for upcoming ones.
"This [arms fair] is the place where you show the final results of them [negotiations]. Where you show the world that you are re-equipping and expanding your military capability."
"And this is the place where you actually play your suppliers out against each other to get the best deal on the most advance equipment" explains Pieter Wezeman, a senior research in Arms and Military expenditure programmes at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute…or Sipri, with a concentration in the Middle East and Africa.
He adds in this particular case, it will be interesting to see how this expo concludes, given the presence of many European countries and companies.
China, South Korea keen to get a part of the market
"It will be very interesting to see if several European states will continue with their very considerable efforts to sell certain types of arms to Egypt.
"For example if Germany really has succeeded in arranging and concluding a deal for frigates to Egypt, which has been discussed in the past few months. And that has been doing that in direct competition with France."
He adds that this fair will also likely be the place where China tries to make a comeback as a major supplier of arms to Egypt, and perhaps South Korea, a new comer to the arms sales, may also try to establish itself as a serious distributer.
For more on the geopolitical signifance of this defence exposition, stay tuned to this week's edition of Mid-East Junction.
World powers trade accusations at …
France accused of aiding 'bloody' …
New study reveals heavy weapons for …

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Remaining Ready: Preparedness is the Key to Effective Insolvency Management by the Property and Casualty Guaranty Fund System
October 10, 2018 December 11, 2018 user Issue Backgrounders, Legislation, Public Policy
By Barb Cox and Nick Crews
National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds
If the high insolvency activity of the early 2000s 1 confirmed anything, it showed a need for a prepared guaranty association system. For a state guaranty fund—just as it is for the local firehouse—future effectiveness exists in direct proportion to the degree of preparedness it maintains. Standing ready to deal with the next insolvency, or series of insolvencies, is basic to the property and casualty guaranty fund system's continued ability to deliver on its statutory charge of paying the covered claims of policyholders and claimants quickly and efficiently, thereby preserving the sanctity of the insurance contract.
Preparing for future insolvencies: the guaranty association rapid response. After a company is declared insolvent, state guaranty funds step into the shoes of the failed insurer and immediately begin paying covered claims.
But the ability of the guaranty fund system to perform its statutory mandate to pay claims promptly requires that guaranty associations be prepared to respond quickly when new insolvencies – expected or not – occur. Moreover, the state guaranty fund system must work within the confines of the structure and business practices of the insolvent company to ensure a smooth transition to the state funds of their claims handling function.
The liquidation of the Reliance Insurance Company in October of 2001 illustrates just how suddenly insolvency can hit. It also provides a compelling "case study" of how preparation can ready guaranty associations to manage the challenges of a major insolvency.
Prior to the Reliance liquidation, the guaranty associations and the Pennsylvania regulator had worked together to closely monitor the situation and prepare for a possible liquidation. However, among the fallouts of September 11, 2001 was a disruption of ongoing reinsurance collections by Reliance that were critically important to its cash flow.2 The disruption was the death knell for the company; within weeks, the Pennsylvania Court ordered its liquidation. Fortunately for policyholders who awaited payment of outstanding claims against the company the property and casualty guaranty funds had invested both their professional talents, skills and coordinated efforts to prepare for this sudden and unpredictable event.
Groundwork performed by the guaranty fund system prior to the Reliance insolvency did much to help the system respond quickly in the weeks following the failure. Experienced professional guaranty association staffs provided a depth of institutional knowledge for the intense work of the insolvency. Also enabling the system to bear up under the taxing demands of Reliance was Uniform Data Standards (UDS), an electronic communication protocol with defined computer file formats allowing a fast and efficient reporting of policy and claim information. The standardized reporting that UDS provided was developed in 1995 and allowed the funds to "hit the ground running" in a period of unprecedented claims volume. In addition, state statutes had been updated in key areas – specifically regarding net worth and bar dates.
The demands of the Reliance insolvency were daunting: the liquidation required that more than 80,000 claim files be moved to the guaranty funds. The guaranty funds were ready, due in large part to pre-Reliance investment in facilities, information technology resources and its proactive efforts to develop and maintain core professional staffs of claims adjustors, coupled with uniform standards for communicating claim and policy information.
The scope and magnitude of the Reliance insolvency and its sudden liquidation is not typical. However, Reliance clearly showed that effective preparation for unknown "short-fused" insolvencies is essential. It also showed this level of preparedness is only possible when the guaranty fund system strategically works to maintain a state of readiness.
"Working to remain ready" with a core professional guaranty association staff. Guaranty fund staffing generally contracts and expands depending upon the number of claim files a particular fund has under review. However, even in times of relatively light insolvency activity, state funds must maintain core professional staffs; there is a certain staffing level under which it would be unwise to fall. By maintaining adequate staffing, funds ensure continuity of practice and institutional knowledge of systems, laws and policies and the ability to train newly hired staff when activity increases. Standing professional staffs serve as repositories of important guaranty fundrelated information, and encourage positive working relationships with receivers. It is the foundation on which the work of a state guaranty fund rests.
A standing, professional guaranty fund staff is also essential because often, the last few, usually older, claims are the most complex and offer the highest potential for litigation. In addition to supporting ongoing claim activity, staff must pursue and report subrogation recoveries, and prepare and file claims and other reports with the estate's liquidator, necessary actions to marshal the reinsurance recoveries that reduce company assessments. These and other tasks exist over the life of an insolvency – a period that can extend 20 years or more.
Preparing for the next insolvency in the constantly evolving insurance environment. While the insurance industry is dynamic and ever-changing, the central charge of the guaranty fund system is not; covered claims must be paid efficiently notwithstanding insolvency's challenges or complexities.
State guaranty associations were formed in the late 1960s around the principal that the insurance contract into which a consumer enters should be honored within defined limits as a matter of public policy. Relief was intended for insolvencies of companies that, at that time, wrote mostly personal line policies in single states. Insolvencies of these companies tended to be generally smaller and simpler, and were easier to administer. The most common claims were those related to substandard auto and house fires. 3 Much has evolved in the insurance marketplace and the realm of insurance insolvencies since the 1960s.
The 1980s witnessed a growing number of large insolvencies among insurers writing significant amounts of commercial insurance. Recent insolvencies occurring mostly in the early 2000s have involved complex commercial insurance products, such as large deductible policies and policyholders doing business (and consequently presenting claims with the funds) in several states. In addition, many of these insolvencies, such as Reliance, Fremont Indemnity Company and Legion Insurance Company, were larger than any the system had before absorbed.
The insolvency of a large commercial insurer then was viewed as almost impossible to occur. There was certainly no "track record" available at the time to inform the decision to extend coverage to the commercial market segment, with policyholders as varied as main street storefronts to Fortune 500 conglomerates. Additionally, subsequent developments in commercial lines products were difficult, if not impossible, to foresee at that time, and the state guaranty fund laws were never expected to cover such products. The report on the hearing of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee held on June 25, 1968 discussing the need for a safety net to cover insurer insolvencies suggests that such a safety net was intended to protect individual policyholders and claimants rather than large commercial insureds. For example, in that hearing, Senator Dodd advocated the need for the safety net by stating that individuals who are driven by the unstable market force to high risk insurers "must face the fact that their families can never be secure by their fireside knowing that the insurance company standing between any judgment and their home may become insolvent." See Hearings on S. Res. 233, Part 13, Automobile Liability Insurance before the Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly of the Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate, 90th Cong. (1968). These factors have significantly changed the landscape for guaranty funds, requiring that they adapt to this new world. Recently, the guaranty funds have been faced with:
High volume of claims resulting from large, multi-state, multi-line insolvencies;
Claims operations that have been delegated to various third party administrators;
Paperless record-keeping by companies that become insolvent;
Pockets of capacity strains that resulted from insolvencies of significant size – either as large, multi state companies or as companies with significant presence in discrete states.
These challenges have brought renewed focus on the need for policymakers to examine guaranty fund operational practices and statutes with an eye toward strengthening their protections for those whom they were originally intended – the average citizen and small business policyholders and claimants.
Guaranty funds continue to develop the electronic systems and legal and operational structures to enable them to deliver protections in a changing insurance world. Human and financial investment greatly enhances the ability of the guaranty fund system to address the changing industry.
Many recent enhancements to the functionality of the guaranty fund system and its statutory underpinnings have their origins in "lessons learned" from periods of heavy activity dealing with complex multi- line, multi-state insolvencies. Today, Reliance and other insolvencies are seen as the catalyst for many of the statutory and operational developments which are viewed as "cutting edge" in insolvency practice.
Currently, the funds are proposing solutions to such matters as privacy protection for claims data, and dealing with imaged files. At the end of the day. Common wisdom suggests that good preparation today ensures success tomorrow. The truth of this axiom is borne out by the statebased guaranty funds.
Like a local firehouse, the occupants of which stand ready to rush to the assistance of a property owner, the guaranty fund system is prepared to step into the shoes of an insolvent insurer and protect policyholders by paying outstanding covered claims, the role policymakers and industry envisioned for the system nearly 40 years ago.
The strength of the guaranty fund system – today and tomorrow – rests on preparedness. Because of the funding mechanism that shifts the costs of insurance insolvencies to policyholders, and in some states taxpayers, it is critical that the guaranty fund system works efficiently and cost-effectively.
With insolvency activity at a relatively low ebb, state guaranty funds are refining and streamlining their systems, adding tools and working to strengthen their readiness for tomorrow while protecting policyholders today. By doing so, the state property and casualty guaranty fund system is undertaking the important ongoing work necessary to meet its statutory duties to policyholders and claimants while ensuring that the sanctity of the insurance contract will be preserved.
1Between 1999 and 2005 the guaranty funds paid out about $10 billion as a result of such mega insolvencies as Reliance, Legion, PHICO and Fremont in the early 2000s – almost half of the $21 billion paid by the system since its inception in the late 1960s.
2In a press release dated October 3, 2001, then Commissioner Diane Koken states "[t]he ongoing shortfall of cash receipts — especially those of reinsurance — needed to pay policyholder claims and administrative expenses has been exacerbated significantly by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Recent output from the financial model shows that Reliance will be unable to pay policyholder claims as early as the fourth quarter of 2001."
The NCIGF is a nonprofit association incorporated in December 1989 and designed to provide national assistance and support to the property and casualty guaranty funds located in each of the fifty states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
NCIGF Strategic Planning Initiative
Recent Insolvency Activity Indicates Guaranty Funds Provide Extensive Coverage on Commercial Line Claims


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Ron Valent
As a journalist with 35 years of experience and specializing in classic yachts I have sailed, crewed, skippered and written about practically every classic yacht in the fleet. I started boating at the age of 9 on the Bremer River in Ipswich, Australia. Restored my first serious boat at the age of 16 when I restored the hull and redesigned and rebuilt the keel and rig of a long-keeled, under-rigged wooden Van de Stadt design making her fast and seaworthy.
Next came the near total rebuild of a 43 foot 1937 Burmester 50 m2 followed by the complete restoration and optimizing of the rig of a 1936 Hillyard that had been destroyed in a yard fire. After that I restored and rerigged a Swedish 8 Metre Cruiser Racer. Imported, restored and sold on various Swedish sailing and motor yachts when the hobby became a business. I have overseen work on several increasingly larger classic yachts since then. Up to 2018 I was a consultant for a large German Shipyard doing merchant, navy and superyacht refits.
Parallel to these activities I worked as crew on charter yachts in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean and did deliveries and world trips traversing both the Suez and Panama Canals in between. As crew or skipper/helmsman I have participated in practically every classic regatta in Northern and Southern Europe, Antigua and the American East Coast in a wide range of yachts from diminutive cruisers to the racing schooners Eleonora and Elena.
I studied history at the University of Amsterdam and expanded this interest to classic yachts and have published a book and hundreds of articles on this subject in magazines all over the world.
I was sales rep for Meissner Classic Winches and later Holmatro where I used my knowledge and love for classic yachts to help design a range of classic winches for which these companies became famous. Holmatro quit the marine industry about 8 years ago and since then I have been hounded by dozens of skippers and owners of classic yachts with questions about repairs, spare parts and their need for new, beautiful, custom made classic winches built to the same exacting standards that Meissner and Holmatro were famous for.
In 2017 I decided the time was ripe to go for it and so set up The Classic Winch Company. The rest I hope will be history.
I am based in Holland or wherever the classic boats take me.


text:
Вырожде́ние, вы́рожденность:
 Вырождение (математика) — упрощение структуры и смысла математических объектов.
 Вырождение (квантовая механика) — существование двух или более стационарных состояний квантовой системы (атома, молекулы) с одинаковыми значениями энергии.
 Вырождение (биология) — термин, обозначающий процесс дегенерации.
 Вырождение (Нордау) — книга Макса Нордау.

См. также
 Теория вырождения
 Вырожденный газ
 Вырожденный полупроводник
 Вырожденность генетического кода — одной и той же аминокислоте может соответствовать несколько кодонов.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


My scholarship and teaching investigate the history of film style in a global context. My approach to cinema is interdisciplinary and comparative, with an eye to how film, literature, and other media interrelate. I am particularly interested in the philosophical and reflective capabilities of cinema, hence my focus in recent publications on forms such as the essay film and "contemplative cinema." My courses at Carolina, whatever their topic, show students how to critically engage with and write about moving images (and sounds) with precision, clarity, and nuance. My aim is not merely to expand students' knowledge and appreciation of film history but also to improve their perceptual acuity – that is, their audiovisual literacy – and to show them how the expressive resources of cinema and other media participate meaningfully in larger cultural and political conversations.
Godard and the Essay Film: A Form That Thinks. Northwestern University Press, forthcoming 2018, http://www.nupress.northwestern.edu/content/godard-and-essay-film.
True to the Spirit: Film Adaptation and the Question of Fidelity, co-editor with Colin MacCabe and Kathleen Murray. Oxford University Press, 2011.
"Jack Nicholson in The Passenger." In Close-Up: Great Cinematic Performances Volume 1: America, edited by Murray Pomerance and Kyle Stevens. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018, 199-211.
"The Essayist among and through Others: Chris Marker's Symposial Montage in The Owl's Legacy." The Cine-Files: A Scholarly Journal of Cinema Studies. Special Issue on Chris Marker and Jacques Rivette, forthcoming 2017.
"Orange is the Warmest Color: Mood and Chromatic Temperature in Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller." New Review of Film and Television Studies 15, no. 1 (2017): 24-39.
"Godard's Stereoscopic Essay: Thinking in and with Adieu au langage." In The Global Auteur: Politics and Philosophy in 21st Century Cinema, edited by Seung-hoon Jeong and Jeremi Szaniawski, 61-78. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.
"Filming a Miracle: Ordet, Silent Light, and the Spirit of Contemplative Cinema," Critical Quarterly 57, no. 2 (2015): 46-71.
"The Cinematic Essay as Adaptive Process," Adaptation 6, no. 1 (2013): 1-24.
"Contempt Revisited: Godard at the Margins of Adaptation." In True to the Spirit: Film Adaptation and the Question of Fidelity, edited by Colin MacCabe, Kathleen Murray, and Rick Warner, 195-213. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
"Go-for-Broke Games of History: Chris Marker Between 'Old' and 'New' Media." Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities 24, no. 1 (2009): 14-26.
"Shocking Histoire(s): Godard, Surrealism, and Historical Montage." Quarterly Review of Film and Video 25, no. 1 (2008): 1-15.


The question was posed with the blunt earnestness you come to expect of social interactions in the Valley. And it was a fair one, to the asker's credit, though maybe not something I would have fired off within the first five minutes of meeting someone.
Conventional wisdom, and most job descriptions for product managers, say that candidates should have a "BA/BS in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience." The latter usually means a side project you can point to and say "I built that." There are notable exceptions to the rule, but being technical is still more of a must-have than a nice-to-have.
You are technical enough to ask engineers good questions about architecture and product decisions alike.
Excellent communication, including the ability to converse at a technical level.
Deep analytical skills. A degree in computer science (or programming experience) is ideal, or a love of data, edge cases & analysis.
Though I'm a bit biased, I think this shift is generally a good thing, and will only accelerate as awareness of and demand for the role grows. Product management is as much art as it is science, psychology as it is statistics, big picture as it is the smallest of details. The day-to-day responsibilities, and technical bar, varies widely depending on the industry and size of the company, as well as the part of the product you work on. At the same time, the qualities that make someone a universally respected PM rarely have to do with technical expertise ("That's a waste of a good engineer," as some would say).
But the question remains—what does it mean exactly to be "technical enough"? How do you get there? And how do you build credibility with your team in the meantime?
When I transitioned from marketing to product management three months ago, I realized the internet had surprisingly little to offer on this subject. I want to share my experience trying to answer these questions while navigating the first 90 days as a PM at Pinterest, focused primarily on search. Hopefully it's helpful to other product managers coming from a non-technical background, and kickstarts more conversation.
Establish a baseline of technical understanding and invest more over time.
Build trust and credibility by figuring out how you can add immediate value.
Trace a user issue (or set of issues) back to the underlying problem.
Estimate how long it will take to build A vs. B.
Anticipate implementation challenges with a particular proposal.
Brainstorm potential solutions to technical problems.
Identify opportunities that arise from new technologies.
The relative importance of these criteria will vary depending on your product—it might be more critical for a consumer app to stay on top of new technology, for instance, while B2B companies should be extra mindful of project scope to hit scheduled release dates—but it's reasonable to expect a PM to be able to weigh in on all these issues.
This is the only must-do on the list. A genuine curiosity about technical problems will take you a long way; without it, things are a non-starter. It's possible to cultivate this curiosity to a certain extent, but I'd try and get signal here during the interview process. Ellen Chisa has a great post on this topic if you'd like to read more.
This point flows directly from the one before. You don't have to poke far below the surface to realize that, at its core, engineering is about creating something from nothing, and comes with all the messiness that's part of any subjective process. Behind every effort to bring a feature to life, there's an engineer making dozens of judgment calls, weighing subtle tradeoffs, and thinking through implementation details and edge cases. Failing to understand this dynamic deprives engineers of the autonomy and ownership needed to do their best work.
Read everything you can get your hands on in the first few days, keep a running list of questions, and then grab a whiteboard and time with an engineer to run through them. Get enough of a baseline understanding to ask intelligent questions, but don't put off the last part for too long. There's only so much you can absorb from staring at a screen, and the initial investment of a team member's time will go a long way.
At this point you're probably swimming in a sea of acronyms and scribbled diagrams. Synthesize all this new information by writing it up in a doc. Share it with new hires as an onboarding resource. Even better, find an opportunity to present the information to another team, e.g., give a Search 101 presentation to partner managers. This is a great way to test your understanding and highlight areas where you need to dig in more.
Returning to our definition of what it means to be "technical enough," the first criteria is being able to trace a set of user issues back to the underlying problem. One way to do this is by pattern matching feedback and bug reports.
You pick up on the vocabulary that engineers use to discuss certain bugs.
You start to link issues together as symptoms of the same root problem.
So the reports from your coworker and mom would get rolled up under the parent issue: "Autocomplete normalization logic doesn't handle punctuation." Through this process you'll also develop a sense for the relative magnitude and priority of different issues.
No need to go crazy here; the goal is to be able to answer simple questions like where and how we've defined a particular variable, without having to bother an engineer.
Every field has a set of concepts that crop up again and again, e.g., recall vs. precision in search, cardinality in data modeling, etc. Identify what these are for computer science generally and your product area specifically, to help prioritize your learning.
Cunningham's Law states, "The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer." In many ways this is the perfect metaphor for the role of a PM—it's your job to come up with the initial spec or Google Drawings mock that everyone else then picks apart. The point isn't that you proposed a crappy strawman (most first drafts are), but that this gets the conversation started.
There's this idea that each function has a superpower; some quality that, when wielded, makes other people jump to work with you. For designers, it might be the ability to quickly produce a range of high fidelity explorations. For engineers, maybe it's the ability to hack together a prototype but also know when to invest in clean, extensible code.
For product managers, I think the closest equivalent is data fluency. Any time someone asks, "Do we know how many people use ABC feature?" and you can say, "Yeah, it's roughly 123," you build credibility. This is probably why product analyst positions have become one of the more common feeder roles into product management.
The purpose of the meeting is clear to everyone invited.
All necessary decision-makers are present.
You've set the right level of context at the beginning of the meeting.
There are clear action items and owners at the end of the meeting.
You take notes and share them promptly.
Err on the side of over-communicating and over-documenting. Know when email is the best communication channel and when it's not. Keep track of common questions you get from other teams and centralize the answers in a self-serve resource.
Ask your engineers: What are you doing now that you'd rather not do? Anything you're able to take off their plate—filing bugs, specifying logging requirements, pulling data, responding to requests from other teams—do.
Early on, I tried to avoid drawing attention to my marketing background because I didn't want to remind people that I wasn't technical. In retrospect this was pretty silly, as my unique set of experiences was partly why I was hired. Whether it's shipping an email campaign, running a quick survey, or setting up user interviews, build momentum by accumulating small wins.
Remember the superpower metaphor from before? This one's a close second to knowing your data. Good PMs bring clarity to every conversation they're involved in. They have a knack for asking incisive questions. They can tell you what problem we're solving and why, how we measure success, and the order of operations to get from here to there. More importantly, everyone on their team can apply this shared framework to make the best call even when the PM isn't there.
As a product manager, you're often the only representative from your team sitting in on a certain meeting or cc'd on an email exchange. Keep everyone updated on these interactions with other parts of the company. There's often no immediate benefit to doing so, but the cumulative context makes it easier to discuss controversial decisions down the road. Over time, your team will start to proactively come to you with questions and concerns.
I'd love to hear from you if you've made it this far, especially folks who've transitioned (or are thinking about transitioning) into product management from a non-technical role. As I noted at the beginning, there aren't a lot of resources on this subject, and it's hard to learn best practices beyond the narrow slice of your personal experience. Let's change that!


Picture Heavy Post, Reader Beware!
Laurel Hill Cemetery is "more than just a cemetery. It's an outdoor sculptural garden, a historical gem, and a truly unique historical resource. It also happens to be one of the few cemeteries in the United States to be honored with the designation of National Historic Landmark." It is 78- acres of land that stretch just outside the Philadelphia city limits. It was founded in 1836. Laurel Hill is home to General Meade and thirty-nine other Civil War-era generals reside here, in addition to six Titanic passengers.
Laurel Hill is just incredible. It goes on and on. Headstone as far as the eye can see.
I just loved looking at how old everything was. Some of the people in the cemetery were born in the 1700's.
Some of these headstone have seen so many seasons come and go. You can't even read the writing on so many of them. The weather and the years have worn them away.
This particular style of headstone was all over one section of the cemetery. I guess the "drape" was a popular headstone style back in the day. Weird to think that cemeteries go through different styles of headstones, don't you think?
I felt so bad because there was so many headstones that had just fallen to the ground because they had been there for so many years. I would have thought that the cemetery would be in charge of keeping them in tact, but I guess not.
In all the cemeteries I have been to in my life, many of the headstones were always decorated with flowers and balloons and other items from loved ones. This cemetery is so old that all the loved ones of the ones buried in the cemetery aren't around anymore. I maybe saw 5 headstones with flowers on them. Sort of sad when you think about it that way.
This one plot, and many others, had huge cracks down the middle of them. I am sure the last generation of so many families are buried in Laurel Hill, and there is no one to come visit the burial site anymore.
I wanted to stop and clean off some of the tombstones. This little guy had a stick to keep it propped up.
These headstones were not so lucky. The ground grows around them as the days go by.
Some of the headstones had amazing views of the Schuylkill River. I run right at the bottom of this hill everyday.
Thomas McKean was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He is one of the "celebrities" at Laurel Hill.
Another recent celebrity to Laurel Hill is Harry Kalas. Harry was the play by play announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies, who died this past April.
His grave site was filled with seats from the stadium and other things that his many fans have brought to stay with him at his final resting place.
He scored an awesome spot at Laurel Hill. He looks right over the Schuylkill River.
You can see the Philadelphia Zoo in the background.
The cemetery goes on and on and on!
This person also has a great view of the river.
I saw this inscription on a tombstone and just thought it was a great poem. What do you think?
It says "We Live in Deeds Not Years, In Thoughts, Not Breaths, In Feelings, Not in Figures on a Dial.
Can tombstones be cute? Because I think these are.
This is the Adrian Balboa marker from the latest Rocky movie. A scene from the movie was filed here.
And just incase you are in the market for one, family lots are still available at Laurel Hill! It has been around for hundreds of years, but there is still space for more!
I thought it was amazing to see the cemetery today. There is SO much history there, like I have already said a million times, but there really is. Boyf and I explored a good bit of the cemetery, but I would like to go back one day for a walking tour. I am SURE there is so much more to learn!
They are marketing Laurel Hill as a place to come and picnic or ride a bike through, which is interesting, because its a cemetery. Is that sac religious? I mean its a National Historic Landmark, on a BEAUTIFUL strip of land, but I am not sure I would want to set up shop and chill out all day by gravestones.
What are your thoughts? I do want to bike through it. There are some fabulous hills! Is that bad of me? People were doing it today and they looked like they were having a lovely time. Maybe I should bring flowers to a gravestone once in a while that looks like it hasn't gotten much love. That will be some good karma in exchange for biking through the cemetery, right?
although, i am literally scared sh!tless of cemeteries (i always think someones gunna pop out from the dead..im strange like that)..but these are really neat pictures and it sounds like it s a really neat, historic place!
Very interesting (and beautiful) cemetary!
I think biking is totally acceptable.
I'm a little weary of having a picnic in a cemetary mostly because I'm a little scared of them and believe in ghosts!


Last night, CBS debuted their newest crime drama, Unforgettable, starring Without a Trace veteran Poppy Montgomery.
Based on the fast affiliate numbers, the new TV series performed well. It won its timeslot with a 2.9 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic with 13.98 million viewers. That was a 16% increase in the demo over last year's timeslot occupant, The Good Wife (2.5).
Unforgettable did lose a fair amount of the the NCIS: Los Angeles lead-in audience but that's to be expected. We'll have a better idea of the new show's chances for the future once we look at the retention (how many people started watching the episode vs how many people finished), how many people come back for the second episode, and how the rest of the CBS schedule performs.
Right now, despite mixed and negative reviews, Unforgettable looks like a solid player.
UPDATE: You can now follow the weekly ratings.
What do you think? Did you watch Unforgettable last night? Will you return next week?
Slow start but grew on us to the point we will definitely watch it next week and see how it goes. Always enjoy Poppy Montgomery's acting.
It was really good. Had a slight Lie to me feel to it. So I hope this one survives because I liked the pilot. And I was excited about it the whole summer. So I guess we'll see.
I liked the show as well, I will be back next week. Usually, I always am the complete opposite of critics. They show that are suppose to be great. I don't like or just don't get, and the shows that are suppose to terrible. I love.
Gave up after 30 minutes. Bored and fell asleep. Nothing to hook me.
I enjoyed the show. Lots of twists and turns. I thought it was well written and I will watch again and again.


Texas County Appraisal District Directory, and City to County Converter. An address book for Real Estate and Property Value Lookup in Texas.
Floyd County TX Appraisal District real estate and property information and value lookup. Phone, website, and CAD contact for the cities of Aiken, Dougherty, Flomot, Floydada, Lockney, Petersburg, Quitaque, Silverton, South Plains.
Welcome to Motley County Appraisal District! Within this site you will find general information about the District and the ad valorem property tax system in Texas, as well as information regarding specific properties within the district.
Scott Appraisal Company, specializing in commercial, industrial and residential real estate appraisals, consultations and feasibility studies.
How is Fort Bend County Appraisal District (Rosenberg, TX) abbreviated? FBCAD stands for Fort Bend County Appraisal District (Rosenberg, TX). FBCAD is defined as Fort Bend County Appraisal District (Rosenberg, TX) rarely.
Professional, independent equipment appraisal services. Since 1955, Sencer Appraisal has been providing professional, independent, machinery and equipment appraisal services to individuals and members of the financial, legal and business communities with a team of equipment appraisers in cities across the country.
Iowa Chapter : Please register early. Prices may change, click course/seminar details.
Enter the 5-digit Zip Code (in the box and click 'Go'), Select the State (from the drop down list), View All States (click the button), or Click on the State (on the map).


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This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability and twenty-three privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited the most severe of these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11 on affected Windows clients, Important for Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11 on affected Windows servers, and Moderate for Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7 on supported editions of Windows Server 2003. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.
The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by adding additional permission validations to Internet Explorer, and by modifying the way that Internet Explorer handles objects in memory. For more information about the vulnerabilities, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry later in this bulletin.
Note For systems running Internet Explorer 9, CVE-2014-0271 is addressed by this update (2909921). For all other affected versions of Internet Explorer, CVE-2014-0271 is addressed by the update described in MS14-011. For more information, see the Update FAQ.
For addressing CVE-2014-0271, what update applies to my system?
CVE-2014-0271 is a vulnerability in the VBScript scripting engine. Although the attack vector is through Internet Explorer, this vulnerability is addressed by this update (2909921) only for systems running Internet Explorer 9. For all other affected versions of Internet Explorer, the vulnerability is addressed by the update described in MS14-011.
The update that addresses CVE-2014-0271 for your system depends on the version of the VBScript scripting engine that is installed. Consult the following table for update information.
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists within Internet Explorer during validation of local file installation and during secure creation of registry keys.
The vulnerability is caused when Internet Explorer fails to properly validate permissions, potentially allowing script to be run with elevated privileges.
An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could elevate privileges in affected versions of Internet Explorer.
This vulnerability by itself does not allow arbitrary code to be run. However, this vulnerability could be used in conjunction with another vulnerability (e.g., a remote code execution vulnerability) that could take advantage of the elevated privileges when running arbitrary code.
For example, an attacker could exploit another vulnerability to run arbitrary code through Internet Explorer, but due to the context in which processes are launched by Internet Explorer, the code might be restricted to run at a low integrity level (very limited permissions). However, an attacker could, in turn, exploit this vulnerability to cause the arbitrary code to run at a medium integrity level (permissions of the current user).
An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website. An attacker could also embed an ActiveX control marked "safe for initialization" in an application or Microsoft Office document that hosts the IE rendering engine. The attacker could also take advantage of compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to view the attacker-controlled content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to take action, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or in an Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's website, or by opening an attachment sent through email.
The vulnerability is caused when Internet Explorer does not properly enforce cross-domain policies, allowing an attacker to access content from different domains.
The update addresses the vulnerability by helping to ensure cross-domain policies are properly enforced in Internet Explorer.


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Should You Tell Your Kids about Your Mental Illness?
Medically reviewed by Scientific Advisory Board — Written by Margarita Tartakovsky, MS on December 30, 2010
Parents with a mental illness typically wonder whether it's best to disclose their diagnosis to their kids. On the one hand, you want to be open and honest. On the other hand, you may think that not saying anything protects your child. A parent's natural instinct to want to shield your child from any confusion or concern. However, according to research, not telling your child can actually have the opposite effect.
Research shows that if parents don't tell children about their mental illness, children develop misinformation and worries which can be worse than the reality, said Michelle D. Sherman, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and director of the Family Mental Health Program at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Later, these kids also report feeling resentment toward their parents for keeping them in the dark.
"It isn't really a question of if you should tell them, but what and when," said Ryan Howes, Ph.D, psychologist, writer and professor in Pasadena, California.
"We all know kids are incredibly perceptive — if there's something going on, they'll know." Information decreases kids' confusion, said Sherman, who's also a professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
So how do you broach the topic with your kids?
Here are some expert tips to help.
Talk to your mental health provider. Most parents don't know what to say to their kids. That's not surprising, considering that mental illness is hard enough to grasp for adults. Sherman suggested asking your mental health provider about the best ways to approach your child.
Strike a balance. According to Howes, there's a fine balance between revealing the truth to your kids and overwhelming them. He said that it's important "to prevent passing on any shameful connotation of mental illness, so it should be discussed openly (as is age appropriate) and without judgment."
Take age and maturity into account. How you talk to your kids will largely depend on their age and maturity level. "It might be appropriate to tell a young child that mommy isn't feeling well and that she'd love to come to the park but needs to rest," Howes said. He also suggested reading the book Wishing Wellness: A Workbook for Children of Parents with Mental Illness with your child. For teens who are mature, having "a frank discussion and literature about dad's mood swings," may be appropriate. Sherman has co-written a book specifically for teens of parents with mental illness called I'm Not Alone: A Teen's Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness.
Be open to their questions. Your kids may have a variety of questions, especially as they get older, Sherman said. Teens may fear that they'll also struggle with mental illness. Younger kids may ask if they caused the illness and wonder how they can fix it. "There's a range of fairly common questions that can be addressed in a developmentally appropriate way," said Joanne Nicholson, Ph.D, a psychologist who directs the Child and Family Research Core of the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mental Health Services Research.Avoid dismissing your kids' concerns, and again, prepare your talk with a mental health professional, who can help you answer these common questions.
See your talk as a learning opportunity. "It's important for parents with mental illness to know they have a special opportunity to teach their kids one of life's most important lessons: Everyone has their baggage," Howes said. "For mentally ill parents, their baggage just happens to have a diagnosis and a treatment plan. It's not so important what the baggage is, but how it's handled.""Give children the language for talking about mental health, feelings, emotional wellbeing and mood," Nicholson said. Help them understand that mental health is a vital "part of health, wellbeing and family life," she said.Stress to your kids the importance of taking good care of themselves, Sherman said. Talk to them about wellness, sleep, exercise and nutrition. If they're older, you can talk about the red flags of mental illness, as well.
Be reassuring. "Kids may become preoccupied with worry about their parents' wellbeing or their own future mental health in the case of heritable illness," Howes said. Reassure your kids that you love them, that you're getting help, and "that someone will always be there to meet their needs," he said.
Consider counseling for your kids. "Counseling can help educate, build coping skills and give kids another venue for emotional support," Howes said.
When thinking about your mental illness in general, consider this, as Howes pointed out: "This may be the best gift you give your kids: an example of facing challenges and limitations with honesty and courage. People who persevere despite great adversity deserve our highest respect — we call these people heroes."


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The method as recited in Claim 1, wherein the off-line transaction comprises at least part of a transaction selected from the group of transactions consisting of: a coupon redemption transaction, a gift certificate transaction, a rewards program transaction, a multi-tier sales transaction, a script transaction, a bartering transaction, a loan payback transaction, a cross-licensing transaction, a sales promotion transaction, a loss-leader transaction, a charitable fundraising transaction, a market-basket transaction, a subscription transaction, an auction transaction, a trade-for-fee transaction, a multi-party transaction, and a multi-item discount transaction.
#68US Patent 6,594,692: Methods for transacting electronic commerce
Applies to Claims 1,18,22,4,7,9
Submitted by: Fabian FagerholmLast updated: about 1 year ago
Patent/Application # 6594692
This patent describes a method for electronic commerce, similar in many respects to the application under consideration. In particular it includes an Internet charging mechanism. It is more specific in description in many aspects, than the application under consideration.
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Photo galleries (58)
331 published items with the word (s) or phrase J.W.Anderson in News, Trends, Videos, Photo galleries, Agenda and sorted by "date descending".
Loewe opens design studio in Paris
while welcoming new artistic director, the British J.W. Anderson, the Spanish-born, LVMH-owned group has opened a new design studio in Paris.
Armani ends fashion week, Chinese firm buys Krizia
Giorgio Armani closed Milan Fashion Week on Monday, as historic label Krizia said it was being bought by a Chinese firm and luxury giant LVMH announced a deal with a young Italian designer in key signs of change for t...
LVMH invests in Italian brand Marco de Vincenzo
French luxury group LVMH will unveil a joint venture with Italian fashion brand Marco de Vincenzo as part of its strategy to gain exposure to young and potentially fast-growing fashion labels.
Topshop: playing with the big boys but keeping it real
It has a new store opening on Fifth Avenue, Kate Moss's latest collection will hit the shops within weeks, and its catwalk show is a highlight of London Fashion Week - but Topshop is not taking life too seriously.
Versus Versace taps Anthony Vaccarello
Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello has been tapped by Versace's sister line, Versus Versace, to create a collection for the brand.
Young Italian shoe brand Moretti gets private equity backing
Italian luxury shoemaker Alberto Moretti, known for his velvet slip-ons and stilettos made with 24-carat gold, has secured backing from a newly-formed private equity firm in the latest deal involving a promising young...
Burberry, Prada and Kane honored at British Fashion Awards
Burberry, Christopher Kane and Miuccia Prada won top honors at the British Fashion Awards, which took place on Monday night in London in an atmosphere more "red carpet" than ever.
BFC announces nominees for British Fashion Awards
The British Fashion Council has announced the nominees for the British Fashion Awards, which will take place in London on December 2. Names include Christopher Kane, Sarah Burton and Phoebe Philo.
Moda Operandi taps former LVMH exec as CEO
Almost six months after the departure of co-founder and CEO Áslaug Magnúsdóttir, New-York based website Moda Operandi welcomes new boss Deborah Nicodemus.
Diesel founder taken aback by race for young designers
Renzo Rosso, the founder of Diesel, says competition for hot designers is now as intense as for football stars, as shown by the speed at which big luxury groups such as LVMH are investing in promising new fashion names.


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Home Environment Environmental Issues
Warmest winter on record for California worsens drought streak
by Tibi Puiu
in Environmental Issues, News, Renewable Energy
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement that California just came off its warmest winter on record. On average there were 48 Fahrenheit (9 Celsius) for December, January and February, making it 4 degrees hotter than the 20th-century average in California. The state is currently facing its most dire drought streak in years, and this latest news is most concerning. Of course, for the farmers in California this doesn't come as a novelty, yet with their best efforts, it's still very difficult for them.
For California, a warm winter is a whole not worse than a scorching summer. California, and other similar states in the US, rely on winter weather for their annual water budget as the snow that accumulates in the Sierra Nevada Mountains melts throughout spring and summer and feed neighboring rivers. "If you're starting from a deficit and going into the dry season, it's setting you up for a drier summer," said NOAA spokesman Brady Phillips said.
The Department of Water Resources said that the snowpack was only 20 percent of the historical average. The lack of precipitation has been caused in large part by a high-pressure zone stretching along the coast from Oregon to northern Mexico. The zone acts like a mountain range, blocking storm systems from striking land. Storms are pushed instead north into Canada and Alaska, contributing to the extreme cold weather seen in recent weeks across much of the Midwest and Northeast. Though such high-pressure zones are normal during the winter, they usually dissipate and re-form, allowing storms to blanket the state in snow and rain.
California is in the grip of a three-year dry spell that threatens to have devastating effects on the state and beyond. Farmers are considering idling a half million acres of cropland, a loss of production that could cause billions of dollars in economic damage, and several small communities are at risk of running out of drinking water.
Photo: U.S. Drought Monitor
Californians are in their third consecutive drought, and this year's seems the worse in decades bearing potentially devastating effects on the state and beyond. More than a half million acres of cropland may be discarded from use this year, translating in billions of dollars worth of damage. In the Bay Area, some 17 communities risk running out of water altogether in the forthcoming 100 days. Governor Jerry Brown has called for Californians to reduce water use by 20 percent voluntarily, and mandatory rationing could be ordered soon so that homes, businesses and farms don't run dry over the summer.
Around the West and in the Great Plains, multiple states also experienced warmer temperatures and low rainfall. Arizona had its fourth warmest winter to date and Texas had it lowest reservoir levels in 25 years by March. Overall, rainfall across the entire United States was far below normal this winter with only 5.7 inches of rain falling in the past three months, causing the ninth driest winter on record.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be holding an informational session on drought resources for farmers, ranchers and farmworkers in Cloverdale. This session will provide information on a variety of state and federal government programs designed to assist farmers with water conservation, crop insurance, and other on-farm management tools. Information on farmworker assistance programs will also be available.
Tags: Californiadroughtglobal warming


Michael Rhode alerts us to the fact that Max Gaines' personal library is up for auction. We're talking leather-bound copies of Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving, not file copies of Picture Stories From The Bible.
Julian Chambliss interviews "Black Kirby" creator John Jennings.
Marc Tyler Nobleman, in researching Bill Finger, has uncovered several previously-unseen photos of the creator. He's dropping a new one each day this week on his blog.
And finally, Joe Field points us to the official music video for Tuomas Holopainen's "A Lifetime of Adventure" which was directly inspired by The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. The video even prominently features a very happy-looking Don Rosa doing what he does best.


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Zygaena wyatti is een vlinder uit de familie van de bloeddrupjes (Zygaenidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1961 door Reiss & Schulte.

Bloeddrupjes


Home In The Garden is centred in Mallaca, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia. The hotel is ideal for travellers who prefer a simple and relaxed atmosphere surrounded by easy access to must-see sites.
Rooms are furnished with a TV, hair dryer, and seating area. Air-conditioned rooms are also furnished with a clothing rack . Shared bathrooms include a standing shower and fresh towels.
Hotel features include an airport shuttle service and Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. There is also a shared lounge/TV area and the multilingual staff speaks English, Malay, and Chinese.
Guests are served coffee and tea in the lobby area. There are a host of restaurants and cafes within walking distance from the hotel.
St Paul's Church and Baba-Nonyta Heritage Museum are a ten-minute stroll from Home In The Garden. Porta de Santiago is 500 metres away from the property.
The hotel location is great with plenty to do in the immediate area along with good transportation. Jonker Street is the hotspot. There is food (there are plenty of takeaway places), hang-out joints, and plenty of shopping.
The room and the communal bathroom area is clean. In fact, housekeeping is done every few hours throughout the day. The décor is basic and pleasing to the eye and the Wi-Fi is good.
The staff is friendly and courteous. They open doors for visitors and keep the facility very secure.
The wooden floors are extremely creaky. Every step made by other visitors is heard, which can be extremely annoying if there are lots of children about, or if you visit during peak season.
Due to deficient ventilation sleeping with the room door open is the alternative. There are windows; however, the windows face the corridor not the outside.
Parking is tricky, the spaces are limited, and the pathway is quite small. Parking must be found at another location from the hotel. This may make travelling with heavy luggage a hindrance.


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Rep. Dan Crenshaw: Gold Star families' Memorial Day – dedicated to those who can never forget
Leave a comment on Rep. Dan Crenshaw: Gold Star families' Memorial Day – dedicated to those who can never forget
Skip Bedell shows a simple way to fly the American flag this Memorial Day with Atlantic Flag & Pole
She wakes up from a pleasant dream, for once. Usually, they are nightmares. He was in it this time, as if nothing was wrong and life was just as it was. Boring. Perfectly boring. They were laughing about something, watching TV together just as they used to. For a split second she is still in the dream as she reaches her hand across the bed to touch him. But he isn't there.
She remembers now. And with that realization comes the gut-wrenching wave of grief that she is all too familiar with. Tears well up. She squeezes her eyes shut and clutches her fists tightly in front of her face. She wants to scream but she knows from experience it doesn't really help, and it scares her son, who is still too young to understand what's going on. His dad was killed in action a year ago, when he was just 2 years old. He misses him, she can tell, but it's obvious he doesn't know how to process death yet.
By now, the calls and friendly check-ins have mostly stopped. It was amazing at first, when the community pulled together in the most incredible of ways. She was grateful. She truly didn't have to worry about anything, whether it was groceries or work or even money. What the military didn't provide was made up for by his fellow SEALs and their wives.
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But eventually people move on. They don't forget, per se, but they go back to their routines. They come over and try to make conversation. She isn't good at conversation anymore, so she tells them that she's doing fine, even though she isn't. They figure they should come by less and less. Only a couple still check in occasionally. She used to be close with his family, but grief does strange things to people, and they don't talk much anymore except to arrange visits with her son.
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To miss someone profoundly is to wonder what life would be like if they were still there. To know that every moment would be better if they were back in your arms. Every morning would be normal, instead of a crushing blow to the soul. Every evening would be full of laughter, instead of just … empty. Even some marital bickering would be welcome. What she would give, even for a fight over the obnoxious way he loaded the dishwasher.
For those of us who have lost our brothers to war, we grieve. We miss them. We never forget. But we are not broken by it. We know this is the life we chose, to be on the front lines, to serve in the most dangerous of ways. Crazy, maybe, but true nonetheless.
But for the Gold Star widow, she never pursued war. She was asked by her husband and her country to remain behind and remain strong, often not knowing whether or not her soulmate was even in danger. She learned to get through the nights while he was on deployment by imagining what he was doing, picturing him bored and playing Call of Duty instead of prepping for a mission. She had practice, given they had been through four deployments together.
But now, his brothers in arms have moved on to the next deployment, and she is the only one that wakes up alone each morning. She gets no reprieve, no rest from the grief. She is the one who must endure.
Another year goes by. She begins to function better and starts a foundation in her husband's name. He was passionate about horses, growing up on a ranch, so she raises money to get disabled vets and special needs kids trained to ride. It helps a little, and it keeps her busy. It keeps him alive, in a small way. Being around the horses reminds her of him in a pleasant kind of way. She finds herself searching the horse's gaze for some kind of sign from him, as if he might speak through them somehow. She still hasn't cleaned out his closet. The smell of his clothes is all she has left.
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A couple more years go by, and she goes on a few dates. Nice guys, but no sparks fly. Not like the first time she met her husband. At first, she thinks she should date outside the military completely. Seems to make sense. But it's impossible. These guys don't get it, on any level. They are intimidated by her, never knowing what to say. Losing hope, she reconnects with an old teammate of her husband's for drinks, and for the first time in a while she remembers what a connection feels like. It turns into more, and a year later they're talking about marriage.
She will always be her late husband's wife, a reality that only her late husband's teammate can understand. They marry, and she's beginning to remember what joy feels like again. The pain is finally dulled, but it never really goes away.
This is the real Memorial Day. It is the day that never goes away, with no real beginning and no end. It isn't one day a year, but a constant ache deep down in the soul of those who understand what real sacrifice is. For everyone else it is only once a year, a time to recall that these sacrifices happened at all and that we should remember them. For too many, it's just a day off work, a day to slash prices, a day to throw a party.
For the Gold Star families, it's a day they observe with a mix of gratitude and dread: grateful the country remembers, grateful for the opportunity to speak openly about their loss without getting an awkward look, but dreading the culmination of emotion the day brings with it.
On this Memorial Day, may we hope that more Americans will remember, and understand what this day means for those who can't ever forget.
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How To Sell Copper scrap in Qatar?
Metal scrap recycling and selling is beneficial in two ways. One, you get good money. Second, you save environmental degradation as you know metals when thrown away degrade and pollute the soil. Therefore metal scrap recycling is a way to prevent environmental degradation. This article will tell you how to get the maximum value for your solid copper metal scrap.
Now to get the maximum value from your solid copper scrap it is important to sort different types of copper. In that process, it is important to realize the 5 different kinds of copper to get an appropriate price for each category.
Copper solids- They are the most valuable type of copper. Copper solids further break down into 3 categories depending on the purity of copper element present in the object.
Copper non solids- These include dust and trimmings.
Copper wire- They are the electronic wires.
Copper breakage- This is a type of copper obtained from objects like motors and transformers.
Copper alloy- Alloys are mixed with other metals like brass and bronze.
This will ensure that you don't stack all copper scrap as one pile thus giving you the least overall price. Every kind of copper demands a different price- an important point to note when you sell copper metal scrap.
After learning different types of copper, you will be able to get maximum value for your copper scrap. You can find copper scrap around construction sites, electronic copper scraps like wires or appliance repair shops and sell them to earn huge profit. However, while dealing with Copper Scrap in Qatar, know that scrap yards now work closely with the government to apprehend copper thieves. Take assistance of legal Scrap Metal Recycling companies like Lucky Group and verify that you can legally remove copper from any site.


The FAFSA, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, can be a form administered by the U. The government only steps in in the event the parents login for fafsa are unable to pay for college, not once they are merely unwilling to cover college. The IRS DRT allows students and parents, who've already filed their federal tax return, gain access to the IRS tax return information needed to accomplish the FAFSA, and transfer the data directly inside their FAFSA from the IRS Web site. If you want to increase your potential aid, you should submit a FAFSA as early as is possible after October 1. It's crucial that students and families recognize that FAFSA is there since the taxpayers as well as the citizens of our own state and our nation need to support young people inside their college and career goals," Osborn says. I researched this info which enable it to't manage to find the answer.The preferred way is to use the IRS Tax Table or Tax Rate Schedule to calculate the amount of taxes that would've been paid had the parent filed a different return, taking into mind the deductions and exemptions the parent could have claimed. Take our quick quiz and discover out if Roanoke is right for you. Qualifying for Federal school funding requires completing and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), determined by your income from the preceding year.
It set me up for any lifetime of exploration - an outing that I am still on today. Make sure you know your state's financial aid deadlines, stay in connection with current or target school federal funding departments whilst a list of questions you may need answered along the way in which. You had one bucket of income that was gonna one household," says Diane Pappas, an authorized divorce financial analyst. Camus, the deputy inspector general for investigations with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, alluded to the Hamlett case but would not mention Hamlett by name, or point out that Trump was the target. A student who can be a ward in the court doesn't remain in the legal custody of the student's parents. In Michigan, priority consideration for state aid programs emerges to those students whose FAFSA is received with the federal processor by March 1. Once obtained, your FSA ID will probably be good for a lifetime. By offering this free FAFSA assistance support, we are creating a region that sports ths educational success of each and every individual while creating a dependable and reliable workforce to fulfill the needs of regional employers," said Wylie Sirk, director of educational leadership at IPFW and member from the Big Goal Collaborative's High School Action Team. He said he tackled his car loan first to pay for down a higher monthly interest during a six-month grace period following graduation on his student education loans.
You can afford to improve your FAFSA information should your situation changes. Noel-Levitz finds much the same correlation between FAFSA position and yield at nearly most of its clients, said Galen Graber, an associate vice president at Noel-Levitz. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes a college federal funding administrator will grant a student a dependency override. That becomes a challenge when applicants forget their passwords, which has to be recovered through email. Procrastinators run the chance of missing out on college while stating aid, which may be doled out on a first-come, first-served basis, Levy said. There are four common scenarios where someone might not file a federal taxes return:. Now, learn the following steps in the process of obtaining federal funding. If your FAFSA has been selected for federal verification we're going to request information to make sure that that the data reported on your own FAFSA is accurate.


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E. Lester Congdon started working at the age of fifteen, after the death of his father, to support his mother and sisters. He started working at the Passaic-Bergan Lumber Company as a laborer. He was a hard worker, and as time went on, he was given more responsibility. In no time he was moved inside to do counter sales. Mr. Peterson, the owner, would have monthly meetings to teach his staff the business. Lester took full advantage of this, and with his increased knowledge of the business and strong work ethic, was promoted to commission road salesman. This was during the roaring twenties; the economy was strong and Essex County was booming. In addition to his lumber carrier he purchased ten building lots, in the "Forest Heights" section of Verona, from one of his customers: the Baltz – Howell Company. Lester partnered with another customer to build the Verona houses, and at the same time he was selling so much lumber that Mr. Peterson took him off commission and put him on salary. Mr. Peterson recognized Lester's leadership skills and made him Branch Manager of their East Orange yard. The end of the twenties brought the stock market crash, and the Great Depression slowed business down dramatically. All but one of the houses sold. By 1932 Lester to put the house in Bloomfield for sale, and if that sold first they would move to Verona. Bloomfield sold first.
The Passaic Bergen Company made it until 1936 before they were forced to close. Lester was unemployed for more than a year when he met up with someone he knew in the industry, and in 1938 they decided to open a new lumber yard, which is still in business today. The partnership lasted until 1943 when they amicably split, and Lester bought the property that was formally Bloomfield Building Supply (ironically the north-west corner of the Bloomfield Home Depot sits on a piece of this property). This was during World War II, when labor and materials were scarce. Most of his business was for the war effort, supplying crating material for gliders for the Normandy invasion. Lester had to buy whatever lumber was available and cut it to size. The material would be delivered by rail. Lester and his friend Henry "Dip" Diebler would unload the cars by hand. After his wife Grace got the kids off to school, she would take the trolley from Verona and help rip the lumber to size (on the saw we still use today). Henry would deliver it. After they were done for the day, Lester would take the books home and do the paperwork at night.
After the war, building took off–and so did sales. Lester was able to add man-power and equipment, and Henry was made general manager. He hired a bookkeeper, drivers, and laborers; business was good. At one point in the late 1940's there was a fire that destroyed one of the buildings. Lester calculated the loss at $10,000. In 1950 Lester was given notice that his property was going to be taken for the Garden State Parkway, so it was time to find a new yard. He was able to find the yard of an old competitor two and a half miles away: the John O'Rourke Company* at 17 Park Avenue in West Orange, and in February 1954 the E. L. Congdon Lumber company opened its new doors.
Although the new location was half the size it once was, it was still much bigger than the Bloomfield property, with more yard and warehouse space. The 1950's brought even more sales, and with the new location on a main road, Lester started marketing to the public, and the business continued to grow. After his son Lester returned home from the Army late in 1954, he joined the company and moved into an apartment above the office with his new family. Lester Jr. focused his attention on sales, spending most of his time on the road. In 1968 Lester's younger son Richard returned from the Army and joined the company. Richard focused his attention on management. Lester Sr. was active grooming his sons and setting his business up so he could start to enjoy life. He had a house on Cape Cod that he would get away to, but he was always in control. He worked until the day he died in 1977. In 1987 Lester Jr. retired. He died in 2016. Richard retired in 2014 and died in 2018. Lester Jr.'s son Edward started in 1980. Richard's son Brent joined in 1988 and Seth in 1992. Today we have Edward's two sons, Eddie and Sean, Brent's son, Jake, and Seth's three sons, Seamus, Bruce and Malachy bringing up the fourth generation.
* John O'Rourke Coal and Wood opened in 1890, the yard went between the railroad and Standish Avenue, and from Park to Lakeside Avenues. John O'Rourke built a Victorian house on the corner of Park and Standish Avenues where he lived until his death. His three children lived there until 1973, when it was razed for parking. John O'Rourke died in 1911 and the business was purchased by Edward Balch of Maplewood. Mr. Balch started his business career as a cloak maker in New York. He then moved to New Jersey where he started in development, building 175 homes in Maplewood before purchasing John O'Rourke Coal and Wood Company, in 1911 he incorporated the company as the John O'Rourke Company. A few years later his son Everett joined the company. Mr. Balch was an innovator, in 1916 the O'Rourke company was featured in a national ad for White Trucks that mentioned he had three teams of horses, but now with the white trucks he could expand his territory all the way to the Caldwells. There was also an article in a 1934 nationally published trade journal about how the O'Rourke company spent $4000 to "modernize" a house for display purposes. Mr. Balch also started manufacturing insect screens at O'Rourke, and it became so successful he formed the Orange Screen Company and moved it to its own location in Maplewood. After the death of Edward Balch in 1934 Everett closed the O'Rourke Company to focus on the screen manufacturing company.
E. L. Congdon Lumber Co.
17 Park Ave, West Orange, NJ 07052
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Since I came to UTM, I never introduce my new friends to my readers. As you know, I'm staying here alone in the hostel and only go back to KL on fortnightly basis. So my study-mates here in the department are my new family now. When I first came, they were all very heartwarming welcoming me as the new addition in the department and hoping to develop more success in the future.
For the past couple of months, I started my PhD research from scratch which need a lot of fundamental recall from my Master and Undergraduate studies.Ya know, I've been in the industry for six years and that's need a massive recall ...and both of my main supervisor, Dr.Sharifah and co-supervisor, Dr.Jason really helps.
Recently, our department (Process System Engineering Center-PROSPECT) won the Gold and Jury Award in the 16th Industrial Art and Technology Exhibition (INATEX). Our Director, Dr. Sharifah was so happy with the results and she decided to treat us over lunch at Sakae Sushi.
This is my co-supervisor, Dr. Jason- he is a year older than me, very funny guy, soft spoken and the math programming genius. Everything is at his fingertips. That's how genius he is. I would be lost if he's not around, heeee, okay that sounds like a weirdo! But really, we discuss like almost everyday about my research.
This is my cubicle mate-Peng Yen, we called him PY. He's young, only 26 I guess and currently at his final semester to submit his PhD thesis.
All the girls from the PROSPECT department, Rohani, Mismi, Huda, Linda and Wani..Glad to have them as my friends here. They are funny and sometimes crazy, omg hehe! We motivate each other a lot, because we need that through our journey of completing the PhD.
As usual, imma foodie kinda person. Hehe!
There are a lot of options here apart of sushi, you can order side dishes which I can't recall the names, you have to go yourself and find out haha.
constantly i used to read smaller articles or reviews which as well clear their motive, and that is also happening with this post which I am reading at this place.
Hi there, yeah this piece of writing is truly pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it about blogging.


This is Part 3 in a series of 6 articles defining and explaining the heartbeat of WorldView Ministries. My burden is to clearly relate who we are, what our God-given vision is, and how we are taking the steps necessary to achieve our vision.
Producing disciples among unreached people groups is required if we are to make significant progress in obeying the Great Commission.
Over half the world is still waiting to hear the Gospel. If we could preach to 10,000 people every day who had never heard the gospel before, it would take over 1,000 years to reach them all. If every missionary we sent out reached 5,000 people with the Gospel, it would take an army of over 600,000 missionaries. Even if one includes all evangelical groups, the missionary work force is not even 5% of that number, and all agree that there will never be enough foreign missionaries to finish the task. Therefore, we must dedicate ourselves to the thrust of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20. We are to make disciples. We are to win them, baptize them and teach (disciple) them to observe all things Christ has commanded us.
We also have the command to reach every creature (Mark 16:15), but we have not even penetrated every nation (people group). We will never reach every creature until we penetrate every nation and disciple new believers from those nations which will foster the disciple-making process among their own people.
WorldView frequently coordinates and participates in national training events such as pastor's conferences, Bible conferences and evangelism training conferences. These events have taken place in countries both open and closed to the Gospel.
This emphasis on national training is led and coordinated by WorldView's Director of National Training Programs. Please pray for these efforts. If you are a pastor or otherwise qualified teacher or speaker and have a desire to help train nationals on the foreign field, please contact us for possible participation.